A Decent Proposal (6 page)

Burke made a right turn into the driveway of Ben and Cam's home. He pulled to a stop beside her father's truck. Alex's car was there, too, which meant they were the last to arrive. Syd looked at the house and the bright lights coming from inside. There was a three-car garage and the front yard had an expanse of velvety green grass encircled by manicured bushes and flowers. They got out of the car and walked to the imposing double-door entry, where she pushed the doorbell.

“Here goes nothing,” she muttered before the door was opened.

Camille Halliday McKnight stood there with her warm welcoming smile. “Hi, you two. Glad you could join us, Burke. Come in.”

“I'm grateful for the invitation. For a nomad like me restaurant food can get old.”

“Syd...” Her sister-in-law's voice had a chiding note in it. “Shame on you for not having him over to dinner at your house.”

They hadn't even been here a minute and she was busted already. If they were really dating she would have cooked for him. Cam's remark caught her completely off guard and she couldn't think of anything to say.

“She's mentioned it.” Burke to the rescue with a loose interpretation of their understanding. “But I've been busy and we've been taking things slow. Didn't want to go public with this too soon.”

“Like father, like daughter,” Cam said, closing the door behind them. “I was completely surprised to find out your dad and the mayor had been secretly dating for a while.”

“Go figure,” Syd said. “We McKnights are an unconventional bunch.”

“Come and meet everyone,” Cam invited.

She led them through the large, two-story entry with an overhead chandelier, then into the spacious family room with connecting kitchen. Loretta was setting the table and Alex's wife was stirring something on the stove.

She waved and said, “I'm Ellie. Nice to meet you, Burke.”

“Likewise,” he said.

Her eighteen-month-old daughter, Leah, was sitting on the family room floor with her nearly two-year-old cousin, Amanda. The two little girls were surrounded by toys.

Alex and Ben stood with their father by the river-rock fireplace and all three turned to look at Sydney and Burke. She knew it wasn't possible but felt as if
fraud
was tattooed across her forehead.
Never let them see you sweat,
she thought, then slid her hand into Burke's and plastered a big smile on her face as they joined the group.

“Alex, Ben, this is Burke Holden.” She watched as her brothers shook his hand, polite but suspicious.

“So you're going out with my baby sister,” Alex said. He hadn't lost the oldest-brother protective streak he'd honed as the oldest boy looking out for his younger siblings.

“Yes.” This time Burke didn't say “that's the rumor” because they really had gone out.

Syd knew her brother badly wanted to ask what his intentions were, but to his credit he held back.

Ben held out his hand. “I hear you're building a big resort.”

“It's going to be a very successful endeavor for my company, but for Blackwater Lake, too. I was just saying to Syd that property values are going to go through the roof.” He looked at Alex. “Your development here on the lake is going to be the place to live.”

“We just hope it doesn't grow so fast that ancillary services can't keep up,” Ben said. “Medical care for example.”

“I've talked to the mayor about that and a hospital is going to be in the short-term plans. A small regional airport is going in simultaneously with the building near the ski resort.”

“You've thought of everything,” her dad said.

“Probably not, but the team and I are doing our best on this project. We don't want to mess it up.”

“And we'd prefer that you don't,” Alex said. “This is our home.”

Syd listened and could read between the lines of what was being said. Watching their faces, she tried to see them objectively. Her brothers were about the same height as their father, a little over six feet, and both had brown eyes. Alex's hair was dark, almost black, while Ben's had highlights from the sun making it lighter. That was ironic since he was a doctor—an orthopedic specialist—and spent most of his time indoors. As a building contractor, Alex was outside most of the time.

“How do you like Blackwater Lake?” he asked.

“It's what I would call idyllic,” Burke answered. “My cousin and partner, Sloan, is the one who brought the area to my attention a few years ago and we both agree on the potential.”

Just then Syd felt a small hand on her leg and looked down to see blonde, blue-eyed Amanda smiling up at her. She babbled something that sounded a lot like “auntie.”

“Hi, baby girl.” Syd bent and picked up the toddler. “You're getting so big and even more beautiful than last week when I saw you.”

Cam, sporting oven mitts, was looking on from the kitchen.

“You're just prejudiced, Auntie Syd.”

“Definitely. And proud of it.” She looked down when another little hand patted her leg. With dark hair and eyes, Leah favored her daddy, Alex. “Hi, munchkin. You're so big, too. And even more beautiful than when I saw you last week.” She looked at Ellie, the child's mother, and said, “Gotta keep it even.”

“Good for you, Auntie Syd.” Ellie smiled fondly.

It was obvious the toddler wanted to be held, too, but Syd had her hands full. “I can't pick you up, sweetie.”

As if Leah understood, she turned and slapped the closest leg, which happened to be Burke's. When your world perspective came from such a low center of gravity, probably all males in jeans looked like your daddy.

This could go one of two ways. Either the little one would get loud in her demands, or lose interest and move on. Neither of those things happened. It never occurred to Syd that Burke would voluntarily pick up Leah, but pick her up he did.

“Hey, little bit. How's life treating you?”

The little girl's smile showed off the fact that she was intrigued by the handsome stranger as so many women often were.

“I'll take her,” Alex offered.

“That's okay.” Burke studied the child in his strong arms. “She's a cutie. In about fifteen years both of your dads are going to have their hands full.”

“Don't remind us.” The look on Ben's face said he was rejecting that idea with every fiber of his being. “Dad's been doing a good job of rubbing that in since Amanda and Leah were born.”

“I've been offering to pay for my granddaughters' room and board until age thirty-five at that convent in the Himalayas.” Tom grinned at his sons. “God knows I wish I'd done that for your sister.”

“You know I'm standing here, right?” Syd said.

“I do. And this isn't anything I haven't said to your face,” her father replied.

“Okay, then.” She snuggled the little girl in her arms more securely and kissed the chubby cheek. “Men can be so annoying.”

“You know we're all standing here, right?” Burke said, one eyebrow lifted.

“Yes, but in case anyone missed it, I'd be happy to say it louder,” she offered.

“We got the message.” Alex seemed unfazed. “And just so you know, there's not a zinger you can come up with that would keep me from protecting my little girl as long as I live. Or any other important woman in my life for that matter.” He slid an unmistakably protective look at her and Burke seemed to get the message.

“Well said.” Burke nodded slightly, letting the other man know he understood.

The little girl he was holding patted his cheek to get his attention, then pointed to the pile of toys in the center of the room. At the same time, Amanda was squirming to get down, so Syd complied and set her on the rug, where she looked up then at the playthings and grunted.

“Offhand I'd say we're being drafted for duty,” Burke commented.

“I wasn't sure you were picking up the signals.” She shrugged. “You don't have to. I can handle this.”

When he put Leah down, she grabbed his hand and leaned her tiny body in the direction she wanted to go. His smile was full of boyish charm guaranteed to melt female hearts from coast to coast and Syd was no exception.

“This little girl is not going to take no for an answer,” he said. “Let's do this.”

“Okay,” Syd said to Cam, Ellie and Loretta, who were busy with dinner prep. “We would help you guys in the kitchen but these girls are determined to play.”

“Trust me,” Ben said behind her. “If you play with them, that is helping in the kitchen.”

“Good. Works for me.”

She and Burke sat on the beige rug near the toys and let the toddlers hand them dolls, plastic cell phones and a scaled-down pink play stroller. Her nieces were chattering in a language no one could understand with the possible exception of their moms. She watched Burke, trying to decide if he was really this good-natured or just a gifted actor who would really rather take a sharp stick in the eye than play with girl toys.

The thing was, she didn't think he was that talented a performer and got the feeling he really liked kids. This high-powered, focused,
über
successful CEO was a sucker for children.

Color her surprised.

About fifteen minutes later Cam and Ellie directed their husbands to take the babies upstairs for a diaper change, adding that dinner would be ready in about thirty minutes. The dads grabbed up their daughters and disappeared as ordered. Syd enjoyed seeing her big strong brothers tamed. It was a sign that they were happy to be settled down with two exceptional women who loved them.

Still in troop-commander mode, Cam told Syd that she should give Burke a tour of the backyard. A look in her sister-in-law's eyes said she was being given a break and should take advantage.

Syd nodded then said to Burke, “Want to see the backyard?”

“Sure.”

Her dad grinned at Loretta. “Since diaper duty has already been assigned, I'll help you with whatever you're doing.”

The mayor smiled back. “That means looking over my shoulder and critiquing.”

“Maybe.” The twinkle in Tom McKnight's eyes was good to see.

Syd wondered why she hadn't noticed that before her father's secret relationship had been outed. For better or worse, now that she had noticed, she would do everything in her power to keep that happy look right where it was.

Burke stood and held out his hand to help her up. When she was on her feet, he didn't let go. Between the warm, cozy feeling of her fingers in his and the adorable image of him playing with the girls, Sydney wasn't so sure it was a good idea to be alone with him. But it wasn't about her or what she wanted, so she led him to the French doors that would take them outside.

Strategically placed lights illuminated the brick patio and outside furniture. There was a pool and spa in the center of the yard and a gazebo in the far corner that overlooked the lake below in the distance. Like the front, there was an abundance of grass and shrubs. This place was like something out of a fairy tale, Syd thought.

“This is Ben's backyard,” she announced.

“I would never have guessed.” Burke looked around. “It's beautifully done.”

“I couldn't agree more.” She removed her hand from his and folded her arms over her chest. “So, we got over that hurdle. First meeting of the whole family.”

“They all seem very nice.”

“Even though my brother Alex subtly threatened you?” she asked.

“I respect his instinct to look after the people he cares about.”

“You know he really won't beat you up when our quote-unquote romance goes south, right?”

“If he decided to, I think I could hold my own. I actually envy him,” Burke said. “Both of your brothers.”

“Why?”

“They've got it all. The things money can't buy, I mean.”

In the lengthening shadows of dusk it was difficult to read the emotion on his face, but she got the distinct impression that there was regret in his voice. It occurred to her that she didn't know a lot about him. She hadn't asked too many questions, feeling that it wasn't right to pry, what with him doing her such a huge favor. But now she was curious.

He hadn't responded when she'd wondered out loud if his son's mother would object to Liam spending time here in Blackwater Lake. So all she really knew was that he was amicably divorced and the custody agreement had been harmonious as well. He'd asked about her past and she'd said you show me yours and I'll show you mine. But he'd only agreed that she would need to know as it pertained to their agreement.

Now, for some reason, she needed to know. “So, I have some questions.”

Chapter Six

“Y
ou mentioned your cousin. Are you an only child?” Syd asked.

“Yes. Sloan is like the brother I never had. We're pretty close.”

“And you have a son.” Syd felt like an attorney interrogating a witness, but the questions kept popping into her mind.

“He's the best thing I ever did.” But again there was regret in his voice.

“Tell me about his mother,” she said.

“What do you want to know?”

“Good question.” She shrugged. “Do you get along? Is she a good mom?”

“No.”

There wasn't a shred of doubt in his tone. “But you said the divorce and custody negotiations were amicable.”

“Because when I asked for sole custody she didn't argue. She didn't want him. She'd lost both of her parents a while ago and the echo of divorce and custody negotiations had barely died away when she moved to Paris.”

“But she's been back to see her son.”

“No.”

Sydney was shocked speechless. You heard about this sort of thing in news stories, movies and books, but she'd never known of anyone in real life experiencing it.

When she could speak, she asked, “Who looks out for him?”

“The housekeeper. She's been with me since before he was born. I tease about getting custody of her in the divorce.” He smiled. “She loves Liam like her own.”

“So there was no one to object if you'd brought Liam to Blackwater Lake for the summer.”

“No. But all his friends are there in Chicago. His activities. His schedule and routine. I finally decided that stability for him was the most important thing.”

“More than having his dad?” She frowned, puzzled. “The details could be worked out and it would be an adjustment for him, but I would think that having him close by would be good for you both. You could take an afternoon off. Have lunch together. Work at home when he's asleep. Where there's a will...”

Frowning, he looked down at her. “You feel strongly about this.”

She nodded. “My dad was a single father and ran a business. He raised my brothers and me. Granted, Blackwater Lake is a place where folks pitch in to help their own, but Dad was there at night. To read me bedtime stories and tuck me in. He checked out my homework and my boyfriends. He was
there.
”

“You don't hold back, do you?”

“There's very little point in that.” She shrugged. “I call 'em as I see 'em.”

“I can't decide if you're being supportive or trying to make me feel guilty.”

“I get the feeling that you don't need any help with a guilt complex, Burke.”

“You're right. I decided a long time ago that feeling responsible for the bad stuff is a natural by-product of being a divorced father. That's how I make peace with it.”

“I can't believe his mother didn't want him.”

He shook his head. “To her he was a mistake and she always treated him that way. It's a sad reality that as bad a father as I am, I'm better than his mother.”

“I just can't wrap my mind around doing something like that,” she said.

“Because you obviously like children. You're good with them.”

“I just give them whatever they want.” She laughed. “It's what an aunt does.”

“Clearly those little girls adore you.”

“Because I never say no unless it's something that will hurt them.”

“I remember those days with Liam.” His voice was filled with wistfulness and regret. “It was simpler then.”

There was such sadness and self-reproach in the words that she felt an overwhelming urge to put her arms around him, comfort him. The next best thing was to change the mood. “Tell me about him,” she suggested.

“He's bright and funny. Athletic. Just a great kid. I really hate the feeling that I'm screwing him up. You only get one shot with a kid.”

Something about that statement sounded final, as if he'd already blown any chance to get it right. Intellectually she understood that everyone's approach to parenting each child was unique, but she had a feeling that's not what he meant.

He'd said he envied her brothers, their families. He'd commented that Sloan was like a brother to him, implying that he'd wanted siblings. Because of that Syd would have thought he wouldn't want his son to be an only child.

“It won't always be just the two of you, Burke. Surely when you meet the right person you'll want to add to your family.”

He shook his head. “No.”

“But why?”

“I found out I'm not good at marriage, for one thing. And more important, I wouldn't want another child to have me for a father.”

At that moment the French door behind them opened and Cam's voice drifted out. “Dinner's ready.”

“We'll be right there,” Syd answered automatically. When the door closed again, she said, “Burke, I think you're being too hard on yourself—”

“You're wrong. Let's go inside and eat.” Clearly he didn't want to talk about this anymore.

Syd had suddenly lost her appetite. He was so good with kids and really seemed to enjoy them. It was hard to believe he was as bad at parenting as he so obviously believed.

But why should she care what he believed? Why should it matter so much?

What they had was a relationship of convenience. They both had their reasons for putting on this act. It had all made sense until she'd seen him holding that little girl in his arms and the gentle way he'd played with both of her nieces.

There would never be anything serious between her and Burke Holden. But that didn't stop her from feeling as if his revelation had cost her something really important.

Something that mattered very much.

* * *

A week later, first thing Monday morning Sydney grabbed a cup of coffee and a donut from the customer waiting area at McKnight Auto, then headed for the exit that went outside to the service bay. Her father's office was on the way and she stopped in the doorway. From this position she could see out the window in case someone drove up. From out of nowhere Burke's image popped into her mind.

He'd come by twice and both were memorable. The first time she'd asked him to participate in a crazy scheme to convince her father she had a boyfriend. The second time he'd kissed her, the kind of kiss that made her want to put up a commemorative plaque that said, Burke Holden Kissed Me Beside the Hydraulic Lift.

Earth to Syd, she thought. Focus.

“Morning, Dad.”

He looked up from his computer. “Hi, Syd.”

She took a bite of donut and the white powdered sugar sprinkled the front of her work shirt. It was probably the most benign substance that would muck up her clothes today, but getting dirty didn't bother her. From the time she was a little girl, she'd always liked it. Oil and transmission fluid were the lifeblood of a car and part of the tools of her trade. The purr of a repaired engine was music to her ears.

And the man sitting behind the desk was the one who'd taught her everything she knew. She liked to touch base with him in the morning before they both got busy. They lived under the same roof, but somehow this quiet time before the day started was when important things were shared. And the man had spent most of his time at Loretta's house lately so there wasn't much time to chat. In the days since the family dinner at Cam and Ben's she hadn't seen much of her dad except at work.

“You and Burke do anything over the weekend?” he asked.

“No.” Syd had no intention of asking him what he and the mayor had been doing.

“What's wrong with him?” her father demanded.

“I'm not sure what you mean.”

“Your brothers tell me they liked him. He seems an upstanding sort.”

That's the way she pegged Burke, too. “Alex and Ben are pretty smart.”

For once, fate had dropped a good man in her lap. He was handsome, funny and seemed to get along well with the adult males in her family as well as being great with kids. Dinner had been really fun. He fit in and for once she hadn't been the odd one out. She'd had a date, albeit a fake one. It was nice not being alone. Which made her sad when she thought about what he'd told her in the backyard.

“I say again—what's wrong with him? Letting a pretty girl like you be alone on Friday and Saturday. If he doesn't step up, some other fella is going to come along and squeeze him out.”

She felt a stab of guilt for the deception and was
this
close to coming clean. But her dad looked so happy and lighthearted. In her whole life she'd never seen his eyes twinkle like this and the spring in his step made him seem ten years younger. She didn't want anything to change that. Still, she could use this opportunity to nudge him where she thought he should go.

“You should listen to yourself and take your own advice.” She finished her donut.

Tom stood and walked around the desk. “What does that mean?”

“If you don't seal the deal and marry Loretta pretty soon, some other fella will steal her right out from under your nose. She won't wait forever.”

“Maybe I'll seal the deal.” His eyebrows drew together. “Or maybe not.”

She was about to call him out on that but a minivan pulled up outside. “Got a customer.”

Her father turned to look as a woman exited the vehicle. “Uh-oh. That's Violet Walker—”

“It's Stewart now,” Syd reminded him.

“I can write up the work order. I understand if you don't want to.”

He told her that he hadn't mentioned Violet being back in town because of not wanting to remind her of that painful time. He'd hoped she and Violet wouldn't run into each other. And that had worked out so well, she'd wanted to say. No, she had to deal with this. It was an opportunity and she realized she'd been waiting for one.

“It's okay.” She met her father's gaze. “Took a lot of guts for her to come here. I want to talk to her.”

“That's my girl. I'll be right here if you need me.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and went back to his computer work.

Syd dropped her disposable coffee cup in the trash by the door then grabbed a clipboard with service form already attached. She walked outside and met her former BFF face-to-face beneath the overhang connecting the office to the service bay.

“Hi, Violet.”

“Sydney.” She looked tense but determined. “The van needs an oil change. I would take it somewhere else, but this is the only place in town. I hope it's okay, but if not—”

“Of course it's okay.”

“Charlie offered to bring it in, but I said it would be better this way.”

“That would have been fine. But, the fact is, I've been wanting to talk to you ever since that day at the park.”

“Really?” There was eagerness in the single word before a wary expression tightened her features. “Why?”

“To clear the air.” She smiled. “It's a small town.”

“Yeah. That's one of the reasons Charlie and I moved back. For our parents, but also because this is a great place to raise kids.”

“And we're going to run into each other.”

Vi nodded. “I could feel everyone at the park watching to see what would happen between us.”

“Me, too. I'd have said something to you then, but it was more fun to give the people of Blackwater Lake
nothing
to talk about.”

“I know what you mean.” A small smile eased some of the tension. “It always bugged you when people gossiped.”

“Because we couldn't get away with anything.” A series of long-ago memories scrolled through Syd's mind like a video. “If I spit on the sidewalk, someone would tell my dad.”

“I know.” Violet grinned. “Remember that time we decided to run away and join the circus?”

“Oh, gosh—” Syd laughed and nodded. “I haven't thought about that for years. We cut school and went to the grocery store to buy snacks with our allowances. Thinking ahead for the road trip.”

“Not far enough ahead.” Vi chuckled at the memory. “I'm not quite sure what we were going to be in the circus or why we thought they would hire us even if we happened to run across one.”

“Fortunately it didn't get that far because someone called my dad.”

“And my parents,” she added. “To this day I have no idea who ratted us out.”

“I have my suspicion although it was never confirmed. It's my theory that there's some kind of parental code of silence,” Syd said. “And you're one of them. Look at you. A mom now and Charlie's a dad. Two beautiful kids—a boy and girl.”

“Right? Todd and Bailey are the best things Charlie and I ever did.”

Syd knew for a fact that she didn't begrudge this woman her life or have any animosity about the past. But envy was something else. Violet was once her best friend and now she had a husband, children. She had everything Syd wanted. It was everything Syd's dad wanted for her so that he could move forward with his own life.

But the everything she wanted had always been vague until recently, Syd realized. Somehow Burke had made it come into focus.

“You and Charlie have a beautiful family, Vi,” she said softly.

“Syd, I'm sorry. We never meant for it to happen and you have to know that neither of us would deliberately hurt you. You're our friend. At least you were,” Violet added.

“I know.” Clearly Violet had heard the wistfulness in Syd's voice but it had nothing to do with what happened all those years ago. She reached out and touched the other woman's arm, squeezing reassuringly. “It's obvious that he didn't love me or he wouldn't have fallen so hard for you.”

“You have to know I didn't do anything. I never came on to him and he didn't to me, either. It's just that we all hung out together. Charlie and I felt the attraction. We both tried to fight the feelings but couldn't. We should have talked to you but eloping seemed like a good idea at the time. I just feel awful about what happened and the way we handled it. And so does Charlie.”