Natural Born Trouble

by Sherryl Woods

  “Not mine,” Duke said succinctly.

  “Unless it happens to cross paths with Dani’s,” Lizzy pointed out, then shrugged. “I say go for it, though. She’s been sad for way too long. She needs somebody to shake her up, make her forget about that creep who dumped on her. Something tells me nobody could do that better than you. There’s not a woman on the premises who doesn’t swoon when you pass by.”

  “I’m delighted to have your blessing,” he said dryly. “Unfortunately, it appears that’s not the one I need.”

  “It’s a start,” she retorted cheerfully. “Good luck.”

  Duke took his time walking down the short executive suite corridor to Jordan’s office. If he had his way, they wouldn’t have this conversation. Unfortunately, it appeared unlikely that he was going to get his way, which meant he’d better come up with some satisfactory answers for the questions Jordan was likely to ask.

  In typical fashion, his boss didn’t waste time on small talk. Duke was barely across the threshold when Jordan scowled at him and asked, “What’s going on between you and my daughter?”

  Duke took his time responding. He deliberately sprawled in a chair opposite Jordan, hoping that the casual pose would communicate in a way that words could not that he wasn’t going to be intimidated. Eventually, he shrugged. “Nothing as far as I know. Have you asked her?”

  Unfortunately, Jordan was too sharp a businessman to be fooled by Duke’s tactic. “Oh, please, don’t give me that,” he shot right back. “I want a straight answer.”

  Duke sat up a little straighter. He met Jordan’s gaze evenly. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, sir, but that’s the truth. We’ve barely met. She’s made it plain she’s not interested. What more is there to say?”

  To Duke’s astonishment, Jordan actually chuckled at that. “I don’t suppose you see the contradiction in that, do you? According to your claim, you two hardly know each other, but already she’s felt it necessary to tell you she’s not interested. What do you suppose brought that on? You don’t expect me to believe it’s how she opens every conversation with a man, do you?”

  He flinched at the direct hit. “I suppose not.”

  “Could it have something to do with you kissing her the other night?”

  Duke stared. “How the hell do you know about that?”

  Jordan almost looked as if he felt sorry for him. “Son, you were on the front porch of my father’s house in the middle of a family picnic. The teenagers sneak around like budding operatives for the CIA. You can’t keep a secret with this clan if you bury it in a cave a thousand miles away. How do you expect to keep anything quiet when you’re right in the thick of things?”

  “A good point,” Duke conceded. “I’ll have to be more careful next time.”

  Jordan looked positively hopeful. “Then there’s going to be a next time?”

  Duke gave up on the evasions. “If I have my way,” he admitted.

  Jordan gave a little nod of satisfaction. “Good.” He studied Duke intently. “Dani’s had a rough time these past couple of years ever since she broke up with her fiancé, Rob Hilliard. If I’d been more on top of things, maybe I could have done something to save her all that heartache.” He sighed with obvious regret, then looked directly into Duke’s eyes. “It won’t be easy getting her to trust you, you know that, don’t you?”

  “Nothing worth having ever is.”

  “Yes, you of all people would know that, wouldn’t you?”

  “Then I have your approval to keep seeing her?”

  “Would it matter if you didn’t?”

  Duke met Jordan’s gaze with a steady, unblinking look of his own. “No, sir. With all due respect, it wouldn’t.”

  “That’s what I thought,” he said, sounding pleased. “Just one thing, though.”

  “Yes?”

  “Hurt her and there won’t be a place on earth you can hide.”

  “Understood.”

  Contriving to see Dani again was a whole lot simpler than Duke had anticipated. He should have realized that a powerful man like Jordan wouldn’t be content to sit on the sidelines and let things unfold at their own pace. Less than an hour after their conversation, Duke had an invitation to dinner the next night.

  “Nothing fancy. Just the five of us,” Kelly Adams told him.

  “Five?”

  “Jordan and I, you and Justin. And Dani will be here, of course.”

  Of course, he thought. “I’ll give her a call and offer her a lift,” he said. He cursed the eager note that had crept into his voice.

  “I wouldn’t, if I were you.”

  Damn, did everyone in this family meddle? “And why is that?” he inquired.

  “She doesn’t exactly know you’re coming,” Kelly confessed.

  “And you think if she knew she’d find an excuse not to come,” he concluded.

  “I’d say that’s a safe bet. You unsettle her,” Kelly said. “I could see that at the picnic. Now me, I think that’s a good thing. Dani wouldn’t.”

  Duke didn’t like it, but he could see the wisdom in taking Kelly Adams’s advice. He doubted anyone knew Dani as well as her own mother. He supposed there was something to be said for the element of surprise. In fact, he couldn’t wait to see the expression on her face when she realized they’d been thrown together again.

  “I see,” he said blandly. “Well, if you think that’s best.”

  “I do. Of course, you could hitch a ride over here with Jordan,” she suggested slyly.

  “But then I’d have to get a ride home,” he protested, then smiled. “Ah, yes, with Dani, of course.”

  “It was just a thought,” Kelly said.

  “A good one, too. I’ll speak to Jordan and I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  Jordan didn’t bat an eye the next morning when Duke asked for a ride. Duke didn’t bother wasting time with excuses. They both knew exactly what the scheme was all about.

  “I’ll pick you up on my way home from the office,” Jordan said. “Do you want a head start so you can change?”

  Duke nodded. “A half hour ought to suffice.”

  “Perfect. I’ll clean up some paperwork before I leave.”

  Duke knew Jordan well enough to realize that even a casual family get-together wouldn’t mean blue jeans and chambray. The man had impeccable style and seemed happier in a well-tailored business suit than any man Duke had ever met. Under the watchful supervision of the twins, he finally settled for a pair of slacks from the new wardrobe he’d been forced to acquire for his new executive position. He added a pale blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the collar open.

  Joshua and Zachary surveyed him intently, then nodded their approval. They didn’t seem the least bit disappointed at being left behind, which meant they’d probably cooked up some scheme for getting into mischief.

  “You need some of that smelly stuff, though,” Joshua advised. “Girls like that.”

  “I don’t,” Duke said.

  “But, Dad—”

  “I am not taking advice from an eight-year-old. You two go and do your homework.”

  “Can we stay up until you get home?” Zachary asked hopefully.

  “Not a chance. I’ve told Paolina you’re to be in bed by nine-thirty.”

  The twins exchanged a look that suggested they considered Paolina an easy mark. “And if I don’t find the two of you in bed and sound asleep when I get back, you’ll be grounded until you’re twelve,” Duke warned.

  “Aw, Dad, you wouldn’t do that,” Joshua said.

  “You wouldn’t, would you?” Zachary asked more worriedly.

  “Don’t test me and find out,” he warned, scooping them up one at a time for hugs. Moments like this made him realize how much he’d missed during all the times he’d been away.

  “Tell Dani hi for us,” they shouted after him.

  “Tell her the kittens are really cool,” Zachary added. “We might not need a puppy, after all.”

  “I�
�ll definitely tell her that,” Duke said just as he heard Jordan tap his horn out front.

  To Duke’s relief, they spent the ride discussing business and other impersonal topics. As always, Duke admired Jordan’s quick intelligence and shrewd judgment. There was a rock-solid dependability about him that Duke envied. He hoped he could find some way to emulate it and give his sons the role model they deserved.

  It took less than a half hour to reach Jordan’s property. As they approached the house, Duke surveyed the small place with its colorful garden with some surprise. Huge pots on the porch spilled over with lush, vivid flowers. He had expected Jordan to own something far more pretentious than this tidy, homey farmhouse. Not even a fresh coat of paint could disguise the fact that it was quite old and had never been much more than a struggling ranch.

  Only after he was inside did he see that first appearances were deceiving. When Jordan showed him around, he discovered that an addition in the back was spacious enough for an indoor pool, an office with book-lined shelves and a very private master bedroom suite.

  Still, the original house was warm and cozy, compared to Harlan Adams’s far more formal White Pines. Jordan observed his reaction.

  “Not what you expected, is it?”

  Duke regretted being so transparent. “Sorry, but no. It’s lovely, but I thought you would live in something very modern.”

  “Modern and pretentious,” Kelly chimed in. “He did,” she announced as she joined them with a tray of appetizers hot from the oven. “In Houston.” She shuddered. “It was awful. Cold, sterile and big enough to house a family of twenty.” She brushed a kiss across her husband’s cheek. “I convinced him he needed a home, not a showplace.”

  “She was right, too,” Jordan said. “As usual.”

  “This ranch had belonged to my family for years.”

  “Kelly single-handedly saved it from ruin after they were gone,” Jordan said with obvious pride.

  The sound of a car skidding to a halt out front interrupted their conversation. Kelly winced.

  “Dani’s here,” Jordan guessed.

  “She drives like you,” Kelly complained. “She’s going to get herself killed one of these days.”

  “I haven’t,” Jordan pointed out.

  Duke gathered it was an old argument. He felt his shoulders tense as he waited for Dani to appear. The front door slammed, she shouted a greeting, then came to an abrupt halt at the sight of him. Her smile faded.

  Kelly quickly hugged her and whispered something that had Dani managing a tight smile.

  “Hello, again,” she said tersely to Duke as she bent to give Jordan a peck on the cheek.

  “You’re looking especially lovely tonight,” Duke commented, grinning at the blush that climbed into her cheeks.

  “I just came from the Holcombe place. Their dog was having a difficult time delivering its pups. If I’d known there was going to be anyone here beside family, I would have gone home first to change,” she said defensively.

  “No need to gussy up on my account,” Duke said.

  “Well, there is on mine,” Jordan said, wrinkling his nose distastefully. “You smell like a barn.”

  “Maybe I should just leave,” she said, turning for the front door at little too eagerly.

  “Of course, you’re not leaving,” Kelly said. “You have clothes in your room here.”

  Dani sighed. “Fine. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Where’s Justin, by the way? I need to talk to him about something.”

  “He should be home shortly. He’s over at Cody’s with Harlan Patrick. Or so he claims. I suspect they’re in town chasing girls.”

  Dani grinned at that. “Having his sister working at Dolan’s must really cramp Harlan Patrick’s style.”

  “You should hear Justin on that subject,” Kelly said. “He says Sharon Lynn is personally ruining any chance they have of ever getting a date.”

  “So Dolan’s is the hangout for teenagers?” Duke asked.

  “It has been for years,” Jordan told him. “Not even the fancy new burger franchise that opened up outside of town can compete.”

  “Thank goodness,” Kelly said. “I’m glad my kids didn’t grow up with their social lives revolving around fast food and malls.”

  “If Jenny had had her way, we would have,” Dani said. “She’s still itching to get a Bloomingdale’s close by.”

  “She just says that to get your grandfather stirred up,” Kelly said, then turned to explain to Duke, “It’s an old joke between them that she’s going to put a mall on his land as soon as she inherits her part of it.”

  “We’ll see,” Dani said. She stared hard at Duke. “I suppose you miss all the fancy Houston stores.”

  “Afraid not. Shopping was never my thing. As long as I can buy a good pair of jeans, I’m a happy man.”

  Her gaze swept over his clothes, which were far more expensive than even a pair of designer denim pants. “Jeans?” she said skeptically.

  “Darlin’, even those of us who hung out around oil rigs know enough to get gussied up for dinner with the boss.”

  Jordan and Kelly fought unsuccessfully to hide their grins. Dani frowned at all three of them.

  “Since I appear to be the one who’s underdressed, I’ll go now and spruce up,” she said. “I had no idea we were standing on formalities around here these days.”

  “Just get the straw out of your hair,” Duke taunted, chuckling when her hand flew up in search of the nonexistent piece of straw.

  Dani left the room with a scowl, but at least it appeared she didn’t head straight for the front door. He glanced at Jordan just in time to see him exchanging an amused look with his wife.

  “I think that went rather well, don’t you?” Kelly said.

  “The house is still standing, if that’s what you mean,” Jordan observed dryly.

  “I gather Dani is not too keen on surprises,” Duke said.

  “Not if there’s a man involved,” Kelly told him.

  “I can still skedaddle on out of here, so you all can have a pleasant, family dinner,” Duke offered, albeit reluctantly. He doubted he would have made the suggestion if he weren’t fairly certain it would be refused.

  “No way,” Kelly said. “I haven’t looked forward to an evening this much in a long time.”

  “Me, either,” Jordan said.

  “I’m so glad to be able to provide you both with so much entertainment.”

  “Don’t you worry about entertaining us. Just liven things up for Dani,” Kelly said.

  Something in her tone alerted Duke to the possibility that she and Jordan were putting a little too much trust in him. They had clearly assumed that his intentions were thoroughly honorable and that they would inevitably lead to something serious developing between him and their daughter. Was that what he wanted? He shuddered at the very thought of walking down the aisle again. He was far from averse to romance, but beyond that? No way.

  Which meant, of course, that he was playing with fire here. Perversely, of course, the thought got his adrenaline pumping.

  When Dani returned wearing a pair of snug-fitting pants and a cotton blouse, his pulse ricocheted like a bullet glancing off a fence post. She had scooped her blond hair into a careless knot on top of her head, leaving several wayward curls to skim her cheeks and shoulders. Duke felt an almost irresistible urge to tuck each one back into place…or to release the rest and run his fingers through the shimmering golden silk. It was a toss-up which way he’d go, if he had the opportunity.

  Thankfully, he supposed, he didn’t have to make the choice. Kelly announced that dinner was ready and they all retreated to the dining room. Though Justin hadn’t come in, a place had been set for him, which gave Dani the perfect opportunity to sit opposite Duke, rather than beside him as her folks had so clearly intended.

  As she slid into the chair, Duke grinned at her knowingly, bringing another of those easy blushes to her cheeks. He discovered he could easily become addicted to watching t
he color bloom on her pale flesh. Most women he knew were way beyond such easy embarrassment. At the same time, Duke realized that Dani’s particular brand of innocence stirred an unfamiliar protective instinct in him. He managed to get through the entire meal without deliberately baiting her.

  He was less successful on the ride home. Dani was clearly peeved about being forced to offer him a lift. Her testiness aroused his contrariness. He settled back in the passenger seat and studied her with blatant masculine approval. There was no mistaking the unsettling effect his gaze was having on her. She was shifting gears so furiously that it was a wonder the transmission didn’t shriek to a complete stop in protest.

  “Dani?” Duke said quietly after a particularly nasty sequence of shifts.

  “What?”

  “If you don’t settle down, we’re going to end up in a ditch.”

  “If you don’t like the way I drive, you could always walk.”

  “And have you feeling guilty for a week for leaving me on a deserted stretch of highway in the middle of the night? I couldn’t possibly do that.”

  “I wouldn’t feel guilty,” she claimed.

  “Yes, you would. Why don’t you tell me what has you in such a rotten mood?”

  “My mood is just dandy, thank you very much. If you don’t like it…”

  Duke grinned in the darkness. “I know, I can walk.”

  “Exactly.”

  “You aren’t by any chance a little peeved that your parents didn’t mention I was coming to dinner tonight, are you?”

  “It’s their house. They can invite anyone they want.”

  “True, but you’re feeling as if you were set up, correct?”

  She sighed. “Look, it’s nothing against you, really.”

  “It’s just that you’re feeling cornered.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Why? It was dinner. It’s not a big deal.”

  She actually gave a tight little laugh at that. “Maybe not to you, but believe me, they’re hearing wedding bells. They hear them if there’s an available man within a hundred-mile radius.”

  “Don’t all parents want to see their children happily married?”

  “Yes, but not all of them consider it their personal mission to make it happen. It’s embarrassing.”