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unable to totally hide her shock that he would shoulder some of the blame for the misunderstanding. ‘But I shouldn’t have overreacted. I’ll call Helen and tell her not to bring the children over today.’
    ‘No. They won’t bother me,’ he assured her, sitting down at his drawing board and picking up a pencil. ‘In fact, I would like to meet them.’
    ‘Of course,’ she mumbled, still off balance from his sudden change of mood.
    ‘And would you mind bringing me up a cup of coffee?’ he requested as he swung a straight edge into place and began to draw.
    ‘Yes, sir,’ she replied, leaving the room to comply with his wish. While pouring the coffee and carrying it upstairs, she frowned at herself. She had her truce, so why did she feel disgruntled? Brad’s reference to sounding like Steve played over and over in her mind. Obviously he had totally given up the idea of seducing her, probably after this morning’s exposure to her appearance, and now saw himself in the role of a big brother protecting an incredibly naive kid sister. Well, she wasn’t so naive as he thought just a little confused lately, and she didn’t need another big brother. Steve filled that role more than adequately.
    When Helen came by to drop off the children, her bright blue eyes were filled with curiosity. ‘Steve’s not pleased with this arrangement, but he doesn’t seem to be as adamantly against it as I thought he would be,’ she said, walking into Sara’s bedroom and bath for a quick inspection. ‘This is really nice. Much better than that apartment you were in with those awful outside stairs.’
    ‘True,’ Sara agreed, smiling at the slightly plump blonde who continued to rattle on without pausing for a breath.
    ‘And when I get back, I want a complete tour, but right now I have to rush. As usual I’m running late. I never used to be late all the time, but for some reason I’ve never been able to get my act together since Joanie was born. Don’t let anyone tell you that the second one is only half as much trouble as the first!’ She finished with a quick kiss on each of the children’s cheeks and one for Sara, then with a wave was out the back door in a flurry, her car keys jangling in her hand.
    ‘Have a nice day,’ Sara called after her from the doorway.
    ‘Be back around three,’ Helen shouted back and with a second quick wave drove off.
    ‘What are we going to do today?’ Tommy demanded excitedly as soon as his mother was gone and his aunt’s attention could be devoted entirely to himself and his sister.
    Sara smiled down at her nine-year-old nephew, so like his father with his brown hair and brown eyes, and his seven-year-old fair-haired, blue-eyed sister who was almost an exact replica of her mother. ‘I thought you two could make kites while I do some sculpting,’ she replied, leading them up the stairs to her studio.
    ‘Excellent!’ Tommy exclaimed, using the latest word that had replaced ‘terrific’ in his youthful vocabulary.
    ‘Yes, excellent!’Joanie copied her brother.
    The door of Brad’s workroom was open and as they reached the landing, he came out to meet them. ‘What’s so excellent?’ he smiled. It was a warm open smile that caught Sara completely offguard as she realised how very charming the man could be when he chose to show that side of himself.
    ‘We’re going to make kites,’ Joanie informed him, her cheeks pink with pleasure.
    ‘This is my niece Joanie and my nephew Tommy,’ Sara introduced her charges. ‘And children, this is Mr Garwood.’
    Tommy had been standing silently studying Brad, his demeanour not unlike that of his father’s when Steve found himself in a new situation of which he did not totally approve. As Sara finished and he reached out to accept Brad’s proffered handshake, his expression became pronouncedly critical. ‘So you’re the man my aunt is living with,’ he frowned.
    Sara flushed scarlet. ‘I’m not living with Mr Garwood,’ she