The Heart of Hill Country

by Sherryl Woods

  “I see,” he said blandly. “Well, if you think that’s best.”

  “I do. Of course, you could hitch a ride over here with Jordan,” she suggested slyly.

  “But then I’d have to get a ride home,” he protested, then smiled. “Ah, yes, with Dani, of course.”

  “It was just a thought,” Kelly said.

  “A good one, too. I’ll speak to Jordan and I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  Jordan didn’t bat an eye the next morning when Duke asked for a ride. Duke didn’t bother wasting time with excuses. They both knew exactly what the scheme was all about.

  “I’ll pick you up on my way home from the office,” Jordan said. “Do you want a head start so you can change?”

  Duke nodded. “A half hour ought to suffice.”

  “Perfect. I’ll clean up some paperwork before I leave.”

  Duke knew Jordan well enough to realize that even a casual family get-together wouldn’t mean blue jeans and chambray. The man had impeccable style and seemed happier in a well-tailored business suit than any man Duke had ever met. Under the watchful supervision of the twins, he finally settled for a pair of slacks from the new wardrobe he’d been forced to acquire for his new executive position. He added a pale blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the collar open.

  Joshua and Zachary surveyed him intently, then nodded their approval. They didn’t seem the least bit disappointed at being left behind, which meant they’d probably cooked up some scheme for getting into mischief.

  “You need some of that smelly stuff, though,” Joshua advised. “Girls like that.”

  “I don’t,” Duke said.

  “But, Dad—”

  “I am not taking advice from an eight-year-old. You two go and do your homework.”

  “Can we stay up until you get home?” Zachary asked hopefully.

  “Not a chance. I’ve told Paolina you’re to be in bed by nine-thirty.”

  The twins exchanged a look that suggested they considered Paolina an easy mark. “And if I don’t find the two of you in bed and sound asleep when I get back, you’ll be grounded until you’re twelve,” Duke warned.

  “Aw, Dad, you wouldn’t do that,” Joshua said.

  “You wouldn’t, would you?” Zachary asked more worriedly.

  “Don’t test me and find out,” he warned, scooping them up one at a time for hugs. Moments like this made him realize how much he’d missed during all the times he’d been away.

  “Tell Dani hi for us,” they shouted after him.

  “Tell her the kittens are really cool,” Zachary added. “We might not need a puppy, after all.”

  “I’ll definitely tell her that,” Duke said just as he heard Jordan tap his horn out front.

  To Duke’s relief, they spent the ride discussing business and other impersonal topics. As always, Duke admired Jordan’s quick intelligence and shrewd judgment. There was a rock-solid dependability about him that Duke envied. He hoped he could find some way to emulate it and give his sons the role model they deserved.

  It took less than a half hour to reach Jordan’s property. As they approached the house, Duke surveyed the small place with its colorful garden with some surprise. Huge pots on the porch spilled over with lush, vivid flowers. He had expected Jordan to own something far more pretentious than this tidy, homey farmhouse. Not even a fresh coat of paint could disguise the fact that it was quite old and had never been much more than a struggling ranch.

  Only after he was inside did he see that first appearances were deceiving. When Jordan showed him around, he discovered that an addition in the back was spacious enough for an indoor pool, an office with book-lined shelves and a very private master bedroom suite.

  Still, the original house was warm and cozy, compared to Harlan Adams’s far more formal White Pines. Jordan observed his reaction.

  “Not what you expected, is it?”

  Duke regretted being so transparent. “Sorry, but no. It’s lovely, but I thought you would live in something very modern.”

  “Modern and pretentious,” Kelly chimed in. “He did,” she announced as she joined them with a tray of appetizers hot from the oven. “In Houston.” She shuddered. “It was awful. Cold, sterile and big enough to house a family of twenty.” She brushed a kiss across her husband’s cheek. “I convinced him he needed a home, not a showplace.”

  “She was right, too,” Jordan said. “As usual.”

  “This ranch had belonged to my family for years.”

  “Kelly single-handedly saved it from ruin after they were gone,” Jordan said with obvious pride.

  The sound of a car skidding to a halt out front interrupted their conversation. Kelly winced.

  “Dani’s here,” Jordan guessed.

  “She drives like you,” Kelly complained. “She’s going to get herself killed one of these days.”

  “I haven’t,” Jordan pointed out.

  Duke gathered it was an old argument. He felt his shoulders tense as he waited for Dani to appear. The front door slammed, she shouted a greeting, then came to an abrupt halt at the sight of him. Her smile faded.

  Kelly quickly hugged her and whispered something that had Dani managing a tight smile.

  “Hello, again,” she said tersely to Duke as she bent to give Jordan a peck on the cheek.

  “You’re looking especially lovely tonight,” Duke commented, grinning at the blush that climbed into her cheeks.

  “I just came from the Holcombe place. Their dog was having a difficult time delivering its pups. If I’d known there was going to be anyone here beside family, I would have gone home first to change,” she said defensively.

  “No need to gussy up on my account,” Duke said.

  “Well, there is on mine,” Jordan said, wrinkling his nose distastefully. “You smell like a barn.”

  “Maybe I should just leave,” she said, turning for the front door at little too eagerly.

  “Of course, you’re not leaving,” Kelly said. “You have clothes in your room here.”

  Dani sighed. “Fine. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Where’s Justin, by the way? I need to talk to him about something.”

  “He should be home shortly. He’s over at Cody’s with Harlan Patrick. Or so he claims. I suspect they’re in town chasing girls.”

  Dani grinned at that. “Having his sister working at Dolan’s must really cramp Harlan Patrick’s style.”

  “You should hear Justin on that subject,” Kelly said. “He says Sharon Lynn is personally ruining any chance they have of ever getting a date.”

  “So Dolan’s is the hangout for teenagers?” Duke asked.

  “It has been for years,” Jordan told him. “Not even the fancy new burger franchise that opened up outside of town can compete.”

  “Thank goodness,” Kelly said. “I’m glad my kids didn’t grow up with their social lives revolving around fast food and malls.”

  “If Jenny had had her way, we would have,” Dani said. “She’s still itching to get a Bloomingdale’s close by.”

  “She just says that to get your grandfather stirred up,” Kelly said, then turned to explain to Duke, “It’s an old joke between them that she’s going to put a mall on his land as soon as she inherits her part of it.”

  “We’ll see,” Dani said. She stared hard at Duke. “I suppose you miss all the fancy Houston stores.”

  “Afraid not. Shopping was never my thing. As long as I can buy a good pair of jeans, I’m a happy man.”

  Her gaze swept over his clothes, which were far more expensive than even a pair of designer denim pants. “Jeans?” she said skeptically.

  “Darlin’, even those of us who hung out around oil rigs know enough to get gussied up for dinner with the boss.”

  Jordan and Kelly fought unsuccessfully to hide their grins. Dani frowned
at all three of them.

  “Since I appear to be the one who’s underdressed, I’ll go now and spruce up,” she said. “I had no idea we were standing on formalities around here these days.”

  “Just get the straw out of your hair,” Duke taunted, chuckling when her hand flew up in search of the nonexistent piece of straw.

  Dani left the room with a scowl, but at least it appeared she didn’t head straight for the front door. He glanced at Jordan just in time to see him exchanging an amused look with his wife.

  “I think that went rather well, don’t you?” Kelly said.

  “The house is still standing, if that’s what you mean,” Jordan observed dryly.

  “I gather Dani is not too keen on surprises,” Duke said.

  “Not if there’s a man involved,” Kelly told him.

  “I can still skedaddle on out of here, so you all can have a pleasant, family dinner,” Duke offered, albeit reluctantly. He doubted he would have made the suggestion if he weren’t fairly certain it would be refused.

  “No way,” Kelly said. “I haven’t looked forward to an evening this much in a long time.”

  “Me, either,” Jordan said.

  “I’m so glad to be able to provide you both with so much entertainment.”

  “Don’t you worry about entertaining us. Just liven things up for Dani,” Kelly said.

  Something in her tone alerted Duke to the possibility that she and Jordan were putting a little too much trust in him. They had clearly assumed that his intentions were thoroughly honorable and that they would inevitably lead to something serious developing between him and their daughter. Was that what he wanted? He shuddered at the very thought of walking down the aisle again. He was far from averse to romance, but beyond that? No way.

  Which meant, of course, that he was playing with fire here. Perversely, of course, the thought got his adrenaline pumping.

  When Dani returned wearing a pair of snug-fitting pants and a cotton blouse, his pulse ricocheted like a bullet glancing off a fence post. She had scooped her blond hair into a careless knot on top of her head, leaving several wayward curls to skim her cheeks and shoulders. Duke felt an almost irresistible urge to tuck each one back into place...or to release the rest and run his fingers through the shimmering golden silk. It was a toss-up which way he’d go, if he had the opportunity.

  Thankfully, he supposed, he didn’t have to make the choice. Kelly announced that dinner was ready and they all retreated to the dining room. Though Justin hadn’t come in, a place had been set for him, which gave Dani the perfect opportunity to sit opposite Duke, rather than beside him as her folks had so clearly intended.

  As she slid into the chair, Duke grinned at her knowingly, bringing another of those easy blushes to her cheeks. He discovered he could easily become addicted to watching the color bloom on her pale flesh. Most women he knew were way beyond such easy embarrassment. At the same time, Duke realized that Dani’s particular brand of innocence stirred an unfamiliar protective instinct in him. He managed to get through the entire meal without deliberately baiting her.

  He was less successful on the ride home. Dani was clearly peeved about being forced to offer him a lift. Her testiness aroused his contrariness. He settled back in the passenger seat and studied her with blatant masculine approval. There was no mistaking the unsettling effect his gaze was having on her. She was shifting gears so furiously that it was a wonder the transmission didn’t shriek to a complete stop in protest.

  “Dani?” Duke said quietly after a particularly nasty sequence of shifts.

  “What?”

  “If you don’t settle down, we’re going to end up in a ditch.”

  “If you don’t like the way I drive, you could always walk.”

  “And have you feeling guilty for a week for leaving me on a deserted stretch of highway in the middle of the night? I couldn’t possibly do that.”

  “I wouldn’t feel guilty,” she claimed.

  “Yes, you would. Why don’t you tell me what has you in such a rotten mood?”

  “My mood is just dandy, thank you very much. If you don’t like it...”

  Duke grinned in the darkness. “I know, I can walk.”

  “Exactly.”

  “You aren’t by any chance a little peeved that your parents didn’t mention I was coming to dinner tonight, are you?”

  “It’s their house. They can invite anyone they want.”

  “True, but you’re feeling as if you were set up, correct?”

  She sighed. “Look, it’s nothing against you, really.”

  “It’s just that you’re feeling cornered.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Why? It was dinner. It’s not a big deal.”

  She actually gave a tight little laugh at that. “Maybe not to you, but believe me, they’re hearing wedding bells. They hear them if there’s an available man within a hundred-mile radius.”

  “Don’t all parents want to see their children happily married?”

  “Yes, but not all of them consider it their personal mission to make it happen. It’s embarrassing.”

  “It shouldn’t be,” Duke consoled her. “I’m not feeling any pressure here. You shouldn’t, either.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “I’m not. Let’s make a pact.”

  She glanced over at him, her expression wary. “What sort of a pact?”

  “To stop worrying about what other people think and just see where things take us.”

  “Things, as you put it, aren’t going to take us anywhere. I’m not interested.”

  “So you’ve said.”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “No, darlin’, afraid not.”

  She shifted gears with another screech, then sped up to something close to eighty. Duke gathered she hadn’t liked his response.

  “Are you planning on killing both of us just because you don’t like hearing the truth?” he inquired. “Or were you just hoping to put the fear of God into me?”

  She regarded him hopefully. “Are you scared?”

  “Of you? Never.”

  “Well, you should be,” she said testily. “One word to my father that I find you reprehensible and you’d be out of the oil business, not just his, but any oil company.”

  Duke laughed at the threat. “You think so?”

  “I know so.”

  “Darlin’, before you go spouting off idle threats, maybe you should think again about whose idea this little dinner party tonight was.”

  She fell silent at the reminder. After a moment, she sighed. “Well, hell.”

  “Come on, Dani. It’s not that bad, is it? Nothing has to happen here that we don’t want to happen. We’re both adults. I’ve been able to control my libidinous urges for some time now. Something tells me you have, too.”

  “What’s your point?”

  “We shared one kiss. The world didn’t come to an end, did it?”

  “I suppose not,” she conceded grudgingly.

  “We stopped with just one.”

  “Only because we were interrupted by your kids.”

  As soon as the words slipped out, she muttered a curse that had Duke grinning. Wisely, he kept his mouth shut about her very revealing remark.

  When she pulled to a stop in front of his house, he made no move to exit. He held out his hand.

  “Friends?”

  She eyed his hand warily, then eventually reached over and clasped it.

  “Friends,” she agreed.

  The minute her soft skin brushed his, Duke regretted suggesting something as uncomplicated as friendship. It would never work. He wanted her with a ferocity that startled him. If an innocent touch could set off such demanding need, he was in deep trouble. They both were.

  He met her gaze and sa
w that she had reached the same conclusion. Her eyes had widened with surprise. Then, even as he gazed into them, they darkened with worry.

  “Well, hell,” she muttered, then carefully withdrew her hand from his. She squared her shoulders with just a touch of defiance.

  “Friends,” she repeated pointedly. “You promised.”

  He nodded and after one final look deep into her eyes, he climbed out of the car. Without a goodbye, she shifted very carefully into gear and drove away.

  Duke figured he was going to have a lot of very restless nights in the future to regret that idiotic promise of his. His only consolation was the absolute certainty that Dani was going to be tossing and turning, too.

  5

  More than two weeks went by without Dani seeing any sign of Duke. Nor did she hear a mention of his name. In fact, everyone in the family was so careful to avoid so much as a whisper about Jordan’s new employee and his sons that she guessed the silence was deliberate.

  Her mother, who usually checked in every morning at some point, hadn’t called at all the next day. She never had asked how their ride together the night of the dinner party had gone. Nor had anyone brought up the subject when she’d stopped by the following week or the week after that. It was almost as if they’d conceded that their plot had fizzled.

  Of course, they were an incredibly sneaky lot. It was all probably calculated to pique her curiosity. She congratulated herself for not allowing the tactic to work, then sighed at the blatant lie.

  The truth was she hadn’t been able to get Duke off her mind since their first kiss way back on the Fourth of July. Nor had she been able to forget the feel of his lips on hers, the heat of his body or the purely masculine scent of him. And those sweet, sweet words, comparing the sparkle in her eyes to fireworks kept echoing in her head. It didn’t seem to matter that so much time had passed since he’d paid her such an endearing compliment. She doubted she would ever forget it.

  Of course, that memory was followed by an echo of his promise that they would become friends and nothing more. She couldn’t seem to help feeling just a little disappointed that he’d taken her at her word that that was all she wanted. Why the heck hadn’t he just swept her off her feet and made mincemeat of her ridiculous claim to be immune to him? They both knew what a lie it was.