His, Hers and...Theirs?. Judy Duarte

it had seemed like the best solution for the kids.

      On top of that, Catherine was a woman, and Lord knew that all kids needed a mother figure. Dan sure would have liked having one when he’d been five.

      So he’d left Kevin and Kaylee with Catherine, called them regularly and sent monthly checks to cover their living expenses.

      But several months later, Catherine got a big part in a Broadway musical and called Dan in a panic. She was looking at a grueling practice schedule followed by evening performances that would keep her out late at night. She could no longer take care of the kids, and Dan had flown back to New York and brought them home to Texas.

      And now, two weeks into the whole family ordeal, he hadn’t gained much confidence, which didn’t sit easy with a man who was proud of the fact that he could out-rope, out-ride and out-cowboy just about anyone in Texas.

      But parenting two five-year-olds? That was a whole different ball game.

      Dan adjusted his Stetson, making sure the brim blocked the sun from his eyes. Then he hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans and shifted his weight to one hip.

      Damn, he wished he were anywhere but here today. But this wasn’t about him; it was about the kids.

      And right now, they were having a blast playing with the other twins and triplets, some of whom were dressed like mirror images of themselves.

      But then again, why wouldn’t Kaylee and Kevin be having a good time at the park? Living on a cattle ranch with the uncle they scarcely remembered and a crotchety old cowboy-turned-nanny couldn’t possibly be any fun.

      It was good to see them laughing and socializing, though.

      Off to his right, he noticed a brunette who was also standing along the perimeter of the playground. She wore sunglasses, so he couldn’t see her entire face, but her cover-girl profile and shape were intriguing.

      She didn’t appear to be a typical mom, although he couldn’t put his finger on why he’d come to that conclusion. Maybe because her purse was way too small to fit in all the things some of the other mothers packed, like little baggies filled with snacks, wet wipes and Band-Aids. Or maybe because earlier this morning she’d somehow found the time to weave her long dark hair into a fancy braid that hung down her back.

      She was dressed differently than the others, too, with a pink scarf that was stylishly wrapped around her neck, a crisply pressed white cotton blouse and a pair of slim-fit black jeans.

      Whether she was a mom or not, he decided she was nice to look at—and that she was an intriguing diversion from the hubbub and the energetic chatter that swarmed around him.

      Dan had been so caught up in his perusal of the brunette that he hadn’t paid much attention to the activity on the playground—until a child let out a scream.

      He watched the attractive woman dash across the sand toward the slide. As his gaze followed her, he realized that the screaming child was one of his.

      Oh, God. His heart dropped to his gut, and his pulse kicked into overdrive as he hurried toward little Kaylee, who’d gotten hurt while Dan was supposed to be looking out for her.

      The sight of blood running along the side of her face and her heart-wrenching screams shook him to the core.

      Did he need any more proof of his shortcomings than that? He’d been gawking at an attractive woman, rather than watching the kids play, and he’d failed the kids, just as he’d known he would.

      Hell, he wasn’t cut out to be a father, no matter what Fate seemed to think.

      He dropped to his knees on the sand beside them and started to reach out to Kaylee with stiff arms, but as the brunette continued to tend to the child, he pulled back his hands and let someone more capable do the comforting.

      “Oh, sweetie,” she said, lifting her sunglasses from her eyes and resting them atop her head. “What happened?”

      “I…fell…down,” Kaylee sobbed. “And I got hurt. Really bad.” She lifted her little hand to her forehead to probe the gash, and as she lowered it, she spotted the blood on her fingers and let out another wail.

      “It’s okay,” the brunette said. “It’s just a little blood. The owie isn’t very big.”

      “Yes, it is,” her brother said. “And it’s bleeding a whole bunch. We better call the ambulance.”

      At her twin’s suggestion, Kaylee cried even louder. Still, Dan thought a 911 call was probably their best bet. He knew that even the simplest head cuts could bleed profusely, but he’d much rather let a professional take charge.

      The brunette made a quick scan of the playground and beyond. “Where’s your mommy, honey?”

      “She’s in heaven,” Kevin said. “She’s watching over us, but I guess she was busy just now.”

      “I’m their uncle,” Dan admitted. “This is Kaylee and Kevin.”

      The brunette turned to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interfere.”

      Her hazel eyes were almost amber in color, and her lashes were thick and dark, but he shook off the compulsion to study her. “Don’t be sorry for stepping in. I’m way out of my league when it comes to this stuff.”

      “Do you have a handkerchief?” she asked.

      “No, I never use them. Sorry.” He realized one would have come in handy about now.

      She smiled, then pulled the scarf from around her neck, revealing a nasty scar that ran from the underside of her chin down to her throat and beyond. A burn of some kind, he suspected.

      She held the pink cloth against Kaylee’s forehead, applying pressure to her wound.

      “Are you a doctor?” Kevin asked the woman.

      “No.”

      “A nurse?” the boy continued.

      She slowly shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

      Then probably just a mother, Dan guessed. She’d certainly taken charge like a woman who’d done this a hundred times before.

      “I do work at the Brighton Valley Medical Center,” she told Kevin, “but not with patients. I’m a medical technologist.”

      “What’s that?” the boy asked.

      By this time, Kaylee seemed to realize that she was under the care of a professional, and even if she didn’t know what a technologist actually did, her scream had softened to a whine.

      “I’m a scientist,” the brunette said. “I work in the lab.”

      Whoa, Dan thought, realizing she was the brainy type. He’d never really known any of those. He tended to date women who were more street-smart than book-smart.

      Dated? Now where had that wild-ass idea come from? If she was hanging out at the park with the Parents of Multiples, she was probably a mother—and married, which meant she was off-limits, even if he’d been looking. And he wasn’t.

      Still, his gaze slid to her left hand, which was ring-free. Not that it mattered, he supposed. His dating days were over now that the ranch house was filled with the pitter-patter of little feet.

      Kaylee clung to the woman who dabbed at the wound with her scarf, permanently staining the fabric, no doubt. He’d have to buy her a new one when this was all said and done.

      “Are you someone’s mommy?” Kaylee asked.

      “No,” the woman said.

      Then what was she doing at the park? Dan wondered. He almost asked but figured it might be best to bide his time and wait for one of the kids to quiz her. The two of them, especially Kevin, were certainly doing a pretty good job of interrogating her.

      “Thanks for stepping in to help,” Dan said.