That was how Patrick found her. Curled on the kitchen floor with her coat and boots still on. He didn’t ask any questions as he bent down, lifted her into his strong arms, and carried her upstairs.
As carefully as a parent might tend a distraught child, he tugged off her outer garments until she was in her underwear. He eased her flannel nightgown over her head and tucked her into bed. She trembled from head to foot by the time he finished, so he lay on the bed next to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her so close she could hear the heavy pounding of his heart.
Crooning softly in her ear, he reassured her that he was there for her and that Shamus was there for her too. That they were a family and they would get through this. Dani finally drifted off to sleep, never aware of the dark thoughts that filled Patrick’s mind about Burke Black.
ad
The Jamesville Country Club was awash with white lights and the sounds of soft jazz when Burke escorted Cynthia inside. The loneliness of the saxophone washed over him. All week he had wavered back and forth in his mind. Should he cancel? Should he go? He felt worse now than when he had awakened after the accident. Then he had been only physically damaged, but now he felt as if a vital part of him had been hacked off. And the worst thing about it was that he himself had done the hacking.
“Burke, doesn’t this place just look gorgeous?” Cynthia tugged on the sleeve of his tuxedo as she looked up at him, bringing his attention back to her.
He knew he wasn’t paying her the attention she deserved and tried to pull himself back to the here and now. “The place looks wonderful and you look wonderful too.” She really did, he thought objectively. Cynthia was blonde, beautiful, and made no secret of the fact that she wanted him. Why then, did she leave him totally cold when he should be anticipating what would happen when he took her home?
“Why thank you. I must say that my dress was expensive, but I figure I’m worth every penny of it.”
Indeed, Burke noted that her designer dress had to have cost several thousand dollars. The soft, draping black fabric molded her body and showed off her figure to perfection. The diamonds at her ears and around her neck sparkled. He knew that most men would love to be in his shoes, standing next to her.
“I’m sure your father thinks so too.” Burke knew he shouldn’t be sarcastic, but he couldn’t help himself. He thought of Dani and how unaffected she was. Material things didn’t matter to her. People did. And besides, Dani looked better to him wearing her old sweatshirt than Cynthia did in a designer dress.
Sighing inwardly, he knew he was going to have to call an early end to the night. There was no way he was going to be able to play this farce out for more than a few hours. He would stay because he had asked Cynthia. It was his own fault he was here.
His date watched him as if trying to figure out if he was being sarcastic or complimentary. He figured she had conveniently decided on the latter when she hooked her arm in his. “Come on, Burke, I’ll introduce you to the Flints. Alan is the mayor of Jamesville and his wife, Crystal, heads up most of the more prominent social committees.”
For the next two hours, he allowed Cynthia to drag him from couple to couple. Introducing him to all the “important” people, as she called them, seemed to be her mission. In between introductions, she coaxed him out onto the dance floor where she filled him in all the details on their social and financial positions.
“That’s Abel Pierce and his wife, Nettie.” Cynthia indicated a well dressed, middle-aged couple sitting at a table off to the right. “That’s the same dress she wore last year. I heard rumors of some financial problems, but I didn’t think that Nettie would have the nerve to wear the same dress two years in a row. Why, I’d just die. Apparently, she’s put on some weight since last year too. She looks like she barely squeezed into that dress this year.”
Burke’s patience finally ran out, and his temper flared. He’d had enough. Enough of dancing, enough socializing with all these people he didn’t even know, and more than enough of listening to Cynthia’s cutting remarks about all the other guests.
“Where do I stand in the scheme of things, Cynthia?” Burke asked Cynthia as he seated her at a small table in the corner of the ballroom.
“Whatever do you mean, Burke?”
“Well, I have no social or financial standing in this community, so where do I stand in the town hierarchy?”
“Really, Burke, you do ask silly questions.”
He knew he was making her nervous as she smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle out of her dress and turned to him with a practiced smile upon her face.
“Really, Cynthia. Are you by any chance slumming with me?” He might have found the whole thing amusing if he had been in a better frame of mind. But he had discovered tonight that Miss Cynthia had a malicious streak in her and took great pleasure in cutting other people down.
“I have no idea what you mean. And you have no right to talk to me in this fashion.” She pouted prettily and allowed a tear to come to her eye.
“Well, just so you know, I’ll be taking you home now and then I’ll be going home myself. I don’t fancy any extra entertainment tonight.”
Cynthia’s pout disappeared immediately and a hard gleam entered her eye. She went from flirty and soft to calculating and cruel in the blink of an eye.
“Oh, I suppose you only fancy extra entertainment with those of your own social level, like say Dani O’Rourke.” A sly smiled appeared on her face when she noted his surprise.
Burke grew still, his face appeared as if it had been hewn from granite, and the fire in his eyes could have burned even hell. “Leave Dani out of this. If you’re a smart little girl, you’ll just count your losses and accept them.”
Cynthia stiffened slightly, but was apparently past all caution. “Your little friend knows you’ll be with me tonight. I made that perfectly clear when she was cleaning my house today. I made sure she knew it was for all night too. It wasn’t much fun though, because she barely reacted at all. Just packed up her dust rags and left.”
“Miss James, I hope that I never have to set eyes on you again after this moment. And you had better hope that you haven’t hurt Dani, or I’ll make sure you pay. Good night. I’m sure you’ll find some fool to escort you home.” Pushing away from the table, Burke walked away from her without sparing a single backward glance.
Impatient now, he didn’t wait for the parking attendant, but strode off into the dark parking lot. His truck was easy to pick out in a sea of sedans and sports cars. It was also parked in the far end of the lot. Burke was chilled as he climbed into his truck, and he turned the heat up as soon as he started the engine. As he left the country club behind him, he automatically drove toward the little house on Peach Street.
He couldn’t go on like this. It hadn’t escaped his notice that he was willing to punish anyone who hurt Dani, yet he knew he had hurt her worse than anyone. He could only hope that she would accept his apology and his explanation. Burke had come to the hard realization that a life with Dani in it, in any capacity, was better than a life without her. He would beg her forgiveness and take whatever she offered, even if it was only ever friendship.
He had missed all the special qualities that defined Dani. The way she cared about people, the way she laughed, and the way she loved. She had brought him into her special circle and he had been touched by the magic.
“Magic,” he muttered aloud. That was never as clear as it had been tonight when he had been with Cynthia. Dani didn’t care that people had no money or social position. Who they were was more important than what they were. And it had scared him so much that he’d covered his fear with anger. Anger at Dani, at himself, and even at poor Cynthia, who was what she was. It wasn’t his place to judge Cynthia, when he hadn’t made such great choices in his own life lately.
Dani was what he had been looking for his whole life. Dani was a sense of belonging. A sense of home. Burke knew he had been afraid to believe for fear he would lose it. So, fool that he was,
he had thrown it away. This was indeed a true test then. For if she really loved him, maybe he wasn’t too late. Maybe he could win her love back and then he would hold it tight and never let it go.
Maybe, just maybe.
Chapter Seven
Standing outside Dani’s front door, he shivered as the cold night air penetrated his light tuxedo jacket. For the first time since he was a child, he was afraid.
“How the mighty have fallen,” he muttered. Burke Black, millionaire, business tycoon, was afraid. Afraid that he had lost one longhaired, smiling beauty that for one shining moment he had been able to call his own.
He had no experience with love. He had no idea if it would be forgiving or if Dani would withhold it, knowing he now valued it. Maybe she would bargain with it. He knew she didn’t seem like the type who would do this, but that was before he had hurt her. Now the rules had changed. All he knew was that he would meet whatever price she asked to have her back again.
Determined as never before in his life, he raised his hand and knocked upon the front door. After waiting a few seconds, he pounded again. Harder.
Maybe she wasn’t home. Perhaps, she had gone out to celebrate with another man. The thought of another man touching her smooth skin, kissing her soft lips, made his stomach churn. He was so immersed in his own thoughts that he barely registered the fact that the front door was opening. He glanced up just in time to see the fist that struck his right eye.
“You scum. You’ve got your nerve showing up here.” The smile Patrick gave him was lethal. “But I’m glad you did.”
Burke grabbed onto the stair railing, barely managing to keep himself from tumbling down the front steps. Gingerly touching his eye, he knew he would have a shiner tomorrow, but for now his face was blessedly growing numb. Getting past Patrick was the first step in his quest to winning another chance with Dani. He wasn’t sure what to say or do, so he spoke from the heart.
“I deserve that and more. And if you want to beat the life out of me, after you listen to me, I won’t stop you.” Bracing himself on the bottom step, he watched Patrick warily.
“I don’t think you’ll have a choice in the matter. Nothing you can say will make up for what my sister has gone through in the last week.” Standing tall in the doorway with his fists clenched at his sides, Patrick blocked any attempt Burke might have made to enter.
“You might not believe me, but I’ve been hurting as much as Dani.” Burke jammed his hands in his pants pockets, as much to keep them warm as to assure the much younger man that he wasn’t a physical threat.
“Somehow I don’t think that a date with Cynthia James proves great pain on your part. All it does is show you have no taste.” Patrick’s disdain was evident in every word he spoke.
“Believe me, accepting her invitation was a reflex reaction to deny the pain I was feeling. I come from a world where everything I have is bought and paid for by me. Dani was a treasure I didn’t recognize when I had her.”
“So now you think you can waltz in here and take her back?” Patrick glared down at him, all the anger of the last week blazing from his eyes. “I don’t think so.” Burke could tell the other man was moments away from exploding again.
“No. I know I can’t go back, but I want anything Dani is willing to give me.”
“She wants nothing to do with you…” Patrick started to move toward Burke as he spoke.
“Patrick.” Dani’s soft voice cut him off in mid-sentence, stopping him dead in his tracks. “Maybe we should continue this inside.”
“You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want to.” Turning, he wrapped his arm protectively around his sister as he spoke.
“Yes, I do. If this is ever to be finished, I have to hear what he has to say. Come in, Burke.” Dani spoke without looking at him, turned, and headed for the living room.
Burke stared at Patrick until he reluctantly moved from the front door.
“I’m warning you, Black, hurt her any further and you’ll regret it.” Patrick’s knuckles were white as he held the front door open.
“I already do, Patrick. You’ll never know how much.”
Stepping past Patrick, Burke headed to the living room. His whole future depended on the next few minutes. He realized now that a life without Dani would be the same empty, cold life he had been leading for years. Except now, he would know what was missing. He really didn’t know if he could live without it, now that he had found it.
“Patrick, will you please leave us alone to talk?” Dani’s soft voice cut through Burke’s thoughts like a knife, bringing him back to the task at hand.
“If that’s what you want. But I’ll be in the kitchen. You call if you need me, okay?” Patrick had positioned himself next to his sister like an avenging angel, his fists clenched, ready to defend her.
Reaching out, she grasped her brother’s hand. He slowly unclenched it and clasped her fingers tightly for a brief second before he let go. “Thank you,” she said as she slowly sank down onto the sofa. Burke watched the interaction between the brother and sister, feeling very much the outsider that he was.
When Patrick finally left the room, Dani finally raised her eyes and looked at him. Burke felt as if all the breath had left his body. Her beautiful eyes that had always sparkled with such light and love were now empty. Empty, that is, except for the pain.
Falling to his knees in front of her, he gazed up at her bleak features. “What have I done to you? Oh God, what have I done?” He buried his face in her lap and shuddered as he brought himself back under control.
It was all over. He had lost her. There was no way she would take him back. And why would she? She had given him something infinitely precious and he had flung it back at her as if it had no value at all. He didn’t deserve her, but he would be damned if he would give her up without a fight. His arms tightened their hold around her waist as if by strength alone he could bind her to him.
Then he felt it. At first, he thought if must be a delusion of his brain brought on by the chaos he felt inside him, but then he felt it again. Her hand, ever so lightly touching his hair. Stroking his head. Pulling back, he raised his head and stared up at her.
“Dani, please listen to me. Let me explain everything to you. Give me that chance.” He stared into her eyes as if by shear will alone he could get her to give him a chance to win her back.
“What do you have to say that is so different from the last time you were here? Am I now worth more than short-term lust, as you called it? Do I still have value in dollars and cents? Am I cheaper than Cynthia? Is that why you’re here?” Every sentence was uttered in a flat monotone voice. She had forgotten nothing he had said. He had much to answer for.
A pain burned deep inside his chest. “How could I have said those things to you?” He wanted to grab her and hold her tight, but instead, he carefully placed his hands on her shoulders and gently squeezed them. She held herself so still, as if one false word or move from him could shatter her. “Don’t you dare compare yourself to Cynthia. She’s not fit to be in the same room with you. Give me a chance, Dani.”
“A chance for what, Burke?”
Sliding his hands down over her arms, he carefully grasped her much smaller hands in his. “Look at me, Dani.”
She looked down into his face and drew in a quick breath to steady herself. He didn’t know if she would ever be able to bring herself to trust him again, let alone admit to loving him. He automatically tightened his grip on her, needing the physical contact.
“I’ve never met anyone like you before. I know I told you I sold my business but I never told you why.”
She looked totally confused by his abrupt change of subject. Her brows drew together in a perplexed frown. “I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t, honey, but I’ll try to explain.”
“I thought it was because of the accident.”
“In a roundabout way, it was. You see, when I woke up in the hospital, I was forced to look at my
life. I was alone. I had built a business and financial security, but for what? The only visitors I had were business associates who needed my signature or good will.”
“Oh, Burke.” Pulling her right hand from his grasp, she gently cupped his scarred cheek, caressing it with her fingers.
Burke recaptured her hand, lightly kissed it, and held it tight. “I’m not telling you this because I want your pity. I want you to understand what my world was like. I had a home and business but no real life. I knew I had to change things, so I sold my business and house, and came out here to think. Then I met you.”
“Yes, and then you met me,” Dani echoed softly. She was watching his face carefully, searching for what, he wasn’t sure. She was like a wild creature, held by him, not by his grip on her, but by her loving nature and her compassion for him.
“You were unlike anyone I’ve ever known. When you and your family gave so much to me, I didn’t know how to react. I kept waiting for the bottom line. Nothing in my life has ever been free, and I was waiting to see how much this would cost me.” He released his hold on her, scrubbed his hands over his face, and pushed his hair out of his eyes. He knew he must look as wild as he felt.
“There are some things money can’t buy, Burke, and they’re the most important things.” Her sad smile told him that she understood where his attitude had come from, but she was at a loss as to how to change it. “Maybe it’s best if you go.”
“No!” Grabbing her hands, he clung tight to them, only releasing his grip when his knuckles turned white. He automatically rubbed his fingers over her hand, hoping to soothe any pain he might have caused her. “I understand that now. Before, I thought you wanted payment for what you gave me and that you wanted more than I would or could pay, physically and emotionally. Now I understand what you were giving to me. Your gift of understanding and acceptance was beyond price, and I was too blind to see it or accept it.”
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