Page 22 of Treat Her Right

“No.”

Josh grinned. “I’ll take that first ‘no’ at face value. No way in hell am I accepting the second without some kind of explanation.”

If he knew it wouldn’t wake Dani, Zack would consider knocking Josh off his chair. Resigned, he gave up with a sigh. “She was bent over…” He faltered, unsure how to explain.

Josh protested his hesitation by saying, “I’m all ears.”

“Actually,” Mick admitted, “so am I.”

“She had on short shorts—”

“I noticed that.”

“So did I.”

“Do you twowantto hear this or not?” Zack glared at them both, waiting, but they now held themselves silent. “She was bent way over trying to drag a box into the backyard and her shorts rode up. That’s all there is to it. I didn’t see her whole behind.” But he’d seen enough to know her backside was as delectable as her legs.

“A half moon, huh?” Josh made a tsking sound. “And here I missed it.”

Zack gave up and explained in full the extent of his association with Ms. Wynn Lane. He told them about her family who’d soon be moving in, her brother who was built like a chimney, and her penchant for being outspoken and brazen and pushy.

“She is not,” Zack reiterated, “wife material.”

Josh had listened quietly, but now he waved away Zack’s disclaimer. “Why do you want to get married anyway? I mean, just because Mick here found the perfect woman—”

Mick growled.

“—andhe’sblissfully happy, doesn’t mean we all need to stick our necks into the noose. I know a lot more divorced couples than I do happily married ones.”

Now that the cannon had been redirected, Zack relaxed and began shuffling the cards. “Dani asked me about feminine napkins the other day.”

Both Mick and Josh froze, then gave near identical groans of emotional pain. “Commercials?” Josh asked.

“Yeah. She was watching cartoons whenbam,there was a commercial for napkins. Can you believe it? She wanted to know what they were for and why women who used them got to go horseback riding and climbing and stuff.”

Chuckling, Mick shook his head. “I can just imagine this conversation.”

“Whatd’cha tell her?” Josh asked with interest.

“I fumbled my way through it.” Actually, he’d made a total mess of things, but Zack wasn’t about to admit that. “She wasn’t ready to hear about the whole reproductive cycle thing—”

“Neither am I,” Josh joked.

“—so I just told her women used them like they used perfume and makeup and panty hose.”

Mick snickered. “Let me guess. She wants some.”

“Yup. So you see, this is why I need a wife. I foresee stuff like this coming up all the damn time. I mean, what the hell will I know about fashion trends for teenage girls, or buying training bras?”

Josh considered that a moment, then said, “I could handle it if you want help. I wouldn’t mind.”

“Oh God, that’s all I need! I can see the headlines now, Womanizer Extraordinaire Attempts Parenting 101.”

“A female is a female is a female.”

Mick tapped his fingers on the table. “Delilah would have something to say about that sentiment.”

Josh grinned. “I know. She loves to give me hell.”

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