It’s a trap! Run!
“Uncle Rory showed us a picture of his friend’s sister’s dog, Harmony.”
“Her-Mine-Eee,” Wes corrected. “Like Harry Potter.”
“That’s what I said. And she’s gonna have babies.”
“A lot of them,” Wes confirmed with glee.
Seamus’s mother chose that moment to walk by the sofa, her hand fluffing her short auburn hair. “Jennifer is already down for two, if you can believe it. One for each wing of that house of theirs, I guess.” She chuckled then shook her head. “Even your father is thinking about getting one. You know how jealous he’s been of Owen’s. They’re due in a few weeks, right after school starts. The cruise we’re taking the kids on next week couldn’t have been timed better. We couldn’t have gone if we had new babies in the house, now, could we?”
Right. The cruise. His parents were taking the kids on a seven-day cruise to Canada. She’d handed him the tickets when the twins were opening all their presents.
Canada. He could drive there in one day, but she’d been so excited Father Drew had called her name as the winner of the church raffle, it might as well have been a trip to Paris.
Seamus let his head fall back against the cushions. “Thanks, Mom.” Thanks, a lot Rory. “I appreciate the support. Why do I get the feeling you’re all ganging up on me?”
Jake appeared beside them then, a small smile gracing his features. “I can take care of it. Walks and stuff. We can get a book on training from the library.”
“Guess who has two thumbs and will be stuck with walks and stuff while you’re at school being a super brain?” Seamus pointed two thumbs at his chest.
“Please?” Penny begged, her tiara dangling precariously from her braid.
“Pretty please?” Wes pleaded, his hands folded as if in prayer.
“Please! Please! Please!” Little Sean had no idea what was happening, but he was one hundred percent behind it, as usual.
“You know I told your brother after we brought Sean home that we were never getting a puppy.”
The look in Jake’s eyes told Seamus he’d remembered that, but he’d been hoping his father hadn’t.
Hell. “I’m not cleaning up the poop.”
That was enough for his children. They started jumping on the couch, fist-bumping each other and making such a racket he almost didn’t hear the doorbell.
He saw his father heading toward the door and glanced over at Jake. “Where’s Owen?”
“They left a while ago.”
Of course they did. Lucky deviants.
“Uncle Necky is still here,” Penny told him breathlessly, still doing her happy dance as she spoke. “He’s making coffee so Uncle Brady can build my dollhouse.” She tried to spin and nearly fell off the couch, but Jake caught her.
Bless Brady. And Ken, because coffee sounded amazing.
“Seamus Finn…” His father had a tone in his voice that had Seamus scrambling off the couch. “Something you forgot to tell me?”
“What do you— Holy shit.”
There were two small ponies standing in his parents’ front yard. A woman dressed like she was on her way to a Renaissance festival was holding their reins while a man in a cowboy hat stood at the door.
He took off his hat, glancing at Shawn and Seamus nervously. “We got a little turned around, but I hope we’re not too late for the birthday party?”
Motherfucking ponies. There was only one person in this house who could afford this. And he was still here. Suspiciously making coffee.
Seamus kept his eye on the cowboy and yelled, “Tanaka! Front door. Now.”
He caught the children circling curiously from the corner of his eye and held out one hand. “Do. Not. Move. Move and I’ll change my mind about the dog.”
They all froze obediently in place.
“Is someone bellowing for me?” Ken came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands. “I was doing the rest of the dishes while the coffee was brewing.” He looked over their shoulders and out the door. “Hey. Who got the ponies?”
Seamus closed his eyes. “You said it. I can’t believe you actually said it.”
Something compelled him to turn toward his children. Some instinct of self-preservation or imminent Armageddon. Sure enough, Penny’s face was turning a brilliant and alarming shade of purple.
And then she exploded. In place, since she believed she wouldn’t get her puppy if she moved.
“Ponies?! There. Are. Ponies?! Right now? Outside? For my birthday?”
The cowboy, hearing the ecstatic shrieks, took a wise step back. Good instincts. “We’re supposed to ride the twins around the yard for an hour? Were you…um, this is Penny and Wes Finn’s birthday party? We’re at the right house?”
“Dad,” Jake warned him, concern clear in his voice. “I think she’s going to lose it if you don’t let her look soon.”
His father was still studying the cowboy suspiciously when he spoke to Seamus. “I don’t think we have another choice, son. She knows they’re out there now.”