Blue Dahlia (In the Garden 1)

gan. It was awfully sweet of you. "

"Glad you like it. You take care now. "

"Dolls are lame," Gavin stated, but he was polite enough to wait until Hayley was inside.

"Really?" Stella reached over to flick the bill of his baseball cap over his eyes. "And what are those little people you've got all over your shelves and your desk?"

"Those aren't dolls. " Gavin looked as horrified as an eight-year-old boy could manage. "Those are action figures. Come on, Mom. "

"My mistake. "

"We want to be Saturday slaves and build an arbor. " Luke pulled on her hand and to get her attention. "Okay?"

"Saturday slaves?"

"I'm building an arbor tomorrow," Logan explained. "Could use some help, and I got these two volunteers. I hear they work for cheese sandwiches and Popsicles. "

"Oh. Actually, I was planning to take them to work with me tomorrow. "

"An arbor, Mom. " Luke gazed up pleadingly, as if he'd been given the chance to build the space shuttle and then ride it to Pluto. "I never, ever built one before. "

"Well. . . "

"Why don't we split it up?" Logan suggested. "You take them on in with you in the morning, and I'll swing by and get them around noon. "

She felt her stomach knot. It sounded normal. Like parenting. Like family. Dimly, she heard her boys begging and pleading over the buzzing in her ears.

"That'll be fine," she managed. "If you're sure they won't be in your way. "

He cocked his head at the strained and formal tone. "They get in it, I just kick them out again. Like now. Why don't you boys go find that dog and see what he's up to, so I can talk to your mama a minute?"

Gavin made a disgusted face. "Let's go, Luke. He's probably going to kiss her. "

"Why, I'm transparent as glass to that boy," Logan said. He tipped her chin up with his fingers, laid his lips on hers, and watched her watch him. "Hello, Stella. "

"Hello, Logan. "

"Are you going to tell me what's going on in that head of yours, or do I have to guess?"

"A lot of things. And nothing much. "

"You looked poleaxed when you came outside. "

" 'Poleaxed. ' Now there's a word you don't hear every day. "

"Why don't you and I take a little walk?"

"All right. "

"You want to know why I came by this afternoon?"

"To bring Lily a doll. " She walked along one of the paths with him. She could hear her boys and the dog, then the quick thwack of Luke's Wiffle bat. They'd be fine for a while.

"That, and to see if I could sponge a meal off Roz, which was a roundabout way of having a meal with you. I don't figure I'm going to be able to pry you too far away from the baby for a while yet. "

She had to smile. "Apparently I'm transparent, too. It's so much fun having a baby in the house. If I manage to steal her away from Hayley for an hour - and win out over Roz - I can play with her like, well, a doll. All those adorable little clothes. Never having had a girl, I didn't realize how addicting all those little dresses can be. "

"When I asked you if Lily made you want another, you panicked. "