Charmed by His Love (22 page)

“What’s he going to do,” she drawled, stepping around him, “use the flat of his sword on my backside?”

“Nay, lass,” he said with a chuckle as he followed. “I’d be more worried about seeing him with a short length of rope in his hands if I were you.”

Having absolutely no idea what he was talking about, Peg stopped and turned, making him nearly bump into her. “The moment I so much as hear anyone in town has threatened my mother or aunt,” she whispered tightly, “I swear I’m ripping up my agreement with MacKeage Construction and chaining off the pit.”

Alec’s usually warm eyes turned deadly, and he stepped closer. “Where’s your van, Peg? Did someone run you off the road?”

“And you can tell Duncan that I don’t make idle threats, either,” she said, turning and walking away on rubbery legs.

Dammit, she had to figure out how to stop them from hiring her mom and aunt, even if she had to dump a whole shaker of salt in tonight’s supper when no one was looking—especially her little tattletale son.

Duncan showed Jacob and Pete how to buckle themselves into the booster seats he’d set in the second row bucket seats, and handed them each the books on heavy equipment he’d brought them. He then stepped to the side to usher Charlotte and Isabel into the third row seat and handed them the magazines he’d brought—that he’d had his mother pick out because what in hell did he know about little girls? He finally climbed in behind the steering wheel, hiding his smile when he saw Peg studying the dashboard that looked like it belonged in a Black Hawk helicopter.

He’d driven the full-sized SUV back from Pine Creek in the wee hours of this morning, leading his convoy of equipment through a gauntlet of moose out licking the salt that had pooled in the potholes from this winter’s sanding. At the rate this spring was going, he wouldn’t have many more nights of below-freezing temperatures, which was the only time he could run his trucks until the road postings were removed—which didn’t happen until the frost heaves settled back into place and the roadbed dried up.

“Do ye like the truck?” he asked conversationally.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many accessories,” she said, fingering the buttons on her door handle. He saw her glance
over her shoulder. “Or one with bucket seats instead of a bench in back.” She tapped the built-in navigation screen and shot him a sassy smile. “You get lost a lot, do you?”

“No, but my mother does, apparently. This is her truck, not mine.”

“Then why are you driving it?”

“Because she’s wanting to sell it, and I told her that I happened to know someone who might be interested in buying it.”

“Who? Olivia?” She leaned back in her seat with a chuckle. “That way she and Mac would have twin SUVs, only his is pearl white, not gold like this one.”

“Actually, I was thinking
you
might be interested in buying the truck, since you … sold your van.”

She half laughed, half snorted in surprise. “Yeah, right; I might be able to afford the
down payment
if I were getting two
fifty
a yard for my gravel.”

“The truck’s six years old, Peg, and has close to eighty thousand miles on it, making it very affordable at two
twenty-five
a yard. It’s also considerably safer than what you were driving. It’s four-wheel drive and has a full frame underneath it, which gives you and your tribe a fighting chance against logging trucks in an accident.”

“Affording the truck and affording the gas for it is another matter,” she said, even as Duncan saw her studying the dash a bit more discerningly.

But he was ready for her arguments. “Actually, I believe it gets the same gas mileage as your van did. The rear end is geared for economy rather than towing because it was Mom’s vehicle.”

“Really?” she said in surprise, glancing at the children in back before he felt her eyes narrowing on him. “How much commission is she paying you to lie to a nearly
destitute
 widow about the gas mileage?”

Hearing the laughter in her voice, Duncan started to relax. “Well, she did promise to bring me an apple crisp and large bowl of whipped cream when she and Dad come to visit my work site next week.” He smiled over at her. “If I have her truck sold so she can go buy the shiny red sports car she has her eye on.”

Peg settled into her seat again with a sigh. “I don’t think the bank will give me a loan based on future income.”

“But I have faith in your future income, which is why on my drive back this morning I thought of a deal we might work out.”

He felt her eyes narrowing on him again. “What kind of deal?”

“What if we took one day of wheeler loads out of your weekly check for … say, the next twelve weeks?”

He could almost hear the gears turning in her brain just before he heard her gasp. “That’s less than ten thousand dollars! This truck is worth at least three times that.”

“Not in today’s economy. That’s why Mom is selling it instead of trading it in at the dealership, because their offer was an insult. And,” he said when she tried to say something, “I’ve recalculated after walking Mac’s mountain a couple of times, and I’ve put on two extra trucks so that I’ll be hauling at least forty loads a day out of your pit for the next four months. So that’s closer to thirteen thousand dollars for twelve weeks.”

He stifled a smile when her brain started grinding away again. “But that would mean—wait. I don’t
have
that much gravel.”

“Oh, but ye do. That vein is deeper than even I estimated. I dug test holes nearly up to your northern line, and the farther I went, the nicer the gravel was.”

He saw her glancing around the interior a bit longer this time before she turned and gave the dash another scan—all while rubbing her hand over the leather arm on her seat. Oh yeah; was he a quick study or what? He had Peg pretty much figured out—except for where and
why
she’d ditched her van.

“Ten weeks,” she suddenly said. “One day’s worth of wheeler loads for
ten
weeks and we might have a deal.”

“What! That’s not even eleven thousand dollars. Are ye trying to steal the truck from my mother? Do you have any idea what it cost new?”

“And the booster seats stay with it,” she said, her eyes filled with laughter. “I get the title signed over with my first gravel check so I can register it, and we put the deal in writing. But only after I talk to your mother on the phone, which I intend to do the minute we get back from sending Olivia and Mac on their way this morning.”

And right then, in less than a heartbeat, Duncan realized
he could live to be a hundred and ten and never have the woman figured out. He turned to glance out the side mirror to hide his smile, wondering why instead of scaring the hell out of him that actually turned him on. “Eleven weeks,” he said into the pregnant silence. “And you have to bake me an apple crisp drizzled with maple syrup and topped with real whipped cream each one of those weeks.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m always serious when it comes to apple crisp.” He smiled over at her. “But I can be persuaded to share.” He held out his hand. “Deal?”

She hesitated, biting her lower lip as she looked around the interior again. “It’s awful … showy,” she whispered, mostly to herself, he realized.

“It’s more about safety than luxury, Peg.” He put his unshaken hand back on the wheel when she continued to hesitate, and arched a brow to disguise the black thought she’d just triggered. “Would looking showy prove to be a problem for you?”

“Some people might feel I’m ra—that I’m stripping my land bare just for money, and seeing me driving around in something this fancy would only fuel the … gossip.”

Duncan glanced in his side mirror again, this time to hide his scowl as he shrugged a deceptively negligent shoulder. “Buying this truck was just an idea I had, Peg, because it’s safe for your children and reasonably priced. And I know its history, so I know it won’t be breaking down every time ye go to town.” He smiled over at her. “But if what some people might say is more than you want to deal with, I’ll understand if you pass on the offer.”

He saw her frown as she looked around again, absently toying with the buttons on the door before she suddenly thrust her hand toward him. “Okay, we have a deal. Eleven days of gravel for the truck.”

He started to reach out but stopped. “And eleven apple crisps.”

“It’s your waistline,” she said with a laugh, reaching more than halfway to grab his hand and shake it. She squirmed in her seat. “So pull over.”

“What?”

“I want to drive it.”

“You’re supposed to test drive a vehicle before you shake on it,” he said with a laugh, turning onto the Inglenook road and bringing the truck to a halt.

“Mom, why are we stopping?” Pete asked when Duncan undid his seat belt and opened his door at the same time Peg did.

“Because I’m going to drive our brand-new truck,” she said excitedly as Duncan glanced in the rearview mirror and saw all four children gaping at her, only to look over and see her I-mean-business scowl make an appearance. “So today’s challenge of no muddy feet continues indefinitely.”

“What’s
infiniditly
mean?” Pete asked.

“It means
forever
,” Duncan answered before she could. “You’re a bit of a tyrant, ye know that,” he muttered as he got out.

“Oh, yeah?” she said when they crossed paths in front of the truck. “Then maybe I’ll let you be the boss of them on the picnic tomorrow, and see how long you last before you’re either barking orders or throwing yourself off a cliff.”

“Not a problem,” he said across the hood when she reached the driver’s door. “I’ll just make sure to wear my sword.”

Peg sat with Olivia on the steps of the main lodge, watching their children down at the paddock trying to coax the huge draft horses over to the fence with carrots. “Where are Ezra and Sam?” she asked. “I thought they’d be here to see you guys off.”

“We said our good-byes this morning,” Olivia said with a sad smile. “And I swear it turned into a tear-fest, with me doing most of the crying.” She sighed and looked around. “I guess I’m excited about going, but I really don’t want to leave Inglenook for two whole months, especially with everything that’s going on in town.” Olivia gave her a sidelong glance. “What happened the other day, Peg? Henry and Sophie weren’t too happy I made them help pack the RV instead of letting them stay at the barn with your tribe, but the truth is I was surprised that Alec and Robbie were watching your children. And then I saw you get out of a car and climb into Duncan’s truck, and you looked wet and cold and … angry.” She
touched Peg’s knee. “Where’s your van? Did you have to take it in for repairs again?”

“No, it’s definitely dead this time.” Peg shot her a smile and waved toward the parking lot where Duncan and Mac were studying what appeared to be a site map spread out on the hood of Duncan’s—no, of
her
shiny gold SUV. “And that’s why I am now the proud owner of that fancy truck down there.”

“That’s yours?” Olivia said with a gasp, looking from it to Peg. “You bought it from Duncan?”

“No, I bought it from his mom, but it was Duncan’s idea that I pay for it by taking one day’s worth of gravel off the check he’s going to give me every Friday.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful, Peg. And smart. I know you’re going to love driving it, since I can’t keep my hands off Mac’s. I told him he’s going to have to buy himself an old pickup when we get back, because he’s not driving that beautiful SUV up a half-constructed muddy road to see his work site.”

Peg snorted. “I guess that’s one way to take over his truck.” She looked down at the men again and pulled in a shuddering breath. “I’m in really big trouble, Olivia.”

“Now what did Duncan do?” Olivia asked with a laugh.

“He keeps stealing kisses.”

Peg flinched when her friend suddenly hugged her. “Oh, Peg, that’s wonderful.” Olivia leaned away. “Wait, how is that big trouble?”

“Every time I tell him to stop doing it, he kisses me again. Sometimes I think he does it just to shut me up, then sometimes I swear he’s just trying to make me angry. And sometimes,” she continued in a growl when Olivia started laughing again, “I think he does it just to get a reaction out of me.”

Olivia folded her hands on her lap and tried to quit smiling. “Men do like to push our buttons.” She nudged Peg with her shoulder. “So how do you react? Do you kiss him back or punch him in the belly?”

“I just stand there like an idiot fighting not to cry, because …” Peg hid her face in her hands. “Because it feels so damned good.”

“Oh, Peggy,” Olivia said, wrapping an arm around her. “Being kissed by a big strong man is supposed to feel damn
good.” She gave her a squeeze. “And the only reason you want to cry is because you’re scared.” She brushed Peg’s hair back to see her face. “And maybe feeling guilty that you’re alive and Billy isn’t?” she said softly.

Peg sucked in a shuddering sob. “I loved him.”

“Good,” Olivia said, straightening away. “Then you know what love feels like. But what you don’t seem to know is the difference between a broken heart and a dead one. Yours took quite a blow, but it’s still beating strong enough to fall in love again.”