Natural Born Trouble

by Sherryl Woods

  Duke mentally cursed Caroline for being so blunt with the two boys, then swearing them to secrecy. Did she expect them to keep all the hurt bottled up inside? Or were the secrets just meant as payback for him?

  He wiped away Josh’s tears and tried to coax a smile from him. “Now you listen to me, half-pint. We’re getting along okay, just the three of us, right?”

  “Yeah, but it would be nice to have a mom again,” Josh said wistfully.

  Duke immediately thought of Dani. She might not be able to replace Caroline in their hearts, but she could fill an obvious void in their lives. It was time to move on to the next step in his strategy. If nothing else, this conversation with Josh had proven that it was time to start courting Dani in earnest.

  Duke had given Dani so much space she was about to spit. Not even reminding herself a hundred times a day that she had asked for it seemed to help. Work took up most of her time, but there were always a few hours late at night when she had nothing to do but think and remember the way she had felt in Duke’s arms smack in the middle of Dolan’s.

  That kiss was the most impulsive, uninhibited thing she’d ever done. Naturally, she couldn’t get it out of her head, she consoled herself. It had nothing to do with Duke per se. It was the outrageous risk she’d taken that was plaguing her.

  So why did she glance hopefully at the door to her office every time it opened unexpectedly? Why did she spend a solid hour primping before every single family gathering on the chance that Duke would be invited? Why was she so disappointed when he never turned up?

  Perversity was one possibility. Insanity was another. Admitting that she was falling in love with the man despite her best intentions was not an acceptable explanation. A few breath-stealing kisses didn’t amount to a hill of beans in the overall scheme of life. She would forget all about them soon enough. She just had to concentrate on other things.

  “Such as?” she muttered testily to herself.

  “Such as what?”

  The masculine voice, which surely she had conjured up, sent a shiver dancing down her spine. Obviously, the attraction hadn’t worn off, she thought glumly as she glanced up at the man filling the doorway to her office. He was back in a business suit and more devastatingly handsome than ever. Just the sound of his deep, husky voice was enough to make her pulse skitter crazily. If anyone took an EKG right now, it would land her in the hospital. She forced herself not to drag in a deep breath, sigh, swallow or otherwise indicate that he’d rattled her by popping up when she least expected him.

  “Just talking to myself,” she said, pleased with her calm, casual tone. “What brings you by?”

  “An emergency. Well, two emergencies, actually.”

  Her professional mode kicked in. She was on her feet and halfway around her desk, when he put out a hand to stop her.

  “Whoa! I didn’t mean medical emergencies. Sorry.”

  She frowned at him. “It’s not a word we take lightly around here.”

  “I know. I should have realized that.”

  “There are no half-drowned kittens, then?”

  He grinned. “Nothing like that. The cats have gotten very adept at avoiding Joshua and Zachary. They seem to have a sixth sense when the two of them are up to no good.”

  “That’s the beauty of cats,” Dani agreed. “They’re pretty good at fending for themselves.”

  “Like you,” he suggested lightly.

  She wasn’t entirely sure if he meant it as an insult or a compliment. “I suppose,” she agreed. She regarded him expectantly.

  “Actually, I’ve been meaning to call,” he began, but Dani cut him off.

  “You don’t need to explain. We agreed that we wouldn’t see each other again.”

  He seemed surprised by the statement. “Is that what we agreed?”

  There was that worrisome gleam in his eyes again. “Of course, it is,” she said hurriedly. “I told you—”

  “Specifically that I was never to kiss you in the middle of Dolan’s again.”

  Dani’s gaze narrowed. She thought she detected an opening there for other kisses in other places, when nothing could have been further from her intentions. Explaining that, though, might be considered an overreaction since he’d shown no particular inclination even to see her again lately.

  “More or less,” she said. She decided there was probably safer conversational turf for them to be on, especially since Duke seemed to be staring at her as if he hadn’t been near a woman in a hundred years and desperation was setting in. Since her own level of yearning had reached a fever pitch, they were heading for trouble unless one of them changed the topic to something a little less sexual.

  “You still haven’t explained about the so-called emergency,” she said hurriedly.

  He blinked at the reminder. “Yeah, right.”

  “Well?”

  He glanced around her office. “Do you think maybe we could have this conversation someplace else?”

  “Why?”

  He regarded her with amusement. “Because I asked nicely?” he suggested. “We could go out for pizza. That wouldn’t be too dangerous, would it?”

  Dani winced at the suggestion that she found being alone with him dangerous. She had hoped he would interpret their last parting as a lack of interest on her side. Obviously, he’d reached just the opposite conclusion.

  “Duke, please…”

  “It’s not a date,” he assured her. “It’s just that I’m starved. It’s around dinnertime. Why not have it together so we can discuss things.”

  “Things?” she repeated. “What things?”

  He grinned. “I’ll explain over pizza.”

  “Duke!”

  “Please.”

  She could turn him down. She could manufacture other plans, but the honest to goodness truth was, she didn’t want to. One sight of him standing in the doorway to her office and she’d reacted to his presence the way a parched man would to an oasis. Just because she didn’t want to get involved with him didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends, did it? Perhaps that was all he was offering, she told herself, though the unmistakable heat in his eyes said otherwise.

  “It will have to be a quick dinner,” she said. “I need to drive out to Betty Lou’s and take a look at Honeybunch.”

  Duke stared at her with obvious surprise. “I thought he’d be fully recovered by now.”

  “Actually, he is, but Betty Lou is lonely. She got used to me dropping in when I first took Honeybunch home.”

  Duke grinned. “The truth is, you miss that dog, don’t you?”

  “Well, he was around the clinic for several weeks,” she said defensively. “Besides, it’s more than that. Betty Lou has some terrific stories about Grandpa Harlan when he was a boy. I’m recording them all so I can blackmail him if the need ever arises.”

  “Now that does sound like a reason to keep calling,” Duke agreed. “Mind if I tag along? We can drive out there first, then eat.”

  “I thought you were starving.”

  “I won’t die from it.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure. I’m warning you, though. Betty Lou is liable to make a pass at you. She considers herself to be quite a femme fatale.”

  Duke returned her teasing gaze evenly. “I can hardly wait. I’ve been worried I was losing my touch.”

  They found Betty Lou fixing fried chicken and mashed potatoes, enough for an army. She invited them in without any evidence at all that she was surprised by their arrival.

  “Betty Lou, this is Duke Jenkins,” Dani said.

  Betty Lou batted long, thick, mascaraed eyelashes at the man in question. “Oh, honey, I know who this is. Not a woman in town hasn’t been speculating why a handsome catch like this is still on the loose.” She looked Duke over from head to toe, then gave a little nod of approval. “How do you feel about older women?”

  To his credit, he managed to keep a straight face. “I’d say that depends. If they’re as beautiful as you, I’d say my mind is open.”


  “Then sit right down here. Dani, you, too,” she added as an afterthought. “You’re staying for dinner.”

  “But we intended to go out for pizza,” Dani protested.

  Betty Lou waved the long fork she was holding in a dismissive gesture. “You can have pizza any old time. I’ve got mashed potatoes, corn and a peach pie to go with this chicken. Now tell me you can turn down home-cooking like that.”

  “Not me,” Duke said, eyeing the pots on the stove avidly. When his gaze reached the huge peach pie with the golden crust, he practically salivated.

  Dani decided to save her breath. She would just have to wait until after dinner to discover what had been on Duke’s mind when he turned up in her office. Besides, they were probably better off with a chaperone, especially one who had her own designs on Duke.

  “Dinner sounds lovely,” she agreed. “Where’s Honeybunch, by the way?”

  “Out chasing squirrels last time I checked. He’ll be dragging back here any second looking for something to eat.”

  “He’s doing okay?”

  “Better than okay,” Betty Lou said. “He’s taking full advantage of that new lease on life you gave him. I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “You’ve already thanked me,” Dani said. “A hundred times, in fact.”

  “Maybe so, but I know you would have put any other dog in that condition to sleep,” Betty Lou said. “Maybe I should have, too, but I just couldn’t bear it. He’s been my companion for too long now. I expected to go to my grave long before he did. You can bet I gave that drunk driver a piece of my mind when I caught up with him down at the jail. It was bad enough that he hit the dog to begin with, but to just leave him in the road like that was a real heartless crime.”

  “The judge sentenced him to volunteer in a hospital emergency room for six months once he gets out of jail,” Dani said. “The judge told him he wants him to get a good, up-close look at the victims of traffic accidents before he gets behind the wheel again.”

  Betty Lou shrugged off the justice. “The man’s trash,” she said. “He won’t get the message. He’ll end up dead sooner or later, which wouldn’t bother me a bit, if it weren’t for the guarantee that he’ll be taking some innocent soul out with him.” She shook her head. “Enough of this. You two didn’t come all the way out here to listen to me go on and on.”

  “Actually, in a way we did,” Duke told her. “Dani said you have some great stories about her grandfather.”

  “Harlan?” Betty Lou said with a chuckle. “That old coot and I go way back. Not that he likes to admit it. Ever since he married that young attorney, he pretends he’s shaved a couple of decades off his age. Let me get all this food on the table and I’ll tell you a thing or two about Harlan Adams.”

  For the next hour she regaled them with stories from her own school days. Grandpa Harlan seemed to play a pivotal role in most of them.

  “Did you, by any chance, have a crush on my grandfather?” Dani teased.

  “Heavens, no. Now that brother of his…”

  Dani stared at her. “Brother? Grandpa Harlan had a brother?”

  “Well, of course, he did. Henry Adams. Everyone around here called him Hank. Now there was a looker.”

  Dani was stunned. She had never once heard anyone in the family mention that name. “Did he die or something?”

  “Not as far as I know,” Betty Lou said. “There was some kind of falling out. He left town when he was quite young, maybe sixteen. He was quite a few years younger than your grandfather. He just took off. As far as I know, no one’s heard from him since.”

  “Well, I’ll be,” Dani murmured.

  A half hour later with the dishes done and Betty Lou openly yawning, Dani and Duke made their excuses and left. When they had climbed into his car, he glanced over at her. “I gather you’ve never heard of this great-uncle Hank.”

  “Never. Apparently Grandpa Harlan is even better at keeping secrets than he is at prying into them.”

  Duke considered that, his expression thoughtful. “Maybe you should leave well enough alone,” he said. “If he hasn’t mentioned his brother in all these years, it must have been a bitter feud. It might really upset him to bring it up at this late date.”

  “I suppose,” she said disappointed, but unable to argue with his logic. She would ask her father about Hank Adams, though. Maybe he or Luke knew something about the man.

  At the moment, though, there was another secret she needed to get to the bottom of. “When are you going to tell me what brought you to my office this afternoon?” she asked.

  “Invite me in for coffee when we get to your place,” he countered. “This isn’t something we can discuss in the car.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I need to get a clear look at your face when I bring it up.”

  She stared back at him nervously. “Uh-oh. I don’t like the sound of that.”

  He grinned. “It’s nothing to fret over, darlin’. You’ll either say yes—” his gaze settled on her mouth “—or no.”

  Dani’s heart thumped unsteadily for the second time that day. Yes or no? People said yes or no to proposals. Marriage proposals. Surely, if he’d gotten the message about kissing, then he would understand that it stood to reason she wouldn’t be interested in marriage, right? Or had he just capitulated easily on the kissing, knowing that he had a bigger goal in mind?

  Oh, for heaven’s sakes, stop, she told herself sharply. This wasn’t about marriage. It was about…well, who knew what it was about, she concluded, eyeing Duke warily. Anything was possible, especially with a man as unpredictable as Duke. She would probably laugh herself silly when she realized how far off the mark she’d been.

  At the moment, though, trepidation was tearing through her at an astonishing clip. If she could have thought of any rational excuse, she would have bolted from the car in a flash. Heck, she would have packed her bags and moved out of Los Pinos to avoid having this conversation.

  As it was, Duke was pulling into her driveway, cutting the engine and turning to her expectantly, obviously awaiting the invitation in for coffee. Dani swallowed hard and mumbled the invitation without much enthusiasm.

  Duke regarded her with amusement. “Darlin’, lighten up. This isn’t about walking hand in hand to the gallows.”

  “Yeah, go tell that to someone who’ll buy it,” she muttered under her breath even as she led the way inside.

  She flipped on every single light in the house as she passed through on her way to the kitchen. Forget cozy and romantic. She wanted illumination. She wanted it so bright, he would never mistake the ambience for an invitation. In fact, it wouldn’t be bad if the lighting brought to mind a police interrogation room. Not that she’d ever been in one personally, but maybe Duke had.

  She put the coffee on to brew, found a couple of old mugs so he would understand that this wasn’t a special occasion, poured some fresh sugar in the sugar bowl even though it was already half-full and put milk into a cream pitcher, despite the fact that they both drank their coffee black. When there was absolutely nothing else left to do, she finally sat down opposite him.

  “Finished?” he inquired, not bothering to hide a smile.

  She scowled, annoyed by his amusement. “Yes.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to dash off and check the mail or dust the living room?”

  “Duke, will you just spit out whatever’s on your mind and go? I have a splitting headache, and I have an early day tomorrow.”

  He was on his feet in a flash and moving behind her. She twisted to see what he was up to, but he rested his hands on her shoulders until she sighed and faced forward again.

  “Duke! What do you think you’re doing?”

  “You said you have a headache,” he explained patiently as he began to massage her temples.

  Dani would have protested, but it felt too good. She could feel the tension beginning to ease even before his fingers began kneading the hard knots in her shoulders.
<
br />   “No wonder your head’s pounding,” he observed. “You’re tense.”

  “Well, of course, I’m tense. You’ve been dropping little hints all evening that you have something important to discuss. My imagination is running wild.”

  “Really? I’m fascinated. Just what sort of images have you managed to conjure up?”

  “Never mind.”

  He chuckled. “Whoops, here come those knots again. They’d probably go away if you’d tell me what you’ve been thinking.”

  “They would go away if you would just say what’s on your mind and get out of here,” she countered.

  “Tsk, tsk, that’s not a very auspicious beginning,” he taunted. “Maybe I’d better get into this another time, when you’re not so cranky.”

  “Get into what, dammit? And I am not cranky.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, indeed, another time would be best. It’ll keep.”

  Before she knew what he intended, he leaned down, brushed a brotherly peck across her cheek and headed for the door.

  “Duke!”

  “Night, darlin’. It’s been fun.”

  “Duke Jenkins, if you walk out that door without explaining yourself, don’t come back.”

  The threat was wasted. He was already halfway to the car by the time she finished. Since he gave her a jaunty wave as he pulled out of the driveway, she could only assume he wasn’t feeling the least bit threatened.

  “Well, damn,” she muttered, staring after him.

  * * *

  As he drove home, Duke whistled cheerfully and congratulated himself on an evening well spent. He’d proved to himself once again that Dani wasn’t nearly as immune to him as she wanted to be.

  He could guess precisely which path her imagination had led her down. In fact, he had deliberately chosen his words just to point her in the right direction. Yes and no were answers to a whole lot of questions, most of them innocuous enough. But spoken with a little hint of seductiveness, they clearly hinted at very provocative queries to come.

  After planting that particular seed in her mind, he’d been somewhat surprised that she’d allowed him in the house at all, given her avowed aversion to any kind of future with another single dad.