Family Ties. Bonnie K. Winn

always helping everybody in town!” Linda exclaimed. “I’m sure she’d love to help her own family for a change. She told me about those darling triplets of yours.”

      Cindy stared helplessly at Flynn, realizing she’d been caught in a trap of her own good works and inability to spit out the truth.

      But he was looking more than a bit flummoxed and reluctant himself. “I can rent an apartment while the house is being built.”

      Linda shook her head. “Not in this town. Everything for rent is snapped up by the oil folks—Adair Petroleum’s opened a new regional office here to oversee pipeline and trucking operations. The only housing you can find is for sale. And there aren’t a lot of those—well, you just saw them. Because of this small boom, there’s a real housing shortage. To be honest, it probably won’t last long. Everyone at Adair should be settled in a few months down the road and then things will get back to normal. But that won’t do you a lot of good right now.”

      Flynn looked at the unattractive house. “Then I’ll buy something temporary.”

      “That’s ridiculous,” Cindy burst out. “Everything we’ve seen today will take a lot of fixing up just to be livable. By that time, your house could be built.” She felt herself digging an even deeper hole, but knew her conscience wouldn’t allow her to be quiet. The triplets didn’t deserve more disappointment. At their age, a few months’ delay would seem like an eternity. “Linda’s right. I have plenty of room. You and the girls can stay with me.”

      “I would like to oversee the construction of the house,” Flynn pondered, still not sounding convinced, but rather, trapped.

      Which put them both in the same position.

      “Then it’s all settled!” Linda exclaimed, looking like a Girl Scout who’d done a good deed, and certainly the only happy member of their trio. “I’ll assemble lists of available land right away.”

      Cindy forced her smile to widen as she met Flynn’s gaze. “Looks like you’re all set.”

      He considered her words for a moment, looking as though he wished he had another option. Any other option. “I can put the furniture in storage. We could probably be here in about two weeks. That’ll give you time to change your mind, Cindy.”

      Two weeks. The words flashed through her like a bad mantra. Two weeks until everything she knew was turned upside down. Two weeks until the man she loved moved into her life. And her house.

      Chapter Two

      Flynn couldn’t hold three hands at once. He tried, but one always slipped away. He’d taught the girls to hold each other’s hands so they wouldn’t get separated. But on days like today excitement outweighed caution.

      They stood on the curving sidewalk that led to Cindy’s house. As they did, Flynn took a deep breath, wondering yet again if moving to Rosewood was a mistake. He’d almost turned the SUV back around a dozen times on the drive from Houston. It didn’t matter that the house was sold; he could find another place to live in Houston.

      “Swing!” Alice exclaimed just then, pointing to the old-fashioned two-seater that was suspended from the tall rafters on the front porch.

      “An’ flowers,” the softer-spoken Mandy added.

      “Mommy flowers,” Beth chimed in, referring to the roses her mother had loved.

      Flynn felt that subtle clutching of his heart—one that always followed mention of Julia. The girls spoke of her less and less often, their young memories fading already. Yet, each comment was a new wound. However, it was a wound of guilt—one that came from the reminder that he wasn’t thinking enough of Julia.

      Flynn was appalled that he, too, was beginning to forget little things, that days passed with little or no thought of her. He wondered if the progression was normal, or if he was as unfeeling as his own mother had been.

      The front door opened just then and Cindy stepped onto the porch.

      “Cinny!” In unison, the girls shouted their name for her. Breaking away from him, they hurried up the sidewalk and then the wide steps. Reaching the porch, three compact bodies hurtled toward his sister-in-law.

      Laughing, she caught them, exchanging huge hugs and kisses. “Hello, darlings! I thought you’d never get here!”

      “Us here,” Beth replied, grinning.

      “And you’re so tall,” Cindy continued. She cocked her head, studying them in mock amazement. “By next week you’ll all be as tall as me!”

      The girls giggled madly.

      “Uh-uh!” Alice protested.

      “I don’t know,” Cindy teased, shaking her head. Then she reached down, picking up the toddler.

      Immediately, the other two clambered to be picked up, as well. Still laughing, Cindy scooted over to the swing, reaching for the other two, lifting them up to sit beside her.

      “Now there’s a picture,” Flynn told her as he neared the porch, realizing as he spoke it was true. Cindy looked as unaffected and natural as the triplets. It was a warm and fuzzy image that could have graced a magazine layout.

      “Daddy sit, too!” Beth demanded.

      But he shook his head as he bent automatically to kiss Cindy’s cheek.

      The startled response in Cindy’s eyes surprised him. But then it seemed to surprise her, as well.

      Cindy spoke quickly to fill the gap. “Why don’t we go inside and get you all settled in?”

      “Swing!” Beth demanded when Cindy stood up.

      Flynn plucked his daughter from the swing, preempting her demand. The more malleable Mandy moved toward the door without protest. Alice, somewhere between mild Mandy and belligerent Beth, seemed to realize it was best to comply, as well.

      “Why don’t I show you where the bedrooms are?” Cindy told him as she led the way. “Let’s grab the girls and head upstairs.”

      Flynn obliged, picking up Beth and Alice. Mandy was content to latch on to Cindy. Upstairs, Cindy pointed out the room she’d chosen for Flynn. Although small, it was the least feminine one in the house. And directly next to it, she led them into a large bedroom, outfitted with three kid-size beds and an overflowing toy chest.

      Squealing, the girls wriggled free and hurried over to the new bounty.

      Overwhelmed, Flynn stared at her. “Cindy, you shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble. This is too much.”

      She shrugged nonchalantly. “I do a lot of volunteer work and I bring home kids all the time so I had a lot of stuff.”

      “In threesomes?”

      Cindy grinned. “Well, not exactly. But it wasn’t that difficult to do a little rearranging.”

      He stared at the freshly painted pink walls, a captivating also newly painted mural, ruffled lace curtains and a newly upholstered window seat that matched the mural. “A little rearranging?”

      “Okay. Guilty as charged. But I enjoyed doing it. And, really, cross my heart, I had the other kid paraphernalia.”

      Despite her protests, gratitude flooded him. Julia had lavished attention on her children, but they’d sorely missed a woman’s touch since then.

      “Look, Daddy!” Alice shouted, bringing him a bright pink-and-silver unicorn. The soft stuffed toy was toddler safe with no plastic eyes or nose for little ones to swallow.

      He knelt down beside her. “That’s nice, baby.”

      Happy with her treasure, Alice scooted away. Just as suddenly, Flynn felt exhausted. The past year had been an endless succession of trials and emotions. And now, without warning, Cindy had opened her life and home to them. It was as overwhelming