Sweets to the Sweet by Jennifer Greene Read Free Book Online Page B

face.
    She hadn’t noticed the laughter lines when she first met him. At the moment, his hair was lazily wind-ruffled and his hand light and relaxed on the steering wheel. The look was of a calm, easygoing man, and the look was totally misleading. Owen was dangerous. An extremely dangerous man who carted screaming babies around as a sideline—though, to give him credit, Mari had stopped crying the minute the engine purred beneath her. The baby liked expensive cars almost as much as Owen did.
    Since he hadn’t responded to her first comment, she tried a second. “I didn’t expect to see you again. At least not in the middle of the day. Finding a little company to share coffee with at five o’clock in the morning…I understood that.”
    Owen’s eyes had a rueful look as they glanced in the rearview mirror. No other woman would seriously believe that he’d been waking up at dawn only for her coffee.
    “Laura?”
    “Hmm?”
    “Cocoa futures dropped another three points last night. We’re headed into the rainy season in Brazil, the time when flooding could ruin a cacao crop. Gary just informed me that we’re facing a patent fight in the courts. And my twenty-year-old sister called last night to tell me all about her first love affair gone wrong. Now, on one of those days when the floods keep coming, you either have to start bailing or jump ship.” He said gravely, “I opted to jump ship—at least for a few hours. And when I saw you coping with the princess in a tantrum, I figured I’d found a fellow sufferer looking for an escape.”
    Laura gave a little laugh. “Maybe you did.”
    “Is the baby wearing you to a frazzle?”
    “Yes, darn it…but skip Mari. Is your little sister all right?”
    Owen leaned back, his eyes glinting with amusement. “No one’s okay after the first love affair ends, but, yes, Pat’ll survive. The thing is, when you’re twenty and getting hurt for the first time, you don’t really want to survive.” He added absently, “I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on that boyfriend of hers for just five short minutes…”
    Laura chuckled, but she shot him a thoughtful look. “Do your younger brothers and sisters put you through a lot of that kind of thing?”
    “On occasion. When five of them were teenagers all at once…well, let’s just say it’s a miracle my parents stayed sane.”
    But then, they’d had help, Laura thought fleetingly. And wondered if Owen had ever had the chance to be just a little foolish and a little wild, like other teenagers. “When you talk about your brothers and sisters, you always sound so…protective.”
    “Do I?” Owen hesitated. “I guess I feel that way. My parents had to take care of the business as well as the kids. They needed help, and I was the oldest. My mother was ill for a time…” He leveled her a sideways glance. “I told you I’d diapered my share of babies.”
    But not that he’d had to, or that he’d been burdened with responsibility when he was so young. “And when did you learn to play?” she asked quietly.
    “I’m learning right now.” He grinned. “It’s not all that hard, making up for lost time. And that’s more than enough about me. When are you going to tell me about the princess?”
    “Nothing to tell.” Laura leaned back her head, her eyes sleepily regarding the flicker of sunlight through the passing trees. “I read all about it when I was pregnant. The perfect-mother syndrome. Trying too hard instead of relaxing and using a little common sense. Of course, I was never going to fall into that pattern, because I was emotionally prepared.” She turned her head, her expression deadpan. “I fell into it three and a half minutes after she was born.”
    “Laura, you’re doing fine,” Owen scolded gently.
    “I would be, if she’d do just one thing by the book.”
    “Paige says the problem is that men write the baby books.”
    “Paige—that’s Gary’s wife? I keep getting the feeling I would like your