An Independent Wife Read Online Free Page A

YOU."

    "Suit yourself," he growled. "Get out of my office."

    "I need an assignment," she pointed out. "I'm at the snapping stage myself."

    "I thought you wanted to be here to meet your old hometown pal," Greg shot back. "Anyway, I don't have anything to give you right now."

    "Come on," she pleaded. "You've got to have a little something. No riots, no natural disasters, no political kidnappings? There's bound to be a story for me somewhere in the world!"

    "Maybe tomorrow," he replied. "Don't be in such a hurry. For God's sake, Sal, I may need you around in case the Man gets testy. An old friend is nice to have around--

    "To throw to the lion?" she interrupted dryly. Abruptly Greg grinned. "Don't worry, doll, he won't tear you to pieces, only maul you around a bit."

    "Greg, you're not listening to me," she groaned. "I've been stagnating here for three weeks. I need to earn my keep."

    "You don't have any sense," he observed.

    "You don't have any sense of mercy," she retorted, "Greg, please."

    "What's the damned hurry?" he suddenly yelled. "Dammit, Sal, I've got a new publisher coming in and he's not exactly a babe in the woods. I don't expect to have any fun today, so get off my back, will you?
    Besides, he may ask to see you, and I sure as hell want you here if he does."

    Sallie collapsed into a chair, groaning aloud as she realized that she would have to tell Greg the truth.
    That was the only way he would give her an assignment, and perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing if Greg knew. At least then he wouldn't keep trying to throw her at Rhy. And realistically Greg had a right to know the circumstances and be aware of the complications that could arise from her very presence.

    Gently she said, "Greg, I think you should know that Rhy might not be so glad to see me."

    He was instantly alert. "Why not? I thought you were friends."

    She sighed. "I can't say if we're friends or not. I haven't seen him in seven years, except on television.
    And there's something else. I wasn't going to tell you, but you'll need to know. Do you know that I'm married, but that I've been separated from my husband for years?"

    Greg nodded, a sudden stillness coming over his features. "Yes, I know, but you've never said who your husband is. You go by your maiden name, don't you?"

    "Yes, I wanted to do everything completely on my own, not capitalize on his name. He's very wellknown. As a matter of fact, my husband is... umm ... Rhydon Baines."

    Greg swallowed audibly, his eyes growing round. He gulped again. Sallie didn't lie, he knew, she was brutally honest, but-Rhydon Baines? That tough, hard-as-nails man and this fragile little fairy with her laughing eyes? He said roughly, "My God, Sallie, the man's old enough to be your father!"

    Sallie burst into a peal of laughter. "He is not! He's only ten years older than I am. I'm twenty-six, not eighteen. But I wanted you to know why I want an assignment. The further away I am from Rhy, the better it is. We've been separated for seven years but the fact remains that Rhy is still my husband and personal relationships can get sticky, can't they?"

    Greg stared at her in disbelief, yet he believed her. He just couldn't take it in. Sallie? Little Sallie Jerome and that big, hard man? She looked like a kid, dressed all in blue and with that fat braid hanging to her waist. He said softly, "I'll be damned. What happened?" She shrugged. "He got bored with me."

    "Bored with you?" chided Greg. "C'mon, doll!" She laughed again. "I'm nothing like I was then. I was such a cowardly little snit, no wonder Rhy walked out on me. I couldn't stand the separations caused by his job. I made myself sick with worry and nagged him to death, and in the end he walked out. I can't say I blame him. The wonder is that he lasted as long as he did."

    Greg shook his head. It was impossible to imagine Sallie as a timid person; he sometimes thought that she hadn't a nerve in her body. She was willing to take on anything,