Undercover Fiance

by Sheryl Lynn

  Back in her office, the silent treatment continued. He began feeling very sorry for himself. He had standards. She couldn’t blame him for trying to live up to them.

  “Your parents set quite an example,” he said.

  She pushed hair out of her face and kept working on invoices. “Uh-hmm.”

  “They’re the opposite of my parents.” When she didn’t reply, he pushed onward. “They don’t know commitment from moon rocks. I like your parents. They’re good people.”

  “Yes, they are.”

  “Look at me.”

  “I’m busy, Mr. Tucker. If you need something to do, go help Kara in the ballroom. She’s putting up decorations.”

  “I’m your bodyguard.”

  “Aren’t bodyguards strong and silent?”

  He snatched a sheet of paper off her desk and began folding it into a paper airplane. He tossed it with a sharp downward wrist flick. It zoomed through a loop-de-loop, and he snagged it out of the air.

  She leveled a glower on him. “Do you mind?”

  He tossed the plane at her, and it sailed lazily over her head, ruffling her hair in passing. “Not at all.”

  “Are you looking for a fight?”

  “If that’s what you want, I’m game.” Excitement coursed through his veins. He wanted to fight it out, clear the air and start over. He intuited she wanted the same. They had something special going, something worth developing. She knew it as well as he did.

  The telephone rang. She sniffed haughtily and answered. A dazzling smile replaced her prim frown. “Megan!” she cried. “How are you?...You’re in Denver?” Still smiling, she listened to her sister. “No, I won’t tell them you’re coming in early. Mom will love it. Is Tristan with you? And William?” She gave a start and frowned. “What big surprise? Will you quit teasing me? Oh, fine, be that way. I’ll see you in a few hours, sweetie. Bye.”

  She hung up and sighed happily. “My sister and her husband are arriving early.” As if forgetting she hated Daniel, she practically bubbled. “I haven’t seen them in a year. They have a working ranch and it’s difficult for them to get away. Not that Megan ever wants to leave. She loves Wyoming. She says she has the best anniversary present ever, but she won’t tell me what it is. She’s such a tease.”

  She pushed away from the desk and hurried to the door. Daniel rose to follow, floating on her aura of happiness.

  In the lobby, at the registration desk, she spoke in a low, conspiratorial tone. “Megan is coming in early, Debbi. Is Cabin C available yet?”

  Debbi searched her computer files. “Sorry, Ms. Duke. The guests in C don’t check out until tomorrow. Cabin B is open, though. Shall I put Megan there?” She giggled. “It’ll be so much fun seeing her again. It’s been forever!”

  “If she gets nostalgic for her honeymoon cabin, we can switch her later. Don’t tell anyone she’s coming. She wants to surprise my mother.”

  “My lips are sealed.” Debbi typed rapidly. She cautiously eyed Janine. “I saw the cops were back yesterday, Ms. Duke. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”

  She reached over the counter and patted Janine’s hand. “That Pinky guy made a big mistake messing with us at Elk River. We’re all behind you, ma’am. All for one, and one for all.”

  “Why...thank you, Debbi.” She rubbed the back of her hand as if uncertain what to make of the employee’s touch.

  Debbi turned her smile on Daniel. “I’m glad you’re taking care of her, Mr. Tucker. A boss like her is one in a million.”

  Color rose on Janine’s cheeks. Daniel took the opportunity to slip an arm around her narrow waist. When she didn’t push him away, he rejoiced. “You have my word,” he said. “Nobody is getting past me.”

  “Ahem,” Janine said. “How is everything looking for Friday and Saturday, Debbi? Any problems?”

  “Not one, ma’am. All the rooms will be ready. The shuttle buses are reserved. Everything is perfect.” Debbi giggled. “Two hundred guests! It’s going to be the greatest party ever. I can hardly wait.”

  “Same here.” Janine eased away from Daniel’s arm.

  Daniel spotted Mike Downes crossing the lobby. He wore civilian jeans, a flannel shirt and a sheepskin coat. A broad-brimmed cowboy hat covered his hair. His cheeks were bright red from the cold. He hadn’t worked extra duty last night and looked as if he’d gotten some sleep. He raised a hand in greeting and quickened his step.

  “You look like you have good news,” Janine said hopefully.

  “Mostly good news.” He smiled at Debbi, and the girl lowered her eyelashes. “Can we talk in your office?”

  Once in her office, with the door shut, Mike announced, “The Colorado Springs police picked up Brian Cadwell.”

  Janine clasped her hands. “Where?”

  “At his grandparents’ home. They dropped in to question the grandparents, and Brian showed up. He doesn’t have a good explanation for where he’s been since he supposedly left Elk River. Helmsley is on his way to question him.”

  “Where does he say he was?” Daniel asked.

  “I don’t know the details. He might have wanted his grandparents to give him an alibi, but the cops got there first.”

  “How does Helmsley justify questioning him?”

  “Suspicion of breaking and entering.” Mike shrugged. “Personally, I think he’s jumping the gun. There’s no word yet on what the techies found. That kid won’t crack without hard evidence slapped in his face.”

  “How long can they hold him on suspicion?”

  “Twenty-four hours, maybe.”

  “So he’ll be out in time for the party.” Groaning, Janine dropped onto her chair. She passed a hand over her eyes.

  Daniel pondered a game plan. If he knew for certain Brian was Pinky, he’d wait at the jail for Brian’s release. He and Brian could have an in-depth discussion, man to man. He couldn’t risk leaving the resort until he knew Pinky’s identity for certain. “What’s the holdup on the fingerprints?”

  “Ask Helmsley. The sheriff dropped the entire case in the state’s lap. Budget, you know how it goes.” Mike then asked where Kara was. Janine directed him to the ballroom.

  After the deputy sergeant was gone, Daniel mused, “He’s got a thing for your sister, eh?”

  “Poor thing. She’s been ignoring him for years. I don’t know why. He’s terrific.”

  “Must run in your family.”

  “Don’t start on me, Daniel.”

  No more “Mister.” He took it as a good sign.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Janine! Kara!” The joyous cry echoed in the ballroom.

  Nearly dropping a clipboard, Janine spun about. Employees paused in their work of hanging lights and streamers and setting up tables to transform the ballroom into a Victorian Valentine. Janine tossed the clipboard on a table and rushed toward Megan. Kara whooped and jumped off a step stool. The three sisters met in the middle of the room and tangled in an exuberant hug.

  Pushing back so as to better see, Janine looked her sister up and down. Megan’s face was suntanned and glowing. Her cropped hair looked as chic as it was practical. At spotting the pointy toes beneath her jeans, Janine laughed. “Cowboy boots?”

  “They’re comfortable.” She hitched a jeans leg to show off the dark red leather with fancy stitching. A woollen coat concealed her body, but Janine suspected she sported a Western shirt and probably a big silver belt buckle, too. “You ought to try them, Ninny. You’ll never wear anything else.”

  Megan’s husband sauntered toward the group. Tristan carried his felt cowboy hat in his hand. Janine hugged him and kissed his cheek. “I’m so disappointed William couldn’t come this weekend,” she said. “The colonel really loves that kid. We all do.”

  “Between school and basketball, he couldn’t get away. He wants me to ask you about coming down here to work this summer. He’s earning money for college. Did Megan tell you? Arizona State accepted him into the engineering college.�
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  “That’s wonderful! We’d love to have him.” She hugged his lean waist and smiled fondly as her younger sisters tried to out-talk each other.

  She noticed Daniel watching the reunion. A poignantly sweet expression marked his face. She hardened her heart against him. Let him lust after some other woman. She didn’t need him or his poor opinion of her. She’d rather live alone the rest of her life than yearn for a man who’d break her heart.

  Elise, hauling her husband by the hand, hurried into the ballroom. An uncharacteristic squeal ripped from her mouth, and she ran to her middle daughter. The group hugging began all over again.

  Tristan and the colonel clasped hands, renewing and reinforcing their friendship. Sweet pleasure infused Janine’s soul.

  “I can’t stand it anymore,” Megan cried, unbuttoning her coat. “Hey, Mom, Colonel, look what Tristan did!” She tore the coat open. Megan had always been thin and athletic, with the perfect runner’s build. Her rounded tummy was as obvious as a snow pile on asphalt. “Happy anniversary, Grandpa and Grandma!”

  Elise clapped both hands to her mouth. Tears glimmered in her eyes. “You’re pregnant?” she whispered. “A baby?”

  Tristan swung his head, grinning bashfully. “Near four months along, Mom. Her keeping it a secret hasn’t made for easy living. She about busted a gut every time she talked to you on the telephone. Happy anniversary.”

  Overjoyed for her sister and brother-in-law, Janine kissed each in turn, then stepped back to give her parents room. Emotion rose in her throat. She envied her sister’s marriage, which in its own way was as strong and solid as her parents’. She envied Megan’s pregnancy and joy. Soon her brother and his wife and their twin babies would be here. Then her cousins, aunts and uncles would arrive, most of them happily married and busy with children. Loneliness settled over her shoulders like a shawl.

  Daniel stood next to her. “So this is Megan and Tristan.” He whistled appreciatively. “He’s a big guy.”

  “Former bull riding champion.” Her husky voice appalled her. She couldn’t look at Daniel. For a brief time she’d imagined finding happiness with him. When would she learn?

  She introduced Daniel to Megan and Tristan. Since she hadn’t told them about Pinky, she faltered in how to explain his presence. Finally she settled on “friend.” She wished he were her friend. She wished he could be more.

  Linked arm in arm, with everyone chatting at once, the family left the ballroom. Janine hung back, saying she had work to do. She retrieved the clipboard, then stared numbly at the to do list. The letters jumbled, making little sense.

  “Are you all right?” Daniel asked.

  “Couldn’t be better.”

  “So you’re going to be an aunt. Congratulations.”

  Ever an aunt, never a mother. “Thanks,” she replied weakly, and turned her attention back to decorating the ballroom.

  She managed to avoid her family until dinnertime. She sat quietly at the table. Megan and Kara had been, and still were, the best of friends. Giggling like teenagers, they traded stories while Elise beamed at her daughters from across the table. Janine sensed Megan’s interest in Daniel; she sensed, too, Kara was dying to tell her sister everything about him. She figured before the night was over Kara would have told Megan and Tristan all about Pinky.

  Her headache returned full force and she excused herself.

  At her door Daniel placed a hand atop hers. She reveled in his touch and loathed herself for the reaction.

  “Are you really throwing me out?” he asked.

  She canted her head, indicating the room next door. “You have the key. Make yourself at home.”

  “Janine, I—”

  “Good night,” she interrupted and slipped into her room. She shut the door, but the sight of his beautiful penny-colored eyes lingered in her mind until she finally, fitfully fell asleep.

  The next morning she awakened to the sound of heavy machinery. Excitement building, she drew back the window draperies. Fat snowflakes, the size of quarters, drifted in a filmy curtain across the land. Employees plowed the parking lot. She flipped on the radio. The weather forecast called for four to six inches. Childlike giddiness made her clap her hands and twirl on her toes. She envisioned sleigh rides and snowball fights and children making snow angels and the ballroom full of candles reflecting off the wintry wonderland outside.

  She dressed in a hurry and found Daniel waiting outside her door. Reading the newspaper, he sat on a chair. Mauve circles accentuated the bags under his eyes, and the lines in his cheeks had deepened. If she loved him and he loved her, she would haul him outside to play in the snow and they’d laugh. Her good mood vanished.

  “Have you been sitting out here all night?”

  He folded the newspaper. “No.”

  She bit back the urge to call him a liar, and steeled her heart against sentimental gratitude for his protectiveness. “Is the room okay?”

  “Bed’s more comfortable than your couch.”

  Perversely, his irritable note pleased her. “I have a lot to do. Most of our relatives will arrive today.”

  She noticed his hair was slightly damp and his cheeks were freshly shaved. His fawn-colored sweater brought out the bronze tones in his skin and hair and eyes. She knew she’d never again be able to smell his brand of soap without thinking about him. Her insides went soft as images of sex—images of Daniel loving her—taunted her.

  She was about to do something stupid. She abruptly turned and walked down the hall.

  At noon her brother and his family arrived. By the time Ross pushed the double stroller holding his twins in from outdoors, the children’s woolly hats were covered in snow.

  “Whew!” Ross exclaimed. “It’s getting nasty out there.”

  Janine greeted her brother and sister-in-law before she crouched to begin unbundling the babies. Not quite two years old, the twins babbled excitedly. Kara, Megan and Elise entered the lobby. Their noisy kissing and hugging gave Janine a measure of privacy with her niece and nephew. Rosie, the dark-haired girl, and Hank, the towheaded boy, enchanted her. As soon as she lifted Rosie out of the stroller, the toddler wrapped her arms around Janine’s neck and covered her face with slurpy kisses. Her brother howled in indignation.

  His mother freed him from the stroller.

  “You look a tad frazzled, Dawn,” Janine commented.

  “You wouldn’t think two such short people could get into such big trouble. I swear, they conspire about ways to drive me crazy.” Dawn set Hank on the floor, and he immediately ran to his grandmother. Elise scooped him into her arms.

  A while later, J.T. and Frankie arrived. Frankie carried her stepson while J.T. carried the folded wheelchair. Frankie’s sister, Penny, trailed them, laden with luggage. Seeming to float cloudlike, radiating joy, Elise enlisted aid in arranging the lounge furniture to make a play area for the children. Hank and Rosie treated Jamie like a big doll. His laughter rang from the rafters.

  Frankie flopped gracelessly on a chair. “I didn’t think the van was going to make it. The roads are terrible.”

  Janine anxiously eyed a window. The snowflakes, no longer fat and lazy, sheeted from the sky and clung icily to the windowpanes. They had their promised six inches of ground cover, but still the snow came down.

  All through the afternoon the Dukes’ relatives arrived. Aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws, many of whom Janine hadn’t seen in years, filled the lodge and kept the resort employees hopping. Children played in the lounge while their mothers kept an eye on them and caught up on family news. Teenagers roamed the hallways and grumped about the weather making it impossible to ride horses or hike the forest trails.

  The snow kept falling. Juan and his crew operated snowplows; they barely stayed ahead of the storm. Man-made drifts at the edges of the parking lot piled higher than the vehicles. Realizing she hadn’t seen her father in a while, she worried he was outside helping the crew.

  She found the colonel in his office. He glowered a
t the television set where the weather channel gave continuous reports. She rapped her knuckles on the open door. “Colonel? Walter is here. He’s asking for you.”

  “Weather anomaly,” he said.

  His mood bothered her. Usually he was in the middle of any gathering. For all his stiff airs, he genuinely loved people, family especially. “Pardon?”

  “An unexpected front shifted and is moving in from the north. The storm is stalled over central Colorado and along the Front Range. We could receive as much as three feet of accumulation.”

  She groaned. A little snow, just enough to hitch up the sleigh or build a snowman, that’s all she wanted. She peered through the horizontally blowing snow to see the thermometer mounted outside the window. The red line hovered at three degrees above zero.

  “Chain laws are in effect over the passes.”

  “If this was March, I’d worry. You know February storms never last long. It’ll be fifty degrees tomorrow.” She eased to his desk and picked up a paperweight, a colonel’s silver eagle insignia encased in acrylic. “What’s really bothering you?”

  He slowly swiveled his chair. Even in his late seventies he was a handsome man with a firm jaw and steely eyes as bright as crystals. “I’ve done you a disservice, Janine.”

  She bounced the paperweight from hand to hand.

  “I’m an old man, but I hate to think I’m set in my ways.”

  She curled her lips over her teeth to prevent a smile. He’d been born set in his ways.

  “My mission in life has always been to protect my family. Your mother, you girls, even Ross despite his insurrection. It’s difficult for me to let go.”

  She looked at him then, finding him solemn. Remnants of anger drained away. “I know.”

  “Hiring Daniel hurt my feelings.”

  Surprised he’d make such an admission, she set down the paperweight. She eased a hip atop his desk. “Hurt—? No, that’s not—”

  “I realize what your intentions were. If I weren’t such a prideful old man, I’d applaud your efforts. But I am prideful, and when you didn’t tell me about Pinky, didn’t give me a chance to protect you, I...” Looking disgusted, he shook his head. “I failed you.”