trace of Stan was gone. There was the odd family photograph here and there, but he didn’t begrudge Olivia that.
Hoping she was asleep, he sneaked into the kitchen as quietly as possible. But the instant the floor creaked, Olivia called his name.
“Hi, honey,” he said.
Olivia marched into the kitchen like the third brigade, dressed in her thick fleece housecoat and fuzzy slippers. Her arms were crossed and she glared at him. “You turned off your cell phone.”
“I know…I’m sorry.”
“Not sorry enough.”
“I left a message for you,” he said, pleading his case. “There wasn’t anything I could do.” He explained the computer situation, repeating the message he’d left on their answering machine, and hoped she understood that he just couldn’t answer questions at the time.
She hesitated, and he could see her weaken. “Sometimes I wonder why we ever got married. I see less of you now than I did while we were dating.”
Sometimes Jack felt the same way. “It seems like that, doesn’t it?” He brought her into the circle of his arms. He loved the smell of her hair and breathed in the scent that was distinctly hers. “There are other advantages to being married, though,” he whispered, slipping his hand inside the front of her housecoat. To his delight she wasn’t wearing her long flannel nightgown, but the silk one that offered him easy access to her breasts.
“Jack, honestly,” she protested, but not too loudly.
“Come on, honey, I’m tired. Let’s go to bed.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Famished.” Her nipples were hard and he felt the stirrings of desire. Ten minutes ago he didn’t think he had enough energy to do more than undress and fall into bed. But now…Well, Olivia had that kind of effect on him.
“I can warm up dinner in the microwave.”
He nuzzled her neck. “I ate on the way home,” he whispered as he brought his mouth to hers. The kiss was long and deep.
Olivia was the one who broke it off. “Jack Griffin, what did you have for dinner?”
“Ah…”
She pulled away from him, shaking her head in disgust.
“Come on, honey.”
“Don’t ‘honey’ me. Don’t you realize what you’re doing?”
“I was hungry and a cheeseburger sounded so good.”
She wouldn’t look at him.
Jack eased her back into his arms. “I have an idea that might wipe out all the evil traces of that sinful dinner.”
“What?”
He slid his hands back inside her warm housecoat, weighing the bounty of her breasts in his palms. It didn’t take much for his desire to be rekindled. “Can’t you guess? I think a little exercise might do wonders for me.”
Her eyes were closed and she let out a soft sigh in response.
“You’re always telling me how good exercise is.”
“That’s true,” she agreed. “But I thought you were tired.”
“I was,” he admitted, his voice sinking to a murmur as he led her toward their bedroom.
“Oh, Jack,” she whispered, climbing onto the bed. “I was so angry with you this evening, and now look at me. I’m like…like mush in your arms.”
This was why he loved her so much: She was as vulnerable to him as he was to her. Kneeling on the bed in front of her, Jack peeled off her nightgown and gloried in the sheen of her bare skin in the room’s faint light.
He was ready for her, painfully ready, as he stripped off his pants and let them drop to the floor. He doubted Olivia would object if he didn’t hang them up tonight.
Eight
“Let me look at you,” Corrie McAfee said as Linnette headed toward the front door of the house on Harbor Street, ready to leave for her dinner date with Cal Washburn. She’d stayed with her parents for the last few nights.
“Mom,” Linnette protested. It wasn’t as if she cared whether or not she made a good impression on this blind date. The fact that she was stuck going out with Cal was irritating enough without having to withstand her mother’s scrutiny.
Corrie stepped back to inspect her daughter’s appearance and smiled approvingly. Then, apparently noticing a speck of lint, Corrie brushed it away from Linnette’s shoulder. “You look lovely.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Linnette hadn’t gone to any effort. The long black suede skirt and white sweater weren’t new. The knee-high boots were from last year and her jewelry was a simple locket and gold earrings. She was presentable, and that was good enough. The last thing she wanted to do was impress this cowpoke.
Her intention was to fulfill her obligation and, if possible, enjoy the meal. If Cal asked her out again, she’d simply have to explain that she needed time to settle into her new home. In other words, she’d contact him when and if she was interested. She didn’t want to lead him on; as far as she was concerned, this was one date and one date only.
“Have a wonderful time,” her mother said.
“Mom, don’t!” Linnette groaned. “I hate it when you look at me like that.”
“Like what?” Her mother frowned, her expression completely baffled.
“You have all these expectations about me and Cal, and it’s so unfair.”
“What is?” Roy asked, walking into the living room where the two women stood.
“Both of you,” Linnette cried.
“Hey, what did I do?” Roy asked, glancing at Corrie.
Linnette gestured at them. “It’s like you’ve got me married to…to some man I haven’t even met. Is it any wonder I don’t want to go on this stupid date?”
Her father reached for The Cedar Cove Chronicle and shrugged. “Then don’t go.”
Corrie gasped. “I paid good money for this dinner. I want you to go out with him at least once. It would be rude to phone at the last minute and cancel.”
Linnette had thought of that herself. As much as she wanted out of this, she refused to be unkind about it. But now that she had her parents’ attention, there was another matter she needed to bring up.
“I want to know more about those postcards you’ve been receiving.”
Her father’s eyes narrowed accusingly on her mother.
Before he could blame Corrie for betraying
