Page 81 of Fall Into Temptation
Eva giggled and let him pull her off the ground. She felt giddy as if Donovan and the day had pushed away all of the bad that had been closing in on her. The bad that had sent her a note that said simply “Sunday.” It was Agnes’s deadline for Eva to cough up the ten thousand dollars. She didn’t have a plan yet, but she would, and then the woman would be out of her life forever.
“Maybe we could just go find a nice quiet cornfield or a barn,” she suggested, a new need revving her system with anticipation.
“Is this research, or do you really want to have sex in a barn?”
“Everything is research, and yes, I really want to have sex in a barn,” she laughed.
He was dragging her across the drive to the little red barn when a candy apple red pick-up truck eased up the drive.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Donovan breathed, stopping in the middle of the lane.
“Who is it?” Eva asked.
The horn tooted and the driver waved out his window.
“My parents.”
The truck came to a stop and was immediately surrounded by the horde of Pierces.
“Surprise!” the woman in the passenger seat called through the open window.
Whoops and greetings were shouted out as the couple climbed out of the truck.
Donovan had the long-limbed blonde woman in a ball cap in his arms and dangling off the ground half a second after she stepped out of the cab of the truck.
The family resemblance was strong and got even stronger when the silver fox with a tan and well-fitting jeans ambled around the hood.
For the first time ever in Eva’s experience, Donovan was speechless.
Phoebe was grinning maniacally, and Eva knew she had something to do with the surprise.
Donovan dropped his mother gently to the ground and embraced his father in a one-armed hug.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked, his voice gruff with emotion.
“You think we’d miss a planetary crossing in Blue Moon?” his mom laughed.
“You didnotcome back here to hold my hand while I do my job,” Donovan said.
“No, you dope,” she grinned up at him. “We came back because we missed you. And we heard the Apple Butter Boil was resurrected.”
Donovan swung around to face Phoebe. “You?” he asked.
She shrugged innocently. “I missed them as much as you did. Plus, I figured you might have someone you’d want to introduce them to,” she said, shooting a pointed look in Eva’s direction.
He wrapped Phoebe in a one-armed hug and kissed her on the top of the head before releasing her.
He reached for Eva’s hand. “Mom, Dad, thereissomeone I want you to meet.”
“There’s a lot of someones,” his father said, scanning the crowd. “I’m only recognizing about fifty percent.”
“Well, start here,” Donovan said. “This is Eva, my girlfriend. Eva, these are my parents, Michael and Hazel.”
Hazel’s eyes widened marginally, but it was the woman’s only outward sign of surprise that showed. She still had cop written all over her in her straight-as-a-lance posture, and the way she took in everything without reacting to it.
“It’s great to meet you,” Eva said.
“Real nice to meet you, Eva,” Hazel said, offering a firm shake.
