Dating Daniel (Cloverleaf #4)

by Gloria Herrmann

  “What can I get you?” the bartender asked Nina. His eyes glinted with interest as he looked her up and down appreciatively.

  Nina batted her lashes. “What do you suggest?” Her voice became sugary. Daniel watched the two interact. It was obvious they were flirting. It was as though Nina had completely forgotten about Daniel.

  “I have just the thing for someone as hot as you.” He winked at her and grinned as he grabbed a small glass, then a bottled filled with red liquid. After splashing in a little of this and that and God knows what else to the mixture, he passed her the drink.

  “Mmm, that’s yummy.” Nina turned up her charm. Daniel slid onto the bar stool, but neither the bartender or Nina took notice of him.

  Daniel coughed. “I’ll take a beer, please.”

  “Sure thing, buddy.” The bartender replied with a quick nod, then threw a lusty stare back at Nina. “Is that drink any good?”

  Nina nodded. “So good. I think I need a couple more,” she said, her voice sing-song with delight.

  Daniel was finally given the beer he ordered. Nina braced herself against the wooden counter of the bar. The bartender brought her another drink and let his fingers linger on her wrist. Daniel took a long swig of his beer. He didn’t have any claim on Nina. It’s not like they were a couple, but didn’t it go without saying that when you were out with someone, that you didn’t flirt with other people?

  After another beer down and several drinks in, Nina loudly said, “We need to make this more fun.” Daniel wasn’t so certain he could put up with much more. His head was pounding slightly from the loud music and lack of food. The bartender was still sending Nina sexy smiles and winks, and a couple of people approached her as they worked on their drinks. The invitation for free drinks was unreal to Daniel. Everyone wanted to buy his beautiful date something, his date. Somehow Nina seem to forget she was there with him. Her laughter rang out as others told her how incredible she looked, and had she considered modeling? The compliments just went on and on. She devoured all their words and rewarded them with a killer smile or a gentle pat, and even a couple hugs. Was there no end in sight? Daniel wasn’t so sure, and they had only been in the bar for an hour or so.

  Daniel tried to get her attention but was finding it increasingly difficult. Enough was enough. Maybe it was time for him to take charge. He rose up from his stool and pinned her gently against the counter, his hands taking hold of her narrow hips. He eliminated any space between them. Daniel stared at her mouth, her glossy pink rosebud lips pouty and begging to be kissed. Daniel pulled her close to him and claimed her mouth with his. He could hear her moan softly. He had never kissed her before. He expected a spark, some kind of jolt, but where was it? He leaned back, giving her a little space. Nina’s eyes were filled with a thick mixture of lust, intrigue, and confusion. He could see she was trying to figure this out in her mind. She had challenged Daniel, flaunted herself enough to make him so terribly jealous that he’d acted like an animal. That wasn’t him. He hadn’t been raised to treat a woman that way, especially one he might want to bring home to meet the family, to become a part of the family.

  “Let’s go have some fun.”

  Daniel grabbed his dark ale and swallowed the remaining contents. He was growing a little dizzy, and he knew he was getting in over his head with Nina. “What did you have in mind?”

  Nina smiled and brought herself closer to him. She splayed her hands across his broad chest, and in a sexy slur Nina whispered, “I think you know.”

  Yes, Daniel was way in over his head.

  Chapter Three

  “Come on, Nina, please just get inside the truck.” Daniel grabbed at her, but she pulled away.

  She shook her head, her normally perfect blonde hair messy and in her face. Her mascara and eyeliner were smudged, creating dark streaks. “No, let’s go to one more bar.”

  “No, we’re good. It’s time to go home now.” Daniel wasn’t used to dealing with someone who was drunk, let alone a wild girl like Nina. They had visited several bars, and Daniel was done. He wanted to get them home, but Nina was making it nearly impossible.

  “You’re no fun,” she shouted.

  Fun. Yeah, she had promised him there would be more fun in store, but apparently that translated into more bars, more drinking, her dancing, and her having fun. Daniel had anything but.

  He had hit his breaking point, and she was beginning to make a scene in the parking lot. A police cruiser rolled by slowly, the officer insider eyeing Daniel as he tried to get her inside the truck. Running his hands through his hair, he felt himself growing more irritated by the second.

  “Just get inside the damn truck. We need to head home,” Daniel commanded with a little more bite in his voice.

  “Whatever.” Nina stumbled to the opened passenger side door. Daniel practically shoved her inside and slammed the door with frustration.

  He inhaled deeply as he got around to the driver’s side. Once inside the cab he started the truck. He let the engine warm up and watched some cars move down the now quiet street. It was as though everyone had vanished. It was a little after one in the morning, and it was eerily quiet. They were surrounded by tall buildings, ancient and weathered, mixed in with modern works of art. The architectural giants stood silent, shadowing the downtown area, masking the traffic lights and street lamps. Daniel could almost hear the rumble of the Spokane river running through Riverfront Park. He sighed and started to work his way to the north, exhausted from babysitting Nina for the last couple hours, enduring her whiny demands. Daniel was more than ready to be home. He wasn’t looking forward to the drive ahead, and as they ventured further up Division Street, they finally rolled into the darkness of the single-lane highway that would lead them home.

  The late-night darkness surrounded them, and Daniel tiredly watched for deer or any other wildlife that might try to dart across the road. Nina laid her head on Daniel, snorting gently. He softened toward her, his irritation vanishing as he let his thoughts run wild. The weight of her sleeping body leaning on him felt nice. Maybe tonight was a fluke; he sure hoped so. Bar hopping in Spokane, as Daniel came to realize, was not something he wanted to do again anytime soon, or rather, ever again. If he could just find a way to keep Nina content and happy, find things to entertain her in Birch Valley, maybe they could make this into something. Not that Daniel was desperate, but in some ways he kind of was. He wanted what his brothers and sister had, what his parents had. Was that too much to ask for? He didn’t think so.

  He yawned as they continued to drive, the hum of the truck almost lulling Daniel to sleep. He stretched his eyelids high and turned the radio on low, then turned on the air conditioner to help him wake up. A thought popped into his mind, and he began to formulate a plan to show Nina how he liked spending his time. Well, it was worth a shot.

  ***

  Sunlight filtered into Daniel’s bedroom, causing him to peel his tired eyes open. He flipped his pillow over, relishing the cool material, and he closed his eyes again, praying he could catch a little more sleep. Unfortunately he could hear noise coming from the kitchen, undoubtedly caused by two four-year-old boys he loved tremendously. The ceiling fan hummed as it cut through the warmth entering the room. Today was going to be hot, which only made going to the river that much more perfect.

  Daniel managed to leave the comfort of his bed. He could smell the scents of breakfast and his stomach growled. Bacon and coffee, just what he needed to shake the headache punching his brain and pounding behind his eyes. His eyeballs felt like they were dry and shriveled up. He hadn’t drunk much, and he’d been completely sober by the time he’d managed to get Nina in the truck. Dehydrated was more like it. Daniel shuffled down the hall to the kitchen.

  “Morning, dear,” Mary’s cheery voice welcomed him as she stood in front of the stove.

  Daniel grabbed his favorite mug, an overly large one with a moose silhouette on it, and headed straight for the coffee pot. He inhaled the rich aroma and watched
the dark liquid fill his mug. It had been a gift from Finn and Connor. “Morning, Ma.”

  “What time did you get in last night?” Mary asked as she moved the eggs around in the large skillet.

  Daniel groaned. “More like this morning.”

  “Oh dear, I knew it was late. Maybe you should go back to bed.”

  “Nah, I’m going to float the river today.” Daniel let the coffee work its magic and took several sips, burning his mouth each time. “Is Patrick around? I thought I heard the boys.”

  “Yes, Patrick dropped them off a little bit ago. He went to pick up Amber and Dylan. I guess they are all going to the river too. Maggie mentioned that she and Rachel were going to come over for a visit.”

  “Michael and Melanie going to go to the river too?” Daniel asked as he moved over to the dining room and took a seat. He practically inhaled his coffee.

  “Let me get you some breakfast, my precious boy,” Mary said in a sing-song voice as she scooped eggs onto a plate. Daniel watched as small billows of steam escaped from the pile. His stomach let out a loud growl, making both of them laugh.

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Let me grab my tea and we can eat together.” Mary hurried back into the kitchen. Daniel watched as she retrieved toast and quickly buttered it. “Here, sweetie, you should have some toast.” She handed him the warm and buttery bread, and Daniel smiled in appreciation.

  “You’re too good to me.”

  “You’re my boy. This is what moms do.” Mary planted a kiss on his cheek.

  ***

  The truck was loaded with several neon-colored tubes for floating down the river. Daniel wiped the sweat from his brow after hefting the overly full ice chest into the back of the bed. As he slammed the tailgate closed, he knew it was going to be a scorcher. The metal of the handle was hot to the touch. Daniel was even more grateful for the cool relief he was about to feel from the Columbia River.

  The drive to the tube launch was only a thirty-minute drive from the house. Daniel drove a little faster than normal. He already had been in touch with his brothers, and they were already there hanging out on the sandy shore waiting on him. His mother had insisted on making sandwiches for everyone and he hadn’t been able to sneak away quick enough, not without her loading that ice chest with enough food and drinks to feed several O’Brien families.

  Daniel followed the highway, making a right at the turn which would lead him to a gravel and primitive road. He was thankful he had a four-by-four. The rain ruts were deep and the sandy mix of gravel was slippery under even the best tires, but Daniel maneuvered carefully and grew excited as he saw the sun bouncing off the cold blue body of the river.

  When he parked his overly large truck next to Liam’s smaller red pickup, he got out of the cab and noticed Liam and Patrick heading in his direction.

  Liam waved as he climbed up a small sandy hill. “Hey, Daniel,” he called out. Daniel raised his hand and went to the bed of his truck. The sun was beating down hard. He could feel it biting through his loose t-shirt.

  “You finally made it,” Patrick announced as he and Liam stood to the side of the truck. They began removing the ties which secured all the brightly colored tubes. Liam grabbed a pink and green tube and stood waiting as Patrick helped Daniel remove the ice chest. “God, what’s in here?”

  “Mom packed us lunch.” Daniel laughed. They carefully climbed down to the shore, where the rest of the group gathered, and found a small section of shade under a tree. Michael was in the water with Melanie, splashing around as she giggled loudly. Amber and her son, Dylan, were stretched out on towels absorbing the sun’s rays.

  “Weren’t you bringing Nina?” Liam asked as he dropped the tubes to the ground and started back up the hill to retrieve more. Daniel and Patrick placed the cooler under the tree, and Daniel jogged to catch up. Liam and Daniel couldn’t look more different. Liam was tall and made of lean muscle, sharing a similar build with Patrick. In contrast, Daniel was stout and noticeably shorter than his over six-foot-tall brothers.

  “She was still pretty tired when I called her this morning. She said that she and Hannah will come by a little later,” Daniel explained, but failed to mention how terribly cranky and extremely hung over Nina had been when he phoned her earlier.

  “Well, that’s cool. You guys have a good time last night?” Liam asked, fishing out an enormous blue tube out of the back of the truck.

  Daniel considered that for a moment. He could tell Liam just about anything, and he knew it wasn’t going to get back to the rest of the family. Liam was the best when it came to talking to about problems and seeking advice. He never betrayed anyone’s trust and always had other people’s back. He didn’t like confrontation or drama. Liam preferred his life to be simple, easygoing, and mellow, but that all had changed when he’d met Rachel. With a new bride and twins on the way, life couldn’t be any further than simple, but Liam was handling it all pretty darn well.

  “Well, you know, I picked her up and she had us go to Spokane,” Daniel said, starting to tell the story of the night before, but he saw Patrick heading their direction. “Maybe we should talk later.”

  Liam nodded, but Patrick had already heard Daniel. “So what happened last night?”

  Daniel rolled his eyes. As close as he was with Patrick, he didn’t feel like he could open up to him, at least without any kind of judgment. “Nothing really.”

  “Nah, I’m not buying that. You were about to tell one helluva story. I could tell when I heard you talk.” Patrick placed his hand on Daniel’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Go on.”

  “There’s really not a lot to tell,” Daniel lied. He had planned on explaining to Liam how Nina had acted: partially seductive but craving attention from anyone and everyone.

  “Come on, don’t be like that. How was the date?” Patrick insisted, taking his hand off Daniel. He leaned against the side of the truck. “Damn, that’s hot.” He hissed as the scorching metal burned his naked torso.

  “Why don’t we grab a cool drink and get in that water? I’m burning up just standing here,” Liam said, winking at Daniel.

  “Fine.” Patrick reached for another tube, this one neon orange. He started to lead them back down the sandy slope.

  Daniel and Liam trailed behind. “Hey, thanks. It’s not like anything major happened, but you know.” Daniel nodded in Patrick’s direction.

  “I do. But you know, Daniel, he just wants to be there for you too.”

  “Well, yeah, I get that, but either he’ll run and tell Mom or he’ll give me crap. I guess I’m just not in the mood today.”

  Liam shifted the tube he was carrying and grinned. “We all have days like that, trust me. But maybe include him. He’s a little different now.” Daniel watched as Liam’s eyes, the same deep green as his own, focused on Amber.

  “I’m glad. I really am. He has been a lot cooler,” Daniel admitted as they inched closer to everyone. “But he’s still Patrick.”

  Liam laughed. “True, very true.”

  ***

  The water was frigid, but it was a good kind of cold—the kind that instantly chilled him from the wicked heat. Daniel released a huff as felt the water lick up his waist. Okay, it was a little more than cold. The snow runoff which fed this wild river helped keep the temperature cool.

  “Ah, get in there. It’s not that bad,” Patrick insisted as he easily plopped himself inside a tube. Daniel’s older brother had already helped Amber and Dylan, and he now floated next to them. They had tied some thin white rope between the tubes, tethering all of them together. Liam and Michael had tied themselves to Melanie’s fluorescent pink tube. Michael was tightening the straps of her lifejacket, a mixture of fear and concern present in his eyes and face.

  “It’ll be okay, Michael,” Daniel heard Liam try to assure Michael and Melanie. “We float the river all the time. This will be a lot of fun, Mel, Uncle Liam promises.” Daniel saw Liam pat Melanie’s head, her rust-colored tresses wet and sparkli
ng in the sunlight. She looked up at him with complete trust and then turned to look at Daniel. He sent her a silly smile and stuck his tongue out at her as he crossed his eyes. He heard Melanie erupt in loud giggles.

  Daniel waded out further. He was getting used to the water’s temp or growing numb. Either way, he was enjoying himself. He felt the sun on his back, the thick sand sliding between his toes as he got closer to Melanie and Michael, securing his tube to theirs.