Carrie Nichols - His Unexpected Twins

“As I’ve told both of you already, that guy wasn’t under arrest.” Meg planted her hands on her hips. “He just happened to be in the building and Riley recruited him for a police lineup, that’s all there was to it. No crime. No arrest.”

Ellie continued to slice the cake. “If there was no crime, why was there a police lineup?”

“I meant he didn’t commit a crime.”

Mary slanted a look at Ellie. “Please correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the witness identify him?”

“Mary,” Meg huffed. “You’re not helping.”

“Sorry,” Mary said, but her grin told a different story.

Ellie sucked on her cheeks to stifle a laugh, grateful to be off the hot seat, even temporarily. She appreciated her friends’ concern but she wasn’t a project. At times like this, Meg conveniently forgot she hadn’t dated anyone for five years until Riley Cooper came back to town after serving in the marines in Afghanistan. Ellie decided not to point that out because her friends meant well. And she didn’t want to turn their attention—and matchmaking attempts—back to her.

Meg blew her breath out noisily, disturbing the wisps of curly red hair that had escaped her messy ponytail. “I’ve explained this to you guys like a thousand times already. It was a case of mistaken identity. I swear.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Mary laughed and elbowed Ellie. “Ooh, maybe Riley can get the sheriff’s department to start an eligible bachelor catch-and-release program.”

“You guys are the worst,” Meg grumbled, and began laying out the plates.

“Yup, the absolute worst, but you love us, anyway.” Ellie grinned as she plated cake slices.

“Yeah, it’s a good thing—Ooh, Ellie, how about that oh-my-God-he’s-so-gorgeous guy coming down the stairs? If I wasn’t hopelessly in love with Brody...” Mary bumped shoulders with Ellie and motioned with head.

Ellie’s gaze followed Mary’s and her heart stuttered. Liam McBride . What was he doing at the luncheon? She’d had a serious crush on Meg’s brother since...well, since forever. At four years older, Liam had seen her as an annoying kid and had treated her accordingly. By the time she’d matured enough for him to notice, she’d been “his kid sister’s friend” for so long she doubted it registered that she was a grown woman.

“What? Who? Where?” Meg whirled around and made a sound with her tongue against her teeth. “That’s Liam.”

“Liam?” Mary’s eyes widened. “You mean that’s—”

“Ellie’s date for the wedding.” Meg swiveled back, clapping her hands together, her mouth in a wide smile. “It’s perfect.”

“What? No.” Ellie took a step back, shaking her head and holding up the knife as if warding off marauding zombies. She could accept matchmaking between friends. Even being relegated to Liam’s friend zone would be acceptable, but begging for a pity date? Nuh-uh . Not gonna happen. No way. “Absolutely not.”

“No... No? ” Mary glanced at Liam again and snapped back to Ellie, looking at her as if she were insane for refusing. “I don’t know why you wouldn’t want—”

“Because he’s Meg’s brother.” Ellie sneaked another glance at the sexy six-foot-two hunk of firefighter strutting toward them.

From his chronically disheveled dark brown hair and broad shoulders to his slim hips, long legs and that touch of confident swagger, Liam McBride oozed pheromones. And Ellie longed to answer their alluring call by throwing herself at his feet, but good sense, not to mention strong self-preservation instincts, prevailed. Thank God, because she didn’t relish getting stepped on by those size 13 Oakley assault boots. To him, she was his little sister’s friend. The girl who used to make moon eyes at him, the teen who blushed and stuttered every time he talked to her. When she’d been diagnosed with cancer in her teens, one of her first thoughts had been that she might never get to kiss Liam McBride.

“Be right back,” Meg threw over her shoulder and rushed to meet her brother as he crossed the room.

“Oh, my. I mean, I had no idea,” Mary whispered, leaning closer to Ellie. “Whenever she mentioned her brother, I was picturing a male version of Meg. You know...vertically challenged, wild red hair, freckles.”

Ellie burst out laughing, but drew in a sharp breath when Liam’s head snapped up. His gaze captured hers and his lips quirked into an irresistible half grin. The air she’d sucked in got caught in her chest. Why did he have to be so damn sexy? As if handsomeness had been handed out unchecked on the day he received his looks.

“Liam takes after their dad,” she whispered to Mary. And not just in physical appearance.

Ellie knew Liam and his dad had buried themselves in work when Bridget McBride got sick. Firefighting was an admirable profession, but relationships needed care and feeding, too. All Ellie had to do was look at her parents to understand the cost when one partner checked out emotionally during a life-threatening situation. She might have survived the cancer that had plagued her childhood, but her parents’ close relationship hadn’t. As an adult she knew the guilt she’d carried throughout her teen years was irrational, but that didn’t stop it from gnawing at her whenever she saw her parents together. What happened to them proved no relationship was immune to life’s challenges.

So she’d admire the sexy firefighter, and if given the chance, she’d take that secret Make-A-Wish kiss, but she’d keep her heart and hopes for the future far, far away from Liam McBride.

“Heart? You listening?” she asked sotto voce before sneaking another longing glance at Liam.

* * *

Liam’s footsteps had faltered at that distinctive laugh. Ellie Harding . Her laughter, like her honey-brown eyes, sparkled and drew him in whenever she was close. Today, her long, shiny dark hair was pulled back and secured with one of those rubber band thingies his sister and niece favored. He shook his head and tried to force his thoughts into safer territory. As his sister’s friend, Ellie was off-limits, a permanent resident of the no-dating zone. It was a good thing they lived three hours apart so he wasn’t faced with temptation on a regular basis. The last time he’d seen her was at his nephew’s christening, nearly nine months ago.

The fact that she’d had cancer as a child and could have died had nothing to do with his resistance to her charms. Nothing at all. He’d hate to think he was that shallow, despite knowing the destruction illness left in its wake.

No. His reluctance was because messing with a sibling’s friend could have nasty consequences. He and his best friend, Riley Cooper, were just patching up a huge rift in their friendship. Riley had broken the bro code and Liam’s trust by getting Meg pregnant before deploying to Afghanistan and disappearing from her life. But all that was in the past. His sister was crazy in love with Riley, who’d come back, taken responsibility for his daughter and convinced Meg to marry him. Riley was also the reason for the glow of happiness in his sister’s eyes these days.

So he’d buried the hatchet, and not in Riley’s privates as he’d longed to do once upon a time. He was even spending saved vacation time in Loon Lake to help his brother-in-law renovate. Meg and Riley were outgrowing their modest cottage-style home after the birth of their second child, James.

His gaze met Ellie’s and objections scattered like ashes. Damn, but off-limits would be a lot easier if she weren’t so appealing. Why some guy hadn’t scooped her up by now was a mystery. He almost wished one had and removed temptation. Almost . Something he kept buried deep and refused to explore railed against the picture of Ellie married to a random dude, forever out of reach. Except out of reach was where she needed to stay, because he’d filled his quota of losing people. From here on out, his heart belonged to his job. Stay back three hundred feet, Ellie Harding.