by Joanna Wayne
By the time she reached Constance, the little manipulator and Sally were swiping maraschino cherries from a tray on the portable bar in back of the tent.
“That’s enough,” Crystal said. “You’ll get a stomachache and no one else will get any cherries in their drinks.”
Dani tiptoed up and surprised Constance with a quick hug. “How about a glass of orange juice instead?”
“Or a couple of Shirley Temples,” the cute young cowboy behind the bar suggested.
Constance’s mouth flew open and she covered it with her hand, her eyes wide as she looked up at Dani and then back to the bartender. “My aunt would kill me if I drank that.”
Dani laughed. “You can have a Shirley Temple if you like.”
“I can?”
“Sure. It’s not alcohol.”
“What is it?”
“It’s sort of like a Sprite with a cherry.”
“Oh. Then I’ll just have a Sprite with a cherry in it.”
“Me, too,” Sally said.
Crystal stepped around the girls. “And I’ll have a white wine.”
“Coming right up.” The bartender took his time with them with little concern for a couple of guys waiting on service.
“My feet are killing me,” Crystal said, reaching down to make an adjustment on the strap. “And these shoes felt so good when I tried them on in the shop.”
“Have you guys eaten yet?” Dani asked.
“We have,” Crystal said. “Food is great, especially the brisket sliders and Esther’s fabulous creamed-corn casserole, but I controlled myself. Have to save room for wedding cake.”
“Your cake is beautiful,” Sally said. “When I get married, I want you to bake my cake and make it as tall as me.”
“Why don’t I just practice on a few birthday cakes shorter than you first?” Dani responded.
“I second that,” Crystal said. “We’re a long way from talking weddings.”
The bartender handed them their drinks.
“I’ll carry your drink,” Crystal said, reaching for Dani’s flute of champagne. “You can grab a plate of food while the girls and I snag seats—away from the band, so we can talk about how beautiful the wedding was and how smashing you look.”
“Thanks. I like smashing.” She had felt rather smashing until she’d compared herself to the two model-thin ladies hitting on Riley and Tucker. That had put things back into perspective pretty quickly.
Dani wasn’t hungry, but champagne on an empty stomach would make her giddy.
Several guests stopped to say hello and talk for a minute as she made her way to the food line. The band broke into their first number. Pierce and Grace stepped onto the dance floor that had been sprinkled with sawdust.
They looked incredibly happy. So perfect together that Dani’s eyes grew moist.
She blinked and then spotted Riley and Tucker standing near the dance floor surrounded by a different cluster of fawning women. No surprise there. It would be difficult to find three more hunky cowboys than the Lawrence brothers.
When she’d first spotted Riley in his tux, he literally took her breath away. Her pulse had gone into orbit as she walked the aisle. He looked even better now that he’d shed the stiff bow tie and donned his black Stetson.
She felt a touch to her arm and turned around. Millie Miles was standing at her elbow. Dani had met the woman while visiting Grace at the Double K Ranch a couple of months back and had run in to her in town and at the bakery several times since then.
The woman was always friendly, but there was no missing the sadness in her eyes. She’d recently lost her grandson, and her husband was in prison for manslaughter related to the tragic accident that had also claimed the toddler’s life.
It was the kind of story you expected to see on TV, but never in a town like Winding Creek.
“I just wanted to say what a beautiful maid of honor you were,” Millie said. “I love the dress. You should always wear that shade of green.”
“Thanks. I’ll certainly give that some consideration. Not sure how it would look with food-coloring stains, though,” Dani joked. Compliments always tended to make her uncomfortable—unless they were in reference to her pastries.
“This is probably not the best time for this, but may I ask a favor of you?”
“Sure,” Dani said.
“It’s my daughter, Angela. She’s the blonde in the red dress talking to Riley Lawrence.”
“Yes, I’ve seen Angela in the shop with you.”
Angela always dressed provocatively, but perhaps never looked as dynamite as she did tonight in the skintight dress with the revealing cutouts.
“What about Angela?”
“I don’t know how much you know about our situation, but Angela’s two-year-old son died in a freak accident last year. I won’t go in to all the tragic details, but it has been extremely hard on Angela, as you might guess.”
“I’m sure this is difficult for all of you.”
Dani had no idea where this was going, but it didn’t seem the time or place to discuss this.
“I’m increasingly worried about Angela,” Millie said. “She seems to be in a state of denial, as if she refuses to believe any of the past actually happened.”
Definitely not the time or place for this conversation. Dani had to agree that she didn’t look like a grieving mother of a dead child, but... “I’m not the one you need to talk to about this.”
“I know. I tend to go on once I get started. I was just hoping you could give her a job at the bakery.”
“Does she want a job?” From what Dani had heard, the Mileses were wealthy enough that Angela wouldn’t need the small salary Dani could pay her.
“She needs something to help settle her. A job that’s not too complex but would force her to stay on a schedule and demonstrate a level of responsibility.”
That didn’t answer Dani’s question. Or maybe it did. Millie was looking for an intervention for her daughter whether Angela wanted it or not.
“I don’t think Dani’s Delights fits her needs. It’s very hectic at times. People expect good service and a smile.”
Dani needed dependable help, but she wasn’t a psychologist and had no experience dealing with serious emotional issues.
“If you’d just give her a chance.”
Millie was pleading. Dani was still convinced it would be a mistake, but she didn’t have the heart to say no with Millie looking as if she might start weeping at any second.
Dani let her gaze go back to Angela. The woman was animated, laughing, her hands now all over Tucker. Riley had disappeared, probably hijacked by some other hottie.
“I can’t promise you anything,” Dani said, “but have Angela come by and talk to me tomorrow afternoon around four. We close at three on Sunday, but I’ll be around. Just tell her to ring the bell.”
“Thank you. You won’t be sorry.”
Dani had a disturbing premonition that would not be the case, especially now, when her patience was being stretched to the limits by James Haggard.
Deep in thought as Millie walked away, she was caught off guard when Riley came up behind her and put both hands on her shoulders. A traitorous tingle of awareness rushed her veins.
“You’re not trying to avoid me, are you?” he asked.
“No, but you looked to be well cared for the last time I noticed.”
“Tucker’s fan club was spilling over. He puts out that virile, macho vibe that all bull riders do.” Riley hooked an arm around her waist. “I think you owe me a dance.”
“Then I guess we should get that over with,” she teased in an effort to hide her pleasure that he’d remembered.
“You have a cruel side, you know that?”
“You can’t expect every
woman here to fall all over you.”
He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “I’ll settle for one.”
In spite of her vows to be sensible, her insides melted as he led her onto the floor. He fit his arms around her and pulled her closer. Desire swelled to the point she could barely breathe, much less dance.
She was so lost in the moment that she didn’t realize at first that Tucker was cutting in when he appeared over Riley’s shoulder.
“You have to share this beauty, bro. All the best men get to dance with the maid of honor.”
“Okay, but one time only,” Riley said.
Dani tried to make conversation with Tucker, but she was in such an emotional state, it was hard to pull off a simple sentence. She watched Riley leave the dance floor and return a minute later with not one but two adorable partners—Constance and Jaci.
He held both their hands and twirled them like some of the other couples were doing. They giggled and spun as if they were dancing queens.
That did it. The most she’d ever get out of Riley was a few heart-stopping moments, but she was ten tons of crazy about that man.
She had no plans to let him know that.
The rest of the evening was like a dream. Not that she danced every dance with Riley, but he was never gone from her side for long.
They were over three hours into the reception and many of the guests had left before she finally found herself totally alone with Riley near the back of the reception tent.
The band was playing a slow ballad and a lot of the remaining couples, along with Pierce and Grace, were dancing.
Constance and Jaci had finally run out of energy and had settled down with their iPads. Esther was sitting next to them, nodding and yawning.
“Looks like it’s time for me to get Constance home,” Dani said. “I’m sure Esther is ready to put Jaci and herself to bed even if the newlyweds party on.”
Riley slipped an arm around her waist. “I was hoping we could escape and take a walk beneath the stars before you left.”
Conflicting emotions sent her heart to her throat. His touch set her on fire, but what did he want from her. A kiss? A short fling before he moved on again? Or was this just the routine with a love-’em-and-leave-’em cowboy?
Not that she was actually looking for more. Getting the bakery on its feet and helping Constance adjust to her new life took practically every waking second.
And now there was James Haggard to add to the mix. There was no time for even a temporary romantic escapade in her life.
“I’ll have to take a rain check on the walk. I really should take Constance home. This is well past her bedtime.”
Riley slid his hand from around Dani’s waist and took one of her hands in his. “You’re not afraid of being alone with me, are you?”
“Should I be?”
“I’ll never do anything you don’t want me to do.”
That wasn’t a lot of reassurance. All she had to do was look into his eyes and her willpower would melt like butter on a hot cinnamon bun.
“I’m making you uncomfortable,” he said. “That’s not at all what I intended.”
“It’s not that,” she lied. “But I do need to get home. I have a busy day tomorrow.”
“You have to work on Sunday?”
“My boss is a slave driver.”
“What time do you close the bakery?”
“Three on Sundays. Four every other day. Except Monday. Then we’re closed all day, but this week I may have business in San Antonio.” If by a stroke of luck she could get a sample of James’s DNA.
“Are you always this tough on a guy trying to get to know you better?”
“I have been accused of that before.” More than once.
“I’m not giving up,” Riley said. “What about dinner Monday night, or better yet, why don’t you and Constance come back out to the ranch after you close tomorrow? We can explore the ranch on horseback or in my pickup truck. I need to reintroduce myself to the Double K.”
She wanted to say yes, but her overly cautious nature held her back. Riley Lawrence was a heartache waiting to happen.
“I’ll see. If not, perhaps one afternoon next week if that works for you. Constance doesn’t have school Monday through Wednesday. Teacher workshops.”
“How about both Sunday and a couple of afternoons next week? Every kid needs some time on a ranch.”
“No promises, but I will try.”
“And I’ll keep thinking of you back in that kitchen creating all those delicious pastries. Spreading the creamy fillings. Dripping the caramel sauce. Licking the bowl.”
A traitorous craving rippled through her body, a need so intense she had to fight the urge to wrap herself in his arms the way she had on the dance floor.
A walk with him in the moonlight would most definitely do her in.
“I really have to go now,” she said, suddenly terrified by the strength of her feelings for a man she barely knew.
“Then let me drive you home,” Riley persisted.
“I have my car here.”
“But it’s late. No reason for you and your niece to be out alone on these old country roads this time of night.”
“It’s Winding Creek,” she reminded him. “I don’t think there’s any reason to worry.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Dani Boatman.”
She loved hearing her name on his lips. The name she’d had since birth, but it had never sounded erotic before.
“Dani.”
She turned at Grace’s frantic voice. An armed deputy with a dead serious expression on his face was walking at her side.
“What’s wrong?” Riley asked.
The deputy looked past him and spoke directly to Dani. “There’s been a break-in at your bakery.”
She swallowed hard past a lump in her throat. “Are you sure? Sometimes the wind can set off the alarm system.”
“There has definitely been a break-in and some damage. Deputies are on the scene. I can drive you there if you want.”
“I’ll drive her,” Riley said.
Her first impulse was irritation that he took control, as if she couldn’t handle this. But in truth she had no idea what she’d find when she got to the bakery and she didn’t want to face it alone.
“Is there a problem?” Esther asked, joining them.
“My bakery has been broken into.”
“Oh, mercy me. What is this world coming to? Did you catch the no-account bloke who did it?”
“Not yet,” the deputy said, “but we will.”
“Well, you can’t do it soon enough to suit me. Terrible when a hardworking person can’t even operate a business without someone stealing from her.”
“Right about that,” the deputy agreed.
“Why don’t you just leave Constance here with me for the night?” Esther offered. “No use to drag her into that mess.”
“I can’t ask you to do that. You must be exhausted after all you’ve done today.”
“You didn’t ask. I offered. Besides, Constance isn’t a bit of trouble. I figure she and Jaci will be so tired they’ll fall asleep the second their heads hit the pillows. I’m sure I can find a cotton T-shirt she can sleep in.”
“She should definitely stay,” Grace said. “Pierce and I aren’t leaving for San Antonio until tomorrow morning. I can help with the girls tonight.”
“You’re on your honeymoon.”
“I’ve been on a honeymoon since the day I met Pierce. Helping get the girls to bed won’t change that.”
“It’s settled,” Esther said.
This time Dani didn’t argue. “Thanks. I appreciate this more than you know. Constance bought her backpack with her, so she has her favorite doll and some books. She
changed into her wedding finery after we got here, so she can put on the jeans and shirt she was wearing earlier when she gets up in the morning.”
Grace put her arm around Dani’s waist. “Don’t worry about her.
“Riley, you take care of Dani,” Esther ordered.
“I plan to.”
He took her arm protectively as they followed the deputy back toward the house where he’d parked his squad car. Dread clawed at the lining of Dani’s stomach as they made the drive into town.
The bakery wasn’t just a shop. It was her livelihood. Her home. Constance’s home, the place where Dani always wanted her to feel safe.
The first thing she saw when they turned onto Main Street was a squad car and the sheriff’s vehicle in front of her shop, blue lights flashing. A cluster of strangers stood on the opposite side of the street observing the action.
The second the car stopped, she jumped out and rushed to the open door of the shop. Anger erupted at the havoc she faced. The feeling was so fierce, her insides seemed to explode.
She didn’t have to wonder what had happened here. No one ever broke into the shops in this area. James Haggard had returned, just as he’d promised he would. Only he hadn’t waited a week. He’d barely backed off for twenty-four hours.
If it was hardball he wanted, he’d get it.
Chapter Five
The intense odor of coffee sent Dani into an immediate coughing fit. A black film covered every surface and hung thick in the air. Two giant-sized canisters of coffee she had ground for the morning rush lay empty on the floor in front of the counter.
She braced herself against the display case as she scanned the rest of the destruction. It looked as if a tornado had blown through the shop and literally picked up everything and sent it crashing back to the tile floor.
Tables and chairs were overturned. Pastry cookbooks and coffee-themed gift items normally shelved along the side walls had been knocked to the floor, many cracked or shattered. Both cash-register drawers were open.
She had a crazy urge to pick up one of the chairs and hurl it as hard as she could against the wall, or to start screaming and pull out her hair. Fortunately, since she wasn’t two years old, she refrained from doing what came naturally. She took a deep breath and managed a small measure of composure.