The Troublesome Angel by Valerie Hansen

Author:Valerie Hansen
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781459203600
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2000-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Mark was pacing in front of the house when Gray pulled into the drive. He leaned out the car window. “Where’s Candace?”

“Still out shopping. She should be home in a couple of hours.” Mark leaned down to peer into the back seat of the BMW. “What’s going on? Why are you bringing the kid back so early? I had to leave a pile of work on my desk and cancel two meetings after you called.”

“Didn’t Mother tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Mark shrugged. “The last I heard, Melissa was at the folks’ place.”

“She was.” Reaching into the back seat, Gray undid the groggy little girl’s seat belt and lifted her gently out of the car. One of her thin arms wrapped around his neck.

Mark led the way toward the house. “Well, I guess you’d better bring her in. I don’t know what I’m going to do with her till Candace gets back. This adoption business was her idea. I don’t know a thing about kids.”

“They’re just like real people,” Gray said cynically. “You know, with feelings and needs. The usual.”

“Very funny.” Mark cast a disgusted glance over his shoulder. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

Gray’s hold on the child tightened protectively. “Remember the hidden closet under the stairs where you and I used to hide from our math tutor?”

“Vaguely. Why?”

“Because that’s where Missy went. Only the door stuck shut and she couldn’t get back out. If it hadn’t been for Stacy and her dog—”

Mark interrupted. “Wait just a second. Are you saying that Mother called Stacy?”

“Not a chance. I did. And she came right away, even though she’d been up all night and was dead tired.”

Following his brother through the house to a back bedroom, Gray laid Missy on her bed without waking her. As soon as he straightened he gestured toward the door. “Come on. You and I need to have a talk.”

He knew his brother wouldn’t argue. They’d established their pecking order early in life and only their sister, Rosalie, had ever challenged Gray’s authority. Now that she was living half a world away, there was no chance she’d intercede the way she used to. That gave Gray a distinct advantage; one he intended to press.

Leading Mark into the den Gray seated himself casually on the Moroccan leather sofa, his legs outstretched in a pose of utter confidence. He pointed to a nearby chair. “Sit.”

The younger man gave a nervous laugh. “You’ve been spending too much time hanging around Stacy. You’re starting to sound like a dog trainer.”

“I wish it were that easy to get through to you,” Gray said. “Are you going to sit down or do you intend to stand there all day?”

“I’ll sit. Mind if I smoke?”

“It’s bad for Missy.”

Mark laid the pack aside. “Okay. You’ve made your point.” His sigh was audible. “I never dreamed there’d be so many changes when we started a family.”

“I suppose it is harder when the child’s half-grown. But that doesn’t alter the fact that you have a personal responsibility for your daughter.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.