Susan Mallery - Only Mine (Hqn)

W HATS IT GOING TO take to get you to cooperate? Money? Threats? Either works for me.

Dakota Hendrix looked up from her laptop to find a very tall, stern-looking man standing over her. Excuse me?

You heard me. Whats it going to take?

Shed been warned there would be plenty of crazies hanging around, but she hadnt actually believed it. Apparently shed been wrong.

You have a lot of attitude for someone wearing a plaid flannel shirt, she said, standing so she was at least something close to eye-level with the guy. If he hadnt been so obviously annoyed, she would have thought he was pretty decent-looking, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes.

He glanced down at himself, then back at her. What does my shirt have to do with anything?

Its plaid.

So?

Its hard to be intimidated by a man wearing plaid. Im just saying. And flannel is a friendly fabric. A little down-home for most people. Now if you were in all black, with a leather jacket, Id be a lot more nervous.

His expression tightened, as did a muscle in his jaw. His gaze sharpened, and she had a feeling that if he were just a little less civilized, he would throw something.

Having a bad day? she asked cheerfully.

Something like that. He spoke between clenched teeth.

Want to talk about it?

I believe thats how I started this conversation.

No. You started by threatening me. She smiled. At the risk of sending your annoyance level from an eight to a ten, sometimes being nice is more effective. At least it is with me. She held out her hand. Hi. Im Dakota Hendrix.

The man looked as if he would rather rip off her head than be polite, but after a couple of deep breaths, he shook hands with her and muttered, Finn Andersson.

Nice to meet you, Mr. Andersson.

Finn.

Finn, she repeated, being more perky than usual, simply because she thought it would bug him. How can I help you?

I want to get my brothers off the show.

Hence the threats.

He frowned. Hence? Who says that?

Its a perfectly good word.

Not where I come from.

She glanced down at the worn work boots he wore, then back to his shirt. Im almost afraid to ask where that is.

South Salmon, Alaska.

Youre a long way from home.

Worse, Im in California.

Hey, youre in my hometown. Ill thank you to be polite.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Fine. Whatever. You win. Can you help me with my brothers or not?

It depends. Whats the problem?

She motioned to the seat across from her small desk. Finn hesitated for a second, then folded his long body into a seated position. She took her chair and waited.

Theyre here, he said at last, as if that explained everything.

Here instead of back in South Salmon?

Here instead of finishing their last semester of college. Theyre twins. They go to UA. University of Alaska, he added.

But if theyre on the show, then theyre over eighteen, she said gently, feeling his pain, but knowing there was very little she could do about it.

Meaning I dont have any legal authority? he asked, sounding both resigned and bitter. Tell me about it. He leaned toward her, his gaze intense. I need your help. Like I said, theyre one semester from graduating, and they walked away from that to come here.

Dakota had grown up in the town of Fools Gold and had chosen to return after shed finished her schooling, so she didnt understand why anyone wouldnt want to live in town. But she would guess Finn was a lot more worried about his brothers future than their location.

He stood. Why am I even talking to you? Youre one of those Hollywood types. Youre probably happy theyve given up everything to be on your stupid show.

She rose as well, then shook her head. First of all, its not my stupid show. Im with the town, not the production company. Second, if youll give me a moment to think instead of instantly getting angry, maybe I can come up with something that will help. If youre like this with your brothers, Im not surprised they want to get a couple thousand miles away from you.

Given the little she knew about Finn from their thirty-second relationship, she half expected him to snarl at her, then disappear. Instead he surprised her by grinning.

The curve of his lips, the flash of teeth, wasnt anything unique, but it hit her in the stomach all the same. She felt as if all the air had rushed out of her lungs and she couldnt breathe. Seconds later, she managed to recover and told herself it was a momentary blip on her otherwise emotionally smooth radar. Nothing more than an anomaly. Like a sunspot.

Thats what they said, he admitted, returning to his seat with a sigh. That theyd hoped being at college would be far enough away, but it wasnt. The grin faded. Damn, this is hard.

She sat down and rested her hands on the table between them. What do your parents say about all this?

Im their parents.

Oh. She swallowed, not sure what tragedy had brought that about. She would guess Finn was all of thirty, maybe thirty-two. How long ago?

Eight years.

Youve been raising your brothers since they were what? Twelve?

They were thirteen, but yes.

Congratulations. Youve done a good job.

The smile faded as he scowled at her. How would you know that?

They made it into college, were successful enough to get to their final semester and now theyre emotionally tough enough to stand up to you.

The scowl turned into a sneer. Let me guess. Youre one of those people who calls rain liquid sunshine. If Id done my job with my brothers, they would still be in college, instead of here, trying to get on some idiotic reality show.

There was that, Dakota thought. From Finns perspective, nothing about this was good.

He shook his head. I cant figure out where I went wrong. All I wanted was to get them through college. Three more months. They only needed to stay in school three more months. But could they do that? No. They even sent me an email, telling me where they werelike Id be happy for them.