Danny (Big Northwest Book 1)

by Janice M. Whiteaker

  Or getting a belly ache from too many strawberries.

  “You almost ready, Buddy?”

  “Where you goin’? Vanessa shoved a few blueberries into her mouth, big blue eyes on Jude.

  “I’m going with Craig to go shopping.” He scooted off the stool, setting Vanessa on her feet. “But we’ll be back real soon.”

  “Kay.” Vanessa pushed up on her toes to peek onto the counter where the container of blueberries sat. “Can I has these?”

  “Sure.” Jude pushed the lid into place and handed them over. “Just don’t eat too many. They’ll hurt your belly.”

  “I fine.” She took the berries and skipped toward the door. Craig and Jude dropped Vanessa off at the camper where Kari had returned from her daily trip to Sam’s bakery with a coffee and a loaf of freshly-baked bread. Vanessa ran right toward it. “Can I has this too?”

  Kari shook her head at him. “She’s eating half a loaf of bread a day.”

  “I get it. Sam makes the best bread.” One more reason they couldn’t keep hiding like they had. Each week there were more cars lined in front of her bakery, ready for their allotted amount of baked goods from Shadow Pine Bakery.

  Craig leaned into the camper, catching Lance’s attention. “Float the idea of signs past your sisters.”

  Lance pointed one finger at him. “Good call.”

  An hour later he and Jude were walking into the mall, hunting for a whole slew of Mother’s Day gifts.

  Because Jude had a whole lot of women who loved him like their own.

  It took two more hours to complete the task, but they did finally find the perfect gift for each of Jude’s aunts. A new apron for Sam. A set of geode bookends for Charlie. A leather folio for Alex. Bath bombs for Frankie, and a necklace with angel wings on it for James.

  Danny was the tricky one.

  “What do you usually get her?” Craig stood in the center of the food court, scanning the stores around them.

  Jude shoved in a bite of his sundae. “I usually make her stuff. She says she likes that best, but I wanna get her something real.”

  Craig pulled out the chair beside Jude and sat down. “The stuff you make her is real, Buddy.” He tapped his fingers on the table, an old ache lodging in his chest. “You know, my mom wasn’t like your mom or aunts.”

  “You said she was busy.” Jude sucked the chocolate sauce off the disposable pink spoon in his hand.

  “She was. Too busy.” Craig sorted through the complex feelings he carried about each of his parents, trying to sift out the ones suitable for explaining his childhood to a ten-year-old. “She didn’t pay attention to me.” He rubbed the tip of his pointer over a chip in the laminate table top. “I used to make her stuff all the time.”

  “She didn’t like it?” Jude’s eyes were wide with shock.

  Craig shook his head. “No.”

  It was a simpler answer than the truth. Easier for a kid to digest a mother not liking something than it was to imagine her throwing it away in front of the child vying for her attention.

  But while Danny and her sisters blamed an entire gender for the sins of a single specimen, he’d somehow escaped the same fate.

  Women were wonderful. Craig never planned to be alone.

  And his real fear wasn’t a woman being like his mother.

  It was finding out he was.

  Bringing a child into the world and continuing a cycle that needed to end. Until he found Kari, Craig wasn’t sure he would ever be willing to take that risk.

  But the fierceness she carried as a mother, the love, the devotion, all of it could make up for what he might be missing.

  But Kari wasn’t right for him. Not ever. He knew it even before Lance stepped in to wipe away any lingering ideas Craig might have still had.

  “I wish I had a mom like yours, Buddy. It would have made me a better man.” He tapped Jude on the shoulder. “Like you’re going to be.”

  Jude stared at him a minute, chewing through a mouthful of the nuts topping his ice cream. “Are you gonna marry my mom?”

  He’d been trying to ease Jude into the future he hoped to build, but the kid was smart, and keeping something so important from him felt wrong. “I hope so.” Craig leaned in. “But only if you two decide that’s what you want.”

  Jude swirled his spoon in the almost-empty bowl. “Would that make you—” His lips pressed together.

  This was a place Craig didn’t necessarily expect to be. One he thought would be difficult to navigate.

  But right now it felt surprisingly simple. “I will always be whatever you want me to be, Jude. I just want you and your mom to be happy. That’s it. Is that an okay answer?”

  Jude nodded.

  Craig straightened in his seat. “I have an idea of what we can get your momma.”

  ****

  “HOW WAS YOUR trip?” Danny loaded the last of the dinner dishes into the washer.

  “Fruitful.” Craig wiped down the counter, swiping away the splotches of spaghetti sauce dotting the laminate surface. “How was your visit with Adam?”

  “Interesting.” She added a soap packet and turned it to wash. “He showed us what he had so far.” Danny wiped her hands on the towel hanging from the handle.

  “How was it?”

  She lifted one shoulder. “Hard to watch.”

  Her response sat like lead in his stomach. “I thought he was going to do what you and your sisters wanted?”

  They’d spent the first day writing up a contract with Adam, one that clearly stated the parameters of what the sisters were, and were not, willing to allow. “If he goes against the contract—”

  “He’s not.” Danny gave him a sad smile. “But he has to explain what happened. How we grew up. It was hard to relive that. See pictures of my dad and mom from before.”

  He’d seen the pictures she was referencing. Youthful shots of a woman who disappeared without a trace after going to a spiritual retreat in the mountains of Washington.

  The same sort of retreat Lance’s mom took over thirty years ago. Except his mom came back.

  Danny’s mother stayed, lured in by a man who would never pay for the atrocities he committed to feed his own ego.

  “You can go back on this, Danny. There’s a clause in the contract that says you can pull out for any reason.”

  “No.” The answer was sharp and solid. “It’s time.”

  Craig studied her for a minute. “Everything is about to change, you know that, right?”

  She smiled softly. “Everything was always going to change, City Boy. At least this way we see it coming.”

  TWENTY-TWO

  “THAT LOOKS REALLY good.” Danny turned to Lance. “How did you do that so fast?”

  “Your brother has connections.” He grinned at her. “The permanent ones won’t be here for another month, but at least we have something up for people to see.”

  The man at the top of the ladder secured the last corner of the temporary sign strapped across the front of Sam’s bakery. He held out a thumbs up to Lance in question.

  “Looks great.” Lance nodded in approval.

  They’d already hung the sign on Charlie’s shop, and a few men were working on attaching smaller placards that read PRIVATE RESIDENCE on each of their front doors. The town was so small and the buildings so similar, that it could be difficult for anyone who might decide to visit to differentiate.

  “You really think people are going to come here?” It was an odd feeling, thinking of strangers in Shadow Pine.

  Especially since this time they weren’t planning on kicking them out. Not as long as they acted right, anyway.

  “That’s definitely what’s going to happen, Danny.” Lance lifted a hand as two of the men hired on as additional security made their way across the street. “That’s why they’re here.”

  The two men had to be brothers. Both tall and wide with dark hair and brown eyes. They were good-looking and polite.

  But the best part of them being
here was how well they blended in. Danny’s first thought when Craig and Lance approached her about bringing in a professional security company was the kind of men she’d seen patrolling the mall in golf carts with fake badges, all soft bodies and pasty complexions.

  But these men looked like the real deal. Capable of handling anything that might play out after the special Adam worked so hard on aired this weekend.

  “How’s it going?” Lance was barely taller than the security brothers, and just shy of being as wide. “You got a plan?”

  “We met with JD and he took us around town, showing us all the spots we needed to be sure no one entered. I think it should run real smooth.” He spoke both to her and Lance, clearly including Danny in the discussion.

  When they’d called to hire Miller’s for the job, JD’s buddy from school explained what they all expected. They would have to hire additional staff to take on Shadow Pine’s needs, but based on her limited interaction with them, it seemed like the brothers would be a good addition to the rotation. “Good.” Both brothers gave her their full attention as she continued. “The most important thing is to keep Jude and the little girls safe.”

  The brother on the left barely nodded, a small smile revealing a hint of dimple in one cheek. “Understood.”

  Danny let out a breath. This was going to be fine.

  Liberating. She thought that was what happened twelve years ago when they escaped their father’s world.

  But they were still prisoners of the life he created for them. Trapped by the same man who’d controlled them from the time they were born.

  Even death hadn’t stopped him.

  It was time for his reign over their lives to end.

  Finally.

  Danny thanked them for their help and headed to the other end of the street.

  When she went into Charlie’s newly-labeled shop her sister was nowhere to be seen. “Charlie?” Danny slowly walked along the rows of shelving that reached to the ceiling, each time expecting to see Charlie tucked into one, organizing the paperback kingdom she built.

  But each aisle was empty.

  “I’m in the back.”

  Danny went down the most frequently visited row, passing the well-worn spines of all the outdoors-man books the internet sold, along with every issue of Outdoor Life ever printed. Charlie had found them all, hunting each one down and carefully laminating them into binders that could be borrowed out by the fisherman and hunters who came in for licenses and stamps.

  The smell of hot plastic meant Charlie was at it now, sealing the pages so the periodicals would survive as long as possible.

  Charlie smiled as Danny came in. “How do the signs look?”

  “Great. Mine isn’t up yet, but yours and Sam’s look really nice.” She sat in the wide armchair Charlie saved from a thrift store years ago, reupholstering it with an easy-to-clean sunny yellow canvas. Her butt was barely in the seat before one of the reasons all Charlie’s furniture was covered in low-maintenance fabric jumped up, paws hitting the legs of her jeans with a barely-there touch. “Hello, Mr. Darcey.” Danny smoothed down the cat’s long grey fur as she leaned back in the chair. “How are you doing?”

  Charlie was the quietest of the sisters. She was sweet and gentle.

  As gentle as any of them could ever be.

  And she was the one Danny was most worried about in this whole coming out thing.

  “Okay.” Charlie barely glanced up from her laminating machine. “Just trying not to think too much about it.”

  “It will be okay. I promise.” Danny pulled Mr. Darcey to her chest and stroked his soft coat. His steady purr was oddly soothing.

  Maybe she should get a cat.

  Danny glanced around the space at the languid bodies perched on most of the available surfaces. “Did you get another cat?”

  Charlie’s eyes finally lifted even though her head did not. “I stress adopt.”

  Danny leaned to scratch the unfamiliar tabby behind one ear. “And who is this?”

  “Dashwood.” Charlie lifted up a freshly-coated sheet for inspection, squinting at it through her glasses. “Have you met the Bellamy brothers?”

  “If they are the new security team, then yes.” Danny stopped petting Dashwood and he jumped down from his spot on Charlie’s work table to join Mr. Darcey on her lap. “I take it you’ve met them too?”

  “They came around with JD.” Charlie didn’t offer up any more in the way of explanation.

  “And?”

  Charlie shrugged one shoulder. “I dunno. They just seem.” Her nose crinkled on one side. “Strange.”

  “They probably say the same thing about us.” Danny carefully stood, wiping at the hairs collected on her shirt and jeans.

  “If they do then they’re right.” Charlie sat the sheet she finished on the stack at her side. “Maybe I’m being weird.”

  “I’ll give Lance a heads-up.” Danny didn’t want Charlie to feel like her discomfort was going ignored.

  Even if she was sure it was just her sister’s feeling about this fiasco as a whole, not one specific to the brothers.

  Charlie smiled. “Thanks.”

  Danny walked to the doorway, catching sight of the side of a box truck through the small window facing the street. “I gotta go. I think my bear’s here.” She hurried outside to find Craig was already there, JD at his side as he chatted with the delivery man. His dark eyes caught hers across the digital clipboard in his hand and he gave her a dimpled smile.

  Would she have been strong enough to do this if Craig hadn’t been here at her side?

  Probably not. Things would have played out very differently. She and her sisters would have tried to shut Adam out just like all the men before him, but after knowing him a couple weeks it was clear Adam would have only come back.

  Because while he wasn’t completely unafraid of them, he was unwilling to admit it.

  “Your next art project is here.” Craig waited until she came close to wrap an arm around her waist and lean in to press a kiss to her forehead.

  “It’s not art.” Danny chewed her lip as the delivery man went to the back of the truck.

  “It absolutely is.” Craig followed her gaze and started walking to a spot where she could clearly see the open back of the truck. A monstrosity of brown paper and bubble wrap sat on top of two skids screwed together.

  “Holy hell.” Danny turned to JD. “Is that going to fit?”

  JD chuckled. “We’re gonna find out, aren’t we?”

  “I don’t know how ya’ll are gonna lift this thing. It’s a thousand pounds.” The delivery man rode the hydraulic lift up before lining up the forks of the hand pallet truck under the package, cranking it off the floor and rolling it onto the lift before riding back down. “You got somewhere you want me to leave it?”

  “I wasn’t expecting it to be this big.” Danny stared up at it. The thing was enormous.

  “Frankie have anything that might move this easily?” Craig stepped in to size up the delivery. “Maybe a forklift?”

  “What is it?” The delivery guy pulled a loose flap of paper and tried to peek under it. He lifted the digital clipboard and scanned it. “It says Arctic Display.”

  “It’s a polar bear.” Danny propped her hands on her hips. “I guess I didn’t realize how big they really are.”

  Craig turned to JD. “You want to go see if Frankie’s home?”

  JD didn’t immediately answer, pulling Danny’s gaze his way. Her friend of twelve years stood very still, jaw tight as he stared at Craig.

  Something was going on.

  “You tryin’ to say something?”

  Danny stood straight, moving in close to Craig’s side. “Don’t talk to him like that.”

  Craig caught her as she tried to step between them, pulling her back and shoving her behind him. “Everything’s fine, Danny. Just a little miscommunication.”

  She started to step out from behind Craig.

  But then the reality of what he’
d just done settled around her.

  JD wasn’t a threat. Not ever, but Craig still put his body between her and a potential threat.

  It was sweet. Pointless, but still sweet.

  “Fine.” JD backed away, keeping his face to Craig for a few steps before finally turning around.

  “What was that?” Danny watched him go over Craig’s shoulder.

  “Nothing.” Craig tipped his head to look her way. “Not nothing, but nothing that I think JD would want me sharing right now.”

  Danny smiled at how Craig gave her honesty in a way that both fed her need and protected her friend. “I really like you, City Boy.”

  He turned, sweeping her up into his arms, and spinning her a half turn before pulling her close, his lips against her ear. “I think we should take a lunch break once Snowball here is in the shop.”

  “Hmmm.” She smiled as his lips coasted down her neck. “I’ll have to think about it.”

  Craig growled against her skin. “I’m happy to remind you how I prefer to spend my lunch hour.”

  The sound of a clearing throat cut their talk of an afternoon interlude short.

  The delivery man stood behind them, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. “You didn’t tell me where you wanted this.”

  Just then JD came storming down the road, boots hitting the asphalt in heavy steps. He strode past them without a word and shoved his big body into the driver’s side of his truck, slamming the door before peeling out of town.

  “That’s not good.” Danny watched him go, her interest in what was happening growing with each passing second.

  “You might be surprised.” Craig caught her chin with one finger, tipping it up to press a kiss to her lips. “Go see what Frankie’s got that might help us while our visitor and I find a decent spot to leave this behemoth.”

  Craig had never dished out directions before. Usually he deferred to her.