The Secret Wife

by Susan Mallery

  Once, Cole Stephenson had loved his young wife with a passion so hot it nearly burned itself out. But Elissa had saved him the trouble. Shaken by his intensity, she’d abandoned their marriage. To proud to pursue her, reluctant to divorce, for five years Cole secretly struggled to exorcise Elissa from his heart. But now she was back, driving him to sensual distraction as only his shy, virgin bride could. Loving Elissa had been heaven. Losing her had been hell. Could Cole survive a second chance at happiness?

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  BPA

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  “Before I offer you the job I want to make sure you understand that, salarywise, we’re talking about chicken feed.”

  Elissa Bedford glanced at the well-dressed older woman on the other side of the desk and laughed. “I noticed. Don’t worry, Millie. I didn’t apply because of the money. I’m a great admirer of what you’re trying to do here, and I would like to help.”

  Elissa glanced around the office. The small administration building was nearly seventy years old. Despite the worn linoleum flooring and walls badly in need of paint, the charm of the original architecture showed through in rounded corners and molded ceilings. Between beat-up filing cabinets, where one might have expected inexpensive prints of famous paintings, original art covered the white spaces. Not the kind of art one found in museums, but creative masterpieces that came from the heart. They ranged from indistinguishable scribbles done in crayon to talented pen-and-ink drawings. A parade of children’s contributions continuing a tradition that went back at least fifteen years.

  The pictures themselves were different from those she remembered, as were the names of the young artists. Still, the familiar display reminded her of the pleasant times she’d spent here all those years ago. Some things hadn’t changed. Had Cole?

  Millie English, the woman conducting the interview, followed Elissa’s gaze. “I see you’ve noticed our gallery. Those pictures are very special to us. They’re chosen to be displayed for a number of reasons.”

  “I remember,” Elissa said. “Talent has nothing to do with it. Having something put up on the office walls is a reward for good behavior, an improved grade or doing more than is expected.”

  Millie’s pale eyebrows rosé slightly. She glanced at the application in front of her. “You didn’t say you were a former resident, so I’m going to have to assume you’ve done your research.”

  “Not really.” Elissa leaned back in her chair. “My sisters and I used to visit the orphanage. It’s been a long time, but I always remembered the gallery. I thought it was a wonderful idea. I still do.”

  “It’s one of the reasons you want to help?”

  “Yes,” Elissa admitted, wondering if she was going to be forced to talk about all the others. Some of them were personal.

  Millie studied her. The fifty-something office manager wore a stylish dress that might be off-the-rack, but only from the kind of department store that used the word exclusive to describe its clientele. Elegantly coiffured white-blond hair framed an attractive, well-made-up face. Millie used her half glasses both for reading and as a prop. Right now she stared over them, her expression kind. Yet Elissa had the feeling Millie English didn’t suffer fools gladly.

  “You don’t know how tempted I am to pursue this line of questioning,” Millie said, and tossed her glasses onto the worn desk. “However, we’ve been looking for help for nearly a month and you’re only the second person to apply for the job.” Her mouth twisted into a frown. “The other person had never worked in an office before.”

  Elissa motioned to her application. “You’re welcome to call and check my references. I’ve had four years of experience in hospital administration. Although I enjoyed my work, I got tired of being tied up with paperwork. I want to work with people as well as computer keyboards. I thought this job would give me the chance to do both.”

  “You don’t have to convince me,” Millie said. “As I mentioned earlier, your salary includes room and board. You’ll have several nights a week off, but you will be expected to be on duty some evenings. The orphanage is situated far enough from town to give us the room and privacy we need, yet it’s close enough to be convenient for the schools. I think you’ll like the area.”

  “I already do.”

  “Well, Elissa Bedford, I’m formally offering you the job. Would you like a chance to think about it?”

  Elissa drew in a deep breath. As simple as that? Apparently Millie didn’t have to check with anyone before making a final decision. “I wanted the job when I applied, and I still do.”

  “Great. When can you start?”

  Before Elissa could answer the question, she heard footsteps in the outer office. Her throat tightened and the nervousness she’d been fighting returned full force.

  Millie smiled and rosé to her feet. “Ah, Cole’s back. Perfect timing. You can meet him. Now, don’t let him scare you off. He’s a little gruff and uncommunicative, but he’s a brilliant director. If he hadn’t stepped in to save the facility a couple of years ago, the Grace Orphanage would have gone under.” Millie eyed Elissa speculatively. “I suppose it would be too much to hope that you’re single.”

  “I’m—”

  Millie cut her off with a wave. “Forget I asked. Cole accuses me of wanting to run the world, and he’s right. I swear, the man hasn’t been on a date in over a year and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. It’s not my business and I have to work at not meddling. I have four children, so I’m used to telling people what to do.” She made an X on her chest. “I promise not to play matchmaker.”

  “I don’t think Mr. Stephenson is going to be interested in me that way,” Elissa said, knowing her comment qualified as the understatement of the year.

  “Don’t be so sure,” Millie told her. “In fact—” The door to Millie’s office opened. “Cole. We were just talking about you. Look, I’ve finally found someone to help around the office. Elissa Bedford, meet Cole Stephenson.”

  “We’ve met,” Elissa said, rising slowly to her feet.

  She forced herself to smile as she turned toward the man standing in the doorway. Her insides churned, her thighs trembled and she had a bad feeling he could see the panic in her face. But instead of running, she raised her chin slightly and met his hostile, disbelieving gaze.

  Dark eyes fixed on her. Dark eyes filled with stormy emotions. Despite the passage of time, he hadn’t changed much. Too bad. She was hoping to find him less appealing.

  He was as tall and broad as she remembered. Thick hair fell to the collar of his short-sleeved shirt. Individually his facial features were faintly exotic—wide eyes that tilted down at the outside corners, a straight, broad nose, high cheekbones, wide jaw, firm mouth. Together they created a dangerous package. One that, years before, had drawn and frightened her in equal measures. Telling herself she’d been young and foolish then didn’t lessen her reaction today. Despite all that had passed between them, despite the change in time and location, it was all she could do not to run toward him…or run for cover.

  “Elissa.”

  His deep voice raised goose bumps on her skin. She waited for the inevitable questions, braced herself for his anger, but they never came. He simply looked at her. Was he comparing the woman to th
e girl he’d once known, or had it been so long, he couldn’t remember much about her?

  “So you have met,” Millie said brightly. “How convenient.”

  Elissa spared the older woman a glance. There were enough undercurrents in the room that they were all at risk of drowning. Apparently Elissa was the only one to notice.

  “It’s been a while,” Cole said. He leaned against the door frame. “What, five years?”

  “Four years, eight months,” she replied automatically, then bit down on her lower lip. She wanted to kick herself. Could she have sounded less mature? He was going to think she hadn’t changed at all, and she had. Proving that was one of the reasons she was here.

  “Five years. My, you were very young.” Millie eyed them speculatively. “I’m sure the story is fascinating, but let’s leave that for another time. Cole, if you’ll excuse us, I want to show Elissa around the grounds and then let her get settled into her new quarters. You’ll have plenty of time to renew your acquaintance in the next few days.”

  “Not so fast,” he commanded.

  Elissa hadn’t known she’d been holding her breath until she let it out. Her sisters had warned her the plan wasn’t going to work. After all this time, Cole would hardly welcome her with open arms. But what other choice did she have? She needed answers and he was the only one who had them. The job had been a perfect way in. Looked as if she was going to have to fall back to plan B…just as soon as she figured out what plan B was.

  Millie walked around the desk and paused in front of Cole. “Don’t you start anything,” she said, poking his chest with each word. “We need help in this office and Elissa is the only decent applicant we’ve had in a month. I’ve been putting in extra hours, but I can’t keep doing that indefinitely. If you’re going to get all macho on me, then I’m out of here.”

  Cole straightened. “What does that mean?”

  Millie didn’t seem affected by his obvious irritation. She folded her arms over her chest. “Unless you can give me one good reason why Elissa shouldn’t work here, I’ve already hired her. As the director, you can order me not to do that, but I’m warning you, if she goes, I go.”

  That got everyone’s attention. “Millie, you don’t have to do this for me,” Elissa said quickly, wondering why the other woman was putting herself on the line.

  “I’m not doing it for you,” Millie told her, never taking her gaze off Cole. “And he knows it. What’s it going to be?”

  “You want one good reason why she shouldn’t work here?” Cole asked.

  “That’s all.”

  He looked at Elissa. “You want to tell her, or should I?”

  Elissa didn’t know what to say. If Cole wanted to accuse her of something, there was nothing she could do to stop him.

  “I’ll do it, then,” he said, returning his attention to Millie. “Elissa can’t stay because she’s my wife.”

  * * *

  Millie deserved a lot of credit, Cole thought when his office manager didn’t even blink. He didn’t know if it was raising four kids, running her own business, or routinely entertaining groups of a hundred, but she was known for remaining unflappable. Just once he would like to see her speechless. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the moment.

  “Why should that matter? After all, aren’t you the one always telling me your personal life is none of my business?” she asked without missing a beat. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to start the tour.”

  Cole didn’t move, and Millie couldn’t get around him to get out of the office. She glared, but he still refused to budge.

  “I wasn’t kidding,” she said. “I give you and the kids as much as I can, but I’m about burned out here. We both know you can’t manage this place without me.”

  “Why her?” he asked, wondering how much longer he would be able to pretend to ignore Elissa. Not looking at her didn’t help. He sensed her, as if some homing beacon inside him had come to life as soon as she’d reentered his life.

  “There’s no one else here to hire,” Millie said and glanced around the room. “At least give it a try. Three months.”

  After nearly five years of silence, Elissa walked back into his life. No explanation, nothing. And the one person who kept the orphanage running insisted he hire her. Even more amazing, he was considering it.

  What the hell was wrong with him?

  “Cole, it’s not what you think,” Elissa said.

  He couldn’t avoid looking at her forever. Her voice drew him. Impressions formed. Gold-blond hair sitting high on her head. A few curls teasing her neck. Green eyes, pale skin, a wide mouth, usually smiling but now quivering at the corners. A soft white dress hiding curves. Curves he would recognize even after a lifetime of being away from her.

  “Why are you here?” he asked. “If you need a job so badly, you could have found one in Los Angeles.”

  She stiffened. Did she know he’d kept track of her, or would she assume he was guessing? Of course he knew where she’d been living and working all these years. It was his job to know. She was his wife—or she had been once. Back before she’d left him.

  “I want this one,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “It doesn’t matter why,” Millie said. “I meant what I said, Cole. Decide. Give her a three-month trial. If she doesn’t work out, we’ll hire someone else. Assuming we can find anyone.”

  Millie was perfectly capable of following through on her threat to leave. In the past several months she’d worked nearly double her regular hours. Offering overtime or other incentives wasn’t an option. Not only was the budget already stretched to breaking, Millie had always refused to accept a salary. Her presence at the orphanage was on a volunteer basis.

  “You win.” He moved into the room. “Three months.” He fixed his gaze on Millie, but his words were for Elissa. “But if she makes one mistake, breaks one rule, she’s out of here.”

  “Agreed,” Millie said. “Come on, Elissa, let me show you around.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Cole told his assistant. “It’s getting late. Why don’t you head out and I’ll show Elissa to her quarters?”

  Millie’s gaze narrowed. “Can you be trusted?”

  “No,” he said curtly. “But I won’t hurt her.”

  “Or fire her?”

  “That either.”

  At least not until he found out why she was back.

  Millie turned to Elissa. “Is this all right with you? I’d insist on showing you around myself but I have a committee meeting for the art auction and—” She glanced at her watch, then shook her head. “He’s really not so bad once you get to know him.” She laughed. “Look who I’m telling. Of course you know that. Okay, kids, have fun. I’ll be back tomorrow at the regular time.”

  She returned to her desk, pulled out a drawer and picked up a small handbag. “The application is filled out. We can do all those pesky government forms in the morning. Night.”

  With that, she sailed out of the room. Elissa looked a little shell-shocked. Cole was more used to Millie’s ways. He knew when Millie was actually running late and when she was ducking out to avoid trouble. It wasn’t tough to guess which she was doing this afternoon. He couldn’t blame her. If he had an excuse, he would cut out, too.

  “Have a seat,” he said when they were alone.

  As Elissa sank into the visitor’s chair, he settled on a corner of the desk and stared at her. Stunned didn’t begin to describe what he felt right now. His whole world had shifted, as if gravity had suddenly started working the other way, making things adhere to the ceiling instead of the floor.

  He searched his heart, probing at emotions, trying to figure out what he was feeling. There was anger, a little disbelief, equal measures of desire for Elissa and disgust with himself. Maybe when the shock wore off he would feel more. Right now the dominant emotion was curiosity. Why had she come back? What did she want?

  He answered that question himself, not wanting to think it was the truth, but
knowing it must be. They could avoid the issue for days, or he could bring it out in the open right now.

  “Are you here about a divorce?” he asked, telling himself he didn’t care about the answer.

  Her eyes widened. “No. I really just wanted the job.”

  The relief was instant, and annoying. He ignored it. “I don’t believe you.”

  “That’s okay. You don’t have to.” Her gaze slid away from his. “Do you want a divorce?”

  Yes, his mind answered forcefully. Of course he did. They’d continued their farce of a marriage for far too long. It didn’t make sense to stay connected legally when there was nothing between them emotionally or physically.

  “That’s not the point.” He waited for her to call him on his evasive answer, but she didn’t. Instead she studied the toes of her shoes as if they were fascinating. Her fingers twisted together on her lap and she shifted in her seat. Thank God he wasn’t the only one feeling uneasy.

  “You need to tell me—”

  “I just wanted—”

  They spoke at the same time. “Go ahead,” he said.

  She nodded. A loose curl jumped with the movement, caressing the back of her bare neck. Without wanting to, he remembered the feel of her skin against his fingers and his mouth. He recalled the taste of her, sweet and cool on the surface, hot and tempting just below.

  Long-checked passion roared to life, searing him, leaving him nearly doubled over in pain and angling away from her so that she wouldn’t see the instantaneous physical manifestation.

  “I just want to let you know I didn’t come here to cause trouble,” she assured him, her voice low and quiet. “It’s been a long time, Cole. Once, we meant something to each other. Now you ask me if I want a divorce and I can honestly answer that I don’t know. I suppose I’m looking for closure. I thought spending some time together would allow me to do that.”

  She glanced up at him. Sincerity darkened her eyes to the color of summer grass. He didn’t want to believe a word she said, yet she’d never been much of a liar. “There have been some changes in my life,” she continued. “I don’t want to work in an office forever. I’ve been thinking about going back to college and finishing my degree. Working here for a few months gives me the best of both worlds. I can get involved with some work that really makes a difference, and I have a chance to regroup.”