Terms of Surrender by Sheila Seabrook

control, he glanced out at the yard.
    His mom showed the girls the flowers, while his dad fussed and kept their little hands away from the blossoms. The twins, now quiet and obedient, were exceptionally cute with their long, curls of golden-brown hair.
    Harley wandered along with them. She’d taken the t-shirt she’d borrowed from him, tied a belt around the middle, and in the heat of the day, was wearing it like a mini-skirt, which showed off her long shapely legs.
    His mom was right. Those legs were meant to wrap around a man’s waist—
    He jerked his attention back to her face where it belonged.
    For the first time, he realized she seemed as lost without her sister as Mike did without his wife.
    Maybe it was time for him to get involved.
    Because from where he stood, it seemed that if Mike didn’t get some help, he was on the road to crash and burn, and maybe take his daughters with him.
    Gage noticed that Mike never looked directly at Harley’s face. Because he understood how much that must hurt her, he wondered what would happen if the two of them had some day-to-day living time.
    Would they hook up, fall in love, maybe have the set of boys Mike had always wanted?
    Or would it send his brother over the edge?
    He refused to be jealous. No way, no how. Because he was so not getting involved with Harley. He might be attracted to her—in fact, he might even be wildly, insanely in lust with her—but in the long run, Mike would be safe.
    Reliable.
    Always in control of himself and his temper.
    And if there was one thing Harley deserved, it was a man who would love and cherish her for the rest of her life.
    Gage’s stomach clenched. He could solve two problems with one suggestion. He smoothed out his voice, tried to sound like each word wasn’t torn from his throat. “Harley needs a place to stay right now—”
    “No.” Mike jerked to his feet, panic pinching his mouth. “She doesn’t know anything about kids. She wouldn’t be able to cope. It would be one more person to drive me crazy.”
    Across the yard, the girls had erupted into action, leaving his mom and dad in mid-sentence, heading for their aunt, screaming and jostling each other all the way toward her, until they reached her and flung themselves at her and wrapped their arms and legs around her legs.
    He had to give her credit. She barely staggered under their onslaught as she laughed and ruffled their hair. “Looks to me like she knows how to handle them.”
    Mike blew out a heavy sigh as he stared across the yard, a brooding expression on his face before he stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and dropped back onto the chair. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t want her near me.”
    His dad came across the yard and joined them on the patio. “Those girls shouldn’t be near the flowers.”
    “It doesn’t matter, Dad. The flowers can be replaced.”
    Hands on hips, the old man surveyed the yard with a keen gardener’s eye, grunted, and changed tactics. “With this kind of heat, you can’t let your plants dry out. If they weaken, they won’t make it through the winter. You should install one of those underground watering systems. I can pick up the material at the hardware store. We could have it in by next week.”
    “Dad—”
    “It needs to be done.”
    He shifted, growing uncomfortable with his dad’s insistence. “On my schedule, not yours.”
    “I suppose you think fooling around with that girl is more important.”
    Gage glanced at Harley before he faced the older man, wondering how his dad had jumped to that conclusion, and he kept his voice even and his temper under control. “Don’t go there, Dad.”
    “You should be painting the house instead. If you weren’t spending so much time chasing girls—”
    “Enough, Dad,” Gage said softly. He braced his temper before it could get the worst of him. “It’s none of your business.”
    A red flush worked its way into the older man’s face. “Fran, it’s time to go