LITMIR.BIZ

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in her life. All the lights were on at the house, which surprised him since it was quite late.

      Pepper tugged an overstuffed suitcase out the front door as he walked onto the porch.

      “Going somewhere?” he asked. “I can’t advise it. The roads outside the ranch are slick.”

      Pepper shook her head. “I know. I’ll be all right.”

      “I could drive you,” he offered.

      “No, thanks.” She slid the heavy suitcase down the steps and then almost slipped.

      “Pepper, this isn’t your best idea. The most educated Forrester should know that.”

      Sighing, she stood upright, facing him as he stood at the top of the porch. “All right. You have a point.”

      “A damn good one,” he said gruffly, going down the steps to retrieve the bag. “This is heavy! What the hell, Pepper?”

      Once he reached the top of the stairs and set the case inside the door, she tugged it down the hallway. He followed her, bemused. “I suppose it’s possible you’re heading for a warmer place.”

      “Zach, could you mind your own business?” she snapped.

      “Not usually,” he said mildly. “It’s a flaw in my personality, particularly where my sister is concerned.”

      She burst into tears. Zach blinked. “Damn, Pepper, is something wrong?”

      “No. I just need to get out of here.”

      She was acting a lot like Jessie. “What the hell’s the matter with all the females around here, anyway?”

      “We all have lives that you men can’t exactly comprehend,” Pepper said, “because we’re not being good little apron-wearing, dinner-fixing feetwarmers.”

      “Whoa,” Zach said. “I only know five words in the female language. ‘Let me get the kettle.’”

      “That would be nice,” Pepper said, sniffling as she finished dragging her suitcase off like a protective animal.

      “It’s the weather,” Zach mused. “It’s making everyone stir-crazy.” Setting the kettle on to boil, he set out two teacups the way Helen and Pansy would. He felt proud of himself, and got a little more fancy by putting some chocolate chip cookies on the saucers. Whatever was ailing Pepper would surely go away when his sister saw his handiwork.

      She came into the kitchen and sat at the table, grateful to let him handle tea-duty.

      “It’s the Christmas season,” Zach pointed out. “We should be feeling tidings of joy. Not panic and stress.”

      Pepper shook her head. “I can’t talk about it, so don’t ask.”

      He poured the hot water into the teacups, setting one in front of her before he sat down. “I can talk about my dilemma, if you’re in the mood to humor me.”

      “Shoot,” Pepper said. “One of us might as well abuse the sibling privilege.”

      “Right.” Zach burned his tongue, not paying attention to the heat in his cup as he sipped. “Last chance to spill before I grab the spotlight.”

      Pepper shook her head. There was no way she could talk about her secret. It wasn’t time. Eventually, perhaps she could. But not now. Zach would be shocked. Duke would be stunned. Despite their own out-of-wedlock pregnancies, they would be beside themselves to learn of her own children.

      She couldn’t second-guess her decisions now. The die had been cast long ago. “I am positive that if we spend this cold, rainy evening getting your issues addressed,” Pepper said, “I’ll feel better empathetically.”

      Zach hoped so. A less-selfish brother would insist that she let big bro shoulder her burden, but Pepper wasn’t the type of girl who could be pushed.

      “My problem is Jessie,” he said. “She’s having my children.”

      “I know,” Pepper said. “I took a gift by. I look forward to having her in the family.”

      He frowned, completely startled.

      “Well, I do,” Pepper said. “She’ll be a wonderful sister, just like Liberty.”

      “Do you know something I don’t?” Zach asked. “Because when I left her forty-five minutes ago, she didn’t want to have anything to do with me.”

      “Not you, maybe, but she’s fine with me. And I’m the auntie. I’ll occupy a glorious place in those little babies’ lives.” She smiled, pleased by the notion. “It’s a wonderful Christmas present. I’ll have two little Forresters to spoil and coddle, and when they turn into brats, you won’t be able to blame Aunt Pepper because they’ll love me too much.”

      Zach frowned. “They need to be Forresters.”

      “They’ll be Farnsworth-Forresters,” Pepper said. “Doesn’t that sound pretty?”

      “It’s a mouthful,” he said unhappily. “Pepper, I don’t want to be a father who isn’t married to the mother of my children. I want us to live under one roof. Does that make sense?”

      Her brother touched a nerve inside her. But she doubted her teenage love would have shared Zach’s sentiments. No one wanted to be tied down by children at that young age. “It makes sense,” she said carefully. “I’m not really a good person to talk to about this.”

      “You’re the best.”

      “No,” Pepper said, getting up from the table with her teacup. “Believe me, you should talk to Helen and Pansy or Holt. I am no expert on anything except medical matters.”

      Since she’d just been on her way out the door to catch a redeye to visit her own twins, Toby and Josh, her advice was probably the worst Zach could receive. Far better for him to talk to someone with a success rate, like Duke.

      She had to concentrate on her children and Christmas and the medical clinic she was starting, and how she was finally going to bring the boys home to Tulips without everyone she knew being completely ashamed of what she’d done so many years ago.

      IN THE MORNING, Zach got up bright and early and went outside to the barn to check on Jessie’s car. Molly-Jimbo slept in the back seat, so he shooed her out, not certain how she’d sneaked into the garage and gotten in. “You are the wiliest dog I ever met,” he told the golden retriever. “Why can’t you act like you’re Duke’s dog?”

      Molly barked at a chicken and ran off, not bothered at all by Zach’s lack of praise for her cunning.

      He inspected the car, certain Jessie never had a long-haired dog sleeping in her precious land yacht. The best thing to do would be to take it into town, have it vacuumed and polished, hang a wreath on the grill and take it to her with an apology and a goodbye.

      “But I’m a stronger man than that,” he said, starting back toward the house. “I’m not going to let her scare me off with a wee little ‘no.’”

      After talking to Pepper last night, he’d realized he couldn’t give up so easily. Not this time. Duke had hung in there until he won Liberty’s heart—surely Forrester grit counted for something.

      He had babies counting on his grit.

      He felt good about deciding that determination would be his guide. The doorbell rang and his heart leaped—maybe Jessie had come to get her car at last. Or even better, perhaps she’d come to say that their future together, in whatever form or fashion, would be a bright one.

      He hoped so. He was becoming quite fond of that sassy girl from the city.

      Opening the door, he looked at the two tall, big-shouldered strangers on his porch. A faint sense of alarm trickled through him. Strangers didn’t pass by this way often.

      “Howdy,” he said. “Can

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