Heiress for Hire (36 page)

Being a mother to Piper and a wife to Danny-could be the most meaningful thing she'd ever done in her life. Nothing else mattered.

And she had learned, through Piper, that you needed to love first, then love will come back to you. You couldn't take love or buy it or demand it, but once you gave it freely, without thought to yourself, you received it in kind.

"Baby, eeww!" Piper stood up, her shorts covered in dust, and went over to the dog. "Stop eating grass." She scooped up the poodle and cradled her in her arms. Baby yipped, but lay there contentedly.

A poodle wasn't exactly a farm dog, but Baby seemed to enjoy running around, sniffing out God only knew what. She would adjust. And so would Amanda.

Lifting her sunglasses to wipe her dewy nose and cheeks, Amanda wondered how Danny would feel about her installing a pool. Probably it wouldn't be practical, but it would really be nice. Her pores were clogging as she spoke. "Maybe we should go into the shade. Baby might be hot."

When she dropped her sunglasses back into place and blinked, she saw a black truck pulling up the driveway. It wasn't Danny's truck, and she didn't recognize it. The tires were too small for the truck, and it bounced and jerked on the pitted gravel.

Piper made a strangled gasp. "That's Mark," she whispered, clutching Baby closer to her chest.

"Your stepfather?" Amanda shielded her eyes and tried to see the driver. She couldn't see very well, but it was a man.

"Yes." Piper was rigid, fear on her face. Her baseball hat was lying in the dirt, where it had flown off when she was running her race. She reached for it, slapped it on her head.

That gesture made Amanda furious. This was the bastard who had said all those damaging slurs to Piper about her hair and her behavior.

"Sweetie, why don't you take Baby in the house? I'll see what Mark wants." Amanda was already herding Piper toward the house, instinct telling her this couldn't be good. But she kept her voice even.

Piper didn't need any encouragement. She ran, her thin legs flying as she went across the yard and up the stairs to the front door, the dog barking wildly. Amanda did a fast walk, not wanting to run, but wanting to grab her purse. She wanted her cell phone in easy reach.

She had her purse over her shoulder, Piper hunkered down in the living room, as she stepped back out onto the stoop. Mark was climbing out of his car.

"Where's Tucker?" he said, giving her a once-over that made her skin crawl.

"He'll be home in a few minutes. Can I help you?" You worthless excuse for a human being.

"Who are you?"

With his oversized clothes and gold chains, he looked like a fake white gangsta rapper. Like Aaron Carter in a Spike Lee movie. He looked ridiculous, but he also looked like he wouldn't hesitate to use violence. Amanda figured it was better to just stay polite and get him to leave.

"I'm Danny's girlfriend." She was hesitant to even mention Piper in front of this guy.

"No shit?" He gave her a smile. A cold, sexual smile. "Well, if you ever get tired of living with Farmer Ted, give me a call. I could enjoy a beautiful woman like you."

She fought the urge to gag. Pulling her purse open, she started digging in it so she wouldn't have to look at him. "I'll keep that in mind."

He must have heard the sarcasm in her voice because he was suddenly in front of her, still on the walkway, but only two feet from her. "Where's the kid?"

"What kid?" Her hand searched for her cell phone while she stared him down, her heart pounding, her mouth dry.

"Don't play dumb with me, bitch. Where's Piper? I'm here to take her back."

Even with the screen door closed, she heard Piper's gasp from the living room. Trying to stay calm, Amanda swallowed hard. "You can't take her back. She's Danny's daughter."

"I have custody of her. Now where is she? I don't have all fucking day."

Amanda tried not to shift herself in front of the door and give away with body language that Piper was in the house. But she was almost twitching with the need to protect Piper. There was no way she could let this man anywhere near her. "She's with Danny."

His eyes narrowed. "You'd better not be lying to me."

She was lying like a rug. But she'd do whatever she had to. Her hand had closed around her cell phone, but she realized there was no one to call. Danny didn't have a cell, and she didn't know the number to Willie and Daniel's. If she had to, she'd call 911, but there wouldn't be any way for them to know where she was calling from, and somehow she didn't think Mark would stand there and let her give directions to the farm. Directions that she wasn't all that sure about anyway.

"Why do you want Piper? You brought her here in the first place."

Mark moved his foot to the stoop and something jingled in his pocket. He cocked his head and gave an amused exhalation of air. "Not that it's any of your business, but in my grief for Nina I wasn't thinking straight. See, I just wanted to get rid of the kid. I never thought Tucker would actually want her. Now I understand he wants custody, and I'm thinking maybe I miss her. Maybe I want her back. Maybe Tucker needs to show me how much she means to him."

Amanda's face went hot, her blood cold. She felt fear, disgust, rage all rise up in her with a sickening swirl. "You want money, don't you?"

It was always money. Well, she'd die before she let this prick take Piper, and she would starve before she'd let him get any money on the back of an innocent child.

"Damn right I want money. Since I still have custody of her, I'm taking her back until I get it."

"I don't think so." Her hand searched in her purse for something, anything to defend herself with if she needed to. "If you want her, take Danny to court, but you won't get her without a court order."

He stepped up onto the stoop, knocking her back into the door when she moved to avoid his touch. "She's in the house, isn't she?" His face came close to hers, his hot tobacco breath blasting her cheek. "Move out of my way, or I'll knock you out of my way."

His eyes were mean little slits, his skin sallow, his chin full of stubble. She could smell his sweat, a sour stale combination of dirt, cigarette smoke, and greed.

"If you lay one finger on Piper, I'll ram your balls into your throat." Her voice was hoarse, and it trembled just a bit at the end, but she meant it. She would scratch, bite, kick if need be.

"Move."

"No."

Mark took a step back, turned a little like he was going to leave. Amanda felt relief surge up in her. Then before she could register the movement, he rotated back, and the flat of his hand connected with her face.

Sharp pain cracked through her cheek, nose, and skull. Her tongue caught between her teeth, and she tasted blood. Her ears rang, and she stumbled to the left, nearly falling off the stoop. The door opened and Piper came out.

"No! Leave Amanda alone. I'll go with you, just don't hurt her."

Blinking hard to clear her watery eyes, Amanda lunged toward Piper. "Get back in the house!" She jerked Piper behind her and faced Mark. "You cannot have her, do you understand me? Never."

Her cheek throbbed, her eyes teared, and her nose was running. She was heading toward hysterical, and this goddamn bastard stepfather from hell was not taking this child from her.

Mark lifted a hand toward her like he was going to grab her. Amanda whacked him with her handbag. His expression indicated that had only pissed him off further. But the clank of her handbag gave her a thought. When he reached for her the second time, she pulled out her hairspray, took aim, and shot him right in the eyes.

Even as he let out a roar and swiped at his face, she kept spraying, walking forward as he stumbled backward. When he fell off the stoop and landed on his butt, she shook the can again, ready to give him another round of Garnier Fructis Style Full Control Hairspray.

Piper held onto the back of her shirt, and Amanda called over her shoulder, "Get back in the house, Piper!"

Her hand was trembling on the can as she backed them both up, planning on getting in the house and locking the door. Hopefully Mark would just leave when he realized he couldn't get Piper.

But Mark was already scrambling to his feet, wiping at his eyes and swearing violently.

"Don't you take another step."

Amanda gave a sigh of relief when she saw Daniel standing in the driveway a few feet away, a shotgun in his hand, raised in the air and aimed at Mark. The gun made that Dirty Harry sound, the one that meant the owner was now free to pump bullets into you.

"Get away from those girls, and get your sorry ass off my land before I shoot it."

Mark's eyes were red and swollen, his cheeks streaked with tears. He clenched his fists tight, while Amanda held her breath. She gave Piper a gentle nudge, hoping to get her in the house still. Piper stumbled, her arms tight around Amanda's waist. She reached for the screen door at the same time Mark turned around and went to his car.

He spat on the ground and wiped his face on the sleeve of his sweatshirt before climbing into the truck. His parting words were lost to Amanda because she was backing Piper into the house, keeping her eyes trained on Mark.

But he just drove away in a cloud of dust, and Daniel lowered his gun.

Amanda almost wet her floral skirt in relief. She turned and picked up Piper, straining a little under her weight, but wanting to reassure her she was okay. Wanting to reassure both of them that they were okay. Piper flung her arms around her neck and clung tight to her.

"It's okay, he's gone," Amanda whispered.

"You alright?" Daniel asked, coming up on the stoop and ushering them into the house.

"We're okay." Amanda sank to the couch with Piper in her lap.

"I'm calling the sheriff's office, let them know about this. Then I'm calling the lawyer."

"Okay." Amanda petted Piper's back and took deep breaths. Piper was fine, she was still there. He couldn't take her away. Ever. No one was ever taking Piper away from her.

She kissed the top of Piper's head on her grubby hat. She understood now. Even though she thought she had before, now there was no question about it. Piper was hers. Hers and Danny's.

Danny drove too fast.

He couldn't stop himself. He wanted to get home to his daughter and Amanda. He wanted to hear the truth, awful or not, about Amanda's feelings for him.

So he turned into the driveway at forty-five miles an hour and did a number on the undercarriage of his truck when he hit a hole in the gravel and bounced hard. He decided to slow it down a bit when he spotted a sheriff's patrol car in front of his house.

Going slow was no longer an option. A patrol car could only mean trouble, and he didn't want to even think what that could mean. He wasn't even sure how he got from the end of the drive to the house, but suddenly he was on the front stoop, wrenching the door open, his heart in his throat.

"What's going on?"

His father was standing in the living room, talking to an officer. Piper and Amanda were on the couch, arms wrapped around each other. Amanda had a purple bruise across her cheek and a split lip. Danny skirted around the end table and went down on a knee, grateful they seemed okay if a little bruised, puzzled as to what was going on.

He put his hand on Piper's back and stroked her. "What happened?"

"You Daniel Tucker Junior?" the sheriff asked him.

"Yes." He took Piper against his chest when she turned and reached for him, her thin arms held out wide. She'd never really done that before—asked for a hug. It scared Danny at the same time it pleased him that she trusted him now. "What's the matter, baby girl? Something happen?"