Free The Marrying Man by Barbara Bretton Page B

who would love her children the way she loved them, the way ties of blood alone made it possible to love.   Family life was a mystery to him, something he could only view from the outside the warm circle of love that seemed to surround Cat O'Leary Zaslow and her children.
    "The bet is cancelled," he said, his voice husky.She swallowed. "I think that's for the best."
    "Give me five minutes and I'll be out of your way."

    ***

    "So soon?" Let him go, Cat. You know this is best for both of you. "I mean, you might as well stay for supper." She forced a smile. "Leftover turkey. How can you refuse?"
    "If I leave now, I can be in Boston in time for dinner."
    He turned to leave the room as a wave of dizziness swept over her with surprising force. She hadn't eaten much today. Maybe she should grab a sandwich and--
    On second thought, food wasn't such a great idea. Her stomach did a backflip and she grasped the edge of the dresser.
    "Zaslow?" She heard McKendrick's voice in the doorway as if through a fog of sound. "You okay?"
    "F-fine," she managed, keeping her face averted. "Go get your dinner in Boston."
    He placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to turn around. "You look like hell."
    There were three of him, all staring down at her with puzzled expressions on their faces. "B-bet you say that to all the girls."
    "You're sick."
    "...not." The room was spinning madly around the McKendrick triplets, big wide loops like an amusement park ride designed to turn adult stomachs into blenders.
    "It's the flu."
    "...never get sick...I'm the mother around here..."
    And then she did what she'd been wanting to do from the first moment she saw him in Max's office the day before Thanksgiving.
    She swooned at his feet.

Chapter Seven

    "Where's Mommy?" Sarah asked for the tenth time in as many minutes.
    "She's sick, stupid," Kevin said, tossing a comic book at his little sister.
    "Jack did it," said Ben.
    "Did not," said Jack, who was well enough to come downstairs for dinner.
    "You're all a bunch of babies," said Michael. "I didn't have to go to bed when I got sick."
    "Am not a baby," Jack cried. "You're a baby."
    "You are."
    "No! You are!"
    Michael opened his mouth to speak but Riley's roar stopped him cold. "One more word and the lot of you are going to bed without dinner."
    "You can't do that," said Kevin. "You're not our boss."
    "Yeah?" asked Riley. "Your mother put me in charge while she's sick and I'm not taking any guff from any one of you." He put a plate of leftovers down in front of the kid. "Now eat."
    You're lucky, Zaslow , he thought, taking his seat at the head of the table. The flu was a walk in the park compared with the hell he'd been through since Cat took to her bed a few hours ago. He didn't have the energy to tuck into his turkey sandwich. How did women manage this day after day? He glanced around the table at her offspring. He only counted five of them but he was pretty damn sure they had clones hiding in the closets, waiting to leap out and wreak havoc on the household.
    Rock music screeched from the CD changer in the living room. The tv blared in the family room. Something round and white flew across the table.
    "What was that?" he asked the guiltiest-looking kid.
    "What was what?" asked Kevin, squirming in his seat.
    Sarah's little lips pursed. "Mashed potatoes," she said, pointing at Ben. "He did it!"
    "You little squealer." Ben lobbed another round of mashed potatoes at his sister who broke into a wail loud enough to wake the dead.
    Before Riley could act, Sarah scooped up a glob of cranberry sauce and flung it in Ben's general direction.
    Too bad her aim wasn't very good.
    The cranberry sauce landed on his denim work shirt with a splat.
    The silence in the kitchen was deafening. The five little hellraisers stared at him as if they expected him to breathe fire. Breathing fire would be one way to get these kids in line but the truth was he felt like yelling, "Food fight!" and grabbing for the cranberry sauce