For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance) Read Free Page A

rescue him from his prison. Luke dropped his water bottle and tool belt and pulled the little tyke into his arms. “ Mornin’, squirt. Are you causing trouble already? ”
    “ See those footprints? ” Aggie’s disgust was nearly palpable.
    “ Did you think a curious toddler would ignore a lovely chance to finger paint? ”
    “ I put him on that blanket, ” she jerked her roller in the direction of a blanket that now was bunched under the playpen and flung a stream of paint that splattered across Luke’s chest. Her look of horror faded into amusement before she erupted in a fit of giggles.
    “ If you thought I needed a makeover, you could have just told me. ” Luke punctuated his comment with a swipe at his nose where a drop of paint threatened to fall at any second.
    “-- and told him to stay. ”
    “ He didn’t. ” Feeling like the master of stating the obvious, Luke couldn’t repress a smirk.
    “ Well, I’ve heard of other mothers doing it… ”
    “ And you think that moms just put a child on a blanket, tell them once not to get off, and that’s all it takes? ”
    The moment he spoke, Aggie flushed with embarrassment. “ I’ve become too dependent on Vannie as an extra pair of eyes. ” Shoulders slumped, she continued. “ I’ve made finishing more important than being the mother that he needs. ”
    Several seconds dragged as Aggie contemplated her words, staring at the paint roller in disgust. Her face fell, the corners of her eyes filling with pain. S he dropped the roller in the tray, took the paint-splattered Ian from Luke, gave him a forced smile, and carried the baby out of the room. Her wavering voice wrenched his heart further when it floated up the stairs seconds later, “ …Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God… ”
    Hesitant, Luke’s eyes flitted back and forth between the abandoned paint tray and the open doorway. He turned to follow Aggie and on the second floor, heard sniffles punctuating the next verse. “ Praise in the common words I speak, life’s common looks, and tones. In fellowship in hearth and board with my beloved ones… ” A hiccough set his resolve. Some things were more important than finishing a room.
    Down in the kitchen, Aggie had already strapped Ian into the high chair, and with fistfuls of baby wipes, she scrubbed the paint from his hands, face, and leg. The bottom of both feet bore traces of dried-on paint, which she now scrubbed at ineffectually in an attemp t to finish the clean up in one try. “ Laird, will you go get Ian some clean clothes? ” she asked without looking his way.
    Luke turned and went to retrieve the desired clothing. When he returned, he set them on the counter at Aggie’s right, and smiled. “ Will these work? ”
    “ Why didn’t Laird --”
    “ He didn’t hear you; I did. So, I got them. ”
    “ Oh, sorry. ” Aggie pulled the t-shirt over Ian’s head, ignoring his protests, and wiggled the shorts over his knees, hips and around the child’s waist, before setting him on the floor where she knew he’d be off in search for the kitten. “ There. At least you’re clean again. ” She grabbed the paint-splattered romper and carried it to the sink. “ Thanks, Luke. ”
    “ Aggie? ”
    The weary young woman sighed. “ Is something wrong? ”
    “ I don’t know. ” He leaned against the counters and tried to meet her eyes as she attempted to scrub the paint out of Ian’s outfit. “ Is there? ”
    She nearly slammed her head into his nose as she whipped her head around to meet his gaze. “ What are you talking about? ”
    “ You’ve got that look on your face, Mibs. I know that look. ”
    “ What look? ”
    Luke heard a squeal from the kitten and rescued it from Ian’s overeager hands, and then returned to answer the question. “ That look that says, ‘I’m not qualified for this job, but come what may, I’m going to do it right if I die trying -- even if it kills me. ”
    “ If I died trying, wouldn’t that be