Wildly Inappropriate (24 page)

"That damn country music has got to go."

Unnoticed by Eric, who was playing the air guitar, Dan walked to his office and changed the radio dial to the usual soft rock station. Predictably, Eric appeared in under a minute. "You get your business handled?"

"Most of it, yeah. I'll be out another half-day soon, though." Dan stretched out in his chair, crossing his ankles on top of his desk. He needed to return some calls and work on nailing down some contracts to service fleet vehicles, but none of that held any appeal. "And I'm not really here, just checking to see if Colton dropped by before I go home. Has he called?" He tried not to sound anxious.

"Nope."

Dan laced his hands together on top of his head, deciding to prepare Eric, just in case. "Colton thinks Lila may have cancer."

"What?" Eric demanded. "Oh, hell no. You gotta be kidding, D."

Daniel shook his head. "He's pretty sure of it, based on what he overheard while she was in the hospital." Drawing a deep breath, he plunged ahead. "If it's true, I might be selling some of the farm. You know Lila doesn't have insurance. Colton wants to be sure he can take care of her."

A small sound made him look past Eric, who also swiveled in his chair. Dan's eyes met a pair of stricken green ones. The hair hanging over them didn't obscure the pain he saw there. His heart sank. Lila would never forgive him for this. "Jonah, son, come here."

"He better be wrong!" Jonah shouted, his hands clenching into fists. "Lila's coaching my baseball team, and… and… Lila can't die! That's not fair!" The child's thin face crumpled. "She can't!" His voice skidded upward painfully. "I can't lose another mother."

The kid's words seemed to drive a shaft straight through Dan's heart. He understood exactly what Jonah was feeling. Over the years, watching his father mourn Cammie, he'd started to wish the old man would find another woman, just so the younger kids could feel the kind of love a woman could give to a child—love he remembered Cammie giving them. Though Eric might have a few memories of her, the rest had been too young to recall anything except Rafe's pain. Dan had tried to keep her alive in their minds by telling them stories about her. His father had refused to even look at another woman, sure some miracle would bring Cammie back home until the day he'd died. Looking at his nephew, Dan had to think Rafe might've been right yet again. Before he could decide what to say, Jonah whirled and they heard his feet pounding down the hall.

"I fucking knew it," Eric spat. "I knew that kid was gonna get attached, and—"

"Shut the fuck up," Dan growled. He'd had it with Eric's negativity, even more than usual. He'd spent the weekend empathizing with Colton, knowing his brother must feel the same way Dan did, just plain lost with Lila and Cynda locked in a place where they couldn't reach them. Hadn't he ended up taking Grams to lunch, then sitting at her house past suppertime, just to feel close to Cynda? He'd had two long nights to think he hadn't found a good reason not to give this thing his all, as soon as he fixed the wrong he'd done her.

If she'll have me.

Cynda was the first woman to…
stir
him in a long time. Her raw sexuality combined with her unique blend of humor and shyness blew him away. No woman had ever responded to Dan the way Cynda had.

"Why do you always take that view? Dammit, Colton's been happier than I've ever seen him, ever since the first day he and Lila hooked up. I can admit I'm jealous. Is envy eating you alive, or are you just determined to be a miserable bastard?" He dropped his hands from his head, grabbing the arms of his chair. "I need to go talk to Jonah." He glared warningly at his brother. "You keep the negative bullshit to yourself."

Eric was shaking his head. "Dan, you know how I feel about selling the farm."

"Yeah, I do. But why, Eric? I mean, it'd be different if we each had a few kids we could pass the land on to, but none of us do. From where I sit, if we don't have another generation coming along to care about it, then why the fuck are we holding onto it?"

"With the whole world going crazy over little suburban half-acre plots, I wanna be able to show kids what it's like to be able to rip and run all over a mountain. To race a loud engine where no one complains. To just play out in the damn woods, without worrying about pissing off a neighbor. The way we grew up. I date some chicks with kids, you know, and they sit in the house playing video games all day. If they go outside, it seems I can set my watch by how fast some neighbor comes over to complain about kids just being kids."

Dan snorted. He got to his feet, dreading the talk he needed to have with Jonah. "Just one little problem with that plan. You'd need to grow up and settle down with one woman in order to have these kids, wouldn't you? That's my point, dammit."

Dan strode out of the office and down the hall, looking into the small combined waiting room and reception area. It was empty. He stepped out into the work bay. "Scott, did you see where Jonah went?" He had to yell to be heard over the sound of the hydraulic ratchet in Scott's hand.

There was a moment's silence when Scott yanked a thumb over his shoulder. "Out back."

He leaned against the doorframe, just watching Jonah drive the toe of his sneaker over and over into a big tire on Eric's truck. Each kick was punctuated by a shouted "No!"

Remembered pain radiated from his toes up Dan's right leg. He saw himself so clearly, kicking the tires on the big tractor after days of searching had failed to turn up any trace of Cammie. The whine of the air ratchet became Sarah's shrill sobs, those of an infant demanding to be nursed while Georgia tried yet again to get the baby to take a bottle. It seemed he heard Colton crying too, because that kid always cried whenever their sister did, until he'd grown up enough to scare the crap out of whoever had made her cry. Nine-year-old Dan had looked around to see Eric with his bottom lip trembling, watching his big brother intently. Eric always watched him like that. The tears he recalled running down Eric's cheeks told Dan that from that moment until their mother turned up, he had to keep a lid on his emotions, for Eric's sake.

It seemed to Dan now that had been the instant his childhood ended. He'd turned away from uselessly beating on the tractor and grabbed Eric by the hands, spinning him around in a circle until his brother shrieked with glee. When his strength gave out, they'd collapsed in the grass, but the sobbing from the kitchen wouldn't let him lie there. "Let's go tickle Colton," Dan suggested, pulling five-year-old Eric to his feet. "You know how his eyes cross and he looks so stupid when we do that?"

Jonah was too big to spin and too young to buy him a beer. All Dan could do was to cross the baking asphalt and wrap him in a bear hug. Jonah fought to get away, but Dan didn't let him go. His fists rained blows on Dan's shoulders and Dan felt the rigidness in the young boy's frame as Jonah fought to be a man and not cry.

"Jonah, we don't know for sure if it's true. I'm sorry you overheard me say that."

"Then what's wrong with her?" Jonah's voice dropped to the pitch Dan figured it would soon maintain, but the suddenly deep voice was choked with tears.

"Listen, kid. Women go nuts when it's their time of the month. That's probably all that's wrong with her."

Dan looked up to see Eric leaning against the tailgate of his truck.

Jonah's head swiveled. "Their what?"

Eric visibly winced, giving Dan an anxious look. "Does Colton keep his guns where Lila can get to 'em? 'Cause if we fuck this up much more—" He heaved a sigh. "She's gonna turn both our asses into lawn sprinklers. Go on, Dan, give him the sex talk. You did a fine job of explaining it to me."

"I might not wait for Lila to turn you into a sprinkler," Dan retorted. "I have plenty of buckshot."

"Oh, her period? My mom told me about that when I was ten," Jonah assured them, pulling away from Dan.

"Bet she didn't tell you it makes 'em go stark raving bonkers," Eric retorted.

"Nah, I saw that for myself," Jonah shot back. "But giving them a dish of chocolate ice cream helps."

"Don't say it," Dan ordered when he saw a sly grin split Eric's face. "Don't fucking dare say whatever you just thought, E. We're in enough trouble with Lila as it is."

"All I was gonna say was foot rubs help too." Eric winked broadly. "But wear that cup of yours kid, in case she decides her pain's your fault somehow and kicks you in the nuts."

He was so close to becoming a man
, Dan thought. But there were still days he was sure Jonah would get there first.

Scott poked his head out the back door. "Phone, Daniel. Some woman named Cindy. She says it's an emergency."

I'm too old for this shit,
Dan thought, his heart hammering as he dashed into the shop. "Cynda? Sugar, what's wrong?" He snatched the keys to the wrecker off the hook over his workbench, sure from a few comments Miss Coralinne made about the Volkswagen that she was broken down on the side of the road.

Her voice sounded strained. "You need to come home, please Daniel. To the farmhouse, I mean. I've already called the police, but I don't want to be here alone when they arrive."

Chapter Nineteen

Gravel skidded under his tires but Dan never released the gas, gunning the truck's big engine up his long driveway. There was already a county sheriff's car blocking his usual parking place. He wrenched the wheel, turning onto the grass in front of the house and stomped on the brake. Cynda burst out the front door.

"Daniel!"

He flung the truck door open. She ran down the steps as he jumped out of the truck. They collided at the bottom of the steps. Wrapping his arms around her, he hugged her tightly to his chest, his eyes closing for just a moment to enjoy the way her body felt against his. He could feel her trembling. Reluctantly, driven by the need to find out what was wrong, he let her go. Putting his hands on either side of her face, Dan tilted it gently to look into her eyes. His heart finally relented, slipping to a spot slightly south of his Adam's apple, enabling him to speak. "Cynda, are you okay?" Delight that she'd come back warred with his anxiety.

Her dark eyes were filled with concern. "I'm more worried about you. I don't know if this is going to be a good thing, or a bad one," she said, putting her hands over his.

Bad news would always keep. He released her face so he could grasp her waist, lifting her till her eyes were level with his. "I missed you," he informed her, cutting off whatever she'd been about to say by pressing his lips to hers. Her thighs gripped his hips, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blue uniform step onto his front porch. Reluctantly, Dan set her back on her feet, keeping his arm around her.

They stepped into the house together. One county police officer stood in the hallway. The other was in the front room, looking around. "Officers Ryder and Cantrell," the closest one introduced them both. "We're going to need some information, Mr. De Marco. Your, uh,
friend
here"—the cop darted a look at his partner and his eyes did a half-roll—"gave us some information, but we have questions."

"First, I want to know what's happened. Cynda?" Daniel looked at her, refusing to allow the cops to take charge. Not here, not in his house, and most assuredly not with that attitude. "Tell me what happened, sugar."

The officers exchanged glances again. One smirked, the other looked disdainful. Dan ignored them, giving Cynda's hand a squeeze. "Just take a deep breath, and start when you're ready."

He kept his eyes on her, seeing the nervous look she darted at the cops. "Daisy was barking when I got here to hunt for my cell phone. I let her out and took Jacques outside. To the garden, like before." He nodded, willing her to keep talking. "Daisy picked up this old stick. I thought it was a stick, I mean, until she dropped it at my feet."

Dan suddenly feared he knew what was coming. He stared into Cynda's dark eyes, letting the concern he saw in them be the balm for what he was sure was going to hurt like a bitch. "Go on." His throat closed up.

"Daisy ran off again, and when I called and called for her and she didn't come back, I brought Jacques in the house."

"Excuse me, who's Jacques?" an officer interrupted. "There's another person in the house?" The ass actually put his hand on the butt of his gun. Dan was growing angrier by the minute.

"Daisy's pup. I told you about him," Cynda stated.

One cop consulted his notepad. He grinned, cutting a glance at his partner. Static crackled from the radio microphone fastened to his shoulder. "Nope, nothing here about a bird dog pup named Jacques."

"I think you two can wait outside," Dan said evenly, recalling how distracted he'd been the day before when Daisy ran off and came back holding something in her mouth. The officer's cavalier attitude pissed him off. He didn't know whether they were simply born assholes, or if Cynda's presence was bringing out the redneck in them, but he didn't care. "I assume I'll end up going over everything you plan to ask with a detective, so I see no reason to say this twice."

He took some satisfaction from the thought it was still over a hundred degrees outside. Turning his attention back to Cynda, he added, "Go on, honey."

"Daisy ran off again and she was gone and gone. It was too hot for Jacques. I brought him inside. When Daisy barked at the back door, I went to let her in." The sympathy in her eyes was plain to see. "Oh, Daniel, she brought back a piece of a skull. A jawbone. I told her to drop it, and let her inside, so she couldn't—"

Chew on it.
Dan swallowed hard, then turned to glare at the officers. "Gentlemen, I believe I asked you to step outside."

The cop closest to them gave Dan a cocky look. "Afraid we can't do that, sir. There have been what appear to be human remains found on your property. This is an official investigation into a matter we're taking quite seriously."

"Then take me seriously," Dan snapped. "The disrespect of my girlfriend will cease immediately. Then I recommend you call former detective Glen Wise and track down his files. He led the original investigation into my mother's disappearance. Her body was never found nor any evidence proving she left the county. And no, you may not use my house phone."