She searched his gaze, for what, she didnt know. Pity? Regret? Anything that would make it easy for pride to flare, to shove him away.
But he only smiled, patient as ever.
And after we do this last thing together? she asked. Then youll go? Back to your life?
Youre in an awful hurry to get rid of me.
Youll go?
His smile slowly faded. If you get your answers, Ill go.
Okay, she said softly, grabbing her backpack. Then now is as good a time as any.
LAURA LYN MILLER, of Miller Show Dogs, wasnt home. There was a clipboard attached to her front door for visitors, and given the dates of the notes left for her, she hadnt been home all week.
Shes at a show, Danielle said in a neutral voice that didnt come close to fooling Nick.
She was despondent-he could hear it, he could see it-and for the first time in a very long time, he felt completely helpless.
Because she wanted him to go, damn it, and get the hell out of her way.
But he couldnt walk away from her until he knew she was okay. That after only a handful of days he was afraid there was far more to it than that could be his own private hell.
All I need are her records, Danielle said, still staring at the front door which wouldnt be opening to her. Proving I was in Sadies life from the beginning, with my own money. I paid for most of the vaccinations and food and everything else needed, and since Laura Lyn and I stayed in touch at shows, she could be a witness to that fact.
Shell be back. Nick took her back to the truck. And so will we.
Danielle was quiet until they were on the road, heading back to the inn. Shell be gone another week, if shes on the show circuit that I think shes on. And actually
He wasnt going to like this. And actually?
Shes not too far from here.
But Ted might go there looking for you.
Its likely. Voice tight, she stared out the window.
So we wait.
I wait. You cant just hang here for a week.
Right. He had a life.
Coopers Corner came into view, the pretty little village that never failed to draw him in. Small, personal. Unique. Danielle drew him in, just as this place did, he thought, turning into Twin Oaks B &B.
Danielle got out of the truck before he could come around. Im going to take Sadie for a walk in the woods.
Alone. That was crystal clear.
Well, good. Hed practice being alone again, too. He watched her go, watched her hold on to Sadies leash as if the dog was all she had in the entire world.
What about me, he wanted to call after her, but that was pathetic so he headed around to the back of the house, to where he could go be alone and mull. Maybe even talk to Maureen.
Hed asked her to run Ted through the system, discreetly, without explaining why hed asked such a thing. Nick hoped like hell she came up with something. Anything. If so, combined with the threatening e-mail, Danielles testimony on how hed treated Sadie, and anything else he could find, it hopefully would be enough to turn things in Danielles favor.
Danielle, who was currently walking away from him as fast as she could.
On the back deck, which spread the entire length of the house, sat two young, bubbly, laughing women, whom he recognized as Maureens cleaning crew.
They grinned at him. On a break, the redheaded one called out cheerfully, having unfastened all but one button of her sleeveless blouse so that she could tie it between her very generous breasts.
The other had rolled her biking shorts up to nearly pornographic heights, and since she lay on her belly in a lounge, he had an unobstructed view of a very curvy, very nearly exposed bottom. From over her shoulder, she smiled. Care to join us?
Uh Definitely, there was something wrong with him that he hesitated, glanced back over his own shoulder for one last sight of Danielle.
But she was long gone.
And damn it, so was any libido he might have had.
That it was possible for her to have so completely stolen all his lustful urges in such a short time was truly terrifying, and he turned back to the women, staring at their bodies, determined to get his own to react.
Not a twinge.
No getting around it. What he wanted, what he craved, was one slender, sweetly sexy, misty-eyed Danielle.
Only problem was-and here was another first-she didnt want him back.
He knew he had decent looks. That wasnt ego talking, but fact. He also knew he hadnt been bad in bed. The way shed clutched at him, staring into his eyes with sweet, sexy, wondrous surprise, as if no one had ever made her feel like that before, told him that.
It hadnt been his company, either, because no matter what she pretended, she liked him, he could see it in her eyes, taste it in her kiss.
And whether she wanted to admit it or not, she trusted him. Shed trusted him with the truth, shed trusted him to be with her. Shed trusted him to help her.
She hadnt let anyone else do any of those things.
But she didnt want to trust him. Didnt want to let him in.
And without that, they had nothing.
Little Buxom Redhead wriggled on the lounge, getting herself comfortable while watching him from beneath lowered lashes to make sure he was catching it all.
Sorry, ladies, he said, knowing he was truly certifiable. But the niggling in the back of his mind had turned to a full instinctive awareness of trouble, and his instincts were never wrong. Without another look at the women, he pivoted and followed Danielle.
She wasnt on the trail. She wasnt in the gardens. She wasnt anywhere.
She was gone.
13
DANIELLE GAVE UP the walk in favor of a little ride. Maureen had been so kind, offering her anything she needed, and the fact that shed taken advantage of that hospitality and borrowed her car felt like an overwhelming burden.
But she still drove herself and Sadie to the dog show to find Laura Lyn.
All the way there Danielle told herself she was doing the right thing, not involving Nick in this any further. Hed done enough, she owed him everything as it was, and
And who was she fooling?
Shed needed-quite desperately it turned out-to remember what it was like to be on her own, without the incredible, dynamic presence of one Nick Cooper, the only man to ever have her fantasizing about what-ifs.
What-ifs were fruitless. What-ifs were dangerous.
She pulled up to the site of the dog show, taking a moment to look around at the controlled chaos with a sense of nostalgia. Trailers, campers and minivans dominated the parking lot. Two huge ring tents had been set up for the show itself, and surrounding those were the booths of various vendors selling everything from doggie sweaters to pooper-scoopers.
The hustle and bustle of it, the friendly but stiff competitors, the general craziness had been Danielles life for so long. It felt like home, and yet oddly enough, also like a dream where she didnt quite belong.
Luckily, it didnt take long to find Laura Lyn, whod hired Danielle on several occasions to handle her extra dogs. After a quick hello hug, Danielle pulled back and said, You dont see me standing here.
Okay. Laura Lyn shifted her perpetual wad of gum from one cheek to the other. I dont see you standing here-stressed, exhausted and looking like crap. Does that have anything to do with the phone call I took from Ted several days ago?
Danielles stomach sank and she gripped Sadies leash with tense fingers. She looked around, but didnt see him. This was a bad idea.
Was it? Another careful shifting of the gum made Laura Lyns left cheek bulge. Why?
Danielle stopped looking for Ted long enough to look into Laura Lyns eyes. I need records.
Ted said you might. And that I was to call him the moment I saw you. She lifted a brow. Hard to do that, as Im not seeing you.
Danielle drew a careful breath. Laura Lyn
Did you steal Sadie?
More like put her in protective custody.
Laura Lyn blew a huge bubble. Ah.
I want to show the court that for all intents and purposes, Sadie is mine.
To prove ownership.
Right. Then she can stay with me.
Because Ted broke up with you? Or because Sadie is the most amazing champion the breed has seen in decades?
So now the story was Ted had broken up with her. Terrific. That gave him even more sympathy in the eyes of the law. No, not because of any of that. Danielle looked into Laura Lyns eyes and willed her to understand. But because Sadie needed to get away from Ted. So did I. Laura Lyn, I left him. I had good reasons, and now I need to prove Sadie doesnt belong with him. She drew a deep breath and gave it her best shot. Can you help me do that?
Danielle?
Danielle?
Both Danielle and Laura Lyn froze as Laura Lyns assistant, Gail Winters, came jogging up to them. Imagine seeing you here, she said to Danielle, with a wealth of speculation in her gaze.
Gail was barely twenty, independently wealthy, gorgeous and far too glamorous for the dog life, but shed proven herself a good assistant to Laura Lyn.
All that, and she also fancied herself in love with Ted. Given the predatory way she was staring at Danielle, Gail had to know too much.
Under the guise of moving out of the sun, Laura Lyn turned her back to Gail. Then she leaned close to Danielle. Where should I send the records?
Thatscomplicated.
Laura Lyn looked at her for a long beat. Gail? she said over her shoulder. Could you go brush Max? Hes next in the ring.
But-
Now, please, Gail.
Only when her assistant had reluctantly moved away did Laura Lyn speak again. Complicated?
I want to come get them.
Coming to my place would be a bad idea, Danielle.
Ted?
I think so. How about I overnight the records to you when I get back in a few days?
Danielle hesitated, because that was a lot of trust, which she was short on at the moment.
I can have them to you by the end of the week, Laura Lyn promised.
The end of the week. Surely she could wait that long to start her new life. The Twin Oaks B &B in Coopers Corner, Danielle said softly.
And hoped she hadnt just made her biggest mistake yet.
DANIELLE DROVE BACK to the inn. Inside, she could hear hammering, the whir of a sawbut saw no one as she climbed the stairs.
Maybe she hadnt been missed.
As she entered her-their-room, she removed Sadies leash, giving the dog space to lie down.
Then Danielle stood still and took her first real breath since shed left. Maybe Nick had already gone, deciding she was far too much trouble for whatever weak link they had to a past. Maybe he was at this very moment thanking his lucky stars to have gotten rid of her so easily. Maybe he-