A Little Surprise For The Boss. Elizabeth Lane

back?”

      “He never did. My mother raised me on her own. She was a waitress at the old truck stop out by the main highway. We were so poor we lived on the leftover food she brought home.” Buck didn’t tell her his parents had never married, or that his mother had done more than wait tables at that truck stop. Some truths were better kept in silence.

      “If you were so poor, how did you get rich, Daddy?”

      “Smart thinking, lots of hard work—and good helpers like Terri.”

      “Is Terri rich, too?”

      Buck glanced across the table at Terri. She was nibbling her sundae, avoiding his gaze. He paid her a good salary, but after what he’d seen tonight, he was pretty sure she spent most of her money on her grandmother’s care. When she didn’t answer Quinn’s question, he answered for her. “Terri’s not nearly as rich as she deserves to be.”

      Guilt chewed at him, drawing blood. The old woman was Steve’s grandmother, too. If Steve had lived, Terri wouldn’t have had to shoulder the burden of her care alone. Nursing homes weren’t cheap, but for Buck the money would be pocket change. He’d call Canyon Shadows tomorrow and make some arrangements. Or maybe he ought to just buy the place. It was decently maintained and would likely be a good investment.

      But what was he thinking? After a day like today, he was in no frame of mind for business decisions.

      His gaze wandered back to Terri. She looked irresistible, with tendrils of windblown hair framing her face and a little smear of chocolate fudge on her upper lip. If they’d been alone he’d have been tempted to lean over and lick it off. He’d never had thoughts like this about her before—had always viewed her strictly as a friend. But now that he knew how good it could be between them...

      The memory slammed him—Terri leaning over him, straddling his hips as he thrust deep. And this time he could visualize her face, eyes closed, lips sensually parted.

      Damn!

      The lady was off-limits for so many reasons. And she was driving him crazy.

      * * *

      After the ice cream sundaes, Terri had finally managed to convince Buck that she wanted to walk back to her Jeep. The distance wasn’t far—only about seven blocks—and she truly needed to clear her head. As the Hummer drove away, she blew a last kiss to Quinn and set out.

      By now it was nearly dark, but Main Street was still busy, the shops and cafés doing a bustling business. The tiny white lights that adorned the sycamores along the boardwalk had come on, their glitter creating a festive atmosphere. But Terri’s mood was far from festive. From beginning to end, this had been the most emotional day in recent memory.

      Quinn’s presence tonight had been a godsend. She had no idea what she’d have said to Buck, or what he might have said to her, if they’d found themselves alone together. From his flirting with the waitress at dinner, it was clear that he wasn’t interested in pursuing anything with Terri. She’d been foolish to even consider the possibility. Maybe she should just forget it had ever happened. Expect nothing—that was the only way to survive life with Buck.

      Her thoughts shifted to their visit with her grandmother. Had it upset Buck to be mistaken for Steve? The two had been like brothers all their lives. Buck had been there in Iraq with their combat unit when Steve died. He’d never talked about it, and she’d never asked him, but Terri knew her brother’s death had affected him as deeply as it had her.

      She could understand why he’d insisted on ice cream tonight. He’d wanted to blur the memory and end the evening on a happy note. But the conversation with Quinn had only opened more dark windows on the past.

      Terri knew about Buck’s troubled childhood. And she knew how far his mother, a desperate but kindhearted woman, had gone to provide for her boy. Terri could only hope he had forgiven her.

      Terri’s long legs covered the seven blocks back to Giovanni’s at a brisk pace. Through the deepening twilight, she could make out her Jeep at the far end of the parking lot. She felt for the keys, pulled them out of her purse and strode toward the vehicle.

      Had Buck’s crew fixed her flat tire, or would she have to haul out the jack and the lug wrench and do it herself? No big deal—she’d changed tires before. And at least that way, she wouldn’t feel beholden to Buck. After this morning, she never wanted to feel obligated to him again. To use the old-fashioned expression, it would be too much like being paid for her favors.

      She was a few yards away from the Jeep when the parking lot’s overhead lights flashed on. In the sudden glare Terri saw what the shadows had hidden.

      The flat tire hadn’t just been changed. It had been replaced, along with the other three. Her ancient Jeep was now sporting four brand-new, top-of-the-line tires.

      Terri stared at Buck’s gift. What had the man been thinking? He could certainly afford to replace her tires. But why had he done it, especially without asking her? Did he think he owed her some kind of reward for her...services? Or had he done it out of some twisted sense of guilt for taking her to bed in the first place?

      Either way, she wasn’t going to let this stand.

      * * *

      “Daddy, why did Terri’s grandma call you Steve?”

      Quinn had been silent most of the way home. When she finally spoke, her question, coming out of the cab’s darkness, caught Buck off guard.

      “She’s old,” he said. “She can’t see very well, and sometimes her thoughts get confused. It’s sad, but it happens to some old people. That’s why she’s at Canyon Shadows, so the nurses can take care of her.”

      “But who’s Steve?” Quinn persisted. “Is he somebody who looks like you?”

      Buck tapped the brake as a mule deer bounded through the headlights and vanished into the brush on the far side of the road.

      “Steve was Terri’s brother and my best friend. He died in the war. It was a long time ago, before you were born. But his grandmother doesn’t remember that.”

      “How did he die?”

      “He was a soldier. He got shot.” Buck struggled to block the images that flashed through his mind. He wished his daughter would talk about something else.

      “That’s sad.” Quinn’s profile was a dark silhouette against the side window. “Where did they bury him?”

      “Right here in Porter Hollow. His grave is in the cemetery.” Buck pressed the remote button to open the wrought iron gate to his property. “What would you like to do tomorrow, besides clothes shopping with Terri?”

      “I want to go to the cemetery.”

      “What on earth for?” Buck bit back a curse as he gunned the Hummer up the steep driveway to the house. He knew Quinn was curious. But there was nothing in the cemetery he cared to show her, let alone see again himself.

      “I’ve never been to a cemetery. I want to see what it’s like. I want to see your mother’s grave—she’d be my grandma if she was alive. And I want to see where Steve is buried.”

      “Maybe Terri can take you after you go shopping.” It was the coward’s way out to dump this on Terri, but Buck really couldn’t go himself. He had some wealthy clients from Dubai coming in this afternoon to raft the Grand Canyon. He wanted to greet them personally and make sure everything was up to their standard of luxury. He’d been weighing the idea of building a second resort in the southeast corner of the state, near Moab, with access to Arches and Monument Valley. So far it was just a dream, but if he decided to go ahead, a hefty infusion of Dubai cash could make it happen sooner.

      If nothing else came of it, at least he’d have an excuse not to visit the cemetery and relive the past with Quinn.

      “What else would you like to do?” he asked his daughter. “I can have Terri line up anything you’d like. Oh, and I’ve