Heiress for Hire (Cuttersville #2)(53)
Author: Erin McCarthy

Nor could he describe the complexity of what he felt for Amanda to anyone without it seeming idiotic. Yes, he cared about her. Yes, he was falling in love with her. Yes, he could see settling in and loving her for a good long time. But no, they couldn’t be together.

It seemed stupid even to him.

"Shelby has some good news, Amanda." Danny settled for putting his hand on the back of Amanda’s shoulder and squeezing. No one would think anything of that. He touched people all the time.

Except Shelby was grinning at him, her eyebrows up under her hair, and Brady had a knowing little smirk on his face.

Amanda didn’t toss his hand off, but she stiffened when he touched her. "That’s wonderful, Shelby. Did your tour become part of a reality show or something?"

Shelby laughed. "No, I can’t imagine the Haunted Cuttersville Tour hitting the airwaves. My news is more personal. I’m having a baby."

"Dude." Brady clapped Shelby on the back. "That’s so cool."

"Congratulations."

Danny watched Amanda’s reaction. She looked pleased for Shelby, but something else… wistful, maybe. Or maybe that was just him wishing it were wistful.

"Does Boston know?"

"I called him on his cell and told him." Shelby looked sheepish as she reached for Danny’s ice-cream cone.

He let her have it without a fight. Eating for two and all that.

"I know it was kind of tacky to tell him over the phone, but I

didn’t want to wait until tonight. Of course, first thing, he said he was leaving work, which I didn’t think about."

Tires squealed as a car flew into the parking lot. "There he is now." Danny recognized that fancy car.

"Oh, Lord." Shelby winced as Boston pulled into the spot at full speed and hit the parking barrier. "Maybe I should have waited to tell him."

Danny had to agree, given the look of complete and utter shock on Boston’s face as he fast-walked across the parking lot.

"Are you sure you’re pregnant?" he demanded, taking his wife by the arms.

"Yes," Shelby said.

"How did this happen?" Boston asked.

Amanda snorted, and Danny knew they shouldn’t be listening to this conversation. He was about to herd Piper off to the truck, when his daughter stopped licking her ice cream long enough to say, "You make babies by having sex."

Every face swung in her direction with varying degrees of disbelief and shock displayed. Danny felt a pain in his chest. So much for thinking he was keeping her innocent. That hurt—pricking little needles of guilt jabbing into his heart. He didn’t even want to know how she had knowledge of sex and conception.

Amanda slung her arm around Piper. "Wow, you’re pretty smart, kid. So tell me how it works."

Piper shrugged, obviously not giving this conversation the same importance he was. She sucked on her drippy chocolate cone. "The man and woman take their clothes off and go to bed. Then the sperm goes from the man into the woman’s egg and it makes a baby. I read all about in a book my mom got me from the library when Marcus was born."

Danny relaxed his hold on Amanda’s shoulder. He’d just about poked his thumb through her flesh in horror. But thanks to

Amanda’s rational question, it turned out Piper just had standard birds-and-bees knowledge. It struck him that Amanda’s manner with Piper wasn’t always what one would think of as maternal, but her instincts were dead-on. She had a way with her, no question about that.

She had a way with him too. Listening to her, watching her, feeling her jealousy made him question why they couldn’t just be together. For real. Like a family.

He loved her, quiet and steadfast. But with a passion that was hot enough to start a barn fire. He liked her. He respected her, admired her. Couldn’t get enough of her. And she was going to leave him unless he convinced her not to.

"Didn’t you know that about making babies?" Piper asked Amanda.

"Sure," Amanda said. "But I was just checking to see what you knew. Boston obviously had no idea. Maybe we should get him that book."

Boston was the only one not to laugh. Danny actually felt kind of sorry for the guy. Here he was finding his whole life was about to change standing in front of the Dippy Whip.

"Alright, Brady. Ladies. Let’s head back to the farm and give the Macnamaras some privacy."

Everyone ignored him since Shelby was giving Boston an earnest look and asking, "Aren’t you even the tiniest bit happy? I know it’s sudden, but…"

Boston covered her mouth with his hand and collected himself. "Shhh. Of course I’m happy. I’m sorry, babe, I know I’m acting like an idiot. But I was just shocked, that’s all. I’m very, very happy."

"Having a baby is a big responsibility," Piper said.

Danny wanted to laugh. When Piper ripped off comments like that and the whole baby-making information, Danny thought that he saw her mother’s parenting at work. That maybe the reason Piper was such a great kid, and adjusting so well, was because Nina had been a good mother. Maybe she’d just had bad taste in husbands.

Fortunately, Boston smiled at Piper’s comment as he pulled Shelby into his arms. "So you think I can handle it, Piper?"

Piper nodded, tossing the last bite of her cone in her mouth. "Just remember to feed it, and you’ll be okay."

Amanda held Piper’s hand as they crossed the parking lot to Danny’s truck.

She was still embarrassed over the way she had sniped at Danny for hugging Shelby. His ex-wife was having a baby, and he had been congratulating her. Danny was an affectionate guy.

Yet she had thrown down his money like a child. Like a bratty heiress.

God, she couldn’t think about it without wincing.

This was why she couldn’t stay in Cuttersville. She obviously wasn’t finished growing up, and no matter if she had realized she was in love with Danny or not. He and Piper deserved better than her.

The minute school started, she needed to get the hell out. Less than two weeks. Then she would leave, having honored her commitment to Piper and hopefully not damaging either one of them in the process.

She wasn’t sure she was going to be able to walk away without some serious pain, but it was the right thing to do. Piper and Danny deserved a woman in their lives who already knew who she was. Who belonged.

Which meant she wasn’t going to be able to have sex with

Danny again. If she did, she wasn’t sure she’d have the strength to leave him.

"I think that man is trying to get your attention," Piper said, pointing to her left.

Amanda jerked herself out of her thoughts of surviving twenty-four-hour horniness without allowing herself to touch Danny and glanced over. And sighed. "That’s my father."