Willow Smoke (52 page)

“Do
you
see
much
of
your
sister?”
he
asked.
“I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten her name.
You’ve
only
mentioned
her
once
or
twice.”

Daisy
flushed.
“Her
name
is
Maxine.
She’s
my
half
sister;
we
had
the
same
mother.”
She
put
her
fork
down
and
dabbed
her
mouth
with
a
napkin.
“It
depends.
Sometimes
I
see
her
once
a
week,
and
then
it
might
be
a
month
until
I
see
her
again.”

“So
what
does
she
do
for
a
living?”

“She’s
a
waitress.”

“And
her
husband?”

Daisy
frowned.

“I
vaguely
remember
you
saying
she
got
married
while
you
were
still
at
the
group
home.”

“He
does
odd
jobs,”
she
lowered
her
eyes,
“and
is
currently
laid
off.”

“Oh.”

“Can’t
we
talk
about
something
else?”
Daisy
said,
balling
up
her
napkin.
“I
don’t
think my sister and her husband can be of
much interest to you.”

“No
problem.”
Nick
kept
his
voice
even.
She
was
withholding.
What
and
why
made
him
curious.
But
he
wasn’t
about
to
press
her.
Cassie
Travers
had
been
less
than
pleased
with
Daisy’s
family,
but
that
didn’t
mean
Daisy
didn’t
love
them
or
that
they
weren’t
important to her. He’d tread lightly,
but
at
some
point
he’d
have
to
find
out
more about them.

He
watched
Daisy
drift
back
into
her
own
thoughts.
What
had
his
sister
called
her?
Waif-like.
Well, at the moment that was
an
apt
description.
Daisy
must
believe
she
was
an
unlikely
Cinderella
waiting
for
the
clock
to
strike
twelve.

But
didn’t
she
know
the
whole
story?
It
was
only
Cinderella’s
foot
that
fit
the
glass
slipper.
And
it
was
only
Daisy
who
could
win
his
heart
as
she
already
had.

It
would
take
time.
But
in
the
end,
he
would
win
her
over
to
his
way
of
thinking.
He
expected
her
heart
was
already
there
or
very
close,
but
her
head
was
an
entirely
different matter. He’d tread gingerly, but
he’d not let up. Not now; not ever.

- o -

Daisy
scowled
at
the
offensive
cold
bacon.
It
wouldn’t
be
cold
if
she’d
eaten
it
when
she
should
have.
But
Nick’s
probing
had
been
so
disconcerting.

Why
did
he
have
to
go
and
spoil
things?
Oh,
he
saw
a
longer
future
for
them
than
she
did.
But
even
what
he
saw
remained
unclear.
Certainly,
he
couldn’t
be
thinking
marriage.
And
she
wasn’t
convinced
she
wanted
to
be
anybody’s
mistress.

They
were
fine
just
the
way
they
were.
Lovers.
He
had
his
place
and
she
had
hers.
Funny,
she’d
never
even
seen
his
place.
She’d
met
his
family,
but
didn’t
know
where
he
lived.

That
was
okay.
That
was
his
secret.
Her
family
and
her
family’s
history
was
her
secret.
He
didn’t
need
to
know,
and
if
he
ever
did
find
out,
then
she
wouldn’t
have
a lover or a
horse partnership. No, things
were
okay the way they were. In fact,
what
they
had
was
far
more
than
she’d
ever
expected,
and
probably
far
more
than
she
even
deserved.

Her
upper
lip
curved
slightly.
Nick
Underwood
was
her
Prince
Charming.
He’d
brought
adventure
to
her
life
in
ways
she’d
never
allowed
herself
to
dream
about.
They
would
be
buying
some
more
horses
shortly.
Her
career
as
a
trainer
was
about
to
take
off.
And
she
had
a
man
in
her
life.
Daisy
felt
herself
warm.
She
had
a
lover and wasn’t ready to let him go.

She’d
have
to
work
doubly
hard
to
keep
her
two
worlds
separate:
the
exhilarating
dance
with
Nick
and
the
seamy
side
with
Reggie
and
Maxine.
She
could
do
that,
if
no
one
pressured
her
more.

She
peeked
quickly
over
at
Nick
and
then
away
from
his
inquiring
eyes.
Would
he
be
satisfied
with
what
they
currently
shared?
She
wasn’t
certain.
Reggie
and
Maxine
were
another
matter.
They’d
never
be
satisfied.

Why
did
she
feel
like
a
street
urchin
waiting
for
her
fantasy
life
to
go
poof
like
so much
smoke?
Willow
Smoke,
he’d
called
her.

Maybe
she
was
like
willow
smoke,
waiting
for
the
wind
to
change
and
blow
her
away. Tears formed in her eyes. She shook
her head, refusing to let them be
seen.
Why
couldn’t
she
even
permit
herself
to
hope
and
dream?

She
dreaded
going
back
to
her
apartment.

“Maxine!
What
happened
to
you?”
Daisy’s
heart
palpitated
wildly.
She
threw
an
arm around her sister and assisted her to
the loveseat.