His Unexpected Twins. Carrie Nichols

you for offering to help out with the carnival,” Ellie said as she slid into the seat. “You’re here working with Riley and now spending off-time working some more. Hardly seems fair.”

      He sat across from her. “Are you going to be there?”

      “Yeah. I always help out,” she said, and picked up the colorful menu.

      Normally he’d run a mile from reminders of the disease that claimed his ma. Just thinking about cancer made his skin crawl, but he could man up and do this. For Ellie. “Then I’m in.”

      She gave him a big smile and flipped open the menu. Yeah, that smile was worth giving up a few hours to help some kids. He should regret the kiss but he didn’t, couldn’t regret something that felt so damn good. With that kiss, tonight felt more like a date, despite him being careful not to turn it into one.

      He’d decided to keep things casual with Ellie because being in remission was no guarantee the cancer couldn’t return. Nothing like wanting his cake and eating it, too, or in this case, wanting his Ellie and none of the burdens of a real relationship. How the hell was he going to make this work?

      “Do you want to?”

      Ellie’s question brought him back with a jolt. Had he said any of that aloud? “Huh?”

      She tsked. “I asked if you wanted to split an appetizer.”

      Before he could answer, someone called her name. Two men in EMT uniforms approached their booth. Liam frowned at the way they strutted over to Ellie’s side. The tall one appeared to be around Ellie’s age, while the shorter, dark-skinned one was older.

      “Sorry, Ellie, we didn’t mean to interrupt your date,” said the older one.

      She glanced over at Liam. “Oh, we’re just—”

      “On a date but it’s no problem.” What the hell prompted him to say that? He was still striving for control, for keeping his feelings casual. If they’d run into two of Ellie’s female friends, would he have made the same claim? If he were a better man he’d know the answer. Since he didn’t, that put him in the “not a better man” category.

      “We’re not staying, just picking up our supper, and noticed you in here while we were waiting,” said the younger guy.

      “I’m glad you came to say hi,” Ellie said. “This is my friend Liam. Liam, this is Mike and Colton. As you can plainly see by their uniforms, they’re EMTs. It just so happens Liam is a firefighter.”

      Liam shook hands with both men, applying a bit of pressure with the younger one, Colton, whose intense gaze had been on Ellie since they’d come over to the table. Yeah, more juvenile than a better man would behave, that’s for sure.

      “We missed you at the softball game last weekend,” Colton said to Ellie, but gave Liam the once-over as he said it, as if Liam had prevented Ellie from playing.

      Ellie rested her elbows on the table, lightly clasping her hands together. “Sorry I missed it. Did you win?”

      “No. We got clobbered.” Colton shook his head and scowled. “That’s why we need you.”

      Mike backhanded his partner on the arm. “Looks like our order’s up.”

      Colton nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Ellie. “The cops challenged us to another game to raise money for a K-9 unit. You in?”

      “Sure.” Ellie smiled and nodded. “Give me a call when you get a time and place.”

      Liam bit down on the urge to tell the guy to get lost already. If Colton was interested, why hadn’t he taken her to the new patio at Angelo’s? Pot? Kettle. You brought her here instead of trying to get reservations at Angelo’s.

      “Some of the guys were talking about getting a bowling night together.” Colton mimed holding a phone. “I’ll give you call.”

      “Hey, man, you can’t pick her up while she’s on a date with someone else,” Mike said, and attempted to pull his partner away from the table.

      “Sheesh, I wasn’t picking her up, just asking if she was interested in bowling. It’s for charity,” he grumbled, but turned back and grinned at Ellie. “See ya, Els.”

      Els? What the...? Liam ground his back teeth as the two EMTs walked away. “He was definitely trying to pick you up.”

      Ellie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Colton called a couple months ago asking if I had the number of the new X-ray tech.”

      So this Colton was a player? Well, he could go play in someone else’s sandbox. He and Ellie were...what? Hanging out to get Meg off their case did not a relationship make.

      “Believe me, he was hitting on you,” Liam insisted.

      She glanced over at the two men leaving the restaurant.

      “Maybe it didn’t work out with the X-ray tech,” Liam muttered, and shook the menu open with a snap.

      “Maybe.” She shrugged and set her menu down.

      Did she have feelings for this Colton? He pretended to be interested in the menu’s offerings. “That Mike guy—”

      “Stop right there. You’re not going to try to tell me he was hitting on me.” She heaved a deep sigh. “Mike’s happily married. He has a beautiful wife and two sweet daughters, all of whom he adores.”

      Before he could say anything more about either EMT, a petite waitress with a short blond bob and an eyebrow piercing came over to the table.

      “Hi, I’m Ashley, and I’ll be your server tonight,” she said, and rested her hand on the table near his.

      “I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings,” Ellie told the waitress.

      Ashley nodded and scribbled on her pad without taking her eyes off him. He echoed Ellie’s order because he’d been too busy fending off her would-be suitor to read the menu.

      “Now who is getting hit on?” Ellie said in a dry tone as she watched the perky blonde sashay across the room.

      “Who? The waitress? She looks barely old enough to be serving drinks.” He sipped his water. “And we were talking about you. Colton was definitely hitting on you.”

      She made a derisive sound blowing her breath through her lips. “I find that hard to believe.”

      He shook his head. Did she not know the effect she had on guys? That megawatt smile that made her eyes sparkle created a pull, one he couldn’t deny. So why wouldn’t any other guy feel the same? “What? Why would you say that?”

      “Because guys don’t see me like that. All they see is a shortstop for their softball team or a bowler for charity.”

      “I don’t know who put that idea in your head, but it’s simply not true. And I’m a guy, so I should know.” Damn. Why did he say that? If she liked this Colton dude, saying things like that might give her ideas.

      She snorted. “I don’t see you putting the moves on me.”

      “What if I were to put a move on you?”

      “Yeah, right,” she sputtered, and shook her head.

      He let it drop, but began calculating how many moves he could make in thirty days.

       Chapter Three

      Several times during the day on Friday, Liam considered excuses to get out of helping Ellie with her carnival. Last weekend had been the anniversary of his mother’s death from stage 3 breast cancer that had spread. The years had muted the pain, but he wasn’t looking forward to all the reminders because it also reminded him of his friend and mentor, Sean McMahan. During Liam’s year as a probationary