Page 57 of Dream Date With the Millionaire
Not even my heart.
Peter stood. “Just remember, son, a man has every right to protect himself.”
You don’t want to protect. You want to control.
Dani had been right about his trying to control things with her, but he hadn’t known the reason until now.
Being in control was the way Bryce protected himself.
The realization brought a rush of shame and a flash of clarity.
But controlling things hadn’t worked. He’d lost what mattered most.
Dani.
Peter walked toward the door. “Call your mother.”
“I will,” Bryce said. “Thanks for coming by.”
His father smiled. “Catch you later, son.”
Bryce dialed Dani’s cell number. One ring, two rings. The line connected. Every one of his muscles tensed.
“I’m sorry,” an automated voice said. “This wireless number is no longer in service.”
He grabbed his keys, told Joelle to cancel all his appointments for the day and drove to Dani’s apartment. He parked illegally, not caring if he got a ticket or was towed.
He’d known what she’d needed, but done the exact opposite. Sure he’d thought about her, but he’d also been thinking about himself. Just like…her father.
Bryce took the stairs three at a time. He knocked on Dani’s door.
Something clicked. The knob turned.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
The door opened.
“What do you want?” asked a man dressed in a pirate costume complete with eye patch and a real parrot on his shoulder.
Bryce’s heart fell. “I was looking for the woman who used to live here.”
“She’s gone.”
“Gone,” the parrot mimicked. “Long gone.”
“Do you know where she went?”
“Nope, but if you find her tell her thanks for cleaning this place so well.”
Bryce walked back to his car, trying to figure out what to do next. He had never let anything stand between him and what he wanted and he’d never wanted anything, he’d never needed anyone, as much as he wanted and needed Dani.
Bryce was going to make things right. He would make things work. Somehow.
But first he had to find her.
Dani speared a clump with a pitchfork. She hadn’t mucked stalls in over a year and already the muscles in her arms and shoulders ached. Good thing she’d remembered gloves or she’d have blisters on her hands.
Her pitchfork scraped the wheelbarrow.
The smell of horse and hay reminded her of the day at the stable with Bryce. Her mind burned with the memory.
Of her riding.
Of the sexy smile on Bryce’s face as he’d watched her.
Of the passionate kiss they’d shared.
Stop thinking about him. Dani squeezed her eyes closed, trying to force the images from her mind.
It was over. She opened her eyes. Over.
She stabbed another clump.
The horse from the next stall neighed.
Her boots crunched beneath the mixture of straw and shavings.
“Just be patient, Penny,” Dani said to the pretty little chestnut mare. “Your stall is next.”
The horse snorted.
“I know how you feel.” She leaned against the pitchfork handle and rolled her shoulders. “It’s not easy being patient.”
But Dani finally had a plan in place. She wiped her sweaty forehead with her forearm. She’d spent the last three days e-mailing her résumés to more companies. This morning, she’d even had a phone interview for a position in Raleigh, North Carolina. That was on the other side of the country, but nothing was stopping her from taking a job anywhere in the world. No one cared where she ended up except her mom, and she only wanted Dani to be happy wherever that might be.
She sifted through the clumps. The physical work felt good, satisfying.
“I wondered whether you’d be wearing a bandana,” a much too familiar voice said.
As Dani clutched the pitchfork handle, she pivoted toward the doorway.
Bryce stood at the entrance to the stall. Her stomach fell to the tips of her paddock boots. He stared at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. And liked what he saw. Dani ground her boot against the floor.
She stole another glance his way. Sweat beaded on his forehead as if he were nervous about something. Not so calm and collected today. That surprised her.
He also looked out of place in his dress pants and Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top button undone at his neck.
Out of place, but handsome as ever. Not that she cared what he looked like, Dani reminded herself.
“How did you find me?” she asked.
“Once I figured out you’d moved, I found your two friends’ user names on a chat log I had. Unfortunately for me, Kangagirl and Englishcrumpet weren’t about to give you up until I’d convinced them I had your best interests in mind. But they were easier to convince than your mother.”
