Brenda Harlen - Building The Perfect Daddy

Kids were loud and messy and demanding, and he already knew that was true of both Kylie and Zachary. They were also innocent and trusting and adorable. And while he’d been immediately charmed by the little girl who was full of energy and curiosity, and undoubtedly intrigued by the little boy who seemed to see everything but say nothing, he decided that it would be smart to take a step back. Maybe even two.

Because Lauryn and Kylie and Zachary were a family, and he was a contented bachelor with no desire to change that status.

Wasn’t he?

* * *

At eleven o’clock on Saturday, Lauryn met both of her sisters at the Morning Glory Café for brunch. After Lauryn had married Rob, she’d discovered that she didn’t get to see Jordyn and Tristyn nearly as often as she used to, and that was how the monthly “Sisters’ Saturday” tradition began.

“I had an interesting visitor Wednesday morning,” Lauryn said, sprinkling pepper on the home fries that accompanied her scrambled eggs and sausage.

“Who?” Jordyn asked, drowning her pancakes in syrup.

“Can’t you guess?”

Tristyn stabbed a piece of melon with her fork. “Is it someone that we know?”

“It turns out that there is a loose familial connection.”

“Now you’ve piqued my curiosity,” Jordyn admitted.

“Ryder Wallace.”

Tristyn’s fork slipped from her fingers. “Ryder to the Rescue?”

Lauryn nodded. “Apparently the home renovation expert is Justin’s new wife’s brother.”

“I knew that,” Tristyn admitted, picking up her utensil again.

“But why was he at your house?” Jordyn asked, her tone equal parts curious and cautious as she cut into a pancake.

“That’s what I wondered—and then he told me that my application was selected as one of the grand prize winners in WNCC’s Room Rescue contest.”

“Oh, my God!” Tristyn practically squealed with delight. “That is so awesome.”

“And surprising, considering that I never submitted an application,” Lauryn pointed out. “In fact, I’d never even heard of the contest. So imagine my surprise when he showed me the application with my name and signature on it.”

Her sisters exchanged a look.

“Actually, that’s kind of a funny story,” Jordyn began.

“I can’t wait to hear it,” Lauryn told her.

“Obviously you know it was us,” Tristyn said, stirring her yogurt and granola. “And we’re not going to apologize, because somebody had to do something.”

“So why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because we never expected that our—your—application would actually be chosen,” Jordyn admitted.

“But it was,” she pointed out. “And I felt like a complete idiot when Ryder Wallace showed up at my door and I had absolutely no idea why he was there.”

“I can see how that might have been a little awkward,” Jordyn conceded.

“It was more than a little awkward.”

“Is he as hot in person as he is on TV?” Tristyn asked curiously.

She’d followed Ryder’s advice and decided to watch a few episodes of his show. As a result, she could answer her sister’s question sincerely. “Much hotter.”

“Damn, I wish I’d been there.”

Lauryn couldn’t deny that there was an indescribable something about the man that any woman would find appealing. He was strong and sexy and incredibly charismatic, and after only a few hours in his company, she was halfway toward a serious infatuation. Of course, after being married to a man who didn’t know how to hang a picture on the wall, it probably wasn’t surprising that she’d be intrigued by a take-charge guy who owned his tools and knew how to use them. “You can be there Monday.”

“What’s Monday?” Jordyn asked, smiling her thanks to the waitress who refilled her mug with coffee.

“The whole crew is coming to the house on Monday and Ryder wants the two of you to explain, on camera, why you submitted the application for me,” she told her sisters.

“Then he is going to remodel your kitchen?”

“And fix a few other things,” she acknowledged.

“Why don’t you sound more excited?” Tristyn asked. “You’re finally going to get rid of those ugly cupboards and even uglier linoleum.”

She swallowed a mouthful of eggs. “With the added bonus of a bunch of strangers traipsing through my house.”

“They’re not going to be there forever,” Tristyn pointed out. “Just long enough to give you a fabulous kitchen makeover—which you’ve wanted since you bought that place.”

“I know. But I thought...” She sighed. “I thought Rob and I would do it.”

There was silence for a moment before Jordyn cautiously asked, “Do you...miss him?”

“No,” she replied, a little ashamed to admit that it was true. But her ex-husband had stopped being a factor in her life long before he walked out on their marriage.

“Good.”

Her eyes widened in response to the vehemence in her sister’s tone.

“I’m sorry,” Jordyn said. “But none of us ever thought he was good enough for you.”

“I thought he was perfect—and I felt so lucky that he picked me.”

“You are lucky,” Tristyn said. “Because you got two wonderful kids out of the deal.”

“And because you’ve got the two best sisters in the world,” Jordyn chimed in.

Lauryn smiled. “You’re right—on both counts.”

“And you get to spend the afternoon at Serenity Spa with those sisters,” Jordyn added.

She shook her head regretfully. “I’m sorry, I can’t go today.”

“What do you mean—you can’t go?” Tristyn demanded.

“I don’t have the time...or the money,” she admitted.

“It’s a Garrett sisters’ tradition,” Jordyn reminded her. “And we’re not letting you skip out on it—again.”

Lauryn looked away. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I had an appointment at the bank on Wednesday and discovered that my financial situation is even more dismal than I realized.”

“How dismal?” Tristyn asked gently.

“The business is mortgaged to the hilt.”

“But you knew that,” Jordyn reminded her. “That’s why you should sell it, or let the bank take it and all of the headaches that go with it.”

“I was starting to see the benefits of that plan,” Lauryn admitted. “Until I found out the business also has a secured line of credit.”

Her sisters exchanged another look, this one confirming that they’d both guessed how it was secured.

Jordyn winced. “Oh, no.”

“The house,” Tristyn whispered.

Lauryn nodded and pushed her plate away, her appetite gone.

“But how is that possible?” Jordyn wondered. “Wouldn’t Rob have needed you to sign any paperwork?”

“Signatures can be forged,” Tristyn reminded her, looking guilty because they’d done exactly that for the Room Rescue.

“They can,” Lauryn agreed. “But he didn’t forge my signature.”

“You didn’t—you wouldn’t—jeopardize your home,” Jordyn asserted.

“You’re right—I wouldn’t. At least not knowingly. But I did sign the papers,” she admitted. “Based on the date of the application, when Kylie was about three months old.”

“And colicky,” Tristyn remembered.

She nodded. “I remember Rob came home early one day with flowers. That should have been a clue, because he never came home early. Or with flowers.

“He told me that the business was doing well, but there was some new vendor—I don’t remember whether it was equipment or apparel—but they were offering him exclusive retail rights for the area if he could commit to carrying the entire line in his inventory. He said that he’d been to the bank to get a loan and, because he was married, they wanted my signature, too.”