Dream Date With the Millionaire (13 page)

D
ANI
took a deep breath. Her fingers trembled on her laptop keyboard. She typed…

To: “Grace”, “Marissa”

From: “Dani”

Subject: Hey!

Thanks for the e-mails and IMs. I knew you guys would understand why I had to cancel my Blinddatebrides account and make a clean break. My landlord found someone who wanted an apartment ASAP so I packed up and rented a truck. I’m now at my mom’s trying to regroup. Sorry I can’t chat. Dial-up sucks. Hope you both are well. Miss you! TTYS.

Love,

Dani

She hit “send” and logged off so her mom could receive phone calls. No DSL or cable to connect to the Internet at her mom’s trailer.

It was strange being back on the farm.

Dani had been here two days. It felt like two years the way time was passing so slowly, and she was hurting so badly.

She’d gone from standing on the edge of forever, of
having the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow within her grasp, to falling into an endless spiral of regrets, heartache and tears.

Lots and lots of tears.

She missed Bryce more than she’d thought possible. And she felt as if she had only herself to blame.

Something clanged outside.

Dani rose from the kitchen table and walked to the window. Outside, the wind chime they’d made out of silverware for their mom on Mother’s Day hung on a rusted nail. A fork with missing tines blew into a bended spoon. She laughed.

“Now that’s a sound I like to hear.” Dolly Bennett spoke with a Southern accent even though she’d only spent the first twenty years of her life in Mississippi. “There hasn’t been enough laughter around here since you all moved away.”

“I can’t believe you kept that old wind chime, Mom.”

“That’s a masterpiece, darlin’. No way could I get rid of it.” Her mom handed Dani a plate with freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies. “I know these are your favorites. Maybe they’ll help you find that beautiful smile of yours.”

Dani set the plate on the table behind her and took a bite of one. The still warm chocolate chips melted in her mouth. “Thanks, Mom. For the cookies. For letting me come here and stay.”

“No thanks are necessary. You always have a place here.” Her mother smoothed Dani’s hair. “This is your home, no matter where you end up making your mark on the world.”

“Home.”

Dolly pulled her into a hug. “And it feels a lot more homey when you girls are here with me. That’s for sure.”

Emotion welled within Dani. For so long, she’d been searching and dreaming about finding a place to call home when, in fact, she’d had one all along.

Home wasn’t something you bought, but the place where you
were surrounded by love. Whether a house or a beat-up station wagon or an old two bedroom, one bath single-wide trailer.

She was home.

An unfamiliar contentment filled her.

And this was the perfect place to pull herself together and figure out what she wanted to do next.

“Your father’s here,” Joelle said from the doorway to Bryce’s office. “Do you want me to send him in or tell him you’re busy?”

Peter Delaney visited the office when he wanted Bryce to act as a go-between with his mother. The two only spoke when attending the same social event, where they limited their exchanges to polite platitudes. Bryce had assumed the mediator role as a child, but dealing with one of his parents’ endless battles when he felt so broken up inside didn’t appeal to him in the slightest.

“Did he say why he wants to see me?” Bryce asked.

“Only that it was important,” Joelle said.

He stared at the code on his monitor. He’d thrown himself into work for over a week now, but the long hours hadn’t made him feel any better over what had happened with Dani. If anything, work made him feel worse. They’d met through the Web site. Every time he logged on, he thought about her.

Dani would never admit she needed anything, not even love, if that meant she had to rely on someone except herself. She hadn’t wanted his help. She hadn’t wanted him. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. Not unless he wanted to be accused of trying to “control.”

“Boss?” Joelle asked.

Maybe talking with his father would take his mind off her. Something had to. Bryce saved and closed the file. “Send him in.”

A minute later, his father sauntered in, checking out Joelle’s backside as she walked away. “How’s it going, son?”

“Fine.”

Peter sat. He studied the stacks of papers on the desk, grimaced and looked at Bryce. “Your mother’s worried about you.”

“Caitlin called you.”

“No, Maeve called me herself.”

Bryce straightened.

“That’s why I’m here,” Peter admitted. “She’s very concerned about you, Bryce. You haven’t returned any of her phone calls.”

Bryce wasn’t ready to tell his family he was no longer dating Dani. He hadn’t wanted the questions or the company. “It’s been a hectic week.”

“You haven’t been home. Your mother and I stopped by your house last night.”

“You and Mother together at my place. I hope I still have a house to go home to.”

Peter frowned. “We may not be the best parents, but we’re adult enough to put aside our differences for our children’s sake.”

A bitter guilt coated Bryce’s mouth. Even he could see his father was here trying to help. “Sorry. Rough week.”

“Were you with Dani last night?”

“No, I slept here at the office,” Bryce admitted. “I’ve been putting in more hours lately.”

Not that he’d been getting anything done.

The lines on his father’s face relaxed. “Your mother will be relieved.”

“You seem relieved, too.”

“We like Dani, but you haven’t been together long. Your mother is worried you might be rushing into something. She thinks you might be thinking about following in Edward’s footsteps and eloping to Las Vegas.”

Bryce winced. “Not going to happen.”

“But if things do get more serious, you have to start thinking about a prenup.”

He shook his head. “I don’t have to worry about that.”

Not now.

“One of these days, you will,” Peter counseled. “You have so much to lose, including half of your share of this company.”

“I—”

“Hear me out, Bryce,” Peter said. “You said Dani was a smart woman.”

“She is.”

“Her brains match her body.”

“They do.”

“Your mother is like that.” Peter’s eyes narrowed. “Women like your mother will take you for everything you’ve got.”

“Dani’s not like my mother.”

Peter raised a brow. “How do you know?”

“I trust her.” And he did, Bryce realized in spite of everything. “Dani wants to be independent. She won’t take anything from me.”

Not even my heart.

Peter stood. “Just remember, son, a man has every right to protect himself.”

You don’t want to protect. You want to control.

Dani had been right about his trying to control things with her, but he hadn’t known the reason until now.

Being in control was the way Bryce protected himself.

The realization brought a rush of shame and a flash of clarity.

But controlling things hadn’t worked. He’d lost what mattered most.

Dani.

Peter walked toward the door. “Call your mother.”

“I will,” Bryce said. “Thanks for coming by.”

His father smiled. “Catch you later, son.”

Bryce dialed Dani’s cell number. One ring, two rings. The line connected. Every one of his muscles tensed.

“I’m sorry,” an automated voice said. “This wireless number is no longer in service.”

He grabbed his keys, told Joelle to cancel all his appointments for the day and drove to Dani’s apartment. He parked illegally, not caring if he got a ticket or was towed.

He’d known what she’d needed, but done the exact opposite. Sure he’d thought about her, but he’d also been thinking about himself. Just like…her father.

Bryce took the stairs three at a time. He knocked on Dani’s door.

Something clicked. The knob turned.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

The door opened.

“What do you want?” asked a man dressed in a pirate costume complete with eye patch and a real parrot on his shoulder.

Bryce’s heart fell. “I was looking for the woman who used to live here.”

“She’s gone.”

“Gone,” the parrot mimicked. “Long gone.”

“Do you know where she went?”

“Nope, but if you find her tell her thanks for cleaning this place so well.”

Bryce walked back to his car, trying to figure out what to do next. He had never let anything stand between him and what he wanted and he’d never wanted anything, he’d never needed anyone, as much as he wanted and needed Dani.

Bryce was going to make things right. He would make things work. Somehow.

But first he had to find her.

Dani speared a clump with a pitchfork. She hadn’t mucked stalls in over a year and already the muscles in her arms and shoulders ached. Good thing she’d remembered gloves or she’d have blisters on her hands.

Her pitchfork scraped the wheelbarrow.

The smell of horse and hay reminded her of the day at the stable with Bryce. Her mind burned with the memory.

Of her riding.

Of the sexy smile on Bryce’s face as he’d watched her.

Of the passionate kiss they’d shared.

Stop thinking about him.
Dani squeezed her eyes closed, trying to force the images from her mind.

It was over. She opened her eyes. Over.

She stabbed another clump.

The horse from the next stall neighed.

Her boots crunched beneath the mixture of straw and shavings.

“Just be patient, Penny,” Dani said to the pretty little chestnut mare. “Your stall is next.”

The horse snorted.

“I know how you feel.” She leaned against the pitchfork handle and rolled her shoulders. “It’s not easy being patient.”

But Dani finally had a plan in place. She wiped her sweaty forehead with her forearm. She’d spent the last three days e-mailing her résumés to more companies. This morning, she’d even had a phone interview for a position in Raleigh, North Carolina. That was on the other side of the country, but nothing was stopping her from taking a job anywhere in the world. No one cared where she ended up except her mom, and she only wanted Dani to be happy wherever that might be.

She sifted through the clumps. The physical work felt good, satisfying.

“I wondered whether you’d be wearing a bandana,” a much too familiar voice said.

As Dani clutched the pitchfork handle, she pivoted toward the doorway.

Bryce stood at the entrance to the stall. Her stomach fell to the tips of her paddock boots. He stared at her as if he were
seeing her for the first time. And liked what he saw. Dani ground her boot against the floor.

She stole another glance his way. Sweat beaded on his forehead as if he were nervous about something. Not so calm and collected today. That surprised her.

He also looked out of place in his dress pants and Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top button undone at his neck.

Out of place, but handsome as ever. Not that she cared what he looked like, Dani reminded herself.

“How did you find me?” she asked.

“Once I figured out you’d moved, I found your two friends’ user names on a chat log I had. Unfortunately for me, Kangagirl and Englishcrumpet weren’t about to give you up until I’d convinced them I had your best interests in mind. But they were easier to convince than your mother.”

Dani’s mouth dropped open. She closed it. “My mother?”

Bryce nodded. “I spent the last hour talking to her.”

“Whatever you said must have worked.”

Another nod.

“You went to a lot of trouble to find me.” She eyed him warily. “Why?”

“I wanted to see you.”

She noticed the dirt smudges on the sides of his fine leather shoes. “All that just to see me.”

“And to explain.”

“Go ahead then.” Dani wanted to feel indifferent and kept her voice steady, but inside she trembled. Heaven help her, she wanted to hear what he had to say. “I’m listening.”

“Before I say anything—” he strode across the stall toward her “—I need to do this first.”

“Do—”

Bryce pressed his lips firmly against hers, taking what he wanted and giving back what Dani so desperately needed. His
warm, wet kiss filled her up, and she wanted more. She kissed him back with an eagerness of her own. As he pulled her closer, she wrapped her arms around him. The pitchfork crashed to the floor of the stall.

Bryce pulled back, his gaze never leaving hers.

Oh, my. Oh, no. Dani wiped her mouth with the back of her gloved hand, afraid what her response to his kiss might have told him. She raised her chin. “Something else you think I need?”

“Something I needed.” His eyes gleamed. Anger or something else, she couldn’t tell. “I need you, Dani.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t been expecting that.

“I’m sorry for not trusting you to handle James on your own,” he said, his tone genuine and his voice strong. “I thought all this time I only wanted to protect the people I care about, but you’re right. I’ve only been trying to control things. That’s my way of protecting myself. My heart.”

The sincerity of his words, the honesty in his eyes, brought tears to her eyes. Deep inside, a sliver of hope sparked.

“I’ve been doing that ever since my parents’ divorce to keep from getting hurt, but I didn’t realize what I was doing until you pointed it out.”

“I appreciate you coming all this way to say that.” She cleared her dry throat. “It means…a lot.”

“You mean a lot to me,” Bryce continued. “You said I was like your father, but I’m not him. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Even if you push me away, I will still love you.”

His words reverberated through her. The oxygen seemed to evaporate from the air. She might as well be twenty feet underwater, the way she struggled to breathe.

Bryce loved her.

“I’ve needed to hear you say that,” she said. “Even though you said they were just words.”