Lone Star Burn_Undercover Heart Read online

  Erin moved quickly to Caleb’s chair and wrapped her arms around his neck to give him a hug in gratitude. “Thank you! Thank you! This is all so fantastic!”

  The heat of embarrassment colored her cheeks when Danielle walked into the kitchen. Erin backed away at the sight of the dark frown on her daughter’s face.

  ‘Mom, why are you hugging Mr. Thompson?”

  “Ah, I was thanking him for his wonderful idea to spread the word about our Helping Hand boxes in all of the Hughes department stores. We’ll be able to help so many people.”

  “Okay, I guess. My program is over so we can start bringing down our decorations.”

  “Sounds like a great idea.” Caleb shared Erin’s embarrassment and stood up. “Why don’t you show me where to start,” he said, and wrapped an arm around Danielle’s shoulder.

  “We have to pull the cord in the hallway just before you go into the garage. The door opens and a set of steps comes down. You have to turn on the light before we go up to the crawlspace.”

  “I think we can handle that.”

  “I’ll be with you in a minute,” Erin said, needing a few moments to compose herself.

  She wet a piece of paper towel with cold water and pressed it against her hot cheeks. The PR man was making her crazy. Once again they’d discussed sex, and she was the one who started with the flirty banter. Never in her born day had she been this comfortable with a man, one she’d just met. Her father had warned her to guard her words wisely. It wasn’t always a good policy to speak her mind because she could never take back the words that had already been said. Earlier was a perfect example. She’d actually told him she hadn’t had sex in almost nine years. The last man she’d slept with was Danielle’s father, and she didn’t even remember his name or what he looked like!

  If she ever made love with this man from Hughes, he’d make a permanent mark in her memory. Did she want to make love with that delicious man? Oh yes, the wild side of Erin MacKenna admitted, but the practical side said he is a stranger who would be leaving Fort Mavis when the holidays were over. One didn’t jump into bed with a total stranger. She’d repeated that phrase more times than she could count the past couple days. Would Daniel Thompson be the exception to her rule?

  When she walked down the hall, they were already up in the crawlspace. She made her way carefully up the wooden stairs. She walked between a row of stacked plastic crates. The gray ones contained treasures she’d discovered in her father’s attic when he passed away, things she was surprised her father had kept. Her mother’s wedding dress, their wedding album, Erin’s first pair of Mary Jane shoes, her first baby doll, and her christening dress. He’d even kept her first stuffed animal. Barkley, a stuffed dog from one of their parishioners. She’d loved it so much and her mother kept repairing the soft stuffed body. Her father wasn’t very demonstrative in his affection toward Erin, but when it came to his parishioners he was warm and gracious and everyone loved him.

  “How are we doing?” she asked and brushed a stray tear from her eye before she got to her helpers. Caleb and Danielle were sitting on the floor Indian-style, and an assortment of handmade ornaments was spread between them. “Wouldn’t it have been better to take the boxes downstairs first before you started taking everything out?” When neither responded to her question, she moved closer and listened.

  “The popsicle frame is crooked because I made this in nursery school when I was four. The teacher put the glue on.” Danni pursed her lips at the photo of the little girl with pink ribbons in her curly pigtails. “I look like a silly girl with those bows in my hair.”

  “I beg to differ.” Caleb tapped her nose adorned with the same freckles as her mother.

  “You look adorable and are a very beautiful girl.”

  Danielle selected another item from the clear plastic storage box. “I made this when I was five years old. It’s silly and I told my mom she should throw it away.” Danielle swung it back and forth as if she were ringing a bell. “See, it doesn’t even make any noise because there isn’t a ringer thing and it’s kind of smashed and out of shape.”

  Caleb lifted the ornament from her hand and studied a section of an egg carton suspended by a pipe cleaner with an exaggerated hook at the end. The wavy cardboard edge had been coated with a thick layer of silver glitter. He brought it to his ear and swung it again. “I think you’re wrong about throwing it away. This looks like an angel bell.”

  Danni got up from the floor and made herself comfortable on Mr. Thompson’s lap. “What’s that?”

  Once again this delightful child had taken him by surprise. He couldn’t recall a time a child had ever sat on his lap and decided it was quite nice. “An angel bell is exceptional. It doesn’t have to be in perfect shape because not everyone and everything is flawless. Christmas angels have acute hearing so that makes this bell unique when you hang it on your tree.” To prove his point, he swung it close to her ear. “We don’t hear anything, but I’m sure an angel heard the soft tinkling sound.” Caleb passed the cherished ornament to Danni.

  “That’s really cool. We should keep it on the tree. Did you have a favorite ornament and do something special at Christmas?”

  Caleb hesitated, recalling a happy memory that he hadn’t thought about for a long time. “My grandfather collected Lionel trains and every year he would set up a village around our Christmas tree. He let my brother and me play engineer. We even wore special trainmen’s’ hats. He was also the one who taught us about model airplanes. After Christmas dinner, he would take us out to fly our planes.”

  “Wow! Do you and your brother still do that?”

  The question caught him off guard. He drew in a deep breath to try to dissolve the heaviness that had settled around his heart. “That won’t be possible because my brother passed away two months ago. He traveled a great deal, but no matter what part of the world he was visiting he’d always come home and share Christmas with me.” The pain in his chest intensified when he added, “It was an extra special day because it’s also our birthday.”

  “That is so cool! Did you get double presents?”

  “Yes, we did.”

  Erin turned away so he couldn’t see the tears running down her cheeks for the loss he would have to endure this Christmas. Now she was glad she’d hesitated before making her presence known. Her outward show of sympathy might embarrass him. She didn’t condone eavesdropping on a private conversation, but this one involved her daughter and the man who was stealing his way into their hearts. He sweet-talked her daughter into loving the ornament that she was ready to discard because it was slightly out of shape. Danielle found little opportunity to enjoy male companionship, other than the two boys who were her friends. What was it that drew her to and made her feel safe with Daniel Thompson?

  She wiped her face with a corner of her shirt and pasted on a happy smile. “Sorry to interrupt, but it’s getting late and we need to get these boxes downstairs.”

  Danielle crawled off her comfortable seat and presented the ornament to her mom. “Did you know this ornament from an egg box is very special cause only angels can hear it ring? And you know what? Mr. Thompson’s brother is up in heaven with God and his birthday is on Christmas. We should invite him to dinner and you can make him a cake. Since his brother can’t be here, I can fly my model plane with him.”

  “Your grandfather told me about angel bells when I was a little girl. If Mr. Thompson doesn’t have prior plans, he’s welcome to share Christmas dinner with us.” Erin picked up the clear plastic box of special ornaments, replaced the cover, and handed it to her daughter. “You can handle this box. Be careful going down the stairs. Mr. Thompson and I will handle the rest.”

  She gave him a hesitant smile when he got up off the floor and used his hand to brush off the back of his jeans. “I heard everything, and I’m at a loss for words other than to say my heart is breaking for you. The invitation to join us for Christmas dinner is open if you’ll still be here.”

  “It w
as earth-shattering when Danni asked me about Christmas because I suddenly realized this would be the first year my brother wouldn’t be here to celebrate our birthday.” He lifted a hand and brushed away a stray tear at the corner of her eye. “Were you crying?

  All she did was nod.

  Caleb erased the distance between them. “I think we both can use a hug.”

  Without hesitation, Erin drew him close and slid her arms around his waist. When he rested his head on hers and returned her hug she closed her eyes, inhaled slowly, and listened to the steady beat of his heart.

  Every time she breathed, her breasts pressed against the solid wall of his chest and her hips were cradled against his groin, but once again there wasn’t anything sexual about their embrace. Technically the Santa Traditions program would be over the last Saturday before Christmas, and there wouldn’t be any reason for him to stay around. The thought was very depressing.

  “Mom, are you guys coming down?”

  Danni’s voice coming from below shattered her gut-wrenching moment.

  Erin lowered her arms and offered a small smile. “The boss has spoken. We better get started.”

  Caleb drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking around at the surrounding boxes. “Since they’re color coordinated, I take it the red and green storage bins contain your decorations.”

  Erin frowned at the four red and four green boxes. “Am I really that obvious?”

  “To be perfectly honest, if you asked me to come up here and take down Halloween decorations, I’d have no problem locating the orange and black storage bins. Before I forget, thanks for backing me up about the angel bells,” he quietly added.

  “It was beautiful and you actually had me believing in angel bells.”

  “I don’t know where it came from, but the idea just popped into my head.

  Before we get started do you want to be on the top or the bottom?”

  She looked him dead in the eye and laced her reply with sexy innuendos. “I haven’t had any experience on top, but I’d like to give it a try.”

  “I deserved that,” he replied with a wicked grin and gave it right back. “Just a reminder, I am ready to end your draught any time you want.”

  “Why do I think I can one-up you when it comes to sexy remarks?”

  “On the contrary, women aren’t the only ones who like to have sweet nothings whispered in their ear.”

  “Enough! Let’s get these boxes downstairs. I will stay at the top of the stairs and walk them halfway down and meet you in the middle.”

  Everything went smoothly, but the mishap occurred when they were taking down the last box. Erin lost her grip and didn’t have a chance to warn her assistant. The lid from the box fell off and the angel that graced the top of their tree flew out and hit Caleb.

  “Oh, my God! Are you okay?” she asked, hurrying down the stairs with the box still in her hand. The wired tip of the wing had cut into his cheek. “It looks like a lightning bolt! We need to put a cold compress on that before it swells too much. It’s also starting to bleed.”

  Caleb picked up the white angel with little bells attached to her wings. “I’m fine. No harm done.” Thanks for sending me that message, brother dear. Angel bells, right.

  Chapter 7

  “No, I’m not nuts dumping this on you on a Monday morning, Brad. We need to make this happen at the Fort Mavis store and I don’t want any orders coming directly from me.”

  “I got the photos you sent and the dimensions. You expect that room to be finished in two weeks? It’s going to cost us a fortune for the rush work from contractors. What about the delivery of supplies? We don’t want all this activity interfering with the shoppers.”

  “There’s a freight elevator at the end of the hall closest to the former storage room and can be accessed from receiving in the lower level. You and Tracey can burn up the phone lines contacting plumbers, flooring contractors, and painters. Erin MacKenna provided a thorough outline of what’s needed. The craft supplies for the program should be in our warehouse. She provided sketches of what the room should look like when completed, including the Mrs. Santa reading area. We have contacts with major wholesalers who can deliver the kitchen and bathroom units in two days. As far as I’m concerned it’s a done deal.”

  “I’ve never known you to be such an optimist. What about these Helping Hand boxes? It’s too late to start up a major campaign.”

  “I’ll deal with marketing. Many of the recipients will be those who go to the centers Daniel started. Erin did half their job by providing a logo. I like it.”

  “Erin? Why do I hear a softening in your voice when you say her name?”

  “Can it, Brad. She’s a lovely woman who has gone out of her way to help with this project.” And she’s barged into my life like a stampede of wild horses.

  “Okay, if you say so, but this doesn’t sound like you. Tracey said the manager of the store called three times and wanted to talk to the PR man directly to see if there was anything she could do.”

  “I spoke to her the other day, expressing my dissatisfaction with the department’s preparedness for our promotion. She fell all over herself apologizing.”

  “I know you’re doing a kind of undercover boss thing, but we can’t leave her hanging.”

  “Call her back and assure her we’re on top of things and the program will be up and running the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I’ll be at the store every day to make sure things are going smoothly. I’ve put a call into Adams Security to confirm they are aware of our needs to keep a record of all attendees and have a sufficient amount of security bracelets and pager units.” Caleb kept it to himself that he was going to ask them to help him with his other problem, finding his supposed niece.

  “So you’re really pretending to be your brother?”

  “Sounds crazy, but I am. I agreed with my parents’ decision to keep his death low-key. Daniel was a private person, and a generous philanthropist few people knew about. He would have hated the media publicizing his death.”

  “Ryan called me yesterday, wanting some information about the foundation you plan to establish to honor your brother. When I explained what you were doing, he laughed his head off and said it didn’t sound like something you would do. I didn’t give him your temporary number. He wanted to know if you came up with a name.”

  “I haven’t given it much thought because I’m too busy with this Santa Traditions program. As soon as I come up with something, I’ll let him know. I’ll expect an update on all the arrangements by the end of the day. They’ll have access to the room twenty-four-seven and I don’t care if they work through the night. Security has already been notified. Don’t be frugal with their bonuses to get the major part of the work completed by Friday.”

  “Yes, boss,” Brad replied with a slight chuckle.

  It still boggled his mind that Erin had put together such a thorough plan and provided a sketch of how the room would look when it was completed. She’d called him yesterday when they returned from church and asked him to come over for coffee and look at the logo she had in mind for their donation boxes: two hands holding a twisted pipe cleaner. Suspended from the end was a section of an egg carton dipped in silver glitter. Below the ornament were the words, ‘Angel Bell.’ He’d been blown away with her suggestion to use the idea that had popped into his head.

  When his cell phone rang, a smile was already on his face before he accepted the call. “I was expecting the big man to call me, but his super-efficient assistant is even better.”

  Cindi Pearl Sullivan-Reynolds laughed. “If you want anything done right, you speak to the assistant. How are you, Caleb? I’m very sorry to hear about your brother.”

  “In over my head as usual, and thanks for your kind words. Did Lincoln share my email about what we’ll need for our Santa Traditions program?”

  “I’m looking at it right now and I think it’s fantastic. Lincoln had to be in Manhattan this morning and asked me to return your call
. Adams Security in all the stores have been briefed, the lighted pagers have been delivered, as well as the security bands for children. The elf costumes are in our regional offices and our staff is ready to go.”

  “I knew I could count on you. That’s why you’re the best. Now I have a highly sensitive personal request. I need you to help me try to locate someone.”

  “That’s what we do. Give me a name and any information you might have.”

  “That’s the problem. I don’t have a name or anything. To make a long story short, my brother believed he has a daughter he never knew about. She’ll be about seven or eight and quite possibly in Fort Mavis. They have one primary school.”

  “And you don’t have a name or anything?”

  “Nothing. I don’t want you to do anything that might jeopardize a child’s personal records in any way. I need to know how many seven and eight-year-old girls they have in the third grade. Oh, the child has reddish brown hair. It’s really important that I find this child, if she exists.”

  “Ordinarily I’d think you were crazy, but I understand how important this child is to you. I am going to give this project to my husband. Preston is the best and will work on it discretely at home. I’ll have him break it down with the number of boys and girls in the third grade. I’ll give him your email address and he’ll contact you directly.”

  “Thanks, Cindi Pearl. Say hello to Lincoln for me.”

  He felt a small sense of relief knowing he’d get some help identifying the little girl, and tackled the next item on his list: order the planes and equipment that needed to be set up in the garage for the super flyers. He found the perfect beginner aircraft kit with a four-channel hand-held controller and hoped the kids could assemble the planes by Christmas.

  He was genuinely touched when Danielle had volunteered to fly their planes after Christmas dinner, trying to make Caleb’s hurt goes away. Erin had shed tears, sharing his loss in not being able to celebrate his birthday with his brother. Like mother, like daughter. He’d never understood the concept of falling in love at first sight, but things were becoming clearer and clearer the more time he spent with the beautiful third grade teacher.