Amy Frazier - Family By The Bunch

In an attempt at self-protection, she again put on her sun glasses. Settling herself comfortably on the lounge chair, she made a show of working at her laptop. In reality she watched Hank Whittaker playing with the children in the pool.

The man was, she had to admit, irresistible. She noticed several of the moms sit up in their poolside chairs, suddenly much more attentive to their kids in the water.

With long, well-muscled arms and legs, big hands and a broad, tanned chest that indicated hard work out-of-doors, Hank Whittaker was a sight to behold. Exuding a patience Neesa couldn’t quite believe, he played goal post for the kids’ impromptu game. When interest in that particular game seemed to wane, he helped them think up a new game. And another. And yet another. He welcomed all omers. All ages. All skill levels. He refereed fairly and gently, making no child feel inadequate. In the middle of 11 those kids, he didn’t look at all like a lonesome cowboy. le looked, instead, like a man destined to head a large, ambunctious and ever-expanding family.

Maybe he already did.

Unaccountably, Neesa’s heart sank.

“Miss Neesa!” Called out in a deep masculine voice, he neighborhood children’s name for her startled her. We’re short one player for sharks and minnows.”

Glancing in Hank’s direction, she raised both hands and look her head, declining the offer. The children around lank groaned.

Hank waded through the water to the side of the pool ght at the end of her lounge chair. He crossed his arms n the cement edge, lowered his chin to his arms, then looked up at her with a dark and soulful, definitely-hard -resist gaze.

“Please.” He filled the one word with husky undercur ents, sending little shivers up Neesa’s arms. “For the ds.”

The man certainly knew which button to push.

“If I recall,” she replied, steadfastly holding out, “in tarks and minnows it doesn’t matter how many players you have.”

“Well...technically.” Hank grinned up at her. “But the ds get a kick out of pursuing really big minnows. I was eling kind of outnumbered.”

His eyes twinkled merrily. The man was actually being ayful. And far too sexy.

The foundation in Neesa’s resolve began to crumble. He cocked one dark eyebrow. “All work and no play...” Makes for a nice safe existence, Neesa finished mentally. e shook her head. If she got in that water, if she spent e afternoon horsing around with Hank Whittaker and his ng of neighborhood kids, if she let down her guard, she was in for trouble. Pure emotional trouble. She couldn’t afford that.

As Neesa tried to resist, Hank rallied reinforcements. This children he’d been playing with, one by one, swam to hi side. Cast baleful glances up at Neesa.

“Miss Neesa,” Chris Russell coaxed, “it’s always mon fun when we can capture an adult.”

Her dormant competitive nature awoke. “And who say any one of you could capture me?” She chuckled. “I swan on my college team.”

“Ooooh...” Rolling his eyes, Hank started the cheerfu taunt. The kids chimed in. “Ooooh...”

In the end, it wasn’t the dare that sucked Neesa into th game. It was the realization that she’d come to the pool to get a job done. She’d come there to get to know Han Whittaker better, so that if and when he finally talked about his ranch, she would feel comfortable broaching the subjec of Kids & Animals. She couldn’t do that if he remained i the water and she remained on the sidelines.

She rose and removed her silk wrapper. “All right.”

“All right!” the kids shouted, clambering out of the water onto the edge of the pool.

Hank remained in the water.

Neesa eyed him suspiciously. “I thought you, big mi now, needed reinforcements. You’re looking pretty shark like to me.”

“The lady’s very quick.” He winked at the gigglin kids.

“And you better be quick, Miss Neesa,” Casey Russe added, “’cause Hank will gobble you up in a minute.”

The look he shot her certainly made him appear capable of gobbling her up. But not in the way little Casey mean

Neesa shivered. “Can we get started? We’re freezing u here.” Freezing? Maybe not, but she was trembling.

“Yeah!” the kids chorused.

“Anytime you’re ready.” With a mock-sinister glan Hank began to circle in the center of the pool, never takin is eyes off his prey. “Dum-dum. Dum-dum. Dum-dum,” he chanted in movie-shark challenge.

The kids on the sidelines hopped from foot to foot and .ttered nervously.

“Now!” someone whispered loudly, and a dozen little odies plummeted into the water.

Keeping the mass of children between Hank and her, Neesa dove, stroked and came up effortlessly on the other ide of the pool. Climbing out, she noticed that Casey had een right. Hank had single-handedly captured a half dozen ids, turning them automatically into sharklets. The uncathed children flopped like manic fish onto the pool deck ng next to her.

Now the pool water roiled with the added predators. Caught up in the fun, Neesa grinned from ear to ear. If nly the kids her agency dealt with could have such careree afternoons. Specifically, she thought of the five Had-ways. She glanced at Hank, king shark, in the center of ne frolic. Thoroughly enjoying the kids. He’d help her, she ist knew it. He’d help her if she ever got a chance to talk bout his ranch.

“Now!” The minnow directive went out.

This time, with six added hungry sharks, crossing the ool would require more skill. This time Neesa dove to the ottom, then, with eyes wide open, maneuvered under the angle of thrashing arms and legs. She came up on the other ide of the pool with only one other uncaught minnow remaining.

“Shark bait! Shark bait!” the swimmers in the pool hanted gleefully as Neesa and the sole minnow child crambled onto the decking.

With a sharp whistle, Hank gathered his forces around im. Whispered a quick directive. Looked Neesa straight the eye, and declared, “You’re mine.”

Oh, my.

She had to remind herself that this was merely a game.

Her cominnow folded under the pressure. With a jubilant shriek of surrender, the child threw herself into the mids of the circling sharklets. Piscine hara-kari.

The entire group of noisy kids then swam to the edge of the pool to watch the climax—the big minnow-big sharl drama—unfold.

Good Lord, he was going to have to catch her. Toucl her. Because she was the last minnow, rules dictated i wouldn’t be enough for him to just touch her. He’d have to hold her so that she couldn’t make it to the other side of the pool. To asylum. The thought of those strong arm around her corroded her already-waning sense of safety Emotional safety.

It was very difficult to hold on to the thought that she was here on a professional mission.

From the middle of the pool, Hank grinned at her. Whit teeth in a tanned and rugged face. A sharky grin if she’d ever seen one. “Jaws” with sex appeal. His broad shoulde muscles glistened as he stroked the water. Waiting. Hi dark eyes held a challenging glint. The challenge, she feared, didn’t spring solely from the game. His gaze ho and compelling, he circled. This had suddenly stopped be ing childish fun.

Oh, it promised to be fun. But very adult fun.

Well, she’d be no pushover. She grinned back at him Then dove.

She felt the current next to her as he dove, too. Under water, glancing over her shoulder, she saw him right behind her, reaching out. She felt his hand graze the arch of he foot. Even knowing he’d have to hold her to claim victory she started at his touch. Expelled far too much air. Sav precious bubbles escape to the surface. It wouldn’t be lonj before she’d have to surface where it would be less eas, to maneuver.