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“’Bout a hundred,” Summer said.
“Oh, my God!” Zeke’s stomach rolled.
“Daddy!” both girls shrieked.
Zeke pressed his hand over his racing heart as he mentally counted mailboxes. What would the neighbors think?
“You’re never gonna find us a mommy if you keep talkin’ like that,” August whispered with a frown.
Zeke clenched his jaw. Paige caught her lip between her teeth as if she was fighting laughter. He’d barely moved into the neighborhood, and now he’d have to move again.
“Girls, we have to get these fliers back,” Zeke said, his voice laced with mortification.
“But why, Daddy?” August asked.
“We just do,” Zeke said in a firm tone. “I’ll explain later.”
“Uh-oh.” August’s eyes grew wide. “Are we gonna have one of those long talks?”
“Yes, we are,” Zeke said matter-of-factly as he waved the disastrous paper in the air. “This is not the way to go about finding a wife. Or a new mommy.”
“Then how do we do it?” Summer asked, looking crushed that he hadn’t liked their idea.
Zeke’s throat closed at the confusion in her small face. He knew single fatherhood would be difficult, but this…well, he hadn’t been prepared for this kind of scene. And right in front of pretty Paige Watkins. “I don’t know, but we’ll talk about it later.” He knelt in front of them and softened his voice. “Now, put Henrietta in the backyard, and we’ll go for a walk so you can show me which houses you gave fliers.”
“’Kay,” both girls said. They pulled and tugged at the leash until the lazy dog groaned, then lifted her bulk and waddled behind them.
Zeke searched for some way to salvage his pride. “I…uh, thanks for bringing the girls home,” he finally said. “This parenting business is harder than I thought.”
“I know,” Paige said sympathetically.
He narrowed his eyes. “You have children?” He hadn’t seen a wedding ring. Not that he was looking, but the girls said she didn’t have a husband. The big, yellow two-story seemed plenty spacious for an entire family. Did she live there alone? Or did she have a string of boyfriends or a live-in? Maybe she was divorced with kids of her own.
Paige shook her head. “No, I don’t have kids. But there’re several children in the neighborhood.”
“Really? Maybe you can give me some pointers.”
She wobbled on one foot, giving him the distinct feeling she wanted to leave. “I don’t think so.”
His ex-wife had felt the same way. A frown marred Paige’s heart-shaped face, and something about her tone bothered him, but he didn’t have time to analyze it.
The twins barreled around the corner. “Henrietta’s in the yard,” August said.
“Okay, let’s go.” Zeke pointed to the driveway. Summer and August skipped ahead. He closed the door, and he and Paige walked across the lawn to the sidewalk. When they reached her driveway, she paused, chewing her bottom lip.
“Well, it was nice to meet you, girls.”
“Aren’t you coming with us?” Summer asked.
“No, thanks,” Paige said. A wary expression streaked her slender face. “I have homework to do.”
“You go to school?” August asked.
“We’re going to kindergarten next year,” Summer said.
Paige laughed. “I’m finishing a college degree,” she answered. “And one day I’m planning to study in Europe.”
August’s face lit up. “Our mommy went there. She lives in that big town with that river running through it.”
“But she never came back,” Summer said softly.
Zeke’s heart squeezed as he remembered the day Renee had left. Both girls had cried for hours.
“I’m sorry,” Paige said gently. She gave him a forlorn look and he shrugged, trying to mask his feelings. It sounded as if Paige had high aspirations, just like his ex-wife. Well, he wouldn’t travel that route again. No matter how sexy and delectable the female, looks weren’t the most important thing. If and when he ever became involved with another woman, she’d want a family—she wouldn’t be more concerned about her career than him or his daughters. Besides, he didn’t need the complication of another female—he had his hands full with the two he had.
Paige gave him a slight wave. “Well, I’ll see you later, Zeke.”
Zeke nodded and their gazes locked, the magnetism between them instantly sparking his body to arousal. A sweet sensuality darkened the light irises of her eyes, and she caught her bottom lip with her teeth again, a gesture he wanted to remedy by touching his lips to hers. She exhaled, then folded her arms beneath her breasts, her cropped shirt accentuating her subtle curves. Then she turned and he made a futile attempt not to stare at those dynamite legs and her curved backside as she strode toward her house.
August tugged at his arm and he dragged his gaze from Paige to see a fuming, three-hundred-pound man storming toward him. To his horror, the man had one of his daughters’ fliers clutched in his beefy hands.
PAIGE STOOD ON her porch and watched as Zeke attempted to explain his daughter’s surprise to Mr. Larkin, a heavyset man who, from his loud voice and the way he kept waving his mammoth arms around, was obviously very possessive about his wife. Finally, after a few minutes of conversation, the twins joined in and the irate man turned to mush. Before they parted, she heard him asking about Zeke’s veterinary practice and agreeing to bring his bulldog to Zeke’s clinic for shots. He also promised Summer and August he’d let his dog visit Henrietta.
The munchkin girls had stolen Mr. Larkin’s heart, just as they had hers. All the more reason for her to stay away from them.
She sank onto the porch swing and rocked herself back and forth in an effort to get a grip on her emotions. The precious girls had matchmaking up their sleeves, and she didn’t intend to raise another family. Standing on Zeke’s front porch had brought back painful memories of Eric and Joey. She could still see three-year-old Joey riding his tricycle in the driveway next door, toddling along with that stuffed bear he always liked to carry, curled up on her couch, snuggled with her grandmother’s afghan.
But Eric and Joey had deserted her, and she had her own goals now. Giving up her menial office job had been the first step. Taking a job at a boutique and enrolling in college was the second. Not dating any more single dads ranked next.
She laughed as the twins attempted cartwheels on the sidewalk while Zeke frantically removed the fliers from the neighbors’ mailboxes. Some geek. Big and brawny Zeke Blalock was nothing like the man she’d pictured. He obviously cared a great deal about his daughters. She had to give him points for that. As far as rating him in the sex appeal department—he’d rank up there with Tom Cruise and Tom Selleck. A definite one hundred and ten plus.
Handsome and tall, broad shouldered and muscular—she’d barely been able to resist staring at his naked chest before he’d buttoned his shirt. His chocolate-colored eyes had melted her insides and rendered her tongue-tied. His strong chiseled profile, big rough hands and olive skin suggested he worked outside, instead of inside a clinic. And his backside was firm and muscular, especially in those tight jeans, she noted, as she shamelessly watched him bend to pet Mrs. Blue’s small gray cat.
Stop it. He’s not for you. He has a ready-made family, and you’re not mommy material. Your own mother resented the sacrifices she made to stay home and take care of you.
Renewed determination filled her and she hurried inside to finish her project. She paused when she realized she’d forgotten to tell Zeke about the vandalism and the neighborhood watch meeting. She’d been too sidetracked by his good looks. Darn, she’d put a flier in his box later.
For now, she decided to tackle her design project. But when she touched the scraps of black satin fabric she’d collected for her textile project, she moaned.
She had planned to design an evening gown with the fabric. But an unbidden image came to mind—the shimmering fabric would make a perfect bed covering, with Zeke Blalock lying on top, naked as a jaybird.
ZEKE CLEARED A spot on the oak kitchen table and plopped the cardboard pizza box on top, using his foot to gently usher Henrietta away from the table. He’d tried to explain his reaction to the mommy-wanted fliers to his daughters, but he wasn’t sure they’d understood.
“Well, daddy, if we can’t adver…”
“Advertise,” Zeke supplied. “No, we don’t advertise for a mother or wife.” He dished Summer a slice of plain cheese pizza and August pepperoni, willing himself to be patient.
“Then how will we ever get a new mommy?” August asked, nibbling at the gooey cheese.
August picked a pepperoni off her pizza, licked it, then popped it into her mouth. “And how will you get a wive?”
“A wife,” Zeke corrected. “Honey, I don’t want a new wife. I’m happy being with the two of you.” He raked his hand through his hair and shook his head at Henrietta as she pawed at his feet. “No, Henrietta, pizza will give you heartburn.” Ignoring Henrietta’s woeful look, he turned his attention back to his daughters. “Listen, girls, I know you miss your mom, but we’ve talked about this before. You have me, and we’re a family—all by ourselves.”
August poked out her bottom lip. “But you’re a boy,” August said as if it were a news flash.
“Of course, I’m a boy,” Zeke said patiently.
“But boys can’t be mommies,” Summer protested.
Zeke’s throat clogged. “Honey, I’ll try my best to be both a mother and father to you.”
“But boy mommies can’t come to our Mommy and Me Tea at preschool. Only girl mommies!”
Zeke felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach. How could he have forgotten that Mother’s Day was coming up? Because he was an idiot.
At least he’d finally discovered the crux of the problem. “When is the mother tea?” he finally asked.
“Next week,” Summer said, sounding stricken. “Friday.”
“Yeah. Everybody else’s mommies will be there.”
Drive the knife in a little deeper, girls. Henrietta added to his guilt by whining and giving him a pitiful flop-eared look. He gritted his teeth and tossed her his pizza crust. If he could find Renee right now, he’d throttle her.
“I have an idea.” He forced a cheery smile. “Your grandmother can come. I’m sure she’d love to visit your school.”
Both girls’ faces fell.
“You can call her yourselves.” Zeke tried to brighten his voice with enthusiasm. “Maybe you could even spend the night with her.” And you could have a night out, a silent voice whispered. Call Paige. Have a date. A conversation with an adult, not a child or an animal.
Summer’s eyes lit up. “All night long?”
“Yep. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
August nodded. “Grandma lets us eat cookies for breakfast.”
Grandma would. Zeke ran a hand through his hair. Oh, well, it would only be one morning. And he had to do something for his heartsick daughters. He couldn’t allow them to be the only ones at school without a mother figure.
He handed them the phone. “Here, dial Grandma’s number. She’s been begging me to let you spend the night.”
Together the girls punched in the number. When he heard his mother’s voice screeching over the phone, he assumed by the pleased expressions on his daughters’ faces she’d accepted the invitation.
One more problem licked. At least temporarily.
When they hung up the phone, the girls’ moods had drastically changed. August gobbled another piece of pizza and Summer gulped her milk, then ran to the bathroom. He breathed a sigh of relief but the feeling disintegrated when Summer screamed. “Daddy!”
He sprinted through the house to find her. August trotted behind him, stepping on his heels in her haste.
Summer was standing in the bathroom, her eyes dazed. Her little hand shook when she pointed at the cat huddled in the bathtub. “What’s…wrong with Buffy?”
Zeke swallowed nervous laughter. “There’s nothing wrong with her,” he said gently. He knelt down beside the fat, panting calico cat and wrapped his arms around his daughters’ shoulders. He’d barely survived one traumatic moment before another struck.
Now, he had to explain the facts of life to his four-year-old daughters. Buffy was having kittens.
THE CREATIVE SIDE of design and the actual sewing intrigued Paige. She started sketching various ideas for the design project, considering fabric choice, cost and accessories as she worked. For this project, she only needed to design one outfit, but for her final, she’d design an entire wardrobe, taking into account the busy lives and schedules of the women who might wear her creations.
Several minutes later, she stared at the sketch, crumpled the paper and tossed it into the trash. The dress looked all wrong. Too high of a neckline. Not tapered enough. She started another drawing, but the telephone rang, disturbing her concentration.
Maybe it’s the sexy guy next door, calling to ask you for a date.
She reached for the phone, ordering herself to decline the invitation, then sighed in disappointment at the sound of Amelia’s voice. “Hi, Amelia.”
“Hey, Paige. You have to come to my party next week!”
“A party?” Paige blinked in surprise, searching her mind to see if she’d forgotten an important date. No holidays coming up. No birthdays. “What brought this on?” she asked, when nothing special registered.
“I’m getting married!” Amelia squealed so loudly Paige had to hold the phone away from her ear.
“Married? When? To whom?”
“To Derrick, of course. He asked me this afternoon!” Another bout of squeals filled the line. “We’re having an engagement party next Friday night. Can you come?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. But Amelia, this is happening so fast. Are you sure?”
Amelia laughed. “I am. He’s definitely my soul mate.”
“That’s great.” Paige twisted the phone cord around her fingers. So, now she was the last of the dying breed of single women among her friends. It shouldn’t bother her. And she was happy for Amelia.
“I would ask you to be my maid of honor, but we’re eloping,” Amelia continued. “He’s taking me to Paris on our honeymoon, I can’t wait, Paige. Life is wonderful.”
Paige’s hands instantly moved across her sketchpad as she began sketching a wedding dress. “I wish you were having a big wedding though. I’d like to design your dress.”
“I know.” Amelia sounded faintly disappointed. “But Derrick wants to get married right away and I’m afraid to wait. You know how guys are, he might change his mind.”
Don’t I? Eric had canceled their wedding the morning of the ceremony.
“Paige, I’m sorry, I know how that must have sounded.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Paige said. “I’m not going to rain on your parade, Amelia. And we are not going to talk about my failed love life.”
“Thanks, Paige, you’re the best,” Amelia said softly. “I’ll see you next Friday.”
The phone clicked into silence before Paige could think of a way to beg out of the party. She turned back to her project, but the house seemed unusually quiet. Growing up as an only child, she should have been used to be being alone. But she’d craved a big boisterous family with lots of sisters and brothers. In retrospect, maybe her need for a family was the reason she’d become so attached to Eric and his son.
But the silence hung in the air, echoing off the walls. Eerie, cold, almost smothering her with the emptiness.
Stop it. You have to get used to it.
Determined to forget Amelia’s wedding, she flipped on the radio and decided to make a batch of brownies. Comfort food always spurred her creativity. She threw the brownie ingredients into a bowl, stirred the thick rich batter and popped the mixture into a pan.
A loud howling sound caught her attention and her gaze strayed to the Blalock house next door. She’d still forgotten to tell Zeke about the neighborhood watch. She’d take them brownies and tell Zeke about the meeting. After all, a welcoming basket of food was only neighborly, and she didn’t want anyone to accuse her of lacking in Southern hospitality.
“DADDY, THAT’S GROSS.” Summer covered her eyes with her hands and peeked through the finger holes as the fourth kitten popped out. Buffy, following her normal motherly instincts, licked the kitten clean.
“They look like skinny rats,” August said, watching the other three kittens burrow underneath Buffy.
“Yeah, they do.” Zeke hoped this kitten was the last. The girls refused to go to bed until all the kittens had been born. But Buffy started panting again, signifying the onset of another birth.
Henrietta sniffed her way in and dropped into the corner, her tongue lolling out as she joined the scene. The doorbell rang and August and Summer both sprang up from their perch on the floor by the tub.
Zeke rose, but August pointed her finger at him. “No, Daddy, you watch Buffy. We’ll get it.” August and her sister scrambled through the door at the same time. Zeke heard their feet padding on the hardwood floor in the foyer as the doorbell rang for the second time.
“Paige!” both girls chimed.
“Hi, girls.”
A second of elation gathered inside Zeke at Paige’s soft musical drawl, but his smile instantly faded when he realized the house was a mess. Boxes cluttered the den, laundry littered the sofa, blankets and kittens filled his bathtub, and pizza sauce spotted his shirt where Henrietta had licked him. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t have to worry about Paige being attracted to him. She’d never be able to wade through the tornado-strewn house to find him.
“Daddy, Paige brought a treat,” August yelled.
Summer raced into the bathroom. “Daddy, look!”
Buffy’s panting quickened and she dropped another kitten just as Paige and Summer stepped into the doorway.
“We’re having kittens,” August announced proudly.
Paige’s expression turned wary. “I hope I didn’t come at a bad time. I brought over some—”
“Brownies! Yum!” Both girls reached for the basket and Henrietta lunged against Paige, almost knocking her over.
Zeke grabbed Henrietta while Paige held the brownies in the air. “Get down,” Zeke yelled.
Henrietta chowed down on the chocolate chunks that spilled from the basket. Paige’s rich laughter rang through the crowded bathroom, joined first by August’s, then Summer’s.
Zeke lost himself in the moment. It was the first time Summer had laughed in ages. She’d taken the divorce harder than August, having bad dreams and moping around. “Thanks, Paige, those look great,” he said, reaching for a brownie.
“Sure.” Paige leaned over and peeked inside the tub. “The kittens are precious. How many so far?”
Summer held up five fingers.
“The spotted one’s called Callie,” August said.
“And the white one is Cotton.”
Paige nodded. “Do you think she’s finished?”
Zeke shrugged. “Probably.” His pulse hammered as Paige knelt, her bare thigh brushing against his. She reached a finger inside to pet the baby calico’s fur.
“They’re beautiful,” Paige said softly.
The girls gobbled a brownie, dropping chocolate flakes all over the floor. Henrietta quickly lapped up the crumbs.
“Take Henrietta and put her in the yard,” he told the girls. “Then put on your pj’s and brush your teeth. With toothpaste. I’ll be right in to kiss you good-night.”
The girls scampered out, leaving Paige and Zeke alone. Paige watched the kittens nurse and Zeke forced his hands to remain on the tub when they desperately itched to touch her. “Thanks for the brownies,” Zeke said. “My favorite.”
Paige’s gaze locked with his, but she quickly looked away. “I…I meant to tell you earlier that we’ve had some vandalism in the neighborhood.”
“What?” Zeke’s pulse raced. “I thought this neighborhood was safe. That’s why I moved here.”
“It is.” Paige placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “We think the vandals are teenagers. So far, they’ve been sneaking into houses, playing video games, generally messing up people’s homes.”
“Sounds like some real troublemakers,” Zeke said.
“Anyway,” Paige continued, removing her hand, “We’re organizing a neighborhood watch program. The first meeting’s next week at my house.” She absentmindedly ran her tongue over her lower lip as if she were nervous, drawing Zeke’s gaze to the spot. “I hope you’ll come.”
Zeke tried not to read anything personal into the invitation, though he wondered why Paige suddenly averted her gaze again. “I’ll try to make it. That is, if I don’t get hung up at the clinic.”
Paige nodded. “I left a flier on your kitchen counter.”
He winced, wondering how she’d found the counter.
Paige laughed as if she’d read his mind. “It’s by the pizza box.”
He chuckled, aware her eyes darkened when she gazed at him. His body tightened at the undercurrent of attraction strumming between them. Her soft strawberry scent invaded his senses, making him momentarily forget all the reasons he shouldn’t touch her. A dollop of chocolate batter dotted her cheek and he reached out and gently brushed it onto his fingertip. She glanced up in surprise, her eyes widening when he licked the tip of his finger.
Paige’s expression filled with uncertainty, but her lips parted slightly as if in invitation. She was so close her warm breath mingled with his own. Tension, tight and sensual, radiated between them, drawing her closer, dragging him into a web of desire he hadn’t felt in a long time. A year of celibacy surged into need. He didn’t miss the sex as much as he missed the affection, the tender look a woman could give a man, the sweet satisfaction in hearing her whisper his name. Temptation made him tilt his head, and the sensuality and innocence in her expression shocked him.
“We’re ready!” August shouted.
His children’s voices jarred him back to reality. “I’ll be right back,” he said in a husky voice. Don’t move.
He took the steps two at a time, ushered his daughters back upstairs and into bed, then said good-night in record time. He forced himself to walk back down the steps. He didn’t want to act too eager. After all, he’d barely met the woman. He didn’t even know if she had a boyfriend.
But when he stepped into the bathroom, Paige had disappeared.
Chapter Three
Paige avoided Zeke all week. Still, the memory of his masculine scent and his breath whispering against her face made her heart pound with excitement. And turmoil.
Why did all the handsome ones have to be married, divorced with kids, or already committed? Not that she was actively manhunting, but a date here and there would be nice. She deserved some fun. But Zeke Blalock definitely didn’t fit the idea of footloose and fancy-free. Even if he wanted a no-strings relationship, it wouldn’t be fair to his children. They wanted a mother.
And she was not mommy material.
She tried to recall the negative aspects of her neighbor—his house was a mess, he had animals everywhere, and he had no sense of style. For heaven’s sake, his pants and shirt hadn’t even matched.
Still, she’d worked late two nights in a row at the dress shop so she wouldn’t give in to temptation and visit him. The other two evenings she’d stayed up well past midnight working on her design project. The black satin dress had proved to be more of a challenge than she’d expected—especially since every time she pinned the material around herself to assess the fitting, she imagined Zeke unpinning it.
Thursday afternoon, she stood in the window of Beverly’s Boutique, redressing the mannequin. She’d chosen a forest green linen suit and elegant accessories to complement the outfit.
“That looks great.” Beverly traced a finger over the paisley silk scarf she’d used to accessorize the suit.
“Thanks.” Paige changed the belt for the third time.
“You have a hot date tonight?” The thirty-five-year-old entrepreneur who owned the store had become a good friend and confidant in the past few months.