by Evie Nichole
“The address?” Laredo was gaping. “You don’t know where our corporate offices are located?”
“Have I ever been there?” Darren pointed out.
“Fair enough.” Laredo sighed. Then he pulled out his phone and sent off a text.
Darren received the text and pulled out his phone. Damn. He had three missed texts from Carly. That was never a good sign. A quick look at the screen showed him that Carly had somehow found out that Darren was back in Denver. That sounded like a bad film title, and honestly, where Carly was concerned, it might as well have been.
“You okay?” Laredo was giving Darren that sideways look of something approaching concern.
“Yeah. Fine. I’ll be there tomorrow first thing.”
“All right.” Laredo got up from his seat. “I have to get home so the housekeeper can leave for the night.”
“Kids,” Darren said, only half joking. “They really change your life. Huh?”
Laredo narrowed his gaze and stared long and hard at Darren. “Yeah. They really do.”
No truer statement had ever been spoken.
Chapter Two
“Bella Hernandez! Girl, what are you doing in my office?” Maggie Brown sighed as she gazed at the imp with the curly black hair and bright blue eyes sitting in the chair swinging her legs back and forth. “That’s the third time this week.” Maggie pressed her lips together and tried to decide how best to handle this latest visit from her favorite student. “What’s going on, sweetheart?”
“The boys are being stupid.” Bella’s nine-year-old brain was obviously very certain of this fact. She blew up her cheeks and gave Maggie a beatific smile. “They keep laughing at my hair. So, I keep pounding them.”
“I see.”
Maggie was pretty sure that her training as a guidance counselor had not prepared her for what to do when she absolutely agreed with the student’s bad behavior and wished that she could just smile, wave her hand, and tell this tough as nails little girl to go about her business beating the stuffing out of the boys.
“Boys are idiots. Even my daddy says so.”
Maggie could have told the little girl that her daddy said that because he was the idiot, but that would be crossing the line. It was not Bella’s fault that her single father was a cold bastard who did not seem to be able to warm up to his own child. Maggie had dealt extensively with Laredo Hernandez. He was rich, entitled, and completely rude. Maggie was almost certain the man thought he was better than just about anyone else on the planet and that his daughter—because she was his offspring—was also better than anyone else.
“Even though boys are idiots,” Maggie began, smiling at Bella because it was impossible not to, “we can’t just hit them whenever they make us mad. There are better ways to handle this stuff.”
“How?” Bella tilted her head to one side, truly curious. Then her little face scrunched up into a look of deep thought. “I asked them to stop pulling my hair. I asked them to stop making fun of me. They didn’t listen. If they don’t want to use their ears, what else are we supposed to do? They stop bugging me when I hit them, Ms. Brown.”
“Well, yes.” Maggie cleared her throat.
Laughter. She could not laugh, but she was dying to let loose. And later in the teacher’s lounge she would. The three boys who had become Bella’s arch enemies were well known around school as rowdy kids who needed a good kick in the pants. Unfortunately, their parents were just as rich as Bella’s. Sometimes being employed by a private school really sucked.
Bella flashed Maggie a gap-toothed grin. “So, then, I should just hit them?”
“Erm, no.” Maggie struggled. “You should come and tell me when it happens, and I’ll handle it. That’s the best way.”
“Okay.” Bella shrugged. “I’ll be knocking on your door all day long though, Ms. Brown. You won’t get anything done!” Bella sighed and twisted her little hands together. “Daddy says I shouldn’t knock on people’s doors when they’re closed. Closed doors mean work is going on. And nobody wants a little girl to interrupt their work.”
Ugh! Was the man completely obtuse? Maggie barely managed to hold onto her temper. It wasn’t Bella’s fault her father was such a selfish bastard. “Is your daddy picking you up today?” Maggie managed to get the words out without growling. It was a real accomplishment under the circumstances.
“I think so.” Bella shrugged. Apparently, she didn’t care who picked her up or when they did it. Then the little girl made a face. “I have dance class.”
“You don’t like dance?”
“No. Dancing sucks.” Bella squirmed in her seat. “Actually, I suck. I don’t like it and I fall a lot.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie, that sounds really frustrating.” Maggie could totally relate. She had been an athlete, but the gymnastics and dance scene had always eluded her. Give her a softball and watch out. Give her a set of ballet shoes and you had to watch out for an entirely different reason.
Bella only shrugged. “Daddy says ladies take dance class.”
“Doesn’t your daddy have all brothers?”
“I got one auntie,” Bella piped up eagerly. “Her name is Jesse. I like her. I don’t see her much though.”
“So, it doesn’t sound like your dad is that much of an expert about ladies.” Even when the words were out Maggie knew that she probably shouldn’t have said them. She just really wanted this poor kid to feel good about herself. “I couldn’t dance either. I played soccer and basketball and softball. That’s what I was good at.”
“Did you ride horses?” The absolute brilliance in the child’s expression nearly bowled Maggie over. Those blue, blue eyes were intense anyway. But give Bella a reason to be excited and she was an absolute doll with that curly black hair and those eyes.
“I don’t know much about horses,” Maggie admitted. Then something popped into her head that made no sense. “Doesn’t your family own a ranch?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t they have horses on that ranch?”
“Yeah.” Bella sighed. “Sometimes my grandpa or my uncle Cal takes me out to the ranch to see the horses. I’ve only ridden two whole times in my life though.”
Maggie made a mental note to talk to Laredo Hernandez about his daughter’s apparent desire to ride horses. The guy owned dozens of horses. Surely there was a pony or something he could arrange for his only child.
Standing up, Maggie held her hand out to Bella. “Shall we go look for your daddy?”
“Sure.” Bella shrugged it off and took Maggie’s hand. “He’s probably going to be late. He told me this morning there were lots of meetings today.”
“That was nice of him to tell you,” Maggie said between gritted teeth.
What was this guy’s deal? Did he really have no idea what it was like to be ignored like this? Maggie’s parents had ignored her for a good portion of her childhood. It had left indelible scars on her soul. That was why she had gone into school counseling. She had some idiotic notion that she could make a difference in the lives of other kids.
Maggie opened her office door and escorted her young charge out into the hallway. It was crowded with teachers herding their classes out toward the car line area. It was a daily occurrence that always seemed like mass chaos and yet was managed with aplomb by the teachers who had perfected the process of managing to get the right set of students into the right SUV, minivan, sedan, or insert-other-luxury-vehicle-here.
Bella did not seem to mind staying right with Maggie. The little girl was popular enough. Teachers and other students waved and called out to her as they headed for the large front foyer of the school. Cars pulled up at the curb out by the front steps in groups of six. They would be loaded as expeditiously as possible, and it would all be over in the span of less than thirty minutes.
Maggie stood with Bella in the foyer and waited to hear someone call her last name to say that her father’s car had arrived. It never happened. The foyer began to empty out. The cavernous space was
tiled with a vaulted ceiling. The idea was to make a welcoming and spacious entryway into their school. There were three hallways branching off from the main foyer, and all led to either administrative offices or classrooms. As the space began to empty, it got noticeably quieter.
Maggie glanced down at Bella. “Were you supposed to go to aftercare?” Maggie didn’t remember the little girl ever being placed in the after-school program. She usually had a nanny or a housekeeper to pick her up and watch her at home if her father wasn’t able to make it.
“Nope.” Bella sighed. She hitched her backpack further up on her narrow shoulders and smoothed the bib of her plaid school jumper.
Then Maggie spotted that trademark Hernandez curly black hair down in the hallway by the school’s main office. “Wait. I think I see your dad.” Maggie waved her hand. Her heart was pounding, and she had a sick feeling in her stomach. Did she really dislike Laredo Hernandez that much? “Mr. Hernandez! Right here! Mr. Hernandez, Bella is right here waiting for you.”
The man turned toward them. He looked surprised. Why? Maggie hadn’t changed in the last several years since Bella had enrolled at the school. What was he expecting? Then Maggie realized that this guy was all wrong. He was most definitely a Hernandez. He just wasn’t the one she was looking for.
“Uncle Darren!” Bella shrieked and sprinted from Maggie’s side to the man who looked so much like her father that there was no doubt as to his relationship. “What are you doing here?”
“Hi, Poodle!”
Bella put her hands on her hips. “Don’t call me that! It’s mean! Do I got to kick your butt too?”
Maggie opened her mouth to intervene and explain to the man that his niece had been dealing with some pretty insistent bullies who were fixated on her curly hair, but it wasn’t necessary.
Darren—that was what Bella had called him—knelt down on the tile floor there in the hallway and took his niece’s hand. “Sweet girl, I did not mean any harm. I call you my poodle because you are cuddly, but you are fierce. And you yap a lot too, but it’s cute. Like a poodle. Right?”
“Oh. Right.” Bella flung her arms around his neck, and Darren stood up.
Maggie’s mouth went bone dry. She opened it. Then she closed it. There were no words for what she was experiencing right now. It was just—wow. Yeah. Wow was about the only word she could come up with. This guy was all of the Hernandez charm and wit and good looks without any of that rude arrogance Laredo Hernandez seemed to have in spades.
“Oh!” Bella started squirming in her uncle’s arms. “I have to introduce you to Ms. Brown! She’s my favorite teacher. Only she’s not a teacher. You know what I mean?”
Darren was laughing. He carried Bella back toward Maggie. “Ms. Brown, I assume?” he asked drily. Then he shifted the girl’s entire weight to one arm and held out his other hand to her for a polite introductory shake.
Wait. Handshake. She was supposed to be shaking his hand. She quickly put her hand in his and tried not to groan out loud. The contact was incredible. His hand was warm, and there was a faint bit of electricity running through him as though he just had that kind of personality about him.
“It’s really nice to meet you, Mr. Hernandez.” Maggie barely managed to get the words out. “Do you have a moment? I know you’re supposed to take Bella to dance class.”
Bella pulled a horrible face complete with eyes rolled back in her head and a lopsided snaggle-toothed grimace. “I hate dance class, Uncle Darren. Please don’t make me go.”
Darren affected a casual shrug. “It would appear we have plenty of time. Are you sure you need to speak with me? Her father would probably be the appropriate person to talk to about any issues.”
“Right.” Maggie pressed her lips together. What was she doing? Darren Hernandez had come to pick up his niece. That was a far cry from being authorized to speak with the school’s guidance counselor about her behavior issues. This was not like her. She didn’t make waves. She didn’t go outside the box. She was a mouse, not a tiger. Maggie bit her lower lip. She had a gut feeling that she could get a lot further with Darren than she could ever hope to do with Laredo. “I think it’s really important that I speak with you. Please? Could you come to my office for just a moment?”
“Do we have a moment?” Darren asked Bella. He made a goofy face at her just to make her laugh. She was already nodding, so Darren nodded at Maggie. “It would appear we have a moment. But only a moment.”
“Thank you.” Maggie tried to tell herself that she was only thrilled because this was going to help Bella. It had nothing to do with Maggie or the fact that she was dead curious as to how two brothers could be such polar opposites.
Chapter Three
Guidance counselors had not looked like Maggie Brown when Darren Hernandez had been in school. If they had, Darren might have gotten a lot more in the way of mental health help. In fact, he might have become a truly enlightened and well-balanced individual if someone like Maggie Brown had been willing to put some time into him back when he was young and impressionable.
The woman was beautiful in an understated and yet very classic way. Her hair was long and strawberry blond. It was just as curly as Bella’s was, and there was probably twice as much of it. Her eyes were green like the grass back at the ranch, and her complexion was pale and delicate. Maggie’s lips were full, and she smiled a lot, which emphasized their sweet pink color. There was something absolutely athletic and tough about her though. It created a contrast that was almost irresistible to a man like Darren. This was a woman who would bust your balls one second and be warm and welcoming the next. She was a challenge, and he needed to remind himself repeatedly that it was a challenge he needed to walk away from.
“I really appreciate your being willing to chat with me.” Maggie was carefully rearranging items on her desktop. Obviously, she was far more nervous about this interview than Darren was. Why?
Her office was extremely comfortable; especially considering it was located near the principal and the school nurse. In Darren’s extensive experience with school administration, these places were cold and unfriendly, and that wasn’t even when you had been called in there for a good yelling at.
This place had lots of windows with a view of the fields out behind the school. There was blue sky, and he could even see the rugged peaks of the front range of the Rockies from his seat on her very comfy leather chair. Bella was parked on a chair outside in the hallway with her tablet in hand. The kid was probably playing video poker. Darren had heard Laredo bitching about that more than once.
“So, I’m here,” Darren told her with a smile. “What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Your brother.”
Darren felt the smile slide right off his face. Laredo? She wanted to talk about Laredo? This was bad. Darren didn’t want to talk about Laredo. Laredo was an uncomfortable topic. Plus, he was currently in charge of Darren’s paycheck. That meant Darren could not afford to piss off his older brother. Literally.
“I realize this is very uncomfortable.” Maggie sounded apologetic. “But I’m sort of at my wit’s end with the whole situation.”
“Okay, back up.” Darren held up his hand. “I’m lost. What situation? I just got in town day before yesterday. I don’t know what’s going on in my brother’s household. He’s just got me running errands for him like some lackey. Call it the big brother power trip.”
“That sounds so typical!” Maggie burst out suddenly. Then she clapped her hands over her mouth as though she were shocked at her own behavior. “I’m sorry. That was unforgivably rude.”
“But accurate,” Darren laughed. Then he sighed. He had already stepped into this more than he should have. “Has Bella been fighting?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“It’s been mentioned in passing.” Darren pursed his lips. He didn’t think Maggie would appreciate what Laredo had to say on the topic. That meant it would be better to censor it a bit. “My brother believes it
’s a lacking in the school.” Whoops. That hadn’t been exactly tactful. Had it? Darren cleared his throat and tried again. “He feels like your school lacks discipline.”
“I can understand his point of view.” Maggie sighed and seemed to deflate right there onto her desk. “We don’t have any strong male role models around here.”
“Huh?”
“The only male teacher we have is the foreign language guy. He teaches Spanish and French, and I think he’s more afraid of the boys than the librarian is.” Maggie was looking rather frustrated. There were two lines between her elegant eyebrows, and she was sighing every other second. “I’m not saying that foreign language is a sissy thing, mind you.”
“I realize that.” Darren was struggling not to laugh. “Don’t you have some butch gym teacher that can show these boys a thing or two?”
“That’s only part of the problem.” Maggie sat back in her seat and began spinning back and forth. “The gym teacher quit at the beginning of this year. He ran off with the former secretary, and they’re living in Colorado Springs now.”
“Okay. Wow. That’s a lot of drama.” Darren rubbed his jaw. He was still struggling to figure out what was going on. “So, these boys are bugging Bella?”
“Yes. They tease her about her hair.” Maggie looked apologetic. “That’s why she reacted so badly when you called her Poodle.”
“Got it.” Darren struggled to fight back the urge to find these kids and beat some sense into them. “And they’re what? Beyond discipline?”
“They laugh at the teachers,” Maggie said flatly. “They’re from very wealthy families, and they’re used to getting their way.”
Darren snorted. That sounded familiar enough. “And you apparently don’t want Bella to take care of this problem for you? Because I’m pretty sure my niece can handle herself.”
“You really think it’s a good idea to teach a nine-year-old to settle things with her fists?” Maggie gave him a wide-eyed glare. “Seriously?”
