Discovering Dani

by N. J. Walters

  Shamus came bounding through the front door at that moment. The sounds of his coat and boots coming off preceded him. “I’m home. What’s for supper?” He was pulling off his sweater as he entered the kitchen. “I’m starving.” Tossing the sweater on the back of a chair, he took one look at their faces and stopped in his tracks. “What’s wrong?”

  “You’d better sit down too.” Dani pulled out a chair and sat, waiting until both he and Shamus were sitting before she spoke.

  “The truck is dead.”

  “What do you mean, dead?” Patrick gripped the juice bottle tightly between his two hands.

  “It wouldn’t start this morning, and I had Mike come out from the garage. The engine is gone and various other parts are almost as bad. He said she’s only fit for scrap.”

  Patrick whistled almost soundlessly and cut to the bottom line. “How much for scrap? And how much for another truck?”

  “Five hundred for scrap and I’ve got a lead on a six-year-old truck.”

  “Whose truck?” Shamus plucked an apple out of the bowl on the table and crunched into it. Patrick shook his head, amazed at his brother. Nothing ever ruined Shamus’ appetite.

  “Mike said that Jake Tanner was selling his. He’s going to call Jake and check on it for me. I’m hoping he’ll call tonight, which is why we need to decide what to do. I can’t go more than a few days without transportation.” Dani rubbed at a nonexistent spot on the table, and Patrick knew she was fighting to keep her anxiety at bay. “I can’t lose the money or the customers.”

  “Jake’s truck is in good shape,” Shamus spoke as he munched. “He comes in for gas now and then. I’ve filled the truck, and I can tell you the body is solid. I don’t think Mike would recommend it if he hadn’t figured the engine was sound.”

  “How are we going to finance it?” Patrick took another swig of juice while his mind worked on the problem.

  “The only solution I’ve come up with, after thinking about it all day, is a bank loan.” Dani shook her head. “There’s no other way.”

  “We’ll all help with the payments.” Patrick’s drained the bottle and clunked it on the table. “I can put in some overtime at work, no problem.”

  “Yeah, we’ll both pitch in,” Shamus seconded.

  Dani shook her head before the words were out of their mouths. “I appreciate it, but you’ve both got to try and save money for school. I’ve got some in the bank for a down payment so the bank loan won’t have to be for the total amount.”

  Patrick scowled as he sat forward in his chair and rested his arms on the table. “No way. You’ve worked too hard and too long to save that money. I’m working now, and I’ll help pay.”

  “Patrick, I appreciate it, but I also know that you don’t want to work as a landscaper your whole life. I know you’re waiting until the spring to take the entrance exams to the police academy. You need that money for expenses and transportation of your own.”

  “I can put it off for another year.” Patrick suddenly felt much older than his nineteen years. He might be her younger brother, but he was a man, and there was no way he would allow her to shoulder this burden alone. He’d just delay his future plans if he had to.

  As if she’d read his thoughts, Dani scowled at him. “You will not put it off another minute longer than you have to. I need the truck, and I’ll pay for the truck.”

  “What’s going on?”

  They all looked up as the new voice spoke. Burke lounged in the doorway, his shoulder propped against the doorframe and his arms folded across his chest. He looked like he had been standing there for a while.

  “Burke, we didn’t hear you come in,” Dani smiled as she spoke.

  “I knocked, but no one answered so I let myself in. Now what’s going on here?”

  “We’re having a family conference.” Shamus got up and dumped his apple core in the garbage. Taking his seat again, he reached out and plucked a banana out of the bowl.

  “Do you want me to leave?” Burke shifted his stance in the doorway as if preparing to leave.

  Patrick watched as his sister reached her hand out to Burke. The older man took it in his as he pulled out a chair.

  “Oh no, Burke. Sit down.” Dani tugged him down into the chair next to hers. “Maybe you can give us a fresh perspective on things.”

  Patrick smothered a chuckle in spite of his worries. His softhearted sister had obviously seen the hurt look in Burke’s eyes and wanted to reassure him.

  When Burke sat, he didn’t relinquish his hold on her hand. “What’s the problem?”

  Before she could speak, the phone rang. “It’s probably Mike. Please explain everything to Burke.” She reached for the phone as she spoke, leaving him to explain everything. Patrick took a deep breath and leaned forward.

  …

  “Who’s Mike?” Burke all but growled, surprised by the flash of jealousy that pierced him when Dani had mentioned another man’s name so casually.

  “Well,” Patrick began, “it’s like this…”

  By the time Dani got off the phone with Mike, Patrick had finished telling him about the truck. Burke was a little stunned by it, although he knew he shouldn’t be. He knew that the O’Rourke family didn’t have much money, but this was another reminder of how tight things were for them. To him, this would be a minor inconvenience, but to them, it was a crisis.

  They all looked at her as she sat down. “Mike says I can get it for five thousand. The truck is in great shape, and with what he’ll give me for our truck, I’ll have to come up with forty-five hundred. If I take off the money I’ve got saved, I’ll only need a loan for two thousand.”

  “You can’t use the money you’ve saved.” Burke scowled at the thought. He knew that a loan would make her work even harder and that she would put off her plans for writing indefinitely. “You’ve got plans for that.”

  “Well, now I’ve got other plans for it. I don’t have too much choice in the matter. I’ve got to have that truck.” She tapped her fingers on the table as she thought.

  “I’ll loan you the money for the truck.” Burke spoke calmly as he stared at Dani. Actually, the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to buy it for her.

  “I can’t let you do that.” Dani sounded so shocked that Burke almost laughed. But his humor quickly died as she continued. “You can’t tie up your money like that. You’ve got plans of your own. No, this is my problem, and I’ve figured out how I’m going to handle it.” She nodded for emphasis as she spoke.

  Patrick grabbed her hand to get her attention. “How about us? Shamus and I said we’ll pay our share, and we will.”

  “No, Patrick. Both of you need your money for your schooling. I need the truck for my business, so I’ll pay for it.” Dani smiled at them to soften her words. “But thanks. Just knowing you want to help means a lot to me.”

  Burke could feel his anger rising at the casual way she had thrust aside his offer of help. Once again, he felt like an outsider, and he didn’t like it one bit. He was a part of her life now, and the quicker she got used to that fact the better. “Don’t be ridiculous, Dani. I said I’ll loan you the money, and I will. If it makes you feel any better we can draw up an agreement between us and both sign it. You can pay me each month instead of the bank. And unlike the bank, I won’t charge interest or come after you if you’re late with a payment.”

  “Burke, I can’t take your money.” Dani looked puzzled at his vehemence.

  “Why the hell not?” Burke roared as he stood, toppling his chair behind him. The crash of the chair on the floor was punctuated by a moment of stunned silence.

  “Because it’s yours, not mine. And the problem is mine, not yours.” She stood slowly and faced him. His outburst had obviously surprised her. Well, she was in for a bigger surprise if she thought she could leave him out of her life and problems.

  Toe to toe, they stood in the kitchen. Burke glared at her, and she glared right back. Patrick and Shamus had both surged to their fee
t at his unexpected outburst. They both stood, not saying a word, watching both Dani and Burke. It was obvious they were both ready to intervene if they thought it was necessary. That they thought he might hurt her drove Burke’s temper even higher.

  “Not my problem! Not my problem!” His fists were clenched at his sides to keep himself from grabbing her and shaking some sense into her. The woman infuriated him. “Listen sweetheart, I care a great deal about you, so it is my problem. You can’t treat me like family for part of the time and like a stranger the rest. Not my problem! You’re lucky I don’t turn you over my knee and paddle you.” Burke’s voice got quieter as he finished, the anger reverberating in the low tone.

  Dani stood still as a statue, stunned by his fury. He could see her mind mulling over what he’d said and reading between the lines. Suddenly, she lunged toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tight. Automatically, his arms went around her, and he held her as tight as he dared.

  The woman had done it to him again. Just when he was mad as anything at her, she disarmed him completely by jumping into his arms. “I won’t let you close me out,” he muttered softly in her ear.

  She tightened her hold on him, leaning close and whispering in his ear that she hadn’t realized he would see her decision as closing him out. He knew she was so used to doing things on her own that she hadn’t considered it from his point of view at all. He buried his face in her hair and swallowed back the lump in his throat.

  Finally she broke away from his embrace. “All right. I’ll take your offer of a loan. But only for the two thousand, and I will pay you interest, and we will have a written agreement.”

  Burke scowled. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but at least she was letting him help her. “If that’s the way you want it.” Picking his chair up off the floor, he righted it before flopping back down onto it. “I still think you should let me loan you all of the money,” he muttered. Not that he would ever take any money for the loan, but she didn’t have to know that yet.

  “Thank you, Burke.” She wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed his cheek. “It means a lot to me that you want to help me. But it also means a lot to me that you respect me enough to accept my opinion in this.”

  He could tell she was humoring him. Trying to calm the savage beast, as it were. And damned if it wasn’t working. In spite of his attempt to hang onto it, his anger just seemed to empty out of him. He reached down and brought her hands to his lips and gently kissed them. Looking up, he stared at her, loving the soft twinkle in her eyes.

  “Ahem,” Patrick cleared his throat. “Remember us, your brothers, the other people who live in this house?” Both Patrick and Shamus had quietly retaken their seats when Burke had resumed his place at the table. Now they both sat with amused looks on their faces. Burke and Dani had put on quite a show.

  Dani smiled sheepishly at her brother. “Sorry, I got sidetracked.” She glanced up at Burke and gave him a smile in a way that told him he had the power to captivate her attention and that she had indeed forgotten about her brothers’ presence. Burke found himself smiling back in return. He’d never admit that the same had happened to him.

  Patrick knocked on the table to get their attention once again. “If you’ve settled this, then you’d better call Jake Tanner and make arrangements. Then we’ll draw up an agreement and sign it.” Patrick held out his hand to Burke as he spoke. “I’m going to sign it too, to guarantee Dani’s side of the agreement. In the event something happens and she can’t make a payment, I’ll pay.”

  “That will be just fine,” Burke shook Patrick’s hand to seal the agreement. This family had a lot of pride, and he understood that sometimes pride was all you had, and it was important. “You better call that Tanner fellow, Dani, and tell him we can come out tomorrow and look at the truck, if it’s convenient.”

  …

  Dani looked from one man to another as Shamus just sat there with his chair tipped back on two legs and grinned at them as if they were all mad. She pushed his chair forward so that all four legs were firmly on the floor. When he gave her a sheepish grin, she reached out and tousled his hair. He swatted at her playfully as she pulled away.

  As she reached for the phone, she gave Patrick a peck on the cheek, just to say thank you. He didn’t turn away, but his cheeks turned pink.

  She patted Burke’s arms as she placed her call, just wanting to touch him.

  She knew that both Patrick and Burke had given in as much as they were going to. She had to remember that they had as much pride as she did, probably more, being men.

  Dani felt good about the arrangement. She would pay back every penny to Burke, but she felt that the whole thing had brought them closer. The fact that he was willing to loan her the money was also a good sign that he might be settling down here in Jamesville. After all, you didn’t loan someone that much money and then just forget about it.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when a male voice answered the phone. “Good evening, Mr. Tanner. This is Dani O’Rourke calling. I hear you have a truck for sale…”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dani shook hands with the green-eyed, solidly built man in front of her, a huge grin on her face. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Mr. Tanner.”

  “Please, call me Jake.” Jake seemed pleased that his truck had sold so quickly and for the price he had asked. “Come on in the house, and we’ll get all the papers signed over and a bill of sale made out.”

  Burke, who had hovered in the background during the discussion, took her hand as they walked toward the two-story white farmhouse. It had taken all of his willpower not to take over and handle the sale himself. He had restrained his natural inclination only because he knew it was important to Dani to handle this herself. But he had checked out the truck and was satisfied that it was in good working order.

  He felt Tanner was trustworthy, but he would take no chances. He planned to make sure all the paperwork was in order before Dani gave Jake the certified check she had brought with her. It still galled him that she would only let him loan her part of the money. Heck, he wanted to buy her a new truck. The cost of one wasn’t much to him, but he knew she still had no idea of his financial worth.

  That was something he was going to have to tell her soon. It didn’t worry him too much. After all, she only knew he’d had a successful business; she just didn’t know how successful.

  She gave his hand a squeeze as they followed Jake through the backdoor and into the kitchen, at the back of the house. It didn’t take long to finalize the transaction. Burke scrutinized the papers over Dani’s shoulder as she took her time examining them. Jake had provided a bill-of-sale, receipts for some recent work he’d had done on the vehicle, and all the necessary ownership papers. Everything seemed to be in order. Dani gave Jake her check, and he gave her the keys. Both parties were pleased as they shook hands to finalize the deal. Jake had his money, and she had her new truck.

  She practically danced down the driveway as she hurried toward her new vehicle. “Thank you for coming out with me, Burke, and for letting me handle things with Jake. You actually behaved yourself quite well.” Her teasing grin told him just how pleased she was. “I know it was hard for you not to jump in and take over.”

  “You mean you can dress me up and take me places?” Burke tapped a finger on the tip of her nose. “You look pleased with yourself. I can assume, then, that you’re happy with your new truck.” He found her happiness infectious.

  “Isn’t it wonderful, Burke? It’s almost like new, it’s in such good shape. Green’s my color, don’t you think?” Lovingly, she stroked her hand over the hood of the truck, frowning when her hand came back dusty. “It’ll look even better as soon as I polish it up a bit.”

  “Yeah, I think green is your color.” Leaning over, he gently kissed the frown from her lips.

  Dani sighed and leaned into his kiss. Her arms slowly crept up over his chest and around his neck as she held him tight. Pulling her clo
ser, he deepened the kiss. He was starved for her taste. Nothing in the world tasted as good as Dani’s lips. He never wanted to let go.

  The sound of voices brought Burke back to reality with a thud. She had done it to him again. Somehow when he kissed her, he had a tendency to forget where he was. And where he was right now was the middle of Jake Tanner’s driveway.

  He carefully pulled Dani’s arms from around his neck. “We’ll finish this later, honey,” Burke promised.

  “Promises, promises.” Dani taunted as him as she climbed aboard the truck and settled herself behind the wheel. She put the key in the ignition, turned it, and the truck roared to life.

  She took a moment to familiarize herself with the interior. Turning the lights on and off, cleaning her windshield, she checked out her new acquisition. Burke thought she was just like a kid with a new toy. Her joy was a wonderful thing to share.

  Leaning against the open door, he laughed as he watched her. “I’ve got to take care of some things, but I’ll see you later tonight. Drive carefully. You wouldn’t want to scratch your new truck.” Bending down, he planted a quick kiss on her lips, closed the driver’s door, and headed for his own vehicle.

  Dani turned the radio up on bust and pulled the truck out of the driveway. She blew her horn and waved to him as she passed him. He knew she had two jobs this afternoon, and then she had to grocery shop. He put his truck in gear and pulled out behind her, already looking forward to seeing her again later tonight.

  …

  As Dani loaded grocery bags into the front seat of her truck, she reflected on the changes she and Burke had gone through since Christmas. Today had marked a new phase in their relationship. They were building a relationship that was based on mutual respect, honesty, trust, and caring.

  She held a hope in her heart that Burke was coming to care deeply for her. She was almost afraid to even think of marriage, but deep in her soul she knew that was what she wanted. She wanted to marry Burke and build a life with him here in Jamesville. She wanted them to buy an old farmhouse and make it a home together, complete with children and a dog. She would write and run her cleaning business and Burke would…well, Burke would do whatever he decided to do.