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Unfortunately, your father knew it, too. It took Jordan a while to figure out he felt the same way, but once he got the message things have worked out rather nicely.”
    As she spoke, Dani could imagine her mother’s soft, nostalgic smile, the one that always came with any mention of Jordan Adams.
    â€œAnyway, enough about that,” her mother said briskly. “We were talking about Duke.”
    â€œYou were talking about Duke,” Dani corrected.
    â€œAnd you were trying to avoid the subject. I was just going to say if any man on earth needs a woman in his life, he does.”
    Dani had been waiting for this particular hint. It was about as subtle as a swat with a riding crop. “Forget it,” she said emphatically.
    â€œForget what?” her mother inquired innocently.
    â€œI am not now nor will I ever be interested in Duke Jenkins.”
    â€œBecause of his boys, I imagine.”
    â€œOf course, because of the boys. Mother, I really don’t want to get into this again. Just forget it, okay? If you feel some sort of matchmaking force coming over you, give Jenny a call. She’s older than I am. She’s practically an old maid. Besides, she has Grandpa Harlan’s tough hide. She could probably handle a man like Duke Jenkins, plus his sons without batting an eye. She needs a little romance in her life. I don’t.”
    â€œDanielle…”
    â€œDon’t start with the Danielle. That always precedes a lecture and I don’t need one. It’s been a long day and I’m exhausted.”
    â€œBut—”
    â€œBye, Mom. Good to hear from you. Love you.”
    â€œDanielle! Don’t you dare hang up on me.”
    With only the slightest twinge of regret, Dani ignored her mother’s command and slid the receiverfirmly back into its cradle. Francie III crawled into her lap, circled twice, then settled down, purring loudly as Dani automatically stroked her under her chin.
    Jenny and Duke Jenkins. Now there was a combination to contemplate. Grandpa Harlan’s adopted daughter was as potentially volatile as a high school chemistry lab. Unlike Dani, she would be a more than even match for a man like Duke.
    Ironically, though, the thought of seeing the two of them together made acid churn in Dani’s stomach. If she hadn’t known better, she would have labeled the reaction as pure, gut-deep jealousy, which was ridiculous, of course. No single father would ever stir anything more dangerous than the quiet warmth of friendship in her ever again. She wouldn’t allow it.

    * * *

    Famous last words, she thought a few days later when she went to White Pines for the annual Fourth of July celebration. There were Duke, Joshua and Zachary right in the thick of things. There was Jenny, beautiful, dark-haired Jenny Runningbear Adams, holding Duke’s attention with her animated telling of some Native American lore. Dani wanted to strangle them both, which was hardly the reaction of a disinterested third party.
    Everyone—with the exception of her mother and Jordan—claimed to be absolutely stunned that she and Duke had already met. Her grandfather’s claim struck her as a little too hearty, a little too determinedly innocent. She didn’t trust the man one iota, not when it came to meddling. How Harlan Adams could have heard about the whole kitten incident she had no idea, but she didn’t doubt for asecond that he knew every detail. Nothing in Los Pinos and especially with his own family escaped his notice.
    Nor did she doubt that Duke and the boys were here at his personal invitation. She doubted he’d needed any coaching from her mother on this one. Grandpa Harlan was a romantic, and he wasn’t about to rest until everyone he loved was settled down and as content as he was.
    â€œNice-looking family,” her grandfather observed as if he’d gotten a look inside her head. Old as he was, he still moved with an agility and