Finally taking his gaze off Joe, Clay glanced around, apparently looking for Willow. He opened the jeep door and climbed out. Shielding his eyes with one hand, he stared up at the house. “Is Willow around?” he asked of no one in particular.
Austin puffed up like a rooster ready to defend the hen house. “You're in big trouble, Clay.”
He pulled off his sunglasses to reveal penetrating, dark green eyes. “That right, squirt?” He laughed and started to swagger toward the house, unconcerned with Austin's anger.
He drew up short when Joe casually moved forward, putting himself in the way. Clay stopped so abruptly, he spilled some of his cola. “Hey.”
Clay was a tall boy with wide shoulders, but Joe towered over him, six feet, three inches of hard muscle. Clay took a hasty step back. “What's up, man?”
“My name is Mr. Winston, not man.” Joe smirked at the disrespectful tone. “And you're trespassing.”
Joe had sounded almost cordial, but still Clay looked worried. “Trespassing? Naw. Patricia doesn't care when I'm here.”
“I care.”
Clay swallowed. “Uh, where is Patricia?”
“Gone.” Joe's grin epitomized evil delight. “From now on, you deal with me.”
“And me,” Luna said, unwilling to be cut out of the equation. “I'm Luna Clark, Willow's cousin.” She held out her hand, making Joe frown.
Eyes wide, Clay accepted her hand in a brief, hurried shake. “You're here to take care of Willow and Austin?”
“That's right.” Joe waited, not budging.
Clay again looked around. “I don't understand.”
“It's simple enough.” Joe raised his brows. “You were rude to Willow, and you put your hands on Austin. That's unacceptable behavior. Until you learn some manners, you're not welcome here. Now I suggest you get in your car and leave.”
His mouth fell open. He glanced back at his friends, who stared in shock. With obvious disbelief and a heavy dose of bravado, Clay faced Joe again. “You're threatening me?”
Luna rolled her eyes and laughed. “Of course not. Joe doesn't threaten children.” Joe didn't bother replying.
Clay choked at being called a child. “But . . .”
Aware of the insult she'd dealt him, Luna fought off a smile. “The thing is, I don't want Willow insulted or Austin struck. Did you see his eye?”
Austin glared at Clay, the eye in question narrowed meanly.
Rather than answer, Clay pointed a finger at Austin. “That little weasle started the trouble this morning. I was only trying to talk to Willow when he jumped on my back.”
“You called her names,” Austin accused, his small body bunched to attack again.
With a nervous laugh, Clay said, “Nothing she hasn't heard before, and besides, we were just funning with her.”
Joe caught Austin before he could move. He pulled him to his side and held him there. “Leave, Clay, and don't come back unless Willow invites you.”
Clay looked undecided for only a moment before he straightened his shoulders and lowered his voice. “I want to see Willow first. I need to talk to her.”
Luna shook her head. “Nope. She went in when she saw you drive up.”
Frustration darkened his eyes. “Just call her out for a minute.”
“She doesn't want to see you.”
Clay cursed and threw down his can of cola. “Listen, if this is about the brat, I didn't mean to black his eye. He jumped me and got hurt in the scuffle. It's not my fault he got in the way of my elbow.”
Shored up by Clay's foolish bluster, his friends again snickered.
Joe shook his head. He bent, picked up the half-full can of Coke, and tossed it into the driver's seat of Clay's car. It foamed out all over the expensive leather upholstery, sending Clay into a panic.
“Jesus!” He jerked off his shirt and ran to the jeep to mop up the mess. His two friends scrambled to assist him. They tried not to look worried, but Luna saw right through them. This was probably the first time they'd ever run across anyone like Joe Winston, and they didn't know what to make of him.
She'd had a similar reaction the first time she met him, so she understood how they felt. Joe inspired awe, fear and, if you were female, lots of interest.
With a total disregard for their disgruntlement, Joe joined the boys at the jeep. Austin kept pace with him, thoroughly enjoying himself. “Don't throw garbage in the yard and don't call Austin names.”
Clay whipped around to face off with Joe, his sopping shirt held in his hand. “My stepdad is going to be majorly pissed about this, you just wait and see.”
“Yeah? Good.” Joe held the jeep door open for him. “Maybe he'll give you a swift kick in the butt, like you deserve.”
Comical outrage suffused Clay's face. “Not at
me
. At you!”
Joe nodded to the car. “Get in.”
The cordial tone was long gone. Luna sighed. With no other apparent choice, Clay did as he was ordered. Joe pushed the door shut, then leaned in to say, “Tell your daddy to give me a call. I'll look forward to talking to him.”
“He's my stepfather,” Clay clarified.
“Whatever. In the meantime, I think I'll give the Welcome County police a call. I'm willing to bet you've broken a few ordinances here today.”
Clay's gaze darted between Luna and Joe. He tried for a cavalier scoff that fell flat. “I have not.”
“Loud music, speeding, no seat belts, profanity, littering . . . I could probably think of a few more. See, I used to be a cop, so I know the rules and I make a damn fine witness.” Joe straightened and looked at each boy in turn. “If I make a complaint, they'll show up at your door to question you about it.”
Clay drew a deep breath and frowned.
“You might just be fined, or they might take you out in handcuffs. Either way, you think your stepdaddy will like that?”
Clay remained silent.
Joe shook his head. “You know, Clay, you're old enough, probably smart enough, to try acting like a man instead of a punk. You'll find life is a little easier if you do.”
Luna stepped forward. “But until you do, until you can visit without the foul mouth and nasty attitude, stay away.”
Clay chewed his upper lip. After a moment, he turned his head and stared toward the house. The seconds ticked by before he muttered a soft curse under his breath, then started the jeep and drove off. Luna noticed that he didn't speed this time, and he immediately turned the music down.
Austin kicked a small rock in their general direction. “Cowards.”
With an expression like a thundercloud, Joe leaned down, caught Austin under his arms, and raised him to eye level. Knowing how bad Joe's ribs probably hurt, Luna frettedâbut she didn't interfere. Joe seemed to be doing pretty darn good all on his own. His arms didn't shake, and he didn't appear to be straining at all.
“Listen, you,” Joe said, all seriousness now, “real men don't gloat.”
Austin hung limp in his hold, his feet dangling well off the ground. “What's that mean?”
“It means when someone is defeated, you don't kick rocks or call them names. To do so leaves you without dignity and makes you a coward, too.”
“I'm not a coward.”
“No? Then don't lower yourself to their level by acting like them. When I talk to the cops, I want to be able to assure them that you're on your best behavior. Any altercations will start and end with them, not with you. Understand?”
Serious and sincere, Austin nodded, but at the end, a big grin split his dirty face. “It was awful fun to watch, though.”
Joe held his grim expression for three seconds more before he laughed. “Rodent.” He set Austin down and ruffled his untidy hair. Dust flew up around him.
Joe looked at his hand, at the dust still floating in the air, and asked, “Do you think you could help me unhitch Luna's car? Then maybe we can check out the lake, swim and do a little fishing. What do you say?”
“Sure! We'll have to dig up some worms for bait, though.”
Luna wrinkled her nose at that prospect until Joe turned, caught the back of her neck, and hauled her close for a kiss on the forehead. “Is that okay with you?”
If he kept up with those casual, possessive touches, Luna would soon be mush. Aware of Austin shifting restlessly beside them, Luna nodded. “That sounds like a great idea.”
Joe didn't release her. Instead he pecked her mouth and smiled. “Wanna come with us?” And then, near her ear, “I'd love to see you in a bikini.”
Luna swatted his chest. “I think I'd rather get the lay of the land. But you two go on. And have fun.”
“Spoilsport.” With another kiss, Joe headed off.
Watching the two males saunter off side by side did something funny to Luna's heart. She heard Austin laugh, and felt like laughing, too.
Damn Joe Winston, did he have to be so good at
everything?
Not only was he too sexy for words, but he was kind and gentle, macho and brave, understanding and reasonable and . . . She swallowed. He was everything she'd ever thought a man should and could be.
But he wasn't for her.
She turned away to head to the house and saw a curtain drop over the window. Uh oh. So, Willow wasn't as disinterested in Clay as she'd claimed. Had the young man seen her peeking out? Luna had a feeling Clay wouldn't give up.
She winced. It didn't take a psychic to see that this was going to be trouble. But at least this gave her and Willow something in common.
Caring about the wrong guy . . . Yup, that was right up Luna's alley. She and Willow could commiserate with each other. At least with Willow it was likely no more than infatuation.
For Luna, she knew it was much, much more.
Chapter Eight
H
igh on a hill facing the house, mostly concealed by scrubby shrubs and weeds, the man shook his head. Careful to keep the sun from glinting off the lenses, he lowered the binoculars to the ground, then pulled the “big ear” headphones off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Joe Winston appeared to be making himself right at home.
Following him hadn't been easy after all. Winston had spotted him early on, forcing him to put even more distance between them. He could have taken the time to switch cars, but then he'd have run the risk of losing them altogether. Besides, it wouldn't be catastrophic if Winston found out about him. It'd change his plans, but it wouldn't change the end results. Things were just easier this way.
For now.
He used his forearm to wipe sweat from his eyes. The damn summer sun was relentless, beating down on him in waves. Too bad he couldn't take a nice cool dip in the lake out behind the house, as Winston and the little boy planned to do.
He sat up, keeping his body concealed by the brush. The Smith and Wesson nine-millimeter pressed into the small of his back. It was hard, uncomfortable, but he always kept it on him. Like Winston, he was always prepared, but unlike Winston, he chose to carry a gun instead of a knife.
Being armed was only one of the many things they had in common. Being ruthless was another.
And a common enemyânow that made a third.
Maybe he and Winston were more alike than he'd first realized.
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Impatient, annoyed, Dinah stood out back of the estate, hidden in the shadows of the small guest house next to the in-ground pool. It was risky coming here, but she'd never been fired in her life, and she didn't like it.
After a twenty-minute wait, he finally slipped out the patio doors and came to her. When he reached her, she started to speak, but he shushed her with one venomous look. His hard hand closed on her upper arm and dragged her farther away, deeper into the surrounding landscape until they were completely hidden behind a lush rhododendron in full bloom.
He grabbed her other arm and slammed her up against a sturdy trellis. They were of a similar height, but still he overpowered her. “What the fuck do you mean, coming to my house like this?”
Dinah's heart raced. Oh, God, she'd never seen him so angry before. She'd always considered him too suave and sophisticated for an outburst. Perhaps she'd made a mistake coming here. “I . . . I wanted you to know. I got fired.”
His dark brown eyes seemed fathomless in the dim night. After a heart-stopping moment, he dropped his hands. “The cousin fired you? Why?”
His fair, immaculately styled hair reflected the moonlight, forming a halo around his head. Dinah recovered her aplomb and straightened. “Who knows? She's ridiculous, very eccentric, just as you said. But she brought someone with her.”
“Who?”
Dinah licked her lips. “Joe Winston.” Just saying his name gave her delicious shivers. Talk about a real man. Because she asked for very littleâsexual satisfaction, a few laughsâfew men had ever turned her down. Yet Joe Winston had looked at her with contempt. She wasn't giving up on him, though. Not yet. “I assume he's her lover. They're not married, I know that much.”
He stepped closer to her, crowding her back, his breath hot and angry, though his voice now remained cool. “What did you do, Dinah?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.” His mouth tilted in a sneer. “Did you come on to him? Did you throw yourself at him?”
Dinah wished the question wasn't so humiliating. Usually men were easy to get, but there was nothing easy about Winstonâand unfortunately, that only made him more appealing. He'd told her no, and meant it.
Just as this man had.
She couldn't continue to meet his gaze and looked away. “They both took exception to the truth about the kids. I was explaining how they are, the trouble they cause, and they fired me.”
Almost without thought, he brought her face back around to his, causing her heart to race and her womb to tighten. He stared into her eyes, but spoke more to himself than her. “That doesn't make any sense. Those brats are nothing but trouble.”
“I know.” He'd been generous with her, getting her the job, paying her extra on the side, in exchange for a little worthless information. He did everything under the guise of responsibility to the town, to his family. Dinah knew better. He cared only about himself. “What am I going to do now? I need a job.”
His dark gaze narrowed, then he stepped away. “Give it a week. By then they'll see what they're up against, and they'll either be at your door, begging you to return to help keep the kids in line, or they'll have given up and agreed to move away. It's only a matter of time.”
“I know. Patricia was ready to leave with the kids until that idiot man asked her to marry him.”
“Jealous?”
He just stood there, damn him, impassive, detached, probably amused. Few people ever saw this side of him, but he could be such a cold bastard at times.
Dinah thrust her breasts out and lowered her voice to a purr. “I can get any man I want.”
He laughed softly. “Not me. And apparently not this Joe Winston fellow.”
Anger roiled through her. “Within a week, he'd have been in my bed.”
“But you didn't get a week, did you?” His smile was malicious. “You didn't even get a whole day.”
It did her no good to fight with him. She'd realized from the first that he held no special reverence for women. To get what he wanted he'd trample over man, woman, or even child. “No, I didn't, and now I'm out of a job. What am I going to do while waiting for Luna Clark to come to her senses? And what if she doesn't? What if she decides she likes it here?” She poutedâbut it had no effect on him. “I need money to live on.”
He pulled out a wallet, flipped through several twenties, and handed them to Dinah. “Maybe I'll speak to Mr. Winston. I'll reason with him, and then we'll see.”
Dinah curled her fist around the money. “That might be harder than you think. I got the impression that Winston isn't an easy man to reason with.”
He gave her an indulgent grin. “Every man has his weakness. I'll find his, and then you'll see just how easy it is.”
Dinah watched him walk away, that damn opalescent moonlight still framing his pale head. She snorted. The halo was very misplaced. Beneath that blond hair, she was sure he hid horns, because God knew, he was as close to the devil as a man could get.
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Luna came into the kitchen with a list. It was nearing ten o'clock, and she'd just tucked the kids into bed after they'd both said good night to Joe. That had been nice, Joe thought, sort of domestic and comforting.
It had taken him by surprise.
After swimming in the lake, Austin claimed to be clean enough. The lake water had knocked the top layer of dirt off the boy, but the ground-in grime had remained, so Luna insisted he shower, too. It hadn't been an easy battle, but Luna had set out to win, and in the end, Austin had proved no match for her.
When Austin later sidled up to Joe to say good night, he'd smelled good, sort of like soap and little boy and innocence. Austin hadn't exactly hugged Joe, but he had gotten close, looking shy and uncertain. Joe rubbed his back, messed his freshly brushed hair, and sent him to bed with a gentle thwack on the shoulder.
Willow had come to him next. She'd worn a faded blue housecoat over her nightgown, and her long blond hair was loose, freshly brushed. She looked adorable and far too wise for her years. Joe had waited, letting her decide what to do. He wasn't quite sure if one went about messing a young lady's hair.
Willow stared at him a long time, then nodded. “Thank you.”
Joe's brows rose at her grave tone. He pulled off his reading glasses. “For what?”
“For coming here.” Then she'd walked away, breaking Joe's heart and forcing him to fight the urge to draw her back for a tight hug. He'd already decided not to smother the kids, to let them get used to him naturally.
But it wasn't easy.
He wanted to pull them both close and promise that nothing and no one would ever hurt them again. He wanted . . .
Shit.
Luna sat down beside him. She, too, was freshly showered, and that played havoc with his libido. He could smell her, all soft and female and sweet. He wanted to rub his nose against her neck, her breasts, her thighs. His abdomen tightened.
She leaned forward to look at the papers he had spread out in front of him. “What are you working on?”
She had a lot on her mind, too much to have to deal with his lust, too. Joe tugged on his earring. “These are the accounts for the lake.” His voice was a little hoarse, but he ignored it. “Do you realize how prosperous it was? Why the hell Patricia shut it down, I can't imagine. Especially since there wasn't that much cash left to the kids.”
“You've been looking into the money situation?”
“It seemed pertinent. Now don't frown. I'm not snooping. You asked me to come along to help set things right. Well, you'll need money to keep things afloat, but there doesn't appear to be any.”
“The house is paid for.”
Nodding slowly, Joe looked around. The kitchen was immense, beautiful, not overly dated, but certainly not modern either. “You've never cared for kids, Luna. I remember my mother complaining about the laundry that had to be done for Alyx and me.” He regarded her, knowing she was strong and more than capable, but perhaps a little naïve about what she faced. “Hot water bills, gas and electric, taxes, insurance . . . Groceries alone are a large monthly bill. Figure everything you spend on yourself and quadruple it. That's the cost of kids, and it's endless.”
Her exotic eyes narrowed. “You're suggesting I give up already?”
“Hell no.” He leaned back in his seat and laced his fingers over his middle. “But you'll need some form of income. There's the interest on what's left in the bank, but I can think of better ways to work that money to get a higher return. That's something you ought to take up with an accountant.”
“The stock market?”
“Or mutual funds, something like that. But in the meantime, the lake might be a solution. It was making money. Your cousin Chloe did a helluva job with it. So why did Patricia shut it down?”
Luna shrugged. “My guess is she didn't want to be bothered with it. She struck me as a lazy, selfindulgent bitch.”
“Yep. Not very nice at all.” Joe remembered the foot in his lap, and he shook his head. He still didn't know if it was Patricia or Dinah, but it didn't matter. Either one was unacceptable.
No reason to tell Luna about that now. Pulling himself back to the table, he put his head on one fist and again lifted a paper. “If you don't mind, I could check into this and see how difficult it might be to get things going again.”
“Sure.” Beneath the light centered over the table, Luna's lashes looked long and soft and left shadows on her cheekbones. After her shower, she'd changed, and she now wore a breast-hugging, spaghetti-strap cotton shirt with loose, opaque harem pants. Her makeup was gone, and she had removed all her jewelry. Even in the comfortable clothes, she managed to look flamboyant, sexy and exotic.
This was likely how she'd look the morning after making love.
That thought warmed him. Joe liked sitting with her in the evening, discussing things. They were almost like a family, and while that should have worried him, instead it made him feel . . . necessary.
Ha. What the hell was he thinking? Nonsense, all of it. He shook his head, drawing a funny look from Luna. He pushed another paper toward her. “It's the only big lake in the area, and with school out and the temperatures climbing, I bet plenty of people would be happy to renew their memberships. It might be a nice cash flow.”
She picked up a flier on seasonal activities. “There's more involved than just swimming?”
The fresh scent of her hair and the indescribable fragrance exclusive to Luna filled him. Joe drew a deep, uneven breath. If he didn't have her soon, he'd become a halfwit. “The shed down by the lake used to be a shop of sorts. There's an enormous freezer that might need a little electrical work, but otherwise seems to be in good order. Austin told me their mom used to sell ice creams and colas, bags of ice and chips and snacks to the people who visited the lake. And there's a vending machine for bait, though I haven't found the records yet on where to order the bait. There were rentals on floats, canoes, fishing equipment. Pretty much anything you could think of that could be used in or around a lake. Austin tells me the stuff is still stored here, most of it in the shed but some in the attic and basement.”