Читать книгу About That Man - Sherryl Woods, Sherryl Woods - Страница 12

“M aybe we’d better go back,” Daisy whispered, when she could finally unscramble her thoughts after Walker had ended that totally unexpected, mind-boggling kiss. Nobody had ever kissed sensible Daisy Spencer with such total abandon, such wicked hunger. She was too stunned to even contemplate lecturing him on the inappropriateness of his behavior. In fact, she was wondering if she could get him to kiss her again.

Bad idea, her remaining functioning brain cell announced. “We definitely need to go back,” she said more emphatically. “Besides, we’ve been driving around for two solid hours, and there hasn’t been a sign of Tommy. Maybe the others are having better luck.”

“Yeah, good idea,” he said, barely sparing her a glance.

To Daisy he sounded a little too eager. She found it vaguely insulting. Not that she intended to let him see it. She wasn’t going to let him think for a second that she was some inexperienced country girl who could be shaken by a simple kiss.

“Well?” he prodded when she still hadn’t started the engine. “Are we going back or not? My gut’s starting to tell me that if Tommy felt safe with you, then he didn’t wander that far off. He’s probably hiding close by.”

“Probably.”

She was very proud that she managed to get the response out without sounding breathless. Obviously they weren’t going to talk about the kiss, she concluded with a sigh. She certainly didn’t want to focus on it. At least he hadn’t apologized and listed a litany of regrets, even if his expression indicated he wasn’t at all pleased with the turn of events between them. She could leave it alone, too. She could pretend that nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Or at least she thought she could. The fact that she hadn’t risked touching the keys for fear he’d see how badly her hands were shaking indicated she wasn’t as cool and calm as she wanted Walker to believe. And the longer they sat there, the worse it got. Darkness had fallen, making the atmosphere in the car just a little too cozy, a little too intimate. The tension sizzling between them wasn’t going to go away, which meant it needed to be addressed.

She took a deep breath, then blurted out, “Look, you don’t have to be embarrassed. I mean, it was just a kiss. No big deal, right?”

“Right,” he said flatly.

Clearing the air apparently wasn’t going to be the snap she’d hoped. Her nerves were still jumpy; his expression was still insultingly grim. She plunged in one more time. “I’ve been kissed before. I’m sure you have been, too. And I suppose I started it with that hug. I was just so relieved that you were willing to meet me halfway on this.”

He turned then and scowled at her. “Daisy, will you please let it drop? Maybe it shouldn’t have, but it happened. It’s over. Forget about it.”

She blinked rapidly at the irritation in his voice. “Of course, yes, I can do that,” she said. With a great deal of concentration, she managed to keep her hand steady as she started the car.

In fact, she even kept her mouth shut until they turned the corner to her block. Then she decided that she couldn’t go the rest of the way home without trying one more time to address the ridiculous tension between them. If they walked into the house like this, her brothers would know in an instant that something had happened. For men, they were way more intuitive than they should have been. She’d learned early never to hint by so much as a down-turned mouth that a date had gone badly. Otherwise Tucker and Bobby would threaten to take on the boy who’d hurt her. Billy Inscoe was practically the only boy she’d known that they hadn’t scared off. Maybe that was why she’d thought herself in love with him, because he hadn’t been intimidated by her brothers.

At any rate, fearing Tucker and Bobby might not have outgrown the habit, she slammed to a stop and cut the lights and the engine, then turned and glowered at Walker.

“That kiss was an impulse, Detective. Nothing more. I’m sure you regret it. So do I. It won’t happen again.”

“I know that,” he said emphatically, frowning right back at her. He gestured toward her house. “Why don’t we just get back there and see if anyone else has had any luck finding Tommy?”

“You don’t deal well with your emotions, do you?” she asked irritably. “I noticed that earlier when we were talking about your sister. You got all stiff and uncomfortable, just the way you are now.”

“Maybe because you were beating the subject to death, just the way you are now.”

“It’s an interrogation technique,” she said. “Tucker told me. Surely you’re familiar with it.”

His lips twitched ever so slightly. “I am, which is why it doesn’t work well on me. I get annoyed.”

“I’ll try to remember that. I just didn’t want Tucker or Bobby to get the idea that you and I have been…” She hesitated, then said, “Arguing. They’re very protective.”

Walker’s lips twitched. “Your brothers don’t scare me. I think I can take care of myself.”

“Okay, then,” she said, forcing herself to let the subject drop. An instant later she faced him as another worrisome issue occurred to her. “You’re not going to yell at Tommy for running off, are you?”

His level gaze met hers. “Are you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why would you assume I might? I do understand what it’s like to be a kid and to be scared.”

Daisy was surprised by the admission. “I can’t imagine you being scared of anything.”

“Because you don’t know me. I wish you’d try to remember that.”

Daisy doubted she could forget it if she wanted to. The kiss might have been a rare display of intimacy, but he hadn’t let her into his head or into his heart, not for one single second since they’d met.

Sighing, she put the car into gear and drove the rest of the way down the block, pulling into the driveway next to Tucker’s sport-utility vehicle.

“Not much sign of activity,” Walker observed as they left the car.

Just then they heard laughter from the backyard.

“It sounds more like a party,” Daisy said, leading the way around the side of the house. She stopped abruptly at the sight that greeted her.

Her brothers, Frances and Tommy were all sprawled in lawn chairs on the deck facing the river, empty pie plates beside them. Tucker was pointing out some of the constellations visible in the velvet-black sky. Their not-a-care-in-the-world demeanor irked her as much as anything that had happened all day, which was saying something.

“Having fun?” she inquired tartly.

Four pairs of guilty eyes turned her way.

“You might have let us know that Tommy was safe,” she said peevishly.

“You didn’t take your cell phone,” Bobby pointed out mildly. “We had no way to get in touch with you.”

“Somebody could have gotten in a car and come after us,” she said, regarding Tucker accusingly. “I’m sure someone could have spotted us since the streets around here are practically deserted at this time of night.”

“The point is that Tommy is back,” Tucker responded quietly, refusing to rise to the bait. He turned to Tommy. “Son, this is your uncle, Walker Ames.”

The introduction brought on a heavy silence. Daisy watched as the boy warily eyed Walker. Neither of them budged an inch. In fact, Walker looked a little shell-shocked. Finally, after a firm nudge by her elbow, he crossed the deck and hunkered down beside Tommy.

“You look just like your mother,” he said softly, a hint of wonder and sorrow in his voice. “Same eyes, same hair, same smile. I noticed that in the picture Mrs. Jackson showed me earlier.”

Tommy’s expression remained sullen. “So?”

“It’s just that it makes me realize how very much I missed her,” Walker said.

“Then how come you never came to see us?” Tommy demanded.

“Because she didn’t tell me where she was and I couldn’t find her.”

“Like you really tried,” Tommy scoffed.

“One day, if you like, I’ll show you a file with every single thing I did, every place I searched,” Walker offered. “Your mom was my baby sister. I never wanted anything bad to happen to her.”

“Well, something bad did happen,” Tommy shouted, jumping up. “She died! Just like my dad, only I never even knew him. My mom was all I had and she’s dead. Now I got nobody.”

“That’s not true,” Daisy protested, taking a step toward him.

Before she could reach him, he scrambled away from Walker, skirted around her and ran into the house, letting the screen door slam closed behind him.

“I’ll go after him,” she said at once, heartbroken for both of them.

“No,” Bobby said. “Let me. You stay here with Frances and Walker and work things out. You all have a lot of tough decisions to make.”

Daisy reluctantly agreed. Her younger brother had a way with kids. Maybe it would be best to let an unbiased third party try to calm Tommy down.

As Bobby went inside, Tucker stood and gave Walker’s shoulder a squeeze. “How about a beer?”

His expression numb, Walker nodded. “Sounds great. I’ll come with you.”

That left Daisy alone with Frances.

“I’m sorry about accusing you of trying to hide Tommy,” Frances said eventually. “You know how fond I am of you, but I have a job to do.”

“It doesn’t matter. We were all upset. We all said some things we shouldn’t have,” Daisy conceded. “Where did you find him, by the way?”

“Tucker found him hiding in Madge Jessup’s toolshed. She said she’d heard noises out there earlier, but thought it was a raccoon. Tommy was sitting on the riding mower eating a peanut butter sandwich when Tucker checked it out. He swore he’d planned to come back as soon as he knew his uncle and I were gone.”

Daisy sighed. “What a mess. What do we do now?”

“I’m going to try to convince Walker to stay here for a few more days so that he and Tommy can get to know each other. Then we’ll see. It’s obvious that they can’t be united overnight. Neither of them is ready for that.”

A few more days might be the reprieve they all needed. “Do you think he’ll agree?” Daisy asked.

“I don’t know. And I don’t know what to make of the man. What do you think?”

An hour ago Daisy would have guessed that Walker Ames would tear out of Trinity Harbor at the first opportunity, but that was before she’d seen the look on his face when he got his first glimpse of his nephew. “I think he’ll agree,” she said at last. “He might not be happy about it, but he knows in his heart he owes it to his sister.”

“Agree to what?” Walker asked as he and Tucker came back outside.

“To stay a few more days,” Frances said. “And don’t tell me about your job. I’m sure under the circumstances, they could spare you through the weekend. The crime will still be there when you get back.”

“Exactly what my boss said when I spoke to him not five minutes ago,” Walker said. “It seems I’m not indispensable after all.”

Daisy didn’t like the way her pulse kicked up at his announcement. She was pretty sure the reaction didn’t have a thing to do with Tommy’s best interests.

“You’re welcome to stay here,” she said impulsively.

His gaze clashed with hers, and for a moment the air sizzled with more of that astonishing electricity. Then he shook his head. “Bad idea.”

“I agree,” Frances said.

“But you’re the one who said he and Tommy need time to get to know one another,” Daisy protested. “What better way than if they’re under the same roof?”

“Yes, but they’ll also need some space. And frankly it won’t help if half the town is gossiping about you having a stranger living with you. Somebody will want to make something of it, and you’ll be left to live it down.”

“He could stay at Cedar Hill,” Tucker suggested slyly. “There are plenty of rooms to spare over there.”

“Absolutely not,” Daisy said fiercely, scowling at her brother. She knew exactly what he was up to. She could just imagine Walker being subjected to an endless diatribe from her father, probably followed by an attempt to bribe him into taking Tommy away from her.

“What’s Cedar Hill?” Walker asked, regarding her curiously.

“My family’s home, still ruled by the indomitable King Spencer,” she explained. “Trust me, you do not want to go there.”

He grinned. “I don’t know. You’re making it sound like a challenge.”

“My father is a trial, not a challenge.”

Tucker’s eyes flashed with amusement. “Trying to keep them apart, Daisy? What are you afraid of?”

“You know perfectly well that Daddy will try to stick his nose in and manipulate this so it works out the way he wants it to.”

“You’re not giving me much credit,” Walker said.

“You are no match for my father,” she insisted. “I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

“He doesn’t matchmake, does he?” Walker asked with a deliberately exaggerated shudder.

“With a Yankee? Heaven forbid,” Daisy said.

“Then I don’t see the problem.”

“She’s afraid our father will have you and Tommy reunited and out of town before daybreak,” Tucker explained. “No matter how he has to accomplish it.”

A teasing glint appeared in Walker’s eyes. “Which one of us are you most afraid of losing?” he inquired.

Daisy could feel heat climbing into her cheeks. She hadn’t blushed this much in years, if ever. She avoided glancing at her brother or Frances before she said quite firmly, “Tommy, of course.”

A grin spread across Walker’s face. “Of course.”

“Am I missing something here?” Tucker inquired, his brotherly antennae clearly on full alert.

“Nothing,” Daisy said sharply. “Not one damn thing. You all settle this however you want to. Walker can sleep on the ground for all I care. I’m going to say good-night to Tommy, and then I am going to bed. Breakfast’s at eight, Detective. If you’re still in town then.”

A low chuckle followed her inside, but she couldn’t tell if it was Walker’s or her brother’s. At this point, it didn’t much matter. She held the same low opinion of both of them.

Upstairs she found Bobby and Tommy engaged in a cutthroat round of a Monopoly game.

“Watch him, Tommy. My brother really, really likes to acquire real estate. He’s already bought up half the waterfront in Trinity Harbor.”

Tommy’s eyes widened. “For real? You own the beach?”

“Not the beach,” Bobby said. “Just the land nearby.”

“What are you going to do with it?”

“He’s already built a marina,” Daisy said.

“The one with all the boats and the neat restaurant?”

Bobby nodded. “That’s mine.”

“Wow. My mom took me to eat there once. It was last year on my birthday. We got all dressed up and everything.”

Bobby grinned. “Did you like the food?” he asked casually.

Now there was a loaded question if ever Daisy had heard one. “Careful how you answer, Tommy. Bobby’s also the chef.”

Tommy looked puzzled. “You mean like a cook?”

“Yep,” Daisy confirmed. “That’s just a fancy name for it.”

“I didn’t study at Cordon Bleu just so you could call me a cook,” Bobby grumbled, clearly offended. “Isn’t it bad enough that I have to put up with Daddy saying that?”

“He’s just ticked because you refuse to take over the cattle operation.”

“I’ve been telling him since I turned ten that I was not interested in raising Black Angus. I’m twenty-eight now–wouldn’t you think he’d be over it?”

“Daddy?” Daisy said skeptically. “The man who still hasn’t forgiven his brother for buying a prize bull out from under his nose thirty years ago?”

“I see your point,” Bobby said with a sigh.

Daisy leaned down and kissed him. “He loves you, though. You do know that, don’t you?”

Bobby grinned. “Being loved by King Spencer is not necessarily a blessing.”

She laughed. “You may be right about that. It just means there’s more pressure to do things his way.” She gave Tommy a hug. “Want me to stick around and tuck you in?”

“I don’t need to be tucked in,” he said with an embarrassed glance at Bobby.

Her brother winked at him. Daisy let it pass. She’d slip in later after the lights were out and make sure Tommy was okay. “All right, then. Good night, you two.”

“Daisy?” Tommy called after her, his voice hesitant.

“What, sweetheart?”

“Is my uncle…is he still here?”

She tried to read his expression and couldn’t. “He’s going to stay through the weekend.”

“Here?”

“No. They’re downstairs deciding that now. Probably at the hotel by the river.”

Tommy’s shoulders seemed to ease then, and she realized that, despite his outburst earlier, he didn’t really want his uncle to disappear from his life. Family relationships might be complex and frustrating, but they were still the most powerful ties a person had. As terrified as she was that Walker might take Tommy away from her, she couldn’t bear to deny them this time together.

“Maybe when he comes over in the morning, he’ll tell you all about what your mom was like when she was a little girl,” she suggested.

Tommy’s eyes lit up for the first time since he’d learned that Walker was coming. “That would be cool. She never said much about when she was a kid.”

“Then you ask him,” she said softly, fighting back the sting of tears.

Bobby followed her from the room and gave her a hug. “You did good in there,” he told her.

“I hope so.” She stared at her brother wistfully. “What if I lose him, though?”

“Then his staying wasn’t meant to be. You’ll survive.”

Daisy envisioned an empty future and wished she shared Bobby’s confidence.

Later, alone in her too-quiet, too-lonely room, Daisy could admit that the meeting with Walker had been a disaster, start to finish. But as she thought back over the evening–from Tommy’s disappearance to the awkward reunion a few hours later–what stuck in her mind was that unexpected kiss she and Walker had shared.

Why couldn’t she shake the memory? Was she so desperate for a little attention that any man’s kiss would have thrown her off-kilter like this? Maybe so. In fact, that had to be it. It had nothing at all to do with Walker Ames.

Yeah, right. She touched her fingers to her lips. Even now she could almost feel the whisper-soft caress. It hadn’t lasted more than a few seconds, but it had felt like an eternity. He had seemed almost as shocked by it as she had been.

It was definitely a good thing that he had declined her invitation. Hopefully he’d also declined the suggestion that he stay at Cedar Hill. He’d be just fine at Trinity Harbor’s one fancy hotel. Near enough to drop in, but far enough away to avoid temptation.

She sighed. She had a feeling that kiss was going to keep her up all night as it was. Having Walker Ames right down the hall would have been more than she could bear.

His concession to stay in Trinity Harbor through the weekend was a blessing for Tommy, but it was going to be tough on her. In one single gesture, Walker had reminded her that she was a woman, that she had needs and desires that had been ignored for far too long. He’d be lucky if she didn’t drag him off somewhere and try to ravish him.

She blushed at the thought. What had come over her? She never thought like that, much less behaved in such a wanton manner. Not once in all of her thirty years had she felt such an intense need to have a man’s tongue intimately invade her mouth, to have his hands on her breasts or to feel his body inside hers. Not even Billy had aroused this kind of desperate yearning. Their lovemaking had been sweetly satisfying, but she’d never seen stars, never felt as if the earth were tumbling out from under her feet the way she had tonight. These days, on those rare occasions when she passed Billy on the street, she felt nothing at all. Yet even now, she couldn’t imagine a time when the sight of Walker might not affect her.

Which just proved that it was way past time for her body to wake up and come alive again. Once again she tried to reassure herself that the physical response was just that–physical. It did not have anything whatsoever to do with Walker Ames specifically.

She needed to keep reminding herself that his decision to stay simply gave her three more days with Tommy, three more days to convince everyone that he was better off with her in Trinity Harbor than he would be in a city like Washington.

Her father, who had more prejudices than Daisy would ordinarily condone, had it just right when it came to the nation’s capital. The city’s level of crime was a disgrace. It was no place to raise a small boy. Surely a man who dealt with that crime every day of his life would be able to see that. She just had to sit down and reason with him.

Unfortunately, she had discovered tonight that Walker Ames had the ability to rob her of the power to speak coherently, much less forcefully. He knew it, too, more’s the pity.

But Daisy hadn’t been raised by a man like King Spencer without learning a little about ignoring her fears to get the job done. If Walker Ames thought he could use his masculinity to fluster her, then she could just as easily use a few feminine wiles to turn the tables on him. The more she considered the prospect, the more anxious she was to see him in the morning and put her plan into action.

In the meantime, it might be wise to say a little prayer that she wasn’t deliberately throwing herself to the wolves…or to one wolf in particular.