had never happened? After all, he’d been half-asleep. Surely Terri wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t remember. She might even be relieved.
The more he thought about the idea the better it sounded. Nothing would have to change—no expectations, no awkwardness. Terri could go on working for him as always. Even if she suspected him of knowing, she’d have no proof.
His white lie would save face for both of them.
But it didn’t make him feel any better about what had happened. Sex with Terri had been sensational. With any other woman, he would have been lobbying for a return engagement. But Terri was off-limits. Not only was she his employee but she was Steve’s kid sister, the girl he’d promised to look after when Steve didn’t make it home from Iraq.
And having half-drugged sex with her wasn’t part of that promise.
At the moment Buck didn’t like himself much. Between now and the next time he saw her, he had some soul-searching to do.
* * *
By the time Terri had finished her last task for the day—posting tomorrow’s schedule online—it was an hour past closing time. Bob and the summer temps had gone, leaving her there alone to close up. She was about to lock the door when Quinn, trailed by Evie Redfeather, came bounding across the parking lot.
“Hi, Terri!” Blond ponytail flying, Quinn collided with Terri in an exuberant hug.
Terri hugged her back. She adored Buck’s daughter. “How’s my favorite girl?” she asked, meaning it.
“Great!” Quinn’s blue eyes, so like her father’s, sparkled.
“You’re taller,” Terri said.
“I know. Mom says I’m having a growth spurt. The clothes I left here won’t fit. We’ll have to go shopping for new ones.”
Evie Redfeather had come up behind her. In her early fifties, she was a handsome, broad-faced Navajo woman. “Buck asked me to drop her off at his house, but we were two hours late getting out of Sedona.” She shook her head. “That woman! Always with the drama!”
Terri didn’t have to ask Evie who she meant.
“I saw your Jeep in the parking lot and realized you must still be here,” Evie said. “I hope you won’t mind running Quinn home. Bert and I are expecting friends for dinner. I need to get going.”
“Sure.” Terri stifled a groan. The last thing she wanted was to show up at Buck’s house with Quinn. The conversation they needed to have couldn’t happen with little ears present. “Go on, Evie. Thanks for picking her up.”
“No problem. Here, I’ve got her bag. I’ll put it in your Jeep.”
Terri felt Quinn’s hand slip into hers as they followed Evie’s long strides to the Jeep. She fought back a rising attack of nerves. How would Buck react to what had happened? Would he treat her any differently because of it? Would he be embarrassed? Aloof? Indifferent?
But this wasn’t about her and Buck, Terri reminded herself. It was about Quinn, and making the little girl’s homecoming a happy occasion. She could only hope Buck would be out of bed and fit to welcome his daughter.
“Up you go.” She boosted Quinn into the high seat of the Jeep. “Hang on, we’ll have you there in a jiffy.”
“What’s a jiffy?” Quinn asked as Terri climbed into the Jeep. “You use the funniest words, Terri.”
“A jiffy is a very short bit of time. I learned lots of old-fashioned words from my grandma. Maybe I should’ve said we’d be there in the flick of a lamb’s tail. Would you have liked that better?”
Quinn giggled. Terri had kept her distance during the short duration of Buck’s marriage. But after the divorce, once Quinn became old enough to spend time in Utah with her father, she’d become attached to the little girl. Maybe too attached. What if Buck were to remarry? Could she back off and let Quinn go?
But she wouldn’t think about that now. Things were already complicated enough.
“Can we go out for pizza tonight?” Quinn asked. “I want lots of pepperoni on mine. Mom’s vegan now, so she won’t let me eat meat. She didn’t even give me a choice.”
“Don’t they make vegan pepperoni?”
“It’s yucky. So’s the cheese. Has Dad got a new girlfriend yet? I didn’t like the last one. She was scared of bugs and she was always fixing her makeup.”
“I don’t know,” Terri said. “You’ll have to ask him. And you can ask him about the pizza, too. He’s your parent. I’m not.”
“You sound mad. Are you mad, Terri?”
“At you? No way!” Terri reached across the seat and squeezed the girl’s shoulder. She’d have to watch herself around Quinn. The perceptive child was wise beyond her years. If she sensed any tension where Buck was concerned, she was apt to ask awkward questions.
They’d turned off the main road and were headed up the canyon. Terri felt the knot tighten in the pit of her stomach as she realized she was still wearing her single Kokopelli earring. Had Buck found its mate in his bedroom? Or had he not yet left the bed where she’d left him, after the most explosive sexual experience of her life?
They swung up the private road to the gate, and Terri punched in the code. Buck would surely know his daughter was coming. At least he’d been awake enough to have Evie fly down and pick her up. But just to avoid an unpleasant surprise, she pushed the intercom button.
“Hi.” His deep baritone went through her with the shock of memory. It made her shiver to realize she now knew exactly how that voice sounded sex-drenched and husky.
“It’s me.” The words emerged as nervous squeaks. “I’m bringing Quinn.”
“Great. Come on up.” His voice betrayed nothing. Either he was a good actor or he wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened in his bedroom.
Or he didn’t care. Knowing Buck, that was possible, too.
* * *
Buck stood on the front porch watching the Jeep come up the drive. Seeing Terri was a surprise. He’d asked Evie to bring Quinn here. But there must’ve been a change of plans.
Things could be awkward with Terri. He didn’t quite know what to expect from her. But Quinn would be with them. That would make things all right—for now, at least.
The Jeep pulled up next to his Hummer and stopped. Throwing off her seat belt, Quinn bounded out of the passenger seat and raced up the steps to give him a hug. As he swung her off her feet, he could tell she’d grown since Christmas break. With her in Sedona most of the year, he was missing so much of her life. Maybe this summer he could find a way to spend more time with her.
“Hi, Daddy,” she said. “I missed you.”
“Me, too.” He lowered her to the ground. “Are you hungry?”
“Starved.”
“She
