That Touch of Pink by Teresa Southwick

Author:Teresa Southwick
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2006-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

Several days following the COC dinner, Riley rang Abby’s doorbell and waited. When no one answered after a reasonable length of time, he glanced at her driveway even though he’d just passed her car. There was no doubt she was home. He’d called a little while ago to let her know he was stopping by to show them how to use the equipment he’d left a few weeks before. But with her skittishness when he’d dropped her off the other night, he could make a case for his warning making her beat a hasty retreat now.

He knocked again, then put his hand on the knob and turned, surprised when the door opened. “Someone else needs a refresher course on stranger danger,” he muttered.

He walked through the house, not flinching this time at all the pink. It was sort of growing on him. “Hello?”

No one answered, but he heard laughter coming from the backyard and headed that way. Looking through the kitchen slider, he recognized his own ultralight two-person tent standing in the middle of the yard. Abby had unrolled one of the sleeping bags and was trying to fold it up again like a bath towel. Her struggle had Kimmie rolling on the grass, giggling.

“That’s what happens when you jump the gun,” he said, walking outside onto the patio.

Kimmie sat up. “Riley!”

Her face lit up at the sight of him, and he felt a tugging in the region of his heart. “Hey, kiddo.”

“I thought you’d never get here.” She jumped up and ran to him.

He picked her up, always surprised at how light she was. But there was nothing light about the feeling tightening in his chest when she put her arms around his neck.

“Me and Mommy need help.”

He shifted her weight to his forearm so he could see Abby on her knees in the grass. “You looked like you were having a great time,” he said to the child. “But Mommy isn’t having much fun, is she?”

“What was your first clue, hotshot,” she said, huffing her bangs out of her eyes.

“I’m brighter than the average bear. Nice job on the tent. I’m impressed,” he said, nodding in the direction of the nylon dome.

“The directions were clear and easy to follow.” She glared at the sleeping bag. “Unlike this invention of the devil.”

He set the little girl down and walked over to her mother. “It’s a three-season bag with Polarguard Delta insulation that keeps you warm down to twenty degrees Fahrenheit. It has men’s and women’s designs.”

She gave him a wry look. “Don’t tell me. This is the men’s.”

“Right in one. How’d you know?”

“Because it’s giving me problems and has the potential to become a major headache.”

He laughed. “It also comes in regular and long lengths.”

“This must be long.”

“Right again. And what was your first clue?”

“Other than a visual,” she said, “it won’t fold up.”

“So it’s all the bag’s fault?”

“Of course.”

“Riley,” Kimmie said, pulling on his hand, “can you fix it?”

“It’s not broken.” He smiled down at her. “But I can fold it up.

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