Matchmaking Mona. Diana Mars

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СКАЧАТЬ to give Dr. Livingston a hand, anywhere she sees fit. That’s what volunteers do. They help out where needed and take directions from anyone in charge. Got that?”

      Mona turned bright pink, and Cooper was sorry he’d jumped at her. But he knew how stubborn his niece could be and did not want her to get in LJ.’s way. Despite what the good doctor had said, LJ. was really giving a high school freshman the chance of a lifetime, and Mona better appreciate it. Mona had always been spoiled, but after Lauren’s death, everyone had tread even more softly around her. Maybe too softly.

      “Oh, I’m sure everything will go along swimmingly,” LJ. said lightly, noting the identical pair of blue eyes locked in silent combat. “But if you don’t mind, I have to get going. I’ve still to organize some things before tomorrow. I’d hoped the article in the daily paper would not have come out for another couple of weeks yet, to allow me to get things in order first, before volunteers and visitors start dropping in.”

      “We could always come back next weekend, if that would be easier for you, L.J.,” Cooper offered.

      “No, that’s all right. You’re here now, and Bradford can instruct Mona in some grid techniques before there are too many people around—most of them gawkers.”

      L.J. got up, and Cooper followed suit. “Oh, please, just finish your dessert. I hate to eat and run, but I’m really crunched for time.”

      As she was about to pick up the check, Cooper forestalled her. “Please consider this a donation to the cause.” He smiled.

      LJ. returned the smile. It was nice to again see the woman hidden behind the serious professor, thought Cooper.

      “Thank you.” Turning to Mona, L.J. added, “And thank you, too, Mona, for the lovely company and conversation.” Including Cooper in her glance, she added, “See you both tomorrow.”

      

      The weather was miserable. Mona had not given Cooper too much of a hassle when he’d gotten her up at five, but he’d worried about the drizzling rain and biting wind from the north.

      He’d picked up some hot coffee, hot chocolate, bagels and doughnuts from the all-night diner, and had been surprised to find two people in LJ.’s trailer already: one, the high school kid named Bradford L.J. had mentioned last night, and a second male, which instantly raised his hackles.

      L.J. introduced them.

      “Cooper Channahon, this is Dr. Roarke Gallagher. Roarke, this is Cooper and Mona Channahon. Mona will be helping out.”

      As both men sized each other up and stiffly shook hands, both teenagers looked on in wide-eyed interest. L.J. took the bags with drinks and food from Cooper and inspected them.

      “Wonderful. We’ll actually get to eat well this time. Roarke brought some muffins and fruit, as well as some juice.”

      “How thoughtful of him,” Cooper almost snarled.

      “Likewise,” Roarke Gallagher answered. His urbane smile revealed a row of perfect white teeth, and Cooper had a sudden urge to rearrange them. Not just the teeth, he reflected, but the smooth cap of straight chestnut hair. And perhaps add the finishing touch of a couple of raccoon rings around those smoky gray eyes, which Cooper was certain many women, bless their misguided hearts, would consider sexy.

      The question was, just how sexy did Dr. Livingston find Dr. Gallagher?

      And more suspiciously, just why had Dr. Gallagher appeared just when Cooper had been ready to stake his own claim?

      Turning to L.J., Cooper decided to ask.

      “How come Dr. Gallagher so thoughtfully decided to drop by on a Saturday morning at six o’clock with some juice and muffins?”

      Cooper knew he was being less than civil—heck, he was being downright rude, and he half expected to be told to mind his own business.

      He’d never considered himself a jealous man, but the longer one lived, the more one found out about oneself, he told himself with the half of his brain that was not being governed by his raging testosterone level.

      The implied question was: Does he do this all the time? And the corollary was, maybe he didn’t drop in on Saturday morning, maybe he was already there from Friday night?

      “Dr. Gallagher is with a foundation that concentrates its efforts on the Mississippian culture,” LJ. replied frostily. “Since the CAA—Center for American Archaeology—has recently flooded, and everything in the museum has been evacuated, he has some free time on his hands. He’s a visiting lecturer, but will be doing fieldwork and writing a book on the area—you know, the ‘Nile of North America.’ His help will be invaluable.”

      Cooper corralled his baser instincts. From the concern on both LJ.’s and Roarke Gallagher’s faces, the flooding was a tragedy.

      But he had his own selfish concerns to attend to.

      “You know, I was giving some thought to what you were saying last night, about how you were so short on volunteers. We’re having some slow time at work, so I’d like to volunteer my time, too, in the weekends to come.” Belatedly remembering to look at L.J., he tore his challenging gaze from Roarke. “If you can use me.”

      “Oh, we can use any able bodies that are willing to work for free and put in long, arduous hours,” LJ. said challengingly.

      “But didn’t you tell me that with the recession you’ve got to put in more time at work, because all your clients are having puppies, and you’ve got to hold their hands while they are having their panic attacks?” Mona asked innocently.

      Cooper frowned as both LJ. and Roarke hid smiles at Mona’s question. His reason for volunteering, he was sure, was as clear as crystal to Roarke. But now L.J. would think that only out of macho competitiveness, had he volunteered to help her, and that was not entirely true. Besides, Mona’s words did not make him sound like a particularly endearing fellow.

      “That’s not exactly what I recall saying, Mona—”

      “Oh, no, you used stronger words than that, but you told me that I’m not allowed to use them myself.”

      Damn! But it was getting hot in this cramped trailer. And Mona kept digging deeper holes for him.

      “You know, the coffee and hot chocolate are getting cold,” he said into the loud silence that greeted Mona’s latest pronouncement. The child had truly homicidal tendencies.

      Roarke was hiding his amusement well, but that kid Bradford had a smirk on his face. There was nothing teenagers liked better than seeing adults busted, and Bradford was getting an eyeful.

      Thankfully, LJ. took pity on him and said, “We can use some hot drinks in our tummies before we go out there. It looks like the storm system from the north is going to be joined by the one visiting southern Illinois soon, and we’d better get cracking if we want to get anything done today.”

      Cooper breathed a sigh of relief as they all moved to the tiny galley to consume breakfast.

      Five

      Despite their best efforts and intentions, they were not СКАЧАТЬ