Darling obstacles Read Online Free Page A

baby-sit for the kids tonight, but since they're going to be here, she'll be able to go to her friend's house and stay overnight. Shell be overjoyed." And he would no longer be the world's meanest dad.
    Maggie nodded. Paula Wilder was very pretty and led an active social life, according to an admiring Kristin who was in the seventh grade at Woodland Junior High where Paula was in the ninth.
    A sharp blast from a car horn shattered the silence and Greg frowned. "Francine thought I should

    phone Paula from the club, but it's nearly a forty minute drive from here and . . ." His voice trailed off. He couldn't explain his urge, his need, to come back. Nor could he explain the surge of pure pleasure that had rushed through him when Maggie had greeted him at the door. And now he was inside her house, invited. Well, almost.
    He dialed the number, listened, then replaced the receiver. "The line's busy. Paula talking to her friends, naturally." But he didn't care, he admitted to himself. He was in no hurry to leave Maggie's small kitchen. No hurry at all.
    The horn blared again and Greg's fingers tightened around the telephone receiver. Maggie saw his knuckles whiten, his jaw clench, and his aquamarine eyes grow cold as ice. "I'll be happy to call Paula for you, Dr. Wilder," she said quickly. "You have a long drive ahead of you and I know you're anxious to leave." At least Francine was. Another sharp, staccato blast of the horn made Maggie jump. She pictured the gorgeous, furious Francine sitting in the car and summoning her man with the horn, and she marveled at the woman's confidence. The expression on Dr. Wilder's face was making her nervous, and she had nothing to do with its cause.
    Greg ignored the imperious demand of his date and strolled to the refrigerator, which was covered with children's drawings and school papers. "All As," he remarked. "I guess the bad papers don't get put up, do they?"
    Maggie was tempted to tell him that her children did not bring home any bad papers; they received nothing but A's and gold stars. She was enormously proud of their school success, but she didn't want to sound like a braggart. She just smiled noncommit-tally and said nothing.
    "I remember Josh telling us that Kevin was the smartest boy in his class." Greg examined a math test of Kevin's, which boasted a smiling face sticker and a big red A+ at the top. "That was a couple of years

    ago, before Alicia ..." He turned his attention to Kevin's social studies test, which bore a blue A + and a SUPER written in capital letters by the teacher. "Kevin seems to be doing very well so far in fourth grade." Maggie nodded. "I wish some of his habits would rub off on Josh," Greg added wryly. "Alicia used to say that Josh was an underachiever. His teacher last year claimed that he wasn't any kind of achiever at all. I'm hoping hell do better this year."
    "Mmm," Maggie murmured. Apparently Greg didn't know how poorly Josh was doing in school this year. The first report cards hadn't been sent home yet, but from what she'd heard from Kevin and from Josh himself, Dr. Wilder wasn't going to be very pleased with his son's progress—or lack of it.
    Greg dialed his number again and hung up at the busy signal. The car horn sounded again, a long, angry blare. He ignored it. Maggie had a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, he observed. TJiey looked cute. Wholesome and appealing. And he liked being in her kitchen. It was warm and homey, unlike the sterility of the barely used kitchen in his house.
    The horn again. "Please let me make the call for you, Dr. Wilder," Maggie said. Her offer was more like a plea. He was staring at her again. He had the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. And when he looked at her she felt . . . she wished . . . She swallowed. She wished she hadn't let him inside. But she'd had no choice, had she? It would have been totally unreasonable to deny him the use of her phone. But having him here, inside her home, made her