LITMIR.BIZ

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beside me,” Tricia said, stopping and turning around.

      He kept his expression blank. Okay, she’d caught him. He was a healthy male who’d been without female companionship for three years. So sue him for admiring her very sexy body.

      “I got it!” a child yelled from down the hall.

      “I brought it up here!”

      “I think the troops need a mediator,” Noah said, hiding his surprise at the fact any of them were yelling, something that almost never happened. They all got along eerily well.

      Tricia’s mouth tightened, but she continued up the stairs again, and he allowed himself the pleasure of watching her hips sway until they reached the landing.

      She stopped there instead of heading toward the yelling down the hall. “Do we need to have a discussion?” she asked him.

      “About what?”

      “Appropriate employer/employee behavior.”

      “I’m familiar with the laws,” he said. “But why do you ask?”

      “You know why.”

      “Enlighten me.” He figured she was only speculating that he’d been eyeing her rear as she climbed the stairs. He’d painted her into a corner. Either she had an accusation to make or she didn’t.

      “I’m telling Father!” Zoe came charging out of the room. “Ashley won’t let anyone help.”

      Noah moved past Tricia and Zoe. When he reached Tricia’s bedroom, he set the box on the floor and looked around. The closet door was open. Clothes hung neatly on the racks, with shoes lined up like little soldiers on the floor below. Ashley and Adam were elbowing each other trying to put books onto shelves. Zach was perched on the bed, thumbing through a photo album. Hannah sat cross-legged on the floor, out of the way, wide-eyed. As an only child, she hadn’t been exposed to sibling rivalry.

      The tension was abnormally high, each child intending to make Tricia feel at home, but being pushy about it.

      “Miss Tricia can put away her own things, and, in fact, probably prefers to. Everybody out,” Noah said.

      “But thank you for your help,” Tricia added from the doorway.

      Zach hadn’t lifted his head. Noah slid the photo album out of his son’s hands and pointed toward the door. Before Noah closed the album, he caught a glimpse of a photo of Tricia and a man wearing an army uniform, their arms around each other. She looked young and in love.

      He set the album on the dresser. “I apologize for my children,” he said to her. “They’re trying to help. Obviously they went a little overboard.”

      “It’s no problem.”

      “It is as far as I’m concerned.”

      She waited a beat. “You’re the boss.”

      He remembered how Zach had told him to be nice, and how Ashley said he needed to smile. He wasn’t doing what he’d promised his children he would. And none of them could afford to lose Tricia.

      “I apologize,” he said, purposely relaxing his shoulders, trying to seem more accessible. “I wanted them to be on their best behavior for you. All of us, actually. Myself included.”

      “Why?”

      “It’s your first day. We didn’t want to scare you off.”

      She laughed. Her face lit up when she smiled. Green eyes sparkled. “I’m not easily intimidated.”

      “Good. Is the room okay? Big enough?”

      “It’s beautiful. Since my time here will be limited, it’ll do just fine.” She hitched a thumb toward the door. “The children have put most of my things away, so we can get back to your guests. How long has your brother been engaged?” she asked as they left the room.

      “Less than a week. He hired Valerie through At Your Service as his housekeeper and administrative assistant about two months ago. He’s also adopting her daughter.”

      “How nice for all of them.”

      “Yes.”

      She cocked her head. “I hear a but….”

      Should he voice his concerns out loud to someone he barely knew? Would she keep quiet about his reservations or tell David? Something about her invited trust. “They haven’t known each other long, that’s all. And David has said forever he wouldn’t get married, so it’s hard to feel comfortable about his decision.”

      They’d almost reached the bottom of the stairs. Tricia leaned close to say, “But they’re just engaged, right? They’ll have more time before the wedding to learn more about each other. They could change their minds.”

      He’d been prepared to hear her say the opposite—something about him being too jaded, or not a romantic or something. Instead she’d seen his point about how little David and Valerie knew about each other. He liked that she seemed practical.

      He also liked how her hair smelled….

      “We’ve been waiting for you,” David said as they came into the kitchen, a hubbub of conversation. Everyone held a glass of something pale and bubbly. David passed Noah and Tricia champagne flutes. Noah assumed the children’s flutes held sparkling cider.

      “What’s going on?” Noah asked.

      “I’m making a toast.” David lifted his glass toward Valerie. “To my beautiful bride-to-be—for agreeing to marry me, and for not making me wait. You’re all invited to our wedding, two weeks from yesterday.”

       Chapter Four

      Tricia exchanged a look with Noah as they sipped the celebratory champagne. After a moment, he shrugged, apparently accepting the inevitable. She decided to make it a point to get to know Valerie and see for herself that Noah could relax about the quick marriage. She considered herself a pretty good judge of character.

      Valerie shooed the men and children off to the family room while dinner was reheated.

      “It’s a good thing they’re not depending on me to cook,” Tricia said as Valerie opened a couple of loaves of buttered sourdough bread and put them on a baking sheet.

      “You don’t enjoy it?”

      “My mom and I opened cans exceptionally well. And I make a mean PB and J sandwich.” She smiled at Valerie, who smiled back.

      “The reverse is true for me. My mother was a housekeeper and cook for a family in Palm Springs,” Valerie said. “She taught me everything.”

      “Does Hannah cook?”

      “She’s not quite as into it as I was, but yes. But, you know, I couldn’t do what you do, Tricia. Teachers amaze me.” She gestured to a cupboard. “Plates are up there.”

      Tricia grabbed plates, salad bowls, glasses and silverware and carried them into the dining room. “Tablecloth or place mats?” she called out to Valerie.

      “Take your pick. They’re in the hutch.”

      As Tricia set the table, she could hear the men and children playing video games in the family room. “They’re having a good time,” she said to Valerie, who was grating fresh parmesan cheese. Tricia leaned against the kitchen counter. “Can I ask you some questions about Noah?”

      “You can ask, but I don’t know a whole lot. I haven’t spent much time around him.”

      “Do you know if he’s always so serious?”

      “I think I can safely say yes to that. According to David, Noah’s a workaholic. He never takes a vacation. He’s pretty much in charge and in control at all times. Doesn’t have a great deal of patience. Very action

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