Free A Cold Creek Reunion by RaeAnne Thayne Page B

power tools, take your sister and go straight down to the front desk to your grandmother. No detours, Alex. Got
it?”
    His stubborn little chin jutted out. “But we were having fun.”
    “Chief Bowman is trying to get some work done. He’s not here to babysit.”
    “I’m not a baby,” Alex grumbled.
    Laura bit back what Taft was almost certain was a smile. “I know you’re not. It’s just a word, mi hijo. Either way, you need to take your sister straight down to the lobby to find your grandmother.”
    With extreme reluctance in every step, Alex took his little sister’s hand and led her out the door and down the hall, leaving Laura alone with him.
    Even though he could tell she wasn’t thrilled to have found her children there with him and some part of him braced himself to deal with her displeasure, another, louder part of him was just so damn happy to see her again.
    Ridiculous, he knew, but he couldn’t seem to help it.
    How had he forgotten that little spark of happiness that always seemed to jump in his chest when he saw her after an absence of just about any duration?
    Even with her hair in a ponytail and an oversize shirt and faded jeans, she was beautiful, and he wanted to stand here amid the sawdust and clutter and just savor the sight of her.
    As he might have expected, she didn’t give him much of a chance. “Sorry about the children,” she said stiffly. “I thought they were watching SpongeBob in the bedroom of Room Twelve while I cleaned the bathroom grout. I came out of the bathroom and they were gone, which is, unfortunately, not all that uncommon with my particular kids.”
    “Next time maybe you should use the security chain to keep them contained,” he suggested, only half-
serious.
    Even as he spoke, he was aware of a completely inappropriate urge to wrap her in his arms and absorb all her cares and worries about wandering children and tile grout and anything else weighing on her.
    “A great idea, but unfortunately I’ve already tried that. Within about a half hour, Alex figured out how to lift his sister up and have her work the chain free. They figured out the dead bolt in about half that time. I just have to remember I can’t take my eyes off them for a second. I’ll try to do a better job of keeping them out of your way.”
    “I told you, I don’t mind them. Why would I? They’re great kids.” He meant the words, even though his previous experience with kids, other than the annual fire-safety lecture he gave at the elementary school, was mostly his niece, Destry, Ridge’s daughter.
    “I think they’re pretty great,” she answered.
    “That Alex is a curious little guy with a million questions.”
    She gave a rueful sigh and tucked a strand of hair behind her delicate ear. She used to love it when he kissed her neck, just there, he remembered, then wished the memory had stayed hidden as heat suddenly surged through him.
    “Yes, I’m quite familiar with my son’s interrogation technique,” Laura said, oblivious to his reaction, thank heavens. “He’s had six years to hone them well.”
    “I don’t mind the questions. Trace and I were both the same way when we were kids. My mom used to say that between the two of us, we didn’t give her a second to even catch a breath between questions.”
    She trailed her fingers along the wood trim and he remembered how she used to trail them across his stomach… .
    “I remember some of the stories your mother used to tell me about you and Trace and the trouble you could get into. To be honest with you, I have great sympathy with your mother. I can’t imagine having two of Alex.”
    He dragged his mind away from these unfortunate memories that suddenly crowded out rational thought. “He’s a good boy, just has a lot of energy. And that Maya. She’s a heartbreaker.”
    She pulled her hand away from the wood, her expression suddenly cold. “Don’t you dare pity her.”
    “Why on earth would I do that?” he asked, genuinely