FATHER IN TRAINING Read Free Page B

his jeans as if she would never let go.
    "Why?" Sandy asked. "I'll have to call an exterminator."
    "You can't kill it, Mom," Lindsay said from behind him.
    "Fine, then it can live in your room," Sandy snapped.
    "Mo- om !"
    Nichole glanced at her mother. "Mommy, don't hurt the mouse. Please."
    "Honey, you don't understand. We can't live with it running around. Mice are dirty. They get in the food and they could make us all sick."
    Nichole's eyes, so like her mother's, darkened with tears. "You can't kill it."
    "Ladies," Kyle said.
    They ignored him.
    "We'll talk about this later," Sandy said.
    "That means the mouse is going to die for sure," Lindsay grumbled.
    "Ladies," he repeated.
    "You don't know everything," Sandy said, her voice strained. "There are humane ways to get rid of mice. I don't want to see it killed any more than you do, but it and its friends cannot live here with us."
    "The mouse has friends?" Nichole asked.
    Kyle raised his right hand to his face, stuck his thumb and index finger in his mouth, then blew hard. The piercing whistle silenced them instantly.
    "Now that I have your attention," he said, "will everyone please take one step back and let go of me?"
    Sandy stared up at him for a moment, blushed, then quickly moved away, brushing her hands against her shorts. "Sorry," she mumbled, obviously flustered. "I guess we overreacted to the mouse."
    He wanted to tell her that she didn't need to apologize. He'd liked her pressing up against him. It did him good to know she wasn't as completely in charge as she wanted the world to think. It also evened the score a little. She'd been tying him up in knots since the first time his brother Jordan had brought her home sixteen years ago.
    Something about her had set his adolescent heart on fire and he'd never forgotten her. Still, this wasn't the time or place to review old memories.
    Kyle glanced around the empty foyer, then at the small mouse that had returned to its nest in the corner by the stairs. "I want to look over the rest of the house before you get to work," he said.
    Sandy bristled. Her spine stiffened and her hands curled into fists. "I've already had the house inspected," she said, staring at him. "The man told me the building was in excellent condition and that the only problem I should expect would be cleaning up after a lengthy vacancy."
    Kyle tried to remember if she'd always had this much trouble accepting help. He couldn't say for sure. Maybe it was something she'd learned while she was gone. "Did he say anything about mice?" he asked.
    She hesitated. "Well, no. He probably thought they were normal for as long as the house has been vacant."
    "You want to be by yourself when you find out what else this guy considered normal?"
    "Oh. I hadn't thought of that."
    He grinned. "So you don't mind if I check out the rest of the house?"
    Her hands relaxed. "Um, no. Thanks. I appreciate the help."
    "I'm not staying in here with that," Lindsay said, pointing at the mouse's nest.
    "Why don't you kids wait outside while your mom and I check things out," Kyle said.
    The children didn't budge.
    Sandy looked from him to her kids, then sighed. "Lindsay, take your brother and sister outside and keep an eye on them, please."
    Lindsay walked to the door without looking back. Blake followed silently. Only Nichole hesitated.
    "Go on, sweetie. I won't be long. It's warm outside. Why don't you go and see if you can find that bluebird again?"
    "Okay." Nichole smiled.
    She had dimples in each check and her mother's eyes. Kyle felt a slight twist in his gut. Sometimes he got the crazy notion that he should have risked settling down and having kids. He knew better. It was like wishing for the moon. Something to think about when he'd had too much to drink or got lonely, but completely irrational. He wasn't the type. Long-term relationships didn't work out.
    When the children had left, Sandy turned to him and nodded purposefully. "Let's begin in the kitchen," she said, and turned