next week? Every kid needs some time on a ranch.”
“No promises, but I will try.”
“And I’ll keep thinking of you back in that kitchen creating all those delicious pastries. Spreading the creamy fillings. Dripping the caramel sauce. Licking the bowl.”
A traitorous craving rippled through her body, a need so intense she had to fight the urge to wrap herself in his arms the way she had on the dance floor.
A walk with him in the moonlight would most definitely do her in.
“I really have to go now,” she said, suddenly terrified by the strength of her feelings for a man she barely knew.
“Then let me drive you home,” Riley persisted.
“I have my car here.”
“But it’s late. No reason for you and your niece to be out alone on these old country roads this time of night.”
“It’s Winding Creek,” she reminded him. “I don’t think there’s any reason to worry.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Dani Boatman.”
She loved hearing her name on his lips. The name she’d had since birth, but it had never sounded erotic before.
“Dani.”
She turned at Grace’s frantic voice. An armed deputy with a dead serious expression on his face was walking at her side.
“What’s wrong?” Riley asked.
The deputy looked past him and spoke directly to Dani. “There’s been a break-in at your bakery.”
She swallowed hard past a lump in her throat. “Are you sure? Sometimes the wind can set off the alarm system.”
“There has definitely been a break-in and some damage. Deputies are on the scene. I can drive you there if you want.”
“I’ll drive her,” Riley said.
Her first impulse was irritation that he took control, as if she couldn’t handle this. But in truth she had no idea what she’d find when she got to the bakery and she didn’t want to face it alone.
“Is there a problem?” Esther asked, joining them.
“My bakery has been broken into.”
“Oh, mercy me. What is this world coming to? Did you catch the no-account bloke who did it?”
“Not yet,” the deputy said, “but we will.”
“Well, you can’t do it soon enough to suit me. Terrible when a hardworking person can’t even operate a business without someone stealing from her.”
“Right about that,” the deputy agreed.
“Why don’t you just leave Constance here with me for the night?” Esther offered. “No use to drag her into that mess.”
“I can’t ask you to do that. You must be exhausted after all you’ve done today.”
“You didn’t ask. I offered. Besides, Constance isn’t a bit of trouble. I figure she and Jaci will be so tired they’ll fall asleep the second their heads hit the pillows. I’m sure I can find a cotton T-shirt she can sleep in.”
“She should definitely stay,” Grace said. “Pierce and I aren’t leaving for San Antonio until tomorrow morning. I can help with the girls tonight.”
“You’re on your honeymoon.”
“I’ve been on a honeymoon since the day I met Pierce. Helping get the girls to bed won’t change that.”
“It’s settled,” Esther said.
This time Dani didn’t argue. “Thanks. I appreciate this more than you know. Constance bought her backpack with her, so she has her favorite doll and some books. She changed into her wedding finery after we got here, so she can put on the jeans and shirt she was wearing earlier when she gets up in the morning.”
Grace put her arm around Dani’s waist. “Don’t worry about her.
“Riley, you take care of Dani,” Esther ordered.
“I plan to.”
He took her arm protectively as they followed the deputy back toward the house where he’d parked his squad car. Dread clawed at the lining of Dani’s stomach as they made the drive into town.
The bakery wasn’t just a shop. It was her livelihood. Her home. Constance’s home, the place where Dani always wanted her to feel safe.
The first thing she saw when they turned onto Main Street was a squad car and the sheriff’s vehicle in front of her shop, blue lights flashing. A cluster of strangers stood on the opposite side of the street observing the action.
The second the car stopped, she jumped out and rushed to the open door of the shop. Anger erupted at the havoc she faced. The feeling was so fierce, her insides seemed to explode.
She didn’t have to wonder what had happened here. No one ever broke into the shops in this area. James Haggard had returned, just as he’d promised he would. Only he hadn’t waited a week. He’d barely backed off for twenty-four hours.
If it was hardball he wanted, he’d get it.
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