Page 76 of Delinquent Daddy (Banks/Kincaid Family 2)

Glancing unconsciously toward Ellie, he was surprised to find she'd stopped her work and was watching them. She gave him a small smile when their gazes met, and he immediately straightened to his feet.

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Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

Ellie dragged off her gloves as she strolled his way. "I completely forgot you were coming today."

Boston jammed his hands in his pockets because they were itching to reach for the stray hair clinging to her cheek.

He forced his attention to the felled tree. "Hmm, I have no idea what might've caused you to forget."

Ellie gave him another smile and looked over at the tree as well. "Yeah, a storm passed through last night."

"I saw that on the Weather Channel. But I didn't realize it'd been so bad."

He took an instinctive step back as Nora Young joined them. The last time he'd talked to her, she'd been ready to tear his head off. Not sure if he was still listed on her bad side, he held his breath until she spoke.

"Thank God you're here. Ellie's been on the phone all morning trying to get a hold of a yard-cleaning service. But with the storm that came through last night, they're all tied up." She looked at him expectantly.

He opened his mouth to respond but Ellie broke in,

"Boston's only here to visit Cassie. I'll take care of the yard myself." She glanced at him with a meaningful look. "One of the services should call me back any minute." When a ringing came from her back porch, she brightened. "That's probably one of them now." She turned away and hurried to her deck where she'd left her portable phone.

As soon as she was ten feet away, though, Nora whirled to him.

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Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

"I'd like to apologize for absconding with your son the other night," he said before she could speak. "I honestly had no intention of scaring you."

She blinked a few time, clearly startled by his remorse.

"Well," she said, clearly not sure what to say. "I guess if Ellie's forgiven you, so can I. I actually gave you permission to take Keller to Chuck E. Cheese's, and besides, he's back now. No harm, no fowl. I'm willing to let bygones be bygones.

If..." she added archly, making him lift a curious brow. "You give Ellie a hand with cleaning up her yard."

For a moment, he could only blink at her. Then he finally asked, "You actually think I'd let her take care of a mess this big by herself?"

"Haven't you before?" she asked, glancing Cassie's way.

Biting back a nasty retort, Boston cleared his throat and quietly answered, "I don't think you know enough about me to make that kind of observation."

Her eyes narrowing a little too perceptively on his face, she said, "Or maybe I know too much."

The chainsaw in her own yard stopped and the man running it yelled, "Keller! Stop playing around and come pick up these sticks." Then he glanced Boston and Nora's way.

"Nora. I need you."

"Be right there, dearest," Nora called back, her voice so sweet, it sounded fake even to her husband, who scowled before returning to his chainsaw and starting it again.

"That's my husband, Dr. Mendel Young," Nora murmured to Boston, watching her husband work. "He's a cheating bastard too."

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