It had to end at some point. She wasn’t so far gone that she’d deluded herself about that. Their lifestyles weren’t long-term compatible. Even though he made a huge effort to be careful, she still worried about him the entire time he was away. And another painful realization had occurred to her when she sat at home wondering if he was okay and if he was doing something too crazy. Even if she could come to terms with his lifestyle, he might very well grow tired of hers. Or more to the point, of her, period. She might have reclaimed some of the wildness of her youth, but she knew she still wasn’t the sort of woman to hold the attention of a man like Zach for any length of time. He needed someone who could climb mountains and ski down glaciers. She couldn’t even handle a hot-air balloon ride. Besides which, no matter what she thought, and no matter how attentive he was being, he was hardly the type to consider a long-term arrangement of any sort, anyway.
Her steps slowed even though she never took her eyes off him; she even laughed as he expertly double flipped a burger and caught it on the spatula with a flourish.
Dara lifted the pouch and smiled wistfully, the slight pressure of her fingers crinkling the note still inside. Suddenly her hand tensed, pulling the leather thong taut. She felt his gaze on her like a physical touch and carefully schooled her expression to what she hoped was an open, friendly smile before lifting her head.
His grin still sent chills down her spine and did warm, funny things to the muscles of her inner thighs. God, she hoped this picnic didn’t last too long.
Horrified that she’d even thought that, she lifted her face to the gentle breeze, hoping it would cool the hot flush she could feel in her cheeks as she crossed the remaining distance between them.
“Isn’t it a bit early to be grilling the burgers?” she asked brightly. “The guests haven’t arrived yet.”
Zach shrugged and smiled. “I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry.” Her gaze darted to Beaudine and Scotty. She had no idea how much they knew about her relationship with Zach, but she had a feeling she was about to find out.
“Insatiable.” One word, dubious enough to be innocent, and she still blushed to the roots of her hair. He laughed. “Want one now? Or do you want to wait until later?”
“Later,” she choked out, then turned resolutely to Beaudine. “It’s nice to see you again.” Dara’s attention was instantly drawn to the front of the barbecue apron she wore. At first glance she thought it read: French Chef, but upon closer inspection, she saw the word “the” printed in small intricate script between the other two. She barely managed to swallow the laugh.
“Go ahead, chère, I don’t wear it to make you frown.”
“Has Frank seen that yet?” Zach asked, grinning.
Dara turned to him. “Frank’s here?”
“Yeah.” He nodded toward a huge shed near the rear fenceline that bordered a field. “He brought the rest of the buggies up so the kids could try them out. He’s just running a last check on them.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m so glad you invited him.” Suddenly Zach’s question to Beaudine sank in and she turned back to the older woman, her gaze automatically dropping to the words emblazoned on her chest.
Before she could say anything, Beaudine leaned over and whispered in Dara’s ear. “If it works, I let you borrow it.” She laughed, and Beaudine joined her, though the expression in her eyes made it clear she knew exactly what was what between her and Zach. Dara didn’t doubt it for a second.
“I’ll let you know, okay?”
“Good enough.” Beaudine grabbed the flipper from Zach’s hand. “You go on and eat and take care of your guests as they arrive.” She snatched the hat off his head and plopped it on her own. It caved in on one side, but the rakish angle somehow suited her perfectly. “Go on.” She reached out to swat him, and only Zach’s quick re-flexes allowed him to walk away without wearing a greasy spatula print on his backside.
He snagged Dara’s elbow and led her to the closest table. “Dane should be here shortly.”
“Yeah,” she answered, sitting down across from him. “He called this morning to ask if I wanted a ride.”
Zach finished half the burger in two bites, swallowed, then said, “So why didn’t you?” His grin told her he knew the answer, but wanted to hear her say it.
“I didn’t want to wait for him. And I wasn’t sure if you had plans for later …” She let the words drift off, but her smile was anything but shy.
“I’d have driven you home … whenever.” He wiggled his eyebrows and quickly polished off the rest of the burger.
Just then gravel crunched along the drive behind them, and Dara turned to see two minivans pull up. “Looks like some of our guests have arrived.”
Zach rose and dumped his plate in the trash can under a nearby tree. He took hold of her hand, and they walked across the grass to greet the kids that were noisily unloading from the vehicles. His hand felt big and strong and right, and Dara didn’t give a thought to how the parents would react to seeing them together.
“Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, and Andie,” she greeted the first group, “I’m Dara Colbourne and this is Zach Brogan.”
“I’m so pleased to meet you finally,” Mrs. Thomas said, shaking Dara’s hand then Zach’s. She glanced around. “This is some place you have here, Mr. Brogan. How many acres?”
“Please, call me Zach. This was my parents’ home, I was raised here. It’s about twenty acres total.”
They were joined by the Johnsons and their son, Jonas. “Wow,” Jonas piped up. “The grass must take forever to cut.”
“Most of it is in those trees back there.” He motioned past the field that spread out behind the fenceline. “But I have a tractor for the rest.”
The youngster smiled, his chest puffing out a bit. “We have one too. The backyard is my job. Our tractor is probably smaller than yours.” He looked momentarily glum about that, then grinned. “But so is our yard.”
Dara was instantly captivated by the boy’s open personality and easy charm. She glanced beyond him to find Andie had wheeled herself to the fringe of the small group. Dara introduced herself and Zach to Jonas’s parents, then went over to Andie. “So, what do you think of all this?”
“It’s okay,” she said quietly, keeping her gaze averted.
Dara looked down at the ten-year-old’s head, covered with barely a half inch of peach fuzz. She shot a questioning glance at her parents. They smiled reassuringly, but remained silent. Before Dara could continue talking with the girl, Zach stepped forward, bent down and whispered in Andie’s ear.
Her face lit up like Las Vegas at midnight, and she tilted her head awkwardly up at Zach. “Really?”
“Really. Want to go check them out?”
“Yeah!”
Two more vans pulled into the lot, and Zach waved. He bent back down to Andie. “Mind if we take the rest of these guys with us?”
The girl’s expression faltered for a moment. “You’ll stay with me?”
Zach shot her his killer grin. “I’ve heard you’re the hottest thing on wheels.” He winked at her, and she giggled. “You couldn’t pay me to stay away. I’d be honored.”
She beamed. “Okay, we can wait.”
Zach spoke to Andie’s and Jonas’s parents, but Dara didn’t quite catch what he said. Then he strolled over to the newest arrivals. Introductions were made, and five minutes later Zach was leading all four kids toward the shed.
Dara grinned at the unusual parade of wheelchairs and crutches. Only Zach could make it all look perfectly natural.
“Like the proverbial Pied Piper,” came a deep voice over her left shoulder.
She turned and smiled up at her twin brother. “Dane, you made it.” She wasn’t surprised to see a tie around his neck and fatigue lining his handsome face. She wasn’t happy about it either, though she didn’t say anything. She’d needled him enough lately and knew when to back off. Her gaze was drawn back to Zach.
“Something in your eye?�
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Confused, she looked back at Dane.
“No, my mistake.” He smiled, the first she’d had from him in a while. “It’s just that twinkle.” He leaned in closer. “Wouldn’t want to tell your brother anything, would you?”
Dara smiled, glad to hear the amusement in his voice. “No, nosy.”
He laid his arm across her shoulder and turned them back toward the parents who had migrated toward the heavenly smells coming from Beaudine’s grill.
“Are Jarrett and Rae coming?” she asked.
“I don’t think so. I left messages at their house, but I don’t think they’re back yet.”
Dara stole one last glance over her shoulder at Zach. He had an obviously smitten Andie in his arms and was leading the rest of the brigade into the shed. She smiled as she turned back to the parents, figuring she’d better hurry and explain about the buggies since they’d probably be making a grand entrance shortly.
Just as she was about to call their attention, Dane leaned down and whispered, “I’m glad to see you so happy, Dara. But tell me one thing?”
She looked up at him. “What?”
“Does he look at you the same way you look at him?”
She flushed. “I don’t know. You’ll have to watch him and find out for yourself,” she shot back. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Shoot.”
“Let me know the results of your little survey?”
A flicker of concern surfaced in the normally unflappable calm of his hazel eyes. “Dara—”
She kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine, really,” She grinned. “Really fine.”
Dane stared at her for a couple of seconds, then nodded and droppd a kiss on her forehead before wandering off toward the grill.
Dara watched her brother’s retreating form, then glanced back at the shed. Really fine. Yes, Zach was certainly that. She shouldn’t have been surprised he was such a natural with the kids. But instead of underscoring her original opinion of him as a perennial Peter Pan, it made him even more of a man in her eyes. If she hadn’t been sure she loved him already, the look of adoration in little Andie’s eyes would have put her over the edge for sure. And she’d bet before the day was out, the rest of the kids would think he was a hero as well. She looked back at the parents. Something told her the adults would be won over just as easily.
She was rapidly coming to the realization that commitment or no, long-term or short, she was very likely not going to be the one to end this relationship. No matter how much wiser and less painful that might be.
“Zach, phone call,” Scotty called out over the boisterous noise of the picnic, which was in full swing.
Zach shot him a questioning glance. Scotty nodded. “Keep the tension even, guys. And don’t go too far. I’ll be back shortly.” He left Andie and the boys flying kites and headed for his office.
He picked up the phone and after one word and a brief pause sent Scotty to find Dane. When he was alone, he said, “Jarrett, you’re missing a great party.”
Dara glanced up from the conversation she’d been having with Frank and two of the moms about doing some work on their electric wheelchairs. Frank had already announced he was donating the buggies to the kids.
Dara frowned. Zach was nowhere to be seen.
She politely excused herself and wandered off to find him, eventually going into the house, thinking maybe he was getting more supplies from the kitchen.
Voices echoed down the hallway. Male voices. One distinctly Zach’s, the other equally recognizable as Dane’s. She didn’t take any real pains not to let them know she was coming, but about five feet from the door she heard Jarrett and Mr. Fujimora mentioned, although the rest was too mumbled to make out. Then she remembered Fujimora was the client Zach had been going to meet at Dulles that afternoon she’d first met with Frank.
She ducked her head around the doorway, not wanting to intrude, but never imagining she wouldn’t be welcome. Her hello died on her lips.
Zach was pacing his office with the cellular phone to one ear, looking far more intense than she’d ever thought him capable of—except maybe when he was making love to her. And her brother behind Zach’s desk, poring over a pile of maps.
“Tell him it’s about three degrees north,” Dane said, and Zach repeated the information into the phone. Her brother swore under his breath and shifted the ruler and compass he was using a bit, then swore again. “One degree west.”
Dara shivered at Dane’s tone. She knew the other guys at the National Transportation Safety Board called him “The Predator,” but looking at him now she could believe he’d earned it.
Her gaze jerked up to Zach’s pacing form, when he spoke. “Dammit, tell Fuji he’ll just have to wait. No, I can’t make it then. Tell him we’ll meet at the arranged location on time.” He stalked over to the desk and scanned the coordinates Dane was busy filling in. “It’s not my fault he forgot to fuel the damn plane,” he barked into the phone.
He was so wrapped up in his conversation, he hadn’t seen her yet. Who was this man? she found herself thinking. And what was he talking about?
Was all this plotting and arguing about some trip he’d planned for this Fujimora character?
At her slight movement both Dane and Zach looked to the doorway. They didn’t exactly seem happy to see her there. She contemplated going back out to the picnic and pretending she’d never seen any of this, but Zach’s words stopped her.
“Okay, okay. I know. But I have to tell you, buddy, the timing really sucks.” He kept his gaze on her while he spoke, and Dara could swear steam rose from her body. “Give me two days.” He paused, then swore again. “And be prepared to do some explaining yourself when you and Rae get back.” He listened for a second, then the first hint of a smile curved his lips. “Yes, that’s exactly how it is. And I understand I have you to thank for that too. You just make damn sure I still feel like thanking you when this is over.” A moment later he grunted, then handed the phone to Dane. “Finish it up while I go have a talk with your sister.”
Dara wasn’t sure she wanted to talk with him when he was like this, but he left her little choice.
“Come in here,” he said, taking her arm and guiding her down the hall to a small den.
She cast a fleeting glance at her brother, certain he wouldn’t approve of Zach’s tactics any more than she did, but Dane was already deep in conversation on the phone and wasn’t paying any attention to either of them.
As soon as Zach closed the door behind them, she pulled her arm from his and went to sit on the small couch. She crossed her arms in front of her, feeling suddenly cold and more than a little lost.
He sat down next to her, opened his mouth as if to speak, paused, then blew out a long breath.
Growing more bewildered by the second, Dara reached out and touched his arm. “Zach? What’s wrong? Is it Jarrett? Or Rae? Did something happen to them on their honeymoon?”
He looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his voice tired and fatigued, scaring her even more. “They’re okay. But some … plans I’d made with him before he turned the company over have sort of changed at the last minute.”
“You’re scaring me, Zach. I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Actually, I get like this whenever I’m in the middle of planning a particularly difficult trip.” He smiled. “Well, maybe not quite like this. Lately I spend more time planning trips than running them. It’s as much of a challenge, sometimes the best part. It requires an incredible amount of patience and timing, knowledge and research. So many things could go wrong.” He seemed to be talking more to himself.
“Is that what’s happened? Did something go wrong on an excursion you planned for Mr. Fujimora? Was he a client of Jarrett’s or something?” She thought he might have winced.
“Not exactly. This isn’t what you’d call a normal sort of trip.”
“Nothing you plan is normal.”
“Thanks,” he said dryly. “Well, there’s no way to sugarcoat this and you’re a big girl, so I’m just going to tell you straight out. I can’t do the camping trip.”
“What?” she asked, stunned and completely taken off guard. “What do you mean?”
“Now, don’t go crazy on me. I’m not canceling it. I’ll just be turning it over to Scotty. The rest of the crew will stay the same.”
Dara’s spine stiffened as the full implications of what he’d just said sank in. “Are you telling me that you’re leaving these kids to take off to God knows where to help a client on some thrill-ride trip?”
“Jarrett’s okayed the switch.”
“Goody for Jarrett. What about those kids out there? You remember them, the ones who look at you like you’re Superman or something. They’ve suffered enough disappointment, and if you think—”
“Dara,” he lifted her hand and squeezed gently. “I’ll explain it to them. They love Scotty, and the trip will go the same whether I’m there or not.”
“So send Scotty out to play thrill-seeker with Mr. Fujimora.”
“I can’t do that this time.”
She looked away, tugging her hand from his.
“If there was any other way.” He pulled her back around. “Look at me. Do I seem happy about this?”
“No, but you’re doing it anyway. Zach, I’m not going out there and ruining this picnic.”
“Nothing’s going to be ruined. And I’ll handle it. Trust me.”
“Yeah. Easy for you to say.”
Tension and frustration entered his brown eyes. “Are we just talking about the camping trip here? I mean, is something else bugging you?”
“I thought I knew you, but now I’m beginning to think my first impression was more on the mark.”
“Dammit, Dara. What I’m doing for Jarrett and Fuji is—” He broke off and swore under his breath.
“Is what, Zach? Make me understand.”
Born to Be Wild Page 15
