Page 31 (2/2)

He’d found it more difficult than he would’ve believed to watch Mary Jo pack up and et Sound Despite that, he rather liked Cedar Cove He’d driven all around the area on Christ for Mary Jo, and--for the ood impression of it His recent visits had confir and friendly The only drawback was the distance In the past week alone, he’d made four trips to the Kitsap Peninsula to see his sister and the baby To check up on both of thele one of those trips had been necessary But Linc wouldn’t sleep at night if he hadn’t personally seen to his sister’s and niece’s well-being He’d always taken faht that he visit Noelle on her very first St Patrick’s Day Their faround--like that of so lish, French and German that he knew of He was sure there ht her a plush leprechaun doll But he had an even better excuse for this visit; he’d located a new sofa and chair in a closeout deal He’d wanted to bring them himself, which saved delivery fees The truth was, he looked forward to surprising his sister

Mary Jo had hire and that just wasn’t true He hoped this peace offering would help

When he parked in front of the duplex, he saw Mack McAfee on a ladder, cleaning out the gutters Linc hadn’t quite made up histhe ht next door was a little too convenient Linc wasn’t sure he approved

He’dhis concerns, and Mary Jo had nearly bitten his head off He’d kept his trap shut ever since Apparently, when it came to McAfee, his sister didn’t care for Linc’s advice Fine He’d keep his opinions to himself--and keep an eye on McAfee

"Hey, Linc," Mack called out He climbed down froly shook

"I don’t suppose my sister’s home?" Linc already knew the answer He asked because he wanted to kno closely the firefighter kept tabs on his little sister This was one of those catch-22 situations He wanted Mack to watch over her At the sa her more attention than warranted

It was a thin line, and Linc planned on being around often enough to see that Mack didn’t cross it

"Mary Jo’s hoht her soht a little sarcastically

"I think she’ll be pleased with the sofa," Mack was saying

Linc hoped so Hard to tell with Mary Jo Or with any woman, he realized He simply didn’t understand women or kno to communicate with them Over the years he’d had a number of relationships, all of which had coured it, the fault must lie with hi, too bullheaded and a chauvinist to boot He’d honestly tried to change, tried to be more sensitive, but that hadn’t worked, either As far as he could tell, he was destined to remain unmarried Until Noelle, the fact that he’d never have kids hadn’t bothered him

It did now

He loved his niece more than he ever could have foreseen With Mary Jo and Noelle living in Cedar Cove, the house was strangely quiet and empty Mel and Ned led busy lives; they were often out They didn’t have the problems Linc did omen They were both in relationships and he assumed they’d be married soon

When Linc wasn’t at the house, he was at work He ran the car repair shop his father had opened nearly fifty years earlier Because he was the oldest, he considered it his duty to hold the faether Ever since their parents’ deaths, he’d done his ute the shop, keep the peace and ?" Linc asked

"Why don’t you ask me directly?" she said She stood in the doorway of her half of the duplex, ar in China, you know"

"Right" For fear heelse to upset her, Linc shoved his hands into his pockets

"Since you asked, I’ very well, thank you"

"And Noelle?"

"The same"

Linc cleared his throat and turned to Mack; the return stare told hi to his truck, Linc said, "I brought you a housewarift"

"Another one?"

"Ah…it seemed you could use more than one"

Mary Jo smiled "That was nice of you"

Linc felt the tension ease from his shoulders and the back of his neck

He handed over the stuffed leprechaun, which was added to Noelle’s growing pile of toys Then, with Mack’s assistance, he hauled the sofa and chair into Mary Jo’s living rooed her mind not once but twice He wasn’t annoyed, and neither was Mack

Noelle had been asleep but woke shortly after Mary Jo was satisfied with the arrange down on the new chair, Linc held his niece, who smelled deliciously of baby powder and shampoo, and kissed her forehead She yawned and arched her back, raising her elbows as she did Babies fascinated hiht Noelle ho her or squeezing too tight Gradually he’d becorown the colic As it was now, he could hold this little one for hours and be content

"Do you want to feed her?" Mary Jo asked Linc, after seeing Mack to the door

"I thought…you know, breasts…" The words see furiously