Her answering smile was tight-lipped. “Maybe. And sometimes those dreams are just a road to trouble. Never mind my woolgathering. As you know, I have a tendency to run on.” She laughed at herself, but not kindly. “Guess I’m just being a typical country hick. Saw so many sights, I got carried away.” She glanced at her watch. “We’d probably better get going.”
Blake increased the pressure on her arm, unconsciously connecting them. “I don’t know what I’ve said, but I think I just ruined your day.”
Her expression softened, along with her voice. “No. I loved it all. Peeking into the Beverly Hills world, knowing it didn’t suit me any more than I suited it. Seeing Hollywood, all the things I’d heard about, finding out they were more exciting than I’d imagined.” She turned slightly toward the view of the city. “And this. It’s wonderful. And you really did take me to the top of the world.” She met his eyes, and he wondered at the painful resignation he saw there. “For me, this is the pinnacle. I won’t be going to those other places. And if not for you, I wouldn’t have seen this. So, I thank you.”
Blake tugged her arm, turning her back to him. “I never meant to imply that you wouldn’t see the rest of the world.”
“But I won’t be.” The dusky fire in her eyes simmered, as though she’d extinguished that flame, obliterating her optimistic excitement, as well. “I’m not complaining. I’ve got three wonderful kids, a good job, and a new home. What more could I want?”
The entire world
. He sensed it clearly, yet knew somehow he’d stumbled on something she wanted closed off. It was as though she’d posted a No Trespassing sign. He wondered why.
“Cassie, I think you can have anything in the world you set your mind to. Your children are proof of that. How many kids do you know with the same ambition as Jimmy Ray and Katherine Ann? David John will have it, too. A woman who can raise kids like that alone, with no help, can accomplish anything.”
Her smile was wise, too wise. “My children
are
my ambition. And they will be my accomplishment.”
Despite knowing he’d pulled back himself, unwilling to delve into his own emotions, now he probed hers. “But what about you, Cassie? Where do you fit in this picture?” The breeze lifted her hair, teasing golden strands that danced in the sunlight. “What about the things you want?”
“It’s not that easy for most of us. Like you said, I’ve got good kids, I’ve staked out a tiny part of the world I can call my own. I can’t go chasing dreams. They just disappoint you, anyway.”
“What hurt you, Cassie?”
Her face closed suddenly, tightly. That No Trespassing sign was back up, thrown firmly in place. He realized it was the second time since he’d known her that she’d closed up so completely. “I’m just a simple country woman. You’re reading more to me than there is.”
He doubted that. It was becoming increasingly clear there was nothing simple about Cassandra Hawkins. He’d been foolish to ever think so. But he also sensed it was time to back off.
“You’re right. The kids will be home soon.” Blake didn’t want to end Cassie’s day on such a downward note, and an unexpected idea struck him. “Why don’t we take them somewhere for dinner?”
She glanced at him in surprise. “All of them?”
“I don’t always have the time I want to spend with the boys. Why waste it?”
“Then you should take just them. My kids are used to potluck.”
“I said we. Our kids live in the same house, go to the same schools. Don’t you think we should do some things together? Like going to dinner?”
Something indefinable flickered across her face, then disappeared. “Sure. The kids will like that.”
“And you?”
Cassie smiled—not that golden grin, yet a smile, “I’m always game.”
BUT WHEN CASSIE SAW the restaurant, she reconsidered her remark. Expecting a burger or pizza joint, she was surprised when instead Blake drove them to a beautiful stucco building. A discreet sign told her that the restaurant was Moroccan. She hoped she wouldn’t act like a fool—or, even worse, a country hick—in the unfamiliar surroundings.
Tall, ornate brass doors opened into a fountained courtyard, which was the centerpiece of the lofty marble entrance. Swathed in palms and pastels, it seemed regal, elegant, and utterly foreign. Glimpsing ahead as they were led into a dimly lit room, Cassie began to feel the promise of the mysterious East.
David John leaned close to her. “This is cool, Mom. Just like out of a movie.”
Since it looked as though Peter Lorre might emerge from the shadows at any moment, Cassie could only nod in agreement. Was that why Blake had chosen this particular restaurant? To expose her to some of the world she’d told him she would never see?
“It beats the heck out of the Dairy Queen in Twin Corners,” Jimmy Ray commented as they neared their table.
A smile hovered over Blake’s lips. “So it does.”
They sat at their table, all sinking into deep lounging cushions. The waiter, who looked as though he’d stepped from the pages of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” brought them all bowls of warm water, kneeling at the table.
As soon as he withdrew, David John wrinkled his face in distaste. “If this is the soup, we’re gonna starve.”
Kevin snorted. “You dope. It’s to wash your hands in.”
Blake intervened tactfully. “It’s a Moroccan custom. You’ll see there are several more that are different from ours.”
Once into the swing of things, the kids greeted each of the seven courses with enthusiasm, even the unfamiliar pigeon and rabbit dishes.
This restaurant was like a jaunt into another world. Gazing at the inlaid mother-of-pearl tables and the hand-painted tiles, listening to the gentle foreign music that surrounded them, she felt as though she’d been treated to a royal Arabian night. A glimpse into the world she’d declared she would never see.
Feeling much like her wide-eyed children, Cassie let herself be swept into this taste of another culture, relishing each moment. When the meal ended and they piled back into the van, she couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. It was hard to leave the magic.
As Blake pulled into the traffic, Kevin let out a yelp. “Dad, there’s the music store. Can we stop?”
“I don’t know....”
“Please, Dad,” the twins begged in unison.
With a resigned sigh, Blake changed lanes and pulled into the lot at the music store. “I can’t fight all of you.”
Contented after the unique dinner, Cassie smiled indulgently as Blake closed her door and locked the van. “How long can it take to stop at a music store?”
His dark brows rose. “I forgot. You don’t have one in Twin Corners. I should have brought sleeping bags and survival rations. Three teenagers and three preteens—we ought to be here the rest of the night.”
Cassie laughed as they walked inside, thinking he was teasing her. But nearly an hour later she saw that he was right.
“And you thought I was kidding, didn’t you?” Blake asked, delighted to see the smile back on her face. “We’ll be lucky if we can drag them out in another hour.”
“I never thought my kids would care that much. It’s not like they had any of this back home.”
“Which is probably why they’re so fascinated. The unknown’s usually more interesting than the familiar.”
Cassie gave a small shrug. “For children, perhaps.”
Blake met her eyes, enjoying the contentment in her expression, the slight flush of her skin. “And adults? Don’t they enjoy exploring the unknown? Discovering something or someone new?”
He was rewarded by a deepening flush, along with the disappearance of her contentment. She just shrugged and looked blindly at the next bin.
Blake purposely put his hands near hers, browsing the same section she did. When his hand grazed hers, he could feel a sudden jump in the pulse of her wrist. A change she was careful to try and disguise.
He glanced at the CDs she’d been examining. “The Beatles? Are you a fan, too?”
“Well...” Her voice wobbled, but then she firmed it. “Yes. Most everybody listened to country-western, but I was hooked on rock and roll—especially the Beatles.”
“They were the best,” he stated, leaving no room for argument.
Her laugh bounced between them. “As long as you’re open to discussion.”
“You don’t like them?”
“No. I
really
do. I especially admired John Lennon.”
“My favorite, too. Couldn’t believe it when he was shot. That’s something I’ve never forgotten—what I was doing when I heard he’d been killed. I was knee-deep in my fraternity initiation. I thought it was a fake report—part of my maddening initiation.” He shook his head at the flashback, “Do you remember that day? What you were doing when Lennon was shot?”
She started to open her mouth, but then a wave of something grim passed over her face. Her voice was flat. “No, I don’t.”
“That’s odd, most everybody—”
“I said I don’t remember. Are you going to stand there all night cross-examining me?”
Blake sucked in a deep breath. He’d somehow stumbled on a nerve, and judging from her reaction, he’d touched a live wire to that nerve. What was it that she didn’t want to discuss? Along with being defensive, she was also evasive. She must have been in high school when Lennon was assassinated. What could she possibly have to hide about her high school years?
Before he formed a reply, she pulled back from the stack of CDs. “I think we ought to round up the kids. Tomorrow’s a school day. The kids don’t need to waste time here and wind up falling asleep in school.”
Definitely a throbbing nerve. “You’re right, Cassie. Guess I forgot what time it was.” But he couldn’t resist one more probe. “You know how dangerous school days can be.”
She lifted her head, a blaze lighting her eyes before she turned to gather her children.
He’d hit a nerve, all right. Cassie Hawkins was showing more sides than the city. And each one was proving more intriguing than the last.
AS THEY PULLED into the driveway, Blake groaned aloud, and Cassie stared first at him, then at the unfamiliar car parked in a sprawling fashion across the drive. A black Porsche carelessly blocked a good portion of the driveway, and Cassie had a sinking sensation that she knew who the car belonged to.
As the kids piled out, Blake caught her eye. “Looks like another visit from my sister-in-law.”
Kevin and the twins groaned in response. “We don’t hafta see her, do we, Dad?” Todd questioned.
“You can say hello,” Blake responded, looking none too pleased himself.
“I hope that’s all,” Kevin muttered.
Blake rolled his eyes. “She’s different...but she is your aunt.”
“That’s not our fault,” Mark mumbled.
“It won’t kill you,” Blake responded.
“I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee,” Cassie offered.
“Daphne’s more the champagne-and-caviar type,” he replied with an amused laugh. “Coffee would only dampen her buzz. I’ll park the van—” he glanced at the insufficient space remaining in the driveway “—somewhere. Why don’t you go ahead and take the kids inside?”
Cassie was tempted to reply that her job didn’t include dealing with difficult relatives. Instead, she gritted her teeth, wishing the woman hadn’t chosen tonight to drop in. Once at the back door, she made herself smile as they all trooped inside.
“My, my, what an absolute
horde
of children,” Daphne said by way of a greeting, her lips curling in barely concealed disapproval.
Kevin and the twins offered halfhearted hellos and gave her the expected perfunctory kisses on the cheek before disappearing. Taking their cue, Cassie’s children went upstairs after politely saying hello.
“How do you do it?” Daphne asked, watching the last of the kids sprint upstairs. “I’d have a constant migraine with that many little bodies in the house.”
“That wouldn’t be too good for my job, since I’m the nanny.”
“True. I can’t imagine why anyone would want a job like that. But then, I guess somebody has to do it, don’t they?”
Cassie ignored the claw poking through Daphne’s purring voice. “I’m afraid so. Otherwise the boys would have to depend on their extended family for care.”
Daphne’s head shot up sharply as she caught the implication in Cassie’s words. Her eyes narrowed. “It’s hardly your place to question my devotion to the family.”
Cassie clung to her dignity. “No. I don’t suppose it is. Nor yours to question mine.”
Daphne shed her civilized mask. “You have a job
now,
Mary Poppins, but mess with me and you’ll be out so fast you’ll be breathing Texas dust again before you know what hits you.”
Sucking in a gulp of reinforcing air, Cassie held on to her temper. “I don’t want to argue with you, but Mr. Matthews is my employer, not you.”
“And don’t think I haven’t seen how you’re trying to make more of that relationship, either.” Daphne shook back her impressive mane of hair. “But you can give up that fairy tale. Blake isn’t going to get involved with a servant.” Daphne’s dark eyes flashed. “Especially since he’s going to spend the rest of his life with me.”