style="font-size:15px;"> No one had done that since Sven died.
Claire felt tears well up inside her, but she pushed them away. She was not going to cry right now…She took a deep, bolstering breath.
“Did you see all the bi’cles?” Henry asked Heath.
He spared her a quick, assessing glance before turning back to the little boy. “I sure did.”
“There were lots and lots of them,” Heidi exclaimed.
“We’re too little to ride bi’cles,” Henry announced.
“Yeah. If we want to ride something, we have to ride our trikes!” Heidi said.
“Want to see us ride our trikes?” Henry asked.
“After we’re done,” Claire interjected, before they could jump out of Heath’s arms and run off to get them. “We’re in the process of taking out all the trash and collecting the linens. Remember? Say goodbye to Mr. McPherson, kids, so we can get back to our chores.”
Their expressions altered instantly. “Do we hafta?” Henry asked sadly.
Heidi’s lower lip shot out petulantly.
Their disappointment affected Heath. “Actually, I’m not doing anything. I could push the cart, too.”
“But you’re a guest.” Claire protested.
Gently, Heath set the twins back down on the ground in front of Cottage 2. He challenged her with a steady. “You accepted help from other guests.”
As if it were already settled, Henry walked up to the hotel laundry cart. “We’ll show you how to do it. First I gotta fix it with my wrench.” He got the plastic tool out of the carpenter’s belt around his waist and twisted and tightened the handle. Finished, he stepped back to admire his handiwork, the way he had seen his dad do.
Claire’s heart ached for him.
Heidi hugged Sissy close to her chest. Twisting a curly lock of her blond hair around her fingertip, she stared up at Heath as if he were the answer to her prayers.
Deciding it was easier to accept Heath’s assistance than explain to the twins why she couldn’t, Claire walked back inside the cottage, picked up the bundle of bed and bath linens and dumped them into the cart. The plastic bag of trash went into a second wheeled container.
With Heath “helping,” the twins wheeled the cart to the next cottage in need of cleaning.
Claire unlocked the door and ushered the kids inside. “Come in while I collect the linens,” she said.
Heath followed. “You were right, and I was wrong,” he told her.
She went to one side of the bed, he went to the other. Together, they made short work of stripping off the sheets. Somehow, the action was as intimate as sleeping together. Maybe because of all the forbidden images being in a bedroom with this gorgeous man conjured up…
Sensing Heath was not a man who apologized often, she took the bait. “Wrong how?”
“About the college kids. I’ve never seen hotel guests that quiet, never mind at that age.” He shook his head in wonderment. “How’d you do it?”
Claire smiled smugly. “I promised them ten percent off their tabs if no noise complaints were registered.”
“Still, it was a risk…”
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