Читать книгу Twin Ties, Twin Joys: The Boss's Double Trouble Twins / Twins for a Christmas Bride / Baby Twins: Parents Needed - Raye Morgan - Страница 13

“YOU know,” Darcy mused to herself in the mirror two days later. “Just when you least expect it, fate will step in and take control. Happens every time.”

She’d been going crazy wondering what she was going to do about Mitch. She was half in love with the man and there were reasons for her to want him in her life. And yet, she knew very well that would lead to nothing but heartbreak in the long run. So it was just too dangerous being around him all the time. If she wasn’t careful, he was going to lure her back into his influence and she was going to find herself agreeing to one of his loony ideas—like getting married. And that would be disastrous.

But now, like manna from the heavens, came a reprieve. That very morning, Mimi had announced that she had to go out of town.

“I’m so sorry to do this to you, Darcy. And at such a time. But my sister has fallen and wrenched her back. They might have to operate. She has no family to take care of her, and no money for nursing care, so I have to go.”

“Of course you must go,” Darcy told her, silently sending up a cheer as she realized the implications. “How long do you think you’ll be?”

“Oh, two weeks at least.”

“Oh, good.”

“What?” Mimi looked puzzled.

Darcy gave her a dazzling smile and amended quickly. “I mean, you’re so good—to your sister. She’s lucky she has you.”

“Well, I hate to leave you in the lurch. I’m going to call around to everyone I know and see if I can find someone to watch the babies.”

“No, you’re not,” Darcy told her sweetly. “I’m going to watch them. I’ll take some time off. I’ll just have to stay home for a couple of weeks. It’ll be perfect.”

“Oh, but doesn’t Mitch need you?”

Mitch can go pound sand! she thought, with vengeance on her mind. A couple of weeks away from Mitch—nothing could be better at a time like this. This would reaffirm her bond with her children plus she would get away from Mitch’s influence. With a little bit of distance, maybe she could think things through more clearly. It was all good.

But aloud, she said, “He’ll be fine. There are plenty of women at ACW who would be happy to take my place, believe me.”

She went in to work Monday morning with a spring in her step. She stopped by Human Resources to deal with the paperwork, then breezed into the office almost an hour after the workday had begun. Mitch scowled at her as she stood before him at his desk.

“Where have you been?”

Her bright smile was genuine. “Good morning to you, too.”

His grouchy mood melted immediately. “Yeah, well … Hey, I missed you,” he said lightly. “It was a long weekend.”

Her smile grew a little more forced. He looked very appealing in the morning sunlight that streamed in from the huge windows, especially now that the look in his eyes had warmed. Just looking at him made her heart beat a little faster—which was exactly why she had to go.

“Well, I’m afraid that’s something you’re going to have to get used to,” she said. “I’m not going to be here for a while.”

His scowl was back and he rose from his chair. “What are you talking about?”

“I need to take a few days off.”

His frown deepened. “Why?”

She wasn’t really fond of his tone, so she developed a frown of her own. “I have some personal days coming,” she said defensively. “I’m going to take them.”

He looked angered and frustrated at the same time. “Why are you taking them now?”

She glared at him. “Do you have to know everything I do?”

“Yes.” He hesitated, as though he rather regretted having said that. “After all, you’re taking care of my children,” he improvised.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” She gaped at him. The nerve of the man! He had the decency to look chagrined—but only for a moment before his natural arrogance reasserted itself.

“Okay,” she said quickly. “This is what’s happening. Mimi has to go take care of her sister in Dallas, so I’m going to have to stay home with the twins until she gets back.”

He shook his head as though he couldn’t see what that had to do with anything. “Can’t you hire a sitter?”

“Mitch, these are babies. My babies. I would hire a stranger if I absolutely had to, but I don’t have to. I have the time accrued. And I’m going to take it.”

Frowning again, he rubbed a hand through his hair, making it stand up at crazy angles. “But you can’t go now. We’re wrapping up the Bermuda Woods job. That was your baby before I got here.”

She threw out her hands. “You know very well that is basically signed and sealed and only needs to be delivered. Skylar Mars can handle any loose ends.”

“Skylar?”

“I talked to HR and set it up. She’s taking my place. You know who she is. She was one of the ladies who had a morning party for you the other day. The redhead.”

“Ah.” His eyes lit up as he remembered her. And who could blame him? She was quite a beauty. But Darcy had to admit, that look on his face rankled. Still, it didn’t last long. Very quickly he was frowning again.

“Well, she may be decorative and know how to present a plan, but does she have any experience with anything like the Heartland Project?”

Darcy hesitated. That was a sore spot. “She can call me for advice any time,” she said. “I won’t be going anywhere. Except the park.” Come to think of it, she did have a few things planned. She began to count them off on her fingers. “And the market. And the doctor’s on Wednesday. And the boys’ playdate on Thursday. And …”

“Phone calls aren’t the same as having first class expertise sitting right here in the office,” he interjected impatiently.

Darcy knew that, but Skylar was about as good as he was going to get. “She’s done property before,” she reassured him. “She’ll do everything you need.”

He thought that over seriously, but when he met her gaze again he looked a little lost. “But you’re what I need,” he said, as though it surprised him, too.

Her heart gave a little jog, but she looked at him hard, sure he didn’t mean that the way it sounded.

“Sorry,” she said quickly. “I’ve got two weeks coming to me and I’m going to take them.”

His face hardened and his tone did, too. Pleading wasn’t working. He looked like he’d decided to resort to strong-arm tactics. “You can’t. Not now.”

She straightened her shoulders. “Yes, I can.”

“I’m your boss, Darcy. And I say you can’t.”

“I’ve been working here longer than you and have more street clout,” she asserted, knowing what she was saying was ridiculous. “More pull with the people who make this company work.”

“Oh, yeah?” “Yeah!”

He glared at her. “I’ll have you fired.”

Her chin was out a mile. “Great. You do that. That will solve all my problems.”

Well, not really. But it would solve one. The big one. The one she was merely avoiding by staying away from him for two weeks. But it was a step in the right direction. Maybe with time, the problem would find its own solution. On the other hand, maybe she was just kicking the can down the road. Either way, she would have two weeks away from this emotional cauldron.

She looked at him, so tall and hard and handsome, and something very much like a lump rose in her throat. He stood silhouetted before his big picture window, looking like a big tycoon. He was the boss and he looked the part. No more romantic renegade. He was a man of corporate power now.

But he wasn’t going to fire her and she knew it. She turned to go. He blocked her way, taking hold of her upper arms and staring down into her face.

“Please don’t do this, Darcy,” he said, his voice soft but hiding a core of steel. “I need you here.”

She looked up into his eyes and began to melt. Those gorgeous blue eyes, those thick dark lashes, that flash of excitement—she could hardly breathe. Everything in her yearned toward him. Closing her eyes, she thought of her babies and gathered strength.

“I have to go,” she told him, pulling away. “See you in two weeks.”

She walked quickly toward the elevator, sure that he would follow her, take her into his arms, make her stay. That scared her. But when it didn’t happen, there was suddenly a big empty hole in her sense of well-being. It should have been a relief, but instead, she wanted to cry.

Mitch was in a very bad mood. Office life without Darcy was a whole different animal—an animal he wasn’t very fond of. Skylar was definitely beautiful. Very easy on the eyes. Oh, yes. But there was one problem. Skylar never shut up.

It wasn’t so much that she talked to Mitch all the time. He could handle that. A couple of sharp comments and a raised eyebrow had pretty much nipped most of that in the bud. But she talked to everyone else—incessantly. Everyone who walked by her desk, everyone who emerged from the elevator, everyone who called on the phone, got at least a ten-minute conversation. Even when he shut the door to his inner office, her laughter penetrated. That sound could probably bend steel. It certainly raised the hair on the back of his neck, and not in a good way. It also set his teeth on edge. And most of all, it made him think longingly of Darcy.

It had been a long time since he’d worked in an office environment and he hadn’t realized how much Darcy had helped transition him back into the groove until she wasn’t there to help him anymore. He needed her here.

He needed her here for purely selfish reasons, but that wasn’t all. He’d thought that they would talk more about his idea. He’d had this feeling from the first that marriage was the only way to solve their problems, and he’d resisted because it went against everything he’d planned for his life. But the more he’d thought about it, the more he’d realized it might be an answer for them both.

He’d seen men out in the field who had cracked up over time. The work he did out there was stressful, to say the least. It wouldn’t hurt to have an anchor at home, something to help keep him on an even keel. He’d never known a woman he could even remotely imagine marrying. But Darcy—well, she was different. Maybe … maybe it would work with her.

He hadn’t taken her vehement rejection of his idea too seriously. She hadn’t had time to think it over yet. If she were here, they could talk it over and find a way to make it work. If she wasn’t here, they couldn’t do a thing about it. He needed her here.

That laugh again. He shuddered. Turning to his computer screen, he did a search on “Noise canceling headphones.” Hmm. It was a possibility.

“Mitch?”

Skylar came in, looking coy. “I hate to bother you, but the manager out at Bermuda Woods just called and he says there’s a document missing from the final packet.”

Mitch shrugged. “So find it and get it out to him,” he said dismissively.

She hesitated, then smiled flirtatiously. “He told me a bunch of stuff but I can’t figure out what he’s talking about. I thought maybe we could work on it together. I could really use your help.” She looked hopeful.

Mitch frowned. “I’m not up to speed on that project, either.” He sighed resignedly. “Okay, we’d better call her.”

Skylar blinked. “Call who?”

“Darcy Connors, of course. She knows everything about this stuff.”

“Oh.” Skylar didn’t look enthusiastic.

“Dial her up.” He waved her toward the phone. “Let’s get her input.”

Skylar sighed big. “Okay.”

She looked up Darcy’s number and pushed the numbers on the phone.

“Oh darn, it’s her machine,” she told Mitch, waving the receiver in the air.

“Well, leave a message,” he said impatiently.

“Oh. Okay.” She put the receiver to her ear. “Hi, Darcy, honey. It’s Skylar—at the office? Mr. Carver—Mitch—he would like to talk to you about—um—the Bermuda Woods development. He has some loose ends he wants to discuss. Please call us back. Okay? Thanks. See you soon, honey.”

Mitch scowled and glanced at his watch. “If she doesn’t call in half an hour, call her again,” he ordered gruffly.

Skylar tossed back her fire-engine-red hair, looked like she was going to launch into a diatribe, then stopped herself when she caught the expression on his face. “Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes and flouncing out of the office.

Mitch’s teeth were on edge again.

“Whatever,” he echoed dully, staring out his window at the growing storm clouds. “Whatever it takes,” he added more softly, his gaze sharpening. He needed a plan. He was a man of action, wasn’t he? All right then. He would come up with a plan. How hard could that be?

Darcy sat in Mimi’s kitchen listening to the message as Skylar gave it. There was no way she was picking up the phone to take the call. She was going to stay strong, even though she knew Mitch was right there, just seconds away. She’d promised she would take calls and help when needed. And she planned to be available by the end of the week. But not now. It was too soon. She and Mitch both needed to get used to the reality of her not being in the office. She couldn’t think of anything that couldn’t wait a few days. So she was standing pat.

She hadn’t realized it would be this hard. She’d managed to remove Mitch from her daily life physically, but there didn’t seem to be any way to push him out of her mind.

Still, she was having fun with the twins. Tonight she was making pizza and had games and songs ready. Tomorrow she was taking them to the park. If only she wasn’t haunted every step by thoughts of how much Mitch would like these little guys—if he ever let himself.

That night it rained hard for a while. A little thunder. A little lightning. After checking on her babies who were sleeping through the turmoil, Darcy snuggled under her covers and listened to the storm. Was Mitch awake, too? Was he lying there, just a few miles away, staring at the ceiling of his room and thinking of her? For just a moment she could imagine reaching out and making a magical connection. She shivered delightfully, then closed her eyes and dreamed of him.

The next day she ignored another phone message from Skylar—the third one, and packed the boys into the car, taking off for the park. They had a wonderful, if tiring couple of hours, stopped for icecream cones on the way home, which turned the inside of her car into a sticky zone, then headed for home.

She knew something was wrong right away. For one thing, Mitch’s car was standing out in front of her house. But even more ominous, a moving truck was coming out of her driveway and taking off just as she drove up. She looked back. The two boys were sound asleep in their car seats. She debated leaving them there for a few minutes, then decided against it. You just couldn’t be too careful where these young lives were concerned.

That meant she had to take time lugging both car seats into the house. The boys didn’t wake up, so at least she got a break there. She left them on the floor of their room with their seats tilted back into sleeping position, and hurried back into the living room to see what the heck was going on.

She could see his car still parked at the curb, but there was no sign of him outside. So that meant he was probably inside somewhere, but where? The garage was her next target, but it was standing empty. She frowned. Maybe the converted sunporch on the side of the house. She hurried to it and opened the wide French doors that led onto the porch. And there he was.

“Hi,” he said, leaning back in his desk chair. “I’ve been waiting for you. Where’ve you been?”

She gaped at him in consternation, then went down the three steps to his level. He was looking like the cat that ate the canary, very bright-eyed and full of himself, and he was surrounded by an instant office that he must have set up in the short space of time she’d spent out with the boys.

“What in the world …?” she muttered, in shock as she looked at the sparkling glass desk, equipped with a trendy slender notebook computer, printer, fax and copy machine—even his trademark big jar of jelly beans. A huge metal file cabinet sat beside the desk. All the comforts of the office gleaming attractively.

“How did you get in here?” she demanded.

He raised one eyebrow. “Please, Darcy. It’s a basic requirement of my profession to know how to get into locked places.”

Of course. She knew that. But … but … he wasn’t supposed to get into her locked places!

“You couldn’t wait until I got home?”

“No. The moving van was on a tight schedule.”

“Moving van …” She could hardly talk. In her wildest dreams she had never expected this. “But why?”

“Would you believe that my parents kicked me out? Just like high school.”

She shook her head, unable to compute what he’d just said. “Kicked you out of what? It’s the middle of the day.”

He shrugged. “I was only kidding. Actually I left voluntarily. I couldn’t take another day in that house.”

It was only then that she noticed a large cot had been added to the wicker decor of the room. She stared at it for a moment, taking in the big fluffy comforter and the pillow with teddy bears parading across its case. She turned back to look at him. He hadn’t just moved in his work-a-day operation, he’d moved in his entire life.

“You’ve completely moved in?” she cried, reeling from the implications.

He nodded casually, as though this were nothing outrageous. “I had to go somewhere.”

She glared at him and waved one arm in the air. “Then set up a bed at the office. Your real office.”

He shook his head firmly, as though she just didn’t understand the circumstances and would agree if only she did. “I also couldn’t stand another day at that office. Not while Skylar walks those echoing marble halls.”

She blinked, confused. “Skylar? What’s wrong with Skylar?”

He grimaced painfully. “Have you ever tried to work with her? If you had, you wouldn’t need to ask.”

“She … she …” Somehow she couldn’t go any further than that one word.

But he took up the slack without missing a beat. “I was in a quandary. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t sleep. So I decided the best plan of action was a direct trek to your house. I brought all the stuff I need to work. And I figure I’ll camp out here for the duration.”

“No.” She was shaking her head. This was impossible. He was impossible. Life, at the moment, was impossible. “Oh, no, you won’t.”

He sighed as though her lack of a charitable response pained him deeply. “I won’t be in your hair constantly. I promise. I’ll be over here, out of the way. But when I need you for something, I can call you over and—”

“This is just typical of you, isn’t it?” she demanded with fury, leaning toward him across the desk. “You see everything through the same prism—what would be best for you. Did it ever occur to you that I might have other priorities right now?”

He looked puzzled. “No, actually. I thought maybe you’d be glad for the company. Time can really drag when you’re required to talk nothing but baby gibberish all day.”

“How would you know?”

He half laughed. “Darcy, I keep trying to make you understand that I’ve got a broad experience with the ways of the world. I know a lot. About everything.”

“Even children.”

“Well, probably not as much as you.”

“Oh my goodness, what an admission,” she said sarcastically. “Well, you’re guaranteed to learn a lot more about children than you’ve ever wanted to know if you think you’re staying here,” she warned.

He actually looked surprised. “Not if you keep them in their play area. This is a work area.”

She stared at him. Was he for real? “I’m warning you, Mitch. The kids will not be kept out of your way. The kids are center stage in this house. If you want a pure work environment, go back to work.”

He took a deep breath and obviously decided not to say what first came trippingly to his tongue. “It’s good that we’re discussing this,” he said unconvincingly. “This way we can work to establish the parameters of our working relationship.”

She couldn’t believe he could be such a dunderhead. “Mitch, get a clue! There’s no working relationship. I’m here mothering and you’re intruding.”

“Darcy, calm down. This is all for the best, believe me.”

That did it. She’d never been so furious. Reaching out she grabbed his newly installed phone and began punching buttons.

“What are you doing?” he asked pleasantly, still leaning back in the desk chair as though all was well with his world and her anger was just a minor passing squall.

She glared at him. “I’m calling the police. I’ve got an intruder in the house.”

“Oh. Good idea.” He smiled at her. “Did I get a chance to tell you my cousin Daniel just made captain of the Terra Dulce Police Force? Oh, and Justin Cabrera, my best friend from kindergarten is on the day desk these days. You’ll probably talk to him first. Tell him ‘hi’ for me, okay?”

She stared at him for a moment as she digested this news, then slammed down the phone. “What—does your family own this town?”

He grinned. “Let’s just say the Carvers have impact in Terra Dulce. Always have. Funny, I hated that when I was growing up. Now I’m finding it can come in quite handy.”

She wanted to wring his neck. She looked at it, imagining her fingers there, slowly tightening. But that proved self-defeating. Touching his neck would quickly turn into something sensual. There was just no escaping the fact that the man turned her on.

“You’re impossible.”

“That’s probably true.” His face softened. “Aw, come on, Darcy. Grin and bear it. It won’t be so bad.” He waited a moment and when he didn’t see any relenting on her part, he sighed. “Okay, I should have called first. I should have warned you what I was planning. But you would have marshaled your forces against me, wouldn’t you?”

She gave him the barest of assenting nods.

“I have no idea how many muscular bruiser guys you could have invited over to take a whack at me. I didn’t think it was worth risking, when I’m so sure you’re going to be glad I move in when all is said and done.”

“Really?”

“You wait and see.” He tried to coax a smile from her. “I had to do this. I wasn’t getting anything done without you. And if I’d been locked up with Skylar much longer, I would probably have to start pricing cement shoes.”

The thought almost made her smile, but she managed to control it. “For her or for you?” she asked.

He grinned and she could see that he thought she was weakening. And darn it all—he was probably right. After all, he was so … installed. She didn’t have a clue how she could pry him loose. And she heard the boys beginning to stir.

And, truth to tell, there was a little place down deep in her heart that was glad he was here. That just showed that she was losing it.

“Just for one night,” she warned him as she left to take care of her babies.

“We’ll see,” he said, cocky as ever. “Maybe having me around will grow on you.”

“Yeah, right,” she said dryly. But she was already out of earshot by then. And she had a silly smile on her face. This was just plain hopeless.