Page 11 of The Bride's Desire

Her stomach cramped suddenly. Glancing at the clock on the microwave, she noticed it was lunchtime, and she hadn’t had breakfast. She made herself a sandwich and took bites between folding clothes and making lists.

When she had finished a load of his laundry, she grabbed some cleaners and went to his room. She stripped the bed and remade it with sheets she’d found in a hall closet. She put away his clothes in a huge walk-in closet that had shelves for jeans and t-shirts and big baskets for socks and underwear.

She wiped down all the furniture and vacuumed it with one she found in the same closet as the sheets.

In the bathroom, she scrubbed everything until it shined.

Back in the kitchen, she started a chicken she’d thawed, potatoes and carrots in a roaster at a lower temperature, and then went back to the laundry. In between loads, she cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom. She hadn’t tackled the inside of the cupboards or the pantry yet, but that would take a whole day, and she planned to start in the morning.

The sun started to set when she heard the back door open and slam shut as she was in the laundry room. She felt a shiver race up her spine when the heavy footfalls came toward her.

Naomi cringed, and then the breath whooshed out of herlungs when Mr. Dawson came around the corner.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to scare you, Honey.”

She patted her chest because it felt like her heart was about ready to jump out of her chest. “It’s all right. Really. I get jumpy in new places.”

He didn’t look convinced.

“What are you afraid of, Sweetheart?”

“I … nothing. You just startled me.”

“I see.” His eyes narrowed on her. “You’ll tell me the truth eventually.”

“How do you know I’m not now?”

“Because you’re a lousy liar.”

Damn. She couldn’t tell him the truth because she didn’t think he’d believe her, and she didn’t want him to ask other people about her.

“I … can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Are you in trouble?”

Naomi shook her head. “Not like you think. No harm will come to you.”

He studied her for another moment. “I’m going up to shower.”

“Dinner will be on the table when you come down.”

She watched him leave and hurried into the kitchen. She took the roaster out of the oven, put the chicken on a platter with the veggies around it, and then set it on the table. She grabbed a glass of milk and set it on the table. She’d had a plate and silverware ready for him.

She walked back into the laundry room to continue her work.

Chapter Seven

Joe walked into the back door and jerked to a stop. Everywhere he looked shined and sparkled. There were no dishes in the sink or on the counters, and the smell of something delicious made his stomach spasm in hunger.

When he heard a sound from the laundry room, he walked that way. The terror that crossed the small woman’s face raised massive red flags. Her face paled, and her body tightened in her fight-or-flight response to danger.

Her fear was beyond normal, telling him something had happened in her past, or she was afraid of someone presently. Either one made him furious and made his protective instincts roar to life.

“What are you afraid of, Sweetheart?”

“I … nothing. You just startled me.”

She got a little paler with every question he asked, and her hands trembled a little more, so he decided to stop asking. He nodded and walked away, determined to find out what was wrong one way or another.

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