Page 15 of Sweet Surprises

He pictured her covered in strawberry ice cream, trying her best not to laugh, with her eyes dancing above the hand thatstifled her smiling mouth. And when the laughter finally did bubble out, the sound of it had been like a rainbow, making the faded colors of the shop’s interior brighter for a moment, and making Tag himself feel warmer, like holding his hands out in front of a crackling fire.

Beautiful…

The thought came out of nowhere and he tried to crush it down immediately.

Sure, he had thought she was gorgeous when he’d bumped into her at the gas station yesterday. Clumsy and a little silly, maybe—but completely stunning with her long, dark hair and green eyes. And that car… it was the exact Mustang he’d always fantasized about owning, himself. What were the chances?

He’d let himself get a little lost that first time, just for a second, since he was pretty sure he’d never see her again.

But now those thoughts were coming to him unbidden, and he was going to have to put a lid on them. She was working for the family, and besides, he didn’t actually want a relationship. He’d had Iris, and that was enough for a lifetime.

He made up his mind not to think any more about it. The hardest part would be hiding from Allie that he’d ever had these thoughts about the girl.

His baby sister was practically a mind reader, and she would definitely try to kill him if she thought he had designs on her poor, injured best friend.

Serves her right for thinking I wasn’t a threat, he thought to himself grimly.

But he didn’t mean it. Like all his brothers, he adored Allie, and never wanted to disappoint her. She was the light of the Lawrence household, and when she was unhappy, everyone felt it.

Pulling up at the elementary school, he shot Allie a text to let her know he was picking up the kids himself today.

Normally, once she was done at the high school, Olivia walked over to the elementary school and waited for Chance. She would usually take him out to the playground, or read with him until Allie was done for the day and could drive them back to the farm where Tag would be wrapping up his day with the herd. Or if Allie was having a long day, the kids would take the bus home.

Tag hadn’t been planning to spend so much time in town today, but he’d been thrown off track by Charlotte, and he figured he might as well pick up the kids before the second milking.

He swung out of the truck and headed onto the elementary school lawn, where a few other parents were waiting.

Olivia stood under a tree, her nose in a book. But she looked up before Tag got to her, as if she had her Aunt Allie’s extra sense.

“Dad,” she said, looking surprised. “Why are you here?”

Whenever Olivia looked up from a book, she never failed to remind him of her mother. Iris had worn glasses that gave her a naturally wide-eyed look, like the one Olivia had now.

“I had to help out Aunt Allie’s friend over at the ice cream shop,” he told her. “I figured I’d come get you two today, so you wouldn’t have to wait.”

He expected Olivia to be excited to get home earlier, but instead she frowned at him and cocked her head to the side. The bell rang as she studied him, signaling that the children would soon be out.

“What’s she like?” Olivia asked.

“Allie’s friend?” he asked, surprised.

She nodded.

He frowned, trying to find a way to actually describe Charlotte.

Beautiful, funny, awkward, frustrating, annoying, dogged, clumsy…

“She’s a mess,” he heard himself say after a moment, shaking his head. “At least, shemadea mess…”

“Dad,” Chance yelled as he ran out the front doors of the school, saving Tag from continuing to ramble. “Dad, what are you doing here?”

“Hey, bud,” Tag said fondly, as the boy wrapped himself around his waist. “I had to help the new girl at the ice cream shop.”

“Were you nice to her?” Chance asked, pulling back and eyeing his father suspiciously.

“What?” Tag asked.

“Aunt Allie said you might not be nice to her,” Chance said in a slightly hushed voice. “And you have to be nice to her because she’s been through a lot this year.”

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