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hands in the state of Texas,”
    he said. “That’s Hank and Tim, Ben and Mike and Jacob and that rascal with the black hat is Charlie, my right-hand man.”
    Melissa’s eyes had glazed over and he smiled at her. “Don’t worry, there won’t be a test later,” he said.
    She laughed and the sound of her musical laughter shot a rivulet of warmth through him. “Good, because you lost me at Hank.” She smiled at all the men. “But it’s nice to meet you all.”
    “I’ll be right back,” Henry said to her as the men began to head for the front door.
    In the entry he touched Charlie’s shoulder and motioned for Charlie to stay behind while the rest of them got back to their work.
    “You heard about the shots fired last night?” he asked. Charlie nodded. “Jimmy talked to a couple of us late yesterday evening.”
    “I want all of you armed while on the property until we know what’s going on,” Henry said. “And I’d like to work a couple of you in shifts so that somebody is always working the house. Talk to the men and see what kind of schedule you can arrange.”
    Charlie’s eyes narrowed. “You looking for more trouble?”
    Henry released a small sigh of frustration. “To be honest, I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but twice now somebody has taken potshots at me and I don’t like the idea of anyone on my property attacking me or mine.”
    “We’ll work out a schedule and I’ll get it to you this afternoon,” Charlie replied.
    “Thanks, Charlie. I really appreciate it,” Henry replied.
    “It’s no problem. We can’t let the boss get hurt.” With these words he stepped out the door.
    Henry watched him catch up to the other men. Charlie was a good worker, always pitching in for even the dirtiest jobs. When Henry had broken up with Hilary he’d worried that he was going to lose Charlie. Hilary was Charlie’s sister and Henry had feared that Charlie might feel compelled to stop working for him because of sibling loyalty. But Charlie had assured him that he wasn’t going anywhere and that he didn’t get involved in his sister’s affairs.
    Henry had gotten the impression that there was no love lost between the two. In any case, he was grateful that he hadn’t lost Charlie. Good workers were hard to find.
    In fact, he was going to have to let Hank go. He’d noticed the tall, thin man had smelled like a brewery despite the fact it wasn’t even lunchtime. Henry had already warned him twice about drinking on the job. There wouldn’t be any more warnings.
    He closed the front door and returned to the living room to find Melissa gone. She’d apparently gone upstairs to check on the twins. He walked over to the large floor-to-ceiling windows and gazed out to the outbuildings in the distance. The tree was only the first of the deliveries that would take place over the next two days.
    The brief conversation he’d had with her over coffee had told him exactly what he needed to know. She had no family and he suspected she had few friends. That would make what he had in mind much easier. All he had to do was convince Melissa that his plan was in the best interest of them all. He looked up as he heard the sound of her coming down the stairs, a baby on each hip. He hurried to meet her halfway and took one of the boys from her.
    As he scooped the little one from her arms he tried not to notice the warmth of her body, that scent of her that half dizzied him with memories.
    “Which one do I have?” he asked.
    “Joey,” she replied.
    “How can you tell the difference?” The little boy snuggled against Henry’s chest, as if aware that he was held in loving arms. Once again the heart that Henry didn’t know he possessed filled with a strange wonder and a fierce sense of protectiveness.
    “Once you get to know them better, it’s easy to tell them apart by their personalities,” she said as they hit the landing. “But the quickest way is that Joey has a tiny scar in his right eyebrow. He was