Page 7 of Two Hearts Reunited

Sighing, she switched on the television. She’d take a long hot bath and get a good night sleep so she could wake up early and hopefully get a few things done tomorrow before going into work.

Another hour later, after she’d pulled out her sofa bed and was tucked under the covers with the television still on, her cell phone suddenly rang.

Frowning, she reached for the phone, glancing at the caller ID. No one usually called her this late.

Her eyes went wide, because strangely,Eric O’Neillwas the one who wascalling.

Chapter Four

He was really enjoying hanging out with Ashley and Brian, Eric realized, a little surprised at the thought. He’d been somewhat on guard when he’d heard that Brian had married none other than Ashley Mitchum.

In fact, he’d kind of wondered if Brian had lost his mind.

But Eric had been pleasantly surprised when he’d arrived tonight. Even though she was as beautiful as he’d expected, Eric couldn’t sense a trace of the spoiled rotten girl that Ashley had been while growing up. Easygoing and down to earth, Ashley was most obviously deeply in love with his brother.

Eric felt right at home as they sat down for dinner in the dining room.

“I really like the way you guys have fixed up the house,” Eric observed, glancing around the dining room before proceeding to scoop food from all the dishes resting on the table. “You’d never know it was the same house we used to sneak into as kids.”

“Thank you,” Ashley replied, smiling. “We were lucky that the floors and the woodwork were still in great shape.”

Brian cleared his throat, glancing at Eric. “I wouldn’t know about the flooring and woodwork. I guess I never mentioned that Ashley was working in construction in Eau Claire for several years before she returned to Crystal Rock. She did most of thework in the master bedroom and kitchen before I even met her again.”

Eric’s fork paused in midair.“Construction? Really?”

Ashley nodded. “When we first moved in with my grandparents, I got a job at the local home and improvement store and started developing serious skills and one of the local builders offered me a job.”

“Who’d have thought?” When Eric burst out laughing, Brian and Ashley joined in.

Ashley finally continued, “I wanted every room to be comfortable, which is why I went with shabby chic furnishings and lots of padded chairs and benches throughout the house, instead of uncomfortable furniture that went along with the house’s time period. I’ve even strengthened the antique seating we’ve bought at auctions so that everything is sturdy and can serve dual purposes.”

Eric became thoughtful. “Everything seems to fit somehow, not being all stiff and formal. I’d say you definitely have a knack for decorating.”

“I keep telling her she ought to start a side business. Since tourism is pretty big here in town, she’d probably make a killing during the summer without even having to do anything online. You ought to see the tower room upstairs,” Brian said, grinning. “Ashley converted it into a master suite by knocking down some walls into the other bedrooms. It’s got a fireplace along with a huge master bathroom and tons of closet space. We’ve been working on the nursery a little at a time, but it’s easier to keep an eye on Arielle downstairs when we’re working, so we set up a crib in the library to make it easier during the day.”

The food sure tasted good. Despite Ashley’s confession that she and Brian were both lacking when it came to cooking, they’d definitely improved their skills.

They talked about nothing in particular for a while, but eventually, Arielle woke, so Brian and Eric cleared the table and put the food away while Ashley went to feed the baby.

Once everyone was finished, they gathered in the living room with the baby, who never seemed to stop smiling. Ashley played with her for a while on her lap as she sat on the couch, handing Arielle over to Brian when she was ready to head to the kitchen to fetch the coffee she’d made after feeding the baby.

Brian stood, hoisting the baby in the air, which Arielle obviously loved since she was gurgling happily.

“All of a sudden, she’s getting around a lot better. She’s just started to crawl, and geez, does she ever go crazy once she starts,” Brian muttered, resting Arielle on the floor, where she proceeded to gradually flip over and take off on wobbly knees.

“Uh, oh,” Ashley said, smiling down at Arielle while resting the coffee cups on the end table. “She’s not pulling herself up on the coffee table yet, but it could be soon.”

“At least we still have the playpen and swing,” Brian said.

Ashley grimaced. “My guess is that the playpen isn’t going to hold her too much longer either."

The panicked look on his brother’s face was priceless, Eric thought, smiling widely. You’d never know that he was a former Army Ranger.

“How’s the leg been doing?” Eric asked suddenly. Despite his injury, Brian didn’t appear to have too much of a limp.

“Good,” Brian answered. “As long as I keep up with my required exercises. I’ve noticed that if I even skip a day, I regret it. Eventually, I’m going to purchase some equipment and set up a weight room downstairs, but I’ve been allowed access to the wounded warrior rehab facility, which isn’t too far from here. I have a regular sign in time daily, after hours.”

Eric nodded. “I’ll bet they’ve upgraded the facilities quite a bit since the last time I was there.”

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