Discovering Dani

by N. J. Walters

  So wrapped up in her own thoughts, it took Dani a moment to realize that she was no longer alone. She glanced up and was immediately wary when she saw the blonde woman leaning against the front of her truck.

  Cynthia reached out and ran her index finger over the hood of the truck. She took her time drawing a large heart in the dust. “Well, well, you’ve come up in the world a little these days, haven’t you? But a used truck! I would have thought you could have gotten your lover to buy you a new one. Maybe you’re not that good, after all.” Cynthia looked Dani up and down as she spoke. “Your hair is not bad, but your figure is less than fashionable. Your taste in clothes runs more to boys’ hand-me-downs than to anything attractive. Perhaps you’re worth a used truck.”

  Stunned by the vicious attack, Dani just stood there for a moment unable to comprehend the other woman’s contempt. Her own rising anger came to her rescue, and when she spoke, it was with barely restrained fury. She had a very vivid memory of her last conversation with Cynthia.

  “I bought this truck myself. As for my relationship with Burke, it’s none of your business.” Dani slammed the passenger door shut and just glared at the other woman.

  “Little Miss Innocent, aren’t you,” Cynthia mocked. “I know for a fact that Burke took several thousand dollars out of the bank. Then, presto, you have a truck.”

  Dani’s face paled, and her mouth dropped open. She was shocked by Cynthia’s knowledge of Burke’s finances, and in her anger, she spoke hastily. “Not that it’s any of your business, but it’s a private loan.”

  Dani groaned inwardly even as the words left her mouth. She didn’t know why she allowed Cynthia to goad her into defending herself. Because Cynthia’s father was the bank president, Dani knew that the other woman would have no problem getting information that she shouldn’t have access to. In fact, Dani had seen several of the male employee’s at the bank vie for Cynthia’s attention. Any one of them would give her the information she wanted if she flattered them and flirted with them.

  “I’ll bet. What did you put up for collateral?” The look she gave Dani was intended to leave no room for doubt. “If I were you, I would have gotten a new truck, and I wouldn’t even have had to sleep with him to do it. But then you don’t have as much to offer as I do.”

  Dani’s whole body was rigid. Her fists were clenched at her sides, and she knew she had to get away before she was tempted to use them on the other woman. Dani ignored Cynthia as she stalked around the back of the truck to the driver’s side, not wanting to pass in front of Cynthia, who was leaning casually on the hood. All Dani wanted to do was to get in and drive away.

  Realizing she was about to lose her audience, Cynthia straightened up and casually flicked her artfully styled hair over her shoulder. Smiling, she let loose with her final piece of malicious gossip. “Well, I suppose you can understand why a man like Burke would play games with you. He’s just slumming for fun. When he’s ready, he’ll come back to his own kind of people and back to me.” She laughed and played with a long gold chain that hung around her neck, running it back and forth between her fingers as Dani came to an abrupt halt.

  Dani said nothing. She waited like a cornered animal, knowing instinctively that Cynthia was coming in for the final kill. Dani wanted to run, but she was rooted to the ground, waiting for whatever blow the other woman was ready to send her way.

  “After all,” Cynthia gloated. “A man as rich as Burke Black will naturally be drawn back to people in his own class as soon as he’s fully recovered from his accident.”

  “What do you mean, rich?” Dani asked, unable to stop herself.

  “Why, he’s worth millions. Why, surely you knew.” The sultry blonde sauntered over to where Dani was clutching the door handle. “I didn’t know, but Daddy recognized his name immediately. Daddy’s been away a lot on business since Christmas, so he didn’t even know Burke was here until I mentioned it to him. Daddy says it’s obvious that he doesn’t want anyone here to know that he’s an international business tycoon. That way he can indulge in a little cheap R&R.” Cynthia patted Dani’s arm sympathetically.

  “I understand now why he only took me out once,” Cynthia continued in a condescending tone. “He didn’t want to link his name to mine until he was ready to return to business and his real life. When he does, he’ll need a woman in his own class. He knows that I won’t mind his little indiscretion with you. After all, it doesn’t really mean anything to him.” She gave Dani’s arm a final pat. “You understand how these things are, don’t you? Men can be pigs sometimes, but when they’re that rich, you just have to forgive them.”

  Hooking her purse over her shoulder, she gave Dani a parting smile. “Well, I really must be going. I have to buy a new dress. Daddy says we’ll throw a party for Burke when he’s ready, and I’ll need something new to wear.” With that she turned and sauntered off, a spiteful smile on her face.

  Dani gripped the door handle so tight her hand was white. She didn’t know how long she stood there until a horn sounded next to her. She automatically waved at Jessie as she drove by. Forcing herself to open the door, Dani climbed inside the truck.

  She took a deep breath and then another. Then denial rose up in her. Cynthia had to be lying. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. All Dani had to do was find Burke. There had to be some explanation. Cynthia was lying. She had to find Burke.

  She repeated those two things over and over as she carefully drove home. Slowly, she unloaded the groceries into the house and put them all away. She made herself a cup of tea and sat at the kitchen table to wait. There had to be an explanation. All she had to do was wait.

  …

  Burke felt better than he had in a long time. His leg was getting stronger and he was more relaxed than he’d been in years. He found himself humming one of Dani’s favorite country songs as he opened the back door to her house. He didn’t even bother to knock anymore. He felt like he belonged here.

  “Dani, where are you, honey?” Burke called.

  “Right here.” Dani stood motionless in the kitchen door.

  Burke heard the flat, lifeless tone of her voice and knew that something was wrong. He quickly crossed the kitchen and took her in his arms.

  “What’s wrong? Are you all right? Are the boys okay?” It took her a moment to answer, and Burke found the muscles in his body tensing, preparing for action, the longer it took.

  “I’m really not sure if I’m okay or not. I had an unexpected chat with someone today and I was told some things that upset me.” Her eyes begged him for reassurance.

  “Tell me who it was.”

  “Cynthia James.”

  Disgust filled him at the mention of the other woman. “What did she want?”

  Dani watched him carefully as if she was looking for some kind of response from him. It was hard, but he waited patiently for Dani’s reply, holding her gently in his arms, silently encouraging her to confide in him.

  “She had some story about you being a millionaire, and that you were just slumming with me and my family while you recovered from your accident, and that when you were ready to return to your life, you’d just dump me and leave.” She said it all in one breath, as if afraid she would lose her nerve if she stopped for even a second.

  Burke was aware the Dani had gone very still in his arms. He could hear the fear in her voice as she spoke.

  “Tell me she lied, Burke. Please.”

  He knew that the time had come to tell Dani the truth. He would have preferred to do it in his own time, but he no longer had that luxury.

  “Dani, I care for you very much. You know that.” He rubbed his hands up and down her back as he spoke, wanting to reassure her that everything would be okay. “I am trying to build a new life, and I have no intention of going back to my old one.”

  “But?” He could see the apprehension in her eyes before she glanced away.

  “But I really do have a great deal of money. But that doesn’t make any difference to u
s and how we feel about each other.” He watched her carefully, uncertain as to how she would react.

  When she wouldn’t look at him, Burke took her chin in his hand and tilted it slightly upward until he looked at him. He locked his eyes on hers, willing her to believe him. “It doesn’t make any difference to us.”

  Shock was plain on her face as she held onto the one fact that seemed to bother her the most. “You lied to me.”

  “No,” Burke countered. “You knew that I’d had a successful business. You just didn’t know how profitable. Why does it matter? We’re still the same people.”

  “Why did you lie to me?” He could see the hurt look in her eyes as she continued. “Did you think I was some little gold-digger after your money?”

  Burke pulled away and stared at her, the disbelief plain in his eyes. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

  “I don’t know what to believe. It seems as if Cynthia knows things about you that I don’t.” She blinked hard, obviously trying to fight back the tears that welled up in her eyes. “What else don’t I know, Burke?”

  “You know everything important about me. I don’t see what difference my bank balance makes.” All he wanted to do was dry Dani’s tears, but he forced himself to release her and take a step back. His growing anger warred with his need to comfort her. “Maybe it’s me who doesn’t really know you.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Dani snapped back. “You’re the one who lied to me.”

  “Just what I said,” Burke replied. He felt his anger and disappointment disappear behind a layer of calm control. He couldn’t believe that Dani would think the worst of him after all they had been through together. Opening himself up emotionally to another person had been a mistake. One it was time to fix.

  “Obviously, how much money I have makes a difference to you. If I were poor, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. You’re afraid of the fact I have money.” Burke was warmed up now and all his bitter resentment spilled out as he just kept on going. “I thought we were building a relationship, but you’re willing to believe the worst of me out of the mouth of a woman who is nothing but a troublemaker. You’d believe her over me.”

  “But you lied to me,” Dani stood with her arms crossed defensively across her chest.

  Burke rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “No,” he replied wearily, “I just didn’t give you the bottom line of my bank account. I’m tired of trying to prove myself to you, Dani. What it comes down to is you still don’t trust me, and I don’t know what else I can do to make you believe in me.”

  “I did trust you, but you hid part of yourself from me.” She trembled visibly now. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Part of Burke wanted to take Dani in his arms and comfort her, and the other part of him just wanted to leave, to protect himself from further hurt. “And that’s the problem. You have to decide if you trust me or not, because I’m through trying to prove myself. I don’t want a woman who doesn’t trust me. One who’ll believe the worst about me.” His voice was much calmer than he felt. “No, Dani, I don’t want that at all.”

  “You don’t make it easy.” She looked more confused than ever. “You say that the money doesn’t change our relationship, but it evidently meant enough to you to hide it from me. You say this is about trust, but you didn’t trust me not to want your money more than you.”

  Her statement hit him hard, because he knew it held an element of truth. He ignored that little voice that said she might have a point and went on the offensive. “You have to decide, Dani. You either trust me or you don’t. And while you’re deciding that, I have to decide if I want to be with a woman who would be so quick to condemn me and believe the worst about me. If you were looking for an excuse to end our relationship, then you’ve just found it.”

  “I’ll be around for a while. You know where to find me.” Burke turned away and then stopped and fished a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Here’s the note for your loan. Consider it paid as a parting gift.”

  Carefully, he laid the piece of paper on the counter and quietly let himself out the back door. He no longer felt as if he belonged there. Maybe it had always been an illusion.

  …

  Dani stood there staring at the closed door. What had just happened? Both of them had professed the need to have the other trust them, but neither one had been willing to trust. She had every right to be mad at Burke for finding out about his financial situation from Cynthia. But, on the other hand, he hadn’t really lied; it had been more of an omission. But she felt that he did, however, owe her some explanation as to his actions.

  Had she accused him of thinking she was a gold-digger because deep down she still didn’t trust him not to hurt her? Was this her way of hurting him? She just didn’t know. She did know that she shouldn’t have let him go. They needed to talk things out calmly, not fight. Dani raced to the front door to stop Burke, but she was too late. She watched the truck turn the corner at the end of the street, unable to stop it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Burke slammed the front door of the cabin behind him. His movements jerky, he pulled off his coat and boats and stomped toward the kitchen. How dare Dani accuse him of lying to her! Yanking open the refrigerator door, he grabbed a beer, popped the top, and took a swallow. He swiped at his mouth as he stalked back to the living room. Slumping on the sofa, he took another pull on the beer bottle before he laid it on the coffee table in front of him.

  The anger that had filled him slowly seeped from him as the ramifications of their fight hit him. Were he and Dani finished? He should never have left. He had allowed his own anger to make him act before he thought. But what else was he supposed to do? Dani had hurt him more than he thought he could ever be hurt. He had thought that his money wouldn’t matter, but it had. Just not in the way he had assumed it would.

  Burke wallowed for five whole minutes on the sofa before he got up and went over to the dining table where he had his laptop computer set up. He turned on the machine and pulled up a chair in front of it. There was nothing he could do until Dani had a chance to calm down. They both needed time to think. In the meantime, he would do what he always did when life had disappointed him. He would work. If he worked long enough and hard enough, maybe then some of the pain would go away.

  …

  The pounding on his door roused Burke from in front of his computer. He had no idea what time it was, but it was dark outside. Automatically, he saved what he was working on. Someone pounded on the door again. His heart leapt as his head cleared. Maybe it was Dani. He hurried across the room and flung the door open. His heart sank.

  “Come on in, Patrick.” Stepping back, he motioned the other man inside.

  Patrick slowly entered the cabin. His hands were jammed in his coat pockets, and Burke appreciated the fact that the younger man kept them there, even though the scowl on his face made it obvious that Patrick was very angry.

  “I’m trying to keep an open mind about this, but Dani is obviously very upset about something, and she’s not talking to me. You know anything about that?”

  Burke sighed, knowing he had to deal with Patrick when he’d rather just lose himself in his work. “Sit down, and I’ll get us something to drink.”

  Burke went to the kitchen, rummaged through the refrigerator, and grabbed a couple of sodas before going back into the living room. Although he felt like he could use another beer, it was probably better for both of them that he keep his wits about him.

  Patrick had removed his jacket and slung it across the back of the sofa, but he hadn’t sat down. Instead he paced back and forth across the short length of the room. Burke noted that Patrick’s hands were fisted and swung by his sides as he paced.

  The younger man glared at Burke as he laid one of the sodas on the table. Burke ignored him and took his time opening the can of drink and settling himself into the comfortable rocking chair.

  “Will you tell me what’s going on?” Patrick demanded. He
stopped pacing and faced Burke. His whole body was rigid with anger.

  “I have money.” Burke watched Patrick, waiting for his response.

  “So?” His hands reached out and gripped the back of the sofa as he leaned closer to Burke.

  “So, that’s what Dani is upset about.”

  “There has to be more to it than that.”

  “That’s the bottom line. I have money, Dani accused me of thinking she’s a gold-digger, and now she doesn’t trust me.” Burke closed his eyes for a moment and leaned back in the chair. It hurt just to think about it all over again. He opened his tired eyes and took pity on the younger man. “Sit down, Patrick.”

  Patrick looked totally confused as he slowly took a seat. “Let me get this straight. Dani’s mad because she found out you have money. Why didn’t you just tell her yourself?”

  “At first, I was afraid to tell her because a lot of women like me for that very reason. After I got to know Dani, I knew that it wouldn’t matter to her.” Burke’s laugh was without humor. “At least I thought it wouldn’t matter.”

  “So how did she find out?” Patrick finally picked up the soda from the table and took a drink.

  “Cynthia James apparently found out and told Dani.”

  “Oh geez, Burke. Another woman told her.” Sitting forward, he shook his head in disgust. “That’s the worst way she could have found out.”

  Patrick was silent for a few moments, and Burke said nothing, giving the younger man the time he needed to pull his thoughts together.

  “You see, Dani is insecure when it comes to relationships. She can do anything in business with confidence, but she never dated before you, and this thing today shook her confidence. If she means anything to you, give her some time.” Patrick reached over and grasped Burke’s arm. “She’ll think about it and come around. She loves you, and that’s why this hurt her so much.”