The Matchmakers' Daddy

Something other than a woman who needed what she’d once had—the kind of man Zack would never be.

For some dumb reason, in spite of two little kids sitting at the table, the evening held a romantic aura Zack found hard to ignore.

Maybe it was because of the faint scent of night-blooming jasmine, the air rustling the leaves in the tree, a full moon overhead.

Of course, the attractive woman sitting at his side held an aura of her own.

The flicker of two candles lit the small patio table, as forks clicked against ceramic dinnerware.

Zack dug into a plate filled high with spaghetti, hoping he didn’t dribble sauce all down his chin and on his shirt. He’d never been self-conscious while eating before. But this meal was different, and he hoped what few manners he’d acquired during his youth hadn’t been lost after five long years behind bars.

“Thanks for including me,” he told Diana. “The girls were right. You’re a good cook.”

“You should eat her meat loaf and mashed potatoes,” Jessie said. “I always eat a hundred helpings.”

“You’ll have to come over for dinner when Mom makes chicken-fried steak,” Becky added. “It’s really good, too.”

Zack glanced at Diana, saw her flush again. Was she embarrassed by the praise?

Or by the possibility that the girls would offer Zack another dinner invitation he might accept?

“I haven’t had many home-cooked meals,” he admitted. “But this is one of the best.”

“Thank you.”

As their gazes caught, her movements stilled.

His, too.

Something hovered in the night air. Sexual awareness, he suspected—something she’d sensed, too. But she looked away, cleared her throat and scooted her chair from the table. “Ice cream anyone? It’s Rocky Road.”

The girls eagerly placed their orders. And since Zack was big on dessert and chocolate was his favorite, he shot her a grin. “Sure. I’d like some. Thanks.”

When Diana went inside, Becky rested her elbows on the table, leaned forward and whispered, “Even if Mom wanted to go on a date, it wouldn’t be with Reverend Morton. He’s not her type. And not just because he’s going to be totally bald someday.”

Where had that come from? The preacher’s name hadn’t popped into the conversation since Diana had put a stop to it earlier. Obviously, the child had been holding back her opinion until her mother slipped way.

“When he wears his Padres baseball cap he looks kind of handsome,” the younger girl said. “But he doesn’t have muscles. Not like yours.”

Zack was pleased that the preacher couldn’t hold a candle to him—physically, at least. But he figured a woman like Diana was more interested in character and reputation. In that case, Morton had him beat by light years. Not that he was in the running.

Or was he?

Was he being set up by a couple of pint-sized matchmakers?

“You know the Noah’s Ark story?” Becky asked.

Not really, but he had a general idea, so he nodded sagely, as if he was an expert.

“The story’s true, even if Mom doesn’t believe it.”

Zack didn’t think Diana was questioning the story. She’d just been making a statement about people not needing to be paired off to be happy.

“God is very big on love and marriage,” Becky explained. “That’s why he made Adam and Eve.”

“And it’s why He made Noah and…” Jessie paused, screwed up her little face and looked at her all-knowing big sister. “What was his wife’s name, Becky?”

“I don’t remember. But she was very important to the whole story.”

As the screen door slid open, the subject immediately dropped—thank goodness.

Zack wasn’t sure where the blond, starry-eyed preteen was going with all that stuff. But his suspicion about being set up was growing stronger by the minute.

“All right,” Diana said, as she carried in a tray with four bowls. “Here it is.”

He found safety in the silence that followed, as Becky and Jessie grabbed their spoons and dug into the frozen concoction of chocolate ice cream, marshmallows and nuts.

For some reason, he got the feeling that the girls thought he might make a better catch for their mom than the preacher. But that was only because they didn’t have any idea who he was or where he’d been.

It was almost laughable.

Still, Zack couldn’t help being glad the preacher wasn’t their mother’s type.

Nor could he help wondering who was.

His gaze drifted to Diana, whose red T-shirt revealed the kind of breasts many women paid to have. Hers, he suspected, were real. In fact, everything about her was so womanly, so genuine, that it was hard to keep his eyes off her. And, in spite of himself, he stole another peek.

She had her eyes closed, a spoon in her mouth, savoring the sweet, creamy taste and wearing an almost-orgasmic expression that nearly knocked the breath right out of him.

Damn. He’d always thought women got old and frumpy after having kids. But not her.

In the conservative clothes she’d worn to work, she appeared to be fit and trim. But wearing a pair of white shorts and a T-shirt, there wasn’t much guesswork involved. She had the best pair of legs he’d ever snuck a peek at.

He figured she was at least thirty and a good five years older than him.

With sea-green eyes and honey-brown hair a man would love to see splayed on his pillow, she was a beautiful woman.

When she opened her eyes and saw him looking at her, the rebel in him tossed her a crooked grin.

She returned his smile, but not before flushing a pretty shade of pink.

Something told him he wasn’t the only one who suspected a romantic setup.

Diana had never been so uneasy in her life. Or so embarrassed by her children. Of course, she could understand why the girls were impressed with the handsome construction worker. He was a giant of a man, with a bulky build that suggested he protected what was his. Yet his baby blue eyes boasted a boyish innocence.

And when he’d shot her an I-walk-on-the-wild-side grin, it was enough to steal her breath away, not to mention her good sense.

Her daughters wouldn’t understand her reluctance to get involved with a man, especially one with a devilish smile that could tempt a woman to pick a forbidden apple and take a bite. But they’d obviously decided their mother needed another man in her life, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.