Under A Harvest Moon (16 page)

Danielle helped him pack up the remains of their make-shift picnic, eager to get back to work, eager for the distraction the pruning would offer. She didn't want to think about her feelings for Nico, feelings that were changing. She only wanted to lose herself to the grapes, to the peace the pruning would give her busy mind.

***

Danielle's peace was short-lived.

The minute she walked in the house, tired and dusty from the eight hours of pruning she'd done, Kaiden waited for her, upset, a frown in place.

"Dad called," he said.

"What did he want?" She sat and pulled off her sneakers, then her socks. She noted the ring of dirt around her ankles. Ugh.

"He wants me to come to Seattle for the weekend."

She didn't trust Peter's motives, knew he was up to something. "I'll talk to him." She wasn't about to let him intimidate her. If she'd learned anything since coming here, she'd learned to stand up for herself. She wasn't going to let Peter push her around anymore. Maybe if she'd developed a backbone as a child, things would have ended differently with her father.

"I want to go, Mom," Kaiden said with determination. "You have to let me. Dad promised I could see Billy and Gus. It's been forever since I've seen my friends."

"It's been a little over a week," she said, not buying in to his drama. "Invite them here. I'm sure their mothers would love a mini vacation from them." She smiled.

"Call Dad now, please," Kaiden whined, ignoring her suggestion.

"Kaiden, I've just put in a back-breaking day in the fields." She started for the stairs. "I'm going to shower. Once I'm clean and feeling human again we can discuss this."

"Mom," he said, her name a drawn out plea.

"I'll be back." In her bathroom, she stripped off her sweat-stained clothes and stepped under the warm spray of the shower. Had anything felt so good? For a full minute she thought of nothing but the healing power of the hot water against her aching muscles, then reality returned, bringing with it a sour stomach.

Damn Peter. Instead of thinking about her kiss with Nico, she had to think about her ex-husband.

He knew she didn't want to send Kaiden to Seattle. They'd talked about it. If she did let Kaiden go she was afraid Peter wouldn't give him back, and worse, she was afraid Kaiden would want to stay. The thought brought tears to her eyes. Maybe she'd been wrong to keep the truth about Peter from Kaiden. She'd been so careful not to utter a cross word about him, not wanting to hurt her son. The result: she now looked like the bad guy who was trying to keep them apart.

Danielle turned off the shower and toweled off. After slipping on a cool sundress in a floral print, she towel dried her hair and left it loose to dry. When she could no longer put off dealing with Kaiden and Peter, she left her room, padding down the stairs barefoot.

She found Lola in the kitchen.

"You heard?" Lola asked. She stood at the sink, rinsing off some green beans.

"About Peter's request? Yes."

"Girl, you look worn out," Lola said a look of sympathy on her face. "How'd it go today?"

"I worked hard." Unexpected pride boosted her spirit. "Nico showed me how to prune. And guess what?"

"What?"

"I loved it. There was something so peaceful about it, so satisfying."

"Really?" Lola asked, clearly skeptical. "Imagine that."

"Where's Kaiden?" Danielle glanced around the room. "I figured he'd be here, ready to pounce on me."

"Maria came by. They're outside." Lola poured Danielle a glass of ice tea. "Here, this will help cool you off." She dropped a green leaf into the glass. "Mint, fresh from the garden."

"Thanks." Danielle took the drink, the scent of mint refreshing. "I'm going to head out back and talk to him."

"Good luck," Lola said with a sympathetic smile.

"Thanks, I'm going to need it." Danielle left the house, but didn't see Kaiden or Maria in the yard. She wandered through the rose garden, sipping on her tea, pleased to see several new buds emerging from the cropped bushes.

Wondering if Kaiden had gone over to Maria's, Danielle took the path to the cottage. She could hear the kids before she hit the porch steps, their voices creeping out through the open door. She set her glass on the porch railing.

"I like this one better," Maria said.

"Okay," Kaiden agreed.

"See?" Maria said. "It fits."

Danielle wondered what they were doing. She tapped on the door. "Kaiden?"

A scuffling noise came from inside.

"Mom!" Kaiden cried. A second later he appeared. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." Danielle peered around him, trying to see into the room. Maria joined them, and Danielle swore the girl wore the look of guilt. "What are you two up to?"

"Nothing," Kaiden said a bit too quickly.

"We were just working a puzzle," Maria told her.

"Can I see it?" Danielle asked, still skeptical. Both kids looked shifty. Her gut told her more was going on here than a puzzle. She remembered Nico's accusations about Kaiden doing the vandalism. She hadn't wanted to believe it, but a kernel of doubt had been placed in her mind just the same.

"Sure," Maria said, leading the way.

Danielle followed her into the house. She hadn't been inside the cottage in years. The old furniture was gone, replaced by warm, brandy-colored leather: a couch, love seat, and wide chair with an ottoman. All the colors were rich, warm; the floors were a glowing hardwood. An area rug done in deep shades of green, gold, a brandy color that matched the furniture anchored the room.

The paintings on the walls were gorgeous: one was a painting of a canoe on the water, again in the rich dark tones, with a round apricot sun; the other an old dock, jutting out from the land. But the dock wasn't the star of the painting; that honor went to the sunset and water surrounding it. Both paintings were obviously done by the same artist. The striking colors pulled everything in the room together. The room was masculine, but not so masculine that a woman wouldn't feel comfortable here.

"The puzzle's here," Maria said. She stood before a small table.

It was a puzzle of wild horses in a meadow. A little girly for Kaiden, but if he wanted to work a puzzle, she wasn't going to complain.

"It's nice," Danielle said. "You have quite a bit done."

"I, I mean, we, have been working on it for a couple of days now," Maria said.

"Is your father here?" Danielle asked, wondering where Nico was.

Maria shook her head no.

"Should you guys be here when he's not?" Danielle asked.

"It's okay," Maria said. "He doesn't care."

"Care about what?" Nico asked.

Danielle and Maria spun around. Nico opened the screen door and came inside. Unlike her, he hadn't showered and still wore the dust of the day. His dark hair was wind-blown just like she liked it.

"Nico." Danielle smiled. "I was just asking the kids if they were supposed to be here when you're not."

Nico frowned. "The answer to that is no." He looked pointedly at his daughter. "You know you're supposed to stay at Whitney House until I come and get you."

"We were bored," Maria said a scowl of her own in place. "We came here to work the puzzle."

"You know the rules." Nico didn't back down. "If you two want to work the puzzle you need to do it when I'm home."

"Dad," Maria said, as if Nico were the stupidest person on earth. "I'm not a baby."

"I know, but that's the rule."

Danielle agreed with him. The kids didn't need to be in the house alone. "I just came for Kaiden, and I'll take him with me now."

"Don't leave on my account," Nico said smoothly.

"I'm not." Danielle's pulse jumped. Nico had a way of looking at her, a way of burning her skin without touching her. Her tummy got that funny feeling, that first love rush she hadn't felt since she'd been a teenager.

"Come on," Maria said to Kaiden. "I'll walk back with you. I left some of my stuff at your house."

The kids left, leaving them alone.

Nico came toward her. "You clean up nice. I especially like the bare feet."

"It's too hot for shoes," Danielle said, unable to resist flirting with him. "Someone told me it's going to rain today, but I don't believe it."

"Believe it," Nico said, reaching her. "Can't you feel it? The humidity? The air is heavy with moisture. The pressure is building. There has to be a release."

"Are we still talking about the weather?" Danielle asked, the warm sensation of liquid sex pooling in her lower regions.

"You know what I've wondered all day?" Nico's hands closed around her upper arms.

"What?" Danielle asked, wanting him to kiss her this time. His scent, earth and man, wound its way through her bloodstream, making her weak with need for him.

"Just what were you wearing under your jacket last night?" He brushed his lips against hers, the sensation exquisite. "Was it satin, silk? What color? Pink, black, red? You're driving me crazy, Danielle."

Desire fizzed through her. "White satin."

Nico growled low in his throat as his mouth claimed hers. She opened her mouth, taking his tongue, savoring him. Her hands found his shoulders, the muscles strong and taut under her hands. Slowly, she moved her fingers, stroking the corded column of his neck, then buried her hands in his wild mane of hair. His hot mouth didn't stop, his kisses melting what was left of her self-control.

"Dad!" Maria's startled cry shattered the spell.

They broke apart. Danielle turned away.

"Maria," Nico rasped, clearly as rattled as Danielle by the kiss.

"What are you doing?" Maria demanded.

Danielle figured the answer to that question was obvious, but she kept her mouth shut. She exchanged a helpless look with Nico, hoping she conveyed to him she was sorry he had to deal with Maria.

"I'll give you two some privacy." Danielle practically ran for the door.

Nico didn't try to stop her.

Once outside, she noted the change immediately. Clouds had gathered over the Blue Mountains. The air felt sticky, laden with unshed moisture.

She remembered Nico's earlier words about needing a release.

The storm was coming.

Boy, was it ever.

Chapter Eight

Fat rain drops hit Danielle, covering her entire body with large wet dots, as she sprinted from Nico's place back to Whitney House. She bolted up the back steps and let herself in the house. A flash of lightning lit the kitchen. She hated storms. Safe inside, Danielle leaned her back against the kitchen door.

"One, two, three, four, five," she counted rapidly, remembering the game she used to play with her mother when they'd wait out summer thunderstorms, "six, seven, eight, nine, ten."

Right on cue the rumble of thunder shook the house.

"Lord o'mercy," Lola said, coming into the kitchen. "I knew it would rain today. I could feel it in my bones. The humidity has gone through the roof."