Blessings of the Heart and Samantha's Gift Read Online Free PDF Page A

with her?” Ryan asked. “There’s nothin’ fun to do in here.”
    Mitch was about to deny his request when Bree said, “If the boys are showered and dressed they’re welcome to come out. I have cookies in the kitchen, and it’s no trouble at all to make up some hot chocolate.”
    “Well…I don’t know.”
    “I’m sure they’ll be fine without you for an hour or so.”
    Although he was anything but certain she was right, he gave in to the chorus of pleas that followed the mention of cocoa and cookies. “All right. Simmer down. You can go. But Barney stays here. And if you guys cause any trouble you’ll have to settle with me the minute I get my clothes back. Is that understood?”
    Two small heads nodded soberly. That wasn’t nearly enough to negate Mitch’s misgivings, but it would have to do.
    “Okay.”
    He stripped off his muddy jeans and wadded them into a ball with his pajama top, grateful he’d left his pajama bottoms on underneath the jeans when he’d dressed in such a hurry.
    Hiding behind the bathroom door, Mitch peered around it far enough to toss his clothes onto the pile with the other washing.
    Bree waited nearby.
    He smiled at her. “If the kids give you any grief, march them right back in here, and I’ll take over.”
    “It’s a deal.”
    She was amazed when she saw the boys parading out. They looked positively angelic! Their hair was slicked back, their feet were bare, and the shorts and T-shirts she’d found for them were so roomy they made the children seem even smaller than they actually were.
    The contrast between the way they looked now and the way they’d looked when they’d arrived was truly miraculous. The younger one was holding a scruffy teddy bear, which had obviously had a bath, too.
    She paused and smiled, assessing the boys looking at her with such expectant expressions. How darling! Mitch Fowler must be awfully cynical to imagine that such cute kids would cause trouble. He probably didn’t have a clue how to handle them properly, the poor little things.
    “Come on. This way,” Bree said, starting off. Ryan, Bud and Bud’s teddy bear followed obediently.
    When they got to the kitchen, Bree helped Bud crawl into a chair, then smiled with satisfaction. This wasn’t so bad, was it? Maybe their short stay wasn’t going to upset her routine as much as she’d thought. After all, she didn’t dare use her computer during inclement weather anyway, and as soon as the skies cleared they’d all go home, and she could get back to work without any more distraction.
    Satisfied, she placed a napkin in front of each boy and laid two cookies in the center. “Hot chocolate coming up.”
    “I want whipped cream on mine,” Ryan ordered.
    “Sorry, I don’t have any whipped cream.”
    To Bree’s surprise, Bud immediately began to whimper while his brother made a sour face and turned sullen. Apparently, the boys’ cute, agreeable phase was over already. Oh, well.
    “I like to float those little tiny marshmallows in my hot chocolate,” she said brightly. “I’ll put some in your cups, and you can tell me if you like them, too.”
    “I hate mush mellows,” Ryan said.
    “Not mush. Marshmallows.”
    Crossing to the table, she dropped several of the small, rounded balls of candy fluff onto the napkins with the boys’ cookies. “There you go. That’s what they look like. You can eat them just like that. When they’re floating in hot cocoa they melt and get really good and gooey.”
    The children were still sitting there, pouting and staring at the napkins, when Bree set their mugs on the table. “Okay. Here’s your drink. It’s hot. Sip it slowly so you don’t burn yourselves. And be careful not to get melted marshmallow stuck to the end of your nose. That always happens to me.”
    She sipped at the contents of her mug with theatrical relish, then licked her lips and set the drink aside.
    “I’m going to go start the washing machine so you can have your regular