Harlequin Superromance November 2014 - Box Set 2 of 2: Christmas at the CoveNavy ChristmasUntil She Met Daniel

by Rachel Brimble

  “You know the ‘activity’ was...as good as it gets,” he admitted.

  “Isn’t there a movie by that title?”

  He let out a breath. “I think so.”

  “Well, I agree. It was awfully good.”

  “You sound surprised.”

  Mandy smoothed her hair. “Not at all. You already proved you were skilled in the kissing department.”

  “That shouldn’t have happened, either.”

  “But that was in my office, not yours. Well, and in the kitchen.”

  “Hell, none of this should have happened,” Daniel exploded. “And it especially shouldn’t have happened here at work.”

  “Technically it’s after work. You’re just being stuffy again.”

  He glared. “It isn’t stuffy to recognize when something isn’t appropriate. I don’t know what I was thinking. You’ve scrambled my brain.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t cast me as a Delilah. I may have an overly developed sense of responsibility, but it seems to me there were two people in this room and I wasn’t the one who made the first move.”

  “That isn’t what I meant.”

  “Then what do you mean? And please tell me in tiny little words, so I’ll be sure to understand.”

  Sheesh, she was impossible. She had him thinking and talking in circles, yet the recognition didn’t keep him from wanting to take her to bed for a month and explore every inch of her peach-tinted skin.

  “On second thought, never mind,” Mandy said. “Not interested. I’m going home.” She got up, unlocked the latch and left the office, closing the door smartly behind her.

  Daniel groaned. He’d slipped over the line with Mandy, but he couldn’t do it again.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  MANDY DROVE HOME, her body zinging with the aftermath of pleasure, even while her brain fumed.

  So, Daniel didn’t want it to happen again. Any of it.

  And as much as she hated admitting it, he was probably right. Life was getting more and more complicated—it was impossible to relax anymore. Her comfortable world in Willow’s Eve had almost completely dissolved. That pigheaded, annoying city manager kept slipping into her thoughts no matter where she was...even when she was asleep. Just the other night she’d woken up, almost certain he was in bed next to her, the dream had been so real. Except now their encounter in his office made her dreams look wimpy.

  The next morning, Mandy headed for City Hall determined to be cool and sophisticated about the whole thing. Basically, to pretend nothing had occurred. And she was not, repeat, not going to speculate on whether Daniel had restocked the condom in his wallet...except she obviously was already wondering about it. But she didn’t have to linger over the image or try to decide if it meant anything.

  Those thoughts took an abrupt detour when she got to the Senior Center. Joyce was there, sitting at a card table with Lou Ella on one side and Samantha on the other. She looked up when Mandy came into the parlor.

  “Mandy,” the little girl cried. She slid from her chair and ran across the room for a hug.

  “Hey, Sam,” Mandy said. “How come you aren’t in class?”

  “It’s some sort of in-service training day,” Joyce explained. “I’d forgotten about it until we got to the school and nobody was there. Lou Ella and I had plans to meet down here this morning, so I brought her along.”

  “We always have kids whenever there’s a holiday or other school break.”

  Samantha smiled happily. “I like it here.”

  Mandy wasn’t surprised. Most of the people at the Senior Center liked children and enjoyed having them around since their own grandchildren usually lived at a distance. “Great. Do you want to be an assistant Senior Center director for a while?”

  “Ab—solutely.”

  “That’s terrific. Come on, we can redecorate the bulletin board. There’s a box of stuff we can use, and if it doesn’t have what we need, we’ll make more.”

  The next hour was fun as Sam pored over the items in the box. She didn’t like the available turkeys or pilgrims, so she and Mandy studied seasonal images in a clip art program. Eventually, the little girl decided she liked autumn leaves the best, so they printed out a nice selection.

  As Sam cut out the leaf-shaped forms, Mandy was impressed by her dexterity. Many six-year-olds might have done a choppy job, but Sam concentrated and took her time.

  By midmorning, Samantha was fastening leaves to the lower part of the bulletin board, while Mandy put them above where Sam couldn’t reach, the youngster solemnly directing the location of each piece of decor. Daniel walked by and stopped.

  “Hi, Daddy,” Sam said as she arranged some leaves so they extended past the edge of the frame.

  “What are you doing here, pumpkin?”

  “Grandma brought me ’cause we aren’t having school today. I’m the ’sistant seniors director.”

  His lips quirked into an affectionate smile. “That’s great, honey. Nice to know you’re already a career woman.”

  “Uh-huh. I have to go, Daddy.” Sam handed the stapler to Mandy. “I’m going to help in the kitchen now. Mrs. Barker needs me to butter the garlic bread.”

  Mandy took a deep breath, knowing this was the first test of her resolve to act as if nothing significant had happened between her and Daniel.

  “Sam is amazing,” she said when they were alone. “So articulate. At her age, it seems as if most kids are trying to stay inside the lines, but look at the artistic way she scattered the leaves on the board.”

  “Art is one of her favorite things.”

  Mandy smiled brightly. “Since she’s having lunch with the seniors today, would you like to join us?”

  “I...sure. Listen,” he continued in a low voice. “I handled things badly last night. We should talk, so we can clear the air and—”

  “No, we shouldn’t,” Mandy interrupted. She wheeled away, went down the hallway and into her office, only to find that Daniel had followed. He closed the door and fixed her with an intense gaze.

  “Okay,” he said. “We don’t have to discuss it. But on the water issue, I thought you’d like to know I called the universities in Sacramento and Davis earlier this morning. They’ll have someone get back to me if there’s interest in doing a research project up here. I’ll give other schools a try, as well.”

  “How about Berkeley?” she suggested. “It’s a high-profile university and a study from there might carry a lot of weight, though UC Davis does have a strong department in environmental studies. But the thing about Berkeley is that Evan Russell is a student there and he might help get a professor interested. Oh, on second thought, maybe not. He doesn’t know what’s been going on...between his parents, I mean.”

  “I’ll give the school a call, without bringing Evan into it. Along with San Francisco State and Stanford. One of them should have a class that’s looking for a field project. I also thought about checking around to see if anyone is willing to house students while they’re doing a study. Being able to offer free lodging might help get a professor interested.”

  “Except it could divide the community even more,” Mandy said worriedly. “Anyone housing the students would look as if they support building a new reservoir.”

  “That’s an excellent point. I’ll think about it some more. See you at lunch.”

  “Right. Have a good morning.”

  She held her head high and didn’t watch as he walked away. That was how grown-ups handled things. Of course, an adult wasn’t supposed to accidentally have sex with a guy with whom she had no future, and didn’t want a future with in the first place.

  Accidentally. As if they’d fallen off a sidewalk curb?

  Something approaching a giggle escaped her.

  “Mandy?” Samantha said, skipping through the
door. “Mrs. Barker wants to know if we should have some bread without garlic.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Mandy said. “Not everyone enjoys it and a few can’t eat fresh garlic.”

  “I’ll tell her.” Samantha hurried out with an air of importance.

  Mandy sympathized with Daniel’s daughter. Samantha was a sweet kid and she seemed to be facing some of the same issues that had bothered Mandy herself as a child. How was it that some mothers could relate to their daughters only when the daughter was just like the mom?

  She reminded herself that if she couldn’t resolve the problems in her own family, she sure couldn’t do anything about the ones in another. And if she tried and failed, she’d just feel worse. But liking Sam didn’t mean Mandy had to like Daniel. She’d rather not see anything admirable about him...such as his intelligence or how much he loved his little girl, or the fact he actually did have a sense of humor—it might be rusty, but he definitely had potential.

  And as much as she wanted to see him as insensitive, he had recognized times when she was upset or restless.

  No, she didn’t need to dwell on any of those things. It was hard enough finding him so attractive that her body was screaming for a repeat of the previous night. She definitely didn’t need to feel anything deeper for the man.... That was a guaranteed broken heart.

  * * *

  CAREFULLY, DANIEL STRAIGHTENED the items on his desk, unwillingly recalling how they’d gotten scattered the night before. Some professional he was, having sex in his office.

  With all his might, he almost managed to concentrate for the rest of the morning. Then at noon, a soft tap came on his door.

  “Come in,” he called.

  It was Samantha. “Time for lunch, Daddy.”

  He let her grab his hand and lead him into the dining hall. With a swift glance around the room, he saw that some other children were there, as well. No doubt more than one senior was providing child care during the school’s day off.

  “Come on, Daddy,” Samantha said. “We’re going to eat with Mandy.”

  He smiled stiffly and nodded.

  Before giving the go-ahead for serving the food, Mandy rapped a spoon against a glass to get attention. When the chatter quieted, she bent and whispered to Samantha, who smiled and nodded before climbing onto a chair.

  “The fire department ’xilary is selling a calendar for ten dollars,” Samantha announced. “There’s a pile of them in the parlor and a box for the money. Oh, and the plain bread is on the left, and garlic bread is on the right.”

  There were smiles and scattered applause around the room while Samantha jumped off the chair and ran to Daniel’s side. “Did I do it good?”

  “You did great, honey.” He pulled his wallet out, removed a ten-dollar bill and handed it to her. “Go get me one of those calendars before we eat.”

  Mandy gave her a thumbs-up, while Samantha giggled and ran out of the dining hall.

  “They make a great calendar every year,” Mandy murmured. “It’ll look terrific on your office wall with that beautiful male flesh.”

  Daniel choked and coffee sprayed out of his mouth. “My God, you mean it’s one of those—” He stopped, glanced around to be sure no one was close. “It’s that type of, uh... Lord, and I sent my daughter to buy one. Who is on it?”

  Then he saw Mandy’s grin.

  “You’re an easy mark,” she said.

  “And you’re impossible.”

  Samantha came trotting back into the room, and handed him the calendar. He thumbed through it and saw well-photographed scenes of the area.

  “What about that other stuff you mentioned?” he asked Mandy with a grin.

  “There,” she said, pointing at a photo of a gnarled old man sitting on a Victorian farmhouse porch, a golden retriever resting its head upon his knee. “That’s Bill Saunders and his dog, Mitch, both male as promised.”

  “He’s the oldest man in Willow’s Eve,” Samantha said. “He told Mandy that when she took the picture.” Her eyes opened wide. “He’s a hundred and two. I guess that’s pretty old.”

  One of the volunteers called for Mandy’s help at the serving table, and Samantha happily trailed after her. Daniel noted the other kids in the room seemed to bounce off Mandy, as well.

  Alongside the others, Daniel went through the food line with Samantha and they returned to the table with their plates. The first mouthful of chicken Parmesan was delicious, but his appetite vanished when one of the volunteers sat next to him and asked how things were progressing on the water issue.

  Daniel swallowed his bite of salad. “The town is still a long way from making any decisions.”

  “Now, Pete, remember that we declared mealtime off-limits for that subject,” Mandy lectured sternly as she sat down with a plate of her own. “We had to, everyone was getting indigestion.”

  “Sorry,” Pete apologized meekly. “Maybe we should discuss fishing. Daniel, if you haven’t found a good hole around here, I’m your man.”

  Mandy nodded. “That’s true.”

  “What do you like best?” Pete asked. “Bass, trout? Or do you prefer salt water?”

  “I’m afraid I’ve never gone fishing,” Daniel confessed.

  “Hell, son, you’ve missed out.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “What did you and your dad do together when you were growing up?” Pete made it sound as if fishing was the only father-son activity imaginable.

  “Not much, a few ball games on television,” Daniel answered carefully. “What sort of fishing do you prefer?”

  “Trout. There’s nothing that beats fly-fishing.”

  A few questions kept the fisherman’s stream of stories coming.

  Daniel stood as the meal ended. “Terrific food, folks,” he said. “Pete, you’ve made me wonder what I missed as a kid.”

  “You get your old man up here and we’ll make up for lost time.”

  “Sounds good,” he answered more stiffly than he intended.

  He shook hands with the other man, dropped a kiss on his daughter’s forehead and waved at Joyce, who was sitting at another table with some of her new friends. Back in his office, he sank into his office chair, his head throbbing.

  Mandy’s rapid knocks came a few minutes later. “You okay?” she asked, closing the door behind her.

  “Why would you ask?”

  “I don’t know. Just a feeling.”

  “I’m fine.” He gritted out his answer.

  “Yeah, that’s why you’re chewing your words before spitting them out of your mouth.”

  “Mandy...”

  “You got all uptight as soon as Pete started talking about fishing, or was it the mention of your father that started it?”

  Damn, she was perceptive.

  “I noticed something,” she continued. “At your house, you’ve got pictures of Sam and there’s some of Joyce, but none of your parents. Not that I’m judging. I don’t have any of my parents, either. I don’t need ‘Disapproval, Incorporated,’ hanging on my walls.”

  “Disapproval?” he asked, hoping to divert her attention. He did not want to discuss his family background today.

  “Like I’ve said, they’re college professors and extremely set in their ways. I was supposed to follow in their footsteps, or at minimum fit in with their world. Too bad. I guess they’re the ‘Hokey Pokey’ and I’m ‘Puff the Magic Dragon.’ Or maybe I’m like Jackie Paper, going off for adventures with Puff.”

  “Well, Jackie Paper, I’d better get to work.”

  “And besides, you don’t want to talk about your parents. Don’t worry, I can take the hint.”

  As the door closed, Daniel couldn’t help chuckling. Despite her scatterbrained manner, Mandy Colson was as sharp as they came.

 
He glanced at the fire station’s calendar and saw Mandy was listed as a member of the auxiliary. Naturally. For a will-o’-the-wisp, Mandy was deeply involved with the community. Daniel found it hard to fathom. He was trying not to get too involved, avoiding anything that would make it harder to look for another position at the end of his contract. But Mandy didn’t seem to have any trouble leaving a place, no matter what ties she’d made—her history made that clear.

  His lingering smile faded.

  Mandy was smart and funny and turned him inside out with her sweet, passionate ways. He even understood now why she moved from place to place. But he had to be more careful and remember Samantha could get hurt if he let the wrong person into their lives...and so could he.

  * * *

  A FEW DAYS later, Daniel took Samantha to school and waved as she hurried to join a group of her friends. He was grateful for the changes in his daughter since coming to Willow’s Eve. She’d grown much more confident, and despite the inevitable difficulties of being a newcomer in the school, she had made friends and seemed happy in a way she hadn’t in the past.

  Of course, being hundreds of miles away meant Samantha didn’t have as many reminders of her mother’s disinterest, though Celia was managing to call occasionally. In an odd way, she was giving Samantha more time now than when they were living in the same metropolitan area.

  Joyce had told him she’d had a long talk with Celia on Samantha’s birthday, and that Celia was genuinely nervous about having a second child, especially if it turned out to be a daughter. It was similar to what Mandy had thought from the little she’d overheard the day of the party.

  Daniel frowned.

  He didn’t hate Celia, though it would be hard to forgive the way she’d neglected their daughter. And it was difficult for him to imagine her being concerned about anything except her next spa appointment. Still, it was possible she had a flicker of maternal instincts, enough to see that she’d failed Samantha, and didn’t want to fail another child, as well.