His-And-Hers Twins Read Free Page A

a husbund.”
    â€œAnd she can make chocwit chip cookies.”
    â€œDaddy, be nice.” August cupped her hand to her mouth and stood on her tiptoes. “And comb your hair. You look like a poodle-head.”
    For the first time in his thirty years, a blush crept up his neck and scalded his face. He wanted to throttle his darling daughters, then crawl in Henrietta’s doghouse in the back and hide. Instead he gestured at the flier. “Uh…I didn’t know anything about this.”
    Paige’s light green eyes twinkled. “That’s what thegirls said. I thought you might want to see it before they finished distributing them.”
    â€œGiving them out?” Horror struck Zeke anew. Exactly how many had they displayed? He turned to the twins, trying desperately to control his soaring temper. “Summer, August, where did you put these fliers?”
    Summer chewed her lip in thought and shuffled from one foot to the other.
    August piped up. “In the mailboxes.”
    â€œAll along that street,” Summer added.
    â€œHow many did you give out?” he asked, his vision blurring at the thin stack remaining in the wagon.
    â€œI dunno know,” August said, twirling her pigtail around her finger.
    â€œâ€™Bout a hundred,” Summer said.
    â€œOh, my God!” Zeke’s stomach rolled.
    â€œDaddy!” both girls shrieked.
    Zeke pressed his hand over his racing heart as he mentally counted mailboxes. What would the neighbors think?
    â€œYou’re never gonna find us a mommy if you keep talkin’ like that,” August whispered with a frown.
    Zeke clenched his jaw. Paige caught her lip between her teeth as if she was fighting laughter. He’d barely moved into the neighborhood, and now he’d have to move again.
    â€œGirls, we have to get these fliers back,” Zeke said, his voice laced with mortification.
    â€œBut why, Daddy?” August asked.
    â€œWe just do,” Zeke said in a firm tone. “I’ll explain later.”
    â€œUh-oh.” August’s eyes grew wide. “Are we gonna have one of those long talks?”
    â€œYes, we are,” Zeke said matter-of-factly as he wavedthe disastrous paper in the air. “This is not the way to go about finding a wife. Or a new mommy.”
    â€œThen how do we do it?” Summer asked, looking crushed that he hadn’t liked their idea.
    Zeke’s throat closed at the confusion in her small face. He knew single fatherhood would be difficult, but this…well, he hadn’t been prepared for this kind of scene. And right in front of pretty Paige Watkins. “I don’t know, but we’ll talk about it later.” He knelt in front of them and softened his voice. “Now, put Henrietta in the backyard, and we’ll go for a walk so you can show me which houses you gave fliers.”
    â€œâ€™Kay,” both girls said. They pulled and tugged at the leash until the lazy dog groaned, then lifted her bulk and waddled behind them.
    Zeke searched for some way to salvage his pride. “I…uh, thanks for bringing the girls home,” he finally said. “This parenting business is harder than I thought.”
    â€œI know,” Paige said sympathetically.
    He narrowed his eyes. “You have children?” He hadn’t seen a wedding ring. Not that he was looking, but the girls said she didn’t have a husband. The big, yellow two-story seemed plenty spacious for an entire family. Did she live there alone? Or did she have a string of boyfriends or a live-in? Maybe she was divorced with kids of her own.
    Paige shook her head. “No, I don’t have kids. But there’re several children in the neighborhood.”
    â€œReally? Maybe you can give me some pointers.”
    She wobbled on one foot, giving him the distinct feeling she wanted to leave. “I don’t think so.”
    His ex-wife had felt the same way. A frown marred Paige’s