My Three Girls (Harlequin Super Romance)

by Floyd, Susan

  No. She wouldn’t think of that anymore. She stood straight and headed for the kitchen. These three girls were Deputy Moore’s problem, not hers.

  He was sitting at the table, but got up when she entered. “Miss Ritchie.”

  “Dana.” She smiled, feeling the fatigue all the way down to her toes. “I think that we know each other well enough now to use first names. Unless that’s against policy or something.”

  He shook his head and pulled a chair out for her, a gesture she found oddly touching. Then he sat down and reached across the table to close his fingers over hers.

  “Thank you.” His voice was grave.

  “For what?” His warm touch was doing something odd to her breathing. He looked different, too. Something about him had changed in the short time he’d been here.

  “For what you’ve done for these children,” he answered.

  She dismissed his thanks with a shrug. “For being a decent human being?”

  “For being a caring human being. I couldn’t have done what you did tonight.”

  “Night terrors. It’s common for children.” Suddenly, Adam’s face loomed in front of her eyes. She tried to tug her hand away from Brady’s, but he hung on.

  “Thank you,” he said again, stressing the words. “I owe you.”

  It was a plain statement, but oddly intimate and filled with emotion. Dana shook her head, almost recoiling from the thought of Brady Moore being in her debt. She could hardly bear to have Jean, sweet-smelling and damp from her bath, touch her. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to see Karen’s rumpled morning hair, the sleep in the corners of Jean’s eyes, the creases left by the pillowcase on Ollie’s cheek. She could protect her heart from those things. But what would protect her from this man’s gratitude?

  AS DANA SQUIRMED, clearly discomfited by his appreciation, Brady’s throat constricted. She had no idea the front of her T-shirt was plastered to her. It revealed no more than the outline of her bra and soft curves, but her indifference to her appearance was appealing. He didn’t know what scared him most—the thought she’d say no or yes. He would understand her reasons for saying no. There were a hundred reasons for it, none more compelling than the fact they’d only known each other a couple of hours. Although he had to admit that the intensity of their time together made him feel as if he knew Dana better than some women he’d dated for several months. Still, she was going to think he was crazy.

  “Looks as if you took a bath, too,” he commented.

  She grinned and inhaled deeply. Brady could actually see her relax.

  “We need to talk,” Brady plunged on with the conversation he’d been having with himself.

  “That sounds very serious.”

  “It is. It concerns you and the girls. And me.” He paused. “They seem to be very comfortable with you.”

  “I know them from school.”

  He nodded. “Their situation is pretty bad. And I was hoping that we could find a way between us to keep the girls.”

  KEEP THE GIRLS? Dana’s mind spun in several directions at once. Brady continued to talk, but she couldn’t hear him. Keep the girls. She’d had Adam for two months. It had taken one week to fall in love with him and five years to grieve his death. What would caring for Karen, Jean and Ollie do to her?

  “There must be appropriate foster homes.” Her voice sounded weak to her own ears.

  “Take it from me. There are very few of those. The number of needy children far outpaces the homes available. More than likely, they’ll end up in a holding facility until they can be placed.” Brady’s voice was clinical. “The good ones are filled and some are highly questionable. It’s just income for some folks.”

  When Dana didn’t say anything, Brady continued, “Social services would more than likely split up the girls, and I think that’s going to unsettle them even more. Especially Karen. You can see that she considers her sisters her responsibility. If they were taken from her, she might never recover.”

  “They’re not my concern.” Dana couldn’t help how harsh the words sounded. But she refused to feel guilty. She wasn’t going to endure another loss. She wasn’t going to grieve for the Moore girls if something went wrong. Her mind was screaming, but she sat quietly as Brady got up to pace in the small living room.

  Brady’s sober tone broke the silence. “Dana, it’s true that the girls aren’t your concern. I know you were forced to take them. But I also know that without you, the girls aren’t going to have much of a future.”

  “Why?” She didn’t want to hear this. She could tell he was a meticulous man, one who wouldn’t do things on a whim. While she’d been bathing Jean, he’d sat at her kitchen table working out his plan to have the girls move in with her.

  Brady knelt in front of her. “Have you thought about what would happen if their mother came back tomorrow?”

  Dana felt as if he’d sucker punched her. She shook her head. “Frankly, I haven’t been thinking about anything except what’s happening right now.”

  “I understand. But all I’ve been thinking about is that damn closet and how much I don’t want Bev to have these girls anymore.”

  “But she’s their mother. There’s not a lot of evidence of abuse.” She heard the denial in her tone, knew it was wrong. But had to try to protect herself.

  “There’s been enough,” he said. “One way to help the girls is to call CPS.”

  “Which I tried to do tonight, but got you instead.”

  He gave her a disarming smile, his first real one. “You may not be so glad about that, but I know it was a gift. Dana, if CPS gets involved, it will mean automatic foster care until the situation is worked out.”

  “But you’re their uncle. Surely the state would see that you can provide them a good home,” Dana protested. “As next of kin, their care would revert to you, right?”

  “Not necessarily,” Brady said. “Once this becomes an official situation, I would have to undergo a home study. I can tell you right now I wouldn’t pass. I live in a studio apartment with a pull-out couch. And I work shifts—hardly an ideal environment for three little girls. That means the girls would be in foster homes until I got everything together to pass the home study.”

  “Is there another way?” Dana asked, knowing the answer was going to involve her.

  Brady inhaled and clasped her left hand in both of his. The warmth traveled up her arm. “Yes. We get married, hire a lawyer and file for temporary custody with the county. There are a few people who owe me favors. Once they understand the circumstances, they’ll help push this through the system.”

  “Excuse me?” Dana blinked. He was definitely crazy. She’d expected him to suggest moving the girls in with her, but he was talking about something entirely different.

  “I know quite a few people who would help us do this,” he repeated.

  “No. No.” Her free hand fluttered through the air. “Back up a little more.”

  “We’d file for temporary custody.”

  She shook her head. “No, before that.”

  “Hire a lawyer?”

  “No, before that.”

  “Oh, getting married. I know it sounds crazy, especially since we’ve only known each other a few hours, but we do make a good team.”

  “You did say married.”

  “If we were married, there would be no judge that wouldn’t grant us temporary custody, especially if you testify to the abandonment.”

  “And temporary custody means what?” Dana was feeling faint. Eight hours ago, she’d refused to baby-sit these girls. Now she was being proposed to by a man she hadn’t known existed before midnight. She wouldn’t do it. She couldn’t do it.

  She could teach them to read and write, put Band-Aids on their skinned knees, praise them when they mastered long division, but she couldn’t let them stay at her house, filling it up with their sweetness and laughter, any more than they already had. “What does temporary custody mean?” she repeated.

  Brady’
s eyes were sympathetic, as if he could tell what she was thinking. But he couldn’t. How could he when he didn’t know about Adam? “Temporary custody means that even if Bev comes back, she can’t get the kids until she files with the court. That means the burden is on her to prove that she’s a good mother.”

  “And when did you get this brilliant idea?”

  Brady was silent and then said honestly, “Since you held Jean in your lap.” Brady squeezed her hand and continued, “It wouldn’t have to be a real marriage, obviously, just one that can get me custody of the kids. Once I have time to work out a new work schedule and find another place to stay, we can get the marriage annulled.”

  “Annulled?” Dana felt like he’d sprayed her with cold water, then frowned at her reaction. An annulment made perfect sense. It wasn’t as if they could have a real marriage or make a real family. This was just to protect the girls.

  “Yes, annulled. That way you can be free to marry whomever you want later without any legal complications.”

  “And what’s in this for me?” She felt her voice rise an octave.

  “I don’t have a lot of money, but I can compensate you for your time and effort.”

  Dana was sure Brady never saw the hand that whacked him squarely across the top of his head. She wasn’t even sure why she’d whacked him.

  “What? I’m sorry. What did I say?”

  “Compensate me?” Dana was angry at the whole situation. She was fuming, boiling mad. “Give me money? What am I—a rent-a-wife?”

  “Well, no, I wasn’t thinking about it quite in that way,” he muttered and rubbed the side of his head. “You need to be careful. You pack a wallop.”

  Dana sat back in her chair. “I’m not sorry.”

  “What did you want me to say? You’ve already gone far beyond the duty of any concerned citizen. You’ve opened your house to us. You’ve been generous with your time and your attention. You don’t think that deserves some kind of compensation?”

  She tilted her chin. “Okay. What’s the going rate for a wife?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t calculated it yet. Maybe we can work it out in terms of days. Ow!” He rubbed the top of his head where she’d smacked him again.

  “Why didn’t you just lie and say that it’s about keeping those girls in a happy household?” she asked.

  “It’s about that, too,” he said. “And that’s not a lie. I wouldn’t even think of asking you if I didn’t think this would work out for everyone.”

  Dana kept silent as Brady writhed in misery. Finally, she asked, “Compensation aside, when were you thinking about doing this?”

  “Sunday.”

  “As in tomorrow?” Her voice squeaked.

  “I want custody before Bev gets back from her conference.”

  “And filing for custody?”

  “We can do it at the same time. Get married and file for custody. We can pick up a lawyer on the way to the courthouse.”

  “The courts aren’t open on weekends, especially not on a Sunday,” she pointed out.

  “They can be.”

  “Don’t these things take time?”

  “I’ll set it up. I know a lot of people.”

  She didn’t doubt it. He’d probably already made a list of the people he needed to call.

  “Can I have time to think about it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do I get a ring?” It was ironic really. Negotiating for a ring. She didn’t even know why she was doing it. Except that it might make this all seem like less of a lie.

  “If that will make you say yes, then you can have a dozen rings.”

  “Okay. I’ll think about it,” she promised. She didn’t want to be rude, but she’d had just about all she could take of Brady Moore. Maybe in the daylight, he would see that his proposal was more than absurd. “Don’t you have to leave now? Write up a report?”

  He took her cue and stood. “I’ll come back after breakfast.”

  Dana glanced meaningfully at the clock. “You mean in a few hours.”

  He smiled. “I’ll try to give you time to sleep in.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Even if you do, I’ll be up with the kids.”

  “Later. We’ll talk about it more later.” He walked to the front door and stopped to study the chain on her door.

  Dana followed him, puzzled. What was he looking at?

  “I’ll fix that, too,” he added absently, before turning back to her. She couldn’t define the emotion in his eyes, but the force of it slammed into her. She backed up a step and looked down.

  Dana swallowed hard. Then she glanced up, but he’d shuttered the emotion so quickly, she wasn’t sure she’d seen anything. She was tired, that’s all. She’d had a draining night and it was several hours past her bedtime.

  “Dana,” he said.

  “Yes?”

  “If you say no, I’ll understand. You’ve already done more than enough for my family. It is a crazy idea.”

  She just nodded and watched him get in his patrol car. Yes, it was a crazy idea. So why was she considering it?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  AT NOON, SATURDAY, Dana and the girls waited in front of Beverly Moore’s house for Brady, who had called earlier and asked her to meet him there. That way the girls could collect some of their belongings to feel “more at home.” He hadn’t pressed her for her answer, but as her heart pounded, he’d told her everything he was planning to do to file for temporary custody. For a man who’d promised to give her time to think, Brady was acting an awful lot like her acceptance was inevitable.

  Perhaps it was.

  He’s a stranger, her mind had chided after she’d hung up the phone and hopped out of bed to feed the girls breakfast. She’d only had plain cereal and brown toast but all three girls had eaten every little bit without complaint. In fact, Ollie had eaten as if it was the first meal she’d had in days. Partly in amusement, but mostly in horror, Dana had watched the little girl stuff two pieces of toast into her mouth until her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk’s. No matter how many reassurances Dana made, Ollie could not seem to stop gorging on food.

  Now, Dana and Karen watched Jean and Ollie play tag on what could only be called a front lawn by a most generous person. Dana tried not to be judgmental of the weeds that were so tall that they almost obscured the two young girls, or the windows so thick with grime that it was impossible to see inside, because she knew how sensitive Karen was. Even though they’d only been here for a few minutes, the oldest girl was nervous and restive. She sat on the step far away from Dana, tapping her foot. Then, she jumped up to pace, then she sat down again.

  “I thought you said Uncle Brady was going to meet us here.” Karen’s voice was accusing.

  “He said he would meet us here at noon,” Dana replied in as soothing a voice as she could muster. She knew how difficult this situation was for Karen, and she also knew that Karen wasn’t yet fully prepared to trust her uncle.

  “Well, what time is it?”

  Dana held her watch up for Karen to see. “Noon.”

  “Then where is he? He’s not going to come.”

  “He’s going to come.” Dana made her voice as firm and positive as she could.

  “How do you know?”

  “I trust him,” Dana told Karen, surprised at her words. Since she was a loner by nature, it was incredible that this man had muscled his way into her inner circle, almost as if he belonged there. “If he said he was coming, he’ll be here.”

  Dana knew what she said was true. Brady Moore had the kind of integrity that was unshakable, even under times of great conflict and stress. He’d made a promise. Nothing would keep him away.

  Karen sighed and stood up again.

  “Anything wrong?” Dana asked.

  Silently Karen rocked from foot to foot, keeping her legs extended and straight. She looked like Gumby. Dana would have told her so, but the young girl spoke first. “My mom’s maybe not the best housekeeper.”

  Dana
laughed. “Who is, these days?”

  “No. I really mean it.” Karen’s eyes were serious and she hesitated before saying, “You won’t not like us if the house is a little messy, right? I’m in charge of cleaning it up.”

  Karen was truly troubled, and Dana felt a pang of sympathy for the girl who had so much responsibility.

  “I think there’s very little that would make me not like you.” Dana couldn’t stop those words any more than she could stop Brady Moore from proposing.

  Karen turned away from her, but continued to talk, “Sometimes Ollie is a real brat.”

  Dana resisted the urge to smile as she watched Ollie and Jean playing. “I won’t hold Ollie’s brattiness or a messy house against you,” Dana assured her. “Honest. Come sit next to me.” Dana ignored the warning signal in her head. First, Karen sat closer, and then the next thing Dana knew she was making room in her life for these poor little girls. As if that wasn’t bad enough, these girls came with an uncle. Dana swallowed. She was afraid he would be the one she’d need to protect herself from the most.

  After a brief hesitation, Karen settled down next to her, her small body pressing against Dana’s side. Dana was surprised to find that she didn’t dislike the contact. She even had to shut her eyes and fight the urge to put her arm around Karen’s shoulders. Jean and Ollie, who’d been playing in the yard, stopped when they saw Karen sitting so close. Like magnets, they were drawn inexorably to any affection they sensed.

  Dana barely had time to brace herself before they both hurled themselves into her lap. Uh-oh. This was exactly the behavior that would make her fall in love with them, make her say yes to a marriage proposal from a man she didn’t know at all.

  She took a deep breath.

  “I got hurt,” Jean said shyly, her little index finger poking Dana in the chest.

  Dana exhaled, thankful for the distraction. “What happened?”

  Jean pulled up her knee. On close inspection, Dana saw a very tiny scratch.