Page 33 (2/2)

“Good” She beamed at her father “Wade asked me to have dinner with him the next time he came I said yes”

“Ah,” he said with a nod of understanding “Thatup a saucer of cream But a touch less innocent”

She laughed at his teasing

“So” He leaned his weight on the cane “What about those cookies? Did they get frosted?”

“Yes, they did”

He raised an eyebrow and looked upstairs “I was going to see if that scamp Jake wanted to join me in the kitchen for so his lines” As if on cue, Sloan started down the stairs, but without Jake

“Where’s Jake?” Chase asked her

“He ca a visual scan

Chase looked around as well “Not a trace of him I wonder where Jake is,” he said in a loud voice

Silence

“When he turns up, tell him that there are frosted Christht even be enough for him”

“I will,” Sloan promised as Chase and Cat both headed toward the kitchen

When she reached the bottom of the steps, Sloan paused, a little annoyed by Jake’s disappearing act She heard a noise coate As she entered the roobacked chair he had pushed up to the fireplace, and stood up on it Balancing precariously, he strained to reach the set of horns above the mantel

“Jacob Calder, you get down from there this minute!” She realized the second the words were out of her mouth that she’d startled him

Jake wavered dangerously, then righted hi to the floor He tumbled into the capacious seat, safe froer