he was still a little surprised by Daniâs indignation on their behalf. It reminded him of his very first impression of her. Heâd thought then, as he did now, that she would make a terrific mother.
Earlier heâd caught Robâs sarcastic remark that sheâd gone looking for another ready-made family. Now he let the idea simmer. It could be a solution for all of them. She would have two boys to replace the girls sheâd lost. Joshua and Zack would have a motherâs love again. Goodness knew, the pair of them could use a gentling influence.
And him? What would he get out of the bargain? Heâd already admitted that he was attracted to her. That was definitely a start. The prospect of having her in his life on a more permanent basis wasnât nearly as distasteful as it probably should have been, given his avowed determination never to marry again.
Years ago no one would have blinked twice at the idea of such a marriage of convenience. Even now there were lonely men in places like Alaska and elsewhere who advertised for mail-order brides. Would this be any different? He found that he was warming to the idea.
He glanced at Dani and saw her staring at the boys wistfully. Yes, he thought again, it would work very nicely for all of them.
âWhy donât you go on over there and give them some real competition,â he encouraged.
She grinned. âYou wouldnât mind?â
âNo, indeed. They beat the pants off me. Let them humiliate somebody else for a change.â
âNot me,â she said, flashing him a smile. âI grew up with a bunch of very competitive relatives. I do believe if you check that particular machine, my record still stands.â
Perfect, he thought as he watched her join his sons. Duke was the kind of man who trusted his instincts. He also made decisions in a rush and stuck by them.
For once in his life, though, he managed to curb his enthusiasm. Something told him heâd better have his scheme very well thought out before he presented it to Dani. She struck him as the kind of woman who might not be nearly as pragmatic as he was, even under her own currently vulnerable circumstances. She might prefer at least the pretense of romance.
He could manage that. Hell, she already made him hotter than asphalt in August. A little proper courting wouldnât kill him. Then he could spring the idea of marriage on her and everything would fall tidily into place.
Satisfied with the plan, he sat back in his chair, sipped his beer and observed her. Dani Adams was something, all right. The boys clearly thought so, too.
Now all he had to do was turn up the heat between them a notch or two and his troubles would be over by Christmas, maybe sooner.
All in all, he concluded, the move to Los Pinos wasnât turning out to be quite as miserable as heâd feared. His job might not be as exciting as oil exploration, but courting Dani Adams promised to make up for that.
When she turned toward him, he lifted his mug of beer in a silent toast. Anticipation sizzled through his veins like fine champagne. Yes, indeed, life in Los Pinos promised to get downright fascinating.
Chapter Seven
G etting Dani to fall in with his plans was trickier than riding a bucking bronco, Duke concluded after six weeks of her clever elusiveness. The woman had more unexplained social engagements than anyone heâd ever met. If he hadnât been a confident kind of man, he might have begun to wonder if she wasnât deliberately trying to avoid him. He concluded that he wasnât going to pull off this marriage proposal quite as easily as heâd originally anticipated.
He had surmised very quickly that simply calling and asking for a date wouldnât work. She was way too jittery to accept. She had claimed to be busy every time he gave her any sort of advance notice.
Stopping by the clinic for an impromptu visit was more successful, but he couldnât discuss the future
Earlier heâd caught Robâs sarcastic remark that sheâd gone looking for another ready-made family. Now he let the idea simmer. It could be a solution for all of them. She would have two boys to replace the girls sheâd lost. Joshua and Zack would have a motherâs love again. Goodness knew, the pair of them could use a gentling influence.
And him? What would he get out of the bargain? Heâd already admitted that he was attracted to her. That was definitely a start. The prospect of having her in his life on a more permanent basis wasnât nearly as distasteful as it probably should have been, given his avowed determination never to marry again.
Years ago no one would have blinked twice at the idea of such a marriage of convenience. Even now there were lonely men in places like Alaska and elsewhere who advertised for mail-order brides. Would this be any different? He found that he was warming to the idea.
He glanced at Dani and saw her staring at the boys wistfully. Yes, he thought again, it would work very nicely for all of them.
âWhy donât you go on over there and give them some real competition,â he encouraged.
She grinned. âYou wouldnât mind?â
âNo, indeed. They beat the pants off me. Let them humiliate somebody else for a change.â
âNot me,â she said, flashing him a smile. âI grew up with a bunch of very competitive relatives. I do believe if you check that particular machine, my record still stands.â
Perfect, he thought as he watched her join his sons. Duke was the kind of man who trusted his instincts. He also made decisions in a rush and stuck by them.
For once in his life, though, he managed to curb his enthusiasm. Something told him heâd better have his scheme very well thought out before he presented it to Dani. She struck him as the kind of woman who might not be nearly as pragmatic as he was, even under her own currently vulnerable circumstances. She might prefer at least the pretense of romance.
He could manage that. Hell, she already made him hotter than asphalt in August. A little proper courting wouldnât kill him. Then he could spring the idea of marriage on her and everything would fall tidily into place.
Satisfied with the plan, he sat back in his chair, sipped his beer and observed her. Dani Adams was something, all right. The boys clearly thought so, too.
Now all he had to do was turn up the heat between them a notch or two and his troubles would be over by Christmas, maybe sooner.
All in all, he concluded, the move to Los Pinos wasnât turning out to be quite as miserable as heâd feared. His job might not be as exciting as oil exploration, but courting Dani Adams promised to make up for that.
When she turned toward him, he lifted his mug of beer in a silent toast. Anticipation sizzled through his veins like fine champagne. Yes, indeed, life in Los Pinos promised to get downright fascinating.
Chapter Seven
G etting Dani to fall in with his plans was trickier than riding a bucking bronco, Duke concluded after six weeks of her clever elusiveness. The woman had more unexplained social engagements than anyone heâd ever met. If he hadnât been a confident kind of man, he might have begun to wonder if she wasnât deliberately trying to avoid him. He concluded that he wasnât going to pull off this marriage proposal quite as easily as heâd originally anticipated.
He had surmised very quickly that simply calling and asking for a date wouldnât work. She was way too jittery to accept. She had claimed to be busy every time he gave her any sort of advance notice.
Stopping by the clinic for an impromptu visit was more successful, but he couldnât discuss the future
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