CHAPTER 9
“DARLING!”
Wynn jerked so hard at the sound of that loud, wailing voice, she lost her footing on the ladder. It shifted against the gutter, making her yelp and attempt to grab for the roof, but it was too late. Her hands snatched at nothingness.
As if in slow motion, the ladder pulled farther away from the house and Wynn found herself pedaling the air for several suspended seconds before she landed in the rough evergreen bushes with a hard thud. The wooden ladder crashed down on top of her.
“Ohmigod! Wynn! Wynn!”
A flash of red satin blurred in front of her eyes as her father knelt in front of her. The sunlight caught his diamond earring and nearly blinded her. “My baby! Are you okay?”
Her head was ringing and her side hurt like hell. She had a mouthful of leaves and something sharp poked at her hip. Her father began picking debris from her hair, tsking and fussing until her mother showed up and shoved him aside.
“Dear God, you nearly killed her, Artemus!”
Wearing faded cutoffs and a colorful tie-dye smock, Wynn’s mother leaned over her. “It’s a good thing we’re here, Wynonna. You look hurt.”
Wynn could only stare. A good thing? She wouldn’t be hurt if her father hadn’t startled her so. She hadn’t even heard their car arrive. Of course, her thoughts had been on Zack, on that mind-blowing episode the night before, not on her parents’ extended visit. She’d slept little last night, too busy going over and over all the wonderful things Zack had done to her and with her.
Her mother sat back on her heels. “Artemus, will you look at her? I think she hit her head.”
Artemus leaned down and waved his hand in front of her face. “Yoo-hoo, princess? Baby, can you hear us?”
Suddenly Artemus was shoved aside again, but not by her mother. Zack, wearing only jeans that weren’t properly fastened and a very rugged shadowing of beard stubble, crouched down in front of her. “Wynn?” Unlike her parents, his voice was gentle and concerned. He touched her cheek, which she realized had been scraped raw by a bush. “No, don’t move, sweetheart. Just hold still and let me make certain you’re okay.”
Sweetheart? She glanced at her parents and saw them both staring with speculation. Oh dear. Wynn blinked at Zack. “Um…what are you doing here?” It was very early still, not quite seven, and Zack should have been home getting ready for work.
“I was making my coffee when I saw you climb the damn ladder. Before I could get dressed and tell you how stupid you were being, you fell.”
Her mother asked, “You were making coffee naked?”
Without looking at her, Zack said, “No, in my underwear.”
A wave of heat washed over Wynn. Her parents began staring even harder.
Wynn cleared her throat. “My father startled me.”
“Well!” Artemus took immediate exception to that accusation. “If your hair wasn’t in your eyes, maybe you would have seen me coming and you wouldn’t have been startled!”
Zack turned to him to say something, and went mute. Her father was in top form today. He wore a red silk shirt, open at the collar to show a profuse amount of curly chest hair. He had two rings on his fingers, a gold chain around his neck and the big diamond earring he almost never removed. His pressed dark-blue designer jeans were so tight they fit like his skin, and his low boots were polished to a shine. His golden brown hair, so unlike Wynn’s, was parted in the middle and hung nearly to his shoulders.
At Zack’s scrutiny, he tossed his head and huffed.
Zack snapped his mouth shut and turned back to Wynn without uttering a word. “Where are you hurt?”
“Nowhere. I’m okay.” But when she started to sit up, she winced and Zack caught her shoulders.
“No, let me check you.”
“Daddy?”
Dani stood there, still in her nightgown and holding a fuzzy yellow blanket. Wynn smiled at her. “I’m okay munchkin.”
“You’re in the bushes.”
“Luckily they broke my fall.”
Dani smiled. “I saw you on the roof. I wanna get on the roof, too.”
Zack turned so quickly everyone jumped. “Dani, if I catch you even thinking such a thing you’ll be grounded in your room for a month!”
“Wynn did it.”
Zack ground his teeth together. When he turned to Wynn, his expression was no longer so concerned. Now he looked furious. “Wynn will tell you what a dumb stunt that was, won’t you, Wynn?”
Everyone stared at her. Her parents looked particularly interested in seeing her response, and she knew it was because they expected her to chew Zack up and spit him out in little bits. Never, ever, did she let anyone speak to her as he did.
But there was Dani, watching and waiting, and the thought of the child trying to get on a roof made her skin crawl. “I should have waited until there was someone to hold the ladder steady for me, Dani. Sometimes I do things without really thinking about them. It’s a bad habit.”
Her mother gasped and her father pretended to stagger. After a long second, Zack gave her a thankful nod.
Relieved, Wynn said, “Mom, Dad, this is my neighbor Zack Grange and his daughter Dani. Zack is a paramedic.”
“Well, that explains everything,” her father said with facetious humor.
Wynn winced again as Zack pressed his fingertips over her side. She said quickly, “Zack, my mother Chastity and my father Artemus.”
Dani said, “I like Wynn lots.”
“We’re rather fond of her, too,” Artemus said, and he patted Dani’s head, then frowned at her hair.
Zack paid no attention to the introductions. “Let me get your shirt up and see what you’ve done.”
Chastity laughed.
“No, Zack, really I’m fine, I just… Zack stop it…”
Chastity said, “Oh be still, Wynonna. Let the man have a look.”
Zack looked.
A long bloody scratch ran up and over her ribs almost to her breast. Zack looked furious. “This needs to be cleaned.”
“I’ll take care of it as soon as you let-me-out-of-the-bushes!”
He began checking her arms, her legs. Wynn, peeved at being the center of attention, scrambled out of his reach, gaining more scratches in the bargain. Using the side of the house for support, she stood.
Her efforts ended in a gasp and she almost dropped again. Zack caught her under the arms. “What is it? Your leg?”
“No.” She squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered. Damn damn damn. There was no help for it. Drooping, she said, “It’s my toe.”
“Your toe?” her father repeated.
“My baby toe.” She was balanced on her left leg, so Zack rightfully assumed she’d injured her right toe.
“I’m going to lift you,” he told her. “Tell me if I hurt you.”
“Zack!” The whole situation was going from bad to worse. “You can’t lift me.”
“She weighs more than I do,” her father said.
Wynn gasped. “I do not!” She tried to slap him, but he ducked aside.
In the next instant she found herself securely held against Zack’s bare chest. His arms didn’t shake and his legs were steady. He didn’t appear the least bit strained.
Awareness mushroomed inside her.
She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had lifted her up. Even Conan didn’t do it anymore, claiming she was too big, and he could easily bench-press four-fifty.
It felt kinda nice. Dumb but nice.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, but said, “You can put me down, Zack.”
He stepped out of the bushes. “Dani, come with me into Wynn’s house. We’ll get you dressed in just a minute.”
“We’ll be late,” Dani predicted with an adult sigh, and skipped after him.
Wynn looked over Zack’s shoulder and saw her parents watching the display with fascination. She groaned. “This is awful.”
“Wynn?”
“What?”
“You’ll notice I’m not even breathing hard.”
She looked at him, his hair mussed and his eyes still heavy from sleep. His sleek, hard shoulders were warm and his chest was solid. He smelled delicious. “I did notice that.”
“And I’m not straining, either.”
Despite her humiliation at having fallen off a ladder, shocking her parents and making Zack run late, she smiled. “Superhero.”
He grinned. “C’mon Dani. You can open the door for me. I think Wynn’s parents are a little confused by all this.”
“They’re confused,” Wynn responded, “by the sight of a male neighbor feeling me up in the bushes and toting me around with a lot more familiarity than has ever been exhibited in the past.”
“I wasn’t feeling you up. I was checking you over. There’s an enormous difference.”
“Yeah, well, I could tell by my parents’ expressions, they considered it one and the same.”
Zack paused to look down at her. His breath smelled of toothpaste and was warm. “I was watching you through that window, cursing you if you want the truth, and when I saw you fall, my heart almost stopped.”
At the husky tone of his voice, something inside Wynn turned to mush—probably her brains. But it sounded as if he cared about her, at least enough to not want her to break her neck.
Wynn drew a breath. “I’m sorry,” she answered, her voice just as husky. “I didn’t hear them drive up.”
“Mmmm.” Zack stared at her mouth. “Had your mind on other things did you?”
“She was daydreamin’,” Dani said and pulled the door open with exaggerated impatience.
“Is that right?” Zack stepped into the kitchen and went through to the family room. “Were you daydreaming, Wynn? About what, I wonder.”
She muttered close to his ear, “As if you didn’t know,” and saw his small satisfied smile.
He lowered her carefully to the couch. “Let me get your shoe and sock off.”
“I can do it.”
Of course he ignored her wishes and untied her laces. “Zack, my feet are probably sweaty by now. I’ve been up and working since about five.”
“Do you ever not work?” Pushing aside her fretful hands, he eased her sneaker off. “Sweaty,” he confirmed as he peeled her sock away and began examining her toe.
Wynn stretched up to see. Dani stood beside her and patted her shoulder.
Her poor little baby toe was already black and blue and the bruising had climbed halfway up her foot. It was swollen and looked awful. Seeing it made it hurt worse, but she forced a laugh and said, “Big and sweaty. Betcha wish now you’d left my sock on.”
“Damn, Wynn,” Zack muttered, touching her foot with a heart wrenching gentleness. “It’s definitely broken. You need to ice it, then get it taped. Can your doctor see you today?”
“For a baby toe?” She snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous.” Wynn seriously doubted she could hobble her way to the doctor right now, the way her foot felt. How one small toe could cause so much pain was a mystery.
The kitchen door opened and closed and her parents joined them at the couch. Her father went straight for her head and began trying to groom her hair. Her mother asked, “Do you have any herbal tea? That always helps.”
Zack looked pained, then resigned. “I need to be getting to work. But she has a broken toe, maybe even a broken foot, so it should be X-rayed. She’s also got a lot of cuts and scratches that’ll need to be cleaned.”
Her father said, “Wynn, Wynn, Wynn.”
She swatted his hands away from her hair. “I’m fine, Dad.”
Chastity looked Zack over from head to toe and back again. “Well.” She smiled. “You run along young man. We’re here now and we’ll take good care of her.”
“You’re a hippie,” Dani said with awe.
Zack said, “Dani!”
But Chastity laughed. “Did my daughter tell you that?”
Dani nodded. “And you gots rings on your toes.”
“Just two rings, but they’re made of a special metal that has healing powers. Perhaps I’ll put one on Wynn and it’ll make her toe heal quicker.”
“No!” Zack caught himself and stood. He looked frazzled and harassed and undecided. “No rings.” Then, stressing the point by speaking slowly, he said, “She needs an X-ray.”
“Zack,” Wynn said, “I’m a big girl.”
“Indeed.” Her father moved from her hair to Dani’s and Dani appeared to love the attention. She even gave Artemus a huge grin.
“I can take care of myself. I’m not an idiot!”
“No, just an intelligent woman who climbs a rickety ladder to the roof before the sun is even all the way up.”
“If Dad hadn’t snuck up on me…”
“Now don’t go blaming me again, darling! Your young man is right. You had no business being on that ladder in the first place.” He said all that without looking up, too busy working on Dani’s hair.
Zack opened his mouth, then closed it. He shook his head. “Wynn, promise me you’ll go get an X-ray.”
“But…”
“It’s likely just a broken toe and they’ll tape it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Being a physical therapist, you should know this.”
She did know it. “Oh, all right.”
As if making a decision, Zack said, “I’ll check on you tonight. In the meantime, Mrs. Lane, why don’t you get her some ice to soak her foot for the swelling? And Mr. Lane, you could maybe get her a phone so she can make the call to the doctor?”
Her parents looked pleased with the direction. Artemus quickly finished fooling with Dani’s hair and rushed off. Chastity followed him.
The second they were out of the room, Zack bent over Wynn. “I wish I had more time, but if I don’t get going now, I’ll be late.”
“I understand. Really, I’m fine.”
“When I get home I expect to find you taking it easy.”
“Me and my large feet will make a leisurely day of it.”
He touched her cheek. “Large feet for a large, beautiful woman.”
Now her brain and her bones were mush. She managed a lopsided silly smile.
Zack straightened. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“I thought you had plans.”
“I do.” He didn’t explain beyond that.
Wynn wanted to ask him what his plans were, but she was afraid he’d be out with another woman. And because she had no exclusive rights to him, she couldn’t complain, so she was better off not knowing.
Dani kissed her cheek. “I’ll see ya tonight, too. I’ll even draw you a picture.”
It was then that Wynn noticed Dani’s fine, fair hair had been plaited into an intricate braid and tied with a tiny yellow ribbon. She shook her head in wonder. Did her father carry ribbons in his pockets?
She wouldn’t be at all surprised.
Zack noticed his daughter’s hair, too. He did a quick double take, then said, “Well I’ll be.”
Dani smiled and kept reaching back to feel it. She looked very pleased with the results. “It’s pretty.”
Wynn said, “Very pretty!” and meant it.
Chastity hustled back in with a big bowl filled with ice and several dishcloths over her arm. She dropped onto the foot of the couch, making Wynn groan. To Dani, she asked, “You’re the artist who created that masterpiece on the refrigerator?”
Wynn managed a smile to help cover the discomfort of her mother’s rough movements. “That’s right. Isn’t she talented?”
“Very much so.” As Chastity wrapped ice in a towel, she said, “You’d love finger paints. Have you ever tried them?”
Both Wynn and Zack winced. “Mom, they’re awfully messy.”
“So?” She flapped a dismissive hand at Wynn. “You and your cleanliness quirks. She’s a child! You can’t stifle her creative spirit just because she might get a little paint under her nails.” Chastity was gentle as she applied the ice to Wynn’s foot.
Watching Zack, Wynn thought he might have jumped her mother if she hadn’t shown what he considered adequate care. “I brought my paints with me, Dani. It’ll be lovely, you’ll see.”
Beaming, Dani said, “Thank you!”
Artemus waltzed in with the phone. “Found it!” He handed it to Wynn, along with her small phone book, then turned to Dani. He patted her hair with pride. “Lovely.” Then to his daughter, “Wynn,” he said, “wouldn’t you like for me to do something with your hair while you make your call?”
Wynn said, “No,” and her father’s face fell with comical precision.
Zack scooped Dani and her blanket into his arms. “We have to run. Wynn, remember what I said.”
“Me and my big feet will follow doctor’s orders.”
There was a general round of farewells, and five seconds later, Zack was gone. Wynn fell back against the couch. Her foot throbbed and ached, her ribs pulled, she itched from all the shrub scratches and now her parents were standing there staring at her with tell-all expectation.
The day had started out being so promising, but now…
She doubted it had dawned on Zack yet, but after all they’d just witnessed, no way would her parents believe a simple visit to the hot tub. Nope, they were eccentric, but they were not dumb.
And they knew sexual chemistry when they witnessed it.
Her mother, pretending a great interest in Wynn’s bruised and swollen toes, said, “My, my, my. What a hottie.” She slanted Wynn a look and an I’m-onto-you grin.
“Quite virile,” her father agreed, while tugging distractedly on his earring and eyeing his wife’s legs. Despite years of marriage and the fact that he was more colorful, Artemus remained highly attracted to her mother. He made no effort to hide his sexual willingness, which pretty much started from the time Chastity woke in the morning and ran until she fell asleep at night. It was almost comical.
He visibly pulled himself back to the subject at hand. “I, ah, take it he’s single?”
Wynn sank further into the cushions. “Yes.”
Silence reigned for only a few seconds, and then her father clasped his hands together and sighed. “Well, the little girl has fabulous hair! Or at least she will when I finish with it. All in all, I say they’ll be a wonderful addition to the family. What do you think, dear?”
Chastity smiled. “I think we got here just in time to watch the fireworks.”
* * *
ZACK HEARD the noise from Wynn’s house the second he stepped out of his car. Blaring music competed with laughter and the din of loud conversation.
It was six-thirty and he was tired, hungry, worried and rushed. It seemed he’d been running late from the moment he woke that morning, and there’d been no letup since.
He’d started the day by oversleeping. After the excesses of lovemaking the night before, he’d slept like the dead and hadn’t even heard his alarm until it had been ringing for almost half an hour. When he got over that disquieting phenomenon, he’d washed his face and brushed his teeth in two minutes flat, then gone for coffee before attempting to put a razor to his throat.
He never had gotten around to shaving, he realized, and now he felt scruffy and unkempt. He rubbed his rough jaw, remembering the trials of the day.
It was as he’d measured coffee that he glanced out the kitchen window and spied Wynn precariously balanced on an old wooden ladder, attempting to clean her gutters. His hair had been on end, his eyes still gritty, his feet bare on the cold linoleum floor, and he lost his temper.
He ran upstairs to awaken Dani, hastily pulled on pants, then ran back downstairs and outside to confront Wynn before she fell and killed herself.
He’d been too late.
It still made him tremble when he remembered opening the door just in time to see her wildly flailing the air as she plummeted to the ground. His stomach cramped anew.
Damned irritating, irrational, provoking female! She was lucky she’d only broken a toe!
He thought about her parents and cringed. “Flaming heterosexual,” she’d called her father, and now he knew the description was apt. He’d never met a more flamboyant, dramatic man; his every word and gesture had been exaggerated.
But he’d done a wonderful job with Dani’s hair. She’d looked so cute…
Zack shook his head.
Wynn’s mother was, as she’d claimed, a hippie. Her long blond hair had streaks of gray, but her figure was still youthful. Wynn had likely gotten her beautiful legs from her mother. Chastity’s legs weren’t nearly as long, and the rings on her toes were a distraction, but all in all, she was an attractive woman. Loony, but attractive.
After Zack secured Wynn’s promise to see a doctor, he’d rushed back home to prepare for work. He left the house right on time. Unfortunately, when he reached Eloise’s house to drop off Dani, he’d found the elderly woman ill.
With Dani hovering nearby, Zack did a medical check on Eloise. She was feverish and pale, her pulse too weak. Eloise claimed it was no more than the flu and she warned Dani to beware of her germs. She said she’d been sick off and on all night, so she’d called Zack that morning. But it must have been while he was at Wynn’s house, and he hadn’t thought to check his answering machine in his hurry to get out the door.
He called his supervisor and explained why he’d be late so one of the men from the shift before could stay over, then he’d bundled Eloise up for a trip to the emergency room. He wasn’t willing to take any chances with a woman her age, especially when she looked so weak. While he gathered a few things for her, he’d called Josh, who was off that day.
A woman had answered.
Zack thought about hanging up and calling Del or Mick instead, but Josh retrieved the phone, discovered the dilemma and made plans to pick up Dani at the hospital.
En route to the hospital, Zack got hold of Eloise’s granddaughter, who also agreed to meet them there in case Eloise needed to be admitted.
By the time he finally got to work, he was almost two hours late. The women he worked with teased him about his unshaven appearance and harried demeanor.
And throughout it all, he’d thought of Wynn.
She plagued him, making his brain ache and his body hot. He alternately worried about her and her broken toe, and contemplated making love to her again.
He glanced to the front of her house now where the driveway, just visible from his side yard, could be seen overflowing with a variety of vehicles.
A party.
She’d promised him she’d take it easy, that she’d prop her large feet up and rest. Instead, she was having a party.
Zack locked his jaw tight and stomped up to his kitchen stoop. Fine. Whatever. He’d simply ignore her and her irresponsible ways. It wasn’t as if he wanted to worry about her, or even think about her.
No, he just wanted to take her again and again, in about a hundred different ways. He wanted to kiss her body all over, starting on her toes and working his way up those sexy shapely legs until he reached her…
“Oh hell.” Zack jerked his door open, called out, “I’m home,” and was greeted by silence. He suddenly realized there had been no extra cars in his driveway, which meant Josh wasn’t here with Dani as he said he’d be.
But just to make certain, Zack went through the house. It was empty.
He was so tired he ached, and now he stopped in the middle of the living room and looked around, trying to decide what to do next. Where would Josh be?
He’d left the kitchen door open and now he heard a robust laugh carry across the yards. His mind cramped as he considered the possibilities. With deliberate intent, feeling ill-tempered and irked, he went to the kitchen to look out the window.
There in Wynn’s yard were close to a dozen people, including Josh and Dani. A boom box blared from the patio and a badminton net had been set up. A woman he didn’t recognize partnered Conan against Marc and Clint, while Bo leaned against a tree and shouted encouragement. It appeared to be a highly competitive game, given the viciousness of the play.
On the patio, he could see Chastity singing as she wielded a long-handled fork on the grill. Artemus, now dressed all in black except for a large silver buckle on his belt that glinted in the late day sun, danced with Dani. His daughter appeared to be wearing one of Chastity’s tie-dyed shirts. It hung down to her feet.
Zack looked around without conscious thought and finally located Wynn. She sat on the settee with Josh, her foot in his lap.
Zack felt as though the top of his head had just blown off.
Before he’d even made the decision to move, he was halfway across the lawn, his gaze set on Wynn who was, as yet, unaware of his approach.
Today she was dressed in a pale-peach camisole that almost exactly matched her naked hide, and a pair of loose white drawstring shorts that showed every sexy inch of her long legs and put on display a tiny strip of her delectable belly.
Zack’s lungs constricted. When he reached her, he’d—
Conan stepped in front of him. “Whoa, where ya going there, Zack?”
Zack heard a few snickers from behind Conan and knew he’d gained the players’ attention.
Conan leaned closer. “The thing is,” he whispered, “you look mad as hell and my sister’s already been upset all day.”
“Yeah,” Zack said, still watching Wynn while she smiled and laughed with Josh. “She looks real upset.”
Conan blinked, then laughed. “Jealousy is a bitch, ain’t it?”
Zack snapped a look at Conan and the man backed up two steps. “Okay, okay,” he said, swallowing down a laugh and holding up his hands as if to ward Zack off, “I take it back. You’re not jealous.”
Zack narrowed his eyes. “What reason would I have to be jealous?”
“None! No reason at all. I mean, believe it or not, Wynn’s in pain and… Hey, wait a minute!”
Zack allowed Conan to pull him back around. Wynn was in pain? He couldn’t stand it.
Conan laughed. “I’m sorry. Really, I am.” Zack vaguely heard the other men laughing and offering comments, but he paid them no mind.
Over his shoulder, Conan shouted, “Shut up, Bo!” To Zack he said, “Ignore Bo. He’s been giving Wynn hell all day for being smitten. I was about ready to flatten him myself when he finally realized she wasn’t taking it well.”
Zack drew a deep breath and attempted to ease his temper. Most times, he didn’t have a temper, and he blamed the emergence of one solely on Wynn Lane. She brought out the worst in him.
She also turned him on more than any woman he’d ever known. “Why not?” he asked, hoping he sounded merely calm, not concerned. “What’s going on?”
“Whew, finally you sound like a reasonable man.” Conan clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to make Zack lose his balance. “At first you were looking like a charging bull. Nostrils flared, eyes red, steam coming out your ears. Bo told me, but I didn’t really believe him. I mean, when I met you, you seemed so…”
“Conan.”
“Sorry. The folks threw this surprise housewarming party for Wynn, but she’s obviously not really up to it. I mean, her damn toe is broken in two places. Two! Can you believe that? Her feet are bigger than most, that’s true, but it’s still just a baby toe.”
Zack closed his eyes and counted to ten, but he still heard the smile in Conan’s voice when he continued.
“Your buddy has been fending everyone off, including my parents. He pulled Wynn’s foot into his lap after the third person accidentally bumped her and made her yelp. Not a pretty thing to see Wynn yelping.”
“Damn.”
Conan rubbed his neck, looked up at the fading sun, then back at his teammates who were now clustered together and waiting. He faced Zack again. “The folks mean well. It’s just that Wynn never complains much, and she never admits to being hurt, so they don’t realize…”
“Dad!” His daughter ran hell-bent toward him, cutting off Conan’s explanations. Not that he’d needed to continue; Zack already understood the situation and more than anything he wanted to shake Wynn for putting up such a ridiculous macho show. That was something a man would do, but it wasn’t expected of a woman. And despite being hardy and strong, she was still a woman.
And damn it, he wanted to protect her.
Dani threw herself at Zack, and he noticed his daughter now wore sandals rather than sneakers. And she had a silver ring on her big toe.
He scooped her up and hugged her to him. “Look at you, Dani,” he teased. “Wearing a dress.”
She laughed, cupped his face and gave him a loud smooch. “It’s not a dress. It’s Chastity’s. She let me wear it while I finger painted. Ain’t it pretty?”
Zack didn’t bother correcting her speech, not this time, not while she was so excited and happy. “Yes it is, especially on you.”
“Conan said I was a flower child.”
“But prettier,” Conan clarified.
Zack hugged her again and started toward Wynn. He stopped, turned back to Conan and said, “Thanks.”
Conan pretended great relief. “Yeah, anytime. I mean, she’s a pain in the ass, but I still love my sister.” His voice lowered to something of a warning. “And I wouldn’t want anyone to upset her. Or hurt her.” He stared at Zack, making sure Zack caught his meaning.
Zack nodded, which was the best reply he could offer, for the time being.
“So,” Zack said to his daughter, staring at that silver ring on her toe, “you’ve had fun today?”
“I’ve had the bestest time! Artemus is teaching me how to dance and look what he did to my hair!” She primped, turning her head one way and then the other.
Her hair had been braided and then twisted into a coronet with tiny multi-colored crystal beads shaped like flowers pinned into place. Two curling ringlets hung in front of her ears.
Zack felt a lump the size of a grapefruit lodge in his throat at the sight of his daughter’s proud smile. Artemus met him at the edge of the patio.
“I need your permission to give her a trim,” he said before Zack could greet him. “She has fabulous hair, just fabulous. But God only knows how long it’s been since it was shaped. It begs to be shaped.”
Zack looked at Dani, who watched him hopefully. “Do you want your hair shaped?” Whatever the hell that means.
She nodded.
“You have my permission.”
Artemus clapped his hands in bliss.
Chastity turned to Zack. “Hamburger or hot dog, Zack?”
He eyed this remarkable woman who had managed to birth Wynn. “Do hippies eat meat?”
“Honey, when they’re my age, they do any damn thing they want to.”
Artemus leaned close to nip her ear. “And there’s a lot they want to do, too.” He winked at Zack. “Hippies are a delightfully creative lot.”
“Ah.” Zack grinned, amused by the obvious affection between them. “In that case, I’ll take a hamburger. Thank you, ma’am.”
“Be ready in a moment.”
Josh eased Wynn’s foot out of his lap and stood to greet Zack. “How’s Eloise?”
“I called the hospital before I left work today. She has bronchitis. With the medicine they gave her, she’s feeling a lot more comfortable.”
“Has she got anyone to take care of her?”
Zack nodded, not quite looking at Wynn yet. If he looked at her, he’d want to pick her up and pet her and coddle her. Insane. As she’d said, it was only a broken toe. “She’s going to stay with her granddaughter for a week until she’s had time to recuperate.”
Dani and Artemus danced past them, moving to the tune of the Beach Boys. “A week, huh? What about the rat? Who’s going to watch her?”
Zack glanced at his daughter as she threw back her head and laughed. “I finagled an early vacation week. It wasn’t easy, but I got Richards to trade with me.”
Josh looked pleased. “So you’ll be around the house—” he glanced at Wynn “—day and night, for a week, huh?”
“That’s what I just said.” Done with that conversational gambit, he knelt down in front of Wynn. “How’re you feeling?”
“Fine.”
Zack could tell she lied. Her face looked pinched, her mouth tight. He gave her a frown that let her know he knew, and then took Josh’s seat. He lifted her foot into his lap to examine her toe.
She wore no shoes and where the bandage didn’t cover, he could see the dark, colorful bruises. Her foot still looked swollen and for some dumb reason, he wanted to kiss it. It’s what he would have done for Dani, and now he wanted to do it for Wynn, too.
He manfully resisted the urge and met her gaze. “Have you taken anything for pain?”
“Aspirin.”
Josh leaned on the armrest next to Wynn and peered down at them both. In a carrying voice, he said, “I’m sure you both know that ice for swelling is good, but soaking it in hot water is best for relieving the pain.”
Zack rolled his eyes; Josh knew nil about subtlety, or medical matters.
Wynn just stared at him.
“I was thinking of your hot tub, Zack.” Josh cleared his throat and forged on. “A good neighbor would offer to let her use it.”
Without turning their way, Chastity said, “Oh, I’m sure he’d have thought of it sooner or later.”
Artemus chortled at his wife’s wry humor, and then swung Dani in a wide circle, ending their dance with a flourish.
Dani came over and, natural as you please, climbed into Wynn’s lap.
Wynn positioned her comfortably, as if she’d been holding Dani since the day she was born.
Zack almost choked on another lump of emotion. Damn it, men didn’t get lumps of emotion, and certainly not over something so simple as seeing a neighbor hold his daughter. But Dani was smiling and looking secure and confident in her welcome.
He silently cursed again.
Wynn was not the right woman for him. Whenever he’d envisioned the right woman, he’d pictured a woman who was discreet and circumspect and responsible. A woman who’d be a good influence on his daughter and the perfect domestic partner for raising a child.
Wynn was rash and outspoken and irresponsible. She didn’t protect herself or think things out before doing them. She knew too many men who knew her too well… No, that wasn’t exactly right and he felt guilty for even thinking it. But he found he was the jealous sort when he’d never been before. And that irked him too.
Wynn dressed provocatively, didn’t eat right, and her family was beyond strange.
She was big and beautiful and so sexy he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
What the hell was he supposed to do?
“Eat,” Chastity said as if she’d read his mind. She shoved a paper plate with a loaded hamburger, chips and pickles into his hand. She handed the same to Wynn, and gave Dani a hot dog.
Everyone came in from the badminton game and Conan introduced Zack to his girlfriend, Rachael. She was a pretty, slender woman of medium height. She was dressed reasonably in long tan walking shorts and a loose blue polo shirt. And none of the men swatted her behind.
However, the second Wynn said she needed to go inside a minute, the guys lined up to carry her. They jokingly compared muscles, trying to decide who was strong enough to bear her weight.
Not giving them a chance to get so much as a pinkie finger on her, Zack lifted Wynn into his lap and then stood. There was a general round of oohing and aahing and muttered respect for his strength.
“What do you bench?” Conan asked, and Zack rolled his eyes.
Wynn dropped her head to his shoulder. “This is totally dumb, Zack. I’m more than capable of walking, you know.”
“I know. But no one else seems to.” He turned to Dani. “Stay right here with Josh, sweetheart.”
“I will!”
Zack headed for the back door. Truth was, she felt good in his arms, a nice soft solid weight. Warm and very feminine. He liked holding her. And no way in hell was he going to let any of her “friends” pick her up so they’d experience the same sensations.
“They’re just nettling you,” Wynn said, “and you’re letting them.” She reached down to open the kitchen door when Zack stopped in front of it.
“Where to?” he asked.
She sighed, then finally said, “The bathroom.”
Zack grinned. The door closed behind them, shutting out some of the party noise. Now that they were in private, he nuzzled Wynn’s ear, carefully because of his rough beard, and then asked, “Are you coming over tonight to…soak your foot?”
She looked up at him, surprised. “I thought you had plans?”
“I’ll be free by eleven. It’s been a total bitch of a day and I can’t imagine a better way to end it than with a repeat of last night.” He touched his mouth to hers and added, “That is, if you’re up to it.”
She said, “Ha! I sure wouldn’t let a little broken toe keep me from it!”
Zack kissed her chin, feeling all his tension and aggravation melt away just from being near her. Leaving her behind this morning, knowing she was hurt, hadn’t sat right with him. “And you called me a superhero,” he teased gently.
Wynn hesitated, then made a face. “Okay, I give up. Just what are you doing tonight?”
They stood in the hallway outside the bathroom door. Wynn didn’t ask to be put down, and Zack was in no hurry to release her. He looked at her mouth and wanted to groan. He could feel himself getting hard and ruthlessly brought himself under control.
“Del and Mick are coming over. They, Josh and I, are going to watch an interview Del did for her upcoming book. It’s going to be on channel—”
They heard a thump and looked up to see Conan collapsed against the wall, a large fist pressed to his massive chest.
Zack was briefly alarmed before Conan wheezed, “Delilah Piper is going to be here? Right next door? Oh my God.”
“Delilah Piper-slash-Dawson. Remember, I told you Mick’s funny about that. And yeah, she is.”
Conan’s eyes rolled back and he wheezed some more. “A celebrity in our midst! Wait until I tell everyone else.”
“Conan,” Wynn said suspiciously, “what are you doing in here?”
Briefly taken off guard, Conan stammered, then looked much struck. “I brought Ms. Piper’s books over to be signed and I was going to give them to Zack!”
Wynn said, “Uh-huh.”
“But now I can just give them to her myself.” He rubbed his hands together. “I can’t wait.”
Whatever Conan had really wanted—and Zack assumed it was to check up on his sister—was forgotten as he rushed back outside to share the news.
Zack looked down at Wynn, then readjusted her weight so he could kiss her throat.
She sighed. “I’m sorry Zack, but I have a feeling your intimate little night with friends has just been ruined.”
He kissed her throat again. “Conan is more than welcome. It’ll tickle Del and it’ll keep Mick on his toes. He gets rattled any time a guy looks at her with admiration—even if it’s admiration for her work.”
“Zack?”
“Hmmm?”
“You can set me down now.”
“I’m not sure I want to.”
Wynn hugged him, but said, “If you don’t, Conan won’t be the only one visiting us. My parents will come trooping through, too, and then the guys…”
Being especially careful of her injury, Zack slid her down his body. She kept her hands on his shoulders and her gaze on his mouth. “I like you in your uniform. It’s sexy.”
Zack grinned. “Is that right?”
She trailed her fingers over his jaw. “And this looks interesting, too.”
“I didn’t have time to shave this morning.” He nuzzled her, letting her feel his whiskers. Then added in a gruff whisper, “But I’ll shave before you come over tonight.” He gazed down at her breasts and said, “I wouldn’t want to give you a burn.”
“Zack…”
The way she sighed his name was such a temptation. Zack turned her toward the bathroom. “Go, before I decide I can’t wait until tonight.”
She gave him a vacuous smile and hobbled in, favoring her injured foot while trying to strut like a man, just to prove she wasn’t hurt. Zack shook his head and a warm feeling expanded inside him, making him hot and hard and filling him with tenderness.
Her ridiculous false bravado shouldn’t have done that to him. She shouldn’t have done that to him. But she did, and he knew he was in deep.
Problem was, for some strange reason, he just couldn’t work up the energy to fight it.