“Man, y’all are lucky,” Keegan was saying when Kaden opened the truck door to help Avery out of her car seat.
“Why? Why are we lucky, Uncle Keeg?” four-year-old Kade asked, smiling widely as Keegan leaned in on the other side of the truck to assist him out.
“Because y’all get to come here,” Keegan explained, motioning toward the daycare.
And see Bristol. Kaden kept that thought to himself as he set Avery on her feet because, at three, the little girl was already too independent to be carried.
Kaden took her hand before shutting the rear door. When he reached the front of the truck, Keegan was joining him, one hand firmly held in Kade’s, the other arm filled with eighteen-month-old Maddox.
“There’s all kinds of cool stuff to play with here,” Keegan continued.
Kaden grinned. It was pretty much the same conversation they had anytime they brought one of the kids here. There were currently twenty-three little ones between Curtis and Lorrie’s seven sons, the last of the herd—Zane and V’s Dustin—born last December. For the first time in years, none of the women were pregnant. And due to being far outnumbered by the short-legged Walkers, Kaden and Keegan were often called in to help out in one capacity or another.
As for the daycare, they’d brought almost all of them here at some point. Keegan had mastered the art of hyping them up to want to go in. On occasion, one would make a mad dash for the door in an attempt to escape, but by the time Kaden was leaving, the kids were always excited. That was Keegan for you.
“There is,” Kade assured Keegan with a huge grin. “All kinds of stuff.”
“That’s just not fair,” Keegan said as he opened the outer door, allowing Kade and Avery to step in before him, then Kaden. “I wanna play with the cool stuff.”
Once inside, they remained in the small vestibule, waiting for the interior doors to be unlocked. No one was allowed in who wasn’t on the approved list of visitors, had their fingerprints on file, and knew their specialized code. No exceptions.
Kaden stepped up to the keypad, typed in the six-digit code, pressed his finger to the scanner, and waited.
“Maybe Miss Bristol’ll let you play, too,” Kade told Keegan, his brow furrowed as he peered up, the spitting image of Travis only in miniature form. “I can ask her.”
Keegan’s response was a conspiratorial grin and a quick nod.
Kaden chuckled. God, he loved these kids. They were so damn innocent, reminding him of a simpler time. And he felt blessed to have a chance to hang out with his cousins and their little ones on a daily basis. Plus, from time to time, he got to hang with his brother Jared, spend some quality time with his own nephew and niece.
“You do that,” Keegan told Kade. “If Miss Bristol says it’s cool, maybe we can play for a few minutes.”
On more than one occasion, Kaden had had to sit back and watch Keegan build block castles with the little kids. Sometimes he wondered if his twin wouldn’t mind spending his day here just so he could do that.
The lock disengaged, allowing them to open the interior door. The instant Kade stepped inside, he released Keegan’s hand and began jumping up and down. “Miss Bristol! Miss Bristol!” he squealed.
Bristol Newton peered up from her spot at the desk, her light blue eyes glittering, a smile tilting the corners of her full lips. Clearly Kade knew to wait until he was acknowledged.
She turned in her chair, giving Kade her full attention as she rested her elbows on her knees, leaning toward him. “Good mornin’, Kade.”
God, he loved that soft twang, the raspy sound of her voice.
Hi, Miss Bristol.” Based on the puff of his cheeks, Kade was trying to stifle his energy, but his hands couldn’t seem to remain still.
Bristol peered up at them, then back to Kade. She stood and stepped around the desk. “What has you so excited this mornin’?”
“Uncle Keegan wants to play with the cool stuff. Can he? Just for a little while? Purty please?”
While Bristol chatted it up with the kids, Kaden took a minute to admire her. From her shoulder-length brown hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, to the pink Converse on her feet. She looked all of sixteen, although Kaden knew she’d hit the big three-one earlier in the year. He’d even been invited to the shindig. Of course, he’d come up with an excuse as to why he couldn’t go. In his defense, Bristol had been dating some jackass at the time—a temporary thing that had lasted all of two weeks—and he hadn’t been keen on subjecting himself to seeing her with another man.
In fact, ever since their incident at Alluring Indulgence last December, it seemed Bristol was attempting to keep them at a distance by flaunting other men. Didn’t matter that they never lasted much past a first date and she never shared any stories of hope for something more with the many women in her orbit. If she had, perhaps he would’ve had to intervene. Since she seemed to be doing what she could to push him and his brother away, he’d been biding his time.
But she was single now.
Very single.
When those glittering eyes lifted to meet his, a wide grin on her face, he was hard-pressed to keep from winking at her, a bad habit he’d acquired when picking up women. Fortunately, he knew better. Bristol was not the sort of woman who would be impressed by a wink and a smile. She was far too smart for that. In fact, she’d rebuked every attempt he’d made to flirt with her in the past. Except for that one alcohol-fueled night. Still, that hadn’t deterred him in the least. Of course, he’d thought for sure they’d made inroads with her last Christmas, but he should’ve known better.
“Well, all right,” she told Kade with a chuckle before peering up at Keegan. “I think it’ll be fine if Uncle Keegan hangs out for a bit.”
“Yay!” Kade squealed, jumping up and down as he grabbed Keegan’s hand and jerked him toward the door leading to the inner sanctum.
“Hold up, speedy. Your sister’s gonna wanna join us.”
Kaden remained in the front office as Keegan keyed his passcode in a secondary keypad and then motioned Avery in front of him, making the little girl giggle as Kade grabbed Avery’s hand and took off at a trot toward the back the instant the door opened.
“Sometimes I think you should charge him for bein’ here,” Kaden told Bristol as he stepped over to the wide window that overlooked the room where the kids congregated, watching his brother pass Maddox off to a waiting teacher.
“I think it’s sweet,” she said, bending over to jot something down in her notebook before standing tall once more.
The outfit she wore was more for comfort than fashion, he figured, but the woman would’ve looked damn fine wearing a potato sack. The light blue skinny jeans couldn’t have been more formfitting if they’d been painted on. The plus was how they showcased toned legs and a sinful ass while the oversized cream-colored sweatshirt hid the nice curves he knew she rocked on that petite frame.
Truth was, Kaden was usually drawn to leggy women, the ones who were closer to his six foot two inches. Bristol couldn’t have been but a few inches over five feet. Still there was something about her that did it for him.
“I’ll be sure to tell him you said that.” Kaden grinned. “He likes when women call him sweet.”
Speaking of sweet, Bristol was sweet enough to cause a toothache and sassy enough to square a man’s shoulders. Not to mention, she was as stubborn as she was beautiful. Oddly enough, he didn’t even have to wink to make Bristol blush. Despite the fact they’d spent countless hours in her presence, usually at one Walker function or another, he always detected a hint of nerves when she was around them.
“So, will you be attendin’ the fall festival?” she asked while they stood watching as a group of kids built a block fort around Keegan.
Fall festival? They’d just had the back to school festival, hadn’t they? He did a mental calculation, realized the fall festival was only a few days away. Next weekend, in fact.
“Is it just me or does Coyote Ridge have a festival for everything?”
Bristol smiled up at him, a flash of those pretty white teeth. “I think the mayor’s responsible for that.”
“It hasn’t always been that way?”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “Not like this, anyway. We’ve had one or two a year, but only for the past couple of years has it ramped up. It’s kinda nice.”
Nice wasn’t the word he would’ve used. Saying there was a festival for everything wasn’t an exaggeration. Just in the past year, he’d been suckered into attending a Valentine’s festival, Founder’s Day festival, Easter, Memorial Day, the Kick Off to Summer festival, July Fourth, Back to School, some kind of Ode to Pets festival, and now the town’s long-running annual fall festival.
How exactly did anyone get anything done around this place when they spent so much damn time decorating and organizing events?
“I think it’s her way of revitalizin’ the town,” Bristol continued. “Mayor Stewart is all about bringin’ the residents together.”
Kaden found himself mesmerized by Bristol’s glossy pink lips and the twinkle in her eyes. He wanted to kiss those lips again, to slide his tongue along the seam and dip inside, hear her reaction. It had been too damn long since he’d gotten a taste of her.
“Does that mean you’ll be attendin’?” he asked, breaking the hold she had over him and forcing his eyes to meet hers.
Bristol grinned. “Of course. Mayor Stewart roped me into it.”
“I find it amusin’ you refer to her as Mayor Stewart considerin’ Bianca’s your best friend.”
Bristol laughed. “One of them, yes. But I do it because it irritates her.”
That made him smile. He liked her sassiness. Kaden only wished she’d turn all that attitude on him sometime.
“Well?” she asked, still staring at him.
Kaden frowned. “Well, what?”
“Can I add you to the list of people attendin’?”
“Depends.”
“On?”
Kaden held her stare and offered his best smile. “What’s in it for me?”
Chapter Two
What’s in it for me?
That was a loaded question if Bristol had ever heard one.
More so because there were so many answers she wanted to give. Not a one of them appropriate. Not only because she was currently at work and there were a few dozen kids in the building. No. Her reasoning had everything to do with the fact that she had sworn off Kaden and Keegan Walker. No matter how much she wanted to play with fire, Bristol knew there was no way she walked away without a burn or two if she entertained the idea of mixing it up with them.
Even knowing that—plus running the mantra over in her head a couple dozen times a day—she couldn’t seem to help herself. The ridiculously attractive twins appealed to her on a base level, even if they scared the daylights out of her.
Not that she would admit that to anyone. Well, no one except for Bianca, the one person in the world who probably knew everything there was to know about her. She could blame margarita night as the reason she’d blurted out her deepest, darkest fantasy. Lord knows she hadn’t intended to do it, but now that it was out there, she couldn’t take it back.
However, she could keep Kaden and Keegan from finding out.
“I’m sure there’ll be some cute women there vyin’ for your attention,” she said, keeping her tone teasing.
“And you know this how?”
Bristol rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s a given.”
Kaden turned to face her, leaning his shoulder against the wall. “You think?”
Oh, he could act all sweet and innocent, but she knew better. “I know.”
“So, you’ll be there, huh?”
“Well, of course.” It only took the words coming out of her mouth before she realized how he’d twisted them into something else entirely. “But not vyin’ for your attention.”
“Well, that’s disappointin’.” His gaze shot to Keegan in the other room, but his smile didn’t falter.
The man had a very, very nice smile. It caused the dimple in his scruffy cheek to wink at her.
Bristol shook off the thought, forced her attention to the kids in the central playroom. There were currently two teachers in there, both paying close attention to all the little ones while Keegan sat in the center of a block fort being erected around him.
“I hear there’s gonna be an auction that coincides with it,” Bristol admitted, aiming for casual as she dropped the real reason for her inquiry.
“An auction?” Kaden’s smoky blue eyes glittered with mischief when he shot her a sideways glance.
“Yes. Highest bidder gets a date with a hunk. I think that’s how she’s marketing it. Bianca’s lookin’ for eligible bachelors to sign up.”
For a second, she was almost certain she saw disappointment in his eyes.
“Is that right?”
Bristol nodded. “I suggested she approach you and Keegan, see if you’d be willing to join in the festivities.”
Kaden laughed and the sound was so sexy Bristol had to look away. She turned her attention to Keegan, who was helping the kids rebuild the block fort that continued to fall down around him. Bristol wasn’t sure she’d ever met a man who could interact so easily with kids. Well, other than Beau. Like Beau, Keegan had a natural talent for keeping the kids engaged.
“What makes you think we’re eligible?” he asked, a taunting tone to his deep voice.
She giggled. “You’re single, aren’t ya?”
His gaze heated for a moment, his smirk sexy. “Like I said earlier, what’s in it for me?”
“Don’t tell me you’re worried someone won’t bid on you,” she teased, not wanting to answer the question with what was really on her mind.
“Does that mean you’ll be biddin’ on us?” Kaden asked.
Bristol’s attention snapped to Kaden as his words sank in.
“Oh, no. I’m not…” She shook her head. “I’m not in the market for a date. But I’ll be there to watch the action. I mean, it’s for a good cause. Bianca’s raisin’ money for the church’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner. To ensure every resident has a hearty meal.”
“Does sound like a good cause.”
“It is.” Bristol held his gaze. “So, can I tell Bianca she has two more entries?”
Kaden’s gaze shot over to his brother momentarily. “No.”
Bristol couldn’t deny she was a little hurt that he’d turned her down so easily. She thought for sure she’d be able to convince them. If she’d been smart, she would’ve approached Keegan about it first. He seemed to be the more amenable of the two of them.
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that.” Bristol injected as much cheer into her tone as she could. No way would she let him hear her disappointment or misconstrue it in any way.
Kaden’s eyes locked on hers. “If I do agree, you’d get one entry.”
Bristol nodded, smiled as curiosity won out. “You’re signin’ Keegan up, I presume?”
He shook his head, his voice gruff and low when he said, “We’re a package deal, sweetheart. I think you’ve figured that out by now.”
Heat coiled in her belly, tightening something deep in her core. Her thoughts instantly drifted back to the night at Alluring Indulgence, the three of them in her hotel room. Games and alcohol had led to some rather intense moments, and yes, she’d gotten her first taste of the twins.
At the time, she’d been somewhat surprised despite the fact she’d heard about their unconventional methods to dating. Not that they hid their intentions. Every so often, Bristol would catch a glimpse of the two of them with one woman, usually at the bar. In their defense, they never did anything in public. Not so much as kissing, but she’d seen them at Moonshiners, the way the two of them managed to convince some lucky woman to go home with them.
And yes, perhaps she’d fantasized about being the filling in that sexy twin sandwich a time or two. She was human.
Bristol swallowed hard, forced herself not to look
at Kaden. She had to get this conversation back on track.
Taking a deep breath, she cleared her throat. “If you do agree … well, like I said, it’s for a really good cause.” Smiling, she turned toward her desk, keeping her eyes down as she reached for a Post-it note. “And I’m sure there’s one lucky lady out there who’ll be thrilled to go on a date with the two of you.”
She jotted down a message to call Bianca.
When she straightened, her eyes shot to Kaden’s face. That was when she noticed he’d moved toward her. He took another step closer and Bristol fought the urge to step back. He smiled and she forced herself to look him in the eye rather than let her gaze drift down to his sensuous mouth.
“Sweetheart, there’s only one lady we’d be interested in.”
“Who’s that?” She couldn’t help it if her voice came out in a strangled whisper.
Kaden didn’t respond, but his wicked smirk told her everything she needed to know.
Before she had to come up with an excuse as to why that would never happen, he broke eye contact and whistled for his brother. Bristol remembered where she was, shaking off the lust that had infused her blood. She managed a smile as Kaden made his way to the front doors.
“So is that a yes?” she blurted.
“I’ll think about it,” he said softly. “Get back to you.”
She was so busy watching Kaden that she didn’t prepare for the big, hard body that slipped past her, purposely brushing up against her. She told herself Keegan did it because she was standing in the path to the door, but the look he shot back at her said she was so very wrong.
Keegan tipped his hat and winked. “Thanks for lettin’ me hang, darlin’.”
“Anytime.” The word came out breathless, that very brief moment when the heat of his body had pressed against her back having made her head spin.
Heat flashed inside her as the two men headed for the door.
And when Kaden grinned back at her over his shoulder, she rolled her eyes, remembering her pledge to herself.
No way was she going to get caught up in that mess. No way, no how.
Kaden & Keegan (The Walkers of Coyote Ridge Book 9) Page 4