“Only if you’ll tell me what your fortune really said.”
“It said to beware of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, particularly if his name is Danny.”
He barked a laugh. “See, I told you that cookie maker was one smart fellow.”
She managed to scoot away from him just as Evie walked into the kitchen.
“Here you young people are. Before I leave, I wanted to thank you for inviting me to dinner.”
Guilt sent the heat of a blush racing to Stephanie’s face. “We’re glad you could come.”
“I hope you’re both planning to help out at the city’s Spring Fling Carnival next weekend. We need all the volunteers we can get.”
“Of course,” Stephanie agreed, recalling the fun of annual visits to the carnival as a kid. “I’d be happy to help but I don’t know—”
“Not to worry, my dear.” Evie beamed her vote-garnering smile. “I already took the liberty of penciling your name in for the face-painting booth. For the children, you know. I hope that’s all right.”
“Perfect. I’d love to do that.”
“I’ll have someone call you.” She glanced at Danny. “As for you, young man, given your recent adventures, I’d say the kissing booth would be an ideal spot for you.”
Danny sputtered. “No, ma’am, I really don’t think—”
“What don’t you think?” Stephanie’s father asked, coming into the kitchen with cartons of leftovers in hand.
“Mrs. Anderson asked me to—”
“She’s typecasting us for the Spring Carnival,” Stephanie said, ignoring a sudden surge of jealousy that twisted through her chest. “She wants Danny to work at the kissing booth.”
Her father popped open the refrigerator and set the cartons inside. “Sounds reasonable to me.”
“Chief, I’d rather not—”
“You could help out at the kissing booth, too, honey bunch.”
“Dad! I’m six months pregnant! Who would want to kiss—”
“I’ll work the kissing booth,” Danny said in a hurry. “Stephanie would be better at face painting.”
She glared at him. “So you agree no man would want to kiss me.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You certainly inferred it. And I notice you didn’t refuse the kissing job for long, did you? I’m sure you’ll make loads of money for the recreation program.”
“It’s a good cause,” her father commented. “If we can keep kids off the streets—”
“It wasn’t my idea to work the kissing booth.”
“Now, now, children.” Evie patted Danny on the cheek. “I’m sure the two of you will work out your differences.”
“Differences?” Danny questioned.
“I know you’ll come around and do the right thing by Stephanie.”
Confusion clouded his face. “Right thing?”
“Marry her, of course. With the baby coming and all, I’m sure you’ll want to make an honest woman of her, as we used to say.”
Stephanie gasped. “No, Mrs. Anderson, you must have misunderstood. Danny isn’t—”
“I’m definitely not,” he agreed with a little too much haste.
“Now don’t you worry, either of you. My dear, sweet Albert always said most things worked out for the best if you just gave them enough time.” She smiled maternally at Stephanie. “Thank you again for suggesting Harlan invite me. Lovely evening.”
Evie’s leap to the wrong conclusion left Stephanie immobile and nearly speechless. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ll walk you out, Evie,” Harlan offered, ushering her back toward the dining room.
Motionless, Danny stared after them for a long moment. “I’ll bring in the rest of the leftovers,” he mumbled.
“Danny?”
He halted on the way out the door. “What?”
“I’m sorry about Mrs. Anderson. It never occurred to me someone would think—”
“Your dad knows the truth, doesn’t he?”
“Of course.”
“Then forget it. The councilwoman’s wheels are usually a little wobbly. It doesn’t mean anything.”
Stephanie wasn’t at all confident the misunderstanding could be shrugged off so easily. Others might reach the same conclusion about her baby’s paternity if she was seen with Danny regularly, and his denials wouldn’t carry much weight. That wouldn’t be fair to him. It might even damage his social life, of which she was sure he had plenty. And she hated that the thought bothered her so much.
She couldn’t even bring herself to contemplate Danny spending hours working at the kissing booth, and probably enjoying every moment. That thought hurt, too.
She was even more troubled later that evening when, unable to sleep, she found herself in the kitchen peering out the window toward Danny’s darkened house. Spying on him, not that there was anything to see.
Sighing, she realized she needed to get on with her life. Relying on her father’s support, living in his house, wasn’t going to cut it. She needed to get a permanent job. A place of her own, preferably well out of sight of Danny Sullivan’s house where she wouldn’t be constantly reminded of her adolescent fantasies.
Still, she couldn’t quite forget the one positive revelation that evening—Danny thought she’d grown into a stately, beautiful woman.
It wasn’t true, of course. Edgar had pointed out more than once that she wasn’t movie-star gorgeous. Attractive but ordinary were his words.
Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she wondered if it would be foolish to trust Danny’s judgment instead of the man’s verdict who had fathered her child then rejected both Stephanie and the baby she carried.
Chapter Five
Early the next morning, Danny knocked on Stephanie’s back door.
He’d been stunned by Mrs. Anderson’s suggestion that he was the father of Stephanie’s baby. Heaven knew he wasn’t anybody’s candidate for Father of the Year but he sure as hell wouldn’t have turned his back on a woman who was going to have his baby. Not like his own dad had walked out on him and his mother.
So he’d spent a sleepless night trying to figure out what to do about Stephanie’s situation.
Harlan Gray would make a terrific grandpa. But Stephanie and her baby needed someone to do the things a dad ought to do. In the absence of anyone else volunteering for the job, Danny would elect himself.
Which was why he was standing at her door wondering why no one was answering. He rapped his knuckles on the door again.
The curtain on the kitchen window shifted and hazel eyes peered out at him.
“Come on, slug-a-bed, up and at ’em,” he called to Stephanie.
“What do you want?”
“It’s time for your daily walk.”
There was a brief pause and then the door flew open. “My what?”
He looked her up and down, admiring her short flannel nightie with a bright yellow Snoopy on the front. Her tousled hair and heavy-lidded eyes made him think of the way she would look after a good night of sex.
A smile curled his lips. “You’re looking particularly seductive this morning.”
“No, I’m not. And the operative word there is morning. Early morning. What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been reading up on the Internet about pregnancy and what an expectant mother is suppose to do, like get lots of exercise.”
She eyed him incredulously. “You told me yesterday I was supposed to rest. Now you want me to—”
“They recommend daily walks. At least a half hour.”
“At the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning? No, thanks.”
She started to close the door but he shoved his foot in the crack. “I’ve got a training date later with Tommy Tonka from the station house. He’s going to enter the triathlon so he can impress some girl. Which is why you and I have to do our walk now.”
“I don’t remember turning you into my personal trainer.”
He pushed his way into the house. “Well, this i
s how I see things. You don’t have a man around—except your dad, who doesn’t count in this case—so somebody has to do all the stuff a husband and about-to-be father would do for you.”
Her eyes widened and she took a step back. “All the stuff—”
“The important things, like making sure you eat right, take your vitamins, exercise properly.”
“You’re out of your mind!”
Harlan Gray appeared at the doorway, hair mussed, his robe only half on. “What’s going on?”
“I’m here to take Stephanie for a walk. Exercise is important for pregnant women.”
“Okay, but could you keep the racket down? I’m trying to get some sleep.” He yawned.
“Right, Chief.”
“Have a nice walk, honey bunch.” Sleepily Harlan turned and walked back down the hallway toward his bedroom.
“Dad!” Stephanie wailed.
“Shh. Your dad needs his rest. Go throw on some clothes, and we’ll get out of here.”
She nailed him with a look that was meant to fry him but they both knew, one way or another, he’d win this little battle. When he made up his mind about something, he didn’t give up easily.
And as of right now he’d decided to be Stephanie’s pseudohusband, her baby’s surrogate dad. Until a better choice came along, they were stuck with him.
MONDAY AFTERNOON STEPHANIE lifted the last of the junior-size chairs onto the play table so she could sweep up the day’s debris from underneath. The preschoolers had left a half hour ago, and it was about time for her to go home, too.
She swept the floor, dumped the trash, then went to find Alice, who was doing some paperwork in her office.
“Have you got a minute?” she asked.
Alice looked up from her cluttered desk. “Sure. What’s up?”
Picking up a pile of magazines and papers from the one spare chair in the room, Stephanie placed them on the floor and sat down. “I know you hired me on a temporary basis until your regular teacher comes back from maternity leave but I’ve been wondering if you might have a permanent spot for me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I promised Anna Marie she could have the job back when she was ready to return to work. And truly, I don’t have the budget for two aides.”
“I was afraid of that.”
Alice’s gray eyes assessed her sympathetically. “Even if I could hire you permanently, you don’t have any Early Childhood Education units, which is something I normally require of my employees. Anna Marie has her A.A. degree.”
“I expected to have a career in commercial art, not teaching. But things have changed and frankly, I need some sort of a permanent job so I can move out on my own.”
A frown stitched across Alice’s usually smooth forehead. “It’s not going well at your dad’s house?”
“Dad’s been wonderful.” Assuming she didn’t count his matchmaking efforts or the presence of an irritatingly bossy man who was too sexy for his own good. A man who lived right down the street and had the nerve to try to take over her life. “I’d just prefer a little more independence.”
“I can understand that, though with the baby coming…” She left the thought hanging in the air. “Aren’t there any commercial art jobs here in town? I remember how enormously talented you were all through school.”
“For all the good that does me. Paseo del Real isn’t exactly the advertising capital of the world.” Which was one of the major reasons she’d moved away in the first place.
“No, I suppose not.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Stephanie. You know I’d hire you if I could. You’re wonderful with the children.”
Stephanie pushed herself to her feet. “It was worth asking anyway. If you hear of any job openings, let me know. I’m not in a position to be real fussy.”
“You might try the school district. They might have an opening for an art teacher.” Distractedly, Alice glanced down at the heap of papers on her desk and gave an absent wave of her hand. “I’m sure you’ll find something.”
At the moment, Stephanie wasn’t nearly that confident.
Still troubled about her lack of independence, Stephanie left the preschool, closing the door firmly behind her.
She had enough savings to pay her doctor bills and for first and last month’s rent on an apartment but the kicker would be the ongoing expense. For that she’d need a job. Thus far, Edgar hadn’t offered a single penny’s worth of assistance. He didn’t deny he was the baby’s father; he simply ignored the situation. She couldn’t rely on him for help. Nor did she want to.
Without a decent job, though, the hope of moving out on her own was no more than a pipe dream.
Meanwhile, she’d begun to dread Danny’s days off and the walks she was sure he’d insist upon. The exercise might be good for her muscle tone but strolling side by side with Danny was darn hard on her heart rate.
She’d definitely target the school district for her job-hunting efforts.
THE CITY SPRING FLING Carnival was a noon-to-midnight event at the regional park with Ferris wheel rides, whirligigs and game booths for old and young alike. Bands played all day long from a stand set up near the baseball diamond. The scent of barbecued steaks and red beans filled the air along with the smell of popcorn and cotton candy. As the night progressed there would be fireworks and a dance contest.
Stephanie dabbled a smiling clown’s face on the cheek of an adorable five-year-old boy. His older sister had opted for a yellow-and-white daisy.
Across the way, the kissing booth taunted her with its hand-lettered sign Champion Smoocher—$1 Per Kiss. All afternoon she’d watched every female in the entire city over the age of six plunk down their money for one of Danny’s kisses.
She didn’t need to check her paint pots to know she was green with jealousy. Darn it all, he didn’t have to look so happy with his volunteer assignment.
With a sigh, she turned to the next child in line. “What will it be, honey?”
Before the youngster could answer, a teenage girl tapped her on her shoulder. “At the volunteer booth they said I should relieve you, ma’am.”
She winced. She wasn’t that much older than the adolescent. “Thanks.”
Setting aside her paintbrush, she flexed her fingers, then stood, stretching and arching her back. She’d been sitting a long time. Renewed circulation made her legs tingle. What she needed was a nice long walk.
Perversely her feet took her only as far as the opposite row of booths where Danny was all puckered up for a trio of giggling high school girls.
He pecked the last one quickly on her lips, gave her long, blond hair an affectionate tug and favored her with one of his indelible smiles. “Be good, sweetheart.”
The volume of giggles increased, and the girls ran off. “He is so hot!” one of them tittered.
Stephanie wanted to throw up.
“Your reputation has certainly preceded you,” she said instead.
He shot her a dimpled grin that was even warmer than the one he’d given the girls. “Must be all that experience I got with your school’s hamsters.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You had quite a crowd around your booth most of the day. Guess you made a bundle, huh?”
“About half as much as you have with all your repeat customers.”
“Yeah, well, I couldn’t get rid of ’em, you know?”
He didn’t have to look so pleased about it, she thought, gritting her teeth. “I’m going to go get something to eat. I’ll see you around.”
He snared her wrist before she could step away. “Wait for me. My relief ought to be here soon and we can go together.”
His grip was both strong and gentle, as tempting as his full, generous lips. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be putting her own money on the line for one of his kisses. That was something she couldn’t afford to do.
“Hey, Sullivan, if she doesn’t want to kiss you, it’s against the rules to make her.”
Startled by the arrival of a me
mber of Danny’s engine crew, she tried to pull away. He wouldn’t let her go.
“Wells, for the first time in your life, your timing is perfect,” Danny said. “I’m outta here. The lady and I have a date for some barbecued steak.” Without releasing her wrist, he agilely hopped over the booth’s low railing.
The firefighter waggled his dark brows. “No need to hurry back. I’ve got everything under control here. Have a good time. Unless your lady friend would like to be my first customer.”
Ignoring his buddy, Danny slid his arm around Stephanie’s waist, sweeping her away from the kissing booth and the competition. “Now then, I’m starved. I’ve been smelling that barbecue all afternoon.” And steak wasn’t the only thing he was hungry for, either.
Every time he’d looked up today, he’d seen Stephanie across the way, laughing with the little kids, touching them, smiling at them. He’d wanted to be on the receiving end of her smiles.
And he’d wanted Stephanie on the receiving end of one of his kisses. Not just a little peck like the ones he’d been giving the cadre of adolescents that had crowded his booth, but a full fledged, no-holds-barred kiss.
The kind of kiss a man gives a woman.
Not a public kiss, either, in front of half the town of Paseo. A private kiss the way it ought to be done.
“Could you slow down?” Stephanie complained. “I’m not up to a power hike today, and I’m sure they’ll have plenty of steak left by the time we get there.”
“I know a shortcut.” He angled her into a narrow alley between two red-and-white-striped tents, one of them where Emma Jean, bangles and beads at full sway, was trying to entice folks to have their fortunes told for five dollars a shot. Danny wanted Stephanie away from all the prying eyes of carnival goers, particularly those of Emma Jean and her crystal ball.
Rounding a corner to the most private place he could find, he halted and turned Stephanie to him. “There’s been something I’ve wanted to do all afternoon.”
She arched her brows with suspicion. “What?”
“This.” Without asking for permission, he covered her mouth with his. He heard a gasp of surprise, then her lips relaxed, softly molding to his. He gentled his touch, sketching the curve of her lips with his tongue. Tasting her flavor, a combination of sweetness and spice, exploring possibilities, delving deeper as she opened for him.
With Courage and Commitment Page 6