Free The Bachelor’s Christmas Bride by Victoria Pade Page A

two upstairs to the loft to eat it—so we don’t end up with cake on the floor, too—and then put them to bed.”
    A dish of appetizers and Tia’s chicken had been knocked off the table by the kids and, like Dag, Shannon wasn’t looking forward to cake being the next course to hit the floor. And it was more than an hour after Tia’s bedtime and more than two hours later than Codyusually went down for the night. Plus Shannon had not thought she would have any help getting the duo to bed, but if Dag was volunteering…
    Still, she felt obligated to give him an out. “I’m the one who signed on for babysitting duty. Are you sure you don’t want to stay down here and enjoy the rest of the night the way everyone else is?”
    He smiled. “Who says I won’t enjoy the rest of the night if I go upstairs?”
    There was a lascivious sound to that that Dag must have realized only after he’d said it because his smile stretched into a grin and he added, “I’ve had about enough of the wedding stuff anyway. Getting out of this noise, away from all these people to eat cake in some peace and quiet, and then listen to you read Tia Good-night Moon —what could be better than that? Besides, if I stay down here I’ll just end up dancing with my sisters.”
    â€œOkay, then, I’m not dumb enough to turn down an offer of help with these two,” Shannon said, knowing she probably should just because she liked the idea of Dag’s continued help and company more than she had any business liking it.
    But that was all the encouragement he needed to stand and say, “I’ll get the cake and we can go.”
    Chase and Hadley were occupied, but while Dag was gone Shannon caught Meg’s attention and motioned her to the table to tell Meg the plan.
    Meg agreed that it was long past the bedtimes of both kids. She asked Shannon if Shannon was sure she didn’t mind leaving, and when Shannon insisted she didn’t, Meg kissed both children good-night, said she’d let Logan, Chase and Hadley know what was going on,and turned to leave just as Dag came back to the table with the slices of cake.
    â€œThanks for lending Shannon a hand,” Meg said as they crossed paths.
    â€œGlad to do it,” Dag assured, and something about that made Meg smile knowingly as she moved off to rejoin the festivities.
    â€œAll set?” Dag asked then.
    â€œAll set,” Shannon answered.
    Tia was tired and beginning to be cranky and uncooperative so she let it be known she didn’t want to leave. Shannon used the promise of cake to lure her into compliance, and with Cody slung on one of Shannon’s hips, the three-year-old finally accepted Shannon’s free hand and allowed herself to be led through the celebration to the workroom and up the stairs that led from there to Chase and Hadley’s loft.
    â€œLet’s do pajamas first and then have cake—cake always tastes better in pajamas,” Shannon said when they were upstairs.
    â€œAre you and Uncle Dag gonna put on your ’jamas, too?” Tia asked.
    â€œGood question,” Dag said under his breath, laughing at what Shannon had unwittingly walked into.
    â€œNo, cake just tastes better for kids when the kids are in their pajamas,” Shannon improvised.
    Tia frowned as if that didn’t make sense but before she could pursue anything more along those lines, Dag again saved the day and said, “So, shall we split up boys and girls? I’ll get Cody ready for bed and Shannon, you can get Tia out of that dress she looked so pretty in tonight.”
    As if on cue, Tia swirled around to make the skirt billow out—something she’d done numerous times during the evening.
    â€œCody will need a diaper change, you know…” Shannon reminded Dag.
    â€œYeah, no big deal. I’ve done it before.”
    â€œThen its boys with boys, girls with girls,” Shannon