Once down from the table, they began to run and climb and shout, while Beauty lay on the floor, watching over them with a sweet maternal grace. As if the Saint Bernard knew exactly what they were thinking and feeling.

  Which was good, Lulu thought with increasing disquiet. Because neither she nor Sam had a clue. A fact that really hit home when she decided to take matters in hand and put the overtired little munchkins to bed.

  Her old camp-counselor smile plastered on her face, Lulu approached the boys. “Guess what, fellas?” she said. “It’s almost bedtime.”

  “That’s right, bedtime,” Sam echoed cheerfully.

  “Nooooo!” all three boys yelled in unison, then went racing off in all directions.

  Sam and Lulu leaped into action. He plucked Andrew off the top of the sofa, then intercepted Ethan, who was scurrying up the stairs to the second floor. Meanwhile, Lulu scooped Theo into her arms before he could reach the remotes on the third shelf of the entertainment center. “Who wants to take a bubble bath?” she asked, even more enthusiastically.

  Theo wriggled like a tadpole in Lulu’s arms. “No bath!” he shouted.

  Ethan and Andrew echoed the sentiment as Sam lowered them onto the living room floor. Lulu followed suit with Theo.

  The mania increased.

  Sam looked over at her, clearly at wit’s end. “We have to do something,” he said firmly.

  Lulu struggled to catch her breath while the boys began doing somersaults in the middle of the rug. “Agreed.”

  “Then...?”

  She knew she was the one with all the childcare experience, from her high school and college days. But even some of the most difficult situations at summer camp had never been like this. No wonder none of the other guardians had been able to handle the triplets.

  “Maybe we should pass on the baths and just put them in clean diapers and pajamas before starting the bedtime routine,” she said.

  He nodded, clearly ready to comply with anything she suggested. Which was unusual. He generally liked to be in charge.

  “Got anything to bribe them with?” she asked.

  His broad shoulders lifted in an amiable shrug. “Cookies?”

  “Worth a try!”

  He disappeared and came back with a transparent bakery container. “Who wants a chocolate chip cookie?” he said, holding it aloft.

  The boys stopped.

  Lulu could see they were about to refuse this, too.

  Sam lowered the container so they could get a better look at the confections inside.

  Three thumbs immediately went into mouths. They were thinking. Checking with each other silently. Considering.

  Good. “All you have to do,” Lulu coaxed, “is get ready for bed. Then you can have a cookie and a bedtime story. Maybe even a glass of milk, okay?”

  The triplets stood still.

  Being careful not to spook them, she got out the necessary items, and with Sam’s help, swiftly got them all changed. When all were ready, Sam doled out the cookies as promised.

  The three of them climbed up onto the center of the sofa and began to chomp away. While Sam watched over them, Lulu raced into the kitchen and brought back three sippy cups of milk.

  One by one, they drank that, too.

  Pleased she and Sam had been able to work together to bring peace to the household, Lulu smiled. Indicating Sam should take one end of the sofa, she slipped onto the other and began to read a story that—from the well-worn condition of it—appeared to be one of their favorites. It was about a dog who went into his little house to find shelter from the storm and was soon joined by every other animal nearby. By the time the storm passed, the doghouse was full. New friendships had been formed. And everyone was still safe and warm and happy.

  As she hoped they would soon be here, at Hidden Creek.

  “Would you like another story?” Lulu asked as the triplets blinked sleepily and their heads began to droop.

  To her disappointment, there were no nods of agreement.

  But no shouts of outright refusal, either. So taking that for a yes, Lulu grabbed another book and then another and another. By the time she hit the fifth story, all three toddlers were sound asleep.

  Sam, who’d been hanging out simply listening, gestured toward the three carrying cases in the foyer. “Where do you think I should set up their travel beds?” he whispered.

  That was easy, Lulu thought, already thinking about how hard it was going to be to say good-night this evening. But she and Sam had a deal, so...

  She drew a deep, bolstering breath. “Close to you, in case they wake up.”

  He paused, blond brow furrowing. “I know our agreement,” he said. “But...are you sure you can’t stay? At least for tonight?”

  The truth was, Lulu had been hoping like crazy that he’d ask. Partly because she didn’t want to leave the boys, given the highly agitated state they’d been in. And also because she wasn’t any more confident Sam could handle this on his own than he was.

  “I’ll have to run home and get a few things,” she said, doing her best to hide her elation.

  He nodded his assent and rose as she walked over to get her bag. Then, stepping closer, murmured in the same tender tone he had used before, “Think we should get them settled into their beds first?”

  Her body tingling at his nearness, she shook her head. “I’d let them get a little deeper into sleep first.”

  “Okay.”

  Another silence fell.

  He looked so momentarily unsure of himself, her heart went out to him. So she moved in to give him a quick, reassuring hug. “I know we’ve had a rough start today, but it’s all going to work out, Sam,” she promised fiercely.

  “I know,” he whispered back. His arms went around her and he pulled her in close, one hand idly moving down her back, reflexively calming her, too. She sank into his warmth and his strength, wishing things were as simple as they once had been. When need...want...love...were the only things driving them. But they were different people now. She needed to remember that.

  Forcing herself to do what was best for all of them, Lulu drew a breath and stepped back from the enticing circle of his arms. She flashed a confident smile she couldn’t begin to feel—not when it came to the two of them, anyway.

  “I’ll be right back,” she promised. And while she was gone, for the sake of everyone, she would do her best to get her own feelings in order.

  * * *

  Two hours later, Sam was feeling much better. Lulu had returned with an overnight bag, honey-grilled chicken sandwiches for their dinner and the makings for a pancake breakfast the next morning. He’d cleaned up the kitchen and breakfast room and set up the three toddler travel beds in the master bedroom upstairs in her absence.

  Now, with their own hunger sated, all they had to do was figure out how to move the still-snoozing tykes from the sofa to the travel beds on the second floor.

  “Want me to go first?” Lulu asked as they stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing down at their little charges.

  Doing his best to contain all he was feeling, Sam nodded. “I’ll follow your lead.”

  With an adeptness Sam well remembered, Lulu eased in to remove Theo first. He was sleeping half on Ethan and had one leg beneath Andrew. She slid her hands beneath him, careful as could be not to disturb the other two. Theo shifted and sighed as she lifted him into her arms and then situated him with his head on her shoulder, his body against her middle.

  “Wish me luck,” she mouthed and glided off toward the stairs.

  When she’d made it all the way up without incident, Sam copied her movements and eased Ethan into his arms. The little boy stirred and sighed but did not wake as Sam headed up the stairs. Slowly, he went down the hall, then into the master bedroom where Lulu was still bent over one of the travel cribs, tucking Theo in. She helped him ease Ethan down, and together, they went back to get Andrew. He slept through the move to bed, too.

  Ten minutes later, all was set.

  They tiptoed into the upstairs hallway. Lulu looked at him in question.

  “Take any guest room you want,” he said.

  She chose the one two doors down. Which was probably an effort to put a little more physical space between them, since the bedroom she passed over, with a queen-size bed and adjoining bath, was almost identical.

  When she turned to glance up at him, she looked tired, vulnerable and very much in need of a hug. But a hug would lead to a kiss, and a kiss would lead to everything they didn’t need right now.

  An electric silence fell between them and his heart kicked against his ribs.

  “You’ll let me know if you need me?” she said finally.

  I need you now, more than I ever thought I would. He returned her half smile, promising, just as kindly, “No question.”

  Aware there was nothing else to say, he went back down the stairs and retrieved her overnight bag for her. They said good-night quickly, and both turned in.

  Sam had no idea if Lulu fell asleep right away or not. He lay there for a while, thinking about all the mistakes they had made, everything they’d lost. How good it had felt to kiss her again the night before.

  Still thinking about that, he drifted off. And it was shortly after that when the crying started. First Ethan, then Theo and Andrew.

  Heart pounding, Sam threw back the covers and raced over to the travel cribs at the foot of his bed. All three boys were sitting up, distraught, rubbing their eyes.

  Lulu rushed in, clad in a pair of blue-and-white-striped linen pajama pants, her hair gloriously mussed. In that instant, giving Sam an insight into what kind of mother she would be, she tenderly scooped up one child.

  He reached down and lifted the other two.

  “Hush now, baby, it’s all right,” she cooed, over and over. As did he.

  To no avail. The crying continued in concert, long into the night. Sam’s only comfort was the fact that Lulu was right there with them, steadfastly weathering the storm.

  Chapter Five

  Lulu woke slowly, aware of three things. She was incredibly exhausted, curiously weighed down, at least in the region of her midriff, and was that Sam...in all his early-morning glory...sleeping next to her? With two toddlers in his arms?

  She blinked. And blinked again.

  Yes, it was Sam, clad in a pair of pajama pants and a V-necked T-shirt. With his hair adorably rumpled and a morning beard rimming his chiseled jaw, he looked incredibly masculine and sexy. He was also sound asleep, his breathing as deep and even as that of the two little boys curled up on his chest, their heads nestled between his neck and shoulders.

  Better yet, she had a tyke in her arms, too, snuggled up close, his head tucked between her head and shoulder. And all five of them were cozied up in Sam’s king-size bed.

  Without warning, he stirred slightly. Drew a deep, bolstering breath and opened his eyes.

  He turned to look at her, his lips curving up in that sleepy-sexy, good-morning way she recalled so well.

  Contentment roared through her, making her feel all warm and cozy inside.

  His glance roved her slowly. It seemed like he might be feeling some of that contentment, too. “Some night, huh?” he murmured huskily.

  It had been. The boys had cried off and on for hours. Every time they thought they had one asleep, another woke him.

  The only thing that had soothed any of them was being walked. And so they’d roamed the master bedroom, crooning softly, Lulu with one toddler in her arms, Sam with two in his.

  Until finally, around four in the morning, the boys had drifted off, and wary of disturbing them yet again, Sam and Lulu had eased onto the center of his big bed, children still in their arms. They lay there gently, daring to relax fully and close their eyes. And then, finally, slept.

  Admiration shone in Sam’s eyes. “You were great with them last night,” he said.

  She knew the memory of the boys’ first night would stick with her. “So were you...”

  Theo snuggled close, yawned sleepily, squirmed again and then lifted his head. Andrew and Ethan swiftly followed suit. All looked expectantly in the direction of the open bedroom door. “Mommy?” Theo said.

  “Daddy?” Andrew asked.

  “Go home?” Ethan demanded.

  The plaintive requests, along with the confusion and lack of comprehension in the boys’ eyes, tugged on Lulu’s heartstrings and filled her with sorrow. She mourned Peter and Theresa, too. She could only imagine how poignant the loss was for the boys. No wonder they were out of control. They didn’t understand where their parents were. And at their young age, there was no way to explain.

  Her vision blurred.

  Sam cleared his throat. “Mommy and Daddy are in heaven,” he said gently. “But you know who we do have?” He indicated the stuffed animals scattered around them. “Tiger and Elephant and Giraffe!”

  Grinning, the boys picked up their stuffed animals and clutched them to their chests.

  “And blankets, too!” Sam declared.

  They grabbed those, as well.

  Her heart aching with an emotion that was almost primal in its intensity, Lulu did her best to smile, too, and affect an air of normalcy. Her grieving would have to come later, privately. “How about we all go downstairs and I’ll rustle up some breakfast?” she suggested.

  Sam reached over and squeezed her shoulder. Although the boys’ hurt and confusion had affected him, too, he had regained his composure swiftly. “Sounds like a plan to me...”

  * * *

  Sam had to hand it to Lulu. Even though he could see her heart was breaking for the boys, as was his, she pulled it together with feminine grace. Helped with the three diaper changes and, along with Beauty who’d been sleeping on the floor of his bedroom as per usual, escorted the boys downstairs.

  While the triplets played with their toys in the living room, she went into the kitchen to start breakfast. He let Beauty outside and put on a pot of coffee. She was still dressed in blue-and-white-striped pajama pants and a white scoop-necked T-shirt that nicely outlined her slender body. Her dark hair was tousled, her cheeks pink with sleep, her turquoise eyes red-rimmed with fatigue.

  He cupped a hand over her shoulder as she passed, temporarily stilling her. “Hey. If you want to go back to bed for a while...”

  She pivoted another quarter turn, so she was looking up at him directly. Acting as if that were the most ridiculous suggestion she had ever heard, she wrinkled her nose at him. “Ah, no.”

  “Sure?” he pressed. Aware he was still holding onto her, dropped his hand. Filled with the surprising urge to protect her, too, he said, “You only got two or three hours of sleep.”

  Propping one hand on her hip, she looked him over, head to toe. “Which, as it turns out, was exactly what you and the boys got,” she retorted. “Seriously.” Her gaze gentled. “I’m fine. I want to be available to the kids whenever, however they need me.”

  Before he could respond, the doorbell rang.

  “Expecting someone?” she asked.

  “No.” Sam went to get the door while Lulu remained in the kitchen.

  A uniformed Laramie County sheriff’s deputy was on his doorstep. And not just any deputy, but Lulu’s brother, Dan.

  He touched the brim of his hat in an official manner, the grim look in his eyes indicating that although they were longtime acquaintances, this was not a social call. “Sam,” Dan said.

  Sam nodded back, just as officiously. “Dan.”

  “My sister here?” Dan asked, looking anything but pleased.

  Her brother had to figure that she was, Sam thought, since Lulu’s SUV was parked in his driveway. “Yes.”

  “Can I speak with her?”

  Sam wasn’t sure how to answer that. Generally, Lulu didn’t want her family interfering in her personal business. And this definitely looked personal.

  Before he could say anything further, Lulu strode across the living room and into the foyer. She regarded her brother with a mixture of annoyance and concern. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Her older brother gave her a look that was strictly family-drama. He compressed his lips, looking over her pajamas. “I could ask you the same thing,” he groused.

  It didn’t help, Sam thought, that with her flushed face and guilty eyes, it appeared as though Lulu had tumbled straight out of bed. Sam’s bed.

  She folded her arms, stubborn as ever. “I asked first.”

  Dan squinted at her. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you since last evening.”

  “I was busy.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s no reason not to answer your phone,” he chastised.

  “Actually,” Lulu shot back, “it kind of is.”

  The siblings stared each other down.

  Sam cleared his throat. He was all for gallantly coming to Lulu’s aid, even if they were no longer a couple. On the other hand, he had no wish to insert himself into another family’s drama. Plus, the boys, who were still busily building a block tower, didn’t need to witness any quarreling. He cleared his throat and looked back at Lulu, who was still blocking the doorway. “If you’d like, I can step in so you can step out and talk in private,” Sam offered mildly.

  “Nope.” Lulu lounged against the door frame, one ankle crossed over the other. She stared at Dan, nonchalant. “Whatever you have to say to me, big brother, can be said in front of Sam. And how did you know I was here, anyway?”

  Dan shrugged. “Simple deduction. Sam was at your place yesterday, helping out and watching over you. Neither of you have been answering your phones. I figured something was going on.”

 

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