with an excuse but couldnât.
âNow, donât tell me that dating her hasnât crossed your mind at least once during the past twenty-four hours.â
âNope.â He shot her a wry grin. âItâs crossed my mind at least a dozen.â
She beamed. âI knew I was right.â
âBut nowâs not the time.â He dried his hands on a dishcloth and wiped down the counter. How his sister always managed to rope him into helping in the kitchen, he had no idea. âHer fatherâs in the hospital and weâre trying to do the impossible by tracking down this Internet scammerââ
âSo a man canât woo a girl because sheâs in trouble?â She smoothed down the bottom of her tank top and frowned. âWhat happened to knights in shining armor showing up to save the day? Sounds like the perfect fairy tale if you ask me.â
âMaybe youâve been reading too many of those to the girls,â he retorted.
âAnd youâve been spending too much time working. You should settle down.â
Leave it to his sisterâshe didnât mince words, that was for sure.
The back door slammed. Lindsey stood in the doorway with a puzzled look on her face. How much of their conversation had she heard? Her cheeks were red, but he couldnât tell if it was from exercise or embarrassment.
She slid on her sandals. âDid I interrupt something?â
âNo.â Kyle wasnât about to give his sister a chance to interfere with Lindsey in the room.
Maybe his brilliant idea of keeping her safe at his sisterâs wasnât quite as ingenious as heâd first thought. On the other handâ¦he studied Lindseyâs face. Rosy cheeks, clipped-up hair, wide smile. It was going to be hard to ignore his sisterâs candid advice.
The twins raced in from outside and grabbed Lindseyâs hands, trying to pull her back outside.
âThatâs enough, now. Shut the door, girls,â Kerrie said.
âIâd forgotten how much energy six-year-olds have,â Lindsey said with a smile.
âTry two,â Kerrie said.
Both women laughed. Kerrie shot him a knowing look. Boy, he was in trouble.
Kerrie wiped her hands on a towel, still smiling. âSimon called and is stuck in traffic, so I thought Iâd give the girls a bath before we eat if the two of you donât mind.â
âOf course not,â Kyle said.
âThe park behind us is beautiful. Why donât you take Lindsey for a walk, Kyle. Itâs cooled off enough to be pleasant.â
Kyle grinned at Lindsey. There was no getting out of this. Not that he wanted to.
âI like your sister,â Lindsey said once theyâd started down the street.
âSheâs more of a mother than a sister, but I wouldnât trade her for anything.â
Kerrie had been right about two things. One, the park was beautiful with its well-kept lawns and stately trees. Kids played on the jungle gym, while a Little League team practiced on the softball field. A mother pushed a baby carriage, joggers ran byâ¦
Kyle glanced at Lindsey. Kerrie had been right about Lindsey, too. In college, heâd wavered between what majors to choose and what girl to ask out. Lindsey had been the uncomplicated, safe friendâfor the most part.
Now he knew what he wanted, but the timing was all wrong. No woman had ever made him seriously consider settling down. Until now.
Kyle stopped. The open field blurred before him. Players ran. Fans cheered.
Maybe part of him had spent the past decade wishing for something heâd missed out on years ago.
âKyle? You okay?â
âSorry, I was justâ¦â Wondering what it would be like if we were together. âJust enjoying the scenery.â
Coward.
âI called the hospital about an hour ago,â she told him as they started walking again. âTheyâve moved my dad to a monitored bed, and he seems to be
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