.

in a large basket. Wedged between the two felines, a brown-and-white domestic rabbit snoozed contentedly.

      “Ha! They must have decided Orville was just a strange-looking cat. I’ll say one thing—he’s one lucky rabbit to have you adopt him. Did you ever find out how he happened to be roaming around the clinic parking lot?”

      Stephanie shook her head as she placed a pair of hot wings on a small paper plate. “No. We figure someone just didn’t want him anymore and put him there hoping the clinic would take care of him. It’s so sad, too, because Orville is a real sweetheart.”

      “Every needy creature is a sweetheart to you.” Steven settled back against the couch and crossed his ankles out in front of him. “Stephanie, sometimes I think you’d take on a small zoo and a dozen kids without ever batting an eye.”

      Smiling wanly, she shrugged. “What would I be doing if I wasn’t taking care of Linus, my pets and the animals at Paws and Claws?”

      “Anything you wanted. You might actually have time for a personal life.”

      Trying not to grimace, Stephanie reached for a piece of cheese pizza. “If you’re talking about me getting myself a man, there’s no need for you to worry. I’ve decided the best thing I could ever do for myself is cross marriage off my list of lifelong endeavors.”

      Steven hardly looked pleased. “You’re twenty-seven, intelligent, beautiful and, most of all, loving. But you want to hide away and waste yourself just because you’ve dated a few losers.”

      Stephanie ate a bite of pizza before she bothered to reply. “Not only were they losers, they were users and jerks, too. Let’s face it, I wouldn’t know a good man if he wore a sign around his neck.”

      “If he has to wear a sign around his neck to let people know he’s good, then he probably isn’t.”

      She let out a brittle laugh. “No need to worry, Steven. Linus keeps me happy.”

      Her brother left the couch and walked over to the bassinet where Linus was sleeping peacefully. Gazing down at the baby, he said, “You’re very brave, Stephanie, for taking on this little fellow with so much uncertainty surrounding him.”

      Leaving her plate on the coffee table, she walked over to where he stood and slipped an arm through his. “I’m hardly brave.”

      He looked at her. “Don’t suppose you’ve heard any news about the mother?”

      “No. It’s like her trail has vanished.”

      The cell phone in his shirt pocket suddenly chirped to signal a new text message had arrived. Steven glanced at the phone. “Callum is finished with his conference call. I’d better go see what he’s stirring up next. We’ve just put the finishing touches on The Shoppes at Rambling Rose.”

      “Poor you,” she said with a grin. “The building never stops.”

      “Wait until he hears I need to hire more carpenters,” he joked. Then he planted a kiss on the top of Stephanie’s head and started out of the room.

      “Thanks for the food,” she called after him.

      He gave her a backhanded wave and shut the door behind him.

      Stephanie’s attention returned to the baby, and as she gazed down at Linus’s quiet features, her heart overflowed with warm, maternal love. Would she ever have a child of her own? A man to love?

      Love.

      These days she rarely allowed herself to dwell on the fleeting emotion. But after meeting Acton Donovan this morning, she’d been feeling totally out of character.

      True, she wasn’t good at judging the quality of a man, but even she could see he was far from her type.

      So why had she continued to think of him throughout the day? Why was she thinking of him now?

      Because no guy like him had ever flirted with her? Of course, she’d had men hit on her before, but most of them had been sleazy or unattractive, or just downright obnoxious. But Acton had been none of those things. He’d been cute and rather sweet, and she’d gotten the impression that he was a nice guy. With a dog like Seymour, he had to be nice, she thought.

       There you go, Stephanie, judging a man by his dog. That’s a brilliant deduction. It’s no wonder you’ve had your heart broken a dozen times. Before long you’ll be saying the denim shirt he was wearing made him look dependable and trustworthy.

      The mocking voice in her head made her turn from the bassinet and return to the tray of food sitting on the coffee table.

      She couldn’t let thoughts of a young, happy-go-lucky cowboy elbow their way in on her common sense. And yet, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have Acton Donovan sitting next to her on the couch, sharing this little supper with her.