Taking on Twins, page 13
Their meal arrived. Ben and Annie attacked their pancakes like starving maniacs. Leah, on the other hand, toyed with her eggs.
“Is your food not good?” Greg’s omelet was delicious, as were all his meals lately. Corrine’s problems managing the kitchen seemed to be a thing of the past.
“Oh, no. They’re fine.” She smiled again. Weakly. “Annie’s appetite has sure improved.”
“Only today. You must be having a positive affect on her.”
“I didn’t—” she lowered her voice “—get pregnant on purpose.”
“I never thought you did.”
“Okay. I just didn’t want you thinking I’d used you as a you-know-what donor. It was an accident.”
“I’m glad it happened.”
“Me, too.” She pushed more food around on her plate. “I was sure the day you left with Ben and Annie was going to be unbearable.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No. And I think that upset me even more than them being gone. Don’t get me wrong. I miss them. Terribly.”
“Of course.”
“But my world didn’t collapse. And that was a shock.”
Greg didn’t quite know what to make of her confession. Given the five times she called every day, he’d assumed differently. He was debating on how to approach her signing the release forms when she dropped a bombshell.
“The extra time with Wayne is nice, too.”
“Wayne?”
“He’s a coworker.” Leah’s glance went quickly to the kids, who were demolishing the fort they’d built, in between bites of pancakes. “And my boyfriend,” she mouthed.
She had a boyfriend! Greg’s knee almost hit the underside of the table. No reason to come unglued, he told himself. Leah was an attractive, successful woman and nice when not being a psycho mother grizzly bear.
“That’s…good.”
“Yes, it is.” Her features softened. “We get along really well.”
“Well enough to…?” He mimicked slipping a ring on his third finger.
“It’s too early for that.” Something in her voice indicated a marriage down the road wasn’t entirely out of the question.
“I’m happy for you.”
If this Wayne guy helped Leah to lessen her stranglehold on the kids so that she didn’t go into a panic every time he took them away for a weekend or the summer, he was all for it.
“Ben and Annie like him, too.”
“They do?” The egg in Greg’s mouth turned to mush. “How much?”
“A lot. He’s very good with them. But then he has a nine-year-old daughter who’s just adorable.”
Greg put down his fork. Suddenly this boyfriend thing had taken on a whole different importance.
He, Ben and Annie were just beginning to connect. Greg didn’t like the idea of another man in the kids’ lives. One who was there a lot more often than him. Perhaps even permanently. With an adorable daughter. They were sounding more and more like the perfect American blended family.
“Is something the matter?” Leah asked.
“No.” He reached over and patted Ben’s back. If Annie were within reach, he’d have done the same with her. “Just getting full.”
“The food here is really quite good.” Leah appeared to have finally found her appetite.
“Corrine makes me the best macaroni and cheese.” Annie abandoned the fort demolition project to join the grown-ups’ conversation.
“Who’s Corrine?” her mother asked.
“The kitchen manager,” Greg stated, hoping Leah wouldn’t make the connection.
“She had a Mister Microphone when she was a kid.”
“What’s that?”
“A microphone so you can sing songs on the radio.” Annie pouted. “But she wouldn’t sing with me last night.”
Greg could almost see Leah fitting the puzzle pieces together.
“Ah.” She arched her brows. “The woman at the bar.”
“She’s nice.” Annie went on to list Corrine’s many admirable qualities, ending with, “And she makes special food just for me.”
“I’m glad you found a new friend.” Leah’s gaze traveled from Annie to Greg. “Both of you.”
Greg stabbed at his omelet. He didn’t like the turn their conversation had taken. How could he get mad at Leah for having a boyfriend when he’d be in the same shoes if Corrine would quit being so damn stubborn, and agree to go out with him?
“WHAT ARE YOU GOING to do?” Carolina asked.
“No clue.” Corrine balanced an elbow on her sister’s kitchen table and dropped her chin into her hand.
“Do you have any errands to run in town?”
“I suppose I could come up with something.”
“Medical appointment to make? Paycheck to run to the bank? Dry cleaning to pick up?”
“Not really.” Corrine was faced with her first real day off in three months. She’d managed to stay busy during the morning, helping with yard work, but mostly driving her sister crazy. The afternoon presented even less appealing possibilities.
“Old friend to look up?” Carolina carried the pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade from the counter and refilled their glasses. While Corrine had finished pruning the rosebushes with military precision, her sister had fixed the two of them lunch. It was a nice change from eating in the dining hall.
“Except for you guys,” Corrine mused aloud, “I haven’t communicated with anyone around here in years.”
“Why not?”
“No reason.” She nibbled on a celery stick. “It just happens.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t pick up the phone and call. I bet most of your old friends would be happy to hear from you.”
“I guess.”
“You can’t keep living in a cave, sis.” Carolina returned the pitcher to the counter and sat down. Her kitchen was small and cozy and charming, having been furnished and decorated with purchases mostly from their mother’s antique store, Trinkets and Treasures. “It’s not good for you.”
“If you keep nagging me, I might spend the rest of the day looking for different quarters.”
“Good!”
Corrine knew her sister was only half-serious. Carolina liked the company as much as Corrine liked having a refuge on the ranch. She supposed she should be glad and grateful that things in the kitchen were running so well she could actually take time off. What she felt, however, was at loose ends and bored.
“How about your old army buddies?”
Corrine contemplated her sister’s suggestion and agreed it wasn’t a bad one. She could easily spend an hour or two on her laptop, reading and answering e-mails, a task long overdue. Hector’s sister for sure. Corrine had promised to keep in contact with Rosa and had, more or less, until coming to the ranch. It was just so hard for her to sound uplifting and positive with Rosa, and harder still to read Rosa’s e-mails detailing her and her family’s struggles to go on without him.
“Hello! Sis, are you there?” Carolina snapped her fingers in front of Corrine’s face.
“Sorry. I was just thinking.”
“About that friend of yours who died?” Corrine had mentioned Hector to her, but not the depth of their involvement.
“His sister. You mentioned e-mails, and I remembered I owe her one.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Hanging in there, last I heard.”
“How are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Having a friend die is devastating. Especially so when you feel responsible.”
Corrine almost gasped, but caught herself in time. “I never said I felt responsible.”
“You didn’t have to. I can read between the lines.”
“There’s nothing to read.”
“Fine. If you say so. But I think you should talk to someone. A professional, maybe. It might do you good.”
“Will you stop with the self-appointed therapist routine? I’m not messed up.” Not much, unless she counted that mild case of obsessive-compulsive behavior.
“Take Greg Pfitser, for instance.”
“Let’s not talk about him, please.” Corrine pushed back from the table.
Carolina ignored her. “The man has two things going for him. One, he’s gorgeous. Two, he’s interested in you. Very interested.” She gave an appreciative shiver. “You’re a fool not to explore the many delightful possibilities with him.”
“I remind you, he’s leaving in two and a half weeks. Right after the tournament.”
“Last I checked leaving wasn’t the same as falling off the face of the earth. I’m sure airplanes will fly you and cars will drive you to wherever he is.”
“I don’t want a long-distance relationship.”
“Why not? You sure as hell don’t want a close one. I’d think a relationship with no strings attached would be right up your alley.”
“There are always strings.”
“So have an affair.”
Hadn’t Paulette given Corrine similar advise? “That’s not my style.”
“What is your style?”
Corrine didn’t have an answer so ignored the question. “I don’t want a boyfriend. I don’t want an affair. I just want to spend the remainder of my first real day off doing something fun and relaxing and solitary.” She emphasized the last word.
“Go rowing on Commodore Lake.”
“Commodore Lake?”
She hadn’t thought about her former haunt in ages. Situated about four miles south of the ranch, it was more like a large pond than a true lake. For a nominal fee, visitors could rent paddleboats by the hour. More tourists than locals frequented the lake, except for teenagers. Many a boat had been cut from its mooring and taken for a midnight excursion by adventurous, not to mention amorous, sixteen-year-olds.
“I’m not in high school anymore.”
“You need to get away from this place.” Carolina stood and began collecting their lunch dishes. “I’d rather you connected with a living person, but if not, at least do something fun.”
“Hanging out on Commodore Lake isn’t fun.”
“Okay. Have it your way. The steer manure and spreader are out back. I’ll get th—”
“Maybe I will go.” The idea of seeing Commodore Lake did strike a nostalgic chord in Corrine. “Just to see if the old place has changed any.”
“Excellent!”
“I could bike there.” The idea that had finally taken hold began to expand. The hills between the ranch and Commodore Lake were challenging but not grueling. She could do with a good workout. In the army, she’d pushed her physical limits on a regular basis. Here, she was lucky to fit in a few calisthenics after her morning run.
She began helping her sister clear the table.
Carolina shooed her away. “Go on. I’ve got this handled.”
“But you cooked. Breakfast and lunch.”
“And I’ll clean,” she said with a cheery smile. “You do it every day and need a break. I hardly ever get the chance.”
“You could have had plenty of chances when I needed a dishwasher.”
“Very funny.”
Reluctantly, Corrine left the kitchen and headed to the spare bedroom she’d made her own. While she changed into bike shorts, her mind wandered. Her sister seemed ridiculously happy, almost as if she wanted Corrine out of the house for another reason. Was one of Carolina’s many romantic interests on his way over? She’d gone cold turkey when Corrine moved in, toning down her semidecadent, frequent-cause-for-worry lifestyle.
Well, good. Carolina deserved a break, too. For that reason, Corrine decided to stay away as long as possible. Perhaps until dinner.
To her surprise, her sister was nowhere to be found when she emerged from the bedroom. A note on the kitchen table offered a vague explanation about running over to the maintenance building and having one of the guys sharpen her gardening shears. Packing a couple bottles of cold water, Corrine went out behind the cabin and fetched her bike.
As she pedaled past the main lodge, she thought she caught a glimpse of Greg near the outdoor fire pit. He was talking to a woman who, from the back, looked a little like Carolina. On second glance, Corrine decided she must be mistaken. The maintenance building was on the other side of the ranch. Corrine continued to the highway, already feeling a slight burn in her calves and thighs.
Two hours later, she was seriously rethinking her plan.
The hills had grown into mountains during her lengthy absence, and the traffic had doubled. By some miracle, she made it to the lake in one piece before her legs completely gave out. The boat wasn’t nearly as easy to navigate as she remembered, and almost impossible to propel. She felt as if she were paddling through quicksand instead of water.
“Forget it,” she mumbled to herself, and attempted to steer toward shore without ramming into a pair of senior citizens having as much trouble as her, but enjoying themselves more. “This was a dumb idea.”
Carolina would just have to kick her boyfriend out of the house, if one was even there. Corrine was going home. Better yet, if she hurried, she’d arrive at the kitchen in time to help the staff with dinner preparations.
Shielding her eyes, she took stock of her location. Exactly when had she paddled so far from the dock?
It wasn’t until she was halfway across the lake that she realized it was her sister she’d seen at the fire pit and that her reason to get Corrine out of the house had nothing to do with meeting a man herself.
“Damn you, Carolina,” Corrine said between heaving breaths.
Helpless, and with nowhere else to go, she continued paddling in the direction of the dock, watching as Greg, his children, his dog and—this was certainly awkward—his ex, tromped down the path to the shore.
Chapter Eleven
Greg was going to give Corrine’s sister a huge kiss the next time he saw her. She’d obviously had a plan in mind when they’d “accidentally” run into each other after lunch and she’d insisted he take the kids to Commodore Lake.
What she probably hadn’t counted on was Leah accompanying them. After their talk the other day, Greg understood Leah’s overprotectiveness was just part of their joint parenthood situation. He decided he could afford to be patient with her for the remaining three days of her visit.
He might have insisted she stay at the ranch if he’d known Corrine would be at the lake—doing exactly what, he wasn’t sure. He thought she might be trying to paddle in circles as fast as she could.
“Daddy, look who’s here.” For once, Annie was running ahead of Ben. Belle dashed after them, her leash trailing behind.
“Yes, I see.”
“Annie, Ben, don’t run!” Leah hurried after the kids and their dog.
Greg meandered, the only one not in a rush. The view was better higher on the lakeshore, and he rather liked seeing the normally competent, capable and athletic Corrine struggle with something so simple as paddling a boat.
“Hi, Corrine!” Annie stood at the end of the dock, waving excitedly. Belle was beside her, barking.
“Annie, get back here.” Leah came up behind her and hauled her away from the edge. “It’s not safe to stand so close to the water.” She whirled on Greg. “You didn’t tell me there were boats here.”
“I didn’t know.”
While they talked, Ben attempted to climb into the nearest one.
“No! Ben, stop this instant.” Leah was on the verge of having a meltdown.
She and Corrine both.
“Hey,” Greg hollered. “You doing okay out there?”
“I’m fine.” She had just narrowly avoided taking off a corner of the dock.
Annie escaped her mother’s death grip and scrambled after Ben, who had one foot in the paddleboat and was working on a second.
“Greg!” Leah squeaked. “Do something.”
“Ben, Annie, come over here. And bring Belle with you.” His recently honed authority skills paid off, and the kids bounded over to him, dog in tow.
“See here.” He pointed to a sign posted beside a large metal box. “All children under the age of twelve must wear a life vest and be accompanied by an adult while in the boats. That’s you two. Here.” He retrieved two bright orange vests. “Put these on and don’t take them off unless your mother or I tell you it’s okay.”
“Can I go with Corrine in her boat?” Annie asked, fighting with the buckles.
Greg resisted the urge to help her. His independent daughter preferred to do things on her own. “I’m sure your mother would like you to go with her first.” He’d seen the flash of disappointment in Leah’s eyes. “Besides, I think Ms. Sweetwater’s done for the day.”
“Where’s Belle’s life vest?” Ben leaned over the box, his head buried inside it.
“She doesn’t need one.”
“But what if she falls in the water? She’ll drown.”
Belle was more likely to jump in the water. “Don’t worry. All dogs can swim. It’s instinctive.”
“What’s stink-tive?”
“It means born knowing how to do something.”
Leah relaxed once the kids were properly secured in their life vests and drilled on water and paddleboat safety. Greg took out his wallet and inserted the required boat rental fee into a locked money box hanging from the signpost.
“Who’s ready to take a ride?”
“We are, we are!”
“I want the blue one.”
Greg helped Leah and the kids into a boat. She sat on one side of the rudder control, Ben and Annie on the other.
“Have fun.”
He unhooked the rope, tossed it into the boat and gave the craft a push with his foot. They began drifting backward. Belle, stuck on the dock with Greg, strained against her leash.
“Sorry, girl. Didn’t you read the sign? No dogs allowed on the boats.”
“What about you, Daddy?” Annie might have popped out of her seat if not for her mother’s restraining arm.
“There’s not enough room!”
“I can’t drive this thing alone,” Leah complained.
“It’s self-propelled. Like a bicycle. Pedal frontward to go forward and backward to reverse. Look at the other people.”
“How does it steer?”
