Housebreaking a Husband
by Lori Soard
romantic comedy ~ Thorndike/Five Star First Edition Romance Series
ISBN: 0786245786

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Take four furry feet, two toddlers, a loving uncle, add the lady next door, stir in some peanut butter and it's a recipe for mayhem. And surprisingly enough, sometimes love sneaks up on you when you least expect it. At least that's what happens to Trent and Sarah in Housebreaking A Husband.

Reviews

...best book to date. The characters are real enough to jump off the page and her witty style kept me turning pages until late into the night. Lori Soard is an author to keep your eye on.
--Midwest Book Review

Chapter 1

Two sets of tomato red handprints spaghettied the walls, the washing machine spewed white foam, and purple crayon marks now took center stage on his once-white living room walls.

Turning his back on the mess, Trent Kasey answered the insistent peal of the doorbell. He stared blankly at the burly man in tattered overalls on his doorstep.

"Apollo Movers."

"You've got the wrong house." He heard Caitlin wail as Kyle buried his chubby toddler fingers in her hair and pulled.

The man held up his clipboard and tapped it with his forefinger. "Twenty-nine thirty-two Viewpoint."

"That's this address, but I didn't call you." He tried to grab Kyle with one hand to prevent him from snatching Caitlin bald.

"A Mr. Nathan Winters hired us to move the belongings of Caitlin and Kyle Winters."
A swift blaze of fury lit a fire in Trent's veins.

"Tell Mr. Winters that Caitlin and Kyle will be staying right here."

The man shrugged. "Whatever you say, buddy. I don't care as long as I get my money."

The man scribbled a few notes on his clipboard before climbing into his truck and rumbling away. Slamming the door, Trent jabbed the speed dial number for his lawyer.

"Kyle, stop poking your sister like that." He cradled the phone against his ear as he
tried to keep his twenty-two-month-old twin niece and nephew under control while he explained the situation to his lawyer.

"Calm down, Trent. Everything's fine." Gregg's voice dribbled soothing words.

"Just tell me there's no way a judge would give the kids to that man. He's a swindler, for God's sake. He hasn't been there for the twins or Melissa. The kids don't even know him!"

He grabbed Caitlin with one arm and settled her on his hip. He pressed a gentle kiss into her baby-shampooed hair. A fist tightened around his heart. God, how he loved these kids.

"I wish I could give you better news, Trent. But the courts favor natural parents. He's married, so the father offers a more stable home environment. At least on the surface."

"The man's a crook-"

Gregg Roberts cut him off. "It doesn't matter. We would have to prove that, and we can't. Of course, if you had a more stable home life, your chances would be a little better. You work all hours, and single parenting is tough."

"Stable how? Anything. I'll do anything."

"Say if you were married."

Married? He grimaced. Marriage was something he'd avoided. Once, he'd asked a woman to marry him. That hadn't worked out. Since then, he'd never felt the urge to commit himself to one woman for a lifetime.

"Don't hold your breath." Especially since he wasn't even dating anyone at the moment.

"There isn't anyone special? Now might be a great time to elope to Vegas." Gregg chuckled.

There was no one special. The women he'd dated in the past would never marry an instant family. Nor would he trust them to be the kind of mother Caitlin and Kyle needed.

"Kyle blah blah," Caitlin insisted. He only understood the word "Kyle."

"What are my other options?" There was no sign of his nephew in the room. No telling what he was getting into. Time to end this conversation quickly. Otherwise, he'd be repainting the living room walls to hide fresh crayon marks.

"That is your option, buddy. Elope to Vegas or kiss those kids good-bye. Crook or not, involved in the past or not, courts will award custody to the father."

"Kyle blah blah." Caitlin pointed toward the kitchen.

"That's no option, Gregg. I'll see you Friday for the hearing." He dropped the phone back in the cradle, set Caitlin down, and went in search of Kyle. The boy tended to wander off but he couldn't yet open doors.

Trent's jaw dropped. The back door stood open wide.

*****

The deserted beach lay cast in shadows as the sun fell into the indigo waters of the Pacific. Sarah's gaze followed the flight of a few lone seagulls as they circled above her for some scrap she might be kind enough to throw out.

Nightfire tugged on his lead, refusing to heel. As a dog trainer, Sarah knew her animals should be better behaved. But Night still had a lot of puppy in him despite his large size. It was a good thing she'd made a fortune off her dog-training kit because if any potential clients got a glimpse of Night, her career would be over.

A small boy sat on a log near the edge of the water. She frowned. He seemed much too young to be out by himself.

"Mind if I sit down?" she asked.

"Want Umcil Twempt."

She had no idea what the child had just said. He scooted closer to her and crawled onto her lap; his tiny thumb sought the safety of his mouth.

The heat from his little body filled her heart. A fierce ache burned through Sarah's gut. God, how she wanted a child. Her arms would feel empty later without a child of her own to hold. It was never to be. Children were not in her future.

"Where do you live?" The sooner she returned the little guy to his parents, the sooner she could get back to her life. The one without children. The one with dogs for company. Dogs were fine company.

The little boy jabbered nonsense and pointed up the beach. She rose and started walking.

"Let's just walk this way. I'll bet someone is frantic over you. What's your name?" she asked him.

"Kwyle."

She frowned. Poor kid. He was trying to talk to her and she couldn't understand a word he was saying. Surely his name wasn't Kwa? Perhaps she should just pretend to understand what he said?

"My name is Sarah."

"'Arah."

"Very good." Not bad, considering it was the first word he'd uttered that made sense.
She stopped walking as they neared the end of the row of houses nestled along the ridge overlooking the beach. Surely the child couldn't have wandered this far away from his home?

"Which is your house?"

The little boy ignored her and made a move toward Nightfire.

"Doggie."

Nightfire cowered away, apparently unsure of what this strange miniature creature intended.

"His name is Nightfire. You can pet him."

Nightfire whimpered and began to shiver.

"Oh, you silly dog. There is nothing to be scared of."

Kwa touched the end of Night's nose, and the dog yelped and sprinted away before Sarah could grab his leash. She grabbed the boy in her arms and took off after the dog.

"Dumb mutt," she muttered, even though Night was a purebred black Labrador, a normally intelligent breed.

Her fingertips brushed the tip of Nightfire's collar. A man's shout startled her and the dog sprinted out of her reach. The man ran toward them. Sarah's mouth lost all moisture as she noted the man's height.

Night stopped. Looked at the man. Looked back at Sarah. Looked at the little boy. Gave another yelp and ran in circles around the approaching man.
Now closer, Sarah saw that the man carried a small child with him. The little girl was a replica of the boy, only with a head full of glossy black hair. She was perched on the man's shoulders.

"Kyle. Kyle. Thank God." His gentle face creased with worry.
She relaxed. The man wasn't a maniac; he was frantic with worry that his son was missing.

Nightfire continued to run in circles, winding his leash tightly about the man's ankles.

"Night, halt," she shouted, but her command was lost on the still-terrified dog.
She made a frantic lunge for him, but the dog was too fast, and the leash, now too short, trapped the man.

In a tangle of arms, four furry legs, and sand, they collided. Just before the man fell, Sarah grabbed the toddler atop his shoulders.

*****

Trent lay flat on his back staring up at an angel. She held Caitlin in her arms, and Kyle clung to her leg with wide eyes. His chest hurt as he drew in his first gasp of air since the fall.

"I'm so sorry." Her wide blue eyes were filled with humor.

"Twent boo boo?" Caitlin's lips trembled.

Since their mother's death, both children were sensitive to anyone being hurt or ill. They'd seen their mom get sicker and sicker before she died. Trent shuddered as he remembered the cancer ravaging her body. He forced another breath into his lungs, intent on reassuring them. It burned a fiery path down his throat.

The woman was still hovering, her thick cloud of tawny hair curled over her shoulders and wrapped protectively around Caitlin. She held her free hand down to him, and he grasped it and allowed her to help him up. He hid his embarrassment by swiping the sand off the back of his legs.

If he had to fall, why couldn't it have been because he was tangled up with those gorgeous legs of hers instead of in her dog's leash?
 

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