Danny (Big Northwest Book 1)

by Janice M. Whiteaker

His eyes raked down her face. “What’s it going to be, Danny Girl?”

  She lifted her chin a little. She’d faced down more challenging things than Craig O’Neal and come out on top.

  She could handle him too.

  “Fine.”

  The word was barely out of her mouth before his hands were back on her, arms wrapping tight as he turned her again, pressing her back against the fridge.

  His lips paused just over hers. “Finally.”

  And then his mouth devoured her like he was starving.

  Craig didn’t come in careful and cautious like she suspected.

  His kiss wasn’t soft and sweet.

  It was firm and claiming.

  His hands went to her hair, wrapping in the strands to pull her head back, making his ownership of her lips complete and devastating.

  He tasted minty and masculine as his tongue stroked hers in a breath-stealing, leg-buckling kiss. Craig pushed against her tighter, pinning Danny in place as he laid ruin to her life with nothing but his mouth on hers.

  One arm wrapped around her waist, tugging her tight to him.

  Every bit of him was strong and solid. Hard. Powerful.

  Overwhelming.

  Danny pressed both palms against the firm plane of his chest and fought for the strength to stop the kiss.

  It was more difficult than it should have been. He was so warm. So steady.

  But it had to be done.

  “Stop.” Her voice was barely a rasp between the gulps of air struggling into her lungs.

  Craig immediately tried to step back.

  Take the strange feeling of security his presence brought her.

  Danny grabbed his shirt and held on tight, moving with him as his arms dropped from her body. “Just stop the kissing.”

  His expression was cautious. “Be specific.”

  She almost choked on a gulp.

  “Tell me what you need from me, Danny Girl.”

  “Is that some sort of play on Danny Boy?” She used her grip to pull him a little closer, hoping maybe Craig would take the hint and hold her again.

  But his damn arms stayed right where they were, hanging loose at his sides.

  “It is.” The lips that were just on hers barely lifted in a smile. “I think I like it.” His eyes dipped to where she held his shirt with a white-knuckled grip. “Something wrong?”

  Yes, something was freaking wrong. “I said just the kissing.”

  Craig lifted one dark brow at her. “What else was there?”

  She scoffed. “You don’t remember what else?”

  His lips shifted into a twisty smirk. “I sure as hell remember what else.” He didn’t budge at the pressure she was still putting on his shirt. “I want to know if you remember what else.”

  Oh, she sure as hell remembered. Wouldn’t forget maybe as long as she lived.

  And he abso-fucking-lutely knew it. “You’re teasing me.”

  “Does that seem like something I would do?” Craig still wasn’t making any move to touch her. Like he was perfectly fine with the brakes she’d pumped.

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” His hands finally came to rest on her hips. “Then it seems like we’re getting to know each other a little.”

  Getting to know Craig was not something she wanted to do.

  Yesterday.

  Today it seemed a little more appealing.

  “I want to know you, Danny.” He moved in close again as his arms wrapped around her back.

  She sighed.

  Freaking sighed.

  His forehead rested against hers. “Why did you become a taxidermist?”

  Danny released the soft flannel of his shirt and smoothed down the wrinkles her hold pressed into the brushed weave of the fabric. “I didn’t mean to.”

  “I didn’t realize taxidermy was something you could accidentally fall into doing.” His eyes rested on hers. “Especially as well as you do it.”

  A warmth spread through her chest. It was an emotion Danny worked hard not to waste her time on.

  Pride.

  There was no room in her life for anything that didn’t support her and her sisters, and pride had a habit of doing the opposite.

  But Craig’s praise made her feel it. Proud.

  “I went to art school for a year.” It was a time of her life that felt like a new beginning.

  A chance to finally live a normal life.

  But that was never going to happen for her or her sisters.

  They were too tainted. Already marked as weird by a society that couldn’t begin to understand the hand they were dealt.

  She waited for the surprise on his face. The shock.

  It never came.

  “That makes sense.” Craig glanced around the house, eyes scanning the walls. The only art gracing the house was Jude’s, and it was everywhere. Stuck to the fridge. Framed in the entryway. Sitting on tables and shelves. “There’s none of your work here.”

  One more thing she didn’t have room in her life for. “All my work is at the shop.”

  Craig barely nodded. “What was your favorite thing to do when you were in school?”

  It was an easy answer. One that definitely helped her in the career she had to choose. “Sculpture.”

  “And you found a way to turn it into a lucrative business.” He smiled. “Smart girl.”

  “I don’t know that I would say lucrative.” Her business definitely did well, but it was certainly not the most successful one in town.

  Not even second.

  “Lucrative enough to take care of you and your son.”

  “That’s not really how it works around here.” Shadow Pine wasn’t a normal town.

  It wasn’t really a town at all.

  It was more of a family compound. “We all take care of each other.”

  “I know another place like that.” Craig’s head barely tipped to one side. “It’s interesting how similar you are.”

  “What?” She tried to follow along with what he was saying, but it didn’t make sense. “Who is similar?”

  “There’s a place in West Virginia called Greenlea. It’s run by a family like yours, only they are trying to bring people in.”

  “So they’re nothing like us.” The last thing she and her sisters wanted was attention from outsiders. People who thought they knew them based on news stories and hearsay.

  “They make most of their money on something you and your sisters can’t really pull off.” Craig studied her for a second. “Why don’t you want people coming to Shadow Pine?”

  Now it was her turn to study him back.

  She and her sisters worked hard to cover the tracks of their past. Took the kindness of lawyers offering their services as an opportunity to step away from the frenzied interest in their lives.

  To hide.

  And maybe they did a better job than she thought.

  “Lots of reasons.” Danny dropped his steady gaze. “I should start breakfast. Jude will be awake soon.” When she finally lifted her eyes to his, Craig barely nodded.

  “I should go take a shower.” He stepped back, slowly dragging his hands off her body.

  “Have you taken a shower in a camper before?”

  “I have not.”

  Danny sized him up. Craig was tall. Taller than her, which was saying something. She and her sisters stood almost six feet tall. Good for intimidating the people who showed up in their little town, but bad for fitting into the tiny shower stalls in most camping trailers.

  She huffed out a breath. “Bring your stuff and shower here. You’ll never be able to move in the one in your camper.”

  He smiled. “Thank you.” Craig stepped in close and for a second Danny thought she would feel his lips against hers again.

  Instead Craig brushed a kiss across her forehead. “I’ll see you soon, Danny Girl.”

  And then he left without looking back, leaving her staring after him, trying to figure out how in the hell he’d managed to burrow into her h
ide.

  To make her consider liking him.

  Maybe more than liking him.

  A few minutes later she was still stewing on the situation when her son rushed into the kitchen.

  “Where’s Craig?” Jude’s eyes were sleepy but wide as they scanned the spot he’d seen Craig last.

  The panic in his tone made her belly ache.

  Danny liking Craig was one thing. She was a grown woman who had handled more than her share of disappointments in life.

  Jude was a different story.

  And if Craig hurt her son Danny would have to make good on her promise to him.

  Which was unfortunate.

  Because she really liked that rug.

  NINE

  “HI.” JUDE’S SMILE was bright as Craig walked into the kitchen.

  He felt a hell of a lot better this morning, and only part of it had to do with the shower he just took in Jude’s bathroom.

  “Hey, Buddy.” Craig tipped his head to the worksheet on the counter beside the boy’s breakfast. “How’s your school work coming?”

  Jude’s nose wrinkled. “Boring.”

  The kitchen was quiet. Empty except for Jude and a pot of oatmeal on the stove. “Where’s your mom?”

  Jude scooped in a bite of tan-tinted oats before scribbling across his paper as he chewed. “She went to work. Said you should probably stay here so you don’t have to go to the hospital again.”

  “Ouch.” Craig eyed the empty bowl sitting next to Jude on the breakfast bar. “That for me?”

  Jude glanced at the bright white dish. “Guess so.” He shoved it Craig’s way. “You want some peanut butter?”

  “That what you eat in yours?” Craig lifted the lid on the oatmeal and scooped out some of the still-warm porridge.

  “I like it with bananas in it too, but we don’t have any. Mom said she’ll go to the store later.” Jude tipped back a healthy gulp of the milk in front of him, unaware of the opportunity he just presented on a silver platter.

  “Why don’t we go for her?” Craig pointed to the pantry. “Can I look for some honey?”

  Jude’s blond brows came together. “Yeah.”

  At least one of the members of the household was comfortable with Craig mingling in their life. “Thanks, Buddy.”

  “Why do you call me that?”

  Craig’s hand stalled where it rested on the half-full honey bear perched on the top shelf. “I don’t have to call you that. I can call you whatever you want me too.” He pulled the bear out, trying to stay relaxed.

  Maybe he’d overstepped. Become too friendly, too fast with a kid who this was all very new territory to.

  Not that it wasn’t also new to him. New and probably poorly treaded.

  Jude shrugged in a way that made it very clear this was a bigger deal than he planned to let on. “I just wondered.”

  “Well.” Craig sat down beside him and squeezed a drizzle of honey over his oatmeal as he tried to figure out how to handle the situation. “I guess it’s like how you called me Craig even when your mom wanted you to call me Mr. O’Neal. We’re friends.”

  He had zero point of reference for anything that happened where Jude was concerned. His own dad was never involved, and the only possible past relationship he had to pull from was the one he had with Joel’s dad, which didn’t start until he was basically an adult.

  “But Craig is your real name.” Jude picked up his spoon and poked around his breakfast, eyes sliding to watch as Craig added a scoop of peanut butter to his.

  “I guess you’ll have to think of a friend nickname for me then.” Craig scooted the honey bear toward Jude with the back of his hand.

  Jude immediately snatched it up and squeezed it over his oatmeal. “Like how my mom calls you City Boy?” His head snapped Craig’s way. “Does that mean you and my mom are friends?”

  “Something like that.” Craig waited for more questions, but Jude started eating, shoveling in the rest of his meal without another word.

  Craig finished his own and rinsed both their dishes before opening the washer to load them into it.

  It was still full with last night’s dishes.

  “I’m supposed to unload that today.” Jude grimaced.

  Unloading the dishwasher was no one’s favorite chore, and clearly Danny was no exception.

  “I’ll do it.” Craig looked at the paper beside Jude. “You finish your work and then we’ll go see your mom to make sure she doesn’t mind if you go shopping with me.”

  Jude beamed up at him. “Okay.” His head immediately dropped and all focus went to the task in front of him.

  Craig unloaded the dishes, the job taking longer than normal since he was in an unfamiliar kitchen. By the time he was done, Jude was finished and packing up his pencils and papers.

  They walked to the shop where his truck was still parked. Craig opted for the front door since what was possibly behind the back door hadn’t been good to him yesterday.

  Hopefully he could find a way to get over that.

  The tiny bell on the door rang as he and Jude walked in. A second later Danny’s voice carried in from the back room. “Is your work done, Ju-Ju?”

  Jude leaned a little closer. “How does she always know it’s me?”

  “Because your momma’s magical.” It was a truth Craig would never forget and never take for granted, especially since it was one more reason he knew Danny should be his.

  He would appreciate all she was in a way not many people could.

  “I heard that.” Danny’s voice carried a smile.

  Craig lifted his brows at Jude. “See?”

  Danny shoved a set of goggles up onto her head as she propped against the frame of the door leading to the back room of despair. Her blue eyes swept her son before narrowing on Craig. “What are you up to?”

  Craig swallowed down the lump of oatmeal climbing up his esophagus at the thought of what might require the goggles perched on her head. “Jude said you were planning to go to the store tonight, and I thought we could go for you.” He dared a few steps closer, being careful not to let his eyes linger on the red splotches scattered across the apron she wore. “That way you could relax when you came home from work.”

  Images of Danny stretched out on the couch with her feet in his lap while they watched movies crowded out the others in his mind. Jude belly laughing beside them while he shared sweet and salty popcorn from the bowl in his lap.

  Domestic bliss. Something Craig didn’t realize he desperately wanted until seeing how good it could be.

  How different from what he knew as a kid.

  Danny stood silent, her arms crossed over her chest.

  She was probably getting blood everywhere.

  The realization made Craig’s head swim a little.

  But it also gave him an idea.

  “You said everyone who lives here has to pull their weight.” He smiled. “And I definitely can’t help you here.”

  “You don’t live here.” Danny tossed the challenge his way, but it lacked the bite from before. Now it felt more teasing.

  A gentle jab instead of a purposeful stab.

  “What is this?” The door to the shop bounced off the wall as the sister he met while trying to obtain a hunting license came storming through the building. She waved a stack of mail in front of his face. “What in the hell are you trying to do here,” she whipped them in front of her face, eyes scanning the address across the top envelope from behind the thick glasses perched on her nose, “Craig O’Neal?”

  Perfect timing.

  “Good. My change of address went through.” Craig snagged the stack from her hands. “I didn’t realize you offered delivery here. I thought I’d have to pick it up.” He gave Charlie a grin. “Thank you.”

  Danny’s younger sister stared at him, sputtering. “Change of address? You don’t fucking live here.”

  “Charlie.” Danny snapped at her sister as she came to rest her palms over Jude’s ears. “It’s not that hard t
o lock it up when he’s in the room.”

  “You’d be surprised.” Charlie crossed her arms over her chest. “Especially with this one being a pain in everyone’s ass.”

  “He is not. Craig unloaded my mom’s dishwasher.” Jude’s eyes darted to where his mother’s head tipped down to stare at him.

  “Hand’s aren’t sound-proof.” Craig flipped through the pile of junk mail, passing offers of lower insurance rates and new credit cards. “You need anything from the store, Charlie?”

  Charlie balked. “What?”

  Craig gave her an easy smile. One that disarmed most women.

  But he wasn’t dealing with most women right now. He was dealing with exceptional women. Women who were quick to anger and slow to trust.

  Charlie’s blue eyes narrowed on him. “What in the hell are you up to, City Boy?”

  He didn’t want to keep the truth of his reasons from Danny’s sisters. The most important thing in this situation was honesty.

  But Jude might not be fully ready for that honesty.

  “Craig likes my mom.”

  Danny, Charlie and Craig all stared at him in unison. His mother’s hands dropped from his ears and her eyes snapped to Craig as they tightened into a glare.

  He barely lifted his shoulders. “He’s not wrong.” Now seemed like a good time to make an exit. Craig tucked the half-inspected stack of mail under his arm and turned to Jude. “You ready, Buddy?”

  Jude gave him a single bob of his head. “Yup.”

  Craig draped one arm around the boy’s shoulders and led him toward the door. “See you later, Danny Girl.”

  Might as well put it all out there now.

  Then give them time to calm the fuck down before he had to wrangle five pissed-off sisters.

  An hour later he and Jude were at the closest decent-sized grocery store. A few tiny stop-and-shops littered the two-lane road leading through the mountains, but none of them would carry what he was looking to buy.

  Jude was practically bouncing as they walked across the lot to the doors. “We only come here once a month.”

  “That’s because your momma is busy.” Craig snagged a cart and pushed it through the automatic doors. “That’s why we’re doing this for her.” He aimed straight for the produce. “What kind of vegetables do you like?”

  “All of them.”