She nodded. “I think he was jealous that you were a triplet. He always wanted a brother or two. I look forward to meeting your family.”
“You might not be comfortable being out here with only me,” he suggested. “It’s a haul to town and Paseo is a postage stamp compared to San Antonio.”
“San Antonio is too crowded these days,” she countered, wondering why Nate suddenly looked so uncomfortable. He hadn’t shown a moment’s hesitation in offering her a place to stay, but now he seemed to be almost warning her away.
“I’m not great company,” he continued, glancing over his shoulder into the entry as if he might find a reason for her to venture inside the cozy farmhouse. “I make terrible coffee.”
“I can make my own coffee.”
“I’m grumpy in the morning. You might not like me when I’m grumpy.”
“As long as you don’t turn green and bust out of your clothes, I think I’ll manage.”
“I can be mean as a grizzly coming out of hibernation.”
“If you’ve changed your mind,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest to mimic his stance, “just tell me, Nate. Otherwise, you’re not going to scare me away. Remember, I grew up with a navy SEAL. Talk all you want about grizzlies, but I know you guys are big teddy bears at heart.”
“A teddy bear?” He shook his head, looking as offended as her late granny had when Bianca’s mom cursed in the middle of the Christmas church service. “I’m not a teddy bear and neither was your brother. In fact—”
“Want to see my teddy bear?” a voice called from Bianca’s car. The back door opened and a pair of scuffed sneakers hit the dust, the heels lighting up as they did. “His name is Roscoe, and he’s my best friend.”
“EJ,” Bianca called as the boy ran forward, swinging a battered stuffed animal above his head. “I told you to wait—”
“You talked too long, Mommy. Roscoe got bored. He wants to see everything.” Her beautiful, energetic, precocious four-year-old son climbed the front porch steps, and she automatically held out a hand. As was typical, EJ ignored it.
“Are you Uncle Eddie’s friend?” he asked Nate, who had taken a step back, staring at her boy like EJ was a snake in the grass. Or maybe it was shock over EJ’s resemblance to Eddie, with his dark hair, olive-colored skin and deep brown eyes that always seemed to be full of mischief. Mischief and EJ were bosom pals. “Are you a cowboy? Are we staying with you? Can I have a glass of water?”
EJ didn’t wait for an answer to any of his questions. He ducked away from Bianca when she reached for him and barreled past Nate, disappearing into the house.
Bianca started to follow but Nate filled the doorway, blocking her way. “Is there something—or someone—you forgot to mention?”
She flashed what she hoped was an innocent smile and managed to only cringe a little when there was a crash from inside the house. “That’s my son, EJ,” she said quickly. “And we’d better go after him unless all the other breakables in your house are nailed down.”
Copyright © 2017 by Harlequin Books S.A.
ISBN-13: 9781488093388
Bayside’s Most Unexpected Bride
Copyright © 2017 by Kerri Carpenter
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