A Husband In Her Eyes

by Karen Rose Smith

  A chaperone. That eased her mind a bit. Still…

  “I don’t know—”

  “I feel responsible for you, since you came here to accept a job I’m offering. I’m just glad I had my calls forwarded from my office or I wouldn’t have gotten yours.”

  She thought about a drive back to Santa Rosa. She thought about her early appointment with Zack. She thought about her purpose for being here in the first place. What better way to find some answers than to stay under his roof?

  Glancing at the broken window and at the glass on the floor, she realized she was still shaken by the whole incident. “Your offer’s very kind. I don’t know if the police will want to talk to me again, but—”

  “Sit tight. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes to pick you up.”

  “Oh, but you don’t have to—” Then she heard a click and realized that Zack had already hung up. He was a man of action, and apparently once he got an idea into his head, nothing changed his course.

  By the time Melanie spoke to the policeman again and repacked the few things that she’d unpacked, Zack pulled into the parking lot in a shiny, black SUV. He climbed out, saw her outside her motel room door and strode toward her. Casually dressed now in a tan, collarless knit shirt, his shoulders looked even broader than they had in his white shirt. His blue jeans fit like a pair of jeans should, and Melanie couldn’t believe the direction of her thoughts in the midst of the situation she was in.

  There had been an attraction between her and Phil—enough to make that part of their marriage satisfying. But Phil’s devil-may-care attitude toward life had interfered with that sometimes, too. There hadn’t been a passionate intensity, and sometimes she felt that Phil didn’t care whether he made love with her or not. She was still so furious at him sometimes for being so careless, for not remembering to unplug the Christmas tree lights….

  Thoughts of her husband fled as Zack moved in front of her. He greeted the burly policeman standing beside her, then studied her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  She nodded and introduced him to the officer.

  “Can she leave now?” Zack asked him.

  “She sure can. She’s a tough little lady. Many women I know would have become hysterical at what happened here.”

  “That wouldn’t have done any good,” Melanie murmured, embarrassed.

  “Is your luggage still in your room?” Zack asked. “I’ll put it in the car.”

  The officer moved away then, toward the manager of the motel who was standing by one of the cruisers.

  Melanie looked up at Zack. “Mr. Morgan, I can get my own luggage and drive myself to your headquarters. You didn’t have to drive all the way out here.”

  “It’s Zack,” he said. “I don’t think you should drive after what happened.”

  She’d been shaken by the six-pack soaring through the window and by a return of memories she couldn’t forget. Now she was steadier. “I’m going to need my car tomorrow. I don’t want to inconvenience you any more than I have. There’s absolutely no reason why I shouldn’t drive myself.”

  Zack remembered how upset Sherry had been the night of their argument…the night of her accident. He should have kept her from driving away. But he hadn’t. Maybe that’s why he’d raced out here. If Melanie was upset, he didn’t want her driving. Yet she didn’t look upset. She looked perfectly calm, and he realized she had an independent streak like Sherry’s. Except Sherry’s independence had sometimes been based on selfishness. In fact, she’d been so selfish she’d wanted to abort their child. If she’d lived, he didn’t think he could have ever forgiven her for that.

  “All right,” he concluded, “you can follow me. But there’s no reason I shouldn’t at least take your luggage. Unless you’re afraid I’m going to drive away with it.”

  She laughed, and he was surprised at how satisfied he felt that he had brought a smile to her face. Then he picked up her suitcase and garment bag and carried them to his car.

  Less than a half hour later, Zack led Melanie toward the back entrance of the parking lot, put down his window and motioned her to follow him into the four-car garage. Once her car had pulled up next to his, he lowered the door with his remote, then met her at the elevator. She was carrying her laptop computer, and she looked tired.

  “Long day?” he asked, as the doors to the elevator slid open.

  “Just one with lots of…excitement,” she said with a small smile.

  “Uh-oh. I’m afraid you’re putting the job to decorate my offices in the same category as having a six-pack thrown through your motel room window.” He wanted to lighten her mood, and it was an odd feeling wanting to do that for somebody. He teased his daughter, of course, but with everyone else he’d been much too serious for a very long time.

  “You’d think I’d be old enough to expect life’s unexpected turns.”

  The doors slid shut and they were alone in the silent, dimly lit elevator. An intimacy seemed to surround them that came from the late night, the cocoonlike feeling of being in an elevator car, the knowledge that they’d be working closely together for a few months.

  “I’m not sure anyone gets used to that,” Zack said.

  She looked up at him then, and he saw a knowing in her eyes. But that was impossible. She couldn’t know he had gone through major unexpected turns in his life, too.

  When the elevator slid smoothly to a stop, the doors swished open and Zack led her across the hall to the penthouse. He took out his key and unlocked the door. “I told Flo she didn’t have to wait up for us.”

  Yet, when they stepped inside, lights were blazing in both the living room and kitchen, and he could immediately see why. His housekeeper sat at the kitchen table and his daughter was in the high chair with a sip-it cup.

  He set down Melanie’s luggage and went over to them, lifting Amy out of her chair. “What are you doing up?”

  Flo shook her head. “This one’s going to be a night owl like you. Five minutes after you left, she woke up and wanted to play. And you know I can’t stand to see her cry.”

  Flo could be firm with Amy when she had to be. But she also had a soft heart, and Amy knew just how to get to her. She knew how to get to him, too. Her little hands came up to his cheeks, and she said, “Da-dee,” with a smile that lit up everything about his life.

  He sensed that Melanie didn’t know whether she should come into the kitchen or wait for him in the living room. Trying to put her at ease, he asked, “Would you like something to drink or eat? Flo always has a jar full of cookies.”

  After only a slight hesitation, Melanie came farther into the kitchen and nodded at Flo. “I’m sorry I disrupted everyone’s night.”

  “Nonsense,” Flo said with a smile. “This isn’t the first night Amy’s decided she doesn’t want to sleep. Zack told me what happened at the motel. You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

  Melanie shook her head.

  Zack noticed that Melanie’s gaze kept shifting toward his daughter, and suddenly Amy leaned away from his arms and held her hands out to Melanie.

  “Is it all right if I hold her?” Melanie asked Zack.

  “Sure.” He was again surprised that his daughter had made a new friend so easily.

  When Melanie took Amy into her arms, the little girl snuggled on her shoulder and with a yawn, closed her eyes.

  “Well, doesn’t that beat all!” Flo said. “I’ve been trying to get her to do that for the last half hour.”

  Zack couldn’t take his gaze off Melanie and the expression on her face as she held his daughter. He noticed how she smoothed the hair over Amy’s ear. Her eyes were so full of emotion that he almost felt as if he were intruding on a private moment. That was ridiculous.

  Five minutes later, after Flo took Amy to her room, Zack led Melanie to the guest bedroom and realized it looked very sparse. He hadn’t hired a decorator to furnish the penthouse. He’d simply gone to a furniture store, picked out groupings and what he thought he needed. This bedroom had n
o window coverings since privacy wasn’t an issue. It also didn’t have any area rugs on the bare wood floor. The distressed pine furniture was big and bulky, and Melanie looked fragile and delicate in the surroundings. She’d already proved she wasn’t either.

  Setting down her luggage, he commented, “The offices are my main priority but if you have some time, maybe you could warm up the penthouse, too. I bought everything we thought we needed, but the furniture doesn’t fill it and something’s definitely missing.”

  Melanie put her computer on the long dresser. “I’d be glad to help you with the penthouse.”

  “Even Amy’s room can use livening up. When we moved here a few weeks ago, I left behind everything from her old room.” It had been good for him to leave the house where he’d lived with Sherry…where he wasn’t bumping into a memory in every room.

  “Did you like living in Santa Rosa?”

  She must have assumed he’d lived there since that’s where his old headquarters were located. “It’s a nice town, but after my wife died, I decided I needed a change, too. Living above my office will be convenient.”

  Knowing he should say good-night, he had the oddest reluctance to leave Melanie. He was curious to know more about her. He could still smell the lingering scent of her perfume. In her pale peach sweatsuit she looked warm and cuddly. The rise of her breasts under the soft knit shirt drew his gaze. The urge to hold her in his arms, kiss her and touch her was so strong he felt like a teenager again.

  But he was her employer and there was no room in his life for a woman. He put some distance between them. “Sometimes Amy wakes up crying in the middle of the night. Don’t be alarmed. Either Flo or I will take care of her.”

  “But you sleep in another wing?”

  “Yes. Next to my office. I have a monitor in my bedroom as well as in the office, so I know if she’s awake.”

  Melanie walked with him to the door, but he stopped when they reached it. “Don’t hesitate to ask if you need something. Flo told me she put out fresh towels for you. She usually has breakfast for us around eight. If you want to catch more sleep, don’t feel you have to join us.”

  “I’m an early riser. Once I’ve had that first cup of coffee, then I’m ready for the day.”

  Unbidden, Zack remembered that Sherry hadn’t been a morning person at all. She’d hated that 5:00 a.m. feeding with a passion. But then, he wasn’t sure exactly how much she had enjoyed their infant daughter. He’d hoped…

  His hopes didn’t matter anymore.

  After he stepped out into the hall, Melanie said, “Mr. Morgan, I want to—”

  “Zack,” he corrected her again quickly.

  “Zack,” she repeated softly. “Thanks again for rescuing me tonight.”

  Shaking his head, he grimaced. “Don’t confuse me with a white knight. They all fell off their horses decades ago. Get a good night’s sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  As Zack strode down the hall, he heard Melanie’s door close, and an idea took hold of him. He’d sleep on it.

  The next morning Zack sat in his office and underlined the number of the last reference on Melanie’s résumé. He’d hired Melanie because her professional reputation was sterling. Job applicants usually suggested references who would say good things about them. Yet if an employer asked the right questions, he could figure out how long the references had known the applicant and what they really felt. Melanie’s clients not only liked her work, they obviously liked her. But now Zack had an idea that could possibly help the work on his offices get finished faster.

  From everything he’d seen of Melanie, she was a decent, caring woman. He’d gotten the idea from her clients that when she took on their jobs she became more than their decorator—she became their friend. Still, a man couldn’t be too careful, and that’s why he wanted to talk to Melanie’s personal reference. He picked up his phone, hoping this final reference was an early riser.

  A few minutes later he was speaking to Barbara Adair, whom Melanie had listed as a friend.

  “How long have you and Melanie been friends?” Zack asked, after an introduction and a few preliminary questions.

  “Almost seven years,” Barbara responded. “We were neighbors.”

  Zack waited, but when she didn’t add anything else he prompted her. “I know Melanie had medical problems. Do you think they’ll interfere with her job performance?”

  “Absolutely not,” the woman returned vehemently. “Melanie has come through a difficult time with the kind of strength I wish I had.”

  Again Melanie’s friend didn’t go into specifics, but Zack could respect that. The admiring tone in Barbara Adair’s voice told him even more than her words. Still, he had one more important question that had nothing to do with coordinating wallpaper and fabrics. “Can you tell me how well Melanie relates to children?”

  There was a lengthy silence, and Zack supposed that was because the question seemed to come from left field. Then Barbara answered it. “She’s wonderful with children. I’ve trusted my two with her often. My daughters stayed with her a few evenings a week while I worked part-time. And my older daughter, who’s eight, prefers to go shopping with Melanie because she knows what’s cool.”

  Real affection filled Barbara’s voice, and Zack realized he had all the information he needed. After a few more cursory questions, along with thanks to Melanie’s friend for taking time to answer his inquiries, he hung up the phone.

  When he reached the kitchen, Amy was already in her high chair, and Flo was standing at the stove scrambling eggs. “Is Melanie up yet?” he asked his housekeeper.

  “She let me take my shower first so I could start breakfast.”

  “What do you think of her?”

  “I spent some time talking to her last night before we turned in. She seems very nice. Why?”

  “Because I’m thinking about inviting her to stay here. That way she can take her time finding an apartment. With her on-site, maybe she can avert disasters before they happen.”

  “I see. You want her here for purely practical reasons,” Flo said, her green eyes twinkling.

  “Of course. What other reason would there be?”

  “What other reason, indeed?” Flo muttered as she stirred the eggs. “The idea’s fine with me.”

  “If it’s too much extra work for you…”

  “Nonsense. Feeding one more is never extra work. My guess is she’ll be so involved with this project, I’ll see her about as much as I see you.”

  Flo had given him the “your life has to be more than work” lecture more than once.

  Just then, Melanie appeared in the doorway in a sky-blue pantsuit and flat shoes. “Good morning,” she said with a shy smile.

  There was a softness about her that he found so very appealing. He was used to dealing with harder-edged career women.

  “Good morning.” He went over to the coffeepot and quickly poured two mugs of coffee, remembering what she’d said about starting her day. He handed her one of them.

  “Thank you.” Her gaze locked to his, and he felt his heart starting to pound faster.

  Flo cleared her throat loudly. “Breakfast is ready.”

  When they were all seated and Amy was stuffing bits of scrambled egg into her mouth, Zack took a sip of his coffee and then set it down. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you, Melanie.”

  “About your project?”

  “About where you’re going to be staying.”

  She laid her fork beside her plate. “I thought I’d go to the chamber of commerce in Santa Rosa and see if they have any information on guest houses. Maybe over the weekend I can contact a real estate agent about finding an apartment.”

  Leaning back in his chair, he suggested casually, “It might be good not to rush into that until you know the area better. How would you like to stay here until you find something you really want?”

  Melanie’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked from him to Flo, and he guessed what sh
e was thinking. “Flo and I have already discussed this.”

  “I wouldn’t want to impose—”

  Flo waved her hand at Melanie. “It would be nice to have another adult around here to talk to.” She gave Zack a mock scowl.

  “What Flo is trying to say is that I’m hardly ever here. When I am, I’m either in my office or playing with Amy. This is really a selfish invitation on my part. I want my staff moved into these offices by January 2. You know how difficult it will be to get finished by then. If you’re on the premises and don’t have a morning and evening commute, you can consult with workmen anytime, and they can ask you questions since you’ll be available. We’ll avoid costly mistakes that way. What do you think?” He watched her carefully as she thought about it.

  “You might be right,” she finally decided. “The project would be easier for all of us. And I’d love to have some time to look around Santa Rosa and pick out an area where I’d like to live, without rushing into anything.” Melanie’s gaze fell on Amy.

  His daughter had been in the process of stuffing a bite of toast into her mouth. She stopped, stared back at Melanie, broke into a wide smile, then gave a happy little wave with her toast.

  “Amy can get pretty noisy at times,” he warned. “Will that bother you?”

  “No,” Melanie said softly. “Being around Amy will be a joy, not a bother.”

  From the way Melanie said it, Zack could tell she really meant it. “I’m glad that’s settled. Let’s finish breakfast, then we’ll go to my office and sign your contract.”

  As Zack picked up his fork to dig into his eggs, he told himself he’d done the best thing to keep this project on schedule and his life running smoothly.

  Sitting at her drafting table in Zack’s guest bedroom, Melanie heard squeals from Amy and couldn’t help taking off her glasses and putting her work aside. Her eyes still became tired sometimes. But she was so grateful to have her sight back.

  When she’d awakened in the hospital after the fire and explosion to find her eyes bandaged, Dr. Jordan Wilson had first told her her husband and little girl were dead. Before she could absorb that loss, he’d also gently informed her that her corneas had been damaged by shattered glass.