Authors: Sherryl Woods
“What age? I’m thirty-seven. I exercise. I haven’t had any complaints from the women I date about my stamina.”
“Do you have a date for tonight?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Do you?”
“No.”
Exaggerated astonishment registered on Todd’s face. “Hank Riley is back in town and doesn’t have a date! Women across Dade County must be in the throes of despair.”
Hank’s eyes narrowed. Todd chuckled. “Why are you here, by the way? I tried to reach you in the Keys and Ted said you hadn’t come in or called. Ann didn’t make a lot more sense when I called there.”
“You talked to Ann?” he said, suddenly wary.
“How else do you think I knew you were here?”
“How’d she sound?”
“Like Ann. Dammit, Hank, what the devil is going on between you two?”
“Nothing.”
“If you hurt her, Liz will kill you. Come to think of it, I may kill you. She’s been a good friend to us. Kevin, needless to say, adores her. She’s turned his life around since she’s been helping him with his reading problem.”
“Who the hell says I hurt her? Did she say that?”
“
She
didn’t say anything. Ann is the soul of discretion, in case you haven’t noticed. I’m picking up all these weird vibes from you.”
“Well, you’ve got it all wrong.”
“Okay, we’ll forget that for the moment and go back
to the other issue you seem to be evading. What brings you to Miami?”
Good question. Hank knew he should have anticipated it, but he hadn’t. He’d been too busy running for his life. “I, um, I had some things to follow up on in the office.”
“What things?”
“Things, okay?”
“Interesting.”
“Don’t get cute with me, buddy. I’m too damn tired to deal with your smart remarks.”
The admission cost him. It said far too much about the sleepless nights he’d spent in the past couple of weeks, as well as his current state of mind. He caught the twitch of Todd’s lips. It rankled.
“Have dinner with Liz and me,” Todd suggested.
Hank visibly recoiled from the daunting prospect. “Oh, no. Not a chance.”
“How come? Don’t you want to see your godson? He could use a few pointers on his pitching. And the baby is almost crawling. You should see her.”
“I have spent the past two weeks surrounded by rug rats. I do not need to see any more. Cute as yours might be,” he amended, knowing exactly how touchy Todd could be over his offspring.
“We’ll fix steaks on the grill.”
His mouth began to water.
“And I just bought a case of cabernet sauvignon that will go perfectly with them.”
He weakened. Obviously in the past couple of weeks his resistance had been shot to hell along with his nerves. It was pathetic. “What time?”
“Eight.”
“Make it seven. I doubt if I’ll be able to stay awake past nine and I’d hate to fall asleep before I get the first bite of steak.”
“Great. See you later, pal. What time are you coming in to the office?”
“The office?” he repeated blankly.
“You did say that’s why you came, didn’t you?”
“Oh, right. Later.”
“Later,” Todd repeated, clearly amused. “Good time.”
As soon as his still-smirking partner had left, Hank’s thoughts whirled right back to Ann. He recalled a dozen different images, all of them tantalizing enough to set his blood on fire.
“No way,” he muttered as he began to scrub the kitchen floor. It was a task he usually left to the maid. She came once a week. The floor was spotless. He didn’t care. Scrubbing it kept him from pounding on walls. As he mopped, he forced himself to itemize every one of Ann’s innumerable flaws aloud.
“Bossy.” An image of her comforting Melissa countered it.
“Opinionated.” He recalled how intently she’d listened to Tracy’s problems at school, never once offering advice, only encouragement. Tracy had worked out her own solution and left for Key West with renewed confidence.
“She has no sense of style.” She’d been wearing a man’s wrinkled red plaid flannel shirt when he left and bright yellow socks. That shirt had barely reached to midthigh. To his astonishment, it had triggered sensations more powerful than the most seductive black lace teddy. Judging from the renewed racing of
his pulse, its power hadn’t dimmed over the past few hours. He tried harder to counteract the effect.
“That impossible hair!” A memory of his callused fingers tangled in the short, dark strands made his muscles go taut.
“Oh, hell!”
Ann was scrubbing pots and pans with a vengeance. She had already mopped the kitchen floor, vacuumed the house from one end to the other and dusted so thoroughly that the kids had scattered. She was considering washing all the windows next. It probably wouldn’t help.
Hank Riley was the most infuriating, insensitive, nervy man she’d ever met. Last night had been…a disaster. An unmitigated disaster. What had ever made her think that she wanted that man in her bed? What had possessed her to even allow him into her house? In only a few weeks he’d done more to turn her well-ordered life upside down than any four of the children combined. Once he had gone for good, she was sure she’d feel quite capable of coping with another half-dozen kids.
“Ann?”
She turned and saw Tracy regarding her hesitantly. “What’s up, kiddo? I thought you’d spent the night down in Key West.”
“I did. I just thought I’d come back this morning.”
“No classes?”
“It won’t hurt me to skip ’em for once.”
“No. Probably not,” Ann said, studying her more closely. She sounded very defensive and she seemed a little pale. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I said I’m fine,” Tracy snapped, then flushed guiltily. “Sorry. Where’s Hank?”
“I’m not sure. I assume he’s at work.”
“He’s not. I checked there.”
“Why?”
“I just wanted to ask him something.”
“Can’t you ask me?”
Tracy shook her head and Ann felt somehow betrayed.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. It’s about guys.”
“I see.” She considered pressing, but decided against it. With her track record in the past twenty-four hours, she was the last person to be giving out advice about men. “You could call his cell phone.”
Tracy’s expression brightened at once. “You have the number?”
“It’s on the pad by the phone under Todd’s name.”
Tracy flung her arms around her. “Thanks, Ann.”
Ann watched as she copied the number and raced to use the phone in the living room. Again that stirring of resentment nagged at her.
“This is just terrific, Ann, old girl. Now you’re jealous of the man.”
It was true. She’d noticed it more than once as Hank began slowly interacting with each of the children. Despite his reservations, he was really trying to reach Jason. As for Tommy and Paul, they clearly idolized him. It had hurt her the first time she’d realized how often they turned to Hank. They trailed him around the house, imitating his mannerisms. Tommy constantly wore the tiny hard hat Hank had gotten him. Now Tracy was defecting as well.
Ann shook her head and sighed. She ought to be
grateful. She analyzed the emotions that were rampaging through her. Gratitude wasn’t among them. Nope. Jealousy was at the top of the list.
“Well, you’ll just have to get over this in a big hurry,” she muttered, pouring vinegar and water into a bucket and heading for the windows that faced the Atlantic.
Filled with trepidation, Hank approached Todd’s house in Coconut Grove later that night. He knew that his encounter with Todd in the morning had been little more than polite chitchat compared to the cross-examination Liz was likely to subject him to. He wasn’t sure he was up to it.
Ever since Tracy’s phone call, he’d been tempted to head straight back down to the Keys. He didn’t like the sound of this boy she was going out with. He guessed the kid’s hormones were in overdrive and he wasn’t one bit sure that all his advice had equipped Tracy to deal with him. His stomach knotted at the thought of the jerk laying a hand on that sweet, innocent kid. After the hell her old man had put her through, she deserved never again to be touched except with love and respect.
He wasn’t aware that he’d been sitting in the car for some time until he heard Kevin shouting at him.
“Hey, Hank, come on! Dad said you’d help me with my pitching. It’s only a little while till dinner.”
Hank mustered a grin, grabbed the baseball mitt he’d thrown in the back and climbed wearily from his truck. At least it would provide a reprieve from Liz’s inquisition.
“Okay, kid, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Todd came out moments later and joined them on the
wide sweep of lawn. “Sorry I missed you at the office. Feeling any better?”
“I’m great.”
“Right.”
Hank shot him a vicious look, then turned pointedly to Kevin. “Try a curveball. You remember where I told you to put your fingers.”
The ball zipped toward him with surprising speed and accuracy, landing in his mitt with a solid thud. Kevin’s grin split his freckled face. “How’s that?”
“Not bad, kid. You’ve been practicing.”
“Every night. At least when Dad gets home in time. Liz tried to catch for me one night, but she was pretty bad,” he confided. His tone and his face registered his disgust. “Girls!”
Hank laughed. “Yeah, kid, I know just what you mean.”
“I heard that,” Liz called, poking her head out the front door. “People who make unkind remarks about the cook get steaks that are the consistency of shoe leather.”
Hank immediately adopted a suitably contrite expression and jogged over to plant a kiss on Liz’s forehead. “Sorry. Present company excepted, of course.”
“Thank you.” She glanced toward Kevin. “And you?”
Kevin grinned at his stepmother. “Sorry, Liz.”
She nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Then dinner’s ready.”
Hank made the first cut into his thick, juicy steak with the enthusiasm of a half-starved man. He lifted the bite to his mouth, savored the aroma, then bit into it slowly. It was delicious, with just a hint of mesquite in the flavor. He swallowed and the image of Ann’s disapproving expression flickered alive in his stupid
brain. Guilt stole in. The second bite wasn’t nearly as flavorful as the first. The third practically choked him. He determinedly ate another and then another, forcing himself to finish the entire steak.
When he looked up from his meal at last, he caught Todd and Liz exchanging an amused glance.
“Did you enjoy your steak?” Todd inquired with contrived innocence.
“Terrific.”
“I have another piece in the kitchen,” Liz offered sweetly.
“No, thanks. I’ve had plenty.”
“More salad?” She held out the bowl.
Hank reached for it, then stubbornly jerked back his hand. “No.”
“Are you sure? You’ve hardly eaten a thing.”
He took a deliberate sip of the excellent full-bodied wine. “Guess I just wasn’t as hungry as I thought.”
“Aren’t you feeling well?” Liz persisted, her eyes filled with concern.
“I’m fine. Dinner was superb.”
“How about some apple pie?”
Hank was cheered by the prospect. Apples were healthy. Not even Ann could find anything to object to there.
“Maybe with some vanilla ice cream on top?” Liz suggested.
His mouth watered. “Terrif—” he began, then recalled Ann’s speech about the fat content of ice cream as she’d given him a bowl of frozen yogurt. “No. I’ll take it plain.”
Damn. She wasn’t within fifty miles and she was still ruining his appetite. Fortunately before Liz could
make too much out of his refusal, the phone rang. “I’ll get it,” she said. “Kevin, how about bringing the dishes into the kitchen.”
When the two of them had gone, Todd said quietly, “It’s worse than you’ve admitted, isn’t it?”
“Don’t you dare start gloating again.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ve waited a long time to witness the fall of the mighty lecher. Are you in love with her?”
“Absolutely not. You know how I feel about love. It doesn’t exist.”
“Methinks thou does protest too much.”
Hank glared. “Think whatever you want.”
“Well, what are you going to do about it?”
“Not a damn thing,” he insisted stubbornly.
“But…”
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted Todd’s protest. It was Tracy.
He almost knocked over his chair as he stood and answered the phone. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice raw with panic.
All he heard were muffled sobs.
“Tracy, where are you?”
“At a gas station.”
“Where?”
“In Key Largo.”
“Are you okay?” He closed his eyes and forced himself to ask gently, “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No, I’m just so mad.” She choked back another sob. “Hank, he was just as big a creep as you said he was. Why didn’t I listen to you?”
Hank’s heart finally began beating again. “Because you wanted to believe in the guy. Trusting someone
isn’t a sin. It takes a lot of experience, though, before you can completely trust your judgment.”
“I’m never dating again.”
Hank grinned, thankful that Tracy couldn’t see it. “I doubt you’ll feel that way by next weekend. You stay put, honey. I’ll come get you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said bravely, but her voice was still thick with tears. “I can call Ann.”
“Stay put. I’m on my way.” He took down the location of the gas station and hung up, then turned to find Liz and Todd regarding him intently.
“You heard?”
They nodded.
“I have to go get her.”
Liz reached out and touched his arm. Until he felt the gentle brush of her fingers, he hadn’t realized how tense he was. “She’ll be fine. She’s just scared.”
He felt himself beginning to relax. “I know.”
He headed for the door, then turned back. “Thanks.”
“Any time.” Before he could close the door, she called out. “Hank.”
He looked back.
“You’ll make a wonderful father.”
He shook his head, but as he climbed back into his truck and headed south, he realized that was exactly how he felt: like a father.
It scared the hell out of him.
Chapter 8