“Kick, Morgan, kick!” Debbie urged, and ignored his grumble. She braced herself against the side of the pool, legs astride, and let all of Morgan’s weight rest against her chest. She held him in a floating position as he continued to work his legs back and forth in the water.

“Just a little bit more. Only one more set of scissor kicks and you’re through for the day. Then I’ll get your float, and you can have thirty minutes of play and relaxation before we put the cast back on. What do you say?”

“I say you’re a menace,” Morgan wheezed as he worked his injured leg back and forth in the water. “And you’re tougher than Cole.”

She laughed as his last kick sent water showering into the air, wetting her already damp curls and plastering her face.

“But I’m a lot prettier, don’t you think?”

Cole walked onto the patio and stopped in midstride. The sight of his father and that woman…together…in the pool…made him feel slightly jealous and a whole lot stupid.

The droplets hit her face and arms, beading in the bright, afternoon heat like thousands of tiny diamonds. The churning water teased his sight, giving him momentary glimpses of that damned red excuse for a swimsuit. It was two-piece and covered just enough of her body to remind him that there was more to see.

And then he saw weariness on her face. His father’s big body continued to buck and jerk in her arms, and he knew that she was probably worn out. It was time for the second shift to take over.

“Hey, you guys.” He dropped his towel onto a lounge chair. “Leave some water for me.”

Debbie almost dropped her hold on Morgan and succeeded in dunking herself instead as Cole’s voice sent her sanity into a tailspin. She thanked the hot sun overhead for its presence. It was a perfect explanation for the red flush that crept up her neck and cheeks.

He had on that same little-bit-of-nothing suit that he’d been wearing the day she’d arrived. Only this time she wasn’t sick as a dog. Instead, she was more than cognizant of the fact that he was mildly devastating and overwhelmingly gorgeous.

Cole slipped into the pool, pushing his way through the wake caused by his father’s exertions. He walked up behind Debbie and slid his arm up and around her shoulders, allowing her room to duck while he took over her duties.

“Here, Little Red, duck under. I’ll spell you for a while. How many does he have left to do?”