Heiress for Hire (Cuttersville #2)(58)
Author: Erin McCarthy

Danny reached for his wallet. "Let me give you some money then."

"No, we got it." His father held up his hand. "You know, your mother and I are really happy to have Piper in our lives. She’s a joy."

Feeling that now familiar feeling of pride, Danny shifted. "Yeah, she is."

"And your mother asked her to spend the night at our house tonight—like a sleepover—and she said she wanted to. Hope that’s alright. You know how your mother gets."

Danny was a little surprised Piper had agreed, but he nodded. "Sure, that’s fine."

"So, while we’re all over at the farmhouse, maybe it would be a good time to mend fences with Amanda."

Danny stilled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you need to patch things up with her if you don’t want to spend the rest of your life feeling sorry for yourself."

Leaning over, Danny swiped a milkweed and worked it between his fingers. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."

"I’m talking about you being in love with Amanda and Amanda being in love with you, but both of you walking around with long faces pretending the other doesn’t exist."

They had been avoiding each other pretty industriously, but hell, he was embarrassed. And angry. And disappointed. "Dad, don’t go there. Seriously."

"Maybe it’s not my business, but when I see my son as unhappy as you are, I’m going to make it my business. Have you told Amanda how you feel about her? Willie and me, we talked, and we think Amanda would make a darn good wife for you."

God, he had a headache, and it wasn’t from the sun. "Amanda is rich. She’s going to inherit millions of dollars. She does not want to marry me."

"How do you know?"

"She told me!" It still hurt to remember her saying that. "Now I’ve got to get this straw taken care of. You think we’re due any rain? It’s been a dry summer."

Erin McCarthy

"You’ve been sniffing silage, boy, if you think you can turn the subject like that with me."

Though throwing himself into the silo—and letting the toxic gases knock him out—held a certain appeal, it wasn’t a good long-term solution.

"What do you want me to say, Dad? I asked Amanda to marry me, and she said no."

"Because of the money?"

Danny frowned. "Well, no, she said no before that all came up. She said she can’t marry me because she needs to grow up still."

His father looked thoughtful. "Huh. The girl is smarter than I even gave her credit for. She does have some things she needs to work out, with her dad and all, but there’s no reason she can’t do some growing right here, with you. Nobody is ever really done growing."

For a split second Danny felt hope but then growled in frustration. "This is stupid. If she doesn’t want to, she doesn’t want to. What am I supposed to do?"

"Convince her. She wants to, Danny. She’s just got herself mixed up trying to do the right thing." His dad adjusted the bill on his ball cap. "You know, you let Shelby walk away from you. I’d hate to see you do the same thing a second time around."

Danny felt his jaw drop. "Excuse me? And what was I supposed to do to keep Shelby with me? Tie her to the bed?"

"That might have worked."

A snort flew out of his mouth. He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation. And he couldn’t believe his mild-mannered father was standing there and suggesting that he fight for a woman who didn’t want him. "So what do you think I should do about Amanda?"

God only knew what his father would say next.

"Seduce her. Willie and I have Piper tonight. Make her dinner, and let nature take its course."

"We’re not horses that need to be bred." He was done with this bizarre detour into his father’s philosophies on getting the girl.

"You got condoms, don’t you?"

"Jesus." Danny turned and headed back for the tractor. Senility had struck early.

Both his parents had lost their minds.

The thought was only confirmed when his mother greeted him at the back door an hour later wearing a T-shirt that said HAVE A WILLIE NICE day. It was outlined by the shape of the state of Ohio.

Despite his black mood, he couldn’t help but laugh. "What are you wearing?"

His mother preened, pulling the hem out. "Like it? Amanda got it for me. Ordered it special a couple of weeks ago. Wasn’t that sweet?"

"Yes." It was. Damn.

He was hot, tired, sweaty, and he had spent the past hour going back and forth with himself about Amanda until he was dizzy. Maybe his father was right and he should really go for it with Amanda. Convince her that what was important was that they be together because they loved each other.

Then he did a one-eighty and decided that would be about as smart as strolling into the chicken coop naked with corn kernels stuck all over him. Another rejection would hurt just as much.

But when Amanda walked into the room, Piper on her back, Danny knew he had to give it one last try. One last-ditch effort to see if there could be anything between them, despite her money and his lack of romance.

If not—which he was ninety-nine point nine percent sure would be the case—at least he would have one last night with her. One last chance to make love to her, with the whole night to enjoy it.

"Piper and your father and I are about to head out for the store. Can you take Amanda home early?"

Danny tried to catch Amanda’s eye, but she was ignoring him, making fake choking sounds as Piper wrapped her arms around her neck to hold on.

"I’d be happy to take Amanda home." And take her clothes off her.

Look out Romeo. Danny Tucker wasn’t going down without a fight.

Amanda hid a wince behind her hand. Great. Just what she wanted. Danny driving her home, alone, without Piper as a buffer between them.

Every minute of every day was torture, time to be suffered through until she could take the pieces of her broken heart and limp to New York. Maybe there she could find a masseuse to release the kinks of tension locked all over her neck and shoulders from walking around squeezing her muscles tight. Men on Viagra couldn’t be stiffer than this.

She spent all her time trying to absorb the sight and smell of Piper and the house, the yard, and the view of the corn stalks waving under the blue sky. The kid was probably starting to wonder why she was sniffing her all the time. While next week couldn’t get there soon enough to suit her sanity, at the same time she couldn’t imagine that she would never see Piper or Danny again.

Basically, she was a freaking mess. And in no mood to be alone with Danny.