Page 18 of Treat Her Right

Mick choked on a laugh.

Zack, after casting a quick glance at his daughter, scowled. Luckily Dani was busy singing and drawing Mick a picture, which Mick pretended to attend to when actually Zack knew he was soaking up every word. “It’s not like that!” He caught himself, shocked at his own vehemence, and explained more calmly, “She and her brother were making a racket moving in. When she realized she’d awakened us, she brought over coffee and some muffins.”

“Nice neighbor,” Josh muttered, and turned back to the window.

“She had pizza with us, too, and I drawed her a picture.”

“Drew her a picture,” Zack automatically corrected, and realized his daughter had been all ears after all. When she looked up at him, he thought to add, “A beautiful picture, honey.”

She held up her newest endeavor. “This one is, too.”

Mick leaned back to see it, pretending to dump Dani, which made her squeal. “It’s incredibly beautiful,” he confirmed. He hugged her close and kissed her cheek.

Zack shook his head. His daughter had more than her fair share of male role models. Now she needed a female role model—preferably one who wasn’t loud and pushy and too damn big.

Josh said, “Damn, does she never stop working?”

“Not that I’ve noticed.” Unable to keep himself from it, Zack went to the window and peeked out. “What’s she doing?”

“Hanging a clothesline. Hell, the moon is out. She’s working from the porch light.”

Dani said quite seriously, “You cuss too much. Hell and damn are bad words.”

Wincing, Josh muttered, “Sorry.”

Zack had long ago explained to Dani that while grown men might say certain words now and then, she was still a little girl and was strictly forbidden to do the same. He forgot his daughter’s bossiness as he watched Wynn go about her business. “What in the world is she hanging up?”

Josh narrowed his eyes. “Looks like her laundry. Like—” he smiled “—her underwear.”

Mick came out of his chair in a rush and crowded into the window. Being that he still held Dani, it was a tight fit. He snorted. “You’re both lechers. You should give the woman some privacy.”

None of them moved.

Dani said, “We saw her butt today.”

Both Josh and Mick turned to stare at him. Zack frowned, ready to explain, then he saw Wynn toss a nightgown over the line and clip it into place with a clothespin. It wasn’t a sexy nightgown, but rather what appeared to be yards and yards of material. Course, for a woman her size, it’d take a lot of cloth to cover her.

For some stupid reason that thought made him smile.

Moonlight played over her flyaway hair and the slant of the porch light made exaggerated shadows on her body. Why was she hanging her laundry at night? For that matter, why hadn’t she worn down yet? She’d been working all day, non-stop, and it was too damn distracting. The woman must have inexhaustible energy, and that thought did more than make him smile. It made him wonder how she might put all that energy to use.

Through the open window, they all heard her begin to whistle.

“This is pathetic,” Mick groused. “You’ve got me here playing peeping Tom when I’d really rather be playing cards.”

Josh explained, “That’s because you’re blissfully married and therefore immune to fantasies.”

Zack glared at him. “Don’t tell me you’re interested in her?”

And before Josh could answer, Dani braced herself between Mick and Josh, leaned forward toward the screen, and yelled through the window, “Hello Wynn! We’s peeping Toms!”

They all three ducked so fast, their heads smacked together.

Mick, on the floor with his back against the sink cabinet, flipped Dani upside down while laughing and said, “I ought to hang you by your toes for that!” He tickled her belly and they both laughed.

Josh looked at Zack and said, “Do you think she heard?”

“That one? She hears everything.” Then to his daughter, “Sweetheart, you don’t tell people when you’re looking at them.”

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