Page 81 of Housebroke

All the pups were present, including Penny, who had retrieved the ball and was now following him around the yard while he refilled the dogs’ water bowl and checked on each one of them. After determining they were all doing fine, he threw the ball a few times for Penny, who had to wrestle with Lilith for it, even though Lilith couldn’t retrieve the ball because it didn’t fit in her tiny mouth. But Linc gave her points for trying.

His phone buzzed so he pulled it out of his pocket. It was a text from Hazel.

With my sister. She’s having some issues. I’m bringing her kids home with me. Hope that’s okay.

He frowned, worried about Natalie. He hoped she wasn’t hurt or something. He sent a quick text letting Hazel know it was fine to bring the kids to the house, then went and picked up his tools, put them away, and did a quick cleanup, checking the surroundings for dangerous items. Nothing in sight, so he figured it was safe enough to bring children in here, though he had no idea how old Natalie’s kids were.

Then again, there was a pool, and hopefully they’d like that. He went upstairs and changed into his board shorts along with a sleeveless top, slipped on his sandals and headed back downstairs, walked across to the guesthouse, and peeked inside the fridge, knowing that Hazel typically kept it fully stocked.

He was right. He sliced up a couple of cheeses and a few different fruits, grabbed some crackers and cookies, and set them all on a tray, hoping it was good enough for the kids.

He started out the door and then stopped. “Dammit. Drinks. They’ll want juice.” He pivoted and went back to the fridge, grabbed orange and apple juice and a few glasses, and put them on the tray as well, then balanced his way around the pool toward the back porch. Just as he laid the tray on the table, he heard the sounds of kid voices.

Suddenly, two kids—an exceptionally cute boy and girl—burst through the back door and there was a cacophony of squeals and dogs happily barking. Hazel stepped through the door with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about this. Nat had a huge argument with Sean, she’s in meltdown mode, and my mom isn’t available, so I sent her to the spa for the afternoon to unwind.”

He reached out and grasped her hand. She was no doubt stressed, too. “It’s all going to be fine. Now let’s entertain these kids.”

He walked over to the two little ones, who were happily playing with the dogs. “My name is Linc. What are your names?”

•••

For the past four hours, Hazel had watched in awe as Linc managed to enthrall and entertain two small children as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to do.

Camryn was an incredibly intelligent and curious six-year-old girl and asked Linc a million questions. Unfazed, he answered her calmly and honestly, even when Cammie asked about his relationship with Hazel.

Any normal man would have cut and run. Not Linc. He’d kickeda ball around with three-year-old Christopher, followed by the two of them engaging in a rather in-depth discussion about dinosaurs before Cammie intervened to talk to Linc about her favorite TV unicorn. He’d fed them, played in the pool with them, and let them climb all over him. And not once had Linc tapped out.

The kids were splashing in the pool at the moment, so Hazel pulled up a spot next to Linc, who was sitting on the side of the pool watching them.

“You’re so good at this,” she said, watching Cammie laugh as Christopher paddled along on his floating ring, kicking his feet wildly behind him.

“At what?”

“This. Kids. You dived right in—literally and figuratively. The kids fell instantly in love with you. How do you do that?”

He shrugged. “They’re awesome. And easy.”

Hazel knew from personal experience that Cammie and Christopher were anything but easy. Christopher could be a total hellion and Cammie a pouty diva. And yet they had been well-behaved and enthusiastic around Linc.

“Linc! Linc! Watch me do a somersault underwater.”

Linc grinned at Cammie. “I can’t wait. Hit it.”

Cammie did her best effort at somersaulting, her little feet flailing above the water as she performed the maneuver. She surfaced sputtering and grinning while Linc and Hazel clapped.

“That was outstanding,” Linc said. “Do it again.”

“Okay!”

Christopher just laughed and continued to paddle his wayaround the pool, occasionally yelling to Linc to watch him splash, which Linc told him was awesome.

It had never been this easy to entertain the kids.

“You must have that magical quality,” she said.

He cocked his head to the side. “No magic. You just gotta like kids and treat them like humans.”

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