Heiress for Hire (19 page)

At least their lips were.

And their thighs seemed to have a nice fit.

Everything fit, and everything felt so goddamn good, and he was shifting his hands down lower, lower while his mouth moved over hers.

"Danny," she whispered, clutching at his shoulders when he found her backside and stroked across it.

"Hmm?" She had a really wonderful neck, long and graceful and smooth, and his lips slid across it with little effort. Her firm little ass rested in his hands, and he indulged in a squeeze, enjoying the way her breath caught.

Amanda was a mysterious mix of tall, yet thin, strong, yet fragile, sassy, yet vulnerable, and he was losing his grip on reality. He just wanted her—fast, slow, some, all—whichever way she was willing.

"I told Piper I'd meet her in the yard." And she wrenched herself out of his arms, smoothing down her skirt, and clamping her swollen, shiny lips closed.

Nothing like the mention of one small, impressionable child to douse his dick in ice water.

"Oh. Okay. Sorry." For taking a nothing of a kiss and turning it in to mating season for tongues.

"Don't be sorry," she said, though her eyes were focused somewhere over his shoulder.

He knew the rooster painting hanging on the wall behind him was not that exciting. It shouldn't be pulling her attention away from him at this particular moment. Unless she wanted it to, because he had kissed where a kiss wasn't wanted. "Look, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable here. Piper cares about you, and you obviously care about her. You're doing a great job, and, I'm, well, sorry if I got… carried away."

Shit on a shingle, he was blushing. He could feel it. Heat rising in both cheeks. Damn. "Just forget it happened, Amanda."

He had taken a moment of vulnerability on her part and taken advantage of it. He had taken one teeny itty bitty little old kiss and gone down and dirty on her. He was pathetic. He was a dirtbag.

He was horny.

"You want me to forget it?" Her eyes had narrowed, and she looked a little put out.

God, he could not chase her away because he couldn't keep his horse in the barn. Piper would be devastated. "Yes, absolutely. Just forget it, and I'll forget it, and we can forget together, so that we're just the way we were an hour ago."

There was a long pause.

Then she said, "You're an idiot," with a disdainful toss of her shorter hair. "I'll be swinging on the swings with Piper, Mr. It Never Happened. I saw your sunglasses on the kitchen table. And put on some sunscreen. The tips of your ears are red, and skin cancer is so preventable."

Amanda turned and walked toward the kitchen and the back door, her hips swaying in her sassy skirt and her chin up in the air.

Well. She was staying. That was good.

Except he had the strangest feeling she was mad at him.

Danny touched his red ears and went for the sunscreen, though he didn't think it was ultraviolet rays that had caused the flush.

He was an idiot. An idiot to kiss Amanda Delmar and to think she could ever be interested in a redneck like him.

Willie Tucker wasn't happy.

Her son had given her a granddaughter, eight years after the fact, gypping her of baby clothes shopping, and now he had taken that blond bimbo into his house and was letting her baby-sit Piper. Instead of her, Willie, the child's very own grandmother.

It rankled severely that Piper could ever prefer Pampered Princess with a Tan over her, her own flesh and blood.

But she was smart enough to face the facts, and the truth of it was, Piper preferred Amanda. And Willie figured if she wanted the kid to get comfortable with her, she was going to have to spend time with her.

With the blonde.

They'd have fun together, all three of them, if it killed Willie, and she was fairly certain it would. But for the love of her grandchild, she would put up with the plastics princess.

"Where you going?" Daniel called from his chair in the parlor as she kicked the mahogany front door open with her foot. "And isn't that my lunch?"

Willie shifted the basket under her arm, the scent of chicken rising to her nose. "Your lunch is on the counter. This is for Danny and Piper. And Amanda," she added grudgingly.

"She's a nice young lady," Daniel said, like a total male fool. It just figured he'd be taken in by an eight-foot-long pair of gams. "Piper seems real fond of her."

Willie gritted her teeth. Daniel had no sense of self-preservation. "Let's hope she doesn't get too attached to her. Amanda won't be staying, Daniel. The minute she gets bored, she'll be out of here."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Wil. Seems to me like there might be some sparks flying between her and our boy."

Willie rolled her eyes and tried not to lose her breakfast on the antique throw rug that had been Daniel's grandmother's. "A girl like that doesn't stay in a town like Cuttersville."

"My great-grandmother was a rich woman from Boston. She was visiting relatives here on the adjoining farm, the Wiesels, remember them? Sold their acreage to the Murphy boy. Anyhow, she stayed, and she was happy here. Brought most of this furniture in the house with her from back East when they married."

Willie stared at her husband of thirty years. He looked just as mild and calm and strong as he always had. She loved Daniel, adored his steadiness, and a lot of the time wished he would talk to her just a little more.

This wasn't one of those times.

"The chicken's getting cold while you give your family history. I'm leaving."

Daniel was standing up, tucking his T-shirt into his jeans. "Aren't I invited? If you're all going to be eating lunch together, why should I eat alone in my kitchen? That's downright hurtful, Wil."

And she didn't feel the least bit guilty. "You just want a gander at that plastics princess."

"I just want to spend time with you," Daniel protested, a twinkle in his eye.

She snorted and started out the front door. And nearly jumped a foot when Daniel squeezed her butt. "What?… Daniel!"

He laughed, clearly pleased with himself. And secretly, Willie was too.

If Danny could pretend that kiss had never happened, Amanda could do the same.

Yeah, right. And Donald Trump's hair looked good.

She was furious with Danny, absolutely eye-poking irritated that he had kissed her with a sweetness and a passion that she had never experienced in her whole life—and then had apologized.

Apologized.

Amanda stared into the refrigerator, wishing tuna rolls would magically appear on the shelf. Danny was busy avoiding her since yesterday, and he clearly wasn't coming in the house for lunch. Which meant she had to fend for herself.

So, okay, maybe she had been the one to break off the you-know-what the day before. But she had started to worry that Piper would be sitting in the yard with her feelings hurt since she had shown Amanda her hair and then Amanda had no-showed on the swings. Or that she would come in the house in search of her and find her sitter lip-locked with her father.

Neither seemed like a good plan, and so Amanda had pulled back, but with every intention of making arrangements to pick that kiss back up later. But Danny had opened his mouth and said he was sorry, it hadn't happened, blah, blah, blah, until she felt about as sexy and wanted as a llama. With bad hair.

And now he had spoken all of two words to her in the twenty-four hours since.

And there was no freaking food in the refrigerator. How could a man as bulky as Danny live off of Velveeta and Bud Light?

She slammed the door shut. She wasn't going to have the energy to start painting Piper's bedroom this afternoon if she didn't get something to eat.

"What's for lunch?" Piper came loping into the room, an orange stain on the front of her white T-shirt, a reminder of her mid-morning Popsicle snack.

"Nothing. We're going to starve." Unhappily, Amanda had already discovered that Pizza Hut didn't deliver. They had a five-mile delivery radius from the center of town, and Danny's farm was about a fingernail outside of that. She'd tried bribery, but the teenager on the phone had said it was against the rules and had hung up on her.

Rude country kids.

"Knock, knock." The back door swung open and Willie Tucker's booming voice filled the room. She came into the room like an avocado green tidal wave, earrings dangling like sliced lime wedges.

Amanda tried not to grimace. She got very distinct vibes from Danny's mother. The I hate you and stay away from my offspring kind.

"Hi," Piper said, though she shifted onto Amanda's leg, gripping the terry-cloth of her tangerine-colored minidress.

"You two had lunch yet?" Willie held up a big basket.

Amanda forgave her for every dirty look she'd shot her way in the last week. "No, we haven't. We were just contemplating heading to town to get something."

Danny's father strolled in beside his wife and went right to the fridge for a beer. He popped the top. "Willie made us all some chicken and potato salad. Where's Danny?"

As if she knew. He was probably hiding in the barn or behind the wheel of his tractor. Anywhere he didn't have to look at her. Probably afraid she'd attack him and kiss him again. Cling to his leg or something.

"I have no idea." Her voice sounded like evil personified. She was Cruella De Vil, that creepy rich woman in the 101 Dalmatians video Piper kept having her watch. Except she would kill for coffee, not fur, because Danny had nothing but cheap, crystallized instant, which was like Tang for adults.

Hunger made her cranky. As did being ignored by a man she had made out with.

It wasn't every day she cried in front of a man, damn him. In fact, it was safe to say she had never done that.

For a minute there, she had thought that there was something real and honest happening between them, and his eyes, his mouth had all…

"I like your hair like that, Amanda," Daniel said, lifting the chicken out of the basket with a smile. "We can see your pretty face better."

Amanda touched her hair. She hadn't put the extensions back in, not wanting to imply to Piper that she was self-conscious about her ugly, boxy hair. Which she was. But Daniel's comment made her feel a bit better. "Thank you." She reached to the cabinet for six plates.

Willie scowled at her husband. "Daniel, why don't you see if you can find Danny? And you only need five plates, Amanda, not six."

She felt like sticking her tongue out, but restrained herself— which was amazing considering she was starving and without coffee. "One is for Anita, Piper's friend."

"Is that a friend from around here?" Willie looked surprised. "What's her last name?"

"She doesn't have one," Piper said, still clinging to Amanda's leg like a bony Post-it note.

"She's invisible," Amanda explained.

Willie's jaw dropped. She looked ready to speak. Then thought better of it. "Well. I see. What part of the chicken does she like? Leg or thigh?"

"I'm a breast man, myself," Daniel said from the doorway, on his way out.

Willie looked even more astonished, if that were possible. "Daniel Tucker, what has gotten into you?"

"What?" Daniel turned and gave her an innocent shrug, but he ruined it by winking at both Amanda and Piper.

Piper giggled. And Amanda smiled, despite her determination to be miserable.

This Daniel Tucker was just as cute and charming as his son.

"Look at that." Daniel stepped to the side. "Found him already."

And Daniel Tucker, Jr., filled the doorway.

He was sweaty, lifting his baseball cap off his head to mop his forehead with a T-shirt sleeve.

Piper left Amanda's leg and ran over to him. "Hi!" she said, with an enthusiasm Amanda couldn't have imagined she'd show a week ago. "We're having lunch."

Danny's face lit up at the sight of his daughter. He smiled, wide, all the way from one side of his tanned face to the other. And despite his sweat, and standing in the doorway, Danny bent over and grabbed her at the waist.

He tossed her up in the air and settled her against his chest, her legs straight down and his arms resting at the back of her thighs. "Did you save any for me?"

Piper wiggled her loose tooth with a finger and giggled. "We didn't even start yet."

With a loud smacking kiss on the top of her head, Danny set her back down. "Good."

And Amanda had to look away, had to busy herself with grabbing paper napkins out of the little wooden holder on the counter. She was happy for Piper and Danny. Painfully happy for them.

But she was also suddenly aware of how completely and totally alone she was.

They were a family, and she was the rich girl intruding in their lives. She was temporary, just a small, tiny part of one short summer, and ten years from then no one would even remember her or give her a second thought.

And God, that hurt. That hurt more than she could have ever possibly imagined.

She wasn't important to anyone.

Except maybe her personal shopper at Neiman-Marcus.

Danny was still embarrassed about that kiss. Part of him wanted to take it back. Part of him wanted to forget about practicality and repeat it, without clothes this time.

But considering that Amanda looked like she could chew through a tractor tire, he didn't think she'd go for a repeat performance.

It was an odd experience, eating lunch with his parents and his daughter, her imaginary friend, and one very pissed-off heiress.

Equal parts elation and agony.

Piper was in a really good mood, putting away a whole chicken leg and picking all the potato chunks out of the potato salad, carefully avoiding the onion bits. He felt warm and fuzzy every time he looked at her.

Then he'd glance at Amanda, and she'd freeze him with an arctic glare.

Clearly, he needed to make some kind of amends.

"So, Mom, did Amanda tell you she's going to paint Piper's bedroom? Pink, right, Amanda? Then Brady Stritmeyer's going to paint butterflies on it to match Piper's new comforter that arrived this morning."

"White," Amanda said.

"Huh?" He just stared at her, sitting across the table from him. She was between his parents, definitely leaning toward his father and away from his mother.

"I'm painting the walls white."

It was hard to get that out through those pursed lips, but she managed it. Then she shot him a glare before giving Piper a brilliant smile.

"That sounds like something special," his father said to Piper. "You'll have to show us your new things after lunch."

Piper looked up from carefully skinning her second chicken leg and nodded. Using a knife and fork, she slit with the precision of a surgeon.

Danny glanced back at Amanda. She was wearing that orange dress that looked like a bathing suit cover-up to him. It was a soft, towel material and just came to the top of her breasts. He wasn't really sure what held it in place, but he was pretty damn certain she couldn't be wearing a bra.

That wasn't a good road to travel down with his family sitting around the table. He focused on the color. It was a really bright melon orange. His mother was wearing lime green to Amanda's left.

"You know, Mom, you and Amanda look like a couple of scoops of sherbet sitting next to each other."

His father and Piper laughed, but neither of the women looked all that amused by his wit.

Willie stood up. "I'll get the dishes."

Amanda still had a piece of chicken in her mouth when his mother whisked her plate out from under her.

"Mom, I don't think…"

"You think?" Amanda said under her breath.

Now that was uncalled for. What had he done, besides kiss her? He tried to take it back—what more did she want?

"Danny, why don't you take Amanda with you and feed the chickens some of these scraps?" His father rested his arm on the back of Piper's chair and drilled his eyes into him. "Your mother and I are going to see Piper's new things, then we'll walk over to the farmhouse and get some dessert."

"I don't think…" Danny said.

"That's a good idea," his mother chimed in, looking a little gleeful as she started to scrape the leftover food off their plates and into an empty coffee can she'd unearthed from under the sink.

"Chickens?" Amanda said, lip curling up to reveal a hunk of white meat between her teeth. She took her napkin and spit it out, as delicately as was possible given it was a paper napkin and she'd been chewing for a minute or two already.

Piper jumped up. "What kind of dessert?"

"Peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream." His mother shoved the coffee can at him. "Watch out for Rudy. He's been cranky lately."

"Are you okay if I walk over to the chicken coop with

Amanda?" Danny asked Piper. "You'll be able to see us out the window the whole time." He couldn't imagine Amanda wanted to toss rolls at a bunch of hens, but it would give him a minute alone with her to try and clear things up between them.

He absolutely did not want her leaving Piper before school started.

But he didn't want to scare Piper either. She chewed her lip for a minute but finally nodded. "It's okay." She turned to his father. "Can we get dessert now?"