“No.” She was shaking her head. This was impossible. He was impossible. Life, at the moment, was impossible. “Oh, no, you won’t.”
He sighed as though her lack of a charitable response pained him deeply. “I won’t be in your hair constantly. I promise. I’ll be over here, out of the way. But when I need you for something, I can call you over and—”
“This is just typical of you, isn’t it?” she demanded with fury, leaning toward him across the desk. “You see everything through the same prism—what would be best for you. Did it ever occur to you that I might have other priorities right now?”
He looked puzzled. “No, actually. I thought maybe you’d be glad for the company. Time can really drag when you’re required to talk nothing but baby gibberish all day.”
“How would you know?”
He half laughed. “Darcy, I keep trying to make you understand that I’ve got a broad experience with the ways of the world. I know a lot. About everything.”
“Even children.”
“Well, probably not as much as you.”
“Oh my goodness, what an admission,” she said sarcastically. “Well, you’re guaranteed to learn a lot more about children than you’ve ever wanted to know if you think you’re staying here,” she warned.
He actually looked surprised. “Not if you keep them in their play area. This is a work area.”
She stared at him. Was he for real? “I’m warning you, Mitch. The kids will not be kept out of your way. The kids are center stage in this house. If you want a pure work environment, go back to work.”
He took a deep breath and obviously decided not to say what first came trippingly to his tongue. “It’s good that we’re discussing this,” he said unconvincingly. “This way we can work to establish the parameters of our working relationship.”
She couldn’t believe he could be such a dunderhead. “Mitch, get a clue! There’s no working relationship. I’m here mothering and you’re intruding.”
“Darcy, calm down. This is all for the best, believe me.”
That did it. She’d never been so furious. Reaching out she grabbed his newly installed phone and began punching buttons.
“What are you doing?” he asked pleasantly, still leaning back in the desk chair as though all was well with his world and her anger was just a minor passing squall.
She glared at him. “I’m calling the police. I’ve got an intruder in the house.”
“Oh. Good idea.” He smiled at her. “Did I get a chance to tell you my cousin Daniel just made captain of the Terra Dulce Police Force? Oh, and Justin Cabrera, my best friend from kindergarten is on the day desk these days. You’ll probably talk to him first. Tell him ‘hi’ for me, okay?”
She stared at him for a moment as she digested this news, then slammed down the phone. “What—does your family own this town?”
He grinned. “Let’s just say the Carvers have impact in Terra Dulce. Always have. Funny, I hated that when I was growing up. Now I’m finding it can come in quite handy.”
She wanted to wring his neck. She looked at it, imagining her fingers there, slowly tightening. But that proved self-defeating. Touching his neck would quickly turn into something sensual. There was just no escaping the fact that the man turned her on.
“You’re impossible.”
“That’s probably true.” His face softened. “Aw, come on, Darcy. Grin and bear it. It won’t be so bad.” He waited a moment and when he didn’t see any relenting on her part, he sighed. “Okay, I should have called first. I should have warned you what I was planning. But you would have marshaled your forces against me, wouldn’t you?”
She gave him the barest of assenting nods.
“I have no idea how many muscular bruiser guys you could have invited over to take a whack at me. I didn’t think it was worth risking, when I’m so sure you’re going to be glad I move in when all is said and done.”
“Really?”
“You wait and see.” He tried to coax a smile from her. “I had to do this. I wasn’t getting anything done without you. And if I’d been locked up with Skylar much longer, I would probably have to start pricing cement shoes.”
The thought almost made her smile, but she managed to control it. “For her or for you?” she asked.
He grinned and she could see that he thought she was weakening. And darn it all—he was probably right. After all, he was so … installed. She didn’t have a clue how she could pry him loose. And she heard the boys beginning to stir.
And, truth to tell, there was a little place down deep in her heart that was glad he was here. That just showed that she was losing it.
“Just for one night,” she warned him as she left to take care of her babies.
“We’ll see,” he said, cocky as ever. “Maybe having me around will grow on you.”
“Yeah, right,” she said dryly. But she was already out of earshot by then. And she had a silly smile on her face. This was just plain hopeless.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE funny thing was, despite everything, Mitch was getting more work done here than he had at the office. He could hear Darcy in the other room, talking to her babies, doing housework, playing a CD and singing in that great bluesy voice for the children. It was … sort of nice. Something about being this close to Darcy seemed to put his mind at rest in a strange way.
But maybe he was making too much of it. Probably it was just that he no longer had to waste time wondering how he was going to get her back at work. Now he’d taken work to her. So that problem was solved.
He worked through the afternoon. Darcy stopped by while the babies were down for a nap. He looked up to see her standing behind the French doors and he motioned for her to come on in.
“How’s it coming?” she asked him. She looked a bit edgy, as though she couldn’t get used to his being here in her house. That seemed so different from the reaction he was having, he had to smile, but it did make him a little sad. If only she could accept his good intentions, things would go more smoothly.
“Great. I’m going gangbusters here. But I could use a little feedback from you.”
She hesitated. “All right,” she conceded, dropping into a chair across the desk from him. He got her to help composing a letter, then made her run through some options on a real estate campaign he’d been asked to give some input on. She responded willingly enough, then looked at all his equipment in wonder.
“How did you get all this stuff in here so quickly?” she asked him.
He smiled. “I hire good people. That’s why I need you.”
She made a face at him. “Too much flattery and I’ll stop believing it,” she warned.
He laughed. “That’s what I like about you, Darcy. You’re about the most honest person I know.”
A small smile trembled on her lips. “So I’ve got you fooled, at least,” she murmured.
He grinned, leaning forward. “Listen, I want to get started on the Heartland submission. You know the right people. You know what has to be done to win the competition for the job. I’d like you to start working up an outline of our game plan.”
Her gaze was hooded and it was a moment before she answered him. “What makes you so sure I want you to win?” she asked.
That set him back on his heels. It had never occurred to him that she wouldn’t be in his corner. He frowned,