The Danforths: Reid, Kimberly and Jake: The Cinderella Scandal / Man Beneath the Uniform / Sin City Wedding

Please let this be a dream, was her first thought, the next one was to compose herself as quickly as possible.

‘‘—help me look for my shoe,’’ she finished her sentence, though that wasn’t what she’d been about to say.

When Reid’s gaze drifted down and lingered a moment on her behind, Tina scrambled to her feet.

Why should she be embarrassed he’d caught her on all fours, yelling like a crazy woman down an air vent? He’d invaded her space—again—and she could act any way she wanted. What this man thought about her didn’t matter in the slightest.

‘‘Mr. Danforth needs the key to the service panel,’’ Rachel said awkwardly.

‘‘Reid,’’ he corrected Rachel, then smiled.

Rachel blushed and glanced away.

Tina was certain she could bean him with her boot at ten paces and wipe that smile off his face.

‘‘I’m not sure, but I think it’s in the kitchen somewhere.’’ Tina hooked an arm through her sister’s and smiled. ‘‘Rachel, why don’t you help me look?’’

‘‘I—’’ Rachel blinked, then met Tina’s glare and nodded. ‘‘Ah, okay.’’

When they rounded the corner and were out of sight from Reid, Tina dragged her sister to the laundry room on the opposite side of the kitchen and closed the door. ‘‘Why didn’t you warn me?’’

Rachel furrowed her brow. ‘‘Warn you about what?’’

‘‘That you were bringing him here,’’ Tina hissed.

‘‘I actually did call, but you didn’t answer the phone.’’ Rachel chewed on her bottom lip. ‘‘I’m so sorry, T. Did I do something wrong?’’

Shame had Tina releasing the tight grip on her sister’s arm. ‘‘I’m sorry, Rach,’’ she said with a sigh. ‘‘I’m just a little upset over losing the space downstairs, that’s all. It makes me crazy that Dad and Mom both treat me like a child.’’

‘‘At least our mother isn’t constantly looking to find you a husband, a man that she approves of.’’ Rachel’s eyes filled with tears. ‘‘Why can’t I marry the man I want?’’

‘‘You can and you will,’’ Tina said firmly.

‘‘I’m not strong like you,’’ Rachel said quietly. ‘‘Or independent like Sophia. I don’t know how to say no.’’

‘‘Then you’ll learn.’’ Tina hugged her sister. ‘‘We’ll go out tonight and work on a—’’

Rachel shook her head and stepped away. ‘‘I can’t go out tonight, T.’’

‘‘Rachel, if this is because of—’’

‘‘I don’t want to talk about it.’’ Rachel put up a hand and shook her head. ‘‘Please.’’

‘‘Rachel, please, don’t—’’

‘‘I’ve got to go.’’ Rachel wiped away a tear, then opened the door and hurried out of the laundry room.

Frustrated, Tina started to follow, then realized she still had Reid standing in the living room. The key, she remembered. He’d come here for a key to the service box.

She pulled the key from a hook inside the laundry room, drew in a slow breath to steady her nerves, then returned to the living room.

She found him studying the wall where several of her aunt’s personal photographs were displayed. Purring loudly, Delilah was weaving her way in and out of Reid’s legs. Hussy, Tina thought and frowned at her aunt’s cat.

‘‘These pictures are amazing,’’ Reid said when Tina walked into the room. ‘‘Your aunt has quite a gift for capturing a mood.’’

‘‘She’s extremely talented.’’ To Delilah’s annoyance, Tina scooped the cat up and dropped her on the sofa. ‘‘She just had a book of her work published.’’

‘‘Any of these?’’

Tina shook her head. ‘‘These are personal. Mostly of my family.’’

‘‘I like this one of you sitting by the pond reading a book,’’ he said, pointing to a black-and-white photo. ‘‘How old were you?’’

It embarrassed her a little, felt strangely intimate looking at photographs of herself with a man she barely knew. Especially Yana’s pictures, which seemed to capture the very soul of a person.

‘‘Eighteen, I think.’’ She shrugged. ‘‘It was a candid shot, taken with a telephoto lens from my aunt’s studio. She’s always sneaking around taking pictures of the family when we’re not looking. It drives us crazy.’’

To distract him, she pointed to another picture. ‘‘That’s my aunt.’’

‘‘She’s a beautiful woman.’’

With her dark hair and exotic looks, Yana Alexander, even at forty-eight, could still make men forget their own names and stumble over their feet.

‘‘She was in Spain at the time, photographing bull fighters,’’ Tina said. ‘‘One of the toreadors took her camera and shot this picture of her.’’

The man had also been her aunt’s lover, Tina knew, but she didn’t think she needed to mention that.

‘‘I see a resemblance,’’ Reid said thoughtfully.

It was all she could do not to roll her eyes. She had to give it to him. He was smooth as glass. ‘‘I don’t look anything like my aunt, Mr. Danforth.’’

‘‘You have her eyes.’’ He turned to study her face. ‘‘And her mouth.’’

Tina felt her pulse shudder when his gaze lingered on her mouth. Very smooth. It irritated her to no end that she was not immune to the man’s charm. But, in all fairness to herself, Reid Danforth was certainly not your average man. He was a prime male specimen, with just enough of an edge to make him a touch mysterious.

Working at the bakery, she came into contact with a lot of the local businessmen. Occasionally there’d be an exchange of harmless flirting or innocent banter. She’d even dated a couple of the men. She’d never thought it a big deal or wanted to take it any further.

With Reid, though, something told her it wouldn’t be quite so innocent or harmless. Warning flags were waving in her head, signaling her to take another road.

Still, she thought, lifting a brow and meeting his steady gaze, as long as she didn’t lose touch with reality—reality being the fact that there was no chance of any kind of relationship between them—then she had no reason to worry. She could hold her own against the likes of Reid Danforth.

She held out the key in her hand. ‘‘I believe you came here for this.’’

‘‘Are you hungry?’’

‘‘What?’’

‘‘Are you hungry?’’ he repeated. ‘‘I’m going to grab a burger down the street.’’