Harlequin Love Inspired March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Patrice Lewis (best large ereader .txt) 📕

huge vintage brass stag reclining at the foot of the fireplace.

“Careful, don’t let him buck you off,” Ross deadpanned.

Sending both twins into giggles.

Stacia had to admit, he was good with the children. But she was tired of all the bonding.

“We need to get to school.”

“Can Uncle Ross take us?” Madison clung to him.

Absolutely not. He might be good with kids and a Christian. But she still didn’t trust him enough to let him drive the kids to school without kidnapping them. Or even wrecking them.

“How about I ride with y’all?” He offered a compromise.

“Yay!” Both kids whooped.

“Where are your backpacks?” Stacia clapped her hands to spur them into action.

“Upstairs.” The twins’ voices blended.

“Go get them. Make it back in two minutes and you can have a double scoop of ice cream after school.”

Madison and Mason scurried up the staircase.

“I’ve seen mantles like this with a five-thousand-dollar price tag.” Ross was still eyeing the fireplace. “Unless I’m mistaken, the tiger is from the Japanese Meiji period and well worth a few thousand, and the stag is Sarreid over fifteen hundred. I’d have to research the antique doll, but I’m certain it’s worth a pretty penny as well.”

“How do you know all that?” They were like kindred spirits. Only they couldn’t be.

“I told you my grandmother owns a flea market/ antique shop in Hondo. I’m a certified antiquities appraiser.”

“That’s something you could have mentioned.”

“I didn’t think about it. It’s not like I filled out an application or even supplied my résumé.”

“I probably need to get one of those, just for our books.” And to do a background check. “I’ll get you an application today. Which antique store in Hondo?”

“Grandpappy’s Fleas & Tiques.”

“Myrna is your grandmother?” Warmth she felt for Myrna softened her voice. Surely with a gem for a grandmother, he must be okay. But then Ronny Outrageous—twin abandoner extraordinaire—was his brother.

“You know her?”

“I shop her store. Often. And I miss her since she retired.”

“She may not run the store anymore, but she spends her time online finding pieces for it and dawdling about with Papaw on their ranch.”

“She’s a sweetheart. I can’t believe she’s your grandmother.”

His gaze narrowed, as if he were pondering. “I’m not sure how to take that.”

“I just meant it’s a small world.” But for the twins’ sake, the results on the background check they ran on all employees needed to come back clean.

“That it is.” He ran his hand over the mantle. “Why don’t you sell them?”

“My mom got the whole setup at an estate sale. Back when she first opened the business. She had no idea what they were worth. Apparently, neither did the auctioneer or the family who sold them. I think she paid three hundred for the whole deal.” She’d cleaned and polished the mantle until her final heart attack.

“Once she did her research, she felt horrible and tried to contact the family, but they were military and she never could catch up with them. So she decided if the family couldn’t profit from what was rightfully theirs, she wouldn’t either. It was the last piece she worked on before… Daddy and I finished it.” Her gaze glossed over at the painful memories. “We keep it as a memorial and a testament of her character.”

“It must have been really hard on you, losing her as a young teen.”

“Yes.” She hated it when he was all sympathetic and almost likeable.

But like it or not, Ross was the twins’ uncle. They were growing to love him. Even if she refused to.

The twins scurried down the stairs.

She swallowed hard and checked her watch. “Great job. We better get a move on.”

* * *

A few minutes later, with both twins secured in their booster seats, Stacia pulled out of the driveway.

Ross felt odd, being chauffeured.

“Do you think Uncle Ross could bring us to school, sometime?” Mason asked.

Stacia almost visibly cringed. “I’ll have to get to know him better and make sure he’s a good driver first.”

“By that time, school will be out,” Mason muttered.

She laughed. “It’s only September.”

“It took you forever to agree when I wanted to go to Bobby’s house. You had to meet his parents and ask around for months before I got to go.”

“Sounds like your aunt is watching out for you.” Ross defended her. “But I can assure you, I don’t have any tickets or outstanding warrants for my arrest,” he quipped.

“Good to know.”

“Can he eat supper with us again soon?”

“How about we slow down a bit?” Ross tugged at the seatbelt cutting into his shoulder. “We don’t want to wear out my welcome. Give your aunt a chance to get used to me. I’m not going anywhere.” If they made a habit of taking the kids to school together, maybe eventually she’d trust him enough to at least let him drive. He needed to get car seats for his truck, just in case.

“Grandpa’s taking us to the park after school.” Mason squirmed, loosened his seat belt a bit. “Can you come with us, Uncle Ross?”

“We’ll see.” A resounding yes danced on the tip of his tongue, but he needed to clear things with their aunt, once they were alone.

“Do you have any kids, Uncle Ross?” Madison asked.

“Not yet. But I hope to get married and have some one day.”

The rest of the short trip passed as the twins peppered him with questions and invitations. Even though he’d not accepted any of them, he could almost see Stacia’s hackles rising with each one.

She pulled into the drop-off line and inched along. A man and two women patrolled the sidewalk, making sure the kids got out safely and headed straight for the building. When they got close enough, the man opened the back door.

“Morning Mason, Madison. Good to see you, Stacia.” He scrutinized Ross through the passenger window, then peered past him attempting to make eye contact with her.

Making Ross’s hackles rise. Why did he care if this guy liked her?

“Morning, Principal Caruthers.” Stacia kept her gaze on the rearview mirror as the twins clambered