LITMIR.BIZ

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mouth with a paper towel, then shoveled more yogurt into her. “We’ll give it another week. You should be good to go by then.”

      Was it really so easy for him? Just make a decision and go? She had responsibilities. The twins to think of. A business to build. A house to take care of. Which she told him.

      “The house will be fine. The twins will be with us,” he looked at her again. “As for your business, it’s at a standstill and you know it. I looked into your files this morning while you were sleeping. You’re barely covering expenses.”

      Outrage and embarrassment tangled inside her, convulsing into tight knots that felt like balls of ice in the pit of her stomach. Not only had he delved into her bank account and her bills, he’d snooped through her business. He’d riffled through her records and all he’d seen was the bottom line. He hadn’t noticed the hard work, the hopes, the dreams.

      “I can’t believe you did that,” she murmured, then laughed shortly at her own naïveté. Of course he’d intruded. Of course he’d stuck his nose into her business. Look what he’d done to her life!

      The night before, she’d allowed herself to forget just how wide a gulf separated them. She’d indulged her senses and put her logical self on the back burner. But now Sensible Penny was back in charge.

      Keeping her voice light so the twins wouldn’t pick up on any tension, she focused a laser glare on Colt. “My business isn’t any of yours.”

      “Wrong,” he said easily. Then before she could argue, he continued. “I’m not looking for a battle here, Penny. I’m just saying, your business could use a good boost—and taking pictures for King’s Extreme Adventures would give you that.”

      She slumped back in her kitchen chair. Sunlight fell through the windows and lay across the table and the old oak flooring. “Yes, because nothing says ‘I’ll take great pictures of your toddler’ like doing a photo spread of an insane man jumping off a volcano.”

      A wry grin touched his mouth briefly and she felt the punch of it to her middle. But she wouldn’t be seduced again.

      “Colt, I didn’t ask for your help and I don’t need it.”

      “That’s a matter of opinion.”

      “But mine is the only one I’m concerned with.”

      He sprinkled a few Cheerios onto the twins’ tray tables and finally turned to meet her gaze squarely. “I’m offering you a job. It pays well. And,” he added with a slow smile, “there are other benefits.”

      That swirl of something hot and wicked punched her low again and even melted a couple of the ice knots. But enough of them remained to keep her on course.

      “We are not taking the babies on an excursion to a volcano. And no,” she added, “I don’t want to take pictures of you risking your safety, much less have my children witness that. Do you want them scarred for life?”

      He snorted. “I don’t remember you being so squeamish. When we met you were into sports photography. You wanted to travel the world, capturing danger and excitement with your camera.” Shaking his head, he looked at her quizzically. “Now you’re happy to take pictures of suburbia? What happened to all of the big dreams?”

      “I became a mom,” she said, trying to make him understand, though she doubted he ever would. “Plans change. Dreams change.”

      Her words were soft but powerful, and he acknowledged that with a brief nod for her. Then Colt looked at the twins and she watched his features soften and his eyes warm. She knew that his children had reached him in a way she’d never been able to. But she also knew that this time in her cottage was a blip on his radar screen. It didn’t matter how much he cared for the twins.

      Colton King, as he’d told her himself, was not the staying kind.

      * * *

      Friday morning, Rafe King from King Construction was at Penny’s house bright and early. Colt was glad for the distraction. Since his brilliant plan had been shot down the day before by Penny, the two of them had been staying out of each other’s way. Which wasn’t easy in a house no bigger than a good-sized garden shed.

      Carrying two cups of coffee with him, Colt strode out of the house and met his cousin as he climbed down from his truck.

      “Coffee.” Rafe grinned as he reached for it. “You always were my favorite cousin.”

      “And your wife’s my favorite cousin-in-law.” Colt looked past Rafe into the cab of the truck. “Did Katie take pity on me and send cookies?”

      Rafe’s wife, widely known as “Katie King the Cookie Queen,” ran her own business out of her home while taking care of their daughter, Becca, and their newborn son, Braden. She also baked cookies for the legions of King cousins who adored her.

      “Nice to see you, too,” Rafe said wryly. After taking a sip of coffee, he reached into the truck and came back out with a white bakery box stamped “Cookie Queen.”

      Colt made a grab for it but Rafe whipped it out of reach. “Not for you,” he said, and seemed to enjoy the moment. “Katie sent these to Penny. Along with her commiseration on being involved with a King.”

      Scowling, Colt pointed out, “Doesn’t say much for you, does it?”

      “Nah,” Rafe said with a grin and a shrug. “She likes me.”

      “Great.” His gaze locked on the pastry box. “What kind?”

      “White chocolate macadamia.”

      “That’s just mean,” Colt said.

      “My wife’s good.”

      “That she is.” Colt looked at Rafe and thought about it. Not that long ago, Rafe had been as determinedly single as Colt was and yet now he was happily married to a great woman and had two kids. He thought about taking a step back just in case commitment was contagious. On the other hand, he was already hip-deep in familyland, wasn’t he?

      “How’s Katie and the new baby?”

      Rafe’s grin got wider. “Amazing. He’s gorgeous and Katie’s...even better than amazing. We’re gonna have a big party for the christening. You and Con’ll be there, right?”

      “Absolutely.” Colt had been to more christenings in the last few years than he had in all the years before. But every King birth was celebrated. Every new member to the family had to be welcomed with a barbecue and lots of food and laughs.

      Which reminded him, he should talk to Penny about introducing the twins to the rest of the Kings. Not that they could have a King-size party at the cottage. They’d never be able to shoehorn everyone in. But they could hold it at his place. God knew there was plenty of room.

      Funny, he’d never realized before that the house he bought three years ago was really meant for a big family. He’d thought at the time that it was a good investment. It still was, of course, but now he had to wonder how Penny and the twins would like it there. It would be better for them, he thought. More room. Big yard. Close to the beach.

      He gave his head a hard shake. Seriously, he was beginning to worry about himself.

      Rafe asked suddenly, “So, how’s your new baby? Wait a minute. Babies.”

      “Not exactly new,” Colt said. “They’re eight months old.”

      “Right.” Rafe leaned against the truck. “Con told me. That couldn’t have been easy.”

      “No, it wasn’t.” And it wasn’t getting any easier, either.

      He was feeling nothing but conflicted about this whole situation. He wanted those kids happy and safe. But to keep them that way, he knew that he couldn’t stick around. He couldn’t be here, let them learn to count on him only to risk letting them down when they most needed him. The thought of not being there to hear their first words

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