Kit grabbed her waist, then gently lifted her up onto the edge of the counter, setting her down next to the sink. He stepped between her legs and gave her one long kiss, then pressed his forehead to hers. “I’d better get to work.”

“Yes,” she said, breathlessly.

He finished clearing the table, then filled the sink with soapy water. Every few minutes, he’d steal another kiss and Roxanne would oblige. With the kids in the house, she knew it could go no further, but she didn’t care. For now, kissing him was enough.

“So, what’s going on with the contest?” he asked. “Have you heard anything?”

Roxanne shrugged and took a wet plate from his hand. “My sister entered me. She wrote an essay and I guess they judge me on the essay. I don’t know if I have to do anything else, except be a good mother.”

“You’d love Paris,” he murmured.

“Have you been there?”

Kit nodded.

“John always promised we’d go, but we never did. It sounds wonderful, though when it comes right down to it, I’d miss the children. I’ve never been away from them. Your dad has some other prizes set up with the radio station. Those would be nice to win.” She took another plate from him. “But I’m not counting on winning. I’m not even sure why I’m a finalist. Renee must be a better writer than I thought.”

“You’re a great mother,” Kit said. “And this is coming from a guy who grew up with the greatest mother in the world.”

“My mom was great, too. If it weren’t for her, I’m not sure I would have made it through all this. After John left, she lived with us for a couple of months. And my parents are always here for the holidays, so that makes things easier.” She sent him a sideways glance. “You’d make a good father,” she said.

“You think so?”

“You’re really good with my kids. I mean, not that I expect you to be their father.” She fumbled to cover her mistake. “I don’t expect anyone to be their father. I-I don’t know if I’ll ever get married again.”

He seemed surprised by her revelation. “Don’t you think your kids will need a father someday?”

Roxanne frowned. “No father is better than a bad father. One that might walk out on them again. Marriage is a risky proposition as it is. But if I fail at it a second time, it’s not just me who gets hurt.”

“You didn’t fail at your marriage,” Kit said. “Any guy who would walk away from a family like this would have to be crazy.”

Roxanne giggled. “I think he did go a little crazy. He ran away with this huge, muscle-bound woman who throws other muscle-bound women and men around a wrestling ring for a living. She’s got all these tattoos and she wears this tiny little outfit. I don’t know what he sees in her.”

“I don’t know, either,” Kit said. He leaned over and kissed her, gently drawing his tongue along the crease of her lips, then drawing away. “But, for very selfish reasons of my own, I’m glad he saw something.”


KIT SLOWLY OPENED HIS EYES. Daylight filtered through the living room windows. He glanced over at the television and noticed that the morning news shows had started. The weather forecast promised a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-fifties.

With a soft sigh, he turned into the warm body stretched alongside of him on the sofa. He wasn’t sure when they’d fallen asleep, sometime after they’d put the kids to bed and before the late news came on. He usually didn’t sleep so soundly, especially when he was fully dressed and lying next to a beautiful woman. But a day spent chasing Roxanne’s kids around gave him a better workout than the average marathon.

Kit nuzzled his face into her hair, breathing deeply of the scent. He couldn’t think of a better way to start the day than with Roxanne in his arms. Oddly, he’d usually preferred to leave a woman’s bed before dawn, but Kit pulled her closer and closed his eyes. The house was silent and it would probably be a few hours before the kids were up. He’d just catch a little more shut-eye.

But as he pulled her closer, she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him with a sleepy expression. “Hi,” she murmured.

He brushed a kiss across her mouth. “Morning.”

She snuggled closer and pressed her face into his chest. “What time is it?”

“Six-thirty.”

She stiffened, then pushed herself up, instantly wide awake. “You can’t be here,” she said, crawling over top of him and tumbling to the floor.

Kit reached over, concerned that she’d hurt herself, but she brushed his hand away and frantically began to straighten her rumpled clothes. He watched her rake her fingers through her hair then he reached out to pull her back down on top of him, but she deftly avoided his reach.

“Get up,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because the kids will be up in a few seconds.”

“It’s quiet up there.”

“You don’t understand. They have radar. The minute I get up in the morning, whether it’s at 5:00 a.m. or 7:00, their little bodies automatically kick into gear. I never have a moment to myself in the morning. I barely have time to brush my teeth before they descend on me.”

Kit slowly pushed up, swinging his legs off the couch. But the moment his feet hit the floor, he heard a rumble overhead. Roxanne’s eyes went wide and she grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him up. But just as she was dragging him to the front door, Danny raced down the stairs and headed for the kitchen.

She shoved Kit back toward the living room and held her breath. “You’ve got to sneak out,” she said. “The kids can’t find you here.”

“I understand,” he said. He grabbed her face between his hands and gave her a quick kiss. “Can I call you later today?”

“Just go,” she said, hurrying off to the kitchen.

Kit heard her greet her son, then thinking he was in the clear, he grabbed his shoes from the floor. He tiptoed toward the hall closet to get his coat. But another rumble of footsteps sounded on the stairs. Having nowhere else to go, he stepped inside the hall closet and closed the door behind him.

He cursed softly, then opened the door a crack to see Rachel skip past to the kitchen. But he didn’t have enough time to run for it because Michael was hot on her heels. Sooner or later they’d all have to go upstairs to get dressed. Maybe then he could get safely to the door.

Kit settled back into the closet and listened to the craziness of the morning. Jenna was screaming from upstairs and Roxanne sent Danny up to get her, instructing him to help her down the stairs. But as soon as Jenna got to the table, Danny went back upstairs to get dressed. The kids were all over the house, buzzing around like little bees.

The smell of coffee drifted beneath the closet door and Kit was sorely tempted to step out and grab a cup. But he understood Roxanne’s worry. The kids might take his presence the wrong way. For now, he was just a friend of their mother’s.

When he finally heard everyone tromp back up the steps he figured it would be safe to make a dash for the door. But then he heard Danny’s voice shout from the top of the stairs.

“I wanna wear my basketball shoes today!”

“I don’t know where they are,” Roxanne shouted. “You have to keep track of them if you want to wear them every day.”

“Look in the hall closet! Mom!”

Kit heard footsteps approach and when the door opened, he reached out and grabbed Roxanne’s arm, pulling her inside. A tiny scream slipped from her throat, but it was muffled by the heavy wool coats. He quietly closed the door.

“Shh! It’s just me.”

“What are you doing in my closet?”

“I couldn’t get out. Every time I head for the door, one of your kids runs through. Is the coast clear now?”

“No. Jenna is out there.”

“She’s not going to say anything. She can barely talk.”

“That’s not the point.”

Kit slipped his arms around her waist. “So, now that you’re here, what are we going to do?” He kissed her neck. “They’ll never find us, you know.”

“Mommy?”

Roxanne stiffened, then reached up to cover his mouth with her hand. “Don’t make a sound.”

“Mommy, are you in there? Who are you talking to?”

The doorknob jiggled and before Kit could reach for it, the door swung open. Danny looked up at them both, a quizzical expression on his face. “Hi, Mr. Lawrence. Did you find my basketball shoes, Mom?”

Roxanne forced a smile. “I haven’t had a chance, honey. Mr. Lawrence just stopped by and he was helping me clean the closet. But we’ll find them, won’t we, Mr. Lawrence?”

“Yeah,” Kit said.

A scream reverberated through the house, a scream that Kit recognized as Jenna. Roxanne moaned softly, then slipped out of the closet, leaving him to make the explanations to Danny. “Well, should we look for your basketball shoes?”

“Was my mom crying?” Danny asked.

Kit frowned. “Why would she be crying?”

“She goes in the closet every morning and cries,” he explained. “She says she’s cleaning the closet, but I don’t think she is, ’cause she never takes the vacuum cleaner in.”

“What does she cry about?”

Danny shrugged. “Don’t know. Last week she didn’t go in there. I sure hope she’s not sad again.”

“I hope not, either.” He ruffled the boy’s hair. “Find your shoes. Your ride will be here soon.”

“My mom has to drive me today. There’s no car pool on Fridays. But she has to get everyone ready first, ’cause they all have to go along.”

“How about if I drive you to school?” Kit suggested.

Danny’s eyes lit up and he nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah. That would be cool. I have show-and-tell today. Can I take you? You can tell everyone about your swimming pool.”

“Why don’t we try to come up with something a little better?” Kit stepped to the bottom of the stairs and called out for Roxanne. A few seconds later, she appeared, a sobbing Jenna in her arms. “If it’s all right, I can drop Danny at school.”