Free The Bull Rider's Twins by Tina Leonard Page B

smiling. “Did you give her a reason to believe you were interested?”
    â€œI suggested prenatal yoga. And vitamins. And good nutrition.” Judah kissed his niece on the top of her head. “What more can I do?” He glanced to Jackie, puzzled, very aware that Pete was trying not to snicker.
    â€œYou offer to go with her to prenatal yoga,” Jackie said gently. “And offer to cook those nutritious meals for her. Things like that. And offer to rub her belly.”
    â€œShe won’t let me rub anything of hers,” Judah said morosely. “I’m pretty sure she thinks her pregnancy is a result of my, um, mishandling of the situation.”
    â€œIt was,” Sam said, unable to keep from tossing in his two cents.
    â€œI used protection,” Judah said defensively, frowning when everyone started laughing. “What?”
    â€œYou never read the box, did you?” Sam asked.
    â€œThe box of what?” Judah knew he was the butt of some secret joke, but he wasn’t certain why. He’d come here for a little sympathy, and a bit of no-pressure, hands-on baby guidance. Not guffaws.
    â€œCondoms,” Sam said. “Creed gave us all joke condoms.”
    Judah blinked. “There’s nothing funny about condoms.”
    Sam grinned at him. “You don’t read directions.”
    â€œI’m a man of action,” Judah shot back.
    â€œAnd you fired away and asked questions later.” Sam nodded. “That’s the reason you’re going to be a father.”
    â€œNo,” Judah said, “my box said something like ‘For the Man Who Has Almost Everything.’ That was the joke.”
    His family laughed harder. Judah shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Even if I begged to attend prenatal yoga, or promisedto attend a cooking school for pregnant parents, Darla would still be determined to marry Doc Skin-and-Bones,” he said. “You’d think she’d want a fellow with a little more muscle and meat to him. Those bronc busters always look like a string bean reverberating on the back of a horse to me. I’d rather my sons have a man to look up to who has muscles,” he said with a sigh. “Strength.”
    â€œMeathead,” Pete said, his tone kind. “You’ve got to quit letting Sidney bother you. Tell Darla—without being an ape—how you really feel about her.”
    â€œI don’t know how not to be an ape.” Judah stood, clapped his hat to his head, kissed the little girls goodbye. “Thank you for letting me be an uncle who doesn’t call before he drops in at bedtime. I promise not to make a habit of it.”
    â€œCome anytime you like,” Jackie said, giving him a hug. “We love you, Judah. We want you to be happy. You’re a good man.”
    â€œSometimes,” Sam said. “When he’s not a stupid man. Now can we go do something dangerous? Something that’ll really rock the epicenter of wild-n-crazy? Like maybe drive to the Sonic, at least?”
    Pete thumped Judah on the back. “It’s always darkest before the dawn, dude. It’ll work out.”
    â€œIt’s pretty damn dark out there,” Judah said. “She’s getting married in two days.”
    â€œYou better rescue the princess tout suite then,” Pete told him. “You can do it. You’re a Callahan.”
    Judah nodded. “Thanks.”
    â€œDanger, here we come!” Sam said, kissing his nieces and hugging his sister-in-law goodbye.
    Judah shook his head. Sam had no idea just what kind of danger lay in wait. And he couldn’t tell him.

    â€œY OU DID NOT INFORM ME that babysitting was your idea of dangerous,” Sam said with a groan twenty minutes later, whenthey’d made their way to Creed’s house. Sometimes Creed’s sister-in-law Diane’s three daughters stayed in the house with their little cousin, too, but tonight, it was just Creed