Her Hawaiian Homecoming (Mills & Boon Superromance) (9 page)

“Why bad news?” Allie asked, interest suddenly piqued.

“He’s a player with a capital
P
,” Teri said. “He’s not a one-woman man.”

“He can play me
any day
,” Minnie echoed in a dreamy, far-off voice. “Have you seen those abs? And that accent! I mean, ‘Cowboy, Take Me Away,’ you know what I’m saying? When he goes kayaking out of the bay, women just line up to watch and see if he’ll take his shirt off. I mean, a guy who looks like that? Maybe he should have more than one woman. We
ought
to share him, for the sake of the sisterhood.”

Teri laughed. “Minnie!” she exclaimed, giving her friend a shocked pat on the shoulder.

Allie had to admit he did have a nice chest. She could see why women would follow him around. Not
this
one, though.

“How do you know he’s a player?” Allie asked, curious now.

“Besides the fact he takes a new tourist home every Saturday night?”

Allie gulped. Every week? Not that she ought to be surprised. She knew Dallas was proud of his body. Why wouldn’t he want to show it off naked to a new woman weekly?

“An expensive proposition,” she said, thinking aloud.

“Oh, Dallas can afford it. Rumor has it he’s rich. Big sale of a family’s ranch back in Texas,” Minnie said. “He owns tons of stuff around here.”

“Like what?”

Minnie shrugged. “Real estate. Stores. Whatever. I’m surprised he’s not married already. He almost was last year.”

“Until he cheated on his fiancée,” Teri muttered, frowning as she held up her cup of mai tai in a grim toast.

“He cheated on her?” Allie asked, feeling suddenly angry for the woman. She knew what that felt like. Poi nudged her leg, and she absently bent down to give him a soft pat.

“Yeah.” Teri took a sip of her cocktail, as if to wash the truth of it from her mouth. “They made a really pretty couple, too. She had this beautiful little girl from another relationship. They were a pretty little family, even moved in together, until she had to work longer hours, and Dallas took advantage.”

Allie didn’t like that. Not one bit. How could he do that to his girlfriend? Or to her little girl? She felt a surge of new anger. She’d been right about him from the start, the jerk. He was
just
like Jason. His nice-guy, aw-shucks demeanor was just a cover for the womanizer beneath.

“Longer hours?” Minnie scoffed, gesturing with her hands and nearly tipping the edge of her plastic cocktail cup. She saved the mai tai just in time. “She was gone for
weeks
at a time filming that real estate show. What is it?
Hawaii Living
?”

Allie knew
Hawaii Living
. That was Jennifer Thomas’s show.

“Wait,
Jennifer Thomas
was his girlfriend?”

“Yeah, how did you know?” Minnie asked.

“I
invited
her over to the estate,” Allie confessed, awkwardly rubbing her arms. “To look at the land.”

Minnie and Teri stared at one another and then broke out laughing. “I bet Dallas loved that.”

“Well, it explains why he was so mad,” Allie confessed sheepishly. First, Kaimana and then Dallas and Jennifer—she felt at every turn like the new girl constantly stepping in it. She had a lot to learn about the island.
Not if you don’t plan to stay
, that tiny voice in her head pointed out.

“Well, well, speak of the devil,” Teri declared, as she looked at the back patio door.

Allie followed her line of sight and saw Dallas McCormick walking into the backyard. If he’d looked good without his shirt on, he looked even sexier now wearing a pressed white linen button-up and khaki shorts. His sharp blue eyes were hidden by expensive-looking sunglasses, but his thick blond hair was perfectly styled, and his broad chest just begged to be stroked. She saw him and her body instantly reacted, as if there was a magnetic pull straight to his navel. He pushed up his sunglasses, and she observed his clear blue eyes find hers in the crowd. For a full second, she froze, unable to move. He gave her a brief nod, and Allie felt a shiver run down the back of her spine. She hated that he looked so good. It made her even angrier.

Allie mentally shook herself. Was it something about her? Was she just destined to be attracted to unfaithful men?

“I’m surprised he came alone,” scoffed Teri, as if it were a bad word. “The man can’t do without female attention for ten minutes.”

“Why shouldn’t he? He’s gorgeous
and
rich. What else do you want in a man?” Minnie exclaimed.

“Fidelity?” Allie offered, which made Teri burst out laughing.

“Oh, I like this one.” She gave Allie’s arm a playful squeeze.

“You two are insane. Or blind,” Minnie chided. “I’m going to go stand at a discreet distance from my boyfriend and hover awkwardly. See you!” She made a beeline for Dallas, dragging Poi through the crowd. And she wasn’t the only one, either. Pretty soon three girls were standing around him making small talk, giggling and flipping hair.

“Are you going to head over there next?” Teri asked, a disapproving look on her face as she watched Minnie jostle for position.

“Me? Never! He’s arrogant and rude, and besides, I’ve half sworn off men anyway.”

“Did I tell you that I like you already?” Teri asked, as she wrapped her arm around Allie’s shoulders and squeezed. “Don’t forget to come by the salon! We’re right next to Hula Coffee.” Teri spotted a young man, barely older than a teenager, crossing the yard. “Oh, there’s Mason. I have to talk to him about the paint job he’s going to do next week. Will you be all right here on your own?” Teri had a mothering quality about her. Allie thought it was kind of nice, being looked after.

“I’ll be fine,” she said.

“If you get lonesome, come on and find me.” The sincere look in her eyes couldn’t be missed. “I only moved here five years ago. I remember how it feels to be the new girl on the island.”

Allie felt surprisingly glad for the offer. “Thanks, Teri.”

Allie took another big swig of her mai tai as she turned her attention back to the girls still swooning over Dallas. He didn’t do much to discourage them, she thought. Maybe the rumors were right. She watched for a few more seconds and then decided it was impolite to stare. She’d hate for Dallas to get the impression she cared one way or another.

She still couldn’t believe he’d cheated on his fiancée. Then again, part of her could. Unfortunately, her opinion of men had gone downhill since Jason. She pretty much thought any of them were capable of severe disappointment.
Especially the dangerously handsome ones.

It was as if they were too sexy to have to learn the difference between right and wrong. Walking toddlers, the lot of them, using their charisma carelessly on anyone who stumbled into their path.

She took another drink and glanced around the yard. It was spacious and wide, and didn’t have a fence. Kai’s aunt’s house boasted a sliver of an ocean view, the same as Dallas’s half of the estate, and the water sparkled darkly under the light of a big full moon.

A mature mango tree grew near the house, and Allie recognized it as the one with a low V of branches, the one she and Kai would climb all the way to the near top. She realized it was probably all of fifteen feet tall, but then, when she was just five, it seemed like ten stories high. She saw Kaimana suddenly walk near the tree, paper plate heaped high with smoked sausage from the grill.

“Kaimana!” Allie called, just in time to see the older woman turn and stare. She quickly chewed the remainder of her bite and then bustled off toward the back door, as if trying to escape. Maybe she was. “Kaimana! Wait!”

But she sure could move fast for a seventysomething woman wearing a muumuu and orthopedic sandals. Kaimana had ducked inside the house before Allie had made it halfway across the backyard. When she got to the patio door, she found it locked.

That tricky old lady!
She’d locked her out!

Unbelievable. First the fake language barrier and now this. Allie got the distinct impression Kai’s aunt really didn’t want to talk about Misu’s land. Well, it didn’t change the fact that she was the only one standing in the way of selling her share. Allie needed to talk to her whether she wanted to or not. Allie whirled on her foot, ready to stomp around to the front, when she nearly ran into a wall.

She looked up in time to see the broad chest she’d almost hit belonged to Dallas McCormick.

“Looking for someone?” Dallas’s lip quirked up in a knowing smile, and right then, Allie thought he and Kaimana might be conspirators working together to keep her little paper unsigned.

“Uh, no. Just looking for the food.”

“As it happens, I’ve got an extra plate.” Dallas was carrying two full plates of barbecue, potato salad and something that looked like sliced mango. “I thought you might be hungry.”

Allie glanced around, wondering where his throng of admirers had gone, and that was when she saw a few of them standing by the barbecue pit, eyeing her with interest. Had he really just ditched his fan club to offer her a plate of food? She looked at the potato salad with suspicion. Why was he being nice? The man who shut off her shower wasn’t nice.

“Why? You trying to poison me?” Allie glared at him with suspicion.

“Ouch. Maybe I deserved that,” Dallas admitted. “It’s a peace offering. I promise. No poison.”

She looked at the food suspiciously and then back at the ladies near the barbecue pit, who were trying not to outright stare.

“Come on, Allie,” Dallas coaxed. “I’m trying to say I’m sorry.”

“You shut off the water to the shower!”

“I turned it back on right away.”

He
had
? That took Allie completely off guard. She’d just assumed it was off, which was why she’d been bathing with bottles of water in the kitchen sink for two days.

“You did?”

“You didn’t notice?” Dallas threw back his head and laughed. “I wouldn’t be such a bad guy that I would seriously not let you shower. I just wanted to make a point. Besides, as I recall, you
did
say please.”

Allie’s face burned with embarrassment. Why hadn’t she checked? She’d...just assumed the worst.
God, what a fool!

“You should have said something!” Allie folded her arms across her chest and glared.

Dallas just laughed more. “How? You weren’t talking to me!”

Touché.

Allie’s anger faded a bit. So Dallas hadn’t left her stranded without water out of spite like she’d thought. She’d been the one who assumed he had.

Allie glanced again at the ring of girls watching them and whispering. She suddenly felt like the new girl at school talking to the star quarterback.

“Look, let’s agree to a cease-fire, okay?” Dallas offered. “You can go back to stomping on coffee cherries tomorrow. But right now, let’s just eat and pretend we’re not going to kill one another.”

Dallas’s warm smile softened Allie a bit, but not enough.

“I’m not all that hungry,” Allie said, and then her stomach growled loudly.

“You’re a terrible liar.” Dallas chuckled. “Either you take the plate or I feed it to Poi, and I’m not sure that pup can handle all this potato salad. Not to mention, Kai and Jesse will be pissed if I tell them you fed their food to the dog!”

“How do I know you didn’t spit in it?” Allie eyed the plate with some disdain.

“Honestly. You go shut off a girl’s water for fifteen minutes and she starts to think you’re a criminal.
You
stepped on my coffee plant first.”

“You deserved that.”

“Maybe I did.” Dallas shoved the plate toward Allie. “Eat, would you, woman? Kai’s awesome barbecue is getting cold. That’s a crime against...barbecue.”

Kai gave her a wave from the grill, and Allie realized she was trapped now. Reluctantly, she took the plate. The smell of the food wafted up to meet her, hearty and good. She took a bite, and the barbecue melted in sweet goodness on her tongue. She almost forgot that Dallas was watching her every bite, his blue eyes studying her mouth. She felt a charge of tension between them, but chalked it up to the fact that she wanted to sell her share of the land, and he didn’t. Tension would be part of everything until that was settled.

“So how do you and Kai know each other?” Allie asked.

“Everybody knows Kai, but he’s a good friend, yes,” Dallas said. “He was the very first friend I made on the island. I had this crazy idea to go surfing, though I’d never been. I headed into some pretty atrocious waves, and nearly bit it that first day. I don’t know what I was thinking. Cowboys don’t surf! I wrecked my board, and Kai saved my life. Don’t tell him, though, because it’ll just go to his head.”

Allie laughed a little. Dallas grinned.

Then an awkward silence fell. Allie waited for Dallas to leave. His peace offering delivered, he was under no obligation to stay. Yet, he lingered.

“Thanks for the food, but you can mingle if you want to,” Allie said, hoping he’d take the hint and go. She felt a little disoriented, a little dizzy with him standing so close. She could smell his aftershave, something crisp and outdoorsy, and it made her want to bury her nose in his shirt collar. It just underlined the fact that she had terrible taste in men. Jason was no fluke, which was a depressing thought.

“You trying to get rid of me?” Dallas put up some mock outrage.

“No,” Allie lied.

“You are. What? Do I smell?” Teasing laughter lit up his blue eyes.

“No.” Another lie. He did smell, very good in fact. His demeanor was night and day from a few days ago. Allie couldn’t figure it out at all. Why was he being so nice?

“Then, how about we try some small talk? How are you enjoying your stay so far?”

“Fine,” Allie mumbled, thinking so far it had been anything but. She wiggled against the elastic lining of her sleeveless dress as it rubbed mercilessly on the burn on her back. The food smelled wonderful, and she needed a distraction, so she dug in. It was delicious, and as she ate, she realized she was famished. She softened a little toward Dallas.

“There are some seats over there,” he said.