Cabin by the Lake by Desiree Douglas Page B

walked in, fumbling with the door as she tried to enter with a baby in her arms, a diaper bag and purse over her shoulders and a toddler in tow. She was cute and slightly plump, and her dimpled smile had Lydia rushing over to help her.
    “Deuce forgot his lunch this morning,” she explained, digging a paper bag out of her over-sized purse.
    “Deuce?”
    “Yes, Jim Colbert, but we call him Deuce, on account of him being James Colbert the second,” she explained. “You must be the new girl. I’m Emily Colbert, Deuce’s wife. You haven’t met Deuce yet?”
    “No.” She took the bag from the harried woman.
    “Deuce, there you are, honey,” Emily said, hardly taking time to breathe. “Come meet your new employee.”
    Deuce Colbert rounded the corner, equally as pudgy as his wife, exuding happiness as he scooped up the toddler and kissed his cheek.
    “Meet your new receptionist,” Emily said. “Um…”
    “Lydia Steadman.” She held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
    “Great to meet you,” gushed Deuce, pumping her hand up and down.
    “You forgot your lunch again,” Emily scolded.
    Lydia held out his slightly squished lunch bag.
    “Oh, so I did,” he said, still smiling. “Thank you for bringing it by, sweetie. I wouldn’t want to miss a meal.” He patted his rounded belly, and he and his wife laughed heartily at his little joke.
    Obviously they were very much in love, and Lydia liked them immediately. “What a beautiful baby.”
    Emily beamed with pride. “Yep, we’ve got our boy and our girl now. Just a gift from heaven, I can tell you. You have any kids?”
    “No,” she said, tamping down a small ache in her heart. She smiled brightly, waving her ringless left hand. “Not married,” she laughed, “no kids.”
    “I can help rectify that problem.” Ace appeared suddenly beside her, causing her to jump and blush furiously at his implication.
    Deuce and Emily laughed guardedly. “Don’t pay him any mind,” said Emily. “He’s a big kidder.”
    “I see you’ve met my brother,” Ace said. “He’s called Deuce because he’s the junior, but I was the ace in the hole!” Tired joke, Lydia guessed from the forced smiles of his brother and sister-in-law.
    She looked at the two brothers. They shared the same description; neatly-cut black hair, piercing blue eyes, same height. Ace was leaner and more sculpted about the face—a thinner nose, sharper jaw, just more technically handsome in general. Aesthetically more attractive, she thought, but something about him didn’t sit well. Too cocky, maybe.
    “Well, I’ve got to get these kids to the doc for their check-up,” said Emily. “It was nice to meet you, Lydia.”
    “I’ll walk you out,” said Ace. “I’ve got that Johnston meeting in fifteen minutes.” He turned to Lydia. “Do you have plans for lunch?”
    “Um, no,” she stuttered. She’d never been good at thinking quickly on her feet, but she really didn’t want to go to lunch with Ace Colbert. She could kick herself for not bringing something from home.
    “Good, I’ll pick you up at noon when we break for lunch.” Then he was out the door, following Emily with his briefcase in one hand and her loaded diaper bag in the other.
    Her alarm at the turn of events must have showed on her face, because Deuce immediately said, “Ace has a sense of humor that takes some getting used to sometimes. He means well.”
    “No, he just caught me by surprise, that’s all.”
    He smiled. “Good! Go out to lunch. Relax. You know, he is the most eligible bachelor in town.”
    She didn’t know how to respond to that, except to smile and say, “Oh.”
    Just then the phone began to ring and Deuce left with a cheerful wave as she hurried around the reception desk. “Lincoln, Colbert and Colbert,” she answered, a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach that continued throughout the morning.
    The most eligible bachelor in town? She supposed that was probably true. Ace was young,