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She still had so much more to make up for, but she was proud of taking the first step, of confessing her greatest faults to people she respected.
There was so much more to do, a long road of actions she had to take, but first, she needed the Mavericks to know how grateful she was. “I can never thank you all enough for everything you’ve done.” For working on her house. And, more important, for pardoning her terrible mistakes. “I appreciate your help from the bottom of my heart.”
Daniel took her hand in his, squeezing her fingers lightly, spreading his warmth through her. “You’ve got the Mavericks behind you, Tasha.” He grinned. “Whether you want us or not.”
“I’m starving.” Matt’s stomach growled right on cue. “Steak for dinner sound good to everyone?”
Tasha couldn’t believe they’d forgiven her and, just like that, moved on to practical matters like food and who’d lost the extra box of roofing nails and if the weather would hold out until the new roof was finished tomorrow.
But instead of following them, Tasha said, “I’ll be along in a little bit. Don’t wait on dinner for me, okay?”
Daniel got that stubborn look, the one she was starting to know quite well, readying himself to insist on staying with her. Until she whispered, “I’m not going to run. I promise. There’s just something I need to do.” She gave him a small but heartfelt smile.
He left with obvious reluctance—and no small measure of concern for her creasing the corners of his eyes. As soon as the men were walking down the mountain toward his house, Tasha went to her laptop.
She hadn’t been into her email for so long that she fumbled her password a couple of times. But if she was brave enough to tell Daniel—and the Mavericks as well—then she couldn’t stop there.
It was time, long past time, to find out where Drew and her father had gone.
She sent her brother a quick email. Moments later, she got a domain notice saying the email address didn’t exist. Just as she’d thought. She sent a brief note to Barbara, her father’s receptionist, saying the usual, Hi, hope all is well, heard from my brother or my dad? Thanks. Who else could she contact? She trolled her history, finding a group email from her brother that included addresses for a couple of his friends. She sent queries their way too. A polite opening, then, Heard anything from my brother?
She stared at the screen, thinking, thinking. Who else? She didn’t bother with either of the investigators who’d talked to her. If they’d tracked down her father and Drew, they’d already be in jail. But hadn’t there been a lawyer her father had brought in? Tasha pressed her fingers to her temples to try to squeeze a name out of her brain. Nothing came.
Barbara might remember. As soon as the receptionist emailed her back—if she emailed back—Tasha would ask her. Heck, Barbara might know lots of other names to try.
For now, though, Tasha couldn’t think of anyone else, which made her realize how pitifully little she knew about her family.
Her heart was beating fast and her fingers trembled slightly on the keys of her laptop as she waited for someone to reply. But her inbox remained glaringly empty. She’d have to wait, hoping someone would have a trail she could follow.
Yet despite the failure to receive any answers, it was good to finally do something constructive. She wasn’t running, she wasn’t hiding. She was being proactive.
And the person she had to thank for that was Daniel. Because without his touch, his kiss, or his belief in her, she might never have found the courage.
Chapter Sixteen
Two days later, Tasha and Daniel stood together in his driveway, waving as Will backed the SUV out. “Good-bye,” Tasha called. “Thank you for everything.”
The Mavericks had decided to leave early on Monday so they could spend the rest of the holiday with their loved ones at home. They weren’t taking Spanky or Froggy yet, agreeing not to split up the puppies until they were a little older. But Tasha had sent the guys off with a hearty lunch packed in Harper’s picnic basket.
When the SUV disappeared around a curve in the road, she turned to smile at Daniel, and the beauty that was a glow around her made his heart leap in his chest. “I’m going to miss them,” she said. “And not just for putting on my new roof. I really like your friends.”
“They’re good guys.” The absolute truth, however?
He wouldn’t miss them today. Not when all he’d craved since Saturday evening was to have Tasha to himself.
He’d walked her back to her place Saturday night, but instead of sharing another kiss, she’d evaded him completely, with yesterday being a repeat.
Yet, no matter how much he wanted her, no matter how frustrated he was in his cold, lonely bed, he didn’t want to make a mistake by pushing things too fast. She’d been hurt badly by her scum of an ex and by her father’s betrayal. In her position, he wouldn’t want to leap into a new relationship too quickly either. Especially when they hadn’t been alone since she’d told him the truth about her family. There’d been no chance to really talk. She was still wary, holding back, balking at outward displays of affection in front of his friends. He wanted to learn so much more about her, more details about her life. He wanted to get to know her, really know her.
Anyone who knew Daniel also understood that he’d been driven his whole life by one thing: determination. He’d been determined to make it out of the slums. He’d been determined to grow his business to the point where he could take his parents—and the rest of his family—with him. Now, he wanted nothing more than to make Tasha laugh, to bring her completely out of her shell and, most of all, to forgive herself.
Daniel Spencer never failed once he set his mind on something.
And his mind was most definitely set on Tasha.
After her confession to Daniel and his friends, he and the guys had talked privately about her situation. The Mavericks were ready and raring to track down her family, including the bastard ex-boyfriend. They certainly had the resources to do it. But in his opinion, only Tasha had the right to track—and confront—her family.
Of course, the guys couldn’t stand to do absolutely nothing, so for now they’d agreed to search out victims of the scam and make sure all of them received restitution. Daniel had already called the Mavericks’ private investigator to get that ball rolling. He’d let Tasha know about it if and when there were results.
