This time, a giggle answered.
She inched forward, careful not to make another sound. As she reached the tree, a small head bobbed out from behind, then bobbed back out of sight. Harley dashed forward, swept around the tree, and caught Laura by the waist before the girl could escape.
“Gotcha,” she said, encircling the giggling twin in her arms. As Harley tickled her on the ribs, Laura’s giggles turned to outright laughter. “Where’s your sister hiding? Tell me or I’m going after the feet next.”
“No, no, no,” Laura squealed as she tried to wiggle free.
Lisa dashed past them, a determined lift to her chin, a taunting grin fixed on her mouth. “Here I is.”
Harley scrambled to her feet and gave chase. Around a tree here. Zigzagging there. Joyous laughter filled the backyard and her near-to-bursting heart. All she needed to complete this day was the man she loved.
She tripped and refocused on her quarry.
Lisa zagged around another tree and as Harley followed hard on her heels, a spot of bright yellow on the lawn caught her attention. She skidded to stop, planted her hands on her knees, and tried to catch her breath.
Like discarded party favors, the bright yellow petals of the beautiful begonias were strewn across the lawn. Beneath the shade of the Mayday tree were crushed hostas. As she stared around at the trampled remnants of the flowerbeds, she felt a hand slip into hers and looked down into Laura’s worried brown gaze.
“Does this mean we’re in trouble again, Aunt Harley?”
Lisa flew past, her feet flying through the dirt as she tore through the pink delphiniums, the soft purple monkshood, the snowy white daisies. The girl was on a sugar high from the pancakes she’d eaten for breakfast. “Stay here. Don’t move a muscle. I’m going after your sister.”
The younger twin didn’t run out of steam until she’d trampled through the petunias and flattened the Asiatic lilies. By the time Harley caught her around the waist and dragged her over to where Laura stood, the girl was panting like a puppy dog, totally unaware of the consequences of ruining the flowers.
Harley dropped down on the lawn and pulled Lisa onto her lap. As she surveyed the damage, she drew in a deep breath. It looked like a bomb had been dropped in the flowerbeds and exploded all over the back yard.
She knew Gage would deal with the mess, like he’d dealt with every other mess the twins made. Compassionate and kind and patient. They’d toss out the broken plants, straighten out the dirt…and agree to never feed the twins sugar ever again.
The hinges on the gate creaked. She turned to greet Gage, a smile on her face, an apology on her lips, and instead came face to face with his mom.
Frances closed the gate behind her, shock registering on her face as she crossed the yard. “What happened here?”
“This mommy business is harder than it looks,” Harley admitted. Lisa tried to wiggle free, but she held tight. “We were playing a game of hide and seek, and somebody got carried away.”
Frances knelt down in front of them. Sunglasses hid her eyes, but Harley could see the pinched lines around the older woman’s mouth. She reached for her granddaughter and Harley reluctantly released the younger twin.
“Did you do this, honey?”
Lisa fell into her grandma’s arms, her bottom lip protruded. “Yes, Grandma.”
“Your grandpa won’t be happy when he sees this.”
“Will he ’pank me?”
“I won’t let him.” As Frances climbed to her feet, she gave the younger twin a squeeze. “If I let you go, do you promise to be good?”
The girl peered up at her grandma’s face, her eyes big with hurt and tears. “I miss Mommy and Daddy.”
“So do I, honey.” Frances squeezed her once more before setting her back on the ground. She pointed to the lawn chairs. “Now, you two sit and be good while we clean up this mess.”
Harley pushed to her feet, surveyed the yard, and tried to lighten the mood. “Who knew a game of hide and seek could cause mass destruction?”
Frances glanced at her watch and raised a shaky hand to her throat, her voice hushed. “We can’t let Bill see this. He’ll be so upset.”
“Your husband?” Confused, Harley studied the older woman. There was something different about Gage’s mom today, something she couldn’t ever remember noticing before. “Why would he be upset? If anyone should be mad, it should be your son, Mrs. Toryn, but Gage is really good with the girls. He’ll give Lisa a talking to, then get down on his hands and knees, and help her clean up the mess.”
Frances tugged a pair of garden gloves from her back pocket and yanked them on her hands. “Hurry, we don’t have much time.”
“Much time for what?” Harley watched the older woman scoop up a handful of broken branches and crushed petals, and hurry toward the nearest flowerbed.
“You don’t understand.”
Finally picking up on her panic, Harley followed. “You’re right, I don’t. Maybe you could explain it to me.”
Frances dropped to her knees on the grass and with her gloved hands, scooped away some dirt, dropped the destroyed plants into the hole, and pushed the dirt over the evidence. “I suppose your sister told you I don’t enjoy the noise the children make.” Without giving Harley a chance to answer, she continued. “There’s a reason, you know. The noise always upsets Bill, and with his bad heart, I try to keep things quiet and peaceful for him.”
Harley knelt down beside her, pulled some damaged stems off the geranium in front of her, and patted the dirt back into place around the fragile plant. “Actually, Hannah said you were very good with the girls, and she wished you had the opportunity to spend more time with them.”
The prickly stance Frances had adopted wilted quicker than the plants under the hot sun. “She did?”
Harley felt her eyes get moist as she regarded the other woman. “You know our parents died when we were young. Hannah always wished you could have had the opportunity to be closer.”
“I did, too.” Frances dug back into the dirt with a vengeance. “There were other factors involved.”
“Like what?”
The older woman’s lips thinned and for a moment, Harley wondered if she would answer the question. As Frances continued to work, her movements near frantic, she took a deep breath and continued. “My husband—Gage’s dad—always had a temper. It wasn’t easy for any of us to live with him.”
Harley got a sick feeling in her gut. “How bad?”
“I couldn’t always protect the boys from Bill. Sometimes things got out of hand, especially as they got older.” Frances glanced up at Harley. “Mike never hurt Hannah or the girls, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“No, I know that. Hannah would have told me if something like that was going on.” For a while, they worked in silence, and Harley kept one eye on the girls so more damage couldn’t be done. Finally, she spoke. “Mrs. Toryn—”
“Please, call me Frances.”
“Frances, is that why Gage is afraid to have me and the girls here? Because he thinks he’s like his father?”
“He shouldn’t compare himself to Bill. They’re nothing alike.” The older woman pushed up her sunglasses slightly to wipe at a bead of sweat, and that’s when Harley noticed the purple-yellow tint of a black eye on the mend. “Gage is different since you and the girls have come to stay with him. You’re good for him.”
Harley sat back on her heels. “Frances, what happened to your eye?”
The older woman let the sunglasses drop back into place, and with a small self-depreciating laugh replied, “Nothing. Clumsy me had an accident, that’s all. Now hurry, dear, hurry. Bill will be here soon.”
Harley laid her hand on the other woman’s arm. She kept her voice soft, her demeanor unthreatening. “Frances, I can help you. There are resources.”
“I don’t need your help. I fell, that’s all.”
The gate creaked open, causing both women to jump, and Gage’s dad walked into the back yard
and stopped. For the first time, Harley saw the meanness in the old man’s gaze, recalled the way he’d dissed the punishment of the girls.
Beside her, Frances gave a shuddering sigh and whispered, “Let me do the talking. You keep the girls away from him.”
She pushed to her feet and carefully approached her husband. “Now, Bill, it’s not as bad as it looks.”
The old man’s mouth thinned into a fierce expression which boded trouble for whoever crossed him. He tugged off his hat, crushed it in his hands. A wispy lock of grey hair blew across his forehead, and his silver eyes appeared as cold and dangerous as the storm brewing in the West. “Who did this to my flowers?”
Harley felt her heart stutter to a stop, then start to beat wildly in her chest. She scooped some begonia petals off the lawn and hurried toward the twins.
“It was an accident,” Frances said as she reached him. She placed a trembling hand on his arm, and he shook it off and slammed his cane against the grass.
The hand on the cane was knuckle-white. “Harley-girl, I warned you, children needed a firm hand.”
His gaze shifted toward the twins. Harley shoved Lisa behind her back. Laura followed without being told.
Oh God, how could she stop him? He was brandishing the cane about as though he meant to use it as a weapon.
Frances stepped into his path. “Bill, this is Gage’s house, his responsibility.”
“Go home, Fran. I’ll deal with you later.” When she didn’t move, he raised the cane and smacked it hard against her leg. “Get out of my way. Those girls need to be taught a lesson, you hear?”
Harley stepped forward. “You’ll have to go through me to get to them.”
For one single breath, she saw surprise in his eyes, and she prayed he’d give up and go home. In the next instant, the meanness returned and he raised the cane like a sword.
She had to protect Gage from the truth, make sure he never found out about this incident or any other.
Anger washed away the last trace of fear. She stepped forward, shoved the cane aside, and pushed the girls toward the house. “Get away from my family. Gage and I will punish the girls, not you, and we’ll ensure they make reparations. If you ever dare touch them, if you dare so much as to raise your voice to them, you’ll find yourself charged with assault so fast, you won’t have time to blink.”
His face contorted into a mask of fury. “Neither you nor that pansy-assed son of mine have the guts to punish these children properly.”
Frances grabbed his arm again. A tear tracked down one cheek. “Please, Bill, come home.”
The old man glared at Harley, and she could practically see the wheels in his head turn while he debated his choices. Then he turned and stomped through the open gate and down the driveway.
Harley stepped forward. “Frances, please don’t go home with him. You can stay here with us, at least till he cools down.”
“Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Frances hurried after him. Before she disappeared, she turned back once and Harley heard her say, “If you ever want a family with my son, you’ll keep this incident and your suspicions to yourself.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
A sick feeling in her stomach, Harley turned to the yard and surveyed the mess. Laura came to stand on one side of her while Lisa settled on the other. “Well, girls, where do we start?”
Lisa tugged on her elbow, her brown eyes big with trepidation. “I’s sorry. Will Unca Gage ’pank me now?”
Harley ruffled her hair and gave her a smile to take the sting from her words. “If he doesn’t, I might.”
Laura tugged on her other elbow, concern evident in the furrow of her small brow. “Unca Gage promised. No ’panking.”
“You’re right, sweetie. In this house, we don’t spank.” Harley crouched down to their level, put her arms around their shoulders, and contemplated her options. She could focus on the yard cleanup…or call Sara to watch the twins so she could make sure Frances was okay.
A bead of sweat slid between her shoulder blades and she tipped her head to look up at the sun. “Uncle Gage wouldn’t want you to get sunstroke, but as soon as it cools down tonight, you girls are on yard cleanup duty.”
In the quiet of the afternoon, the purr of a motorbike turning onto the street brought her to her feet. By the time the bike turned onto the driveway and disappeared into the garage, Laura and Lisa were jumping up and down and screaming Gage’s name.
He strode out of the garage, tall and strong and gentle, and her heart did a little flip-flop in her chest.
His gaze collided with hers, and within the dark blue depths, she saw heat and affection, and her lady parts throbbed in anticipation of his big body joined with hers.
As the girls raced his way, his sharp gaze scanned the destruction in the yard before he bent and scooped the twins into his arms. Straightening, he strode her way, his eyes lit with something that set her heart to an uneven thump.
And despite the obvious destruction around him, the warm smile she adored stretched across his face, and her heart squeezed with love.
She knew it wouldn’t last long.
If you ever want a family with my son, you’ll keep this incident and your suspicions to yourself.
She couldn’t. He’d never forgive her for choosing her own needs over his mom’s, for turning a blind eye, for being so selfish.
Because she knew…as soon as she told him about his mom’s black eye, any chance at a future together would come to an abrupt end.
“Honey, I’m home.” He learned forward and placed a lingering kiss on her mouth while the girls giggled and squirmed in his arms. Against her mouth, he whispered, “It’s all fixable, you know.”
“I know.”
As he straightened, Lisa grabbed his ears and pulled his head around to face her. “I wanna fix your bike.”
Before he could step away, Harley grabbed onto his belt buckle. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”
“Give me five minutes with the girls and then it’s nap time, right?” He waggled his eyebrows at Harley. “It looks like the girls played you out, too, so I’ll have to tuck all three of you into bed.”
With a grin in her direction, he turned toward the garage and the three of them disappeared inside.
Harley gnawed at her bottom lip.
Okay, so five minutes wouldn’t be too bad. Maybe she was worrying for nothing.
She thought of tucking the girls into bed with Gage at her side, like a real family, then climbing into his big bed and making love with him until the girls woke up from their nap.
But it wouldn’t happen. She couldn’t wait that long to tell him the truth.
She checked her watch.
His parents wouldn’t even be home yet. Frances was a fast talker. She’d calm her husband down before anything happened.
Harley tugged one of the lawn chairs into the shade and sat down to wait.
It seemed like only a few minutes later—did she fall asleep?—before Laura came running out of the garage and jumped on Harley’s stomach. “Unca Gage is b’eeding.”
At the same time she rolled to her feet, Gage came out of the garage, Lisa at his side. Droplets of blood dripped from his thumb and landed on the cement.
“What happened?”
“My helper got a little too close. It was the thumb or her head.”
She pulled her t-shirt off, uncaring that the neighbors might see her in her bra, and wrapped the material around his hand. “Come on, girls. Let’s bandage up your Uncle Gage. Afterward, everyone will have a nap before supper.”
Pretend like everything was okay, like his dad hadn’t been there threatening the girls…threatening his mom.
Oh God, Frances…how long had it been since she’d left? She checked her watch and realized the five minutes had turned into nearly an hour.
The twins scrambled up the steps to the back door and held it open, waiting for Harley and Gage to enter the house before they followed them.
Laura was the first one to speak. “Can we nap with you and Aunt Harley, Unca Gage?”
A lopsided grin shaped his mouth as he raised his gaze to meet hers. The look in his eyes was anything but comfortable and playful. “Do you think we can all fit into the bed?”
Harley forced herself to play along and smiled back. “It is king-size.”
“Like a football field,” Lisa inserted.
As the younger twin pushed past them, Gage ruffled her hair. “Have you been jumping on my bed, sugarplum?”
“I told her to stay off,” Laura said.
Harley urged him toward the bathroom where he sat down on the edge of the tub. The twins danced around the tiny room, getting in her way while she gathered disinfectant, gauze, and Band-Aids.
When she turned, she stopped, stunned by the angry red gash on the meat of his thumb. “You might need stitches.”
He glanced down at the wound, at Lisa who had grabbed the t-shirt so she could dab the blood away, at Laura who hung off his good arm and supervised her sister. “Naw, it’s no more than a little scratch.”
“Okay girls, back off and let me get close enough to bandage your Uncle Gage up.” The girls obeyed and Harley went to stand between his legs. She bent her head, kept her eyes on the wound as she moistened a piece of gauze with the disinfectant. “This’ll sting a bit.”
She swabbed the area, wincing when he drew in a sharp breath of air.
At first the girls watched with interest. Soon they grew bored and started wrestling on the floor behind her.
She tried to ignore his free hand on her waist. Tried to ignore the sensation of his big hand moving to her lower back before he changed direction and inched it down to her buttocks. Tried to keep Frances uppermost in her thoughts.
Holy Toledo, what was he doing?
He drew another sharp breath.
She raised her gaze and recognized the blue flame in his eyes. Desire topped with a heady dose of lust. “Sorry. Did I hurt you?”
His voice turned seductive. “Baby, I ache every time you come near.”
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