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

his proximity sent a shudder through her. No. No. No. Yes, he was ridiculously handsome. No, she couldn’t trust him. Even though she was starting to want to. But she could not be attracted to him.

“There. Got it.” He pulled the goggles away, let her hair fall.

“Thanks.” She turned just enough to take the safety glasses from him. Too far.

His green gaze locked on hers, then dropped to her lips.

She bolted, slammed the door behind her, dragging in big gulps of air. No. No. No. She could not fall for Ross Lyles.

What if he was pulling an Aunt Eleanor on her? Resorting to romance to finagle the twins away from her? She couldn’t fall for his ploy.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Sunday never lasted long enough. And Monday always followed. If only Daddy could paint, Stacia could be in the park with the twins instead of stuck in the workshop with Ross. But Daddy had never learned how to operate the sprayer without causing drips on whatever he painted.

Tension dripped between them after yesterday’s too-close encounter. How could one day in the workshop feel like an entire week? An entire week of silence. She couldn’t take it any longer.

Her phone rang, rescuing her from the deafening hush. Daddy.

“Hello?”

“Now don’t freak out.”

Her heart went into orbit. “I already am when you start a phone call like that.”

“The kids are fine. But I tried to push them on the merry-go-round and I’ve twisted my knee. I’m not sure I can drive home.”

“I’m on my way.” She ended the call and slid her phone back in her pocket.

“What’s wrong?”

The first conversation Ross had instigated all day. She filled him in.

“I’ll go with you.”

“There’s no need.” She didn’t want to be stuck in her SUV with him.

“Somebody needs to drive Maverick’s truck home.”

Made sense. She held in a sigh, grabbed her purse. “Okay.”

Ross matched her stride as she hurried to her vehicle. She started the engine as he crawled in the passenger side. His cologne filled her space. Spicy and manly.

“I have to admit, my hat’s off to you and Maverick.” Ross fastened his seatbelt as she pulled out of the drive.

“For?”

“For handling the twins, just the two of you up until now.”

“There’s only two of them and there’s two of us.” What was he getting at? That they needed him and his family to help? “We manage fine.”

“I know. I see that. But before I came, what would you have done today?”

“I’d either have taken one of our employees, or locked Daddy’s truck up and left it until Larae or somebody could go with me to get it.” Lexie, Clint, Rance. Anybody other than Ross. Why hadn’t she insisted on him staying at the workshop?

“I hope you’ll come to realize that my folks can be a help to you, just like I can. What if you and Maverick got sick at the same time?”

“We hardly ever get sick. And Larae and Lexie have been able to help since they moved back to Medina.”

“And before then?”

“We managed.” We don’t need any help.

“You don’t always have to do everything on your own, Stacia. Especially not with me here. And even more so, once my folks know about the twins.”

Maybe she liked doing things on her own. Not depending on anyone else. That way, she didn’t get disappointed. Or hurt.

Conversation died and uncomfortable silence took over for the rest of the fifteen-minute drive.

When she turned into the park, she saw Daddy sitting on a bench with the kids playing nearby. Daddy was only sixty. But years of hauling furniture and salvaging buildings had taken a toll on him. He was slowing down. Eventually, he’d need knee replacement surgery.

She parked, got out of the car and ran over to Daddy. “Can you walk?”

“With some help. I’m glad you brought Ross. I’ll need both of you to keep the weight off my knee.”

“Here, let me help you up.” Ross sat down by Daddy on his right, his bad knee side. “Let’s take it slow, lean on me.”

Daddy put his arm around Ross’s shoulder and stood with a slight moan. With his weight supported mostly by Ross, Stacia took his good knee side. With his other arm around her shoulder, they hobbled toward the SUV.

Okay, so it would be easier with Ross to get Daddy home. And it was hard taking care of the twins. Even with both of them healthy. But they’d managed. She didn’t need someone else swooping in and trying to take over. Or even worse, taking them away.

And now that there was a timeline on when his parents would learn the truth, her fears multiplied.

* * *

Giggling caught Ross’s attention and he looked up from the coffee bar. Madison zipped past the open workshop doors with Mason close behind.

“Is this what they did over the summer?” He’d much rather be playing with the twins than working with the aunt he couldn’t let himself fall for.

“Occasionally. But most days, if we were fully staffed, Daddy and I took turns corralling them.”

At least they were easily entertained and there hadn’t been much arguing.

With Maverick laid up from his knee injury yesterday, the kids had to stick around the workshop after school. With the double doors on the back of the shop open, the twins could scurry about just outside and avoid the paint fumes. While Ross assembled coffee bars and sanded claw-foot tubs, Stacia was on paint duty for both.

“Madison, watch out!” Mason shouted.

A heart-splitting scream echoed through the air.

Ross ran toward the sound, but somehow Stacia beat him to the little girl sprawled on the ground, cradling her left arm.

“What hurts?” Stacia knelt over her.

“She fell, but her arm landed on that prickly pear cactus.” Mason pointed at the paddle-shaped plant covered in needles.

Stacia closed her eyes. “Let me see.”

Ross knelt on Madison’s other side. Big tears rolled down her sweet little cheeks. He smoothed her hair away from her face as she showed them her arm. Multiple spines dotted the tiny wrist.

“We’ll have to go to the doctor,