The Rancher's Twin Troubles Read Online Free PDF Page B

knock it off!” Dallas said, surging into the melee.
    Thomas started to wail and showed no signs of letting up. “Sh-she g-got cake on my new g-glasses!”
    â€œLet me clean those for you, bud.” Dallas set his lunch tray on the table and then took the boy’s gold-rimmed frames. To Josie, he said, “Be right back.”
    â€œTh-there’s c-cake on my shirt, t-too. Mommy’s gonna yell.”
    â€œNo she won’t, sweetie,” Josie assured the boy. To the twins, she demanded, “What were you thinking?”
    Hands on her hips, Bonnie said, “He should’ve just gave me that cake.”
    â€œYeah,” Betsy said, adopting the same pose.
    â€œI’m Bonnie Buckhorn.” Wearing a satisfied grin, Bonnie added, “Daddy says I’m one half of a perfect bunch and that I can do whatever I want.”
    After handing Thomas his freshly cleaned glasses, Dallas grabbed the collars of his daughters’ matching pink T-shirts. “Ladies, we need to talk.”
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    I F D ALLAS HADN’T SEEN the whole incident with his own eyes, he never would’ve believed it. Steering thegirls into their quiet, dark classroom, he said, “Put your behinds in your chairs.”
    â€œBut, Daddy,” Bonnie whined, “why are we in trouble when Thomas was the one being mean?”
    â€œWe gave him cupcakes,” Betsy thoughtfully pointed out.
    Dallas rubbed his throbbing forehead. “You can’t just take your friend’s dessert. It’s wrong. And—”
    â€œYou tell us we can do whatever we want.” His eldest by a minute held his stare.
    â€œYes, but, hon, that doesn’t give you the right to do bad things.” Was everything else his girls had been accused of true?
    â€œWe aren’t bad, Daddy.” Betsy left her chair to crawl onto his lap. Bonnie soon followed.
    â€œI’m sorry, Daddy.” Bonnie wrapped her chubby arms around his neck.
    â€œBoth of you need to get it through your pretty heads that just because you’re Daddy’s princesses, that doesn’t give you the right to do whatever you want. At school, you have to follow the rules.”
    Bonnie chimed in with, “Miss Griffin never said we couldn’t put cake in Thomas’s hair.”
    The statement was so ridiculous, Dallas had to chuckle. “Honey, I can think of very few situations where you should put cake in anyone’s hair.”
    â€œDo you still love us?” Betsy asked.
    Hunching over, he made growling, tickle monster noises, attacking their rib cages to the accompaniment of shrieking laughs.
    Now that both girls had been scolded, it felt good to return to their usual Buckhorn family fun.
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    â€œW HO WANTS COFFEE AND DONUTS ?” Friday morning, Josie halted her walk around the classroom to see Dallas and his girls wielding snacks .
    â€œMe, me!” The majority of the class didn’t even bother raising their hands before running over to claim their share.
    Betsy and Bonnie beamed.
    Thomas sank down in his chair.
    â€œStop!” Josie hated always being the bad guy, but this was ridiculous. “The school has a healthy snack policy and last I checked, coffee and donuts aren’t on the list.”
    â€œBut it’s Friday,” Dallas complained, sounding suspiciously like his daughters. “Plus,” he nodded across the room, “as an apology, my girls wanted to give a special offering to that little fella.”
    If Thomas scooted much lower, he’d have dissolved into a puddle on the floor.
    â€œI don’t care if it’s Christmas,” Josie argued, “you’re not caffeinating my kindergarteners.”
    â€œYou’re impossible.” Turning his back on her, he said to his crew, “Come on, girls.”
    â€œWhere are you going?” Josie asked, following them into the hall.
    â€œTeachers’ lounge. Or will you deny your coworkers a happy start to