“Matthew and Elizabeth are four. And they’ve been up for hours. It’s ten now. They probably had pancakes and juice at about six o’clock.”
Brushing her hand through her tangled hair, she looked at him. “You’re dressed.” She said it like an accusation.
He laughed. “Bathed, dressed, jogged, and fed.”
She moaned. “Oh, Lord, Tanner. Do you always have this much energy in the morning?”
“Always.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not planning to marry you. I’m not a morning person.”
“That’s all right. I love you just the way you are.”
Before she could reply, he was gone. She could hear him whistling all the way down the stairs.
o0o
Matthew and Elizabeth were either angels unaware or devils in disguise. Amanda couldn’t decide which. In the short space of two hours they’d built and destroyed fifteen Lego block bridges, taught Amanda three nursery-school songs, one of them naughty, asked Tanner to make it snow so they could build a snowman, and turned the den into a battleground for a game of cowboys and Indians. Tanner was now tied at the stake.
“ ‘Manda.” Matthew looked up at her with his devastating Donovan smile. “Got any matches?”
“Tell him no,” Tanner said.
“How can I ignore him? He has the Donovan charm.” Amanda patted Matthew’s bright blond hair. “What do you want them for, angel?”
Matthew giggled. “That’s what Daddy calls Mommy. I’m not no angel. I’m a boy.”
“He wants to burn Uncah Tannah at the stake, like on TV.” Elizabeth, with her adorable dimples and her daddy’s dark hair, caught Amanda’s hand. “Don’t let him burn up Uncah Tannah. I love him.”
“I won’t, precious.”
Tanner snorted. “That’s hard to believe. You gave him the rope and showed him how to tie the knot.”
“Party pooper. It’s only a game. Anyway, you volunteered to be the victim.”
“That was to save your hide, my dear. Matthew had his eye on you.”
Matthew and Elizabeth hadn’t heard a word that had been said since party pooper. They were bouncing around the room yelling “Pahty poopah” at the top of their lungs.
“At least they’ve forgotten about m-a-t-c-h-e-s,” Amanda said, spelling the last word.
“Don’t look so smug. They’re thinking of something even worse. Everything they say about preacher’s kids is true.”
“You can’t fool me, Tanner Donovan. I know a doting uncle when I see one. You positively glow every time you look at them.”
He grinned. “Caught me red-handed. Can I help it if their mother is my favorite sister-in-law?”
Matthew and Elizabeth stopped bouncing long enough to tackle their uncle.
“Let’s play horse, Uncah Tannah,” Matthew said.
Elizabeth clapped her hands. “Goody, goody. Let’s play horse.” She and her brother went into another Indian war dance, chanting, “Goody, goody.”
“Oh, no.” Tanner gave an exaggerated groan.
Amanda bent over him to untie the ropes. “That sounds like a lovely idea.”
“Not if you’re the horse.”
With the ropes dangling in her hands, she leaned close and spoke softly, for his ears only. “I thought you rather enjoyed being the horse.”
“It depends on the rider.” His gave her a long, languid look, and with war whoops all around them, they made love with their eyes.
“Tanner, do you think these angels are ready for a nap?” He thought her smile was breathtakingly beautiful. Love and passion and joy surged through him. Amanda was his woman, and she wanted him.
“I’ll bribe them.”
Scooping them up, he put them on his shoulders and played horse all the way upstairs to bed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Donovan house was brimming with people, food, and laughter. Amanda sat beside the fire in the den, listening to the happy sounds. She didn’t know when she had felt such contentment.
Martie Donovan, holding two steaming cups of hot chocolate, came and sat down beside her.
“I thought you might like this.” Martie handed her a cup.
“I could have gotten that.”
“You sound like Paul. If he had his way, I’d be sitting on a silk cushion for the entire nine months. Pregnancy mystifies him.”
Martie’s laugh was a silvery tinkle that complemented her bright hair and her bangle bracelets. She was a vibrant woman, still slim in spite of her condition. No wonder she’s Tanner’s favorite sister- in-law, Amanda thought.
“Thank you. This looks delicious.” Amanda took a sip.