LITMIR.BIZ

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      A few words from a gorgeous guy? A look? And she was incapacitated?

      So not good.

      Pancake mix sat on the counter, along with measuring cups, a wooden spoon, eggs and a stainless-steel bowl.

      What was happening to her? She wasn’t in shock. She didn’t need more sleep. Maybe loneliness had finally sent her over the edge.

      Grace measured the flour mixture. Her hand trembled and her vision blurred. She managed to fill the cup and dump the contents into the mixing bowl without making too much of a mess. She added water and eggs. Stirring the batter, she slowly regained her composure.

      Dominoes clattered against the hardwood floor.

      Liam laughed. “Oops.”

      Bill released a drawn-out sigh. “We’ll have to try that again.”

      Her son clapped. “Again. Again.”

      “I’ve figured out your M.O.,” their host said. “You don’t do anything once.”

      Bill impressed Grace. “You pick up quick. Are you sure you aren’t married with kids?” she asked him.

      “Nope. Most of my friends are married, but my life is good, and I’m happy. Marriage and kids can wait until those things change. And if they don’t change, then I’ll be happily single.”

      “Wait until you meet the right woman.”

      “Why settle for one when there are so many out there?”

      “So cavalier.”

      He shrugged. “Some of my friends have great marriages. Others not so good. My parents have struggled with a long-distance marriage.”

      Grace’s life had started the day she fell in love with Damon. He’d wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but being a Ranger kept him away from home and cut his life short. “Being married takes work whether you’re together or not. Damon and I were apart a lot. Loving someone isn’t easy. But we managed. Had a child. Were a family.”

      “My parents and I have never been much of a family. My dad is always away because of his job. His traveling is hard on my mom. Makes me wonder if the family thing is for me.”

      “If you don’t know, it’s good you’re waiting to settle down.”

      “Thanks for saying that. Everyone else has been telling me to grow up because I’m missing out.”

      “I never said you weren’t missing out,” Grace teased.

      She felt sorry for Bill. He could play all he wanted and be as sweet as could be, but she would never change places with him. At least she had Liam. One day, Bill was going to find himself lonelier than her.

      “Cartoons. Cartoons,” Liam chanted. “Peanut wants to watch cartoons.”

      Bill looked at her. “Is Liam allowed to watch TV?”

      “Yes, but I limit how much.”

      “That’s good,” Bill said. “Kids should be outside playing and making snow angels, not sitting on the couch inside.”

      “You sure don’t act like a confirmed bachelor who doesn’t want kids.”

      “I may not want children of my own, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like other people’s.”

      “Fair enough,” she said. “You’re the perfect playmate and babysitter rolled into one. If you ever get tired of being a firefighter, you’d make great manny.”

      His brow furrowed. “A what?”

      “A male nanny.”

      He rose to his feet with the grace of an athlete. “I’ve been known to babysit a time or two. Though I’m the call of last resort.”

      That surprised her.

      “Come on, little dude.” He picked up Liam and grabbed Peanut. “You get the best seat in the house. My favorite chair.”

      Bill carried them into the living room. Thirty seconds later, the sound of cartoons filled the air. Liam squealed.

      Her son seemed to like whatever Bill did. Of course, being a playmate or friend was easy. Being a parent and disciplinarian not so much.

      Bill joined her in the kitchen. “How are the pancakes coming along?”

      “Stirring the batter now.”

      “You’ve got a great kid.”

      “Thanks. But he has his moments.”

      “Don’t we all.”

      Grace tried to focus on cooking, but curiosity about the handsome firefighter filled her mind with questions. “You said you don’t plan on settling down anytime soon, but you must, um, date.”

      The second the words left her mouth she regretted them. Talk about awkward. But wanting to know more about him had gotten the best of her.

      “Yeah, I do,” he answered, as if she were asking if he put butter on his toast. “But I won’t be dating again until December.”

      She added chocolate chips to the batter. “You don’t look like the Grinch.”

      “I’m not. I love Christmas.”

      “Most people like having someone to date for the holidays.”

      “I’m not most people.”

      She would agree with that. “So why won’t you date until after Christmas?”

      “Too many family obligations.”

      “Do you have lots of brothers and sisters?”

      “Just my mom and dad. I meant a date’s family.”

      “You lost me.”

      “Nothing worse than being dragged to countless family gatherings, with everyone asking when’s the wedding, even if you only started dating.”

      All she’d wanted to do while dating Damon was think and talk about their future. But she knew guys weren’t like that. “That would get old.”

      “Didn’t your family do that?”

      “No, my family didn’t want me getting serious with Damon. His family felt the same way.”

      “Why?”

      “They thought we were too young. I was fifteen when we started dating. Nineteen when we wed. My parents couldn’t forgive me for eloping and marrying a man who’d joined the military instead of going to college. They haven’t spoken to me since. Damon’s folks were furious when he enlisted. They’d asked me to talk him out of it. Our getting married only made things worse.”

      “You’d think both sets of parents would be proud of what Damon was doing. The sacrifice he and you were making.”

      Bill had no idea how horrible both sets of parents had acted. “We made our choices. They made theirs.”

      He glanced around the doorway into the living room, then back at Grace. “Have you started dating again?”

      Answering should be simple, but the unexpectedly personal question startled her. “A few months ago I went out with another Ranger.”

      “It didn’t work out.”

      “He proposed. On the third date.”

      “Whoa.”

      “That’s exactly what I thought.” She poured batter onto the skillet. “Kyle is a sweet guy from Damon’s platoon, but I wasn’t sure if he was serious about marriage or trying to do the right thing by a fallen mate.”

      “Sounds like a good man, either way.”

      “He is,

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