Daddy by Surprise by Debra Salonen Page B

shook her head. The saucy curls bounced. Up close he could tell the sun-streaked colors varied from very light cream to burnt gold. He’d never been drawn to blondes, but that bias didn’t seem to apply to her.
    “I was filling in for a friend last night. I’d work there more often—the money’s good—but finding a sitter is always a challenge.”
    “What about your sons’ father?”
    “Fathers. Plural. Two boys. Two ex-husbands. And as much as I’d like to say Pete and Drew are totally committed to making sure their sons’ mother gets an occasional break, I’d be lying.”
    He couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t sound as if she expected things to be any other way. He wondered why.
    “Can’t you write that kind of arrangement into your custody papers?”
    “Oh, that’s how things started out, but life intrudes. Younger siblings develop rashes. Stepmoms have second and third babies. Schedules change, and since I remember what it’s like when divorced parents bicker, I try to keep things on an even keel for my boys. Even if it inconveniences me.”
    He found that commendable. Heroic, even.
    He’d been thinking a lot about what constituted a hero. Even before he knew for sure he was coming to the Black Hills, he’d read about some of the local characters, like Wild Bill Hickok. Was his enduring fame due to the circumstances surrounding his untimely death? Or did his legacy stem from a code of honor he’d held to dearly until that fateful night in the Number Ten saloon?
    Jack wasn’t sure, but the idea of exploring off the beaten path came back to him. “How long have you lived in the Black Hills?”
    “All my life. I was born in Spearfish, but between my parents’ divorce and my own marriages, I’ve lived all around. Custer. Sturgis. Belle Fourche. Rapid. You name it, I probably lived there.”
    “So, if I wanted a tour guide who could show me the real Black Hills, you’d be the one to hire, right?”
    She bent down to his level again. “I’ve never done that before.”
    “Would you be interested?”
    “Do you mean I’d drive you around in my car?”
    He shook his head. “On my bike. It came with an extra helmet. You could give me a running history of the area and tell me where to go.”
    She frowned slightly as if thinking over the proposition. “When?”
    “Tomorrow? If it doesn’t rain.”
    “Well…Jordie is supposed to go to his dad’s tomorrow for a week, and Tag has another two days of camping scheduled, so I suppose I could. But I couldn’t do it for free.”
    “Of course not.” He did some quick math. Eight hours. Forty dollars an hour seemed fair. He quoted her the price.
    “Seriously? Deal.”
    She flashed a bright smile, then quickly ducked her head and went back to work. “No more talking. You’re making my ink dry too fast.”
    He was careful not to chuckle. Didn’t want to move and ruin her artistry.
    He wasn’t an impulsive kind of guy, but in two days he’d made two big, impulsive gestures. So far, he was very satisfied with the first. He only hoped the second would prove equally smart.
    After all, there had to be worse things than riding around the mountains with a beautiful blonde on the back of his bike.

CHAPTER FIVE
    “R EADY ?”
    Jack couldn’t hear her voice over the roar of his engine, but he read the word on her lips. Her pretty pinkish coral lips that glistened in the morning sunshine. The storm had blown itself out during the night and the day looked very promising, Jack thought, turning off the deafening rumble of his engine.
    He removed his helmet and got off the bike. In the background, her neighbor’s dogs barked with a furor that surely would have meant dismemberment if they were loose.
    “Enough,” Kat shouted in the dogs’ general direction.
    The barking stopped.
    “Nicely done,” Jack said. “You’re going to make a great teacher.”
    She seemed pleased by his remark, but she didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, she repeated, “Are