Piper's shoulders started to shake, and Danny realized with horror that she was crying. In all this time, in the four weeks he'd had her, she had never cried. Not once. Not even when talking about her mother.
She pulled back from him now, and she was sobbing, her cheeks streaming with tears, her anguished breathing ripping his heart out of his chest. "It's okay, baby, it's okay. He's gone now, and we would never let him hurt you."
"I don't want to go back with him… I want to stay with you. Anita was really scared." Her words were punctuated by sobs that scraped and scratched at his raw emotions.
"You're never leaving me, understand? Never. You're my daughter. Forever. No one can take you away from me. You belong here with me and Grandma and Grandpa."
"And me." Amanda stood up, her shorts rumpled and her hair tangled. "I'm staying, Danny."
He shifted Piper's weight, lifting her higher, and stared at Amanda. Piper was cutting off his windpipe a little with her tight hold, but he didn't think he had passed out. This was real. Amanda was saying she was going to stay. With him.
Or for Piper? But they needed to talk about that later. In private. Danny turned and locked eyes with the sheriff, a middle-age man with a thick middle, a man Danny recognized as a volunteer coach for one of the local ball teams. "Can we wrap this up? I want some time alone with my daughter. She's been through hell."
Piper's crying had slowed, and she was giving dry, shuddery sighs, wiping her face on his T-shirt. "Dad, can you finish with the sheriff in the kitchen? And where's Mom? Amanda could use some ice on that cheek."
"She's at the outlet mall for the day, of all things."
"I'm fine," Amanda said, touching her fingertips to the purple mottled bruise.
"Lucky for him." His voice came out like a snarl.
The sheriff held out his hand. "Now don't be thinking about going after him yourself or anything foolish like that. I know you're upset, and rightly so, but let us handle this. We'll go have a talk with him."
"I have no intention of going after him." But if Mark ever set foot on Danny's land, or came near his daughter or his girlfriend or his parents, he'd shoot him. No questions asked. But he couldn't exactly say that in front of Piper.
Danny Tucker wasn't a violent man, and he was as easy-going as the day was long, but no one threatened his family.
And no one was taking Piper away from him.
The phone rang, and his father answered it. "It's the lawyer," he said, handing it to Danny.
With Piper still wrapped around him, he took the handset and had a brief conversation with the lawyer, outlining what he knew had happened. The lawyer mentioned a restraining order and a few other legal lines to take, and Danny authorized him to do whatever he needed to.
"All this mess today aside, I've got some really good news," Bill said.
"What's that?" Danny's arm was going numb from the position he was standing in, Piper in his arms and the phone propped with his ear. He could use good news.
"I put a call into the lab on the off-chance they'd have your re-suits back, given these new circumstances, and they do. They're ninety-nine point six percent certain Piper is your daughter. Which is definitely a match. She's yours, and I don't think we'll have any trouble getting a judge to give you full custody."
Danny closed his eyes. He'd known it was the truth. But it was such a relief to hear the facts proved it too. "Thank you. That is very good news."
When he hung up the phone he looked at Amanda. His father had taken the sheriff into the kitchen and was answering questions from the looks of it. Danny gave Amanda a grin. "DNA results came back. They're positive. She's my daughter, without a doubt."
Amanda stood up and put one hand on Piper's back and one on his arm. Her eyes were shining with tears. "That's awesome, Danny. That really makes a lousy afternoon better."
"What are you talking about?" Piper asked, peeling herself off his chest and leaning back to look at him. "What's positive?"
Danny kissed her forehead. "Remember when they took blood out of your arm and out of my arm? Well, they looked at both our blood and compared them. The patterns in yours match the patterns in mine, and that means you are definitely my daughter. It also means Mark can't ever come near you again without getting in trouble. No one can take you away from me."
She didn't say anything, just rested her head back on his shoulder. Danny knew he'd probably have to repeat those words many times. For both of their benefit.
Chapter 24
"An hour later, the sheriff was gone, Willie had returned home, and Piper was tucked up on the couch between both her grandparents watching Scooby-Doo. She had a blanket and Baby draped over her, and she was licking a Popsicle.
Amanda figured Piper was going to be scared and nervous again for a few days, but with love and patience, they could convince her that she was safe and that she was staying on the farm with Danny forever.
And hopefully with Amanda too.
Danny hadn't exactly turned a cart-wheel when she'd said she wanted to stay. Granted, the timing had been lame, but she would have thought he could have at least mentioned it in the hour since. Which meant maybe he wasn't mentioning it because there wasn't anything to say besides whoops, changed my mind?
"I need a shower," he said to her in a low voice. "But I want to talk to you first. Can we go out on the deck?"
"Sure." She gave a shrug and tried to pretend her heart wasn't about to break like acrylic fingernails. One hit and snap! Right in half.
If Danny wanted to marry her, he didn't look the least bit romantic right now.
He looked dirty and sweaty. Tired and angry. Weary. Yet at peace when he looked at Piper.
The sun wasn't at an angle so the house could create shade. The deck was stifling hot, and Amanda remembered Danny saying it was supposed to rain. It would be welcome, in her opinion, trampling down some of the dust and taking the edge off the blistering heat. She kicked off her gym shoes and let her bare shoes spread on the warm wood.
"Weren't you going to put the corn in the silo this afternoon?" She didn't think he'd take a shower just to get all sweaty again,
"It can wait." He stood at the edge of the deck, leaning against the railing, looking out at the fields.
She moved next to him, gripping the wood and trying to see what he saw. "We need that rain, don't we?" Even she could tell the plants were starting to strain, brown around the edges, wilting under the crushing heat. It had been weeks since it had rained.
"Yep." He turned and moved in close. His hand took her chin, tilted it. He studied the bruise on her cheek, his lips tight and white. "Are you really okay? I'm so sorry he hurt you."