Married in Haste

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“Ruffian’s hungry and lonesome,” Noah declared, clenching his small hands as he stalked past the huddled girls. “It’s not fair he can’t come out ’cause of twitty girls. It’s his house, too, you know.”

“See, Uncle Ben,” Erin squealed. “Noah’s going to let that monster out.”

“Ruffian’s not a monster,” Brad and Reed shouted in tandem.

Throwing up his hands, Ben grabbed his shoes and socks and waved his nieces toward the exit. “I give up. There’s no chance of us carrying on a civilized conversation in this madhouse. Abby, I’ll be in touch.”

Ben missed the longing look she aimed at his retreating back. “Thanks for everything, Ben, including moral support,” Abby said, trailing him to the door. “If you only knew how much I miss adult conversation. It goes without saying that I love the boys, but…”

Ben spun around, without realizing she’d crept up on him. She stood near enough so that her light, flowery perfume washed over him.

Shifting his shoes to his left hand, he raised his right and brushed the back of his scraped knuckles over Abby’s chin. “We aren’t saying goodbye permanently. Lord knows I need to talk to someone about what’s happening with the girls. Preferably someone who understands what I’m dealing with.” Worry clouded Ben’s brown eyes as he silently watched his nieces climb into the back seat of his BMW.

“I don’t know if I can be of any help, but I’d like us to talk, Ben. I care about Erin, and I thought she acted…well, odd today. Granted, the twins en masse can be overwhelming.”

“She got off on the wrong foot with the dog. The girls have a cat who rules the roost at home. So…I know they like animals.” He sighed wearily. “We’ve…uh…gotta go. I need to feed us, check Erin’s math and supervise baths before getting the girls off to bed.” As he spoke he stepped barefoot into the wet loafers.

“You’re doing all that, Ben? I thought your father said you’d found a woman to look after the girls and take care of the house.”

At the mention of his father, Ben’s slight frown became a scowl. “Mrs. Clark only works from eight to five. I assure you, if my dad gave a damn, he’d help a little. Who knows better than him that doctors don’t keep regular hours?” Just then Erin leaned out of the car and called plaintively to Ben. He blew out the breath he’d sucked in, tossed Abby a last so long, and trudged down the steps in his soaking shoes.