Falling For The Single Dad

“No...”

“Please stay...”

At the simultaneous protest of her sisters, Caroline dropped back into the chair. The floorboards creaked overhead as the inn’s lone guest settled in for the evening.

Braeden and Sawyer exchanged a look.

“Actually.” Braeden, the dark-haired senior chief at Station Kiptohanock, wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Dinner went better than I expected. It’s important to stay the course.”

“I agree.” Sawyer scraped his chair across the pine floor and stood. “The Duer sisters aren’t the only stubborn members of this family.” He reached for a serving platter to clear the table. “Apples don’t fall far from trees for a reason.”

Braeden laughed. “Ain’t that the truth? Birds of a feather.”

Honey cut her eyes at Amelia. “I think we’ve been insulted.”

Amelia sniffed, but Caroline noted the sparkle in her eyes when she locked gazes with her husband. “I know we’ve been insulted.”

Caroline’s heart pinged. No one would ever look at her that way. She hugged her arms around herself. Which was only right, considering her past.

Max lined the peas on his plate in a row of military precision. “What does that stuff mean? Birds and apples?”

Braeden ruffled his son’s carrot-top curls. “It means that people with similar character and interests tend to hang out together.” He moved to help Sawyer clear the table.

Max crouched in his chair, his gaze at eye level with the edge of the plate. “No duh, Dad. ’Cause family sticks together. Is an idiom the same as an idiot?”

“In my case, Max...” Caroline handed Sawyer the empty bread basket. “It probably should be.”