Free His-And-Hers Family by Bonnie K. Winn

snack. “It’s a special recipe.”
    “We have frozen egg rolls,” Mark told her.
    Cassie put another tray of cookies into the oven. “They aren’t quite the same as homemade.”
    Todd shrugged. “And China Platter delivers.”
    David John grinned at her. “Wait’ll they taste yours. They won’t want any more dumb frozen stuff.”
    Cassie rumpled his white-blond hair. “Thanks, pal.”
    By evening, the house simmered with the delicate scent of wonton soup and chow mein. Deciding to be festive, Cassie donned a silk blouse that dipped over her shoulders, one she’d purchased on her first shopping excursion in the city. She brushed her long hair into a smooth wave and disregarded her usual barrette.
    A refreshing breeze lifted the curtains at the window, sending in the sweet smell of orange blossoms. Cassie hummed as she checked the table, leaning over to light the candles.
    The humming masked the sound of the door opening and Blake’s startled exclamation when he saw her.
    The flare of the match illuminated her flawless skin, casting her delicate features in pleasing relief. As she bent over, the low neckline of her blouse revealed intriguing curves Blake hadn’t known she possessed. His gaze roamed over her, taking in the effect of the blouse that skimmed over her shoulders, baring just enough skin to make him want to see more.
    Her hair was different somehow, too. In the candlelight, it resembled burnished wheat as it swung unhindered over her shoulder. Long eyelashes shadowed her cheeks as she studied the table, straightening the silverware, then rearranging two of the platters. Had she changed that much? Or had he simply failed to see her before?
    He stepped closer, and she looked up, surprise filling her smoke-colored eyes. One hand flew to the delicate hollow of her throat. “I...I didn’t expect you.”
    “I do live here,” he reminded her gently, watching the confusion play over her face. “And I decided to come home a day early.”
    “The boys will be glad you’re back. And your timing’s perfect. We were about to sit down to dinner.”
    She didn’t even stumble over the word, he noticed. Before, she’d always started to call the meal supper . Another change.
    Gulliver’s toenails clicked over the tile floor as the dog rushed to greet him. While he hadn’t wanted them to bring the large animal, Blake had to admit that Gulliver was growing on him, especially after a two-week break from the dog.
    “He likes you,” Cassie commented softly. “And he’s pretty picky.”
    That was it. The softness. Whenever he thought of Cassie, it had been entwined with the image of steel, a backbone that wouldn’t buckle under a ton of pressure. It hadn’t occurred to him that she could be soft, too.
    She glanced at him, with a curious look that unsettled him.
    Reflexively he held up his briefcase and garment bag. “I’ll put these away and be ready in a few minutes.”
    She nodded. “There’s no hurry. It’s not the kind of meal that’s timed down to the second. It’ll stay warm till you’re ready.”
    “Uh-huh.” Backing up, he nearly toppled Katherine Ann as she came into the kitchen.
    She smiled, in a shy imitation of her mother. “Hello, Mr. Matthews. I’m glad you’re home.”
    “I am, too,” he replied, pushing open the swinging door.
    It was jet lag, he decided. That accounted for the imagined changes in Cassie. He was sure that by the time he returned to the breakfast room, everything would be back to normal.
    But it wasn’t. Not only were his children not close to gnawing each other to bits, but Cassie still looked different. While the kids were hardly acting like the Waltons, they were being civil. And apparently they had grudgingly accepted the dinner ritual.
    Although the meal was delicious, he barely tasted it. Instead, he watched Cassie. How had he managed not to notice until now that she was a woman? He supposed that somewhere in his brain he’d cataloged that fact. After all,