Page 6

CHAPTER 6

JACE

I didn’t know what happened to Delaney when she stepped in front of that microphone, but I sure as hell wasn’t expecting her to wipe the floor with the competition.

“Sooooooo-eeeeeeeee! Sooooooo-eeeeeeeee!” Her voice started out soft and rose into a high-pitched squeal as she delivered a traditional call. It was good, but not award-winning, at least not around these parts. But then she took it to a whole new level.

“Come to mama, you finger lickin’ little bacon bits. Shake your money makers, you saucy squealers.” She wiggled her ass like her life depended on it. “Let’s go, curly-tailed cutie pies. I need your hickory-glazed ham hocks front and center. The biscuits are hot, and I’ve got a bucket full of love just waitin’ on y’all!”

The restaurant went silent. Even Glenda wasn’t sure how to react to Delaney’s over-the-top delivery.

But Delaney wasn’t done. She leaned in close to the mic and oinked. Loudly. Twice.

Eli’s jaw dropped. Wren’s eyes just about bugged out of her head. As for me, I buried my face in my hands to cover the belly laugh that threatened to spill out.

Applause thundered through the place and made the walls shake.

“I believe we have our winner.” Glenda lifted Delaney’s hand high in the air.

It took a couple of minutes for Delaney to make it back to the table, pausing to accept everyone’s congratulations along the way, and gave me time to pull myself together. The kids held out their hands for high fives. I got up so she could slide back into the booth, impressed and stunned at the same time.

“Do I want to know where you learned how to hog call like that?” I asked.

She tossed her hair over her shoulder like shocking a restaurant full of locals into silence was just a regular Saturday night. “That’s the first time I’ve ever tried.”

“That was…” I struggled to find the right words.

“Freaking awesome!” Eli said.

She laughed, full and open, and I gripped my glass tighter than I meant to. Wren seemed to notice. Her gaze cut to mine, curious, and maybe even hopeful.

Glenda dropped off the trough with four spoons and four pink piggy snouts. She insisted we put them on then pose for a picture.

“We don’t need to be in it.” I pushed the pig snout to the middle of the table. “The glory is all yours, Delaney.”

She playfully swatted at my shoulder. “Shut up and put on your pig snout.”

Eli and Wren weren’t sure how to react to that. Besides the guys who came to poker night, Delaney was the first person they’d ever witnessed calling me out.

“You too,” she said to the kids. “I wouldn’t have gone up there if you hadn’t dared me. We’re in this together.”

For the first time since I left Mama Mae’s house back in Texas, I shut up and did what I was told. Glenda had us stand and cluster close together. Close enough that Delaney’s arm brushed against mine and the scent of mountain air right after a spring rain tickled my nose. My chest tightened as heat coursed through my veins. Delaney Hart wasn’t what I expected. I just hadn’t decided yet if that was a good thing or if I was in for a world of trouble.

Glenda snapped a couple of pictures with an ancient Polaroid. She handed one to Delaney and tacked the other to the wall of winners. Delaney waved the picture around while it developed, then held it out for Eli and Wren to see.

“Wow, who knew your dad was capable of smiling?” she teased.

“Hey, I’m capable of a lot of things.” Things I hadn’t thought about in a long, damn time. Things that were probably better left unsaid. Things that being around the young, attractive brunette had stirred up inside me.

She held my gaze for a beat too long then handed me the picture. “Do you want to keep this? There are three of you and only one of me in it.”

“We can put it on the refrigerator,” Wren said as she reached for it.

I should have said no. Did I really want Delaney’s smile greeting me every morning when I opened the fridge? I wasn’t sure. But something deep down inside prevented me from handing it back to her.

“Can we eat the ice cream now?” Eli asked, already seated again with a spoon in his hand.

“You’d better before it all melts.” Delaney slid back onto the bench seat, and I followed. My Saturday night had taken an interesting, though not entirely unwelcome turn.

After we’d stuffed ourselves full of ice cream and I slipped Glenda my credit card to cover dinner, the kids and I walked Delaney to her car.

“Don’t forget your trophy.” Wren handed her a plastic trophy with a pig on top.

Delaney laughed as she took it. “I’ll have to set it on my desk at the office since I don’t have a mantle.”

The cabin I’d set her up in had an old-time woodburning stove but no fireplace. It was rustic and offered the bare necessities, but I hadn’t really been thinking about the woman who’d be living there when I’d picked that one over one of the other bigger places.

“Are you sure you’re comfortable in the cabin?” I asked. “We can move you to one of the others if you want.”

She turned her attention toward me, the smile lingering on her full lips. “No need. It’s great and I love my neighbors.”

“Neighbors?” There wasn’t another cabin within half a mile. They’d been spread widely throughout the park for campers who wanted to experience nature up close and without any distractions.

“There’s a family of raccoons living under the front porch, a nest with baby birds right outside the front door, and I haven’t seen it yet, but I know there’s been a bear snooping around the trash bins.”

My gut immediately clenched. Maybe they did things differently up in New York, but even a kid knew not to leave trash out where one of the numerous black bears in the area could get to it. “The trash should be secured in a cage with a bear lock on it.”

Delaney put her hand on my arm. “Relax. It is locked up. I’ve just got an extremely motivated bear nearby.”

My skin tingled at her touch while heat crept up my arm. And fuck if I didn’t like it. A lot. I jerked my arm away faster than I should have, uncomfortable with the kind of feelings and thoughts that being around her stirred up.

“I’ll have someone come out and take a look at it in the next day or two.” I tried to soften my tone, so I didn’t actually growl at her. It wasn’t her fault she’d woken up a long-ignored, deep need inside me. She was all smiles and laughs, smelling like she’d just stepped out of my favorite part of the forest. I needed to keep my distance if I could be this affected by her after spending a few hours sitting next to her while putting away some ribs.

Being around her felt too comfortable, too easy. Like she was already part of our world. Like she belonged.

“It’s okay. I can handle things myself.” She held out her hand to slap against Eli’s then hugged Wren back when my daughter snuggled up against her. “I’ll see the two of you on Monday. I hope you’re ready for a week of nature journaling.”

Wren beamed. “Should I bring my colored pencils?”

“You sure can. Or you can try using some of the pastels I brought.” Delaney climbed into her small four-door hatchback. “Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

“You too.” The pig snout dangled from my fingers as I stepped back and she pulled away.

“Wow. I didn’t think Miss Delaney could hog call like that.” Eli shook his head. “I wonder if she can teach me to do it too.”

I led them to the truck and held the door open for Wren. The shock and awe from witnessing Delaney’s performance hadn’t quite worn off yet. “I’m not sure anyone can learn how to do it exactly like she did.”

“Can we have dinner with her again?” Wren tilted her head and bit down on her lip as she buckled her seatbelt.

I let out a deep sigh. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, sweetie.”

“Why not?” Eli asked. “Don’t you like her?”

How could I explain the complications of getting too cozy with a co-worker to my ten-year-old? We’d spent entire summer days with Ranger Rhonda and her husband out by the lake. The fact that Delaney and I worked together wasn’t the core issue. The problem wasn’t Delaney, it was me. Being around my other co-workers didn’t make me want to lean over and brush my lips against theirs to see if they tasted half as sweet as they looked.

Wren crossed her arms over her chest. “Why’s your face turning red like that, Dad?”

Dammit. I pushed off the side of the truck and climbed in behind the wheel. “I think that hot sauce has finally burned its way down to my belly. Give me a sip of that water you brought?”

Wren handed me her pink water bottle from the back seat, and I made a big show of downing a huge gulp. “Thanks. That helped.”

Like a hound dog hot on the trail, Eli wasn’t ready to give up on his line of questioning yet. “So, do you like her, Dad? She’s really nice. I know we’re only learning about nature journals next week, but she said we could talk about fishing the week after. Maybe we can even show her our secret fishing spot.”

“Maybe we should get home so you two can feed the dog,” I said. “Brutus is going to lose his mind when he smells all that sauce on your shirt.”

Eli looked down at the barbecue stains dotting his white t-shirt. “It’s Wren’s turn to feed him.”

“I did it this morning,” she argued.

Thankful for the change of topic, I pulled out of the parking lot. “We’ll check the chore chart when we get home. If you both shower and get ready for bed right away, we might have time for a game or a movie tonight.”

The two of them started talking about what they’d rather do, watch the latest Marvel movie or pool resources and try to beat me in Monopoly. I tuned them out and let my mind wander back to Delaney.

I’d seen a different side of her tonight. She’d proven she was capable of leading summer camp, at least the first week. Tonight, she’d shown me she knew how to let go and have a good time. She’d fit right in with my kids and didn’t shy away from the challenge of making a fool out of herself to win them a trough full of ice cream. Away from the office she’d seemed more comfortable and didn’t even hesitate to boss me around a bit.

And damn if I didn’t like that a whole hell of a lot more than I should.