More Than a Mistress

The waitress delivered the food, and during the course of the meal Sara had a tough time keeping up her guard. It was difficult to remain prim and proper when you were up to your elbows in barbecue sauce.

“Is your schedule busy in the winter?”

Daniel shrugged. “It’s nothing like spring or summer, but there always seems to be enough to do. Old Mr. Johnson had a dead tree he wanted cut into firewood, so I took care of that yesterday. I’m in charge of the emergency services for Beulah County. I twist arms and try to get the mayor to spend more money.”

Nothing he told her surprised her. People depended on Daniel, and he came through. “And now there’s the wedding for your brother and Erin. They both seem very happy,” Sara said.

Daniel nodded. “He worships the ground Erin walks on.”

“What do you think of that?”

Daniel paused for a moment, thinking. “She’s done something for him no one else has. He’s different now. He even laughs more.”

“You sound surprised,” Sara said, wiping her fingers.

“I guess I am. Garth’s always been the wild one. It’s as if he’s been looking for something for a long time, and he finally found it. I always worried that he wouldn’t.”

Sara smiled. “Do I hear the big brother talking?”

Daniel felt a twist of irony at the question. He hadn’t always enjoyed the role of big brother. “Yeah,” he admitted reluctantly. “What about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Not that I know of,” Sara said dryly.

He frowned, thinking that was an odd response. “Does that mean you might have some, or you just don’t know who they are?”

Sara debated sharing any of her background with Daniel. It wasn’t something she was proud of. She rarely discussed her past. Then again, it would show the contrast in their upbringing. Maybe Daniel would draw the logical conclusion that they weren’t suited, and his interest would wane. The thought brought relief and a certain, unwelcome uneasiness.

Pushing away the uneasiness, Sara went ahead. “I didn’t have the same kind of family life you did—and still have.”

Daniel shrugged. “Most people don’t have six brothers and one sister.”

“No. I mean, my mother was what we now call a single parent.”

Continuing to study her, he took a sip of beer. “Like Erin,” he said.

“Not quite.” What an understatement. Erin Lindsey loved her son. She would lay down her life before she gave up her child. Sara hesitated, feeling her appetite wane. “My mother didn’t have time to care for a child. She was busy with other things.”

“Like?”

“Men.”

Daniel was raising his glass to his mouth but stopped midmovement. There was a wealth of emotion in that one word—men. He noticed that she’d tensed up again, and he wondered who Sara blamed, her mother or the men. He saw the turbulence in her eyes and felt a corresponding ripple within him. “Bet that was tough.”

Sara searched his features, expecting to see disdain or disapproval. She found neither. “It was when I lived with her.” Unpleasant memories swam from the back of her mind. “And sometimes when I didn’t.”

“You lived with other relatives sometimes?”

She shook her head. The other relatives hadn’t wanted anything to do with her. Bad breeding, they’d said. And, in some ways, she thought, feeling a twist in her stomach, they’d been right. She blinked away the thoughts. “Foster homes.”

“What about your dad?”

Sara stared at the table. She wished she’d kept her mouth shut. Saying it out loud only made it worse. “I’ve never met him.”

A hint of vulnerability showed in her voice. It grabbed at his gut and pulled. She wasn’t whining or cursing, yet, despite her composure, a little hurt and shame came through. He wasn’t immune to it. Daniel cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

Surprised, Sara looked up, but instead of the censure she’d expected, she found empathy. His simple words touched a vulnerable place inside her, one she kept hidden. She didn’t know what to say.

“It’s disappointing when your parents don’t turn out the way you think they should.” He rubbed the condensation on his glass. “It’s the kind of disappointment that can stick with you a long time even if you don’t want it to.”

He spoke as if he had some experience with the same kind of disappointment, she thought. It made him seem more human to her, more likable, and made her feel a tenuous connection with him. It also made her wonder what his disappointments were. She toyed with asking him until she saw the expression on his face change from intent to teasing.

As if he realized the serious tone of their discussion had gone on long enough, he whispered to her in a conspiratorial tone, “Speaking of things that stick with you, we’d better eat these ribs before they get cold. Carly will give me hell if I don’t make sure you get fed. She’s scared you’re gonna realize your true potential and leave her flat.”

Sara stared at him, and a smile unfurled on her lips. “Why in the world would she think I’m going to leave her?”

“She said you can run Matilda’s Dream without her.”

A flush of pleasure stole over her, overshadowing their previous discussion. “I have no intention of leaving—”

Daniel gave her plate a meaningful glance. “Then do me a favor and eat.”

Sara saw through his obvious maneuver to bring a happier mood to the meal. She should have been immune to his exaggeration, but, Lord help her, it felt great to have a good man teasing her. She saw the tempered desire in his eyes and felt adrenaline rush through her. Sara shook her head in skepticism at her roller-coaster feelings and took a bite of rib. “If you were so concerned about feeding me, then why did you eat my onion loaf?”

With a completely straight face he said, “I won that onion loaf by guessing your weight. It was my duty to eat it.”

Sara laughed. “Duty!”

“When you’re the oldest of eight, you learn very quickly that some duties are more desirable than others.”

“You must have been a trial for your parents.”

“According to my mother, I was perfect.”

Sara rolled her eyes and delicately licked one of her fingers. “Spoken like a first child.”

Daniel watched, fascinated by the sensuality of the small movement. Throughout the meal he’d gotten the impression that occasionally Sara indulged herself, and the way she indulged herself with food was sexy. She didn’t mind the messiness. As a matter of fact she seemed to revel in it.

She took another bite of ribs and slowly ran the slick, pink tip of her tongue over her upper lip.

Daniel’s gut tightened.

Sara stopped. “Is something wrong?”

Yes, Daniel thought. Something was wrong. He wished they were alone so that he could taste that erotic mouth of hers and find out if she was as sweet and spicy as he suspected. He found himself wishing for a lot of things when he was around her. Sara made him feel…deprived. He cleared his throat. “You missed a little sauce on the left.”

Sara lifted her napkin and wiped her mouth. “Here?”

He shook his head. “No.” Giving in to his need, he leaned forward and touched her mouth with his thumb.