The Back-Up Plan Read Online Free

the presumption. My marital status is, frankly, none of your business.”
    “I didn’t mean to suggest—”
    “I know my daughter, Mr. Bradley. There must be some other explanation for her behavior. I would suggest that you put your remarkable skills of perception to work at figuring out what it is.”
    The man blinked, taken aback. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, Ms. J—”
    “That’s Dr. Jacobs.” She was on a roll now. No fear. No attraction. Just plain old ticked off. He might be a knight in shining armor on a dark street when you had a flat tire, but he bore no resemblance whatsoever to the kind of teacher she wanted for her only child.
    “Dr. Jacobs,” he amended. “I know this is difficult, but sometimes children don’t react the way we expect them to. For whatever reasons, this is the behavior Melissa has displayed since her placement in my classroom.”
    “Perhaps that’s the problem.” Donna dropped the crumpled pink slip she’d been clutching onto his desk and turned toward the door. “If you’ll point me in the direction of the principal’s office, I’ll remedy that situation right now.”
    “M—Dr. Jacobs.” He followed her into the hall. “I’m sure we can resolve this matter without involving the principal.”
    Donna spun around at the abrupt change in his tone. His eyes no longer held that confident intensity. She couldn’t read the mixed emotions that played across his face, but it was clear that Mr. Hank Bradley wanted no part of the principal.
    “I’m not so sure, Mr. Bradley. How can I be certain that you won’t take your hostility toward me out on my daughter?”
    “Hostility?” Confusion joined the mixture of emotions. “If you’ve perceived my actions as hostile then you’re completely off base.”
    Donna eyed him for a long moment before responding. He was right. The man hadn’t actually been hostile. In fact, she was the one who’d been hostile. He’d been patient and polite, but that didn’t make him right about Melissa. No matter. She had to deal with the reality of this situation. She didn’t even know if this small town school had another kindergarten class.
    “Despite what you may be thinking, I am a reasonable person.” She saw the flash of doubt in his eyes. She tamped down the anger that wanted to rise again and turned on her most cooperative tone. Like it or not, she had to try to make this work. “I’ll speak to Melissa tonight and see if I can get to the bottom of things. I’m certain my absence has had some bearing on her behavior, but I’m here now.”
    “I’m sure your arrival will make all the difference. I’ll keep you posted.” Relief was evident as he extended his big hand once more. “I’m certain that together we can work this out.”
    “I hope so, Mr. Bradley.” Hesitation slowed her, but Donna took his hand. Her heart rate jumped at both his touch and his smile. What was wrong with her? Clearly Melissa wasn’t the only one reacting strangely to her new surroundings.

Chapter Two
    Donna stood in the small parking area outside the building that was to be her clinic. There were words, she felt confident, that could describe what she saw and felt…but they eluded her just now. Mostly she just wanted to wilt into a heap on the ground and cry.
    “I told you the location is perfect,” Patty Russell announced. “Everyone who comes into town has to pass right by it.”
    Perched on the edge of a cornfield, the weathered building, probably one of the oldest in town, sat across the street from the local hardware store, circa 1882. A small convenience store was a stone’s throw away. The fact of the matter was the whole town appeared to have been dropped in the middle of one gigantic cornfield. There was a post office, the school, a small grocery store, a gas station and the hardware store, of course. The newest business appeared to be a larger convenience store on the far side of town where Main Street and the new interstate