He knew, despite her denials, that she was every bit as attracted to him as he was to her. In fact, if he had to put a label on what they were both feeling, he would call it love. He was the first to admit he hadn’t had all that much experience with the emotion. On those rare occasions when he’d even allowed himself to believe in its existence, he’d imagined it to be more pleasurable than this, more carefree. Instead it seemed to be made up of giddy highs and astonishingly painful lows. And, in their case, instead of a simple, joyous union between two consenting adults, it seemed to involve a package deal that brought out protective instincts so deep he was shaken by them.
He wanted not just Ann’s happiness, but Jason’s and Tracy’s and Paul’s and David’s and Tommy’s and Melissa’s. When any one of them hurt, he hurt. He knew Ann felt the same way…about the six children. Her devotion to them was unquestioning and freely given. He was the only person she didn’t trust enough to allow herself to love without hesitation. She was still terrified that he would walk out on them, leaving the kids shaken and her heart in tatters.
Their relationship needed time. He had to prove to her that he wasn’t going anywhere, that his wandering days were long past. The only way to do that was to stick around. Unfortunately, his role in the Marathon project was nearing completion. In another month or so he’d be able to move back to Miami and make only occasional site visits. Unless he could dream up an excuse to stay, he was out of here by early April at the latest.
He was still trying to think of a solution to his dilemma when Tracy came out of the house.
“Hank?” she called hesitantly.
“Over here.”
She walked over and settled down cross-legged on the ground beside the hammock.
“What’s up?” he asked when she didn’t say anything.
“Do you think it would be okay if I borrowed the car tomorrow night?”
“I’m not the person you should be asking.”
“I can’t ask Ann.”
“Why not? She’s always let you use her car before. Are you planning to go someplace she wouldn’t approve of?”
“Not exactly.”
“That’s not an explanation.”
“I know.”
“And you’re not going to say any more?”
He could see her shake her head. “Then I guess you’re going to have to forget about the car.”
“How about your truck? Could I use that?”
“Not without an explanation.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
Hoping she couldn’t see the grin in the nighttime shadows, he said, “Not fair, young lady.”
“But if you really trusted me, you’d take my word that this is really, really important and you wouldn’t ask any questions.”
“If you were twenty-two, I might agree, but you are barely eighteen.”
“So I can’t take the truck, either?”
Hank sat up in the hammock and turned until he could get a good look at Tracy’s face. “Why is this so important? Can’t you tell me that?”
“No. It would ruin everything.”
“Ruin what?”
She jumped to her feet. “Oh, never mind. I’ll think of something else.”
She started across the lawn, her shoulders slumped dejectedly. Hank debated for several seconds. He knew Tracy was a good driver and she was a responsible girl.
“Tracy.”
She stopped and waited.
“You can borrow the truck.”
She ran back and threw her arms around him. “Thanks, Hank. You won’t be sorry. I promise I’ll be really, really careful.”
He tilted her chin up. “You’d better be or Ann will kill both of us.”
Tracy picked the truck up at the construction site the next afternoon at three. Hank got a ride home with his foreman a couple of hours later. As he walked into the kitchen, he took one look around and came to a speechless halt.
The table was covered with a white damask cloth. Two candles had been placed in the center, along with a huge bowl of pink roses. The scent filled the room. Two places had been set with the good china, the silver and the crystal. For once, in fact, everything matched. Jason’s iPod was sitting in its dock with the detachable speakers on either side of the table. Hank scanned the playlist and grinned. Someone had very romantic taste and he had a suspicion who it was. Tracy. She had plotted this. That’s what all the secrecy had been about. And she had borrowed the truck to take the kids away for the evening, so he and Ann could be alone.
A setup like this called for a spectacular meal. Tracy, however, was a little shaky when it came to cooking. He could hardly wait to see what she’d left in the oven. He opened the door, leaned down and peered in. Some sort of chicken dish was simmering at the low temperature. It smelled and looked superb. Startled, he stood and looked around, chuckling when he saw the empty boxes from a gourmet grocery store. In front of the microwave he found vegetables and rice, and in the refrigerator there were bowls heaped with strawberries beside a pitcher of cream. Instead of wine, there was a chilled bottle of sparkling cider. It appeared they’d thought of everything. All this effort removed any uncertainty he might have had about how the kids would feel about a closer, more permanent involvement between him and Ann.
If they’d gone to this much trouble, the least he could do was cooperate. He took a hurried shower, found a pair of decent slacks among the jeans he’d brought with him and a pinstriped shirt. He looked at the sports jacket hanging in the closet and shrugged. What the hell! He might as well go all out. Annie had never seen him
