Free The Truth About Tara by Darlene Gardner Page A

longlegs.
    “Look how cute it is!” Susie cried.
    Gustavo laughed and hoisted his daughter onto his lap. “Only you would call a spider cute. You were careful with him, weren’t you, mi hija dulce? ”
    Carrie knew enough Spanish to figure out that translated to “my sweet daughter.”
    “Yeah. See how fast he moves,” Susie said, her attention on the spider. Her speech was quite good, clearer than Danny’s. Down syndrome children commonly had significant language delays. She must have had a good speech therapist.
    “He’s trying to get away.” Gustavo blocked a side of the table so the spider didn’t scramble to the floor.
    “Why?” Susie asked. “We won’t hurt him.”
    “He doesn’t know that.” Gustavo set his daughter back on the floor and got to his feet. He easily caught the spider in his cupped hands. “Let’s take him outside where he belongs.”
    Susie’s face fell. “I didn’t mean to make him sad.”
    “Are you kidding me, sweetheart? If not for you, he might never find his way outside.” He slanted a look at Carrie. “You’ll have to excuse me. Fatherhood calls.”
    “Go,” Carrie said.
    He smiled at Carrie. The bulk of his attention, however, was on his daughter, where it rightly should be. She watched them leave, forming the impression that Gustavo Miller was a very nice man and an even better father.
    It wasn’t until he was almost out of sight that she realized she never had gotten around to asking him to waive the second half of Danny’s tuition.
    * * *
    T ARA BLINKED ONCE , then twice. It did no good. Jack
DiMarco was still walking toward the community-center pool where in a few minutes she’d be joined by the ten campers and the rest of the staff. She’d volunteered to put up the safety rope between the shallow and deep ends of the pool after the director said it was an ideal time for a water activity. The day was cloudy and a bit gray, perfect pool weather for children who weren’t used to spending much time in the sun.
    The pool would usually be teeming with kids, but a recent downpour had thinned out the crowd considerably. Half a dozen teenagers swam in the deep end. Otherwise, Tara was alone.
    Her heart thudded as Jack got closer. He’d almost certainly lied about his sister being a private investigator. Considering how many times she’d seen him around town, it made far more sense that he was the P.I. in the family.
    A P.I. who wasn’t satisfied that she wasn’t Hayley Cooper.
    Her mind raced and her heart beat double time. Where was her mother? Could Tara get rid of Jack before they ran into each other? What could she say to get him to leave her alone?
    She’d been about to toss the safety rope with attached floats into the pool. She told herself to act normally, and she threw one end of the blue plastic rope into the water. She bent to fasten the hook to the edge of the pool, drew in a deep breath and got a lungful of chlorine-scented air.
    “Let me help you with that,” Jack called.
    Reluctantly she turned her head to watch him unfastening the lock on the gate and striding to the opposite end of the pool.
    She couldn’t take her eyes off him. His shorts and
T-shirt called attention to his broad shoulders and athletic build. A wave of attraction swept through her. She quickly squashed it, noting the way he exuded confidence. Like a man who was used to getting what he wanted.
    He knelt on the concrete, as though he weren’t an interloper, as though he belonged.
    She needed to accept there was no getting away from him.
    “What are you doing here?” she asked.
    He lifted his head, revealing the hint of a smile. “Reaching for the rope.”
    He dipped his right hand into the water, stretched out his arm to forage for the rope and winced. Or at least Tara thought he winced. She didn’t have time to wonder about it. She had other things on her mind.
    He hooked the safety rope in place, straightened to his full six foot plus and stared at her across the pool.