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together’s are going to be in the future if you and Rachel crash and burn and have to play nice in the
sandbox for major holidays.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. See you in a few days.” Chance disconnected the call before Seth could issue
any more warnings to him. He planned to take things as slowly as needed with Rachel. Yes – she had
been through a lot, but he wanted to help ease her burdens, not add to them.
Chapter 10
After speaking with Seth, Chance placed a call to Shawn and let him know he was going to be off the
clock for the next few days. Shawn asked for details and Chance gave him what he could. When
Shawn offered to come over later that evening with Janet and watch the twins for a couple of hours,
Chance readily agreed. He wasn’t sure how he was going to convince mama to leave her little ones
with strangers, but he was going to give it a try.
Chance took the soup off the stove and let it cool. Dinner out of the house sounded better and the soup
and bread would keep until lunch the next day. He kept a watchful eye on Rachel the rest of the
afternoon, taking care of the boys, feeding them, changing them, and playing with them. They were
curious little tikes and both on the verge of crawling. Chance laughed, as they would balance on their
tiny hands and knees, only to collapse minutes later onto their stomachs.
Tony and David were smart and after failing to reach for the toys Chance kept placing in front of
them, quickly learned that they could roll to the toys just as easy. Chance was still laughing at their
antics when Rachel awoke.
“What’s going on in here?” came her voice from the hallway entrance.
Chance turned his head and gave her a dazzling smile, “Sleeping beauty awakens.” Seeing the blush
rise in her cheeks at his compliment, he made a mental note to compliment her more often.
Rachel looked down as her cheeks flamed. What was it about this guy that turned her inside out
with just a look or a simple comment? Shaking her head, she entered the room in time to see David
roll over to reach the toy in his sights. Gasping, she asked, “How did he learn to do that?”
Chance watched as he answered, “He’s brilliant. I was trying to entice them to crawl for the toys, but
after several unsuccessful attempts to stay on their knees, this was their solution. Tony figured it out
first and David followed.”
“Wow!” Rachel kneeled down on the floor by the boys and bussed first one, and then the other, on
their tiny stomachs, eliciting smiles and babbling.
“Rachel?”
When she looked up, she found herself caught in his stare, and close enough to smell his unique scent.
It went straight to her core, igniting the smoldering flame left by his kiss from days before. Sitting
back on her heels, she watched him silently.
“I think I know why you didn’t call for help. You’re not used to being this out of control. That
stubborn streak of yours is demanding that you rise to the occasion and handle this situation like
everything else.”
Rachel was shocked that he had read her so easily. “I don’t…”
“Hey!” Chance stopped her defensive statement, “I’m not here to pass judgment. I’m here as a friend
to help out. It’s not a sign of weakness to take help when it’s offered. It’s not a sign of failure to ask
for help when things get to be too much.”
Rachel looked down at her hands, she knew he was right, but she couldn’t find the words to tell him.
She had thought of calling him several times over the past few days, just to hear another human voice,
but instead had dialed the time and temperature recording, holding onto the adult recorded voice like
a lifeline.
She needed contact with another human being, one that didn’t demand to be changed or fed every
couple of hours. One that could hold up their end of a conversation. She let her eyes track up his body
as he reclined on the floor near the babies. One that could hold her when she needed a shoulder to
cry on.
That thought startled her and she rose to her feet, needing to move and put more distance between
them. Watching her eyes, Chance had seen the desire and longing in them, just before she closed down
and quickly gained her feet. Whatever that last thought was, she had turned her emotions off pretty
damn quick. “Where are you going?”
“Uhm… I thought… I mean… have you already fed the boys?”
Chance nodded at her and lithely rose to his feet, taking a step closer to her so that only a few feet
separated them. “I fed them about half an hour ago. Carrots and applesauce.”
“Oh.” She felt defeated and nervous. “Okay. Was there a reason you stopped by?”
“Rachel, don’t.” He took another step closer and lifted a hand to her chin, forcing her to meet his
eyes. “Don’t try and shut me out. You needed some help and I gave it to you. Chelsea was worried
about you and asked me to check in with you. When you didn’t return my phone calls, I decided to
come over and make sure everything was okay. No big deal, okay?”
Rachel looked at him and nodded, “Okay. Thanks.”
Stepping away from her, he dropped his hand from her chin and announced, “You have,” consulting
his watch, “approximately thirty minutes to shower and change before my boss and his wife arrive.”
Puzzled, she asked, “Why are they coming to my house?”
“They are going to watch the boys for a few hours while you and I go have some adult time.”
Rachel had already begun to shake her head, “No way. I’m not leaving my babies with complete
strangers. Not happening.” Even as she said the words, she wanted to pull them back and agree. She
hadn’t been away from the babies since their birth and the idea of having dinner with another adult,
without having to worry about the boys, sounded delicious and sooooo good. But her responsibilities
as a mother had to come first. She couldn’t leave her children with strangers!
“Look, Shawn Marshall is my boss and his wife Janet absolutely loves children. Seth would vouch
for them if he were here. Trent and Brianna Coldwell would also vouch for them. Would you like me
to call either of them for you?”
Rachel struggled to keep her mind focused on what he was asking her, but the temptation to be alone
with this gorgeous man had befuddled her brain. Having married her best friend and then boyfriend
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