Page 60 of Christmas in Whitehorn
“Would you please spend Christmas Eve with me?” he asked. “We can open our presents.”
Her heart thundered in her chest and her mouth went dry. “Presents?”
“Just a couple of little things to make you smile.”
He was getting her presents? Something worth smiling over? Her brain instantly flashed to an engagement ring. In that same instant, she told herself not to be silly. Mark wasn’t going to propose to her.
Her legs gave way and she plopped onto the sofa.
“Hey, are you all right?” he asked.
“Fine. Christmas Eve would be great.”
Did her voice sound okay? Could he hear the terror in her voice. Terror that came not from fear that he would propose—but fear that he wouldn’t. She realized in that second, she wanted him to. Because she’d fallen in love with him.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“So the thing is I’ve never brought anyone to see Dirk before,” Darcy said. “I don’t know what he’s going to think or say. I know we’re friends, but you’re also a guy and that could have an impact on him.”
“You think?” Mark asked calmly, never taking his attention from the road.
Darcy nodded even though he couldn’t see her movement. “Sure. I mean Dirk has some developmental issues, but he’s also a fourteen-year-old boy. There are hormones at work. Not that he’s shown any interest in the whole boy-girl thing. I don’t even want to think about that. Talk about a nightmare in the making. My point is—”
Mark spared her a quick smile. “Darcy, I know what your point is. Dirk may be completely fine with meeting me. He may also be threatened. I won’t take it personally if it’s the latter. I promise to do my best to make him like me. Now would you please calm down before you give yourself a heart attack?”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. If you bounce your foot any harder, you’re going to break through the floor of my truck.”
“What?” She glanced down at her leg. Sure enough it was jumping around as she gave in to her nervousness. “I might be a little tense,” she admitted. “It’s just I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“Everything is going to be fine,” he promised.
Easy for him to say, she thought to herself. What he didn’t know was that she had a lot more on the line that he realized. She desperately wanted things to go well with Dirk. If she had any chance at a long-term relationship with Mark, he was going to have to get along with her brother. And figuring out that she was in love with Mark had made her want things to last as long as possible.
She still couldn’t believe she’d fallen for him, but given what they’d been through together, she shouldn’t be surprised. There had to be a reason that she’d ended five years of celibacy with him. Some of it was sexual chemistry, but some of it was something much more. She was drawn to his strength—both physical and emotional. She liked who he was and how he lived his life. She admired him. And there was the small detail of him being easy on the eye and darned good in bed. What was there not to like?
The question was—should she tell him about her feelings? So far every fiber of her being had screamed “no” really loud. The man had recently been through a horrible experience with a woman he’d wanted to marry. She wasn’t completely sure he was over that. Or if he was, she could be his rebound relationship. Neither possibility gave her any reason to put her heart on the line.
They pulled into the parking lot of the school before she had a chance to calm herself. In what felt like seconds, they’d made their way to the great room, where Dirk was waiting along with several of his school friends. She’d warned him that she was bringing a friend and now she waited anxiously to see how her brother would react.
He walked toward them slowly. Darcy’s heart filled with love as she stared into her brother’s familiar face. He was tall and good-looking and obviously happy. He grinned at her. She flew into his arms and they hugged. Then she stepped back and introduced them.
“Dirk, this is Mark. He lives next door to me. He’s a detective.”
Her brother and Mark shook hands. “Nice to meet you. Darcy’s told me a lot about you,” Mark said easily.
Dirk nodded. “Darcy always says nice stuff about me. A detective works with the police. Do you keep Darcy safe?”
“I work for the local sheriff’s office rather than the police, which is almost the same. Do you worry about your sister?”
Dirk nodded. “She’s by herself now. I don’t want her to get scared at night.”
“I see.” He gazed at the young man. “Darcy knows that if she ever gets scared, she can call me. I’m right next door and I’ll do everything I can to keep her safe.”
Dirk nodded. “Good.”
Darcy felt some of her apprehension fade away. She’d been worried about this meeting, but it seemed as if things might work out after all. Mark had taken Dirk’s concerns seriously, while her brother didn’t seem threatened by her having a man in her life.
