Summer Rose (3 page)

Her large eyes opened wider. “Does that mean I’m on a trial basis?”

He laughed. “No, you are not on a trial basis. The job is permanent for as long as you want it. I will expect you here bright and early at eight o’clock tomorrow morning.”

“What about your former assistant? Won’t she want her job back when she gets home from her honeymoon?”

“No. She’ll be moving to Raleigh where her new husband works, which means I need a permanent replacement, and that would be you”

“Well, then, I’ll see you tomorrow at eight.” She bathed him in a smile unlike any he’d seen from her so far. “I better be getting home.”

“Which is where?” He scanned the form she’d just filled out.

“I left that line blank because I’m still looking for a place. Until I find one, I’m staying at the motel out on Route 6.” She stood and began gathering up her things to leave.

“If you’re interested, the apartment over the garage is empty. I lived there while the carpenters built my house. You’re welcome to it if you want. It’s completely furnished, and all you’d need to move in right away are your clothes, food and some linens. It’s rent-free and comes with the job. Right now, I’m using it for storage, but if you’re willing to stick around for a couple of hours after work tomorrow, we can clean it out.”

Although the rent-free part fit right into her financial status, the idea of living so close to a man who could turn her knees to mush with a smile cast serious doubts on her decision. Not to mention that right now, letting a man into her life would not be the smartest move on her part.

“May I think about it?”

“Certainly. It’s been vacant for almost three years now. A few days more isn’t going to change that.”

“Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, eight o’clock,” he said and winked. Her stomach flipped.

Rose had almost reached the door when she recalled that she’d forgotten one very important thing. “Are there medical benefits with this job?”

In the act of punching the play button on the blinking answering machine, he paused thoughtfully. “Yes, of course.”

“Could I ask what they are?’

He walked to the gray filing cabinets, opened a drawer and rifled through a bunch of folders. “My assistant took care of these things. Let me see if I can . . . Yup, here it is.” He pulled a file from the drawer. “This explains everything.” He handed her a manila folder marked Health Insurance.

She sat again. Taking it with shaky fingers, Rose spread the folder open on her lap. Mentally intoning a silent prayer that she would find what she sought, she began leafing through the pages of the medical insurance policy. Holding her breath and knowing that this would mean whether or not she could accept this job and begin a new life, she carefully scanned each page.

It
had
to be here. She
needed
it to be here.

Finally, when the form she’d been searching for caught her eye, she heaved a sigh of relief. Rose read silently.

Maternity benefits take effect ten months after the initial date of employment.

Her heart sank. Not good news to a woman already two and a half months pregnant with twins.

Rose threw her purse on the motel room bed and collapsed heavily on the edge of the mattress. Sighing with exhaustion, she kicked off her shoes and lay back against the pillows, cursing herself for not being better about saving money before all this happened. The lumps pressing into her back reminded her that this motel did not offer the most posh accommodations. Unfortunately, she couldn’t afford anything better.

Lying back, she closed her eyes, knowing she had some critical decisions to make that couldn’t be put off. She had accepted a job and been offered a rent-free apartment close enough to the office to walk to work, but the job provided no maternity benefits that she could tap into to cover the birth of the twins. All but certain her supervisor had gotten Rose fired from her last job because of the pregnancy while claiming that Rose’s termination had been due to staff downsizing, Rose couldn’t take that chance this time with Hunter. The babies would remain her little secret for now.

If, when Rose had decided to be a surrogate for them, Beth and her husband had only taken out medical insurance on Rose and the babies instead of paying as they went, Rose wouldn’t be facing this dilemma now. But Beth and Patrick hadn’t been any better off financially than Rose, and it had taken every spare buck they had to pay the obstetrician.

Despite the lack of maternity benefits, the job did have its pluses. After holding the lion cub and feeding him, she’d lost all her trepidation about working with the animals and, in fact, she had decided that she’d probably enjoy it. Also, if she took the apartment over the garage, living so close to her job would mean she wouldn’t have to worry about getting her car fixed right away. Maybe not having maternity benefits didn’t signal the end of the world. Without the cost of car repair bills, gas to travel back and forth to work, and rent, she could save enough to cover a decent portion of her doctor and hospital expenses.

Thoughts of the apartment Hunter had offered her brought to mind her strong and unexpected reaction to the handsome vet. Could she do it? She already knew Hunter held an unexpected attraction for her, an attraction she didn’t need complicating her life. She had enough complications already. Would it be foolish for her to move into his apartment and put herself squarely in temptation’s way, or would it be more foolish for her to spend time looking for another job that she’d have to commute to with an unreliable car and an apartment that would require the added expense of paying rent?

She rolled to her stomach, rested her chin on her hands and frowned thoughtfully. Logic told her to take the job and the apartment. It only made sense. After all, a grown woman should be able to control her emotions for eight hours out of every day. Shouldn’t she?

She sat up. One of the lumps in the mattress bore into her leg, adding one more reason to her list of reasons for taking Hunter’s apartment and the job. Punching the lump down with her balled-up fist, she dreamed of a night’s sleep on a bed that didn’t feel like Mount Rushmore’s rock dump.

Being picky had never been one of her personality traits, but right now, her health had to come before everything else, and getting a solid eight hours of sleep played a major role in keeping her fit for the next six and a half months. She spread her hands over her flat stomach.

“You’re my responsibilities now,” she told the twin lives growing within her. “Your mom would want me to do what’s best for the two of you, and that’s what I intend to do.”

Rising from the bed, she hauled her suitcases from under it and went to the dresser. A few minutes later, she had all the clothes she’d brought with her packed in two suitcases, except a clean uniform and underwear for tomorrow and her nightclothes. She would move into Hunter’s apartment and make it her mission to keep her emotions under control. As for the medical bills . . . though she hated having to resort to it, Medicaid would cover them if need be.

A wave of happiness and relief washed over her. She had a job, a roof over her head and a plan to cover her and the babies’ medical expenses. Her life was finally smoothing out and in her control.

From beside the suitcase, she picked up a framed photo of a lovely blonde woman and looked at it for a long time. Beth had been such a big part of Rose’s life that she had difficulty believing she would never see her best friend again.

“I miss you, but don’t worry, your babies will be okay.” And for the first time since the accident that had killed Beth and her husband, Rose almost believed it—almost.

The babies would eat well and be cared for. Right now she could promise no more. After all, when she’d agreed to be Beth’s surrogate, Rose had never imagined that she would be the one raising the children—not Beth. Had she known that, as much as she loved her foster sister, she would have never volunteered for the job of carrying Beth’s babies.

Rose knew that Beth would have been the perfect mother for the twins. Because she’d known a mother’s love and lost her mother to cancer at an early age, she’d always loved kids and wanted them with what almost amounted to desperation.

In Rose’s case, however, as a result of her mother’s lack of nurturing genes and her desertion of her only child, Rose had always been terrified that she’d follow in her mother’s footsteps and, as a result, had never planned on having children.

Putting down the picture, she moved to the mirror over the dresser and gazed at her reflection. Rose had been told over and over by one foster parent or another that she had inherited her mother’s hair, eyes and stature. How many times had she heard . . .
You’re
just like your mother
.

She had no idea how they knew or if they really did know. The indisputable fact remained that her mother had deserted her. That her mother didn’t have what it takes to raise a child. Rose had to wonder if her outward appearance had been all she’d inherited from the woman who had given birth to her.

Hunter sat at the receptionist’s desk
and sipped his second cup of morning coffee while he listened to the angry voice of George Collins emanating from the answering machine. When the
beep
interrupted George’s tirade about his son working around all those
dangerous wild animals
, Hunter sighed and hit the rewind button. He’d expected the call, but it still made him want to find George and shake some sense into him.

Hunter had Davy’s mother’s okay, and she was the parent with legal custody of the boy. But he had neither the time nor the patience for George this morning. Hunter felt . . . keyed up. As if he stood on the verge of a momentous happening in his life. Excitement swirled inside him. He felt edgy and unable to sit still.

He’d felt this way when, at age ten, he’d gotten his first bike for Christmas. A blizzard had kept him from riding it for three days. Each day the anticipation had grown greater and greater until he thought he’d burst.

But that was then, and this was now, and the anticipation he felt could not be appeased with a simple bike ride.

Then he heard the sound of gravel crunching beneath tires, then the cough and backfire of a car coming to a stop, and he knew the cause of his edginess. He’d been waiting for Rose’s arrival.

He shook his head, and then combed his fingers through his hair. Not a good sign. Not good at all. He needed an assistant, not a relationship. Relationships led to marriage and marriage led to children. If he caved to his emotions, his life would be altered forever. Lord, help him. He had steered clear of this ever since he left college.

Personal experience had made Hunter all too aware of the demands children put on a man’s life. After his parents’ deaths, he’d been forced into the role of the head of a household overrun by two younger Mackenzie siblings for over four years. He didn’t need or want his quiet life disrupted like that again.

Hold it, Mackenzie. She’s coming to work. Nothing more. You’re letting your imagination get the best of you. Just calm down and keep everything in perspective, and you’ll be fine.

The door opened, and the fact that Rose had put up her hair in a tight knot at the back of her head and donned sage green pants and a flowered smock top helped some. However, he could still feel the stirrings of a disturbingly strong attraction.

“Good morning.” Rose smiled, making Hunter wish she were bucktoothed and bald or something equally as unappealing.

“Morning.” He tore his gaze away and busied himself with his appointment book. “I don’t have any appointments until eleven, so that will give you time to feed Boomer and get acquainted with the office routine.” He grabbed a sheet of paper from a pad and began writing furiously. When he’d finished, he handed her the paper. “These are the instructions for preparing Boomer’s formula. Everything in the nursery is well marked so you shouldn’t have any problems. He’ll be fed at eight in the morning, twelve noon and four in the evening. For today, you can take the early feedings, and I’ll try doing the evening feeding, but I’d like you here just in case he won’t eat for me.”

Rose accepted the paper and looked at him questioningly. He didn’t blame her for looking a bit confused. He’d been babbling and couldn’t seem to stop himself.

“I’ll be here. I planned on starting to clean out the apartment you offered over the garage right after work.”

His head snapped up. “The garage?”

She frowned. “You did say I could live there, right?”

He shook away the cobwebs draped over his brain that prevented him from having a coherent thought. “Oh. Sure. Right. It’s still yours if you want it.”

“Thanks, and please, let me know if you change your mind about me paying rent.”

“I won’t change my mind. The apartment comes as a perk of the job. Besides, I want you close by.” He paused and began shifting his feet uncomfortably. “I mean . . .”

Before he could say more, she raised her hand to stop him. “Are you absolutely sure about the rent—”

Hunter frowned. “Look, it hasn’t been rented for three years. I haven’t missed the money, and I don’t expect to start just because I now have a tenant. You’ll take care of your own utilities. Other than that, it’s yours for as long as you want to live there.”

“I appreciate this. You won’t be sorry,” she added, laying her hand on his sleeve.

Hunter moved his arm away slowly, trying not to seem as though he were running for cover, even if he was. As for not being sorry, he’d invited her to live in his backyard . . . Only time would tell. If the way he felt when she’d touched him and smiled at him meant what he thought it did,
sorry
had already started tugging at his coattails.

The phone rang, and they both reached for it at the same time, their hands entwining on the receiver. He quickly pulled away.

She picked up the phone. “Good morning, Paws and Claws Animal Clinic. How may I help you?”

Hunter didn’t have to ask who it was. From the other side of the desk, he could hear George Collins demanding to know who he was speaking to. Casually, Hunter picked up Pansy, the orange, tiger-striped house cat, who had adopted Hunter a few days ago. He held the cat close, reminding himself that she needed to be spayed as soon as he had a free moment.

“This is Dr. Mackenzie’s new assistant, Rose Hamilton. How may I help you, Mr. Collins?”

Silence, while she listened. Hunter could no longer hear the mayor’s ravings across the room. Rose had already worked her magic on the resident thorn in Hunter’s backside. Would she work it on him, too?

“Yes, sir. Yes, I understand. I’m afraid the doctor is busy . . .” She glanced at him and Pansy. “. . . with one of the animals right at the moment. I’ll give him your message.” She shrugged innocently at Hunter’s grin. “Yes, sir. No, I won’t forget. I’ve written it all down. Have a good day, sir.” She replaced the receiver. “He wants to speak to you about hiring Davy.”

“That’s the best end-run I’ve seen since I played high school football. Thanks. I should have known that hiring his son would have him up in arms and that I’d have to face him on it sooner or later. However, what I don’t need today is another go-round with our illustrious mayor.” He set Pansy down at his feet. “You better get Boomer fed before my scheduled patients start arriving.”

He smiled at Rose. She blinked several times, and then grabbed the paper with the recipe for Boomer’s formula written on it, and hurried out the door in the direction of the animal nursery.

Hunter watched her go and waited for his heartbeat to resume normalcy, then he bent over and stroked Pansy’s soft coat. “You know what, Pansy? This might be tougher than I first thought it would be.”

Later that evening,
Rose wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead, and then shifted a large box of Hunter’s belongings nearer to the pile that he had been moving from the apartment to store downstairs in the garage. She straightened for a second and looked around. Perfect.

The living room, dining room and kitchen were one big open area. And two smaller rooms would serve perfectly as bedrooms. All in all, the place wasn’t too big to care for, but not so small she felt cramped.

The furnishings, all leather and wood, reflected a man’s taste, but the addition of some bright-colored throw pillows and lacy curtains would give the room a more feminine appeal. A few plants on the tables and a couple of colorful area rugs on the bare wood floor and it would be a place where any woman would be happy to live.

More importantly, free rent aside, the smaller bedroom close to the main bedroom would be perfect for a nursery for the twins. Thoughts of the babies brought to mind the fact that she hadn’t told Hunter about her condition yet. Would he let her go when he found out? The last place she worked had, or at least, she was almost certain they had. It just appeared all too coincidental that shortly after she confided her condition to one of the other nurses, Rose’s supervisor had called her into her office and laid
her off. At least that’s how she had put it, but Rose wasn’t stupid. She’d been fired.

She knew she’d have to tell Hunter soon. After all, she wouldn’t be able to hide it forever. Hopefully, by then, she’d have proven her worth, and he’d keep her on, despite her pregnancy.