Rita Herron - His-And-Hers Twins

Zeke ran a hand through his hair, suddenly conscious he needed a shave and he was wearing his oldest pair of jeans. Trust his daughters to bring home a beautiful woman when he looked his worst.

He hurriedly buttoned his shirt, aware that an undercurrent of tension stretched between him and the red-haired woman on his porch. She seemed to be avoiding looking at his chest.

Finally he extended his hand. “Hi. Zeke Blalock.”

She drew in a deep breath. “Paige Watkins. I live next door.” She reached for one of the fliers sitting in his daughters’ little red wagon. “I thought you might want to see these before the girls finished giving them out.” A smile curved Paige’s lips and attraction hit Zeke square in the gut. He had the insane urge to reach out and stroke her hair.

Then he looked down and read the crayoned writing on the flier, and blushed for the first time in all his thirty years.

He’d known single fatherhood would be difficult. But what on earth could he ever have done to prepare himself for this?

Dear Reader,

Spring is coming with all its wonderful scents and colors, and here at Harlequin American Romance we’ve got a wonderful bouquet of romances to please your every whim!

Few women can refuse a good bargain, but what about a sexy rancher who needs a little help around the house? Wait till you hear the deal Megan Ford offers Rick Astin in Judy Christenberry’s The Great Texas Wedding Bargain, the continuation of her beloved miniseries TOTS FOR TEXANS!

Spring is a time for new life, and no one blossoms more beautifully than a woman who’s WITH CHILD…. In That’s Our Baby!, the first book in this heartwarming new series, Pamela Browning travels to glorious Alaska to tell the story of an expectant mother and the secret father of her child.

Then we have two eligible bachelors whose fancies turn not lightly, but rather unexpectedly, to thoughts of love. Don’t miss The Cowboy and the Countess, Darlene Scalera’s tender story about a millionaire who has no time for love until a bump on the head brings his childhood sweetheart back into his life. And in Rita Herron’s His-and-Hers Twins, single dad Zeke Blalock is showered with wife candidates when his little girls advertise for a mother…but only one special woman will do!

So this March, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses—and enjoy all four of our wonderful Harlequin American Romance titles!

Happy reading!

Melissa Jeglinski

Associate Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To my Mom,

For raising a set of devilish twin girls herself and surviving

with very little gray hair. For continuing to encourage me to go

after my dreams. And most of all, for keeping my refrigerator

clean so I can sit at the computer and pound at the keyboard—

Thanks, Mom, I love you….

Always,

Rita—one of those devilish twins

Rita Herron is a teacher, workshop leader and storyteller who loves reading, writing and sharing stories with people of all ages. She has published two nonfiction books for adults on working and playing with children, and has won the Golden Heart award for a young adult story. Rita believes that books taught her to dream, and she loves nothing better than sharing that magic with others. She lives with her “dream” husband and three children, two cats and a dog in Norcross, Georgia.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

“The house next door is definitely jinxed.” Paige Watkins sighed dramatically into the phone, aware she sounded irrational. But she didn’t care—she had to talk to someone.

“What are you talking about?” Paige’s best friend, Amelia asked. “You think it’s haunted?”

“No, that would be better,” Paige said in despair. “Another single man moved in.”

“In Eric’s house?”

Paige winced. “That’s the one.”

“Oh, that is terrible,” Amelia drawled sarcastically. “I suppose he’s cute, too.”

Paige rolled her eyes when she heard Amelia’s bracelets jangle. Amelia collected a bracelet as a going-away gift from each of her former boyfriends. So far she had three silver, two gold and one jade. “I don’t know if he’s cute or not and I don’t intend to find out.”

“Are you delirious, Paige?” Amelia sputtered. “’Cause if you need a doctor, I’ll be glad to drive you.”

“I don’t need a doctor or a shrink.” Paige chuckled. “But my new neighbor has kids, and I’m not jumping into a relationship with a single dad—not ever again.”

Her friend clucked sympathetically. “Look, Paige, just because Eric went back to his ex-wife—”

“His gorgeous ex-wife with the double D cups.”

“Yeah, well, just because he went back to his gorgeous ex-wife with the double D cups doesn’t mean you have to give up on all men.”

“Why would I want to repeat the same mistake? Besides, I still haven’t gotten over what happened with little Joey.”

“That wasn’t your fault, Paige. Kids can sneak away from you in a minute.”

“Still, if that car had hit Joey…” Paige shuddered, forcing away the memory. “I don’t want the responsibility of children, especially someone else’s. It’s too scary.”

Amelia exhaled noisily. “Forget the kids, just tell me, is the dad cute?”

“How should I know?” Paige wound the phone cord around her fingers. “I’ve been avoiding him.”

“You’re a pathetic excuse for a female,” Amelia said in obvious disgust. “If you haven’t met him, how do you know he’s single?”

“Mrs. Spivy across the street.” Paige laughed as she remembered the day the good-natured, well-meaning woman had dropped the news. Mrs. Spivy was such a gossip she’d probably protested when the phone company did away with party lines. “She’s the neighborhood welcoming committee. She took him an apple pie when he first moved in.”

“Well, there’s a thought,” Amelia said. “Why don’t you make your favorite chocolate mousse and take it over? You could put whip cream and a cherry on top.”

Paige scoffed. “I am not going to bake my way into the man’s bed.”

“I guess that would be a little sexist,” Amelia admitted. “Okay, then design yourself a sexy new outfit, something short, you know, show off your legs.”

“And that’s not sexist?”

Amelia laughed. “Well, I’d tell you to fix me up with the guy, but things are going pretty good with Derrick—”

“You really like him?” Paige asked, grateful for the change in subject.

Amelia cooed dreamily. “He’s almost perfect. I’m surprised you set me up with him instead of keeping him for yourself.”

“We’ve been friends since grammar school,” Paige said. “But there wasn’t any chemistry between us.”

“Good,” Amelia said, emphatically. “’Cause he might be the one.”

“You’re a hopeless romantic, Amelia. I’ve given up on men for a while.”

“Gee, Paige. There’re a few good ones out there. You have to keep looking.”

“And get my heart broken again? I don’t think so.”

“Trust me, it’s worth it.”

Paige laughed, then shook her head. “Listen, I need to deliver these fliers. I promised Mrs. Spivy I’d head up the committee on the neighborhood watch program.”

“Still having trouble with vandals?”

“Yeah. Maybe this watch thing will help.”

“Hey, a perfect excuse to meet your new neighbor.”

Paige rolled her eyes. “You are hopeless. He’s probably a geek with monsters for kids.” She hung up the phone, shaking her head at Amelia’s laughter, then grabbed the fliers and headed toward the door. She meant what she’d told Amelia. She was through with men for a while, especially ones with children and pets. No more kitty litter on the carpet. No more car pools. No more back seat squabbles. No more being used for a fill-in mom. She intended to heed her mother’s advice and focus on her dreams.

She’d finish her degree, then become a dress designer. Then she’d travel and make her mark in the business world.

Outside, as Paige stuffed fliers in people’s boxes, her thoughts strayed to the neighbors out tending their spring flowers and yards. Thirty miles north of Atlanta, the residents of Crabapple had access to all the city offered, but land was cheaper and trees plentiful in the suburbs. Quaint antique shops lined the downtown area, which consisted of nothing more than a church, a gas station, an elementary school and a two-lane highway. Several small horse farms bordered the edge of town. But the close-knit community, famous for the crabapple trees flanking the town square, had recently been plagued by a series of mysterious vandalisms, making residents nervous and edgy.

She’d almost finished distributing the notices when she noticed pigtailed twins pulling a bright red wagon, walking an overweight, floppy-eared dog. Or the mutt might be walking them. The child holding the leash yelled, “Whoa, Henrietta!” but the dog moaned pathetically and tried to lie down. The urchin tugged until the dog begrudgingly ambled along behind her, its head drooping, its movements labored. The girls were probably four or five years old. One wore yellow overalls, the other blue.

Where were their parents?

Stop it, she chastised herself silently. They aren’t your responsibility. Thank goodness. After Joey…

Besides, except for the break-ins, this was a quiet, safe neighborhood. Teens were probably responsible for the vandalism.

Still, she couldn’t help being curious about the girls. She turned the corner and headed toward them. The twins had stopped by a telephone pole. The one in yellow struggled with the dog to keep it from charging into the street to chase a bird while the other one pulled out a hammer and a flier from the wagon. She clumsily attempted to hang the paper on the pole. They were probably having a garage sale, or they’d set up a lemonade stand.

She chuckled again as the child slammed the hammer down and missed, then tried again. The dog howled, and the other girl brushed his long brown ears lovingly. Suddenly a gust of wind blew the paper from the second little girl’s hands.

“Oh, no, get it!” she cried.

Her sister pointed to the flailing paper. “Stop!”

“I’ll get it!” Paige’s mothering instincts automatically kicked in when she saw the paper swirling toward the road.

The girls halted, their eyes wide as the wind hurled the flier into the street. The mutt barked, perked his ears, and darted to chase it. So, the dog could run, after all.

“Girls, don’t go into the street,” Paige warned.

The one in yellow pulled the leash, struggling against the dog’s weight. Her sister grabbed her waist to keep her from being dragged into the road. The dog moaned and flopped to the ground. The twins tumbled over each other, landing on top of the dog.