Summer Lovin (5 page)

Quinn ran a hand through his brown hair as he flipped through the papers. “His sister's birth certificate, even her death certificate…Holy hell,” he muttered. “All this bastard has to do is demand a DNA test and he can prove he's family. From there, a judge would only be too happy to hand her over.”

“Jeez, Quinn. Thanks for the vote of confidence. He says he's from Boston, has two siblings including Sam's mother, and from what I can gather, they're on the uptight side.”

“That much was obvious from the way he jumped out of the way when Sam tried to put the pig in his arms,” Connor said, chuckling.

“And you're one to talk. My family still gives you hives.” Zoe laughed.

Connor had the grace to flush red in his cheeks. “Only because I'm not used to so many wacky people in the room at one time.”

“He was probably afraid the pig would soil his designer duds,” Quinn offered helpfully.

Zoe drew a deep breath before giving her opinion. “He seems nice enough. In fact I wish I'd met him under other circumstances. If I could just get him to loosen up a little, we could have some fun.”

“Changing from tight-ass briefs to boxers would accomplish the same thing.” Connor rolled a pen between his palms as he contemplated the thought. “Seriously, Zoe, you can't get involved with the guy. Talk about a conflict of interest!”

“Hell yes, she can,” Quinn said.

Zoe and Connor's gaze flew to their partner's. “What?” they asked simultaneously.

“You already made the decision to stick close to home until we figure out how to handle the guy, right?” Quinn leaned forward, elbows on his desk, and pinned Zoe with a determined glare.

Too bad she'd long ago learned how to handle wannabe bad guys like Quinn. “Yes. But you don't scare me, so lose the Bad Cop look. I'm already on your team,” she reminded him. “Of course I'm sticking by Sam's side. What's your point?”

“Well it's summertime. She'll be all over the place with her friends and we don't want Ryan Baldwin loose in town, asking questions and stirring up trouble. So use that chemistry to your advantage and when you can't be with Sam, make it your business to be all over Baldwin. From what I noticed in the kitchen last night, you won't find the assignment a hardship.” A smart-ass smirk was on Quinn's face while Connor was doing his best not to snicker.

Zoe strode up to the desk and leaned forward. Nose to nose, she warned him, “You keep this up and I'll tell Ari you're smoking the occasional cigar. You'll be sleeping on the couch for at least a week.” Zoe stood straight, folded her arms over her chest and grinned. “We both know even one night without my sister would be a hardship.”

Quinn let out a laugh. “See now this is why I agreed to this partnership. You give as good as you get and you don't get on my nerves—much,” he added, with a wink. “Listen, Zoe, all kidding aside, we need you to stick close to this guy.”

She nodded, understanding how serious this was. “I will.”

“But watch yourself,” Connor said. “There's no good outcome on this one, and if you get involved, you could end up hurt.”

This time it was Zoe's turn to laugh. “Not a chance, guys. To be hurt, you have to fall for a guy and that's definitely not my MO.”

Both men snorted. “Like it was either one of ours?” Connor asked.

“Hey, just because the two of you are now whipped doesn't mean I'll end up the same way.”

She didn't intend to live by her parents' example. Her parents were and always had been head over heels in love, which usually meant stormy disagreements and heated apologies that ended up with them in the bedroom, locked inside for hours. She and Ari had learned to keep themselves busy during those times, though at such a young age she probably shouldn't have been aware of what the glow on her mother's face afterward really meant. But they shared a romantic, storybook kind of love.

The give and take between her parents represented the best in a relationship, but they'd married young. And the older Zoe got, the more she feared that settling down with any man after all her years alone would mean compromises that would chip away at the essence of who she was. A person that was still too undefined, she thought.

Zoe had had her share of relationships and men. If love had been in the cards, she would have definitely discovered it by now. At the very least, she'd have been through devastating heartbreak. Instead she'd been disappointed at times, hurt on occasion, but she'd always bounced back, never truly having had her heart broken. Never having said,
I love you.

“I guess it's not in my genetic makeup, so I'll hang around with Ryan Baldwin and keep a close eye on him.” A very close, admiring eye.

“Just be careful,” Quinn said. “I don't want you hurt. You're like a sister to me and if Baldwin turns out to be who he claims he is, I'd hate like hell to have to beat the crap out of Sam's uncle.” He slammed his hand on the desk and muttered a succinct curse. “Uncle. This is going to kill everyone involved.”

Connor nodded. “Let's just hope like hell we find dirt on his family and maybe then there'll be some way Zoe's parents can keep Sam.”

Zoe shuddered. The entire situation was a mess she couldn't begin to decipher. Instead, she waved at her partners and headed home—before Ryan could show up and possibly alert her parents or Sam to the fact that something was wrong.

A
FTER THE MEETING
at the office, Zoe rushed home, skipping lunch because she was determined to get there before Ryan showed up for his visit. She'd expected to find Sam cuddled up with the pig near his cage. Instead the kitchen was empty and she heard voices coming from outside.

She stepped out the sliding glass door and onto the large patio. Her mother was nowhere to be found, but Sam and Ryan were alone together in the yard. That by itself was enough to jolt her system. But when she caught sight of a shirtless Ryan digging a hole in the grass, a rush of adrenaline and desire raced through her veins.

The man was handsome in a suit, but,
thee mou,
she couldn't have imagined the body hidden beneath the well-cut material. His back was already deeply tanned from the summer sun and his muscles flexed and pulled, teasing her each time he dug into the dirt. Watching him, she couldn't stop imagining what his smooth skin would feel like beneath her hands or how his hard body would mesh perfectly with hers.

A warning voice echoed in her head, reminding her he wasn't a social worker and he was a threat to Sam's place in Zoe's well-loved family. But the truth didn't change the desire churning inside her or the need he inspired.

She'd never let her emotions take over common sense, but then she'd never met a man like Ryan.

“Zoe! Come hang with me and Ryan.”

Sam's voice snapped her out of her musings and she approached warily, completely aware of the one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn Sam's attitude toward Ryan Baldwin seemed to have taken.

“What have you and
Ryan
been talking about?” Zoe asked.
And just when had Mr. Baldwin, the social worker with the stick up his butt, become just plain Ryan?
Zoe wondered.

He dug the shovel into the dirt and leaned on the handle, his entire look and attitude providing a more rugged, outdoorsy appearance than she would have associated with him after their first meeting.

“We're discussing the finer points of raising pigs.” He rubbed his sweaty hands on his khakis, leaving a trail of dirt behind.

Zoe wondered what his Boston relatives would think if they saw him now, but with Sam around she couldn't ask. She could however remark on the unusual nature of his task. “What's going on?” She pointed to the patch of dirt where grass used to be.

“It's a place for Ima to root,” Sam explained. “The books Ryan brought me said that if we give Ima a place of her own to dig and play in, we'll cut down on her doing it in inappropriate places.”

Zoe's gaze flew to Ryan. “You bought her books?”

“And magazines,” Sam added.

“I see.” Zoe nodded slowly.

“I showed up at her birthday party empty-handed. It was the least I could do.” He shrugged as if the gesture meant nothing.

Zoe knew that for him, the gift was a huge offering. Symbolic of something Sam couldn't begin to understand or comprehend. Zoe wondered if she should question his sincerity, but then decided it was a petty thought, unworthy of her.

“So I read a few pages and now we're giving Ima a place of her own.” Sam grinned and gestured to the patch of dirt Ryan had created.

Zoe glanced down. “In the yard.”

“Yep.”

“Where Elena's daffodils bloom in the spring.” She leaned closer to inspect his handiwork. “Interesting choice,” she said, looking into Ryan's stunned eyes.

“Sam said that was an empty spot.” He blanched. “She said that nobody would care if I dug here. In fact, young lady, you begged for me to dig in this very place.” He raised his voice at Sam, obviously caught himself, then moderated his tone. “You said it would be fine.”

Sam flung her arms in the air, typical teenager style. “Hey I didn't know, okay?”

The muscle in his jaw that ticked when he was agitated started up again. “Then maybe you should have asked for permission first.”

“Hey—”

“Is for horses,” Zoe said in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

Not that Ryan would know, but Sam wouldn't put up with yelling or discipline from a stranger. In her mind, an adult had to earn the right to reprimand her by first proving they cared. The Costas family had already been down that road. Sam had tested them, retested them and now finally believed she belonged. If they punished her, she understood it was because they loved her, not because they were worried the state would take away their monthly foster stipend.

Zoe placed a hand on his arm. She'd meant her touch to calm him, but it had the opposite effect, at least on her. His skin was hot from a combination of the sun's rays and his body heat. Heat she wanted desperately to share in the most intimate way possible, and those butterflies came to life in her stomach once more.

But she couldn't just ignore everything going on around her. “It's okay,” she reassured him. “We can replant the daffodil bulbs in the fall and the flowers will bloom again next year. They'll look just as pretty over there.” She pointed to a spot a few feet away.

Ryan still looked like he was about to be sick and Zoe was certain the reasons had to run deeper than the fact that he'd messed up Elena's flower garden.

Zoe glanced at Sam. “Honey, why don't you go check on Ima? Take her leash and walk her. She needs to get used to training.”

“Cool! I'm gonna take her to meet old Mrs. Morton next door.”

Zoe laughed. “Okay, just avoid the spa area, okay? I don't think the clients would appreciate seeing a pig during their visit.”

“Okay.” Sam started for the house, then turned and ran back to Zoe, throwing her arms around her neck. “This was the best birthday ever.”

Zoe's heart melted a bit more and she hugged Sam tightly. Sometimes, despite that Sam was fourteen and nearly as tall as Zoe, her hugs and touches seemed younger, somehow. Sweeter. A lump rose in Zoe's throat as it did each time Sam felt comfortable enough to express her emotions.

As the young girl blossomed, Zoe came to understand just how much she valued her family and why. As a child she hadn't realized how lucky she was to have parents who loved unconditionally and she'd assumed all families were the same way. Sam's background showed just how untrue Zoe's adolescent assumptions had been. Through Sam, Zoe appreciated her clan even more.

Before Zoe could find her voice and reply, Sam continued speaking. “It's been even better than the few I remember with my mom.” Her hand shifted to the necklace at her throat.

In six years, Sam's memories of her mother were faded. Because the necklace was the last link Sam had to her mother, she never took it off. Only recently had Sam admitted she'd been with her mother when she'd died from a gunshot meant for the man who'd been her father, a drug dealer Sam never asked about and refused to see. No matter how bad her own choices had been, obviously Sam's mother had done something right in raising her daughter.

Sam fingered the old-looking keys that hung from a silver chain. “Does saying that make me a bad person?” she asked softly.

Zoe shook her head. “No, honey. Just an honest one.”

Sam seemed satisfied with that and stepped back, transferring her gaze to Ryan. “You're pretty cool, too, Ryan. Thanks for the books and stuff.”

“You're welcome,” he said gruffly.

Zoe didn't know which had affected him more, Sam's comments about her mother or the compliment she'd just directed at him.

With a wave, Sam took off for the house, leaving Zoe and Ryan alone.

She didn't know where to begin with him, so she started with the first shock of the afternoon. “You weren't supposed to be here until noon.”

“I finished up early at the bookstore. I couldn't see the point in driving around in circles for an hour when I could just come by here.” His gaze locked with hers. “I didn't tell her anything.”

Zoe nodded. “I know.” Sam's happy mood made it clear she hadn't been the recipient of Ryan's news. But that wasn't the only reason Zoe was sure Sam remained in the dark. “I guess I trust you a little,” she admitted.

He raised an eyebrow. “I can tell by the way you came barreling out of the house that you weren't at all concerned about me being alone with her,” Ryan said wryly.

She laughed at being caught red-handed. “Yeah, well, I think I decided I trusted you about the time I found out you bought Sam the book on pigs.”

“If she wants to keep a pet, she should learn how to care for it properly.”

Zoe had a hunch she knew where this was heading. “You mean she should follow the rules.”

He nodded. “Exactly.”

Zoe dug her sneakered toe into the mound of dirt and grass he'd excavated and searched for a diplomatic reply. “Look, Ryan, I realize you mean well and everything, but you should know, the chances of that pig being well trained while living in this house are slim to none.”

“That's the wrong attitude to take. You can't go into a long-term commitment like pet ownership on a negative note.”

“I'm not. It's just that to train an animal, you need consistency. Everyone who has daily contact with the pig has to do the same thing and in this insane asylum, it's better not to hold out false hope.” She shook her head and laughed at herself, realizing she was beating around the point she wanted to make. “Look at it this way. Ari and I turned out just fine. Ima Pig will survive, too.” She gave him a direct look. “But I'm really not talking about Ima.”

He met her gaze, his brown eyes serious. “I figured that.”

“You need to know that Sam's not a follow-the-rules type of kid. And you need to respect who she is as a person.” At that moment, Zoe realized she was, in a way, preparing Ryan in case he should end up with Sam.

The thought caused a sharp pain in her heart along with a gaping hole she couldn't cope with right now. But she'd be doing a disservice to both Sam and Ryan if she didn't face the possibility of losing her.

He walked over to a bench and sat down, leaning back against the white iron. “Five minutes alone with her and I knew she was more like her mother than I'd expected.” He gazed up at the sky as if there were answers and explanations there. “My family stifled Faith.”

Zoe had suspected as much. “And that can't happen to Sam.”

Ryan nodded. “I know.” He understood what Zoe meant, so much more than she realized.

His sister had stepped out of the bounds of what his family considered proper and she'd paid for her so-called
crime
by being disowned. Often he had wondered if his father had been glad Faith had disappeared because that way he wouldn't have to acknowledge her problems and addiction. But then he'd heard his mother's muffled crying and known he didn't comprehend as much as he'd thought.

For fear of being cut off from the only life and family he'd known, Ryan had walked the straight and narrow long after Faith had gone. Though his sister had been weak and an addict, she'd had the strength to stand on her own until the end. In an absurd way, he admired her for it.

“Ryan?” Zoe's hand on his arm and her soft voice called to him.

He knew he shouldn't be affected by her, knew he was lying to her family about being a social worker while planning to take his sister's child away with him. He didn't want to want her, yet he did. He couldn't deny the attraction and had a hunch he couldn't avoid acting on it, either.

“Ryan?” she called him again.

“Hmm?”

“I asked why you reacted so strongly to the mistake with the daffodils.”

He laughed because he wasn't sure this subject was any easier to tackle than his growing desire for Zoe.

Standing, he walked back toward the patch of dirt. “My grandmother Edna grows roses. She has a garden that I suspect means more to her than any of her children.”

“And heaven help the little heathen who hits a baseball into the bushes and tramples the flowers to retrieve it?” She waggled her eyebrows in an attempt to soften the blow of her words, something Zoe seemed to accomplish with ease.

“That about sums it up.”

“Trust me, Elena won't bat an eyelash at her lost bulbs. In November, she'll just wake me at dawn to replant.”

He grinned. “Thank you for that.”

She narrowed her gaze, a small crease forming between her eyebrows. “For what?”

He shrugged. “I'm not sure. For being you maybe? Here we are, two people who couldn't have more at stake or be more at odds and yet you seem to care about my feelings, anyway.”

To his surprise, she actually blushed. “It's one of my shortcomings I guess. I blame those Costas genes. We're suckers for people we like.”

He stepped closer. “And you like me.”

Her lips curved in a reluctant smile. “Yeah. More so when you forget you're a conservative suit-and-tie kind of guy. Like now.” Her gaze fell to his bare chest and remained.