Her Very Own Family by Trish Milburn Page A

looked like her brother, but in a lovely, feminine way where Brady was all hunky male. “Nice to meet you. Sorry to have kept Brady from his uncle duties.”
    Sophie made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “No need to apologize. If he spoils these two any more, I won’t be able to stand living with them.”
    Still, as Audrey watched Brady and Nelson load the canoe, she wanted to make some gesture of friendship to these newly met members of the Witt family.
    “Do you all have dinner plans?” she asked.
    “Nothing yet,” Sophie said. “Figure we’ll whip up something at Dad’s before we head back to Asheville.”
    “Can I interest you in letting me use all of you as guinea pigs?” She scanned the entire group, an almost-complete family, something she hadn’t had in years. She blinked before her longing could cause tears to form.
    Brady looked back at her with a hungry expression that had her cheeks flaming again and an intensity that said he wished everyone but Audrey would disappear.
    “What do you have in mind?” Sophie asked.
    Audrey redirected her gaze to the other woman so she didn’t have to see the frustration on Brady’s face. “I need to try out some of the recipes I plan to use in the restaurant, make sure someone besides me likes them.”
    “Sounds good to me,” Brady said.
    What was he up to? She was certain food was the furthest thing from his mind. Was he hoping to feed everyone then ship them back to his dad’s house so they could be alone?
    “Now that answer was too quick,” Nelson said. “I think my boy doesn’t like my cooking.”
    “Pork and beans were fine the first three times we had them,” Brady threw back.
    “Oh, get in the truck before I leave your ungrateful carcass here and make you walk home.”
    “A meal I don’t have to cook,” Sophie said. “I’m so there. I need to run by Dad’s first, then we’ll be over to help out.”
    “Oh, there’s no need.”
    Sophie wrapped her arm around Audrey’s as theywalked up the embankment. “Of course there is. I’ve got to know more about the woman who got my big brother to take a day off from work.”
    Audrey started to argue that it wasn’t like that, but she caught sight of the mirth on Brady’s face and the words caught in her throat. Was it like that?
    “See you all in a few minutes,” Sophie said as she rounded up her girls and ushered them into her car.
    “Hope you’re ready to be grilled to within an inch of your life,” Brady said as he stepped up next to Audrey.
    “Can I plead the fifth?”
    Brady laughed then slid into the middle of the bench seat, leaving the space next to the window for Audrey.
    On the way back to the mill, Brady kept looking over at her and giving her looks that promised more excellent kissing. From where his arm lay along the back of the seat, he played with her ponytail, causing her nerves to sizzle like lit fuses. Finally, she mouthed, “Stop it!” He smiled wide in response. When she’d met him, she would have never guessed this side of the man existed. Maybe it took a while for him to warm up to people.
    Speaking of warm, her skin heated every time a bump in the road caused their legs to rub together. She closed her eyes and looked out her window when those sensations made her imagine their legs entwined and rubbing along each other in a soft bed.
    Even with the aching thoughts and sexual frustration, she wouldn’t trade today for anything. She hadn’tenjoyed herself so much in a long time, had forgotten what it felt like.
    She should have known it wouldn’t last.

Chapter Seven

    “Looks like you’ve got some company,” Nelson said as he drove within view of the mill.
    A man sat on her front porch, and a silver car was parked in the shade nearby. She didn’t recognize him, but she didn’t have to. Her hammering heart rate told her it wasn’t anyone she wanted to see.
    Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Brady look from the man to her. “You know him?” he