The Christmas Wife by Sherry Lewis

Author:Sherry Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2003-08-25T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

THE PHONE RANG promptly at six-thirty the next morning—before Beau’s eyes were completely open, before he had coffee on, and long before he was ready for trouble. He’d slept like a log after his late-night visit with Molly, and he had a feeling it was going to be a very good day. He’d much rather start by sneaking a few kisses before the kids woke up than talking to someone who thought six-thirty was an acceptable hour for phone calls, but kickoff was just twelve hours away and there were bound to be problems. Smitty might even be calling to tell him the Cessna was ready.

He rolled onto his side and picked up the phone a split second before his sleep-blurred eyes registered the name and number on the caller ID. Holding in a groan, he flopped onto his back and draped one arm across his eyes. “Hello, Doris.”

“You’re awake?”

Her voice was harsh and cold, but Beau tried not to respond in kind. “I am.”

“I realize it’s a bit early,” she said, “but I didn’t want to miss you. I looked for you at the parade.”

“We were there.”

“Not in our usual place or at the Chicken Inn afterward.”

He resisted the urge to explain and said only, “You’re right. Is that why you’re calling so early?”

“Not exactly. I heard something last night that upset me so much I barely slept a wink.”

Still groggy, Beau sat on the edge of his bed. “Let me guess—this thing you heard has something to do with me?”

“Eve called after the parade. You know what she told me.”

Beau stood, stretched and started toward the stairs. He kept his voice low so he wouldn’t wake the kids. “I have a pretty good idea what she told you, but Eve needs to mind her own damn business.”

“She’s concerned.”

“She’s trying to make trouble.”

“That’s not true. She sees smoke and she’s worried about fire.”

Beau wasn’t wide enough awake for this argument. “It’s nothing. She’s overreacting.”

“Is she? You’re over there with a woman who isn’t your wife. Parading all over town with her—and right in front of the kids. What on earth are you thinking? What’s gotten into you, letting some other woman stay in my daughter’s house with my grandchildren under the same roof?”

The fog of sleep evaporated by the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, and a slow anger began to burn. He pulled a fresh filter from the cupboard and scooped coffee from the can, hoping the everyday actions would help him hang on to his self-control. “There are a couple of things wrong with your argument, Doris. This isn’t your daughter’s house, and Molly isn’t in the house, she’s staying in the cabin. It’s all perfectly safe and harmless, and the kids aren’t being exposed to anything sinful.”

Doris snorted in disbelief. “Harmless? Please, Beau, you’re not exactly a naive young boy. You know how these things work. You’re there with this woman, making a spectacle of yourself and completely disregarding the children.”

“The kids,” he interrupted sharply, “are the only thing I think about.

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