Harlequin Love Inspired March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 Patrice Lewis (i read book txt) 📖

you want?” She sank into a chair behind the counter, as if her legs would no longer hold her up, pushed damp, auburn tendrils away from her face.

“For now, I just want to get to know my niece and nephew.” To make sure they’re well taken care of. And if not, he’d fight for them.

She’d turned positively green and he felt kind of sorry for her. Whether she took good care of the children or not, she definitely loved them.

A bell rang at the front of the store and a teenage girl stepped inside. “Sorry, I’m late. That truck hates me.” Her gaze pinged back and forth between him and Stacia. “Is everything okay?”

“Fine. Daddy took the kids for ice cream. Could you watch the store for a bit, Angel?”

“Sure.”

“We’ll just be in the workshop.” She stood, motioned for him to follow.

At the back of the barn, they exited into a dusty space filled with tools, a worktable, project pieces. He couldn’t tell if they were in the middle of being put together or torn apart.

“He said he didn’t have any family.” She sank into a wooden chair, covered her face with both hands.

“We’ve been estranged for several years.” Since their parents had tried to get Ron in rehab, he’d wanted nothing to do with any of his family. So to him, he probably felt like a loner. He’d patched things up with them after his accident. Only because he needed someone to take care of him once he got out of the hospital. For the moment, he was clean. At least until he could get back out on the road.

Her hands dropped into her lap. “Does he want them back?”

“No. He wishes he hadn’t told me.”

She blew out a big breath, obviously relieved.

More than anything, he didn’t want to intimidate her. “But let me assure you, my folks would be very interested in the children.” He found a chair that matched hers, pulled it over and sat, so she wouldn’t feel as if he were talking down to her. “If they knew about them, that is.”

“They don’t know?”

“I thought I’d come check things out before I involve them.”

“Daddy and I have been a major part of their lives since they were born.” Fear took root in her expressive eyes. “They’re happy with us.”

“That’s what I’m here to find out.”

“And then what?” Her voice quivered.

“I don’t know yet.” It all depended on if the twins were well cared for. “What do they know about Ron?”

“Nothing much.” She stood, paced the trail between projects. “They asked once about a year ago. Daddy told them their father has a really important, time-consuming job.”

“I guess that’s better than saying he’s a self-centered jerk.”

“How long do you plan to stay?”

“I don’t know that either.” He shrugged. “However long it takes.”

“Don’t you have a job or someone to get back to?”

“I’m a furniture builder and designer at my parents’ furniture store in Houston. I told them I needed some time off.” They actually thought he was at his grandfather’s in Hondo helping out at his ranch. And with the store in high demand, the timing had been terrible. He’d seen it in their eyes; they thought he wanted to leave the business. Just like Ron.

As for someone, not anymore. Nora had accused him of seeing someone else for the last time. After her, he might not date ever again. Especially not anyone jealous, distrustful or insecure.

Staying definitely wasn’t on his schedule. He had to get back to Houston where his parents needed him, and he was eager to prove their fears wrong. He didn’t have time to camp out in Medina and appease the twins’ aunt that he was an okay guy. But they obviously didn’t trust each other and how else could they ever work this out living four hours apart?

“Here’s an idea. I could work for you, building furniture or as a ranch hand or both since I have experience in both areas. While I work for you, I could get to know my niece and nephew. How does that sound?”

“Too good to be true. I mean—the part where you have experience in both positions I need to fill.” Her eyes narrowed. “For all I know, you could be a reporter sniffing out a story or a blackmailer for that matter.”

He slipped his phone out of his pocket, scrolled through it, then showed her a picture of him with Ron in the hospital. “Our mom took that. It had been several years since we’d been together for a photo op.” Ron’s typical makeup made him look even paler than normal.

“That doesn’t mean anything. You could be an obsessed fan who snuck into the hospital for all I know.”

“An obsessed fan who happens to have the same last name as Ronny Outrageous aka Ron Lyles?” He showed her his driver’s license. “And trust me, there’s no sneaking into that hospital.” Ron’s manager had hired security, but so far fans hadn’t figured out where Ron was. “Besides, if I were a blackmailer, I’d be talking to Ron. He’s the one with money and a potential scandal to hide.” He scrolled on his phone again. “Here, read the text with the photo.”

Here’s the pic I took of my two boys in the hospital. Does a mother’s heart good to have the two of you together again.

“Okay, looks like you’re who you say you are. But do you have a criminal record?”

“Good one.” He tilted his head back with a belly laugh. “I’m the older, wiser brother. I spent the first twenty years of my life cleaning up Ron’s messes. I guess I still am in a way.”

“My niece and nephew are not messes you need to clean up.” Her gaze hardened. “They’re children. And they’re perfectly happy without you.”

“That’s not what I meant. The situation is a mess. That he signed them away—twice.” He let out a heavy sigh. “And never told me or my folks they existed. Until a weak moment when he thought he