Wife for Hire Read Online Free Page B

once they got back to town. How he knew her so well after only a few meetings and subsequent phone calls, she couldn’t fathom, but it was a little unsettling. Now that her initial fears had been truly squelched by a list of references and the dossier he’d provided, she had to face her attraction to him head on. No longer diluted by paranoia, it was a pretty heady thing, and she wondered if she’d find him as devastatingly distracting today as she had the other times they’d met. She sure hoped not, or it was going to be a long three weeks.
    A staccato knock interrupted her thoughts and sent the puppies into a frenzy. “Coming,” she called, snatching her coat from the chair as she passed. Her stomach twisted and she laid her hand on the knob. He hadn’t seen her makeover. Would she pass muster in the harsh light of day?
    She swung the door open and froze. Owen crowded the doorway, his broad body filling the space. His dark, freshly cut hair was still damp from the shower. He wore his coat open over an athletic fit camel-colored sports jacket. The ensemble emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and his lean waist.
    He’s your employer and temporary no-sex husband and you are on a job, she reminded herself firmly. “Good to see you again. Come on in,” she said, bending low to shoo the puppies back and make a path for him.
    “Thanks.” He stepped in fast, closing the door before any of them could make a break for it. “Quick little buggers, aren’t they?”
    “Yeah. Mal is going to take them to his house for the next few weeks. He should be here any minute.”
    Owen glanced around the room. “What about your friend? Mrs. MacElroy?”
    “Melba is staying with Nate. Neither wanted to deal with the puppies, so they drew straws. If you ask me, Nate got the tougher end of the deal.”
    “Is she difficult to get along with?”
    She contemplated that for a moment and then shook her head. “Get along with? Nope, she’s a dream in that sense. Funny, loyal, caring. It’s just things tend to…happen when she’s around. It’s amazing how such a tiny woman can cause such chaos. I’ll miss her when she moves out, though. It’s like having a really destructive mom around the house.”
    Owen’s gaze collided with hers. “And your own mother is?”
    “My parents are both dead. Car crash when I was ten.” Better to say it plainly, no frills, but give enough info to stay avoid further questions. She had a lot of practice.
    “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
    Oftentimes, especially with virtual strangers, it was a platitude. The things people said when they didn’t know what else to say. But something in Owen’s eyes made her believe that he understood and truly was sorry to hear it. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
    He opened his mouth as if to say more, then closed it with a snap, opting instead to pick up two of the three suitcases in the foyer. “I’ll start loading the car while you wait for your brother.” He headed for the door but paused, turning to face her. Taking her in from head to toe with a lingering look, he gave a curt nod. “You look great, by the way.”
    He had set her up with a stylist at the chic Cirque salon the day before, and she’d gotten the full treatment. The girls over there were truly a coven of fairy godmothers, and when she’d walked out, she felt like a movie star. Now, his offhand compliment sent a warm thrill through her that she refused to examine. He walked out just as Mal jogged lightly up the steps onto the porch.
    “Hey, there, sis.” His greeting was aimed at her, but his hard gaze was locked on her employer. “You must be Phipps.”
    “I am.”
    “I’m Mal, Lindy’s very protective younger brother.”
    A shark-like grin split Owen’s face. He had a good couple inches and thirty pounds of solid muscle on her rangy brother and clearly felt he knew how to use it. Still, his response was polite, considering Mal was the second Knight in a week to all but accuse