Two Months Later
Dane raised his glass of lemonade as another toast to the happy couple was made. Seeing Daisy so happy thrilled him. She’d been a good friend for many years, and knowing she’d found somebody to love, who accepted her for who she was and didn’t try to change her, gave him a great deal of satisfaction. More than once they’d shared coffee late at night and commiserated about their lives. She’d been there when he’d needed a confidant, somebody he could confide in, who wasn’t a relative. While he adored his family, sometimes talking to somebody who didn’t share that familial bond was not only beneficial, it saved his sanity.
Now she had Derrick Williamson and his son, Ian, to fulfill her, give her a renewed joy and purpose in life. Good for her—and Derrick—as long as he made her happy. If he didn’t, well, he’d find Dane on his doorstep one night, and he wouldn’t be there for tea and crumpets.
“Hey, bro. Why so down in the dumps?” Liam bumped his shoulder against his.
Dane shrugged. He couldn’t explain exactly why he wasn’t feeling himself lately. Maybe there was something in the air. Whatever it was, it managed to keep him on edge, and more than a little irritable. He’d snapped at one of the ranch hands this morning, all because the guy hadn’t moved as fast as Dane wanted. He’d apologized and smoothed things, but it hadn’t changed the sense of something hovering just over the horizon. Something that would change his life. Too bad he had no clue what it might be.
“Nothing in particular. What do you think of Williamson moving full-time to Shiloh Springs? I thought he and Ian were only going to be hanging around on weekends and stuff.”
“I think Momma might have had something to do with that. She mentioned she might have put a bug in Antonio’s ear to have a chat with Derrick about the commute. I think she’s anxious to see him and Daisy take their relationship to the next level. People in the city do commutes just as long or longer to their jobs. He’ll still be able to keep his job with the FBI in Austin. Ian will be able to go to school here. Daisy will watch him in the afternoons until Derrick gets home. Beats trying to do a long-distance relationship.”
“I guess.” Dane pointed to Ian, who sat beside Ms. Patti, talking up a storm. In the few months since they’d settled down in Shiloh Springs, the kid had come out of his shell, realizing he finally had a stable and loving home, and his father wasn’t going to leave him.
Ian had come out to the Big House several times with his dad. The kid was crazy about the horses and probably would have moved into the barn if he could’ve talked his dad into it. Maybe he should talk to Derrick about giving Ian riding lessons.
“Boys.” Dane chuckled when Liam flinched. He’d seen his father walking toward them, but hadn’t clued his brother to his approach. He grinned when Liam jumped. He’d have thought, working with his dad every day, he’d have a sixth sense when it came to his father’s sneak attacks.
“Hi, Dad. Nice party.”
Douglas looked over to where his wife sat, Ian so close beside her he practically sat in her lap, Derrick and Daisy standing close by. A contented smile flitted across his father’s face, and Dane realized his dad enjoyed having another young boy to mentor and help through life.
“Your momma gets all the credit. You know how she loves having y’all together in one place. She’s in her element, surrounded by all her kids.”
“Ian sure has latched onto her.”
“Ian’s a good kid. He simply needs a woman’s love. Now he’s got Daisy and your momma, it won’t be long before he blossoms under the attention. He’s gonna be a fine man one day.”
Liam and his father started talking, mostly about work, and Dane tuned them out because once they got started on construction and building, he lost interest. Though he occasionally went and helped on their job sites, especially when they were under a time crunch and needed all able bodies on deck, it wasn’t something that interested him. He needed to be outdoors, breathing the fresh air, and working with the livestock. That’s where he felt most at home.
He caught Daisy’s gaze from across the room and smiled when she started making her way across the diner. She’d worked with his momma to have this family get together after the diner had closed because she considered the Boudreaus family. Just like they considered her one of their clan.
“Most of the night, you’ve looked like you’re a million miles away. Anything wrong?”
“No, I’m just feeling restless. It’ll pass.”
She studied his face intently, looking for what he didn’t know, and he deliberately kept it blank. No need to let her in on the fact that there was a quirky, tattooed brunette who’d been haunting his thoughts and starring in his steamy, X-rated dreams.
“I’m not buying it. Who is she?”
He started at her blunt question, shooting a look at his father and brother, hoping they hadn’t heard her question.
“Daisy—”
“Don’t you Daisy me. You didn’t mind sticking your nose into my business when I started seeing Derrick, letting me know exactly what you thought of him and assuring me that I wasn’t making the biggest mistake in my life. I trust you to look out for my best interests because we are friends. Heck, we’re more than friends; you’re the brother of my heart. Now tell me what’s wrong. It must be a woman, because you wouldn’t have any problem telling me if it was one of your family members, or something going on at the ranch. Do I know her?”
He blew out a deep breath and took a long drink of the now warm lemonade he held. She was right, he thought of her as a sister. Like Nica. At least she wasn’t a pain in the backside like his little sister, because she’d be all up in his business if she thought for a single instant he was interested in someone. Dang, he missed the little monster. She hadn’t been able to come down because of school. Over the last several months, she’d missed too much time, and although she had stellar grades, she planned to graduate soon and needed to focus on her studies to make sure her grade point average didn’t suffer.
“Tonight’s the time to focus on you and your new family, Daisy. I promise, my problems will wait until later.”
She shot him a narrow-eyed glare. “So, you admit there is a problem.” It wasn’t a question.
“Wrong choice of words. It’s not a problem, more a feeling. Nothing concrete to pin my lousy mood on.”
“Are you sure? Because we can always go and talk—”
“Absolutely not,” Dane insisted. “This is your night. Now, tell me you’re happy, and make me believe it.”
The smile on Daisy’s face told the story, along with the glow of happiness that seemed to surround her. Though she and Derrick were engaged, thanks to Ian, they were taking it slow, getting to know each other the way newly engaged couples did. But if Dane had to bet, he’d lay down money they’d make it for the long haul.
“We’re happy, Dane. With all the stuff in my past, I never thought I’d find somebody who could look beyond all the legal stuff and see me. He loves me. I love him. We both know it’s fast, but it’s real. More real than anything ever in my life, and it’s only getting better every day.”
Dane pulled her into his arms and gave her a tight hug, and her arms wrapped around him, squeezing. He looked at the sound of a throat clearing beside him, and knew it was Derrick before he even glanced up. He placed a soft kiss against her forehead and loosened the hug.
“Go. Know I wish you both every happiness. All you must do is love each other with all your hearts, and everything else will take care of itself. That’s what my momma always says, and I believe her.”
“Thanks, Dane. Don’t forget, we’re still going to talk. Soon.”
Giving Daisy a nod, he watched her walk away, Derrick’s arm around her waist. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He’d made sure to turn off the ringer before the party started, and he pulled it out, noting he’d missed four calls from an unknown number. He debated for a second whether to answer it because he really didn’t want to deal with some robo-caller trying to sell him an extended car warranty. But some little niggling feeling made him decided to see who the mystery caller might be.
Stepping outside, he dialed the number.
“Why haven’t you answered your phone?”
He pulled it away from his ear and stared at it for a second. Somebody had their panties in a bunch. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it.
“I’m not sure who you’re looking for, lady, but—”
“Dane Boudreau. It’s Destiny. We need to talk.”
“Destiny?” A vivid picture of the sexy hacker who worked for his brother popped into his head. It wasn’t hard, since he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her, though he hadn’t seen her in a couple of months. The last time, he’d been given a firsthand, up-close view of her tattoos, especially the one that usually played peekaboo under the edge of her shirt.
“Yeah. Listen, we need to talk. Can you meet me?” She sounded frazzled, her words spilling out in a rush. He frowned because she didn’t seem the type to get befuddled or harassed. At least, that had been his impression of her, based on their meeting and what Ridge had said about his resident computer hacker.
“When?”
“Now. I’m here, I mean I’m in Shiloh Springs. Where are you?”
“At the diner. There’s a family gathering, kind of a celebration. Why don’t you come over and join us?”
“Nuh-uh. Not a good idea. I should probably talk to you without any of your family around.”
Now his curiosity was piqued. Why would Destiny seek him out? Aside from the teasing when she and Tina had been in the Big House kitchen, he hadn’t seen or heard from her since. Now she wanted to meet him alone? Oh, well, he was game.
“Do you know where Juanita’s is?”
“Yes. Can you leave now and meet me ASAP?” There was an almost desperate sound to her words, and he had a lightbulb moment. This was it. The thing that had been hovering on the horizon, tantalizing deceptively out of sight, keeping him pondering his future.
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you there under one condition?”
Destiny’s sigh was loud over the line. “What?”
“Tell me what’s so important you don’t want my family to know?”
“I’ve been doing some digging on the dark web, looking for some info, and came across your name.”
“My name? Why would my name show up on the dark web?”
There was a long pause, and he could almost hear her brain racing, trying to come up with a reason not to tell him.
“Dane, somebody’s put a hit out on your life.”