Natural Born Trouble

by Sherryl Woods

  All through dinner he kept his gaze pinned on Dani, watching for signs that she was already having those second thoughts he’d warned her about. She would, too. He’d heard enough to know just how much she’d loved those two kids of Hilliard’s. Given the opportunity to have them back in her life, she wouldn’t walk away without a single backward glance. The maternal instinct in her ran deep. He’d seen it in her reluctant interaction with Zack and Joshua. Not even past hurts could keep her from treating his sons with genuine warmth. Even now she was asking them about the day camp they were attending and showing the kind of genuine interest that could never be faked.

  “Then the lifeguard at the pool said, ‘Zachary Jenkins, you get out of the water right this instant,’” Joshua was telling her, his tone mimicking the teenager’s precisely. “I said, ‘But I’m not Zachary.’ She didn’t believe me. I got out of the water and five seconds later, Zachary swims smack in front of her. She turned real red and started to yell again, but then she saw me standing next to her. ‘Told you so,’ I said.”

  “And what did she do?” Dani asked.

  “She said, ‘Oh, never mind,’ and walked away.”

  “Interesting story,” Duke observed. “What exactly did Zachary do in the first place?”

  “Uh-oh,” Josh said, a guilty expression replacing the glee with which he’d told the story.

  “Told you to keep your big mouth shut,” Zack grumbled. “This is payback for the goldfish, isn’t it?”

  “Is not,” Joshua insisted.

  “Is, too.”

  “I’m waiting,” Duke said, cutting off the exchange.

  “It wasn’t anything bad,” Joshua said valiantly. “Not really.”

  “Maybe you should let me decide that,” Duke said. “Zack?”

  “I just dove into the water,” Zack said, his expression totally innocent.

  “A cannonball, by any chance?” Duke asked.

  “Uh-huh,” Josh said, nodding, his eyes alight at the memory. “A real whopper.”

  “And naturally someone was standing right beside the pool who didn’t take kindly to getting splashed from head to toe,” Duke guessed. “Who was it?”

  “Some old guy,” Zack said. “In a suit. Who’d wear a suit to a pool, anyway?”

  “The mayor,” Dani guessed, not even trying to smother a laugh. “He likes to stop by to see how things are going.”

  Duke stared at her. “The mayor? Terrific. My boys have been here less than six months, and they’ve already tried to drown the mayor.”

  Dani reached over and patted his hand. “Don’t worry. A lot of people in town have considered doing far worse.”

  “Then why do they keep electing him?”

  “No one else is willing to run.”

  “Why? Because everyone knows that it’s Harlan Adams who really runs things?” Duke suggested.

  Dani grinned. “Something like that. Grandpa Harlan does make his opinions known and people do tend to listen to him.”

  “Something tells me I ought to send the man a sympathy card,” Duke said.

  “No need to do that. He’s heading over here right now,” she told him, nodding toward the tall, silver-haired man striding purposefully their way. Even from a distance the water spots on his suit were evident.

  “Ohmigosh,” Zachary murmured, sliding down until he was all but under the table.

  Duke latched onto his arm and forced him to his feet as he rose himself to greet the older man. Dani’s expression suggested she was finding the whole thing just a little too amusing.

  “Danielle,” the mayor said politely. “Good to see you.”

  “Good to see you, too, Frank. Have you met Duke Jenkins and his sons? Duke is a vice president at Dad’s oil company.”

  If he hadn’t been assessing the man so closely, Duke might have missed the subtle shift in his demeanor when he realized that Duke was tied very tightly to the Adams clan. His tone was suddenly deferential and whatever he’d intended to say about the incident at the town pool was swallowed. Duke refused to let his son off so easily.

  “I gather you met the boys earlier today,” he said. “Zachary, don’t you have something you’d like to tell the mayor?”

  Zachary looked as if he would rather eat worms, but he dutifully said, “I’m sorry for splashing you, sir. It was an accident.”

  “Yes, well, a little water never hurt anyone now, did it?” the man said. “Apology accepted.”

  “Dad, can me and Joshua go play the video games?” Zack asked, clearly anxious to get away before he caused any more mishaps.

  “Yes,” Duke said, just as eager to have them safely out of the way. He handed them the change he had in his pocket. When they’d gone, he added his own apology for their rambunctious behavior. “And please, let me pay to have your suit cleaned.”

  “Not necessary,” the mayor said. “I just wanted to bring the matter to your attention in case you hadn’t heard about it, but I see that wasn’t necessary. Good day, Mr. Jenkins. Danielle, give my regards to your father and grandfather.”

  “Of course,” she said, barely containing a chuckle as he walked away.

  “What’s so amusing?”

  “He is. He really didn’t have any business wearing a suit and standing beside a pool filled with kids. I swear I think he does it just to get his suit cleaned for free. Guilty parents are easy marks.”

  Duke stared at her. “This has happened before?”

  “Once every week or two as far back as I can remember. I do believe Justin and Harlan Patrick were guilty of their share of infractions. Dad and Cody finally forbade them from swimming in the town pool. Naturally, that made it all the more fun to go there, even though there’s a perfectly good pool at White Pines. They still sneak into town, but they’ve learned to avoid the days the mayor drops by.”

  “You could have told me that before I fell all over myself apologizing,” Duke grumbled.

  “I considered it educational,” she retorted. “I wanted to see if you were capable of abject humility.”

  Duke chuckled despite his annoyance. “Did I pass the test?”

  “You were very good. I believed you were very sincere.”

  “And the mayor?”

  “Once he figured out you worked in an executive capacity for Dad, you could have told him to take a flying leap off the town hall roof and he would have done it and thanked you for suggesting it.”

  Duke regarded her speculatively. “You know, Miss Smarty-Pants, it occurs to me that if you hold such disdain for this man, perhaps you ought to run for mayor yourself. At least then the Adams pulling strings around town would be operating in an official elected capacity.”

  She looked horrified by the suggestion. “Me? You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Why not? You’re bright. Everyone in town knows and respects you. I think it’s a great idea. When’s the next election?”

  “Thankfully, not for another three years.”

  “Just long enough to get your campaign funds lined up,” Duke said.

  Dani’s gaze narrowed. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”

  Duke shrugged. “A little, maybe. You’ve been looking a little too serious all evening, despite your claim that your ex-fiancé’s appearance didn’t upset you.”

  “It was just a shock, that’s all.”

  “But you can’t stop thinking about his girls, can you?”

  She smiled sadly. “No.”

  “Then see them. He’s opened the door.”

  “I can’t,” she said simply. “It wouldn’t be fair to get their hopes up, when I know nothing will ever happen between me and their father. They’re used to me being gone now. It’s better if it stays that way.”

  Duke thought back to his own childhood. How many times had he prayed that his parents would suddenly come back to claim him? Even knowing that it was impossible, he’d harbored the dream in some tiny, secret place in his heart.

  “They’ll never get over losing you,” he
insisted. “See them. Let them know you still care, even if you can’t be with them.”

  Obviously startled by his vehemence, Dani stared at him. “Experience talking?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Just trust me, kids never forget losing someone they love.”

  “Are you talking about Zack and Joshua? Do they miss their mother so terribly?”

  Actually, that had been the farthest thing from Duke’s mind, but it was an easier answer than revealing his own childhood traumas. “Of course,” he said. “They ask about their mother all the time.”

  “And what do you tell them?”

  “That she was very unhappy with me and that she needed to go away to find happiness.”

  “Does she stay in touch with them?”

  “She did at first. She sent postcards every few weeks. It’s been a while now since we last heard from her, though.”

  Dani reacted with visible anger. “How could a mother do that to her own children? How selfish can she be?”

  Duke didn’t have any excuses for Caroline, either. It didn’t matter to him that she’d seemingly dropped off the face of the earth, but it hurt the boys. He understood that kind of anguish all too well. More than once he’d considered hiring someone to look for her, then dismissed the idea. If she didn’t want to be a part of her sons’ lives, then forcing her to go through the motions would be worse than letting them grieve and get it over with.

  Though he understood its roots, he was still a little surprised by Dani’s indignation on their behalf. It reminded him of his very first impression of her. He’d thought then, as he did now, that she would make a terrific mother.

  Earlier he’d caught Rob’s sarcastic remark that she’d gone looking for another ready-made family. Now he let the idea simmer. It could be a solution for all of them. She would have two boys to replace the girls she’d lost. Joshua and Zack would have a mother’s love again. Goodness knew, the pair of them could use a gentling influence.

  And him? What would he get out of the bargain? He’d already admitted that he was attracted to her. That was definitely a start. The prospect of having her in his life on a more permanent basis wasn’t nearly as distasteful as it probably should have been, given his avowed determination never to marry again.

  Years ago no one would have blinked twice at the idea of such a marriage of convenience. Even now there were lonely men in places like Alaska and elsewhere who advertised for mail-order brides. Would this be any different? He found that he was warming to the idea.

  He glanced at Dani and saw her staring at the boys wistfully. Yes, he thought again, it would work very nicely for all of them.

  “Why don’t you go on over there and give them some real competition,” he encouraged.

  She grinned. “You wouldn’t mind?”

  “No, indeed. They beat the pants off me. Let them humiliate somebody else for a change.”

  “Not me,” she said, flashing him a smile. “I grew up with a bunch of very competitive relatives. I do believe if you check that particular machine, my record still stands.”

  Perfect, he thought as he watched her join his sons. Duke was the kind of man who trusted his instincts. He also made decisions in a rush and stuck by them.

  For once in his life, though, he managed to curb his enthusiasm. Something told him he’d better have his scheme very well thought out before he presented it to Dani. She struck him as the kind of woman who might not be nearly as pragmatic as he was, even under her own currently vulnerable circumstances. She might prefer at least the pretense of romance.

  He could manage that. Hell, she already made him hotter than asphalt in August. A little proper courting wouldn’t kill him. Then he could spring the idea of marriage on her and everything would fall tidily into place.

  Satisfied with the plan, he sat back in his chair, sipped his beer and observed her. Dani Adams was something, all right. The boys clearly thought so, too.

  Now all he had to do was turn up the heat between them a notch or two and his troubles would be over by Christmas, maybe sooner.

  All in all, he concluded, the move to Los Pinos wasn’t turning out to be quite as miserable as he’d feared. His job might not be as exciting as oil exploration, but courting Dani Adams promised to make up for that.

  When she turned toward him, he lifted his mug of beer in a silent toast. Anticipation sizzled through his veins like fine champagne. Yes, indeed, life in Los Pinos promised to get downright fascinating.

  Chapter Seven

  Getting Dani to fall in with his plans was trickier than riding a bucking bronco, Duke concluded after six weeks of her clever elusiveness. The woman had more unexplained social engagements than anyone he’d ever met. If he hadn’t been a confident kind of man, he might have begun to wonder if she wasn’t deliberately trying to avoid him. He concluded that he wasn’t going to pull off this marriage proposal quite as easily as he’d originally anticipated.

  He had surmised very quickly that simply calling and asking for a date wouldn’t work. She was way too jittery to accept. She had claimed to be busy every time he gave her any sort of advance notice.

  Stopping by the clinic for an impromptu visit was more successful, but he couldn’t discuss the future while half her attention was on some kid’s parakeet or gerbil.

  Finagling invitations from one Adams or another was a snap compared to getting a minute alone with Dani once he was there. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn that she was onto him, that she’d read his mind that night at dinner and resolved to avoid him at any cost.

  Of course, that was impossible, he thought as he observed her clean dive into the pool at White Pines on Labor Day. Her swimsuit, modest by current standards, clung to her in a way that made it seem practically indecent. He hadn’t been able to tear his gaze away from her since he’d first spotted her emerging, soaking wet, from the pool. A second later she dove back in and remained submerged up to her neck as if to deliberately prevent him from getting another peek at her.

  The woman swam like a porpoise and apparently enjoyed it just as much. She hadn’t been out of the water all day. Neither had anyone else, which made the huge pool far too crowded for the kind of intimate conversation Duke was interested in having.

  “Dani looks happy, doesn’t she?” Sharon Lynn observed, perching on the edge of the chaise longue next to him, her expression a little too innocent.

  Happy, wet and sexy as hell, Duke would have corrected, but discretion prevented it. He merely nodded. He’d discovered quickly that the only way to avoid prying around this family was to keep his mouth clamped firmly shut. Occasionally, they gave up and went away. Sharon Lynn, unfortunately, showed no such inclination.

  “Are you responsible for that?” Dani’s cousin inquired in a tone that suggested her interest ran deeper than casual curiosity.

  The question might have amused him if it hadn’t been so wildly off the mark. “Hardly. I’ve barely seen her recently.” He couldn’t help the cranky note that crept into his voice.

  “I see,” Sharon Lynn said thoughtfully.

  “What does that mean?”

  “I just thought…” She shrugged. “Oh, well, I guess I was wrong.”

  “Wrong about what?”

  She hesitated as if she were debating with herself. Duke watched the visible struggle with fascination. He wondered what the devil she was hiding…or what she wanted him to think she was hiding.

  “Sharon Lynn?” he prodded. “What made you think Dani and I were seeing each other? Has she said something?”

  “Oh, no,” she said. Again, there was a slight hesitation before she shrugged and said, “It’s just that she’s been into Dolan’s with your sons quite a bit. Almost every afternoon, in fact. I just assumed that ever since you went out to dinner you two were something of an item.”

  Duke tried to absorb the implication. Dani had been spending time with Zack and Josh? That was news to him. How had this friendship between Dani and his sons de
veloped without his knowledge? Was he that oblivious to the twins’ activities or were they deliberately keeping mum about these little get-togethers? Probably the latter, especially if ice cream was involved.

  Paolina took them to the town pool every day for swimming lessons, but he’d just assumed they’d gone straight home afterward since he’d all but ordered Paolina not to take them anywhere other than the pool without his specific permission. Naturally, they’d kept quiet about it. They’d known they were breaking the rules.

  “What time have they been coming in?” he asked.

  “About four, I guess. After their swimming lessons.”

  It was Duke’s turn to mutter, “I see.” A few weeks ago he would have grounded them for the infraction, but now he saw that their sneaky little visits could be used to his advantage.

  Tomorrow the three of them would have company at Dolan’s. Thank goodness school didn’t start until the following week or he would have missed out on this opportunity to slip into Dani’s schedule when she wasn’t expecting him.

  He was so busy making his plans, he completely missed the thumbs-up sign Sharon Lynn exchanged with Jenny Runningbear Adams as she strolled away.

  * * *

  “Can’t you take a break tomorrow afternoon?” Jenny pleaded with Dani. “I only have a few more days until school starts. We haven’t had a long chat since I got back into town.”

  Dani regarded Jenny suspiciously. “That’s right, so why all of a sudden can’t you wait to get together? I have a clinic to run, remember?”

  “I know,” Jenny said repentantly. “We should have done it sooner. It’s my fault. The summer just got completely away from me. You know how I am.”

  That was the problem. Dani did know. Jenny was one of the most organized women she’d ever met. She didn’t fritter away time. She had too much going on.