Discovering Dani

by N. J. Walters

  Dani rinsed the bucket and dried it with a rag, returning it to the small utility closet in the kitchen. Kicking the door closed with her foot, she dropped the rag into her own box. She ran tomorrow’s schedule over in her mind as she checked to make sure she had all her supplies and tools packed. Satisfied she had everything she’d brought with her, she lowered the lid and snapped it shut.

  She knew she had only one job tomorrow afternoon, but it would take almost the entire afternoon. That left only the morning free for her to run errands and to Christmas shop. Earlier this morning, she’d managed to find two sweaters on sale, one each, for Patrick and Shamus. Those packages were tucked away in the truck, but she wanted to look for new jeans for both her brothers. They wore them out quickly at their ages.

  With her mind on her shopping, she picked up her belongings, swung around, and remembered the briefcase a fraction of a second too late. She dropped her own box and made a wild grab, but it was too late. She cringed as the case hit the floor, handle-side down, and popped open, strewing papers everywhere.

  “Oh my, Lord,” she gasped out, horrified that she might have damaged the briefcase and its contents. Dropping to her knees, Dani frantically started to gather the papers together. She was so focused on her task, she never heard the faint sound of the front door opening and closing.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Dani had only a second to register the fury in the male voice before she was forcibly spun around and found herself trapped by eyes gone black with anger. She instinctively tried to pull away from the threat in those eyes, but the small movement seemed to anger him even more, and the grip on her wrist tightened.

  “Oh, no you don’t, sweetheart.” The softness in his voice made her shiver, but there was no gentleness on the masculine face before her.

  “Let…let me go,” Dani stammered as she forced her voice to work.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” he repeated. His hold on her arms was unbreakable as she again tried in vain to sever his hold on her. “If you’re going to break and enter you should at least have had the sense to keep a better look-out.”

  Dani stared at the same mountain of arrogance she had run into earlier, and a sudden certainty filled her. He was the new tenant of cabin number five. It was the final straw in a day that had tested her temper. Taking a deep breath, she silently counted to five. It wouldn’t do to yell at a client of her customer. Swallowing back her angry words, she summoned her best professional voice.

  “I’m afraid there’s been a mistake,” Dani said through her clenched teeth. Her jaw ached with the strain of trying to contain the anger this man had provoked in her.

  …

  “You bet there’s been a mistake. And you’re the one who made it. No one steals from me.” He dragged her relentlessly toward the phone, even as she dug in her feet and continued to fight his hold on her. “You can tell it to the police.”

  Burke glared down into the face of the woman he held, his irritation growing as his body ignored his mind and started responding to her as a woman. And what a woman she was. Long brown hair, the color of thick rich molasses, was working its way loose from its braid. Generous breasts and hips that would fit him quite nicely given her height. Most women didn’t have curves like that these days as they all seemed intent on starving themselves. Stormy bluish-gray eyes shot daggers back at him as she parted her full pink lips.

  Those lips were made for kissing, he thought, and then mentally shook himself. After all these years, he thought he was smart enough not to be swayed by a woman’s looks. He knew what women were like, for God’s sake. They’d use their feminine wiles if they figured it would get them out of trouble. And who’s to say it wouldn’t? All of a sudden, he was curious to find out how far she would go.

  “Are you suggesting I not call the police?” Burke waited patiently for her reply, sure that an offer was about to follow.

  “Of course you shouldn’t call the police. There’s been a simple mistake which, if you’ll just listen for one minute, I’ll explain.” She pulled away one more time and seemed surprised when he released her from his grip.

  She straightened her sweater and tugged it down over her hips. The action outlined her breasts and hips in great detail. Burke watched her hands smooth down the front of her sweater and suddenly he wanted to do it for her. His temper flared again.

  “Look, Mister…” she began.

  “The name’s Burke Black, and you can forget the coy explanations. I’ll take what you’re offering and I won’t call the police, since you didn’t get a chance to steal anything.”

  Burke felt generous at the moment, and it wasn’t as if there was any real harm done. He had arrived in time to prevent that from happening, but he would definitely take a little something for himself in compensation.

  “What are you talking about?” Confusion filled her eyes. “I was cleaning your cabin and now I’m finished. I accidentally knocked over your case, but everything seems to be alright.” She motioned to the paper-filled open case on the floor. “I’ll just get my coat and leave.”

  “Cleaning out the cabin is more like it,” Burke answered in a harsh voice. She had that innocent act down pat. If he hadn’t caught her red-handed, shuffling through his briefcase, he would probably buy her little performance. Reaching down, he snapped the lid closed and set the case safely on the kitchen table. Never once did his eyes leave her face. “And if you don’t want me to go to the police, you should start being a little nicer to me. I already told you I’ll take what you’re offering in reparation.”

  He drew her into his arms and captured her mouth with his. She immediately started to struggle.

  “Easy, take it easy,” he muttered as he banded one arm around her back to keep her in place and placed his other hand on her bottom to pull her tight to his arousal.

  “God, you feel good,” he groaned. “Open your mouth.”

  His tongue slipped between her lips as she opened her mouth to speak. He didn’t want to talk. He lost himself in the warmth of her mouth and sought her tongue. Rubbing it. Stroking it. She leaned into his kiss, and he pulled back to nibble on her luscious lips. He deepened the kiss again, howling in pain as she clamped her teeth down. Hard.

  “Damn it,” he cursed as he jerked away from her. The little witch had actually bit him. He barely had time to duck away from her open hand before it made contact with his face.

  “How dare you!” Her voice shook with rage as she faced him. Her outraged stance fired up his temper, which had never really had a chance to dissipate.

  “Oh, I dare all right. You’re the one in trouble, if you haven’t forgotten.”

  “You arrogant, overbearing jerk!” Her voice rose higher with every word until the last one was yelled in his face. With her hands fisted on her hips and her head tossed back, she looked magnificent as she let him have it. “I have a cleaning contract for these cabins and you’re a day early checking in. Since no one was here, I decided to go ahead and clean it. Then, all of a sudden, I’m being manhandled and accused of all sorts of things.”

  Burke began to contemplate the rare fact that, for the second time today, he had made an error in his thinking.

  “And furthermore,” she continued, “how dare you suggest that I should be nice to you, I believe is how you put it, so you won’t call the police. I’d rather you did call the police.”

  Burke’s feelings of contrition about the whole incident had completely vanished by the time she’d uttered her last statement. “What did you mean by that last crack? There was a minute there, before you bit me, when you were kissing me as much as I was kissing you.”

  “That’s only because you caught me off guard with your Neanderthal tactics.”

  His temper evaporated the longer he stared at her and noticed the fine trembling in her body and the trace of fear in her eyes. Ever so gently, Burke drew her into his arms and carefully wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders. Tentatively, he rubbed his
big hand slowly up and down her back, wanting only to comfort her. He may have done a lot of questionable things in his life, but he’d never scared or hurt a woman, until now. He didn’t like the feeling.

  Burke held her as she continued to tremble in his arms, and he belatedly thought about everything he had said and done since he had walked into the cabin. The small sob that escaped her filled him with shame. “I’m sorry,” he whispered softly in her ear. “I’m so very sorry.”

  …

  Dani stood quietly in the arms of a virtual stranger and let him comfort her. She was held captive by his unexpected gentleness, protected and surrounded by the same strength that had felt so threatening only moments before. It had been a long time since anyone had held her when she needed comfort, and she had almost forgotten how good it felt.

  “Hello, anybody here?”

  The voice from the living room was like being hit in the face with a bucket of cold water. Turning away from Burke, she angrily swiped at the tears on her face with the back of her hand. She was almost surprised and vaguely disappointed when he let her go. Berating herself for even allowing him to embrace her, she ran her hands over her hair and straightened her sweater. She hoped she looked calm and composed as she grabbed her supply box and held it in front of her like a shield just as Mr. Carter strolled into the kitchen.

  “Hello, Mr. Black. I’m Silas Carter. We spoke on the phone earlier today.” The older man extended his hand as he spoke. “I brought out that rental agreement for you to sign and to make sure you had everything you needed. I see you’ve met Dani.”

  Silas turned to her after he’d shaken Burke’s hand. “Any trouble getting this place cleaned today? I know this job was short notice for you.”

  “No trouble at all, Mr. Carter.” Dani thought she managed to answer in an even tone, although her insides were still shaking. The box in her hand moved slightly as her arms trembled. She moved quickly before he noticed anything amiss. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get going.”

  Leaving the men behind her in the kitchen, Dani rushed to the living room and dropped her supplies on the floor. She jerked her parka on, yanked on her boots, reached down, grabbed her belongings, and bolted out the front door. Her coat was wide open, and the cold hit her immediately. She didn’t mind the biting sting of the cold. In fact, she welcomed it. Maybe it would bring her back to her senses. Right now, she needed desperately to get home, where everything felt normal and safe.

  …

  Burke’s gut clenched as he watched his mystery woman all but run through the front door. The parka she had tugged on looked very familiar.

  “You said her name was Dani?” he asked the man standing at his side.

  “Yes, Dani O’Rourke. I’m sorry, I thought the two of you would have introduced yourselves.”

  “No,” Burke replied, “we didn’t really have time.” Burke shook his head, he really had dug himself a deep hole with this particular woman. It would take more than an apology to get on her good side, but first things first. “Let’s get that lease signed, and I’ll get moved in.”

  Chapter Three

  Dani was still shaking when she turned her truck onto Peach Street. All she wanted was to get home to the little white bungalow at the end of the street. Maybe when she was safe inside, she would stop shaking. Maybe then she could admit that only half of her was afraid. The other half wanted to examine what had happened to her. She had never felt that way before, had never lost control of herself like that.

  As she turned the truck into the driveway, she told herself not to take the incident too seriously. After all, she was an adult, and it was only a kiss. The man was a complete stranger, and she would probably never see him again. She should just forget the whole bizarre experience.

  Now if only her legs would listen to her, she thought as she climbed out of the driver’s seat. She hoped they would hold her up long enough for her to get into the house and curl up at the kitchen table with a nice cup of hot chocolate. By heavens, after the day she had put in, she deserved some chocolate.

  Just as she reached back into the truck a long arm shot past hers and snagged the packages sitting on the front seat. Dani jumped, spun around, and knocked one of the packages to the ground.

  “Are you all right?”

  She looked up into the concerned familiar face staring down at her and sighed. “I’m fine, Patrick. Just a little tired.”

  “Well, it’s no wonder you’re tired. Trying to finish Christmas shopping and work too. And I know how much you love to shop.” Patrick grinned playfully.

  It was a running joke in their family that Dani, the only female, hated to shop, while Patrick and their younger brother, Shamus, both loved it. She’d even been known to try bribery to get out of grocery shopping. Homemade chocolate cake was the bribe of choice.

  Patrick leaned down and snatched the package off the ground and then shook it. “Anything in this for me?”

  “Anyone would think you were a little boy of nine instead of a grown man of nineteen,” she teased.

  “You’re never too old for presents.” Patrick continued to examine the package as he led the way around the house and in through the back door.

  Dani followed her brother toward the back door, shaking her head as she went. In spite of her teasing, she was quite proud of the man he was becoming. He had finished high school this past June and had gotten a job with a company that did landscaping all summer and snow-clearing all winter. On top of that, he took night courses in criminology at the local college. He loved his studies and excelled in all his courses. He was seriously considering police work, and while she was proud of him, she worried about this career path.

  Stomping her feet on the back step to rid her boots of some of the snow that clung to them, she then stepped in through the back door. There she removed all her winter garb, hanging her coat on the brass hook on the wall and placing her boots on the mat to dry before finally stepping into the snug little kitchen that, to her, signified she was home.

  She loved the little kitchen with its pine cupboards and table that shone in the winter sunshine streaming through the window over the kitchen sink. The countertop was the same country blue as the tiles that covered the floor. Kitchen chairs painted to match were positioned around the pine table, two on either side. A planter box on the windowsill overflowed with sage, oregano, and other herbs she used for cooking.

  Dani was proud of her kitchen. She and her two brothers had done all the work together and it was the first room they had redone after she had started working. What they hadn’t known how to do, they had learned from how-to books from the library. It had made the house seem more like theirs, and not their parents’. It had made them closer as a family.

  “Dani, are you sure you’re all right? You’re awfully quiet.”

  “I’m fine really. I was just thinking about something that happened at work today.” Dani had spoken before her brain registered the fact that this was something she didn’t want her brothers to know about. They never kept secrets from each other, but this was just a little too personal.

  “What happened? Did anyone give you any problems?” Patrick scowled darkly.

  “It’s nothing, really. Just a run-in with the new tenant out at the Cabins. He was early checking in and thought that I was breaking and entering, instead of cleaning and mopping.” Dani finished with a forced little laugh trying to make light of what had happened.

  “Did this guy give you a hard time, Dani? Because if he did, I’m going to go out there and have a little chat with him.” Patrick’s hands clenched into fists as he spoke.

  Dani stared at her brother. Dear heavens, he looked and sounded just like their father. Patrick was still growing but already he was over 6 feet tall and was filling out in the shoulders. Dani didn’t doubt that one day he would be built like a large bear of a man, just as their father had been. Right now all that was missing, besides a little more muscle, was the full beard that their father had worn. A loc
k of hair the color of mahogany fell across his forehead, and the eyes that captured her in their gaze were stormy gray.

  “When did you grow up?” she asked in a bewildered tone.

  Patrick just glared at her. “Don’t change the subject. Did this guy say anything to you?”

  Dani sat down at the kitchen table, suddenly very tired. “No.” She rubbed her hand across her forehead. “He threatened to call the police at first, but we got it all straightened out.”

  “He said he was sorry,” she added quickly as she saw the anger on Patrick’s face when she mentioned the police. All she wanted to do was just forget the whole afternoon.

  He stared at her for a long time, as if trying to make up his mind what he should do. Finally, he shook his head and offered her a small grin. “Why don’t you go upstairs and take a hot bath?” Resting his hands on her shoulders, he gave them a gentle squeeze. “I’ll start supper.”

  “Thanks, you’re an angel, Patrick.” Pushing herself out of her chair, she gave her brother a quick peck on the cheek before she headed down the hall toward the stairs. She was very relieved to note that his anger seemed to have disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Thank heavens she had handled that. She hadn’t realized that Patrick had grown so protective of her. Well, it was over and done with as far as she was concerned, and she would forget all about Burke Black. She almost believed herself too.

  …

  Dani gave her hair a final brush while she studied herself in the mirror. She felt more like herself again now that she’d had a long, hot, bubble-filled soak in the tub and put on her old faded blue sweatpants and sweatshirt. They weren’t fit to wear in public as the cuffs were frayed and the knees and elbows were practically white, but she could never bring herself to throw them out. Whenever she was tired or out of sorts, wearing them always made her feel comforted and safe. Kind of a security blanket she wrapped herself in when she knew the rest of the world wasn’t watching and judging her.