Susan Crosby - The Bachelor's Stand-In Wife

Which made David wonder about Valerie, and why Hannah’s father wasn’t in the picture. Had he ever been? Had he abandoned them?

David headed back to his office, channeling his focus elsewhere, not wanting to be reminded of parental abandonment. It was something he couldn’t afford to think about.

Chapter Four

At six-thirty, through the open kitchen windows, Valerie heard a car make its way up the driveway, the tires-on-gravel sound distinctive. Earlier in the day she’d peeked through the garage window and spied two cars: a large mocha-colored pickup and a shiny black SUV. She’d wondered what he’d driven to work, and assumed it was a Falcon car because his other two were American-made brands she knew.

Sure enough, a sleek silver convertible sports car came into view, the sun reflecting off a soaring-falcon hood ornament. One of the garage doors opened and David drove straight in. When he emerged a few seconds later, her pulse thumped in anticipation. Would he approve of everything she’d done? Would he even notice? She’d worked hard all day, never stopping to rest except to sit by the pool for a half hour while Hannah swam, but even then reading the files he’d left on his desk for her.

Her mind reeled with the details of a business completely foreign to her. Her body ached from scrubbing and vacuuming. But she’d caught herself humming several times during the day. Work had never been so much fun.

Much of her happiness came from the general situation—she and Hannah had a safe, beautiful place to live. She worked for a decent man. And in a month she would have health insurance and a sense of security. All of that would spill over to Hannah, too, who had tuned in to Valerie’s stress, especially this past year, even though she’d tried to hide it from her daughter. Worry about ever-increasing debt had robbed Valerie of sleep many nights.

The kitchen door swung open, and David breezed into the room, his hair windblown from driving with the top down. The messy look made him seem younger—or maybe just carefree. At the agency yesterday, his jaw had been as hard as granite, his brows drawn together, forming deep lines that had aged him. By evening, he’d relaxed considerably.

“How was your day?” she asked, locking her hands together.

“Productive.” He set his briefcase on the nearest counter, next to the stack of mail she’d brought in earlier. “Yours?”

“The same.”

“You get your daughter registered in school?”

“All taken care of. She starts a week from Monday. The bus will pick her up right out front.”

He picked up the mail and thumbed through it. “Good.”

Valerie stood by silently, wondering what to do. Apparently, she’d been wrong—he’d only seemed looser. He was taut with tension.

“Would you like a drink?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’ll get it, though,” he said vaguely, perusing the contents of a large envelope. After a minute he looked up at her. “Don’t let me keep you.”

She smiled. “I’m here to serve.”

Everything about him seemed to relax then. He put aside the mail and focused on her. “Something smells great.”

“Ribs. They’re precooking now, then I’ll put them on the grill to finish them up. There’s also potato salad, corn on the cob and apple pie.”

“Where have you been all my life?”

Looking for you . The wayward thought caught Valerie by surprise. No way was she letting herself wish for something she couldn’t have. A smart woman learned from her mistakes.

“I’ve been out there in the world,” she said lightly, “getting enough experience to be a great employee for you.”

“I’d ask if you got a chance to look over the files I left for you, but I’m sure you did.”

“Yes.”

“And went grocery shopping. And made dinner from scratch. And cleaned the house, right?”

“I’m kind of an overachiever.”

“No kidding.” He smiled. “Where’s my dog?”

“Oh! I’m sorry. She’s at the cottage with Hannah.” She should’ve thought about that. She should’ve realized that he would want to see Belle when he got home from work. “I’ll go get her.”

He put his hand on her arm as she started to pass by him but quickly released her. “Belle can stay put for now, although I’m surprised she didn’t hear my car and come running.”

Her heart pitter-pattered at the brief contact. She didn’t need this. She didn’t need this at all. “Belle’s probably shut inside. I could use the intercom.…”

“Are you nervous about something, Valerie?”

“I gave you my word that you wouldn’t know Hannah was here, and the first thing she did was latch on to your dog.”

“I believe it was mutual latching. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Regardless of what he said, she would deal with it as soon as she could. “Do you still want to eat at seven?”

“I think I’ll take a swim and kick back for a while. Would an hour ruin dinner?”

“Not at all.”

He nodded and walked away, grabbing a bottle of beer from the refrigerator on his way out. She turned down the oven, then headed to the cottage. Hannah was watching a movie, with Belle curled up next to her on the sofa.

“Oops,” Hannah said as the dog climbed off the couch without being ordered. They both looked guilty.

“Mr. Falcon is home. Didn’t you hear his car pull in?”

“I heard it.”

“You need to make sure that Belle is let out so she can greet him. He hasn’t seen her much the past few years. He’s really missed her.”

She looked about to argue but said, “Okay.”

“Belle, David’s home.” Valerie held the door open and hoped the dog understood. Her tail wagged slowly as she passed by, as if apologizing. “You’re a good girl,” Valerie said. Belle gave a little bark then hurried off, heading straight for the house and her dog door.

“Am I in trouble?” Hannah asked.

“No. You didn’t know. Now you do, however.” Valerie sat beside her. “I know it’s hard on you, not having any friends yet. And I’ve been so busy all day and ignoring you most of the time.”

“It’s okay, Mom.”

Valerie brushed her daughter’s hair away from her face. It wasn’t okay. Kids needed friends, and it seemed like every time Hannah made a new friend, she and Valerie moved again and Hannah had to start over. Please let this work out , Valerie prayed silently.

She refused to look ahead at the negative possibilities—that David wouldn’t be happy with her work or his business shut down or something.

That he might meet someone, get married and not need her anymore.

If that happened, she vowed there and then not to move out of the area. She would find another job and stay put, let Hannah have a stable life. They’d both earned that. Valerie needed to find some friends herself. She missed having a girlfriend to hang out with.

“When’s dinner, Mom?”

“At seven-thirty. Can you make it that long?”

“Can I go swimming until then?”

“No. Mr. Falcon’s in the pool.”

“Aw, man. I’m tired of watching television.”

Valerie patted her cheek then stood. “Read a book.”

“I’m not that tired.” She grinned.

“He’ll be out of town for a while starting on Sunday. You’ll have plenty of time to swim.” She moved to the door. “I’ll bring our plates here when everything is done.”

“We’re not eating at the house?”

“Hannah, employees don’t eat meals with employers.”

“We did last night.”

“We hadn’t settled in yet, so he invited us. It’s different now.” Valerie closed the door behind her and headed to the house. She glanced at the pool, saw David swimming laps, methodically, rhythmically, his tempo never altering. She looked away as she rushed by, giving him the privacy he’d given her the day before.