Reggie’s cheeks felt hot as he closed the door behind him. “No, it’s not, damn it.”
“Good.” Nadia stomped back to their father. “Reggie’s here!”
“I think Portland heard that,” Lisa muttered and snuggled with Frank. “What’s the deal with this little guy?”
“Yesterday I had a call to the scene of an accident, where a woman rescued Frank—that’s short for Frankenstein, by the way—from being hit in the street. After she secured him in her car, someone sideswiped her. She suffered a broken arm, a concussion, and bruising. She also had a six-year-old daughter watching it all from the back seat.”
“Oh, Reggie. That’s awful.” Lisa walked with him into the kitchen, where he paused to give his dad a big hug.
“Heard what you said. That’s terrible. Is the woman okay?”
“She’s fine. Better than Frank, here.”
“Frankenstein? Nice name.” Nadia huffed.
Soannoying. “I didn’t name him. The six-year-old did. Her name is Emily.” He told them how he’d first met the little girl, to much laughter.
“I want to meet this kid.” Nadia grinned. “She sounds like my kind of girl. Feisty.”
“More like scary,” Reggie muttered. When his sister shot him a look, he hurriedly continued, “I figured I’d help them out since I help with Pets Fur Life, just until the woman is back on her feet. I hate to disappoint her daughter. They don’t have anyone to help.” He didn’t mention her best friend neighbors.
“So sweet.” Lisa nodded at the dog.
Nadia didn’t look so convinced but said nothing about the puppy. She took him from Lisa with gentle care and soon fell in love. Reggie could tell. He’d seen the signs before with a calico that wasstillliving with his sister, despite the six years she’d spent supposedly trying to find him a good home.
He snorted. Soft-hearted and stubborn.
“So, little bro, tell us about your date,” Lisa said before he could quickly turn the subject toward his father and cooking.
“It was awful,” he said with enough force that the guys at the station would have left him alone.
Not Nadia and Lisa.
“Why? What did she do?” Lisa looked baffled. “Regina is so nice and sweet.”
“And grabby,” he added under his breath.
“What?”
His father snorted and turned away.
“We didn’t connect. It’s not meant to be.”
Nadia didn’t look convinced. “Why not? Was she not smart? We know you have a type. Pretty, built, and kid-friendly. You want to be a dad. It’s in your genes.”
“Blame him,” Reggie said with a nod to his father. “If Harry Morgan weren’t such a great guy, I wouldn’t want to father my own kids.”
“Aw, that’s nice, son.”
“Stop deflecting,” Lisa ordered. “What happened?”
Reggie hated the inquisition. He loved his sisters, but because they happened to be a few years older and stepped in once their mom died, they’d forgotten he was a grown man who owed nothing to anyone so…
His ire faded under the glare of two Amazons.
“She was too pushy, okay?” he blurted. “One minute we were having a nice—not great or spectacular, but nice—time at dinner. Then on the drive home, she was all over me. Like a damn octopus.”
His dad gave him a wide smile. “That’s because you’re a chip off the old block. Women know a good man when they see one.”
