Susan Crosby - The Bachelor's Stand-In Wife

In the kitchen Valerie put on a big pot of water for the corn, then went out to the deck to fire up the gas grill. She set the patio table for one, then realized she couldn’t hear him swimming. She looked at the pool in time to see him push himself up and out of the water.

Valerie went still. Water drops glistened off his chest. His swimmer’s body was long and lean and perfectly muscled. There was strength there, enough to pick a woman up and carry her, to hold her close.…

Belle trotted up to him, waited to be petted. He crouched down and scratched behind her ears, and she wagged her tail, rubbing happily against him. Valerie heard him talk to the dog, but couldn’t hear the words.

He stood, toweling his hair, then saw her. She should’ve returned to the kitchen, pretended she wasn’t watching, but she couldn’t make her legs work. He was one beautiful male specimen.…

He looked away first, then knotted his towel at his hips and headed toward the stairs leading to the kitchen. Her face burned. What would he think? That the sexual harassment claimed by the jerk she used to work for was true? That she’d lied? If they didn’t have trust, they had nothing. She was living on his property, would have full access to his home, his computer, the details of his business.

She picked up a grill brush and scrubbed hard at the already clean racks until she knew he’d made his way through the kitchen and she could comfortably return.

Would he say anything? Had she already ruined her future with him?

Her hand shook as she lifted the pot lid to check on the water.

And so the wait for answers began.

David stood under the shower spray, letting the ultramassage setting work magic on his tight shoulders, trying to pound out the image of Valerie watching him. If she weren’t his employee, he would be flattered. She was an attractive woman, both soothing and sexy, a rare combination.

But she worked for him, so now what? Just ignore it? Discuss it so they could deal with the situation before it escalated into something uncomfortable, or even impossible?

Man, he needed a date. If all it took was for Valerie to stare at him for a few seconds—

But maybe he was wrong. Maybe she hadn’t been looking at him. She’d been a good twenty-five feet away, after all. He could’ve read something into it that wasn’t there. Perhaps his ego had gone into overdrive. His body certainly had, which was why he’d wrapped the towel around himself and headed for his bedroom so fast, before she saw how affected he’d been.

He stepped out of the shower, the question still foremost on his mind. What should he do?

The phone rang as he zipped his jeans.

“David? It’s Denise Watson. Just checking in to see how Valerie is working out.”

Hearing the voice of the director of At Your Service made David’s decision for him. He didn’t want to interview any more candidates. He wanted his life settled. And maybe he was wrong, anyway.

“She’s fitting in very well,” he told Denise, grabbing a T-shirt from his dresser drawer. “She’s a very hard worker.”

“And her daughter?”

“So far, so good.” He hoped it continued after Hannah felt comfortable in her new surroundings. You never knew with kids.

“I’m so glad to hear that. You’ll let me know if anything comes up, right?”

David almost choked. Like something hadn’t already come up when Valerie had stared at him so intently, so directly? “I’ll do that.”

Belle followed him downstairs a minute later. He could smell the ribs on the barbecue—or the barbecue sauce, anyway. He walked into the kitchen. Valerie didn’t acknowledge his presence.

“Smells good,” he said.

“Everything’s ready.” Still she didn’t look at him but moved around the room, putting corn and potato salad on three plates then taking an empty platter to the barbecue, returning with a stack of ribs. She piled a mound on one dinner plate. “I set the table on the deck for you,” she said, adding ribs to the other two plates. “If you’d rather eat inside, I can move your place setting.”

He was a little intrigued now at how she wouldn’t look at him. He’d been right. It hadn’t been his ego. “Outside is fine, thanks.” He took the plate from her. “You don’t need to wait hand and foot, Valerie.”

“Okay.” She slid her hands down her apron.

He wondered where she’d gotten it. He also wondered when the last time was that he’d seen a woman wear an apron at home. It seemed so old-fashioned. Or maybe she thought it put a division between them, a reminder of their employer/employee status.

“I’ll be back in a half hour to clean up the kitchen, if that’s okay,” she said, picking up the two remaining dinner plates and walking away.

“That’s fine.” What else could he say?

She apparently hadn’t thought about the fact she had a plate in each hand, however, because she stopped at the door, looking bewildered.

“Hang on. I’ll get it,” he said. He grabbed the handle, then waited for her to look at him. Her cheeks took on a pink tinge. “The food looks great. The house is cleaner than it’s been in months. I’m not going to make your day longer by discussing the files tonight. I don’t need to go into the office tomorrow, so plan on a full morning with me tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

He opened the door. She slipped past him, the scent of hickory trailing her. He shut the door then grabbed his beer and took his plate outside, Belle following and settling under the table, just as Valerie reached the cottage. She didn’t turn around and look back at him.

David turned his attention to the panoramic view, something he never tired of. The sun hadn’t quite set but had dipped behind the hill, creating an aura that backlit the scene. Peace washed over him.

After a minute he picked up a rib, the meat so tender it almost fell off the bone. He was used to eating alone at home, although not a meal as good as this one, and he certainly never set the table, place mat, cloth napkin and all. It made him seem even more alone.

He picked up his plate and moved to the railing, leaning a hip against the wood as he dug into the potato salad. From the cottage came laughter, first Hannah’s then Valerie’s. Even Belle lifted her head, her ears pricking. Were they reacting to something on television or just making each other laugh? They did that a lot.

He hadn’t grown up in a household where laughter was a constant. His mother had left when he was eleven. Before that, his parents had fought all the time, one of the reasons why David refused to fight with anyone. Noah had left for college the same week David’s mother left, and Gideon was fourteen and entering high school, so Gideon hadn’t had a lot of time for a kid brother. Their father hadn’t been an easy man to please.

Hannah laughed again. Did she miss having a father, as he had missed his mother? Hannah seemed well-adjusted enough.

Belle got to her feet and wagged her tail as she looked up at him with soulful eyes.

David sighed. “Okay. You can go see Hannah.”

The dog hustled off. Hell, even Belle wouldn’t keep him company.…

That settled it. Time to take back his life. He would start by accepting invitations, even when he was too jet-lagged. His world had become too routine, too closed in. Too all work and no play.

Time to liven things up.

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