Page 15 of Cryptic Curse (Bellamy Brothers #7)

DANIELA

S avannah, Star, and I finish up in the kitchen just as Hawk walks back in from the deck.

I’m wiping my hands off on a dish towel, and I feel Hawk’s gaze on me.

I swallow. “Thanks for everything,” I say to Star. “Thank you for including me in the cooking. I can’t recall the last time I’ve enjoyed myself so much.”

“I should be thanking you.” Star takes my hands, squeezes them. “You’re amazing in the kitchen, Daniela. Your cooking school is going to be lucky to have you. I imagine you’ll end up teaching the instructors a few things.”

“That’s so kind of you to say. Though I’m sure I have a lot to learn.” I bite my lip. “I couldn’t have done this big dinner all on my own.”

Star smiles at that, pats my arm. “You could have. You’re a smart girl. You might not have had my wisdom to guide you, but you’d have figured it out.”

My cheeks warm. Whether it’s from Star’s compliments or Hawk’s eyes on me, I’m not sure.

Except I am sure.

“I should get Belinda home.” I clear my throat. “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Oh,” Savannah says. “Raven asked me to tell you, and it slipped my mind. She and Vinnie went ahead and took Belinda home after dessert. She was hitting her limit, I think.”

“Oh,” I say. “Then I should be getting home as well.”

“I’m actually going to go back to the hospital to see your father tonight,” Star says. “Eagle has volunteered to drive me.”

Hawk’s eyebrows nearly fly off his face.

“Yes, Eagle,” Star says. “He’s my son as well, Hawk.”

Hawk shakes his head. Very subtly, but I notice. Turns out I notice almost everything about Hawk Bellamy.

“If you’re concerned about driving home in the dark,” Hawk says to me, “I’m happy to drive you. Raven can bring you back tomorrow to get your car.”

“That’s kind of you,” I say, “but I’ll be fine.” I leave the kitchen and start looking for my purse.

Hawk follows me. “Can I help you find something?”

I continue searching the area. “Just my purse. I’m not sure where it is.”

“Mom usually puts all the coats and purses in one of the guest bedrooms.” He gestures down the hall. “Come on, follow me.”

I follow Hawk down one of the long hallways of the sprawling ranch house until we get to an open door. Sure enough, my purse is lying on the bed, along with Belinda’s hoodie.

“I’ll take that home to Belinda,” I say.

“Yeah, of course.” He hands me the hoodie, but he lingers a moment too long.

“Well… I guess I’ll see you sometime,” I say.

He touches my forearm gently. “You have to leave?”

I swallow. “Well…”

“Would you like to go out on the deck? Maybe have another cup of coffee?” He gently takes the hoodie out of my grasp and lays it back on the bed. “It’s a gorgeous night. We could take a little walk around the ranch. I could show you some of the beauty around here.”

Is he asking me out?

I’m not sure. I’ve never actually been asked out before. I wasn’t allowed to date like a normal teenage girl.

I was told who I would be dating, who I’d be escorting, who I’d be sleeping with…

And because of that, my initial reaction to male attention is to politely decline it.

I’m in no place to start seeing a man, not in that way. To open myself up, make myself vulnerable without the expectation that I’ll be getting hurt in the process. It almost feels like that lifestyle isn’t meant for me.

But… I do want to spend more time with Hawk.

For some weird reason, I feel safe with him. I don’t think he would hurt me. Certainly not like my father’s friends did.

Normally I’m very timid around men. After all, men have done nothing but cause me harm.

But Hawk? His beautiful blue eyes are so kind, gentle even.

Am I seeing things that I just want to see?

“I…”

He smiles. “It’s just a cup of coffee, Daniela. Maybe just a walk. I won’t pressure you into anything, but I’d love to get to know you a little better.”

I nod.

But then I feel frightened.

Star has left for the hospital with Eagle. Falcon and Savannah have gone home, and so have Vinnie and Raven. The only one who may still be here is Robin.

“Robin?” I ask.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you have to give her a ride home?”

He smacks his lips. “I think Falcon and Savannah were going to drop her off. Her place isn’t far from Falcon’s.”

So we really are alone here. Alone in the sprawling house on the sprawling property.

The servants have the night off, but they may still be here on the property.

No reason to be frightened.

I don’t think Hawk means me any harm.

I clear my throat. “All right. I suppose I could stay a little while longer.”

He smiles.

It’s not a huge smile, but it’s a perfect smile.

“Well, then,” he says, taking my hand and leading me back down the hallway, “let’s enjoy the night.”

We stop in the kitchen where Hawk fills a thermos with coffee and grabs two mugs, and then we walk outside. The deck is empty. The quiet makes it seem bigger, grander. It opens out onto a wide vista of the Bellamy ranch, farmland stretching as far as I can see in the moonlight.

Hawk offers me his arm and we stroll along the wide wooden deck that wraps around the back of the Bellamy parents’ estate. The air smells of pine and sunbaked grass.

“It’s a gorgeous night,” Hawk says, his voice low and rough. “I didn’t realize it was a full moon tonight. It’s lighting up the whole property.”

I lean into him ever so slightly, letting myself bask in the warmth coming off him. “It’s beautiful. I can see why you love it here.”

Hawk nods toward the expanse of fenced pastureland that rolls toward the horizon.

“That’s the west range. We rotate the cattle through it in summer.

It’s got good grazing and access to the stream that runs down from the ridge.

Right now, the heifers are out there. You can just make out the silhouettes if you squint. ”

I scan the fields, making as much sense out of the shadows as I can. “I see them. They look so peaceful.”

“They’re spoiled.” Hawk chuckles. “We raise Angus here—grass-fed, hormone-free. Top quality. We’ve always believed happy cows make better beef, and so far that seems to be the case.” He points toward the deck’s edge. “Here. Would you like to see more?”

“Okay.”

I’ll let Hawk show me the entire state of Texas if it means more time on his arm.

He escorts me to the edge of the back porch and points. “See those low buildings down there? That’s the calving barn and the chute system. Most of the baby cows are born around springtime, and it gets hectic when half the herd decides to drop calves in the same week.”

I giggle. “How sweet.”

He looks into my eyes. “Very sweet.”

I don’t think he’s talking about the baby cows.

His gaze lingers for a second too long before he breaks it and gestures again. “And that’s the feedlot, though we only use it in winter. Even then, we stick to natural supplements—barley, hay, alfalfa. Nothing synthetic.”

“I’m impressed. I didn’t know the Bellamys were so hands-on with their cattle.”

He grins. “I grew up branding, baling hay, patching fence lines. My brothers and I didn’t get off easy.” He looks off into the distance. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

As we reach the far end of the deck, the view opens up to a shallow valley where a herd moves slowly in the distance, the sound of lowing carried faintly on the breeze.

“Beyond that rise is a beautiful creek,” he says. “We run the cattle through there in early fall. That was my favorite time of year as a kid—watching the herd move in a single wave through the water and trees. Makes you feel small, in a good way.”

I look up at him as the wind teases my hair. “This place—it’s like something out of a storybook.”

He shrugs. “It’s home. And I wanted you to see it—not just because it’s beautiful, but because it’s a part of me.” He frowns. “I mean, it’s a part of the Bellamys. All of it is.”

My heart flutters. He almost admitted that he likes me. I bite my lip.

Hawk clears his throat. “Maybe we could sit for a little bit. Enjoy our coffee, the evening.” He flashes me another smile. “The good company.”

He guides me to one of the wooden benches that line the edge of the deck. The wood is cool beneath me, a contrast to Hawk’s warmth beside me. He pours coffee for each of us.

“Do you always have coffee on hand?” I ask, taking a sip.

He chuckles, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. “I find it helps with late-night paperwork. I don’t do as much hands-on work these days. I do a lot of administrative stuff with my dad.” He frowns. “At least, before his… incident .”

I don’t know how to respond to that. The official story is that Austin Bellamy tried to kill himself, but I’ve overheard whispers from Raven and Vinnie that suggest there’s more to it than that.

For a while we sit in silence. The only sounds are the distant calls of the night birds and the soft rustling of leaves. The coffee is warm and rich.

Hawk reaches over and lays his hand over mine. His touch is gentle, almost hesitant. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, and I don’t pull away.

“Daniela,” he finally says, his gaze on our hands rather than my face. “I’m glad you stayed.”

His words stir something inside me, a warmth that has nothing to do with the coffee or his touch.

“Me too,” I whisper, looking up at him.

His blue eyes are darker in the moonlight, but no less kind.

“Do you want to see more of the ranch?” He stands and offers his hand to help me up. “There’s a lot more than what I can point out from the deck.”

I hesitate for a moment but then take his hand. His grip is firm yet gentle. He pulls me to my feet and we descend the stairs that connect the deck to the ranch grounds. The moonlight casts long shadows on the ground, making the land seem even more vast and mysterious.

As we stroll along the quiet paths, Hawk continues to point out landmarks—a barn here, a cattle paddock there, an old windmill that’s been on the property for generations. His voice is low, soothing.

He stops suddenly and I almost bump into him.

“Look,” he says softly, pointing ahead of us.

Framed in the silvery moonlight are a family of deer grazing on a patch of grass. They raise their heads as we approach and then return to their meal, seemingly undisturbed by our presence.

I blink, a little stunned. “Deer? On a cattle ranch?”

He chuckles. “All the time. This land isn’t just for cows. The deer like it too—same pastures, same woods, same water. Plenty to eat and enough cover to feel safe.”

I watch as one takes a few tentative steps. The cows in the distance don’t even flinch.

“Do they ever get in the way?” I ask.

“Nah,” Hawk says. “Deer and cattle mostly stay out of each other’s way. Cows are grazers—grass, hay, stuff low to the ground. Deer are browsers. They go for leaves, shrubs, acorns. Different diets, different rhythms. Unless there’s a drought, the two don’t compete much.”

I follow the movement of the deer as they slip between fence posts. One pauses to sniff the air, and I hold my breath without meaning to.

“They’re used to the place,” Hawk says quietly. “They know when it’s safe. Sometimes they drink from the same troughs as the cattle. Bed down in the brush at night. They’re part of the land, same as the rest of us.”

I glance over at them. “So you just let them be?”

“Sure,” he says. “Some folks even manage the land with deer in mind. Hunting leases, conservation. Falcon and I are big hunters.”

He pauses then, as if he’s thinking about something.

A moment later, he continues. “Out here, it’s not about controlling everything. It’s about balance. Learning to share what we’ve got. Working in collaboration with nature.”

The deer finally disappear, silent as shadows. I exhale slowly.

“They seem at home here,” I murmur.

Hawk smiles. “They’ve been here longer than we have. We’re the ones learning how to live with them .”

We stay silent for a moment.

Then, “Are you excited to start culinary school?”

His question takes me by surprise. I nod. “Yes,” I say, my voice a little shaky. “I am.”

“What makes you most excited about it?”

I think for a moment, playing with the edges of my coffee cup. “It’s not just about the cooking,” I tell him. “It’s about creating something beautiful and enjoyable from scratch. It’s about seeing the joy on people’s faces when they taste something I’ve made.”

He smiles again, and the gentle curve of his lips sends warmth flooding through me. “That sounds wonderful, Daniela.”

I look down, shuffle my feet. “I’m honestly a little apprehensive too, though. My life has changed so much in such a short time.”

Hawk gives my hand an encouraging squeeze. “Change can be scary. But you strike me as someone who is capable of facing it head on.”

He’s not wrong. But it’s not as though I ever had a choice in the matter.

How much does he know about me?

Vinnie wouldn’t tell him everything, would he?

I certainly don’t want to ruin this moment by reliving the last few horrific years.

We walk in silence a while longer, our footfalls echoing in the quiet night. The ranch is tranquil under the blanket of darkness, the world around us reduced to gray and black.

Darkness used to frighten me.

Bad things happened in the dark.

But with Hawk beside me, all I feel is warmth.

And…arousal.

I need to tamp that down. He’s clearly attracted to me, but he’s a grown man. I’m barely eighteen. He’s just being nice. Welcoming me into the family.

“What exactly do you mean when you said I can face things head on?” I blurt out after a few moments.

He shrugs. “I said you strike me as that type of person. Are you?”

“I’m not sure, if I’m being honest.” I sigh. “I can’t stay with Raven and Vinnie forever.”

“Vinnie and Raven have plenty of money. I’m sure you can stay as long as you like.”

“I want to be there for Belinda, but Vinnie and Raven will start popping out babies soon, and I don’t want to be in the way.

When my divorce from Vinnie is final, I should probably try to date or something.

I want to set a good example for Belinda, you know.

To show her it’s possible to have a healthy relationship with a man after the horrors her father put her through, and—” I clamp my hand over my mouth.

“God, I’m babbling. I’m sorry for running my mouth without thinking. ”

Hawk stops me with a gesture.

Then he cups my cheeks.

His hands are so big and warm.

The spark that spreads through me takes me from warm to hot.

And slowly, he leans down and touches his lips to mine.