All of which had nothing to do with Alex, but everything to do with the anticipation knotting her stomach. She was eager to see him. Had been anticipating the meeting ever since he'd called and asked if she had a few minutes for coffee. Which was a serious problem.

A relationship between them would be a massive disaster, and she knew plenty about relationships that ended in disaster. But they'd kissed and she got all quivery whenever she thought about him. The way things were going, all she needed was an iceberg and a ship named Titanic to complete her day.

She sipped her latte and tried not to react when he walked into the shop. He glanced around, saw her and smiled. Instantly her entire body went on alert. She flushed from the inside out, and she desperately wanted to start squirming like a nervous teenager. Talk about trouble.

After getting a double espresso, he joined her at her table. "Thanks for meeting me," he said as he settled across from her.

"No problem. What's up?"

"You've been the subject of intense meetings and we have what we hope is a solution to the problem."

The problem being her. "Will I like it?"

"No. We think you and Katherine should appear together at a charity function. Something big and splashy, with lots of press. By showing a united front, the appeal of the story goes away."

Dani stared at him. Dark soulful eyes or not, he had to be crazy. The panic was as sudden as it was powerful.

"You want me to show up in public with your mother? At a charity event? Like a ladies luncheon or something?"

"Yes. You'll both speak and it will-"

She held up her hands in the shape of a T. "Stop right there. I don't speak in public. I never have. I'm sorry I've caused trouble for the campaign and I do want to help make things right, but couldn't I just stuff envelopes?"

"No, you can't. This is important, Dani. You're the senator's daughter. This is what his family does."

There wasn't a hint of warmth in his dark eyes. It was as though he was the dragon again and she was an annoying serf who got in the way.

She wanted to protest that she wasn't family, except biologically she was. Talk about inconvenient.

"I can't," she said. "I've never spoken in public. And it would be too weird to be with your mother like that." Not to mention potentially embarrassing. She liked Katherine. She didn't want to do anything to make Katherine not like her.

"Dani, this isn't an option," he told her, his voice almost impatient. "It's the right thing to do. I've already talked to my mother and she's more than willing to move forward. This is much harder for her than it is for you. You're the long-lost child the senator knew nothing about. Katherine is just the wife. Do you realize what your presence has cost her? Two weeks ago she was a respected, admired woman who had taken in disabled children and made them her own. Now there's speculation that she can't have children and she was only making the best of a bad situation."

Dani understood what he was saying, but didn't appreciate the lecture. "I'm not some wayward child," she snapped. "I don't need to be told my responsibilities. I respect Katherine and am sorry for any discomfort this is causing her. But you're missing the point. I didn't ask for any of this and I'm not the one who leaked the information to the press."

"Dani-"

"I'm not finished," she told him. "You come in here and tell me I have to show up for a charity function and speak in front of God knows how many people. Then, when I don't jump for joy, you get on me like I'm a sixteen-year-old who took the family car without permission. I'm not the bad guy. Give me a minute to take this all in, will you?"

She braced herself for the explosion and was shocked when Alex leaned back in his chair, nodded once, then said, "You're right. I'm sorry."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I'm sorry. I got in your face. I should have given you time to get used to the idea."

Wow. That was unexpected. And very human of him.

"Yes, you should have. I'm going to say yes to the charity, I just need some time to get used to the idea and some space to whine about it."

"Fair enough."

The tension between them eased. She studied him. "Katherine is really lucky to have you on her side. You're loyal."

"I owe her everything," he said flatly.

"That's extreme."

"It's true."

He paused, as if not sure what more he should say. Dani was intrigued and leaned forward.

"Why Katherine?" she asked. "Why not Mark?"

"Because she's the one who saved me." He drew in a breath. "I grew up on the streets of Seattle. My mother did drugs and God knows what else. She turned tricks to pay for food and her fix. I remember growing up cold and wet and scared. We lived in abandoned buildings in the winter and outside in the summer. When she had to do business-" He grimaced. "I still remember that's what she called it. 'Mommy has some business.' I had to go hide. That was the rule. Hide and stay quiet."

Dani willed herself not to react physically. She didn't want to let her horror show. Alex had started life on the streets? Like that? Was it possible?

"One guy got mad. I don't know why. He started hitting her. I ran out to save her and he backhanded me so hard, I passed out. When I came to, she had been beaten to death. I don't know if he meant to kill her or if it was an accident. Either way, she was dead."

His dark eyes stared beyond her, as if seeing a past she couldn't begin to imagine.

"I stayed with her body until the police came. I don't know how long that was. A day? Two? They couldn't find any family. I didn't know anything about where my mother had come from, so I went into foster care." He looked at her. "I never lived in a house or had access to a real bathroom. I didn't know how to read or take a shower on my own. I was a wild animal put in a cage. It didn't go well."

"Alex," she breathed, not sure what to say. The man in front of her was sophisticated, educated, charming and funny. How had he come from that abandoned little boy?

"I bounced around for two and a half years and ended up in a group home. One day a beautiful lady came and read me a story. There was something about the way she looked at me that made me feel safe. I'll never know why, but she applied to be my foster mother that day. A week later, I'd moved in with her and Mark."

"Katherine?"

He nodded. "She spent every minute with me. She taught me to read, how to live in a house. She let me sleep on the floor until I was ready to be in a bed. She came at night when I dreamed about my mother being murdered and she held me while I cried and screamed and waited for the bad man to kill me, too."

Dani's stomach turned over. No child should have to experience anything like that. Not ever. Her heart ached for all Alex had been through.

"She found me in March. By September I was enrolled in a regular classroom. I was behind in everything, but Katherine made sure I caught up. The following year, the adoption was final. She became my mother, my family. I thrived, because of her. I'm here, because of her."

Dani swallowed. "I don't know what to say. ‘I’m sorry' seems ridiculous and inadequate."

"It happened. It's over. I couldn't save my birth mother. I was a kid. But I am perfectly capable of protecting my family now and I will. Against anyone."

She believed him. "She's a wonderful woman. I already figured that out. I don't know what to say about what happened to you, except you've done incredibly well. You're both amazing. I already said I'd do the charity and I meant it."

"I'm not trying to impress you," he said. "I'm trying to explain my position. Why family and duty matter. Most people don't know about my past."

He said it as if he wasn't sure why he'd told her.

"I won't say anything," she murmured. It wasn't her story to tell.

Maybe he'd meant to scare her away. Maybe he had just been explaining his loyalty to Katherine. Maybe he hadn't wanted to impress her.

Too late, she thought. He'd done a hell of a job. She was stunned by what she'd learned and more intrigued than ever by a man who had started with nothing and come so far. It spoke to a strength of character she could admire.

It was one more item on the "reasons to fall for Alex Canfield" list. If there were many more added, she would be in serious danger of losing her heart.


***

Later that week Dani returned to campaign headquarters for lunch with her father. This time she knew better than to expect any serious one-on-one time with Mark, which was good. It was another lunch by committee.

The suits were back, along with Heidi, Mark's assistant. Unfortunately Alex didn't show up, which made her more than a little disappointed.

"You're tracking well in the polls," John said. At least she thought his name was John.

"I have polls?" she asked.

John nodded. "We put a couple of questions into the field in the Midwest and the results were mixed. Here, we started with falling numbers, but once the senator issued his statement and gave an interview, the numbers started rising."

Dani felt totally out of the loop. She glanced at Mark. "You gave an interview? About me being your daughter?"

He smiled. "It seemed the best way to handle things. Heidi, get Dani a copy of the interview." He turned back to Dani. "You can watch it at home."

"Sure." Because she'd been planning to get to know her father on video. It could be a new hobby.

The other suit-guy said, "The senator always comes across as sincere. The voters like that."

Dani wondered if there was a difference between coming across as sincere and being sincere.