Free Heiress for Hire by Erin McCarthy Page B

hat was clearly a shield too.
     
    It made sense then, at the same time it broke his heart, why he couldn't see her hair falling out of her hat. There wasn't any. Jesus. Danny dropped to a squat in front of her, wanting to cry for the first time in his adult life. For the first time since Shelby had miscarried his child.
     
    "Why did your hair fall out, baby girl?" He was thinking cancer, which was killing him. He couldn't find his daughter to lose her. He couldn't.
     
    "The doctor says its stress. He says maybe it will come back when I'm older." Piper touched her hat, looking a little panicked. "But you can't tell anyone. It's a secret."
     
    While there was relief it wasn't cancer, this answer came with raging, engulfing guilt. Sadness. Fear. How could he ever make this right? "I won't tell anyone, Piper. I promise."
     
    He lifted his hand toward her and saw her wince. He froze with his hand in the air before going with instinct and continuing on to give her shoulder a little squeeze. "Let me get that breakfast started. You must be starving."
     
    Turning to the stove, he struggled to regain his composure, beat back the panic that zipped through his body like the caffeine from those three cups of coffee. This would work out. It would. He just had to be patient.
     
    His front door flew open as he cracked the first egg.
     
    "Danny?"
     
    His mother. He should have known to expect her sooner than later. Gossip spread like dandelion weeds in this town.
     
    "I'm in the kitchen, Mom."
     
    He glanced at Piper. She stood frozen in front of the table, her balding Barbie dangling by one leg. "It's my mom, Piper. Bet she heard about you and had to see for herself the little girl I told my father I was so excited about."
     
    His mother came into the room like a semi-truck on an empty highway. Piper flinched, and Danny shut off the heat on the stove and moved to her side to reassure her. His mother wasn't exactly subtle or dainty or soft-spoken. Wilhemina Tucker was descended from strong German peasant stock, and she had made a damn good farmer's wife for the last thirty years.
     
    Tough, tenacious, tender-hearted. That was his mother.
     
    And now he watched her brusque, stubborn face just crumple. Tears filled her eyes, and Danny hoped like hell he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of her by getting choked up too.
     
    "Mom, this is Piper Danielle Schwartz, my daughter. Piper, this is Wilhemina Georgette Tucker, my mother."
     
    "You can call me Grandma, sugar." And his mother bent down and enveloped Piper in a hug that could crack her ribs.
     
    Piper didn't hug back. She just kind of stood there, stiff, biting her lip.
     
    Fortunately, his mother didn't seem to notice. She stepped back and cupped Piper's cheeks with her hands. "I'm so glad to meet you."
     
    Piper's face was enveloped with his mother's tan, farm-worn hands, her little lips compressed into an hourglass shape. His daughter looked nothing short of terrified.
     
    His mother let go of her but started gushing. "We're going to have so much fun, you and me. I always wanted a daughter."
     
    "Gee, thanks, Mom." Danny rubbed his chin and went back to the eggs, cracking a second along with the first already in the bowl.
     
    She waved her hand at him in dismissal. "Oh, you know what I mean. I wanted a daughter after you." Bending down, she looked at Piper's doll. "Well, she's a sad-looking thing. How about Grandma buys you a new one?"
     
    Danny glanced back and saw Piper shake her head.
     
    "No? Surely you would like a pretty new one with a nice dress and some long hair. And maybe a new hat for you while we're at it." His mother tried to take off Piper's hat, and Danny winced. Now he knew that was absolutely the worst thing to try.
     
    He knew his mother was excited, but he thought she was taking the wrong tact. Piper was sensitive, and the only sensitive thing about Willie Tucker was her teeth when she drank ice water.
     
    Piper was gripping her hat and