The Daddy Catch by Leigh Duncan

Author:Leigh Duncan
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-10-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Sunshine, blue skies and the better part of a day off—what else could a man ask for?

Not a whole lot. Dan grinned as he pulled to a stop at the foot of a wooden staircase that ran along the backside of On The Fly. Thanks to a few referrals from his new business associates, his already-thriving practice was doing even better. Word around the poker table at Bryce’s last week had assured him that plans for the surgical center were moving forward. And though he’d initially seen the sport only as a means to impress his partners, he’d even developed a fondness for fly fishing. Not that he could overlook the way some aspects of the hobby complicated matters.

Thirty days ago, having a child hadn’t been a priority. But now, looking at the little boy who practically flew down the steps from Jess’s apartment, he had to wonder why.

“Hi, Dr. Hamilton. Mom says we’re going on a scavenger hunt. That’s like a treasure hunt.”

One glimpse of the ear-to-ear grin Adam wore with his T-shirt and basketball shorts poked a hole in Dan’s stoic facade just above his heart. The kid was too fast for him, jerking open the Beamer’s passenger door and bouncing into the car almost before he had a chance to shift into Park. A machine-gun volley of words rose from the backseat.

“Do you like treasure hunts? I do. Do you think we’ll see pirates? I asked Mom and she said no, but don’t you think we’ll see a pirate if we hunt for buried treasure?”

“Whoa, tiger. That’s a lot of questions all at once,” he interrupted. “Let’s wait and see what your mom has to say.”

Jess, the source of his conflicting emotions, sped down the stairs nearly as quickly as her child. Watching the way her curls sparkled in the midmorning sun, he gave his head a rueful shake. He’d done some serious thinking after their last fishing lesson and the kiss that still kept him awake nights. Jess wasn’t the polished, sophisticated woman his business associates would approve of, but his heart argued that she was exactly the kind of woman he wanted.

Unfortunately, their opposing interests in Phelps Cove made a romantic relationship impossible. He felt a pang of regret for what might have been as she reached into her pickup truck for Adam’s booster seat. Once Dan completed his fishing lessons, he and Jess would go their separate ways. Hopefully, not as bitter enemies, although his involvement with The Aegean might lead to that. In the meantime, or until his business partners finalized their purchase of the land she treated as her own, couldn’t they at least be friends?

And friends helped one another, didn’t they?

While Adam mashed buttons on his armrest, Dan slipped from behind the wheel.

“Here, let me get that for you.” He leaned in, brushing his lips across Jess’s cheek in the kind of greeting one friend would give another. Light danced in her dark eyes. She smelled of orange blossoms…

Behind him, the Beamer’s back window glided down.

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