A sick feeling of unease settled in his gut as he realized he wouldn’t be waltzing in and rescuing his sister’s child from an unfit, uncaring environment. Certain he needed to rethink and devise a new approach, he turned to leave when a light touch on his arm stopped him.
“You’re here!” a female voice said.
He turned to see an attractive woman wearing a bright red kimono with long black hair flowing over her shoulders. Her outfit was unique and inexplicable. Where he came from, women dressed in designer dresses and suits. He didn’t know what to make of the middle-aged geisha woman appraising him with frank, interested green eyes that made him squirm.
“I’m Elena Costas.” She treated him to a welcoming smile. “You must be the new man from Social Services. I know our caseworker is on vacation but she promised she’d send someone in her place to wish Sam a happy birthday—which you can do in a minute. Please, first come and meet my husband.”
A hint of Greek accented her speech and she spoke quickly without taking a breath, giving him no time to insert a word until she’d finished.
He wasn’t the man from Social Services and it was best she knew it up front. “I think you’re confusing me—”
Ignoring his protest, she grabbed his hand, pulling him farther into the crowd.
He groaned aloud but resigned himself to going along. Short of digging in his heels, nothing would stop this determined woman, but that didn’t ease his sense of guilt. Trained by his parents, Ryan typically behaved above reproach. He preferred not to lie or cheat, but this woman had presented him with an opportunity. If Sam’s foster family thought he was a social worker, they wouldn’t turn him away.
Besides, he had no idea how Sam would react to him showing up in her life and he appreciated the chance to observe his niece and figure out a plan that would benefit them both. He assuaged his conscience by promising himself he’d correct the false assumption before any real damage was done.
Unfortunately they didn’t get far before they were stopped again.
“Halt,” demanded a beautiful woman, a younger version of the one holding his hand.
Ryan couldn’t help but stare. Her silky black hair twisted around shoulders bared by a lime-green halter top tucked into a pair of faded jeans. The shirt’s bright color complemented her Mediterranean skin tone, which glowed beneath the afternoon sun. She completely entranced him.
The older woman he’d begun to think of as a tornado came to a stop and uttered a few words in Greek to her that he didn’t understand before switching to perfect English.
“Zoe, this man is the replacement from Social Services, so make nice. I want him to meet your papa. Have you seen him?”
“He’s inside getting the cake.” She gestured toward the house. “Mama, why don’t you go round up Sam and her friends and get ready to sing?”
She possessed a deep voice that reminded him of hot sex and he felt himself begin to sweat beneath the afternoon sun.
Her mother nodded. “I forgot to defrost the cake so I hope your father remembers to bring hot water to dip the knife. And your aunt Kassie better behave because you know how badly she wanted to bake the cake. But we had to please Sam on her special day.” She glanced at Ryan and smiled broadly. “Carvel is Sam’s favorite. Do you like ice-cream cake, Mr.…?”
“Baldwin. Ryan Baldwin.” His head was already spinning from his dealings with Elena Costas and he opted to use his real name for fear he’d confuse himself otherwise. With his sister’s myriad name changes, he had no fear they’d connect him to Sara Morgan, Faith’s last known name.
He forced a comfortable smile. “I love cake, especially Carvel.”
“Then let’s do it so we can get to the gifts. I can’t wait for Sam to see what we bought for her,” Elena said.
“Maybe we should wait until tonight when we’re alone.” Zoe shot a pointed glance at Ryan.
Her mother shook her head. “Nonsense. Mr. Baldwin seems like the kind of man who’d want a young girl to be happy. I’m right, yes?” she asked.
“Uh, of course.” But he wondered what kind of gift Sam would be receiving that had Zoe uncomfortable.
“You see?” Elena took his hand once more, grabbed Zoe and headed deeper into the yard.
They came to a stop by a picnic table and while Elena busied herself gathering the girls, Zoe turned to Ryan, her eyes intense and serious. “You’ll have to excuse my mother but she’s so excited about this party. She just adores Sam and wants everything to be perfect. You’ll like my family,” she assured Ryan, her need for his acceptance blatant.
In her mind, he was the social worker whose opinion would help determine whether they were an appropriate home for his niece. They needed to impress him. He needed for them to fail any inspection.
But as he observed her expressive face and the obvious pleasure she took in this entire day, he realized this was no act for a social worker. Zoe’s love for his niece was so real, he couldn’t help but like her for it.
“I’m sure I’ll like your family,” he told her. Even if what he’d seen so far showed him a carnival atmosphere he couldn’t possibly understand.
Zoe’s shoulders eased and she seemed to relax. “How’s Katherine’s mother? We were all so sorry to hear she couldn’t make it today because of her mother’s fall.”
Katherine must be the missing social worker, he realized, the moment of panic passing. “She’ll be okay.” He hoped he was telling the truth.
“Okay, cake time,” a male voice boomed through the loudspeakers. “Everyone gather.” He spoke slowly and with a more distinct accent than Zoe’s mother had possessed.
“Where’s Samantha?” Ryan asked, nerves jumbled together inside him.
“There,” Zoe said, pointing.
Ryan followed her direction and once again felt sure he was hallucinating. The monkey he’d seen earlier stood on the back of a large dog, balancing with ease. The animals came to a halt when a bald man carrying a huge ice-cream cake stepped forward. By his side walked a beautiful blond teenager, her hand tight in the crook of his elbow.
“Faith,” he said aloud.
“Sam. That’s my soon-to-be sister, Samantha,” Zoe said with pride. “Of course we already think of her as part of the family,” she quickly assured him.
He nodded but couldn’t speak any more than he could take his eyes off the girl who was the spitting image of his sister. At fourteen, Sam was three years younger than Faith had been at the time she’d run away. Sam possessed the same long, blond hair and similar features, with one marked difference. Where Faith had been morose, constrained by their conservative family’s demands and expectations, Sam appeared vibrant, happy and full of life.
He swallowed over the lump in his throat. “She’s a beautiful child.”
“Yes, she is. I’m sure the picture in Social Services files doesn’t do her justice,” Zoe said.
He muttered a noncommittal reply.
Their conversation ended when the “Happy Birthday” song began. The monkey blew out the candles before Sam could get to them. Laughing, she gave the animal a high five and in turn the monkey blew her a raspberry and then shot her a huge grin followed by a kiss.
The routine seemed practiced. “It seems like she knows the monkey,” he said, wondering if he sounded as stupid as he felt.
“She does,” Zoe said, unfazed. “Spank lived here for a while.”
“Spank?”
“The monkey.” Zoe rolled her eyes. “Please don’t ask, okay? She’s gone. She lives with her trainer and we’re not violating any laws or rules and we would never, ever put Sam or any other child in danger.” Zoe’s once self-confident voice took on a pleading tone as she obviously realized she’d slipped with her admission.
Once more, he sought to reassure her. “I can see that you wouldn’t.” Unable to stop himself, he reached out and touched her hand.
The spark of awareness was instant and energizing. His gaze immediately flew to hers and in those green eyes,
he saw equal doses of surprise and pleasure.
He felt the same and knew he shouldn’t because of who he was. But he let his fingertips linger. Her skin was soft, the texture as intriguing as the woman herself. He’d never felt such instant desire. How ironic it would be with a woman he couldn’t allow himself to get close to.
She met his gaze and smiled, a full, honest, interested smile. Ryan didn’t find trouble often, but he’d found it with Zoe Costas.
“Do you want to meet Sam? See for yourself how happy she is with my parents?” Her voice was a touch hoarser than before. The desire and awareness between them might be unspoken but it was now a tangible thing.
He nodded. “I’d like to meet her.”
“Sam!” Zoe called and the girl came running.
Her eyes lit up as she reached Zoe. “Hey, sis. Having fun?”
Sis. He shuddered at the memory the word evoked and at the fact that his niece obviously already felt like part of the family.
“The best. I want you to meet someone.” Zoe gestured toward Ryan.
He straightened his shoulders, suddenly feeling stiff and uncomfortable as Sam looked him over from head to toe, then frowned. “I hope he’s not your boyfriend.” She wrinkled her nose in the disgust only a teenager could demonstrate.
Clearly he’d come up lacking. He tried not to let it bother him since she didn’t know him yet.
“Sam, that’s not nice,” Zoe chided. “And Mr. Baldwin happens to be Katherine’s replacement. He’s your social worker, not my boyfriend.”
“Oh, man, I’m sorry.” The young girl glanced down and began fingering old keys that dangled from a chain around her neck.
Scared? Chastised? He wasn’t sure but finally she looked up again, meeting his gaze.
“Hey, mister, I bet I can tell you where you got them shoes,” Sam said, her joke an obvious attempt at bravado in the face of her mistake.
He shot Zoe a questioning look.
She grinned, clearly amused but not giving away any of Sam’s secrets.
He shrugged. “Okay, I’ll play. Where’d I get my shoes?”
“You got ’em on your feet,” Sam said and burst into belly-aching laughter at her own joke.
He didn’t catch on immediately and when he did, he realized Zoe was laughing along with Sam.
Zoe shook her head and tried to control herself. Sam’s old, tired joke wasn’t what had her laughing but poor Ryan Baldwin and his blank, lost stare. She wondered if it was painful to be that uptight and straitlaced. Oh, well. As Sam’s new social worker, a couple of days with the Costas clan would cure him in no time.
She had to admit that his sandy-blond hair and brown eyes made for a darn cute package, despite that he was a social worker and by definition a stickler for rules. She reminded herself that he was a man who would no doubt make her feel strangled and constrained way more than even the safe house had done. Still, she found herself tempted to test the waters and wondered how he’d react if she reached out and pinched his—
“He’s got a stick up his butt—” Sam said in a stage whisper.
Ryan’s eyes opened in shock.
Zoe refrained from laughing and instead leveled Sam with a stern glare. Thankfully Sam got the message and gazed downward, appearing contrite for Ryan’s sake. Zoe knew she was probably anything but.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“That’s okay,” Ryan said.
“I’ve got to go talk to my friend Stacey,” Sam said.
Zoe nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Before leaving, Sam glanced at Ryan. “Nice meeting you, Mr. Baldwin. You’re gonna let me stay with Elena and Nicholas, right?”
Zoe’s heart clenched, not just at Sam’s plea but at her sudden polite tone. That wasn’t who Sam was and Zoe hated the anxiety and insecurity Sam was forced to live with every single day.
“Go have fun. Nobody’s making any decisions today.” Zoe ruffled the girl’s long hair, and after Sam had sped away, she turned to Ryan.
“If there’s anything you can do to speed this process along, it’ll be better for everyone, believe me. In the best interest of the child,” she said, parroting Katherine and everyone else in the government bureaucracy. “I mean since that’s what you’re all about, and we are what Sam wants…” Zoe trailed off as Ryan’s expression shut down.
Apparently she’d crossed the line. The Costas clan tended to do that too often. Pleasing the social worker and worrying about conforming to someone else’s standards was the one thing that had the entire family on edge. They were an out-of-the-box sort of group and nothing, not even adopting a child, could change that.
Thankfully Social Services had agreed to the foster placement and the past few months had been uneventful. Now if she could just get her mother to stall Sam’s birthday present until Ryan Baldwin left, she’d feel much better.
“I’m sorry. No more pushing. I promise. So, how about a tour of the house?” she asked with forced cheer, recalling that had been one of the first things the other social worker had requested.
He seemed to relax and even crack a smile. “Has anyone ever told you you’re just like your mother?”
She cocked her head to one side. “If you mean because I’m pushy, tend to ramble, and usually get what I want, then yeah, people do think my mother and I are alike.”
“I was thinking that you’re both like a tornado of sorts.” The corners of his eyes crinkled. “But I have to admit, you two can be somewhat refreshing.”
“That’s one way of putting it, and coming from someone more…How shall I put this delicately? Coming from someone more stuffy than I am, I think I’ll even consider it a compliment.”
He laughed at that, two dimples suddenly becoming evident. With his guard down and his smile genuine and unstrained, Zoe was struck again by how handsome he truly was. It was strange that she’d notice him at all, since a “suit” was the last kind of guy she’d normally be attracted to, but what the heck. The rush of adrenaline proved she wasn’t dead, as her mother accused her of being.
“I’d like to take that tour now,” he said, changing the subject back to business.
“Come.” Zoe grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the house.
She kept things light as she pointed out the spa and how it was completely separate from the house. Entrances on opposite sides of the property meant nobody could get in or out of the house from the spa. She showed him all the safety precautions they’d taken and couldn’t help but show her pride in the business her family had made a success in such a short time.
He asked questions and she answered. He even laughed a time or two at her jokes. And all the while, she couldn’t shake the heat his touch generated or the sense that his big hand had imprinted itself on her smaller one. She hadn’t liked the other social worker’s unexpected visits but she could get used to this guy hanging around.
They ended their tour in the kitchen and Zoe hopped up to sit on the counter. “So what do you think?”
He nodded in what seemed reluctant approval. “It’s a different setup but you’ve definitely made sure the family is separate and protected from spa guests. The cowbell was a unique touch.”
She rolled her eyes. It figured. Zoe had pointed out their high-tech protection, the video cameras and the alarm system and he’d focused on Elena’s personal method of insuring nobody entered the private part of the house unnoticed—a cowbell hanging over the door, virtually impossible to move or disable. She’d used the same technique on Zoe and Ari when they were younger to make sure neither sneaked out of the house or came in too late.
Zoe shrugged. “What can I say? Mom and Dad have got their own ways. But they did their job as parents and did it well.”
He strode closer. So close she smelled his rich, musky scent and a warm, tingling feeling arose in her chest.
“Your family is certainly different,” he said.
“I take it you’re from a more conservative bunch?” She laughed and yanked on hi
s tie playfully before remembering who he was. The social worker who would determine Sam’s fate.
She started to pull back but he touched her hand, stilling her movement, and his eyes locked on hers. The air around them grew heavy, pulsing with anticipatory awareness. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this drawn to a man on first meeting.
Zoe had a healthy sex life but not a love life. That description she reserved for soul mates, people like her parents, or Quinn and Ari. In fact, she reserved the description for many people, really, with the exception of herself. She didn’t know how people made a lifetime commitment and kept it. She hadn’t even been able to accomplish that with a job.
She understood these things about herself and though she accepted them, she was taking steps to lead a more adult life. Her sister’s marriage had made her realize it was time to make changes. Zoe supposed it was a good thing that love had never happened for her. One less decision she’d had to make and stick with, she thought wryly.
And since she was approaching her thirtieth birthday in a matter of days, she had long since stopped expecting love at all. Besides, she enjoyed her freedom too much to give it all up for one man.
She glanced at the good-looking man before her and realized that her sex life had been status quo for so long even this overwhelming chemistry came as a surprise. As a woman who liked excitement, she welcomed the rush of adrenaline in her veins and she had no trouble acting on their mutual attraction.
As long as she didn’t jeopardize Sam’s future in the process. Thankfully, the ringing of the telephone interrupted their prolonged silence and she reached for the phone. “Hello.”
“Elena?” a voice asked.
“No, this is Zoe.”
She gave Ryan an apologetic look and held up one finger, asking him to wait a minute while she took the call.
“It’s Katherine Farr, Samantha’s social worker,” the voice on the other end of the phone said. “I just wanted to apologize that neither myself nor my colleague could make it to Sam’s party today.”
Zoe narrowed her gaze. “But…”
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