Suddenly a Family

by Harris, Leann

  When he pulled back from Toni, he noted the softness in her eyes and knew she regretted having to stop as much as he did.

  But it was better this way.

  Zach looked down at Lisa. “So, you’re hungry, are you?”

  “Yeah, and I hafto go, too.”

  Zach’s startled gaze flew to Toni’s.

  Biting back a grin, she said, “I’ll take her.”

  As the girls walked to the rest room, the minister said, “Don’t get discouraged. Children are a gift.”

  Zach glanced at the man. “They’re a surprise, I grant you that.”

  “Enjoy the time when they’re young,” the minister added.

  “I just hope I live through it.”

  “Wow, I liked the guys who flew in the air,” Lisa chattered as they entered their hotel room.

  “What did you like best about the circus, Lori?” Toni asked.

  She gave Toni a shy smile. “I liked the elephants. When they danced, it was funny.”

  Lori yawned and from the drooping of her shoulders, Toni could tell she was at the end of her strength. “Okay, girls, let’s get ready for bed.”

  Zach expected the girls to argue with Toni as they had done with him for the past few weeks. Instead, they nodded their heads and followed Toni into the bathroom. Zach stared after them, wondering what power Toni had that affected the girls that way.

  When the twins were washed up and in their pj’s, Zach helped Toni tuck them into bed.

  “This has been a fun day,” Lisa said as she snuggled beneath the covers.

  “I’m glad you liked it,” Toni replied.

  “Yeah, I told Lori that if Dad married you, it would be good.”

  Zach studied his charming daughter, and a suspicion formed in his mind. All those housekeepers had been run off on purpose. Because they wanted him to marry Toni. No, that couldn’t be. The girls were only four years old.

  “Good night,” Toni whispered to the girls and gave each a kiss.

  The girls smiled at him. Zach leaned over and brushed a kiss across each forehead. This ritual had started the second night the girls had been with him. Lisa had demanded a kiss, just like Momma had done. Zach had felt like an Eskimo in the Amazon jungle, out of place and not knowing what to do next, so he’d brushed a kiss on each girl’s forehead. From that time on, they had expected a kiss good-night. Each day, he felt less self-conscious.

  “Thank you, Daddy, for getting us a mommy,” Lisa whispered as she snuggled down into the covers. “I told Lori that you would.”

  Bingo, his suspicions were just confirmed. His daughters had suckered him. Zach’s gaze met Toni’s. Once in the living room, Zach turned to Toni.

  “I think I’ve been the focus of a scam that my daughters have run,” he quietly told her.

  Silent laughter shook Toni. “Could be.”

  “They purposely ran off all those housekeepers.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  “But they’re so young—”

  “Zach, children are a lot smarter than most people think.”

  He rubbed his neck. “I guess you’re right. Did you ever do something like that to your dad?” he asked.

  “I’m afraid so. But as tune went on, Dad grew better and better at detecting our scams, so by the time I tried pulling some stunts—the third and youngest daughter—he’ d seen them twice before. But I heard stories from my older sisters.”

  Zach shook his head. “I guess I have a lot to learn.”

  She smiled at him. “I’ll help you.”

  Electricity arced between them, setting Zach’s blood to racing, and his mind wandered to thoughts of satin sheets and hot bodies. He looked at the couch.

  “I can sleep in here,” he said, feeling as if he were slowly drowning.

  Toni’s gaze went from the couch to the door to the girls’ room. “Don’t you think the girls will wonder why you’re sleeping out here instead of in the bedroom?”

  “I can get up before the girls,” he reasonably replied.

  Toni crossed her arms over her chest. “Zach, how many times during the past three weeks have the girls slept through the night?”

  Already there was a flaw in his plans. “Most of the nights.”

  “But there’s a chance that maybe one of the girls will wander through this room. And don’t you think that they will question why you’re sleeping out here on the couch? And if the court sends anyone to investigate our relationship, you wouldn’t want the girls to say, ‘Daddy slept in the living room the night he got married.’ Remember, so far, the girls have been honest in their accounting of things.”

  He studied her. “The only other option is that I sleep in the same bed as you.”

  “We’re adults, Zach. I think we can sleep in the same bed and not have a problem.”

  He wished he was as sure as she was. Finally, he nodded. “Why don’t I wait here while you get ready for bed?”

  Toni had only been gone for a few minutes when he heard, “Daddy?”

  Zach looked up from the TV screen and saw Lori in the doorway. “What is it?”

  “I’m thirsty,” she said.

  He stood and took Lori’s hand. “Come on, let’s get you a drink, then back to bed.”

  After she drank her water, Zach helped her back under the covers. Lori smiled at him, a beautiful full smile that shimmered in her eyes.

  “Thank you, Daddy.”

  As he looked down at his daughter, Zach knew that she wasn’t just thanking him for the water. His heart contracted. He brushed her cheek with his fingers and smiled. When he turned, he saw Toni standing in the doorway.

  She moved into the living room and waited for him.

  “She needed some water,” he explained, turning off the TV.

  Toni nodded but didn’t say anything, which he appreciated. His ex-wife often and repeatedly had told him when he was wrong.

  “The bathroom’s yours,” she said, then slipped into the bedroom.

  When Zach followed her, his gaze went to the bed. It was only a full-size mattress. He cursed. Luck wasn’t with him. Why couldn’t it have been a king-size? Or queen? Or twin beds? He considered taking a pillow and blanket and stretching out on the floor, but Lori had proven Toni’s argument true, and he didn’t want the girls to find him there. The only option he had left was sleeping in the bed.

  As he got ready for bed, Zach had to laugh at himself. Since when was he nervous about getting into bed with a beautiful woman? Since he’d promised not to touch her.

  Turning off the bathroom light, he walked into the darkened bedroom. He gave himself enough time for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, then walked to the bed. He slipped off his shirt, shoes, then shucked off his pants. Usually, he slept nude, but since the girls had entered his life, he’d been leaving on his briefs.

  Slipping under the covers, Zach became instantly aware of Toni lying not six inches from him. He heard each time she took a breath. So soft and appealing, making him want to roll over and cover her full mouth with his own. But if he did that, he wouldn’t stop. He had given Toni his word that this marriage wouldn’t include sex, and he wasn’t going to break his word to her.

  He needed to have his head examined, because he couldn’t think of anything more asinine than that promise he’d given her.

  Gritting his teeth, he rolled onto his side, calling on all the training in self-discipline that he’d had to use as a Special Forces member, learning how to sleep in a tense situation.

  How could he forget the lessons his failed first marriage had taught him? He was no good with this male-female thing. And what kind of example had his parents set for him? His father had been separated from his wife when he met Zach’s mother. Their affair had been brief, and when his dad went back to his wife, he left Zach’s mother pregnant and alone. Zach’s mother had never forgiven his dad and held no love for her son, either.

  So what made Zach think that he could have a successful relationship with Toni?

 
And although his mind told him things wouldn’t work out, his body still craved her.

  He cursed.

  Toni tried to relax her muscles, but her body wouldn’t obey her mind’s commands. She knew exactly where Zach’s body lay—inches from hers. She knew the temptation that the intimacy of marriage would present, but she hadn’t counted on her body rebelling against her mind.

  Remember the reason he married you, she told herself. It was so he could keep his children—nothing more.

  She didn’t worry that Zach would try to press her for sex, because he’d shown her before he wasn’t interested. After he’d brought her home from that disastrous Christmas party, she had wanted to kiss him, offered him her lips. But Zach had politely stepped away from her, nodded goodbye and left. She had never felt so foolish in her life as she had watching Zach walk back to his car and drive away that night.

  What worried Toni, as she lay next to him, is that she might ask him to love her. And she didn’t think her heart could bear another rejection. Once was more than enough.

  It was the heat that drew her. And the feeling of safety and peace. Toni rubbed her cheek over the surface. The pillow was hairy instead of smooth. Shock raced through her brain. A hairy pillow? Next, she became aware that her hand rested on warm skin stretched over hard muscle.

  Her brows gathered into a frown. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see the gentle rise and fall of Zach’s chest. She was curled close to his side, her hand splayed over his pectoral muscle and her leg was thrown over his.

  Her skin sizzled with the contact. How could skin be so sensitive? Her fingers contracted negligibly.

  Although the feeling of lying next to him was heavenly, this wasn’t part of their bargain.

  Toni’s knee moved, trying to disengage her body from Zach’s. A moan rumbled in his chest. Toni’s gaze flew to his. Zach’s green eyes glittered with passion. His hand, which rested on her hip, contracted.

  “Uh...”

  “Shh,” he whispered. “Give me a moment.”

  Toni didn’t dare move a muscle. With her ear on his chest, Toni heard the thundering of his heart. Hers was keeping pace with his. For two people who had simply entered this marriage as a business arrangement, things sure had gotten complicated. And quickly.

  After he took a deep breath, his hand fell back onto the bed. Toni immediately sat up. The sheet fell to her waist and her nipples plainly showed through the thin fabric of her nightgown. Her state of arousal couldn’t be hidden.

  She scooted to the far side of the bed. “I’m sorry, Zach. When I woke, I was...”

  He sat up and glanced at his position in the bed. “From the looks of things, I don’t think you were the only person who moved during the course of the night.”

  He was right. Zach was in the center of the bed. Apparently, they had moved toward each other during the night.

  Before she could respond, the girls appeared at the door.

  “Hi,” chirped Lisa. Zach covered himself before Lisa launched herself onto the bed. “We’re hungry.” She flopped on the bed.

  Toni glanced at Zach. “Well, why don’t I help you two get dressed while your daddy dresses? Then we’ll have breakfast.”

  The girls yelled their approval. As she walked out of the bedroom, Toni’s gaze brushed Zach’s. The heat still shimmered there. And she felt it down to her toes.

  Zach held his razor under the warm stream of water. As he looked to take a second swipe at his beard, he paused. Had he lost all his marbles? The memory of holding Toni in his arms this morning burned into his brain. How had they managed to get so entwined? He’d awakened minutes before Toni and tried to decide the best way to disengage himself from her, when Toni had snuggled against him like a kitten.

  As he finished shaving, he remembered every exquisite inch of her. He had just decided to throw caution to the wind when Lisa had bounced into the room.

  What was wrong with him? Had his common sense completely evaporated? He knew if he gave in to those pulsing hormones, then he was setting himself up for a fall.

  Wiping off his face, Zach decided to clamp down on his feelings. He had enough trouble. He didn’t need to invite any more.

  “Couldn’t we have stayed longer? I wanted to ride on that big round thing we saw at the hotel.” Lisa turned to her father. The airplane had just taken off, flying back to Dallas.

  “The Ferris wheel,” Toni explained, as a frown appeared on Zach’s brow.

  “The reason we have to go home today is Toni has to go to school on Monday,” he explained.

  “Then we could’ve stayed until tomorrow,” Lisa argued.

  Smiling at her, Toni took Lisa’s hand. “I have several things I have to do on Sunday to get ready for my classes. Also, I think your daddy has some work he has to do.”

  Lisa folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

  Toni turned to Zach. “In our hurry to get here, we never decided where we were going to live. If you don’t have any objection, why don’t you and the girls move in with me? Since I have my aviary out in the backyard, it will make my life easier if I can stay put.”

  “What’s an aviary?” Lisa asked.

  Toni smiled. “It’s a place for keeping birds confined.”

  “Why do you have one?” Lisa asked.

  “Because I rescue sick and hurt birds and help them get well.”

  “Why?” Lisa asked.

  “Because I teach people about birds and together we help wild animals.” Toni looked at Zach.

  “I don’t have any objection to that. Once we land in Midland, we could stop by my apartment and pack the girls’ and my things.”

  “Don’t you think that will take several hours?” Toni asked.

  “I can move my things in twenty minutes. The girls’ might take a little longer than that.”

  Toni’s eyes widened. “Don’t you have any furniture or dishes or kitchen items?”

  “No.”

  She hadn’t realized how little Zach possessed. His clothes and his car. And he’d had to change his car since the girls came into his life.

  “Well, then if that’s all you’ll need to do, I think we can get you moved in tonight.”

  He nodded.

  “But today, if there’s time, or tomorrow, Zach, we’re going to have to go to my father’s house and tell him about our marriage.”

  Zach’s eyes locked with hers. From his expression, Zach knew that job would be formidable.

  “Can we get Sam?” Lori asked.

  Toni looked at Lori. In all the time she’d been with the little girl, she hadn’t heard her ask for anything but Sam.

  Swallowing, Toni said, “We’ll try.”

  Zach hadn’t misjudged the time it would take them to pack up everything in the apartment. Within thirty minutes all of Zach’s and the girls’ things were packed. As Toni walked into the living room, she saw the empty fishbowl on the bookcase and recalled Zach’s story about the garden burial.

  “Do you want to bring your fishbowl?” Toni asked the girls.

  “I liked the fishies, but they kept dying.” Lisa frowned.

  Toni squatted down and pushed the hair back from Lisa’s forehead. “Well, why don’t we put it in the car and maybe this week we could buy some more fish.”

  “’Kay.”

  Toni looked around. “Did we forget anything else?”

  “Yeah, the Froot Loops,” Lisa added.

  Toni glanced at Zach.

  Zach explained, “The girls took me to the grocery store. It’s an interesting place.”

  From the look on his face, she’d just bet it had been an experience for him.

  “We picked up a few things that the girls liked.”

  Nodding, Toni walked into the kitchen and opened several of the cabinets. She found the foodstuffs, and packed them in a couple of grocery sacks.

  There was an odd collection of dishes in the cabinet. When she started to pack them, he said, “Leave them.”

  “There’s
nothing you want? Maybe the girls have something they’d like to keep?”

  “After four weeks?” he asked.

  “Sure. Lisa, Lori, are there any of these dishes you want to keep?”

  “Yeah, I want the doggie glass,” Lisa said.

  “I want my Big Bird spoon,” Lori added.

  Chapter 8

  When they stopped in front of her dad’s front door, Toni frowned at the number of cars parked in the circular drive.

  “What’s wrong?” Zach asked. Her reaction made him nervous. He knew this meeting with George was going to be hard, but it had to be done. He’d agreed with Toni that it should be done as quickly as possible.

  “The cars in the drive,” Toni replied.

  Zach looked at them. “So?”

  Toni turned to him. “It appears that my entire family is here.”

  That was a bad sign. He glanced again at the collection of vehicles. “You think your sister told everyone else about your wedding?”

  “I’m sure she did, so be prepared to smile and be charming.”

  His eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t give them your stony-faced military man

  A blush crept up Zach’s throat. When his gaze met hers, he shrugged. “They saw the stuff when we went to the store. It helped.”

  First the empty fishbowl and now the special gifts. Zach may not have had any ideas on how to care for children when he picked up the girls four weeks ago, but he had made amazing progress. The wall Toni had built around her heart took another big hit. Oh, she was in trouble here.

  “Let me pack these things, then why don’t we drop by my dad’s house and tell him the news?”

  Leaning against the counter, Zach studied her. “Want to get it over with, huh?”

  Toni studied the spoon on the counter. “In spite of Dad’s gruff demeanor, he’s always been a good father. When I was in the accident, he went to great lengths to make sure I’d have the best care. Of course, all of us girls discovered early on that his bark was worse than his bite.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t spread it around at work. I think your dad enjoys his status of being a mean SOB.”