MANDY HAD KNOWN what would happen when Daniel accepted the invitation to her place.... As soon as they went through her front door, he pulled her into a kiss so deep it made her dizzy.
His hands tugged her blouse free from her tiered black skirt, then he murmured something and pushed the skirt down, catching her lingerie with it, lower and lower until it dropped to the floor. Bending, he grasped her waist, lifting until her toes left the ground, and the clothing with it. With a grin, he bent to pull off her shoes.
It was an odd feeling to be bare from the waist down. Daniel caressed the skin over her hips, and she was drawn back to the moment in his kitchen when he’d nearly driven her mad with a few simple squeezes of his fingers. Her own fingers were clumsy as she fumbled at his belt buckle, finally getting it undone so she could pull it free from the belt loops.
“You’ll have to kick them off,” she gasped when she’d worked his pants downward, adrenaline rushing through her veins.
“Delighted.”
A moment later, they tumbled onto the couch, Daniel moving over her...when he groaned. “Just a second,” he muttered. He lunged back to his pants and groped in the pocket, pulling out some small square packets from his wallet.
The delay seemed to take forever.
“I hope you have more than one of those this time,” she managed to say as his weight settled over her.
“I should be embarrassed to admit it,” he said, “but yes, I do.”
* * *
MUCH LATER, DANIEL heard the faint sound of the town’s tower clock chime nine. He was lying on his side, with Mandy snuggled tight against him.
Her long hair spilled everywhere—over her shoulders, his chest, the couch—like a silk web. Earlier, their lovemaking had been hot and wild, not the right time to satisfy his curiosity to touch her hair. Now he reached up to find some locks and ran them between his fingers. The tresses were as soft as they looked; no wonder she had so much trouble keeping it restrained.
“Are you going to play with my hair all evening?” Mandy’s voice mumbled against his chest.
“Sorry.” He quickly dropped his hand on the couch.
Mandy stretched, and in the low light from a table lamp, he saw her breasts flex in a way that made the blood rush to his lower anatomy. A voice in his head reminded him he’d abandoned his intentions to keep things casually friendly between them. Well, the friendly part had been maintained.
Yeah, right.
If he was as strong and resolute as he’d like to believe, he wouldn’t have restocked his wallet with condoms in the first place.
Mandy sat up and looked at him with interest, and Daniel grew even harder. With her index finger, she touched the tip of his erection and raised an eyebrow.
“Got something to cover that?” she asked saucily.
Hell.
He pulled out his last condom and managed to get it over himself. But she pushed him down flat and lifted her knee over the other side of his hip. The taut curve of her breasts commanded his attention and he caught one rosy nipple between his lips. Mandy gasped, shifting down so his hardness entered her. He put his hands on her soft round hips and helped set a rhythm that sent waves of pleasure over his body until she finally collapsed on top of him.
* * *
MANDY DROWSED BRIEFLY, then felt Daniel carefully shifting her to the couch.
“I need to get home,” he said, and though she knew he had to leave, she felt curiously bereft.
His lips moved over hers in a slow, deep kiss. “See you in the morning,” he murmured. “Don’t forget we have to talk before the council meeting tomorrow night.”
Then he was gone and she hunched into a ball on the cushions. Great, they’d made love—more than once—and his last words before leaving were about work.
She might as well face it; she’d fallen in love with Daniel Whittier, an uptight guy intent on climbing the ladder of city administrative success. If he ever got married again, he’d want someone who’d be a political asset. That definitely wasn’t Mandy Colson. They might generate a lot of sexy heat together, but that was part of the problem. He didn’t want a shallow dish like Celia, but he also didn’t want someone volatile and passionate. He’d made that clear enough at dinner.
Calm, gracious, settled—that’s what he’d be interested in. Not a “peripatetic” woman with commitment issues who moved from job to job and town to town. Before Willow’s Eve, six months had been the longest she’d stayed anywhere. Not that she’d ever shortchanged an employer. She’d done her best, for however long she was on the job. But whenever a boss had tried to give her a task that required an extended commitment, it had been her cue to decline and start packing.
It was hard to face, but the whole thing made her understand why Daniel was reluctant to get involved, and why he didn’t want his daughter getting too close to her. Mandy had lived in more places than she could recall, and Samantha needed stability.
* * *
CHRIS FOUGHT A storm of confused emotions at the latest city council meeting. Several people had spoken, and now Polly Gallagher stood explaining how important the mill was to her family. Susan was taking notes and Joe Jensen sat across the room, arms crossed over his chest, smiling genially as Polly described how her eldest son had remained in Willow’s Eve, but her daughter was now living with her husband in Santa Rosa, and her youngest son in Redding, because there hadn’t been jobs to keep them in town.
Most of their young people had been forced to leave, and it was a reminder that Chris’s own son almost certainly wouldn’t return to Willow’s Eve for more than visits. He should have realized this was one reason his wife was so concerned about the water project.
“I know some people don’t like the mill,” Polly said, casting a quick glance to where most of Chris’s supporters were sitting with him, “but this way, we can still have some of our family here.”
What was he supposed to do, accuse her of being an environmental rapist? Hardly. Polly was a member of their church and had supported his efforts to install low-flow toilets in the restrooms and put solar panels on the parsonage.
Career opportunities were limited in Willow’s Eve, and expanding the paper mill would create more jobs. Susan didn’t have to be in support of her father to recognize the town was struggling. She’d even pointed out once that the town didn’t have to grow; it just had to stop shrinking.
But it was the other things she’d said that had begun to haunt him the most, along with the look on her face as she’d said them. Had he really ignored her feelings all these years? Looking back, Chris recalled times when Sue might have tried to tell him how she felt, but he hadn’t paid attention. He’d assumed they were coming to a compromise on everything, but had they really? Perhaps she had simply chosen not to disagree aloud.
Mostly when he’d thought about Susan and her parents, he had dwelled on the irony of falling in love with a wonderful woman whose father was an environmental disaster.
Now he uneasily recalled how much the nineteen-year-old Susan had wanted to leave Willow’s Eve. She’d been home for the summer after her first year of college, and even on their first date had mentioned the loneliness of being the only daughter of the town’s major employer. Obviously, he hadn’t listened that closely, even then. Hell, he could have asked for a transfer to another national forest. But he hadn’t, and Susan had stayed because she loved her husband and that was where he worked.
As the meeting ended, he walked over to where his wife was gathering her notes. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay; he’d given a ride to the Parsons and they were waiting for him.
“Sue?”
She looked up warily. “Yes?”
“Can we talk?”
* * *
A SURGE OF hope hit Mandy when she saw Chris and Susan standing together. Even better, the expressions on their faces weren’t as angry as usual.
They didn’t talk for long and didn’t leave together, but they hadn’t looked as if they were arguing.
Not wanting to pry, she hurried to her office. There was a tap on her door a few minutes later.
“You saw?” Susan asked.
“Yes, you and Chris were talking, not yelling. That seemed positive.”
Susan nodded. “He says he wants to start having real discussions instead of arguments. We’ll see.”
“But that’s good, isn’t it?”
“Probably. No matter what, it’s better for Evan if his parents aren’t at each other’s throats.”
“Do you think Chris wants to get back together?” Mandy asked, hopeful.
“I think it’s what we both want, but there’s a lot of stuff we’ve never dealt with. That’s going to make it harder.”
Mandy grimaced. “Somehow, I thought the marriage you guys had was perfect, or as perfect as any marriage can be. It kind of gave me hope that...” She shrugged.
“Maybe it was in some ways, but mostly because we ignored the problem of living in Willow’s Eve with ‘Big Joe Jensen’ as my father. It would have been best if we’d moved away so it wouldn’t be such a constant boulder in the middle of the road. But we didn’t and now we can’t pretend it away any longer.”
“You want go for ice cream or something?”
“No, I’m bushed. I’m going home for an early night. See you in the morning for coffee.”
“I’ll bring the pastries.”
Susan left and Mandy sat, depression settling over her. It was encouraging to see Chris and Susan making progress. At least they weren’t yelling at each other, or maintaining a stony separate silence, which might have been even worse. But there weren’t going to be any easy fixes for them, or for the town.
The thought kept dogging her that if a couple like the Russells couldn’t work things out, it was hard to see any hope for her and Daniel. It was stupid. She’d already accepted the impossibility of them getting together.
She stared at the picture frame Samantha Whittier had given her on Thanksgiving Day. Inside was a photo of Mandy and the little girl together, a photo Joyce had snapped on Sam’s birthday. Mandy ached when she looked at it. In the picture, Samantha was snuggled close as they smiled into the camera. It was the kind of picture a mother and daughter might have taken, or maybe that was simply Mandy’s imagination.
Children. She’d love to have two or three kids, but she didn’t want to mess up the way her parents had. And she’d want her children to have a dad. Seeing Sam with Daniel was enough to convince her of that. Whatever hang-ups he might have, he was nothing like her own father.
Guilt rose as Mandy thought about her parents. She loved George and Elenora, but being around them was painful. Maybe if she didn’t love them it wouldn’t be so hard.
Her brothers didn’t seem to have a problem visiting. Of course, they’d conformed to what their parents expected. If Jess and Parker didn’t like their roles as dutiful sons, with perfectly conventional lives, they’d never said anything about it. Yet Mandy suspected there had to be a spark of something real beneath their starched facades.
“Hey, Mandy.”
Startled by the unexpected voice, she looked up to see Daniel, and the yearning sensation hit her all over again. Maybe it was because she’d been in Willow’s Eve longer than she normally stayed in a place, but she was beginning to reconsider the idea of marriage and family and all the things that you couldn’t have if you moved every few months.
Perhaps her parents had guessed how she might be feeling. Was that why they’d made a last-ditch effort to push her back into Vince’s arms? Even as she thought it, the absurdity of it struck her. George and Elenora Colson were brilliant in their respective fields, and helpless in relationships. And they lived on the other side of the continent. Besides, Mandy suspected she wouldn’t be thinking this way if it wasn’t for Daniel Whittier and his daughter.
“What’s up?” Daniel asked.
“What do you mean?”
“There’s an odd look on your face.”
She shrugged. Daniel had a habit of knowing when she was upset or distracted, and while it might be a desirable trait in an intimate male companion, it was alarming around someone she wanted to stop caring about.
“I was just thinking about my folks,” she said. “I...uh...think it’s interesting you didn’t like them.”
He stretched and yawned. “No offense, but I didn’t see much to like,” he acknowledged candidly. “They come off as very rigid and determined to control you and their world. I admit liking a measure of control myself, but they’re beyond extreme.”
Mandy scrunched her nose. “Accountability was one of their favorite words when I was a kid. If anything went wrong, the next question was, ‘Who is responsible?’”
“Unless there’s a lesson to be learned like teaching a kid not to burn themselves, assigning blame is less important than dealing with whatever went wrong. Besides, things go wrong. It isn’t always a case of fault.”
“I know, but they can’t accept that. My parents feel someone is at fault...and rarely think it’s them. I think they believe that if you do everything right, you have power over a situation.”
“So if things didn’t go the way they wanted, there was a guilt trip waiting for someone?”
“Yeah, and it usually seemed to be me. That may not be true, but it feels true.”
Daniel frowned. “Mandy, if things go badly in the water issue, it doesn’t mean anyone is particularly at fault. And it isn’t a reason to run away.”
“Of course not,” she said, wondering if he’d deliberately prodded her in a vulnerable spot.
* * *
DANIEL GLANCED AT his watch.
He’d told Samantha he hoped to be home in time to tuck her into bed, though the meeting had gone too late for that to happen. Now he was alone in the building with Mandy...and fighting vivid memories of the previous night. Hell, he wasn’t an out-of-control teenager any longer, but his body was reacting as if he was seventeen again.
“Do you have work to finish up here?” he asked.
For some reason, Mandy’s smile had a curious, gallant bravery to it. “Nope, I’m coming. You don’t have to do the gentlemanly thing and wait it out.”
“Do you have anything against a man behaving as a gentleman?”
Her eyebrow arched. “Not at all.”
Standing, Mandy flicked off her coffeemaker. Daniel automatically lifted her coat off its hook and held it out, watching as she slid her arms into the sleeves and lifted her silky hair over the collar. His muscles clenched as she suddenly turned and kissed him, her soft lips opening under his before she stepped away.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I couldn’t resist.”
“It felt good,” Daniel admitted, though it had intensified the grinding ache in his groin.
He walked Mandy to the parking lot and stood for a long moment after she drove down the street. He struggled to collect his thoughts.
One of the advantages of being the city manager in Willow’s Eve was that he no longer worked twelve hours a day, with a commute through the city afterward. Evenings like tonight were an exception, rather than the rule, and Sam was ecstatic to have him home so much. She wanted to stay in Willow’s Eve for “always and always” and pouted a little when he reminded her they might move the following year.
A sane workday was just one of the things Daniel was learning to appreciate about the rural community. But should he stay, or did he still care about his goal to manage a large city someday? And that question stood apart from what was going on between him and Mandy.
He wanted to believe it was a good sign that Mandy had resolved to see the water issue through. But what if things didn’t go well and folks were unhappy with how it had been handled? Her pattern was to move to fresh territory, where the ambiguities of life didn’t have to be endured. Not that her brief marriage was an indicator—from what she had said, it had been a mistake from the beginning—but if Mandy wouldn’t stay in a job that involved problems and awkwardness, was there any hope she’d stick around to deal with issues as a wife? Even the best relationships had problems, some level of...messiness.
Daniel sighed and climbed into his Jeep.
Ever since his divorce, he’d been reminding himself the risk of any relationship would impact Sam, as well. And he couldn’t bear to see his daughter hurt again.
* * *
SUSAN GOT TRAPPED for over an hour by Margaret Hanson and her husband in the City Hall parking lot. Well, Margaret trapped her; Ted kept urging his wife to do as they’d promised and leave the question-asking to Mandy.
She drove home wondering if Chris would be there when she arrived. He hadn’t been able to talk long since the Parsons had needed a ride home, so she’d half suggested they meet at the house. Now she wasn’t sure it was the best idea.
But there’d been a look in his eyes she couldn’t remember seeing before—an openness, rather than righteous certainty.
When she arrived, she saw his car was already there, so she pulled up behind it, rather than park in the garage. Knees shaking, she walked to the porch, where he stood waiting.
“I wasn’t sure this was what you meant,” he said, “but I hoped it was. I didn’t go in...you know, because of the security system.”
“It isn’t on—I never remember to set it. But I’m glad you waited.”
Chris sighed and shifted his feet. “Sue, it isn’t easy to say, but I’ve never seriously thought about how hard your dad and I have made things. You love your parents and yet you still married me, despite their opposition. I guess we’ve been trying to make you keep choosing ever since.”
She nodded, not trusting her voice for an answer.
“To be honest, I’ve never told you the entire truth about a lot of things.”
“Excuse me?” she asked in surprise.
“Well, for one thing...I never admitted all the reasons I thought we should have only one child. I do believe overpopulation is a concern, but it was more than that. When you were expecting Evan, I started thinking more children would be pretty nice. Then you began having problems with the pregnancy. It scared the hell out of me when the doctor discussed what could happen, and I swear, half the women in Willow’s Eve rushed to tell me horror stories about childbirth.”
A wry laugh escaped Susan. “I know. It’s like when you’re having surgery. Nobody tells you the good stories, just the bad ones.”
“Yeah, and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you if we took the risk of having another child. I know we should have discussed it, but I was too freaked.”
“It wasn’t that big of a risk.”
“I couldn’t stand any risk. And then what did I do when we hit a rough patch? I walked out. It just goes to show how big an idiot I can be. I was so intent on taking care of the environment, I didn’t take care of our marriage.”
“It isn’t all your fault. I should have been more forthright over the years—it must have been quite a shock when I dug my heels in about the water project.”
Chris nodded. “It was, but I don’t want to end our marriage over an environmental issue. I want you to be forthright, as you put it. If we don’t have the same opinion, we should just agree to disagree. And I’ll work on my compromising skills.”
Damn. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t cry.
Chris tugged her close. “I love you so much,” he whispered. “You’re the best part of me.”
Susan didn’t say anything, simply pulled his mouth down to hers. It had been so long and she wanted him so badly.
“Are you sure?” he murmured.
“Shut up and come inside. I’m not saying to move back in, but you can spend the night.”
He kissed her again, this time deeper and longer. Finally, he stopped, gasping. “Where’s your key?”
Susan fumbled in her purse and managed to open the door. He picked her up and pushed it closed behind him. In the low lights, he strode down the hallway to their bedroom. He released her slowly, so that she slid the entire length of his body.
“Caveman instincts kicking in?” she questioned, working his shirt free from his jeans and yanking the zipper down.
“It happens to the best of us.”
Once his shirt was unbuttoned, she ran her hands up to the wedge of fur on his chest.
“You’ve lost weight,” she murmured.
“Haven’t been that hungry, and I’ve worked out every time I got...uptight.”
She grinned and slipped her fingers along the waist of his Levi’s, sometimes going deep, sometimes simply teasing with the edge of her fingernail. After twenty years of marriage, she had a fair idea of what would send him over the edge.
* * *
CHRIS SUCKED IN his breath as he managed to get the last of Susan’s clothing off and thrown aside.
Damn, she was beautiful, and more sexy than ever. Hurriedly, he shrugged off his jeans and tugged her to the bed. She dropped backward, and his eyes flared as she bounced on the mattress.
Sinking down beside her, he closed his mouth over her right breast, teasing the nipple with his tongue, exulting in her swift response. Then he slipped his hands down until he found the sensitive spot along her spine. She arched upward, breath quickening.
Hell, if he didn’t move soon, he’d hit before he even got into her. It was intoxicating to be with his wife again, almost the way it had been the first time. Maybe better.
He fumbled in the drawer of the bedside table, finally finding the condoms he’d left there, and opened the package with unsteady fingers.
“Let me do it,” Susan breathed, taking the condom and slowly unrolling it over his swollen erection. When she was done, she gripped him, squeezing just a little. He gasped and moved fast, nudging her legs apart, pulling her under him and thrusting inside the place where he belonged.
Opening his eyes, he watched Susan’s face as she slipped over the edge. He let go and pleasure exploded inside him.
* * *
MANDY SPOTTED THE glow in Susan’s eyes when her friend walked into the office early the next morning.
“What gives? Are you and Chris back together?” she demanded as Susan carefully closed the door behind her.
“No, but we’re discussing it.”
Mandy suspected that “talking” had included pleasurable physical activity, too.
“We’re going to start getting together for dinner and try to talk out our problems,” Susan explained. “We’ll go to places in Vicksville to be more anonymous.”
“Really?” Mandy shook her head in amazement. “You mean that Chris is willing to drive fifteen miles for dinner? Isn’t he the one who thinks eating out borders on social irresponsibility?”
Susan grinned. “It was his idea.”
“I’m impressed.”
“So was I. In Vicksville, we won’t be the environmentalist and the paper mill owner’s daughter, just Chris and Sue. It doesn’t mean we’re home free. This time, I’m going to be sure of what I’m doing, so we don’t end up in the same place again.”
Susan seemed determined not to build too many expectations. Mandy understood how she felt...a little too much. She’d gone from disliking Daniel and not wanting to be tied down in any fashion, to longing for the impossible.
“Pour yourself some coffee and have a scone.” She pushed napkins and a container of pastries in her friend’s direction.
Susan peeked inside. “Where did you get these?”
“I made them. Couldn’t sleep last night.”
“Something on your mind?”
“Just stuff. Anyway, I experimented with a new scone recipe—pecan praline oatmeal. Eat up.”
Susan took a bite. “They’re great. Not too sweet.”
“Glad you like them.” Mandy had taken the scones out of the oven at 5 a.m. following a restless night of trying not to think about Daniel.
“Mandy...Mandy?”
“Huh?”
Susan had poured herself some coffee and was tipping cream into the cup. “You were a million miles away.”
“Sorry. As I said, I couldn’t sleep last night.”
“I have to admit I didn’t get much rest myself. Chris came by the house and we...um, talked quite a bit. It went really late.”
Mandy selected a scone, hoping to hear more. It was much more fun speculating about her friend’s love life than brooding over Daniel.
“It sounds as if it was a productive night,” she said in solemn tones, her eyes twinkling.
Susan’s lips quivered. “You know perfectly well what happened.”
“Yes, but it was fun watching you try not to admit it.”
“Hey, this isn’t Sex in the City, where the characters lay it all out and discuss everything in detail. As it is, just imagine what Dorothy or the others would say if they knew what we talk about in here.”
Mandy laughed. “They’d want ringside seats. As Dorothy says, the fire may take longer to get going at their age, but it burns just as hot.”
Her friend nearly choked on a bite of scone. “You’re kidding. Dorothy said that?”
“Uh-huh.”
Mandy relaxed as they bantered back and forth. The conversation reminded her of other mornings, before the issue of water invaded Willow’s Eve, when they’d regularly met for an early morning munch-and-gab session.
After half an hour, Susan glanced at her watch. “I should get going. I’ve got reports to put together at the mill—I owe Dad some extra hours since I haven’t been at my best lately.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Carrying her half-full mug of coffee, Mandy followed, only to meet Daniel coming down the hallway.
“Good morning,” he greeted them.
“Hi. You’re here early,” Mandy answered, trying to keep her voice steady while she fastened a death grip on the handle of her cup.
“There are a number of details I need to clear up. I didn’t know you were in yet, so I left a stack of papers in your mailbox to review.”
“I’ll get them.”
“It was a good meeting last night,” Susan said to Daniel.
“And more productive than the last one. By the way, I’m impressed by the minutes you take. Very thorough.”
“That’s nice to hear.”
Daniel turned back to Mandy. “Listen, we should discuss those appointments I’m going to schedule in Sacramento. Do you still plan to go with me?”
Mandy swallowed. “Yes, of course.”
“I’ll keep you updated on what I find out.”
She took a deep breath. “Thanks.”
It was cut-and-dried, as if the only thing between them was the water issue. He continued down the hall, his attention buried in a sheaf of papers...while Mandy concentrated on breathing normally.
“You know what?” Susan said. “I think I’ll have more coffee.”
Mandy glanced at her in surprise. “Oh, well, sure.” She turned and led the way back to her office.
Susan shut the door behind her, looking excited. “I am such a dope not to have realized it before. You’ve got the hots for our new city manager.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. And keep your voice down.”
“Come on, fess up,” her friend urged in a much quieter tone. “I did about Chris and me.”
Mandy slumped into her desk chair. “That’s different,” she grumbled. “He’s your husband and you guys are in love, even if you’ve got problems right now. Daniel and I barely tolerate each other.”
Susan raised an eyebrow. “Really? The undercurrents between you guys practically swept me off my feet.”
Resigned, Mandy sighed. “Okay, I have feelings for him. But that doesn’t mean anything. He wants someone even-tempered and unexcitable, a woman who never argues or gets uptight...or something of the sort.”
“You mean you’ve actually discussed what type of woman he’s looking for?”
“N-no, not exactly. It came up in connection to some other stuff.” Mandy didn’t feel right telling anyone what Daniel had revealed about his childhood, though it was also the description of his ex-wife that had revealed his feminine preferences. He’d said Celia rarely got angry or upset, and that it was a desirable quality.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Susan demanded, then held up a hand. “Never mind. I know. I was too buried in my own troubles. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Besides, it doesn’t matter and he really isn’t that important to me.”
“Liar.”
“A harmless prevarication at best. Let me take a cruise down the river of denial. It’s no weirder than my parents trying to fix me up with my ex-husband again.”
Susan’s mouth dropped open. “Lord, I’ve missed some good stuff. Did they really?”
Mandy nodded. “Supposedly he’s willing to overlook the past eight years. I said it was noble of him, but as usual, the sarcasm sailed way over their heads.”
With a laugh, Susan poured more coffee for herself and picked up another scone. “Okay,” she said, “the financial reports can wait. Start from the beginning and tell me every gory detail.”
* * *
AN HOUR PASSED and a second pot of coffee was brewed before Susan was satisfied. She gave Mandy a hug before heading out to her office at the paper mill.
Mandy checked the parlor and kitchen. It was still early and none of the seniors were there yet. Some of her best volunteers were coming in to cook the lunch, so she’d have a fairly light day. It should have pleased her after spending the previous evening at City Hall. Instead, she would have preferred being busy so she wouldn’t have time to think.
Susan hadn’t offered any wisdom in turning off feelings for a guy who was completely wrong for her. After all, she’d fallen head over heels in love with Chris, and they hadn’t been compatible, either. But Chris had loved Susan, and now, finally, they were trying to address their problems.
It wasn’t the same for her and Daniel.