Sweet Nothings by Anderson Catherine

Author:Anderson, Catherine [Anderson, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

She didn't answer when he knocked on the cabin door. He knocked again. Again no answer. Since he figured he couldn't screw up any worse than he had already, Jake walked right in.

"Molly?"

He heard a gasp and a rush of movement in the bedroom. Clenching his teeth, he tossed her parka on the couch and made a beeline for the open doorway. She stood before the closet, holding the red sweater to her chest. He'd caught her changing.

Jake almost turned away. Instead he bent his head and stared at the floor. "Can you slip that sweater back on so we can talk?"

"There's nothing that needs saying. Give me a minute. I'll be right out."

"There's a lot that needs saying."

Jake lifted his gaze. The wad of red knit pressed to her breasts brought out the flawlessness of her skin. Her short-cropped curls shone in the overhead light Uke molten brass. And her eyes—oh, God—those eyes. They were dark with shadows that he knew he'd put there. Ever since meeting her, he had reviled Rodney. Now who was the bastard?

"I owe you an apology," he said hoarsely. "You look beautiful in that outfit, Molly, and I need my butt kicked for making you think otherwise."

She dipped her chin. The way her fingertips caressed the soft knit told Jake how very important the sweater was to her. He recalled telling her once that marriage to him wouldn't be a prison, that he'd never dream of infringing on her personal rights.

If choosing her clothing wasn't a personal right, what the hell was?

"Ah, Molly, sweetheart, I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I'm afraid you don't understand." She met his gaze again. "I'm changing into something else for one reason and only one reason, because you're my employer and I'm still on shift." Her quivering chin came up. "In my free time, I'll dress however I like." She clutched the sweater more tightly to her chest. "If you don't approve, that's your problem."

Looking into her eyes, Jake realized that he'd misread her. That wasn't only hurt there but a strong dose of anger as well. He wanted to smile. Her outrage was a very good sign, and it told him more than she could possibly know, namely that she was finally starting to heal and find herself again.

"I see," he said carefully.

"No, you don't, and you probably never will. How could you?" Her larynx bobbed as she struggled to swallow. "No one's ever owned you."

Jake's heart caught at her choice of words. Was that really what her marriage had been like?

"Before my divorce, I couldn't even vote the way I wanted," she rushed to add. "Not unless I was prepared to lie about it afterward, and as I'm sure you've noticed, I'm a rotten liar. If Rodney found out I'd gone against him, he made my life hell for days, sometimes weeks, depending upon the seriousness of my transgression."

"Oh, Molly," he whispered.

"You have no idea what that was like," she continued in a taut, tremulous voice. "No idea at all.

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