Until She Met Daniel

“I assume you’re talking about high school rivalries?” he asked.

“Yep. Basketball. Personally, I’d be more excited if it were baseball, but basketball is the preferred sport in Willow’s Eve. They begin practicing before school starts, and I didn’t think teams ever did that except for football. The game on Saturday was just for practice, but they had the mascots there and everything, just as if it was for real.”

“All right, Ms. Colson,” he said quickly. “But this is a small town and I’m sure if you give me the directions to my house, I’ll be able to find it.”

“I promised the committee I’d go with you.”

“It really isn’t necessary.”

“Necessary is subjective. It may not feel necessary to you, but it is for me, because I promised. Besides, there are a few things I should show you at the house.”

Her chin was raised to a stubborn angle and Daniel weighed her determination against his own desire to be left alone.

“Very well,” he said. “But it seems a waste of your time.”

“Don’t get in a twist about it.”

Did the woman’s mouth ever stop? “I’m not in a...a twist, as you call it. I’m simply tired from traveling and want to see my new home.”

Mandy laughed. “Sorry, I was joking.”

Lord, he should have recognized the glint in her eye. But humor had been an elusive commodity in his life lately.

She walked back to the room where the ladies were clearing up their sewing project. For heaven’s sake, City Hall was being treated as a local coffee club and sewing circle. Then again, this was the Senior Center, and they could do what they liked in their area.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be back,” Mandy said to the women. “But everything is ready for the meal. If the volunteers ask, the lasagna just needs to be pulled out of the oven, and salad and dressing from the fridge. Oh, and the French bread is on the warmer above the stove.”

“Did you ask Mr. Whittier to stay for lunch?” one woman asked. “The food smells wonderful.”

“Yes,” another gray-haired woman added, looking at Daniel. “I’m sure you’d enjoy it.”

“I’m afraid I can’t, but thank you,” he said. “I need to unload my car and get settled at the house.”

Some of the ladies exchanged disappointed glances. For a moment when he’d overheard their earlier conversation, he’d wondered if they had matchmaking in mind, yet after some reflection, he realized it was simply casual speculation, which was a good thing.

He didn’t want to get involved with anyone, not for a while. And when he did, it would have to be with the right kind of woman—getting involved with the wrong woman had come with a high price tag. Besides, while it was one thing to take a risk for himself, he couldn’t take the chance for his daughter. She’d been hurt enough.

CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_9a4b847e-b664-5669-9176-60de0de191e1)

MANDY SMILED AND greeted incoming seniors arriving for lunch as she and Daniel left the building. She could easily guess the main topic around the tables that day.... Ooh, did you see Mandy with that man? Who is he? The new city manager? What’s he like...?

In the parking lot, out of earshot, she stopped.

“It’s not too late,” she said. “You could go back and have a quick meal with everyone.”

“Thank you, but I need to say no.”

“Look, it’s none of my business, but I’ve gotten to know the people here, so I can say for sure it would be a great start for you to eat with them.”

“Maybe if I was their new activities director, but I’m the city manager.”

“This is a small town, so everyone interacts. Nothing would get you launched better than sitting around the table with Willow’s Eve’s longest residents. Heck, Caroline White is the mayor’s mother—you passed her on our way out—and Marcia Carter was Fannie Snow’s cousin, once or twice removed, but still...Fannie was important. She left all her money to the town, and her trust fund provides a big chunk of your salary.”

He sighed. “You’re probably right, but I drove all night and would like to see my house and unpack my car.”

Guilt hit Mandy. After all, while she loved to travel and wander, not everyone did. Besides, driving all night wasn’t “traveling.” It was merely transportation. “I understand. Just follow me.”

“Thank you.”

She got into her Volkswagen and led his Jeep out of the parking lot, keeping track of the trendy SUV in her rearview mirror. She took several turns and twists as she drove to the edge of town. Finally, she swung into a circular driveway and stopped in front of the huge Victorian with the big yard. Several leafy trees provided a pleasant shade—not that it ever got that hot on the Northern California coast, and now that it was September, the weather was already showing hints of fall.

Daniel climbed from his SUV and studied his new home with a peculiar expression.

“This is it,” Mandy said, getting out of her car. “Isn’t it great? Just perfect for the days when people had huge families filling up all corners of the house, with the kids arguing about who gets the tower bedrooms. The town couldn’t figure out what to do with it until they decided it should be part of the city manager’s employment package.”

“It’s very nice.”

She rolled her eyes. “All you have to say is ‘nice’? This is the best house in town,” she informed him. “Old Man Bertram was the richest person around, after Fannie, that is. So when his grandson said he’d rather eat worms than live in Willow’s Eve, Oscar Bertram willed it to the community.”

“I didn’t mean anything negative,” Daniel said. “It’s magnificent and I’m sure I’ll enjoy living in it.”

Mandy cocked her head and studied him. He hadn’t said anything negative, just sort of neutral, and neutral wasn’t going to cut it in Willow’s Eve. “Sorry, I know you’re tired and maybe I should keep my mouth shut, but everyone is proud of the place and they’ll expect more than, ‘It’s nice.’”

“Yes, of course.”

“You don’t know much about small towns, do you?” she asked.

“I’ve never lived in one, but I’m sure I can adjust.” He smiled slightly.

“I never lived in one, either, until I came here, or at least not one this small,” Mandy admitted. “But I’ve learned a great deal. You can’t have a big-city attitude here. It won’t work.”

Brother, her vocal cords were having a wild-and-free day. For a moment, she felt the same as Bridget Jones in the movie and its sequel, riotously running off at the mouth and getting herself into one mess after another because of it.

Mandy led Daniel up the steps, wishing he’d been a pleasant middle-aged man. It wasn’t fair he’d turned out to be so attractive. Well, his face was attractive and his body mighty sexy. His personality? That might be another story. So far, he gave the impression of being uptight and humorless. But she’d barely met him and he might be a barrel of laughs once he had a decent night’s sleep. That would be nice—she didn’t do well with people who couldn’t laugh.

Luckily, she had a sense of humor to keep her going. Not that “lucky” was the way her professor father would have described it when she’d been eight years old and had shown up at a faculty reception dressed as Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt. It had seemed appropriate—after all, the older profs lapsed into Greek and Latin at the oddest times—and it was a heck of a lot better than the scratchy wool dress she had been told to wear.

Oh, well.

After her father had stopped yelling, she’d been sent to stay in her room all evening. Her mother had actually thought it was a punishment for her to remain in her bedroom instead of being downstairs in the living room with the professors and their stuffy spouses.

“Believe it or not,” Mandy said, dragging her mind back to the present, “there’s an attached garage. Back in the eighties, Mr. Bertram had a sunroom built that connects it. The garage door opener is in the kitchen.”

Daniel opened the front door and motioned for her to go ahead.

“Beautiful,” he declared after a minute staring about the entryway.

She nodded.