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kid.”

      “Come on,” Justin said. “Let’s go, Angie.”

      “We have dishes to do first,” she reminded him.

      “No, you go ahead,” Toby said. “I’ll take care of the cleanup.”

      “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

      “After you pulled off such a successful dinner? Heck no. Besides, I’d hate to see Mr. Murdock get the best of you again.”

      She laughed, then took off with the boys.

      Twenty minutes later, Toby reminded them that it was a school night.

      “Aw, man,” Justin said.

      Angie wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze. “You heard what Toby said. Maybe I’ll come back another night, and we’ll play again.”

      Toby let the kids stay up long enough to eat a bowl of ice cream topped with fresh strawberries for dessert. Then it was time for them to go to bed.

      Overall, it was one of the best evenings Angie had ever had. At least since... Well, since she’d had dinner with Toby and the kids a couple of nights ago at The Grill.

      Kylie approached the chair where Angie was sitting and placed a hand on her knee. “Will you read my Disney princess book to me before I go to bed?”

      “I don’t mind.” Angie looked at Toby for the ultimate okay.

      “It’s all right with me. Each night at bedtime, I read a story to her. After that, I read a chapter out of Treasure Island with the boys. We’re at a pretty exciting part, so it’ll be nice to get back to where we left off.”

      What a nice family ritual. Angie was glad she’d been given a chance to take part in it.

      By the time she’d read the princess story twice, gotten Kylie two glasses of water to drink and checked in the closet and under the bed for dragons three times, Kylie finally drifted off to sleep.

      As Angie quietly sneaked out of the little girl’s room, she wondered if she should wait for Toby, or just let herself out. Fortunately, she didn’t have to make a decision.

      Having finished his bedtime duties, Toby was already back in the living room, picking up ice-cream dishes and putting the sofa cushions and throw pillows back in place.

      “Listen,” he said, “I can’t thank you enough for your help with the kids. When I do handle bedtime by myself, it takes another hour.”

      “The kids really are amazing.” And Angie meant that from the bottom of her heart. She couldn’t believe her mom had referred to those sweet, adorable children as “rug rats.”

      “Look at you,” Toby said. “You’re the one who’s amazing. I can’t believe how quickly the kids have taken to you. Brian even talked to you about the girls in his class, and Justin didn’t try to sneak off to the barn once while you were here. And Kylie... Well, I can’t even tell you how great it’s been for her to be around a woman. My mom and my sisters help out whenever they can, but they’ve got such full schedules and lives.”

      Did he think Angie didn’t have much of a life? Or was she reading too much into what he was saying?

      “Anyway,” he said, “you’re great with kids. Are you planning to have some of your own someday?”

      “I haven’t really given it much thought.” She’d never been around children all that much. And her mom hadn’t made any big deal about motherhood—or parenthood, for that matter. So she’d never really considered it one way or the other.

      She did have to admit, though, that being around Toby’s kids had made her see motherhood in a brand-new light.

      “I suppose I’d have to think about getting married first,” she said. “And that’s never been a priority.”

      Toby seemed to straighten at that. “You mean to tell me that you’re twenty-four, incredibly beautiful, fun and smarter than an internet search engine, and there hasn’t been a single guy who’s come along and made you think about bridal showers and wedding cakes and the whole nine yards?”

      Toby thought she was beautiful? And fun? And smart?

      “I...uh...thought about it once, but it didn’t work out.” She hoped he wouldn’t ask for details. She hated talking about it. And there’d been so many witnesses that inevitably the subject always seemed to crop up when she least wanted it to.

      “What happened?” he asked.

      So much for hoping.

      “I dated this guy once. David. He wasn’t especially handsome, but he was bright and had a great personality. I really liked him, so we dated a couple of months—which was longer than most of my relationships last. But one night, he ruined everything.”

      “What did he do?”

      “He insisted upon taking me to the Two Moon Saloon, and when we arrived, a lot of my friends were there. Even my mom showed up, which should have been a major clue that something was off-kilter. But apparently, come to find out, my mother had been coaching him.”

      “Your mom coached him? What happened?”

      “Apparently, with her help and encouragement, David planned this elaborate and romantic proposal in front of an audience. Everyone was expecting me to say yes. So I did. And then two days later, I gave him the ring back.”

      “Why didn’t you want to marry him?”

      “Everyone asked me that same question. The truth is, I didn’t know. And I still don’t. Heck, I can’t even commit to a brand of shampoo long enough to take advantage of a two-for-one sale. How could I have made a lifelong commitment like that without feeling something?”

      “You didn’t feel anything for him? I thought you said he was a great guy.”

      “Yes, but I never had the zing. You know what I mean?”

      “I’m not sure that I do.”

      “It’s that heart-spinning, soul-stirring rush that you get when you know the other person is ‘the one.’”

      “I can’t say that I’ve ever felt that way,” he said.

      “Yeah, well, I’ve never felt it, either. But I’ve read about it. And if I ever make that kind of forever-commitment to someone, I want to feel it. And I didn’t have it with David.”

      “So you broke up with him.”

      “Um. Yeah. But I should have ended things way before I did.” She blew out a sigh.

      Toby didn’t say anything. He just stared at her. But she knew what he must be thinking. It was the same thing everyone else always thought about her—that she was unreliable and scattered and wouldn’t know a good decision if it fell from the top shelf of a Superette display case and landed straight on her head.

      Suddenly embarrassed that she’d revealed so much, she realized she’d better regroup, which was her standard operating procedure when things got sticky or icky or whatever.

      So she grabbed her purse and decided to bolt before she could change her mind, climb into Toby’s lap and tell him that she was already feeling more for him than she’d ever felt for David.

      And before he could respond by reiterating that he wasn’t looking for a girlfriend or a potential mom for his foster kids.

      “Anyway,” she said, “I have to get home before it gets too late or I’ll have Mr. Murdock out looking for me.”

      “Thanks again for dinner.”

      “You’re more than welcome. I’ll see you around town sometime.”

      She was just about to make her escape when he tossed her a smile that sent her heart spinning and set off a little...?

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