Inherited: Instant Family Read Online Free PDF Page A

city and move back in. Her own life wouldn’thave been worth living if she knew her siblings were in danger.
    Brad stood and moved to Sarah’s side. “Don’t worry, Sarah. Nick and Abby are going to take good care of your little family.”
    “They’d better!”

CHAPTER THREE
    S ARAH didn’t want anything to go wrong with her first evening meal.
    Heavenly aromas from her baking casserole gave her hope that the ingredients she’d found in the cupboards were perfectly blended. The peach cobbler cooling on the countertop could’ve been a magazine photo; she only hoped it tasted as good as it looked. The house was clean, the laundry done. The only thing left was passing muster. Muster being the approval of the Logans.
    When she heard the men coming in, she felt her stomach flip. Nick came in first and then Brad. When they breathed the air, they came to an abrupt halt.
    “Who’s been cooking?” Nick asked. “If it’s Abby, I’m going to let her have it.”
    Sarah turned from the counter. “It’s not Abby. It’s me. She’s taking a nap. Do you want to wake her?”
    Nick’s expression relaxed and he left the kitchen to find his wife.
    Brad looked at the perfectly set table and the cobbler and nodded in approval.
    “Would you like some coffee?” she asked him, ripping her eyes from his tall, solid body, muscular arms and thighs.
    “You’ve made coffee, too?”
    “Yes, it just finished perking.”
    “Yeah, I’ll take a cup.”
    “I don’t know what exactly you want done every day. I should have asked you earlier, but if you’ll tell me if I’m forgetting things, I can do them.”
    “Do you really know how to cook?”
    “Yes.”
    Nick came into the room carrying Abby. He sat her down in a chair and teasinglysaid, “If those babies get any larger, I don’t think I’ll be able to carry you.”
    Sarah wasn’t surprised when Abby burst into tears.
    Nick, however, was startled. “What’s wrong?”
    Even Brad knew the problem. “Bro, you can’t tell her she’s too big. She’s trying to bring two children into the world.”
    “No! Of course not!” Nick said at once. “I was just teasing, honey. You’re doing fine!”
    “Of course she is, Nick,” Sarah said, coming to stand by Abby’s chair. “And she hired me to be the housekeeper for three months so I can do what needs to be done and she can rest.”
    “Can you do those things?” Nick asked in surprise.
    “You can let me know when I don’t do things right.”
    Then she opened the oven and took out the casserole. It had browned to perfection. She brought the casserole to the table, then went to call Robbie and her siblings.
    In a few minutes, the kids came into thekitchen. All that time, Nick had been making up with Abby. From her hidden smile, it seemed she enjoyed watching him grovel.
    Stifling her own smile, Sarah brought hot rolls and a salad to the table. She felt the tension build up once again as she watched the Logans dig in.
    After his first bite, Brad asked if she’d made the casserole.
    “Yes, of course. Is there something wrong with it?”
    He shook his head and took another forkful. “Not a thing. It’s great.”
    Sarah exhaled a tight breath.
    The meal was perfect, just like she wanted, right down to the cobbler. The company was perfect, too. The Logans talked and shared their day’s experiences, and the meal passed in easy conversation.
    She didn’t miss her stepfather yelling at her and the kids, and threatening them. She didn’t miss it one bit.
    * * *
    Brad kept thinking about how well Sarah had fit into their household. From what she’d said, he hadn’t expected her to understand how things were done here at the ranch.
    After watching a TV program, he’d come back in the kitchen to find it spotless. He even found cookies in the cookie jar. Waiting until his brother wandered into the kitchen, he sat down with a cup of coffee at the table.
    Nick looked at Brad. “What are you eating, Brad?”
    “Cookies.” He