No one was ever harmed by Dylan’s pranks. And he was usually the one who had to pay the price for cleaning up his messes. But his antics had worked. In Silver Glen High School, by the time Dylan reached his senior year, he was the most popular guy around, hands down. Mia had been an invisible nobody.
She finished the last bite of her lighter-than-air biscuit and pushed back from the table. “That was wonderful, Gertie. Thank you so much.”
“Glad you enjoyed it. Lunch will be ready at twelve-thirty, as long as Mr. Dylan makes it back from town. Anytime you need washing done for you or the baby, just drop it on the floor in the laundry room.”
“Oh, but I—”
Gertie held up a hand. “It’s my job. Your job is to look after the baby and the books. Don’t be tryin’ to wash dishes or mess around in my kitchen. This is my turf. And I’m going to make your life easier, because that’s what Mr. Dylan wants.”
Seven
Dylan had a good news/bad news kind of morning. On the upside, he had very good insurance. The financial hit wasn’t going to be too bad at all. But in the negative column was the fact that the contractor he wanted to do the renovation couldn’t start for three weeks. In other words, hurry up and wait.
He swallowed his impatience as best he could. Sooner or later the bar would reopen, and he was confident that his regulars would return. Nothing could be done about the lost business in the meantime.
When he was satisfied that he had taken care of the essential details to get the ball rolling with the adjustor and the repair work, he jumped in his truck and headed for home. Knowing that Mia and Cora would be there when he arrived was another item for the plus column.
He found his houseguests in the sunroom. Pausing in the doorway, he absorbed the picture they made. Mia was down on the carpet, stretched out on her side. Where her yellow top buttoned near her waist, one side of the fabric gaped, giving him a tantalizing glimpse of pale white skin. Cora lay on a fuzzy pink blanket, kicking her legs and rolling from side to side as Mia laughed softly. “It won’t be long, sweet pea.”
“Won’t be long until what?” Dylan strolled into the room and sprawled into his favorite recliner that just happened to be at Mia’s elbow.
She sat up and straightened her clothing, her cheeks flushed, either from playing with her daughter or because seeing Dylan flustered her. “Until she rolls over completely. The doctor says Cora’s at the top of the charts physically.”
“You may have an athlete on your hands.”
Mia shook her head. “Not if she has my genes. I was lucky that my high-school gym classes were pass/fail, or my grade point average would have suffered. I’ve been known to trip over my own feet.”
“That’s only because your super impressive brain is tied up with loftier matters.”
She gazed at him askance. “Are you making fun of me, Kavanagh?”
He reached down and tugged her ponytail. “Maybe. What are you going to do about it? I’m bigger and faster than you.”
She scooped Cora into her lap and nuzzled her head. “I like the grown-up Dylan.”
Her non sequitur caught him off guard. “What does that mean?” It sounded like a compliment, which made him suspicious. The Mia he had once known would never have been confident enough to flirt with a guy, even one she felt comfortable around.
“It means that I’m impressed with the man you’ve become. You’re not angry anymore. And not out to prove anything, at least I don’t think so. Some people would have been apoplectic after the fire yesterday, but you’ve handled it all so calmly.”
The praise made him oddly uncomfortable. “Believe me, Mia, I’m nothing special. I have the luxury of a safety net. Not everyone is so lucky. It’s not like I’m going to be destitute and on the street if the Silver Dollar goes belly-up.”
She frowned. “Do you think it will?”
“I hope not. The guy I trust to do the restoration can’t get to me until three weeks from now. Which means a long wait until I can reopen. But I’m pretty sure my regulars will come back.”
“I can’t imagine that they wouldn’t.” She glanced at her watch. “We’d better head for the kitchen. I don’t want to get my knuckles rapped with a ruler if we’re late for lunch. I think I’m scared of Gertie.”
“Her bark is worse than her bite.” He extended a hand and helped Mia to her feet. Cora yawned hugely, making him laugh. “Maybe I’m prejudiced, but she’s really cute. Did she sleep okay last night?” He had heard her only that one time, but he didn’t know how long the baby had stayed awake.
“So-so.”
“Do you mind if I carry her?”
Mia surrendered the baby without comment, walking ahead of him as they followed their noses to the appetizing aromas of Gertie’s handiwork. Dylan enjoyed the feel of the infant in his arms. The smell of baby shampoo brought back good memories from his childhood. Cora was still young enough that having a stranger hold her wasn’t alarming.
That first evening at the Silver Dollar, she had gone to him without protest, her big brown eyes and pink dimpled cheeks the epitome of a happy baby. Dylan wondered which, if any, of her anonymous male parent’s traits she had inherited. Dylan wasn’t sure where he stood on the whole nature/nurture thing. But his gut told him that what mattered most was the love a child received after birth.
In the kitchen, Gertie bustled about, shooing them to seats at the table and pouring iced tea and lemonade to go along with the home cooked vegetables.
Mia’s face lit up. “Food, real food. I’ve about had my fill of microwave dinners.”
Dylan sat down with Cora in his lap, scooting his silverware out of the way when the baby predictably reached for a fork. “You won’t go hungry while you’re under this roof. Gertie is so good she could be on one of those reality cooking shows.”
Gertie turned bright red. “Oh, hush, Dylan. You’re exaggerating.”
* * *
At that very moment, Mia realized that the housekeeper loved her boss like a son. It was cute actually. The woman obviously doted on Dylan, and he treated her with a mixture of respect and affection that was very sweet to watch. He would probably hate knowing Mia thought anything about him was sweet. He might not need to prove he was a bad boy anymore, but there was nothing overtly soft about him.
He exuded masculinity effortlessly. It was in the way he walked and in the breadth of his shoulders and in the low rumble of his laughter. This Dylan might be older and more sophisticated than the boy she had known in school, but beneath the skin he was still a rough-and-tumble guy.
With Dylan behind the bar at the Silver Dollar, there would be no need for a bouncer. He could probably corral a rowdy drunk with one sharp frown and a quick trip through the front door. Dylan had never initiated fights as a teenager, at least not that Mia remembered. But there was no doubt in her mind that he possessed the physical strength and agility to handle himself in any situation.
Back in high school, he had been on the wrestling squad for a little while. But though he was very good at the sport, he hadn’t seemed to enjoy it the way he did football and baseball. Dylan liked being part of a team and thrived on the camaraderie of the locker room. His leadership skills were apparent even then.
As Gertie refilled Mia’s glass, Mia wondered if the other two had noticed her silence. She had “checked out” for a few minutes thinking about Dylan. Somehow, he managed to clear his plate and have second helpings while still holding Cora in the crook of his left arm. The baby had actually fallen asleep.
Gertie cleared away the dishes and stopped at Dylan’s elbow. “I know you two have business to discuss. Miss Mia, what if I take the baby for a walk in the backyard? I promise I’ll keep her in the shade.”
Dylan looked at Mia inquiringly. “It’s up to you.”
Mia nodded. “Of course. If yo
u don’t mind. And please call me Mia.”
Gertie seemed pleased. Dylan handed Cora over to her so carefully that the baby never stirred. Mia realized ruefully that being spoiled was dangerously addictive. Suddenly, she had a beautiful, albeit temporary, home, and on top of that no need to cook or clean. She even had a built-in babysitter when needed. The change from desperate exhaustion to a return of her usual energy told her how much she had been struggling.
Once it was just the two of them in the kitchen, Mia cocked her head and smiled at Dylan. “You’re a natural with kids. Do you think you’ll want a big family someday? Another limb on the Kavanagh family tree?”
His face darkened and he got up from the table, turning his back on her as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “I don’t plan to have children.”
The words were curt. His tone of voice said not up for discussion. Mia, however, was so shocked she didn’t pause to consider dropping the subject. “Why not?”
The glance he shot her over his shoulder was stormy. “Because I might have a kid just like me. And I wouldn’t wish that on anybody. No kid deserves to feel stupid.”
The vehemence in his voice stunned her. “Is that why your engagement broke up? She wanted kids and you didn’t?”
He faced her now, nursing the mug in his big hands. His face was wiped clean of expression, but there was turmoil in his gaze. “Having kids never even came up. We didn’t get that far.”
“Sorry,” she muttered. Seeing the way he interacted with Cora told her that he would be a wonderful father.
He shrugged. “Anyone in town could fill you in on every titillating detail of my engagement and its ignominious end.”
“Forget it. I shouldn’t have asked. Why don’t we get started looking at the saloon books?”
“Not yet. Obviously you’re interested. And I’ve got nothing to hide. I fell for a cute blonde with a bubbly personality that nicely disguised a streak of ambition a mile wide.”
“There’s nothing wrong with having ambition.”
“True. But it’s not like I was planning to keep her barefoot and pregnant. The thing is, I was embarrassingly infatuated with her. Bought her a flashy engagement ring. Showered her with gifts. Maybe dating a movie star fed my ego, who knows?”
“I’m sure it was more than that.”
“I never have been able to decide if it was my heart or my pride that took a hit. Doesn’t really matter, though. She was here for three months filming a movie. When it was over, she had convinced herself that she loved the pace of life in Silver Glen, the sense of community and me.”
“But she didn’t.”
“Let’s just say that when her favorite director called with an offer for the role of a lifetime, she hit the road so fast I never saw it coming.”
“Surely you could have worked something out.”
“She didn’t want to. And in the end, that was probably for the best, because I belong in Silver Glen and she doesn’t. She gave the ring back, kissed me with a tearful apology and left.”
“I’m sorry, Dylan. That must have been a wretched time for you.”
“It’s worse in a small town. No place to hide.”
His crooked smile tugged at her heartstrings. Mia couldn’t imagine walking away from Dylan Kavanagh if he were in love with her. Clearly, the actress wanted success more than she wanted love. Or maybe she realized that whatever she and Dylan shared wasn’t love at all.
“I hope I didn’t bring back bad memories,” she said.
It surprised Mia a little bit that she still felt so comfortable around him. Much like catching up with a cousin you hadn’t seen in years, she and Dylan seemed to have picked up where they left off. But that analogy went only so far. There was nothing familial about her reaction to him.
“We all learn from our mistakes. Mine was a big one, but I’ve moved on.” He took a cautious sip of coffee. “What about you? Is there a romantic debacle in your past?”
She sat back in her chair, enjoying the picture he made. Despite the fact that he leaned against the counter by the kitchen sink, there was nothing domesticated about him. He was a natural with children, but he didn’t want any of his own. The knowledge made Mia sad.
The Kavanaghs had always seemed like a fairy-tale family to her. Despite the tragedy of losing Reggie Kavanagh, their close-knit relationships as they pulled together after his death fascinated an only child. As adults, the siblings probably had busy lives and didn’t see each other as often as they liked. Maybe there were even sibling rivalries that carried over into adulthood. But despite any possible tensions, Mia envied them.
“I wouldn’t call it a debacle,” she said. “I dated a professor for a while. We had a lot in common, but not much sizzle.”
One corner of Dylan’s mouth lifted in a sexy grin. “Why, Mia. I didn’t even realize you knew what sizzle was.”
“I’m neither a prude nor an innocent. Though I will concede that my sexual experience compared to yours is probably the equivalent of comparing miniature golf to a professional game.”
“Balls? Really? That’s the metaphor you’re going with?”
His wicked teasing shouldn’t have rattled her. But he’d always had the ability to throw her off-kilter. “Behave,” she muttered. “If you know how.” She stood and faced him. “Shouldn’t we get down to business?”
* * *
Dylan was somewhat perturbed that everything Mia said sounded sexual to him. She wasn’t doing it on purpose. At least he didn’t think so. Maybe having a woman sleeping in his house was not such a good idea. Too intimate. Too accessible. Too everything.
“The office is this way,” he said gruffly.
Fortunately she followed him down the hall without comment. Dylan’s home office opened off the corridor opposite the sunroom. He didn’t spend much time there. It was mostly a repository for business paperwork, because at the saloon his walled “cubicle,” as he liked to call it, was much too small to house file cabinets. This room had windows that let in the summer sun, and thick navy carpet that made a man want to go barefoot.
Today, however, he was the boss showing a new employee the ropes. As he glanced around the room, he felt his neck flush. The place was a wreck. He hadn’t realized how bad it looked. Picking up a stack of Sports Illustrated magazines, he shoved several bunches of mail on top of them, attempting to clear a spot where Mia could work.
“Sorry,” he said. He hadn’t realized what a mess the room had become. “It’s usually just me in here, so I don’t bother much with cleaning.”
Mia looked around with interest. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’re always busy down at the bar. But I’d be happy to take a shot at organizing things a bit...if you trust me.”
“Of course I trust you.” He picked up a flat package that he had already opened with a knife and handed it to her. “I bought this to get you started.”
Mia opened the carton and stared. “You got me a laptop?”
“It’s top-of-the-line. And I had the guy at the computer store move all the files from the desktop at the Silver Dollar onto this baby. Fortunately, I had already dealt with that last week, because I think the old computer sustained some water damage.”
Mia looked at the slim piece of technology with appreciation. “I’ve always wanted one so thin and light. Not that this one is mine, but it will be fun to use.”
He pulled out the leather desk chair. “Sit down. Fire it up.”
While he plugged in the power cord in case the unit wasn’t fully charged, Mia opened the new toy and turned it on. When he stood from his crouched position on the floor beside her chair, her fingers were flying over the keys. “It’s so fast,” she said, her voice laden with excitement.
Rolling his eyes, he wondered if she had forgotten his presence. Testing a theory, he leaned forward and
rested his forearms on the back of the chair. Now his head was close to hers, close enough that he could have kissed her cheek if he had been so inclined. He hadn’t really stopped thinking about kissing her since last night.
She smelled good. The temptation was almost irresistible. But she was a guest in his home. His gut-deep need to nibble the curve of her ear was inappropriate. He did touch her hair, but so softly that he was sure she wouldn’t notice.
Mia never flinched. “Where are the bookkeeping files?” she asked.
“Everything you need is right here.” He reached around her and pointed to a tab. The faint, pleasing scent of her perfume teased his nose. Her hair, tucked up in a ponytail again, was silky and thick—the color of rich chocolate. The urge to press his lips to the nape of her neck almost shredded his resolve.
When her hands went perfectly still on the keyboard, he knew she had finally realized that he was practically embracing her. “Dylan?”
She turned her head and looked up at him. Without analyzing it, he brushed the pad of his thumb across her soft cheek. “What?”
Mia’s small white teeth worried her lower lip. “I wondered when I accepted this job if we might become lovers.”
He jerked upright so fast he practically cracked his spine. It was one thing for him to try and rattle the sweetly serious girl he had known in high school. Apparently this new Mia was bolder. And apparently he wasn’t as slick an operator as he thought, because the light of interest in her eyes threatened to knock him on his ass.
How had he lost control of the situation so quickly?
“That’s not funny,” he said. “Open one of those files and let me show you how things work.”
She swiveled her chair until she faced him. Her lips twitched. “I’d like that. A lot.”
“Stop it,” he demanded.
“Stop what?”
“Acting like you want me to seduce you.”
“I don’t,” she said simply, her hands now tucked primly in her lap. “I’m more interested in seducing you.”
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