Heart of a Marine (The Wounded Warrior Series Book 1) (11 page)

“Uh, sure. I’ll get my dinner and be right there.”

“Thanks.” He nodded and carried his plate away.

Char’s eyes swam with curiosity, and she wasted no time stepping close to Marla. “What did he want? Did he tell you anything? About his wife? Where did she come from?”

“For heaven’s sake, Charlene. He said he needed to talk to me. That’s all. Now, move over and hand me a plate. I’ll tell you later.”

“You’d better. Word for word.” She fluffed her hair. “I’ll go sit with Donovan. Maybe he’ll tell me something.” She tottered across the lawn and sat on the grass next to the good-looking Marine. Marla suspected she was angling for more than information.

Although she was as curious as her sister, maybe more, Dwayne’s expression had alarmed her. She’d spent enough time in his company to know when he was deeply upset. The strange woman had him in a tailspin.

She joined him at a small wire bistro table with two chairs under a large eucalyptus. “What’s going on, Dempsey?”

He took a long swallow of soda before answering. “It’s complicated.”

“I got that much on my own.” She hated beating around the bush. “Was she your wife?”

“
Ex
-wife.”

“What did she want? Why was she here? Did somebody in your family invite her?” As bizarre as it sounded, the thought had entered her mind.

“Not unless they had an early death wish.” He set the bottle down and leaned back. “I got a phone message last Monday. All it said was, ‘I want to see the kid.’” He sighed and shook his head. “Then nothing until she showed up here out of the blue.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Jeez, Red, I hate getting you involved in this.”

“Hey, you work for me, so I’m already involved. I’m crazy about Amber, about all your family with the exception of you.” She grinned when he flashed a glare.

“You are a piece of work, Danaher.” A hint of smile tipped the corner of his lips.

“I’m kidding. What are your plans? What do you want me to do?”

“I need some time off. School’s out for the summer on Wednesday. I’m going to take Amber to stay with my mom at her ranch in Wyoming.”

“You’re going to be gone all summer? But what about—?”

Her stomach lurched at the thought of him abandoning her project. At the same time, she cursed herself for thinking of her interests when Dwayne had a family emergency to deal with.

“No.” He waved his hands. “I’ll take a few days to get her settled then come back. I want to leave her there until I find out what Francine is up to.”

He stopped talking when one of her twin brothers approached them with a large bowl of tortilla chips.

“Uh, thanks, uh…” Dwayne took a handful of chips and put them on his plate.

Marla smiled, knowing he had no idea whether it was Harry or Barry.

“Name’s, Barry.” He glanced at her. “Want some, BS? Going fast.”

“No thanks, sweetie. We’re good.”

Barry strolled away, offering chips as he went from table to table.

“How the heck can you tell them apart?” He stared at Barry’s back, then over to Harry who still manned the bar while eating between pouring drinks. “Why did he call you BS?”

Marla smiled. “Stands for Big Sister. The boys like to ration words. As for telling them apart, even our parents have a hard time with it.” She smiled while thinking how mean she was not to tell Mom and Dad her secret way to identify them. A tiny fleck in Barry’s iris. She noticed it the day they came home from the hospital and had kept it to herself for twenty years.

“Let’s get back on the subject, Dempsey. When are you leaving, and who will take over while you’re gone?”

“Not you? I thought you’d jump at the chance to run the whole operation.”

“Jerk.”

“Yeah, I am, especially today.”

“Every day.” Which made it difficult for her to understand why she was increasingly attracted to him. Maybe because he wouldn’t jump to her tune.

“Cluny will take over. He’s a subcontractor, but I’ll have him sign a waiver if that’ll make you feel more comfortable. He’ll have to leave now and then to attend to his own business.”

“A waiver’s not necessary. But aren’t you about to tackle the finishing work inside? That’s going to make it difficult to work around Miss Emmaline.” Grateful for not having to relocate, the old woman had not uttered a single complaint about living in the middle of a construction zone.

“I’ll take her with us. She’ll have a little vacation on the ranch while we do the work in her apartment.”

“What a good idea. I’ve lost sleep over how you were going to accomplish your final bit without disturbing her.” His concern for their old nanny touched her. He had a big soft spot for the woman. “Do you think she’ll mind?”

“Nah. She always liked my mother but wasn’t happy when I left here at sixteen to move up there. I’m sure they’ll have a good time catching up and badmouthing Dad. Mom has tons of room in the old ramshackle house she grew up in.”

“How long has she owned the ranch?”

He hesitated. “In reality I’m the legal owner. Grandad left it to me in his will with the caveat that Mom could live there for the rest of her life if she chose.”

“You own the ranch in Wyoming? How do Dylan and Donovan feel about that?”

“Except for having it available to them for family vacations, they have no interest in owning three thousand acres of Wyoming ranchland.”

Three thousand acres!

Her real estate broker’s brain went into high gear. “Three thousand acres? It must be worth millions. What do you plan to do with it?”

He shrugged. “Go back someday, I suppose. Mom has a good crew but someday she’ll get tired running all those cattle and bison.”

“Why bison?” Weren’t all the bison in Yellowstone Park?

He grinned. “They’re good to eat, Danaher. What do you think the Plains Indian tribes lived off for hundreds of years? They weren’t growing wheat.”

“Don’t be a smart aleck. How would I know? The closest I ever got to a wilderness is Sequoia and Yosemite parks.”

He snorted. “Compared to Montana and Wyoming, those parks are like downtown Denver. You really are a pampered city girl, aren’t you?”

“And you’re really a jackass, aren’t you?”

Face relaxed, Dwayne laughed. “You’re good for my black mood, Red.”

She failed to keep the smile from growing on her face and shook her head in defeat.

They ate the fast-cooling food in comfortable silence for a few minutes, then Marla said, “What about taking Amber to the dog park tomorrow? Do you think I should cancel it?”

“I hate to disappoint her. So, if it’s OK with you I’ll come along too. I need to keep an eye on her in case Francine shows up.”

“Oh. Uh, OK, sure.”

Squealing children drew their eyes to the patio. Bradley’s cake had been lighted and flamed like a small forest fire. A raucous version of
Happy Birthday
began. “Come on, Red. Let’s help with the chorus. I want a big slab of cake before it disappears.” He reached for her hand, and without analyzing her action, she grasped his. A melting sensation filled her middle and grew warmer when he tightened his grip and tugged her toward the crowd.

Dwayne got his big slab of cake and there still remained enough for another party. Marla gave Charlene credit for innovative thinking because she’d brought a couple dozen small cake boxes for guests to take the leftovers. Char and Donovan got busy cutting and boxing cake and stacking the boxes high on the table.

Amber whispered in Marla’s ear, “Uncle Donovan has a new girlfriend.” She pointed to him and Charlene packaging the cake. “I heard him ask her out on a rill date.”

“No kidding?” Why was she not surprised? “Where are they going?”

“They’re having a picnic in the dog park with us tomorrow, right Daddy?”

Marla blinked and stared at Dwayne.

“Oh, did I forget to mention that?” He stared back with childlike innocence.

“Duh. Why don’t I stay up all night making sandwiches? How many more did you invite, Dempsey?”

“None, and they’re bringing their own sandwiches, Red, so relax. Anyway, I think they need chaperoning, don’t you?”

“Donovan looks like he can take care of himself.”

“I don’t want Charlene taking advantage of my little brother’s broken heart.”

“What! You told me it was broken years ago.”

“Yeah, but you never know. He has PRSD.”

She scrunched her face in confusion. “Do you mean PTSD?”

“No. PRSD: Past Romance Stinks Disorder.”

Marla crossed her eyes and mouthed,
Jackass.

“Uncle Donovan and his new girlfriend will be happy playing in the park with Skipper, Daddy.”

“We’ll all have fun chasing Marla’s mouse till he drops, right?”

Amber grinned and ran off to join Dylan’s kids.

“Look, the real reason I’d like Donovan along is in case Francine shows up. I could use an extra set of eyes.”

Dwayne reached to tuck an errant curl behind her ear. Heart thudding, breath caught in her throat, the warmth of his fingers coursed through her cheek and neck. His closeness threatened to unravel her composure. “I know I’m not allowed to say it, Danaher, but you’re beautiful.”

His words stole her breath. Giggling nervously, she said, “You’ve had too much beer. Let’s get some coffee.”

“I don’t drink alcohol, remember?”

Did he mean what he’d said when he’d touched her? She didn’t want to complicate her well-ordered life, to get hurt. They’d become friendlier, that’s all.

Friends? Who was she kidding? The guy had cast some sort of spell on her. Why would she want to get entangled with Dwayne Dempsey any more than she already was? He worked for her, and he had a crazy ex-wife to deal with.

She’d get a grip on her emotions, starting tomorrow.

CHAPTER TEN

Marla placed the ham and Swiss sandwiches for her and Dwayne and a PB&J for Amber in a cardboard box by her front door. As an afterthought, she dropped a handful of dog cookies on top. She returned to the kitchen for her small beverage cooler and opened it to check if she’d forgotten anything. No, it was all there, iced coffee, milk, bottled water, and two cans of Dr. Pepper.

She’d made a quick run to the store this morning to get the Dr. Pepper because she knew Dwayne preferred it. She had second thoughts about taking it. He knew she didn’t drink the vile stuff, so he’d think she’d bought it for him. That didn’t mean anything other than she was a thoughtful, considerate person, right? Her hand hovered over the cans for a couple of seconds, then she snapped the top down. He could think whatever he wanted. Why did she care?

Skipper barked at the sound of Amber’s voice calling his name. He made a skittering beeline for the front door and yipped impatiently for her to open it. Marla failed to grab Skip before he bounded out the door into Amber’s arms.

Dwayne strolled up the front walk behind Amber and grinned. “Hey, Red.”

“Hey, Dempsey.” She handed him the box with sandwiches. “I’ll get the cooler and Skipper’s harness.”

He stepped inside. “We’re a little early. I’d like Amber to use your bathroom before we leave. She was so excited to see that little rat dog of yours, I couldn’t get her to go before we left home.”

“Oh, sure. Set the box down there.” She called her dog in a sing-song voice, “Skipper wipper, come to Mama. I’ve got a treat for you.” The fickle mutt immediately lost interest in Amber and bounded into the house, eyes bugging with anticipation.

Dwayne placed his hand on his daughter’s head. “Let Marla show you where her bathroom is, squirt. You need to make a latrine call before we head to the park, OK?”

Amber sighed with reluctance. “Oookay.”

She took Marla’s extended hand and followed her to the guest bathroom. Marla lingered outside the door in case the child needed anything, but in reality she needed a moment to get her wits back to normal.

“Everything OK?”

She nearly jumped out of her shoes at Dwayne’s rumbling voice right behind her.

“Cripes, Dwayne, you nearly scared me to death sneaking up on me like that!” She smacked his shoulder. “Darn it!”

He laughed and rubbed his arm. “At ease, soldier. You need your hearing checked. I wasn’t sneaking, sorry.”

She closed her eyes, pressed overlapping hands on her breastbone, and willed her breathing to slow. He trailed a finger down her arm. Her eyes flew open. “What are you doing?”

“Touching you.”

“Don’t.” She leaned back against the door. Amber opened it, and Marla nearly fell on her bottom before Dwayne grabbed her and pulled her to his chest.

“Whoa there.” He stepped back. “OK?”

She nodded, mute.

“What’s wrong, Daddy?”

“Nothing, squirt. Marla stumbled. I caught her.”

“Can we go now? I want to play ball with Skippy.”

* * *

Dwayne carried the box and cooler to his truck. He lifted Amber then Skip to the backseat while Marla returned to unlock the house and retrieve a picnic blanket she’d forgotten. Was it any wonder? The shock wave that rolled over them when he’d pressed her to his chest still vibrated every muscle in his body. She’d felt it too. She could deny it all she wanted, but her face said it all.

“Got everything?” he asked when she reached the truck. He held the door open for her.

Her voice breathy, she replied, “Yes,” and stepped inside. He was rewarded with a great close-up of her butt in tight denim Capri’s. “Jesus,” he groaned.

“Did you say something?” Her suspicious brown eyes inquired from her flushed face.

“Nope.” Dwayne closed the door and rounded the front of the truck to the driver’s side. He started the engine and backed from her drive.

Marla looked over her shoulder. “Hold Skipper on your lap, honey, so he doesn’t fall if your dad has to stop fast.”

Dwayne shook his head and cast a sour look at her. “I know how to drive.” He slammed the brakes to avoid hitting a compact car that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“I can see that.” Marla clutched the handle above the passenger window. She giggled. “Good job.”

Could this eight-minute drive to Lemon Tree Dog Park get any more awkward? At least Amber’s steady chatter to Skipper filled the truck with happy noise and gave him a chance to regain his equilibrium. It was a good thing Charlene and Donovan would also be there.