Darcy and the Single Dad

by Stacy Connelly

  “Funny. I’d say it’s the second time you’ve refused to listen to the lady after she told you to back off. So this time I’m telling you. Back off.”

  Travis stepped up to met the challenge, and Darcy took advantage of the opening as she slipped by him and headed for the patio doors...and Nick. His dark gaze searched her from head to toe, but before he could ask if she was unharmed, Travis charged. He landed a sucker punch Nick never saw coming, snapping his head back with the force of fist to flesh. Darcy barely had time to gasp before he caught his balance and took a shot of his own.

  Travis reeled backward but caught Nick’s arm at the last minute, and the two of them hit the ground amid a crash of tables and chairs and broken beer bottles. Horrified, Darcy lifted her gaze from the two men wrestling on the floor to the group of people who had quickly gathered on the patio. She scanned the faces, searching for someone, anyone who might break up the fight, only to see Sam’s grinning face as he took another swallow of his beer.

  A shrill whistle pierced the night at the same time Nick hauled Travis to his feet, his fists tangled in the front of his shirt. “Okay, break it up, both of you,” a blond-haired man insisted, shoving his way between the two men, “before the bartender ends up calling my dad.”

  The dry comment drew chuckles from the crowd and Darcy recognized Billy Cummings, the sheriff’s son, as the man who’d broken up the fight.

  Eyeing both Nick and Travis, Billy warned, “You know he’ll throw your butts in a cell together until you shake hands or kill each other. I’m betting on the latter, so you might want to head home instead. Come on, everybody, back inside.”

  With a last glare at Nick, Travis stormed into the bar. Within minutes, Billy and Sam had waved everyone inside, leaving Nick and Darcy alone on the patio. Her fear gave way to fury, and rounding on him, she had half a mind to take up where Travis had left off.

  “What were you thinking, Nick? Fighting in a bar? Not ten minutes after telling me how Carol is going to be digging up dirt, looking for anything she can use against you!”

  Spotting an empty pitcher on a nearby table, Darcy picked it up and drained out the last of the ice through her still shaking fingers. She grabbed some napkins off a nearby table, wrapped the remaining ice inside and braced the slightly soggy cold compress against his quickly swelling eye.

  Nick reached up to wrap his fingers around her wrist and gently pull her hand away. “I was defending the woman I love. A woman I’m beginning to think loves me, too, but is afraid to admit it.” He swallowed. “I don’t blame you for doubting me after the way I’ve acted. And I’ll do whatever it takes, wait as long as I have to, to prove how much I love you and to show you that you can trust me again.”

  Trust me.

  Darcy swallowed. She hadn’t trusted him. Not with everything. Not with the truth that could cost him his daughter.

  “You don’t understand, Nick.”

  “So tell me. Whatever it is that’s holding you back so we can move past it. I love you. Nothing you say will change that.”

  It was a vow she’d once hoped to hear from Aaron. A vow she still hoped to hear once she told Nick everything.

  He righted two of the patio chairs and sat down in front of her, his hands still holdings hers as the whole story spilled out. How her mother wasn’t just a single mother, but had been a teen mom, pregnant from an affair with a much older, very married businessman. How he’d ended the affair once Alanna became pregnant, wanting nothing to do with her or the baby she carried, interested only in saving his reputation and protecting his real family.

  Saying the words left a hollow ache in her chest, but then Nick gave her hands a gentle squeeze. The caring and compassion in his gaze, so different from the shock and accusation she’d seen in Aaron’s, filled that empty space and gave her the courage to go on.

  “You’re only the second person I’ve ever told the complete truth to. Aaron was the first.”

  “Your mama’s-boy ex-fiancé?” Nick said.

  Giving a watery laugh, Darcy nodded. “That’s him. We were engaged, planning our wedding, and I had to tell him why I had no one from my father’s side of the family to invite. He was shocked when I told him and accused me of purposely keeping my past a secret from him. And maybe I had. Maybe, deep down, I knew how he’d react.”

  “And that was when you broke up with him?”

  “No, I was foolish enough to think we could still work things out. But then I overheard his mother tell him how marrying someone like me would only hold him back. How I was a liability. A dirty secret the opposition could use against Aaron to ruin everything he wanted in life. Standing outside the doorway, I waited for him to say all the things I thought he should say. That I was my own person, regardless of who my father was or wasn’t. How my past wouldn’t make any difference to the future we could have together. Mostly I waited for him to tell his mother he loved me for who I was. No matter what.”

  The rush of words slowed and then stopped, breaking down into pained and embarrassed silence. “When those words never came... That’s when I broke up with Aaron.”

  “The man was an idiot, and his loss is my gain.”

  “I’m not so sure, Nick. I’m not so sure Aaron wasn’t right. Marrying me—getting involved with me—was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. It’s a risk I can’t let you take.”

  “Darcy—”

  “I would have felt horrible if my past cost Aaron some election down the line, but that’s nothing compared to how I’d feel if I cost you your daughter. She’s the most important person in the world to you, Nick. You told me that from the start. She’s your first priority, and I’m—”

  “You’re the woman I love.”

  But how long would that love last if the courts ruled in his ex-wife’s favor? How long before he blamed her? The thought of watching the love in his eyes slowly dim and die made the small blossom of hope inside her wither away.

  “But Maddie—”

  “Clearville is her home, and it’s where she wants to stay. I’m going to fight to keep my daughter. And I want you at my side when I do. The three of us are stronger together.”

  The three of us...

  “I don’t know, Nick. I just...” Her words trailed off helplessly, miserably. She wanted to say yes with her whole heart, but Barbara Utley’s accusations cut deeper now than they had months ago. The older woman had been so sure Darcy would cost her son his bright future.

  How could she risk costing Nick his daughter?

  He slid his hands out from beneath hers, and Darcy felt her heart break. Still caught in her own indecision, she watched helplessly as Nick stood and backed away. “I love you, Darcy. If that means letting you go and trusting that you’ll come back to me, then that’s what I’ll do.” The sound of laughter and music rose and fell as he opened the door to the bar and let it slowly close behind him.

  Letting go... It was what she’d done her entire life. Protecting her heart, keeping people at a distance, making it easy to move on. But not this time. Her love for Nick wasn’t something she could box up and store in a back bedroom, out of sight and out of mind. The love she felt was a part of her now—heart and soul and body.

  And she couldn’t lock it away any more than she could let him leave.

  Pushing out of the chair, she raced back inside the bar and cut across the crowded dance floor. The press of bodies blocked her every step as she tried to slip through. A cowboy muttered an apology as she felt the cold splash of beer hit her foot, but she didn’t stop moving. She had to find Nick.

  The table where he’d been sitting with Sam and Debbie earlier was empty now, only a few bottles of beer and some peanut shells marking their place. Was she too late? Had he already left?

  Cool night air hit her face as she left the heat of the restaurant and the smells of beer and barbecue behind. The restaurant’s sign glowed overhead and a few lights illuminated the parking lot, giving off enough of a glow for Darcy to spot a familiar SUV and t
he man she loved waiting beside it.

  Relief washed over his features as she raced across the uneven asphalt and into his arms. “I thought you were letting me go,” she said, the words falling from her lips right along with the trembling tears from her eyes.

  “I never said I’d let you go far.” The tension in his body as he held her tightly betrayed his earlier certainty. “I know what I told you about our love being strong enough, but I swear, Darcy—”

  “Never,” she promised. “You’ll never have to let me go again. I love you, Nick.”

  She’d moved to Clearville to find a place to call home, but in Nick’s arms, she found so much more. Her heart, her home, her happiness. Her family.

  Epilogue

  Darcy promised herself she wouldn’t cry at Sophia and Jake’s wedding. It was a promise she kept even as the groomsmen stepped out from a side room in the small, sunlit chapel and took their places at the front of the church. Jake Cameron and the three Pirelli brothers all looked ruggedly handsome in their tuxedos. But it was Nick who stole her breath and refused to give it back as his dark gaze searched the guests and finally found Darcy toward the back of the church.

  Her gaze may have become a little blurry when Maddie walked down the aisle, a huge smile on her face as she sprinkled rose petals along the satin runner. And Darcy’s eyes definitely teared up as Jake kissed his beautiful bride. But only when Vince Pirelli led Sophia to the dance floor for the father-daughter dance did Darcy realize some promises were meant to be broken.

  She gave a watery laugh as a snowy handkerchief appeared in front of her face. Snatching it from Nick’s hand, she dabbed at her eyes and warned, “Don’t you dare make fun of me.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said solemnly despite the amusement in his brown eyes. “My mother made sure Sam, Drew and I all had those on hand, and I don’t think it was because she thought the three of us were going to cry.”

  “Oh, no. Not manly men like you.”

  But then proving he wasn’t a total tough guy, Nick gazed out at the dance floor beneath the tent lit with hundreds of twinkling lights. “Sophia looks happy, doesn’t she?”

  “She does.”

  Sophia’s gown was simple yet elegant with an empire waist that draped over her rounded belly, cap sleeves and lace-covered bodice. Her short dark hair had been artfully curled and styled with tiny pink tea roses, and she hadn’t stopped smiling since Jake slid the ring on her finger. Vince Pirelli, an older, mellower version of Nick, couldn’t have looked any prouder, and the press of tears burned Darcy’s eyes again.

  “You okay?” Nick asked quietly.

  “Your dad asked if I’d like him to give me away at our wedding,” she said as she glanced up at him. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

  “He ran it by me first. He didn’t want to step on any toes. I told him there weren’t any toes to step on, just empty shoes that needed to be filled.”

  “What did he say?”

  Nick grinned as he reached up to wipe another tear from beneath her eye. “That he always knew having big feet would come in handy someday.”

  Darcy wasn’t the least bit surprised that she’d fallen for Nick’s sometimes loud, always loving family as easily as she’d fallen for the serious, handsome vet. But she was still amazed and so thankful for the way they had opened their arms and welcomed her. The wedding was still two months away, but as far as the Pirellis were concerned, Darcy was already part of the family.

  “Daddy!” An impatient Maddie raced over to Nick, her full skirt frothing at her ankles as she ran. “We need to dance.”

  “Not right now, sweetie,” Nick started to protest.

  “Yes, right now! Uncle Sam said this is the father-daughter dance, and I’m your daughter.”

  “You are but—” He glanced at Darcy as she squeezed his arm and nodded at the dance floor. “You’re right, Maddie. This is a father-daughter dance, so what are we waiting for?”

  With a look that promised he’d be back, Nick led the flower girl onto the dance floor beside Sophia and Vince. Darcy smiled as she watched the two of them together. The sight of her strong, solid fiancé wrapped around his daughter’s little finger always went straight to the softest spot of her heart.

  “Oh, look at that.” Vanessa stepped beside her, sighing as the two generations of Pirelli fathers and daughters danced together. “How sweet.”

  “I think Nick was a little worried about butting into Sophia’s father-daughter dance.”

  His mother shook her head. “Honestly, he should know better. We aren’t exactly sticklers for formality and we’re always butting into each other’s lives.”

  “Uh-oh. Is that a warning?”

  “Not a warning so much as a prelude of things to come.” A soft smile curved the older woman’s lips as she said, “But somehow I think you’re up to it.”

  “Let’s see—a family full of people who love and look out for one another. I’ve pretty much been waiting for that my whole life.”

  “I’m sorry your mother couldn’t be here to see you now and to enjoy the happiness you’ve found with my son.”

  “I am, too.” Blinking back tears, she added, “But you know, it’s funny. All her talk of moving back here... I don’t think it was really something she wanted for herself as much as something she wanted for me. Like she knew everything I was looking for was right here, and she was pointing the way for me to find it. Does that sound crazy?”

  “No, my dear. That sounds like a mother’s love.” Her knowing gaze followed Darcy’s onto the dance floor where they watched as Nick swung a laughing Maddie around in a quick circle. “Something that you’ve gotten a taste of recently.”

  “Carol is Maddie’s mother,” she insisted. “I’m not trying to replace her.”

  “Of course not. But you’ll find out that my granddaughter has a lot of love to give. There’s plenty to go around,” Vanessa remarked before drifting away to check on the caterers.

  Darcy had more than enough love to embrace the little girl who would soon be her stepdaughter. And enough compassion to understand the insecurity behind the threats Carol had made. Once Darcy and Nick talked and came to the decision not to involve lawyers or to go through another custody battle, agreeing to let Maddie go to France for her regularly scheduled visit, Carol had confessed that was all she’d wanted in the first place.

  Convincing Nick hadn’t been easy until Darcy came up with the idea to combine the visit to Paris with their honeymoon. Maddie would stay with Carol, but Nick and Darcy would only be a short car ride away.

  As excited as she was about their wedding and honeymoon, it was the life they’d start together afterward she most looked forward to. A life with the husband she loved and the home and family she’d found in this tiny town.

  As the music changed on the dance floor, Jake claimed his bride and Maddie’s grandfather swept her up into his arms, leaving Nick free to join his fiancée.

  “What is that grin all about?” Darcy asked as he pulled her into his arms on the dance floor.

  “You will never guess what Maddie wants to name the mama dog.”

  Though they were still looking for good homes for the puppies, Nick and Darcy had decided to keep the stray who’d wandered into Darcy’s yard and brought Nick into her life. They’d gone through a dozen names so far with Maddie discarding each one.

  “Hmm, I’m almost afraid to ask.”

  “Since all the puppies’ names have to do with being born during a storm, she says we should name the mama dog Sunshine,” he told her, his grin growing wider, “because it’s stopped raining.”

  “I think that is just about perfect,” Darcy agreed, the love in Nick’s eyes promising a very bright future for them all.

  * * * * *

  Don’t miss Sam’s story, DADDY SAYS “I DO!”

  the next installment in Stacy Connelly’s new

  Special Edition miniseries

  THE PIRELLI BROTHERS,

  on
sale March 2013,

  wherever Harlequin books are sold.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt of A Cold Creek Noel by RaeAnne Thayne!

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Special Edition story.

  You know there’s always a new chapter to be written. Harlequin Special Edition stories show that whether it’s an old flame rekindled or a brand-new romance, love knows no timeline.

  Visit Harlequin.com to find your next great read.

  We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books: HarlequinBlog.com

  Subscribe to our newsletter for special offers, new releases, and more!

  Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Chapter One

  “Come on, Luke. Come on, buddy. Hang in there.”

  Her wipers beat back the sleet and snow as Caidy Bowman drove through the streets of Pine Gulch, Idaho, on a stormy December afternoon. Only a few inches had fallen but the roads were still dangerous, slick as spit. For only a moment, she risked lifting one hand off the steering wheel of her truck and patting the furry shape whimpering on the seat beside her.

  “We’re almost there. We’ll get you fixed up, I swear it. Just hang on, bud. A few more minutes. That’s all.”

  The young border collie looked at her with a trust she didn’t deserve in his black eyes and she frowned, her guilt as bitter and salty as the solution the snowplows had put down on the roads.

  Luke’s injuries were her fault. She should have been watching him. She knew the half-grown pup had a curious streak a mile wide—and a tendency not to listen to her when he had an itch to investigate something.

  She was working on that obedience issue and they had made good strides the past few weeks, but one moment of inattention could be disastrous, as the past hour had amply demonstrated. She didn’t know if it was arrogance on her part, thinking her training of him was enough, or just irresponsibility. Either way, she should have kept him far away from Festus’s pen. The bull was ornery as a rattlesnake on a hot skillet and didn’t take kindly to curious young border collies nosing around his turf.