Temporary Fiancée (13 page)

“She told me she was. She’s taking pills. She’s miserable about being separated from her husband. Really miserable.”

“Why didn’t she say something to me? I thought she wanted the divorce. I didn’t know she was that unhappy about it.” He sounded bewildered and hurt.

Haley rolled her eyes.
Please God, give me strength
. The man was an emotional ping-pong ball. One moment he was a chauvinist dictator she could easily club over the head, and the next moment he was just a confused man in need of advice. Maybe she was the one who needed psychiatric help. Whatever, she refused to feel sorry for him.

“If you’re through with your tantrum, I think I’ll get my stuff and call a taxi.” She turned from him and moved toward the hall stairway.

“Wait a minute, I thought you were staying here. What about the contracts?”

She gritted her teeth but didn’t turn around. “The contracts are done and waiting for your signature. I need something to wear tonight, so I’m going to my apartment to change. Liz can pick me up there.”

“Taxi’s are expensive. You can take the Porsche and then bring your stuff back with you.”

She whirled around, her eyes wide and shining. “You’re kidding! You’d actually let me drive your precious car?”

“You have to be very careful with it,” he said slowly, as if the words were being dragged out of his mouth. “You can’t park it close to other cars. I don’t want the doors to get dinged.”

Haley shook her head. “I don’t think so. If you’re being generous, maybe I could borrow the Beamer. Then you’ll be able to relax while we’re gone.”

“The BMW has an oil leak. I noticed it when I went to the doctor’s this afternoon. My mechanic’s suppose to pick it up later this afternoon, so it’s the Porsche or a cab. Not only is a taxi expensive, but it will be a pain to cart your clothes and things back and forth all the time.”

Her eyes flashed to his. “Why should I bring stuff back?”

“It’ll be more efficient if you stay here. I’d like to get an early start tomorrow, and I don’t want to wait for you to commute from downtown.”

She let out a huge sigh, propping her hands on her hips. “Do you promise not to strong-arm your sister about going out tonight?”

He nodded, a wry smile crossing his face. “You may not believe this, Haley, but I love my sister. I want her to be happy.”

“Good. She’ll be happy if she goes out with me tonight and you babysit. Why don’t you call her and offer.”

He threw up his hands in mock surrender. “All right, I’ll call her. Go ahead and take the car to get your things.”

She shrugged. “Thanks for the offer. It will be a lot faster that way.” With a sly glance in his direction she added. “I’ve never driven a Porsche before. Where are the keys?”

“You have driven a stick shift, right?” His face turned a sickly white as he tossed the Porsche’s keys in her direction.

Grinning, she caught the keys neatly with one hand. “Sure I have. Once,” she said with a jaunty wave of her hand. “Tell Liz—ah—Elizabeth I’ll be back by six-thirty. We have to leave at seven.”

As Haley headed out the front door, Rand debated asking where they were going but knew he was already on thin ice. He’d ask Elizabeth. He felt like a Class A jerk warning Haley to stay away from his sister. He didn’t actually consider her a bad influence, but her whole attitude was dangerous to his peaceful existence. She was chaos personified. Still, for some reason, he couldn’t let her go. He’d never vacillated in business or in personal relationships before he’d met Haley. His rational mind had always directed his body, now he feared it was the other way around. He had planned to send her packing, yet when given the chance, he’d practically ordered her to stay.

They couldn’t have even one conversation without this sexual buzz simmering between them. Haley was infiltrating his life and his family—a dangerous Miss Fix-It, naively thinking she could solve everyone’s problems. He’d be wise to keep an eye on her. Satisfied that he had now a rational reason for keeping Haley close, he limped to the phone to call his sister.

Chapter Ten

Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open when Haley picked her up in Rand’s black Porsche. “He never lets anyone drive his car. Are you sure you’re not really engaged?”

“Positive. This is a guilt offering.” Haley chuckled then nodded approvingly at Liz’s red mini-skirt and black silk crop top.

“That’s a great outfit, but your hair needs to be a little more dramatic, and your make-up is too subtle. Do you have any bright red lipstick?”

Liz shuddered. “I’ll look like a street walker.”

“You’re not going to a PTA meeting, honey. We’re going out on the town. You want men to look at you.” She laughed at Liz’s expression. “All right, so there’ll likely only be women at this show. You still want to feel sexy.”

Liz gave in. “You’re right. I’m changing my image as of right now.” She handed Haley a hair pick. “Spike it, pouf it, whatever you want to do is good with me, oh makeover maven.” They both laughed, but the results were striking and sexy as hell.

The Chippendale performance was boisterous and fun. Haley and Elizabeth screamed and yelled along with all the other women encouraging the gorgeous hunks to “Take it all off!”

Haley nearly fell off her seat laughing when the very reserved Elizabeth stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled. After the concert, exiting the Boise Center was more difficult than entering. As their car merged with the other vehicles leaving the parking lot, Haley was struck with an inspiration that Elizabeth’s husband needed to see her as she was right now. With mental apologies to Rand, she unobtrusively pulled on the emergency brake. Ten minutes later, while they were still caught in the stop and go traffic, the car began to smoke, and within seconds, the smell of burning rubber permeated the vehicle.

“Uh-oh,” Haley murmured, “something’s wrong with the car.” She deliberately worked her way out of traffic and over to the curb where she cut the engine. Inside the car the smell was overpowering. Black vapors poured from beneath the hood.

Haley glanced at Elizabeth, who was staring in horrified fascination at the billowing smoke. “Do you know anything about cars?” When her friend shook her head, Haley attempted to look serious. “I don’t think we should drive it. We may kill it permanently, and then Rand would have to kill us.”

Elizabeth was biting her under lip. “What do you think we should do, call a cab or call Rand?”

“What about Craig?”

Elizabeth looked startled. “I don’t know. It’ll probably be better if we call Rand.”

“Rand has Carrie, and he’ll have to drag her out of bed,” Haley said reasonably.

“But Craig may not be home either.”

“Okay. We’ll call Rand, but there’s no sense getting Carrie up if it’s not necessary.”

Giving in, Elizabeth dialed Craig’s number on her cell phone. Haley felt a quiver of anxiety. This had better work, or she was going to be in big trouble for ruining the Porsche’s brakes for nothing.

Although obviously surprised by the call, Craig agreed to pick them up in a few minutes and take them home. While they were waiting, Elizabeth attempted to bring some order to her hair and dug in her purse for a tissue to wipe off the make up.

“Leave it,” Haley ordered, using the pick to make Elizabeth’s hair even wilder. “He thinks you’re vanilla ice cream. Let him see you looking like burnt almond fudge for a change.”

Elizabeth chuckled. “Where do you come up with these outrageous metaphors?”

“It’s my Oklahoma heritage.” Haley grinned back at her. “You look dynamite, Liz. I’ll bet you five bucks Craig begins salivating when he sees you.”

She was right. Elizabeth’s husband, a slim, good-looking man with a slightly receding hairline, dressed in khaki shorts and a navy t-shirt, appeared dumbfounded as his wife emerged from Rand’s car with Haley in tow and walked over to his vehicle. He scrambled out of the driver’s side of his Ford Taurus and raced to open the passenger’s door. He never took his eyes off his wife. As Haley settled in the back, Elizabeth snuggled down in the bucket seat in front.

When Craig made it back to the driver’s seat, he was still staring at his wife. “Elizabeth, you—ah—.” He cleared his throat. “You look different.”

Haley crossed her fingers and hoped Elizabeth would make the most of this opportunity. She relaxed as Elizabeth tilted her head and glanced sideways at Craig. “I’m so glad you came to pick us up, honey. We were stranded.” Elizabeth’s voice sounded husky and very sexy.

Craig ran his hand around the collar of his shirt. “Ah, where’d you go, dressed like that?”

Elizabeth’s low throaty chuckle had Craig squirming in his seat. Haley settled back to enjoy the show. Elizabeth wasn’t in need of any coaching.

“We went to see the Chippendales. They were great.”

Craig glanced at her again. “Since when are you turned on by half-naked men?”

His tone was sarcastic, and for a moment Haley panicked.
Uh-oh. He’s going to push her back into her shell
. But Elizabeth came through like a trooper.

Through the split between the seats, Haley saw her lay her hand on Craig’s knee. In a breathy whisper, she said, “I’ve always been turned on by one half-naked man; I just didn’t know how to show it.”

In the mirror, Haley saw Craig clench his jaw. She held her breath. This was it. It either worked here, or it wouldn’t work at all.

In a convulsive movement, Craig took one hand off the steering wheel and laid it over Elizabeth’s hand, squeezing hard. “I’ve missed you so damn much,” he whispered.

With tears on her cheeks, Elizabeth leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek. “Not nearly as much as I missed you.”

Haley felt like a voyeur. These guys needed to be alone. She cleared her throat, and Elizabeth threw her an embarrassed glance.

“I’m sure Rand can keep Carrie over night if you two want to go somewhere and…” she paused, “talk things over.” Haley tried stifling her laughter at the enthusiastic agreement from the front seat.

After dropping her off in front of Rand’s house, Craig’s car raced out of the driveway so quickly, Haley knew they were heading straight to bed. Sighing, she let herself into the house with the key Rand had given her earlier. As she headed up the stairs, she heard the low hum of the television from Rand’s bedroom. She peeked through the open door and grinned at the sight of him sprawled sound asleep in the middle of his bed. Carrie sat Indian style next to him watching the Letterman show.

Beckoning the child to the door, she whispered that her parents said she could spend the night, and they’d pick her up in the morning.

“Daddy and Mommy?”

“Yes. They need to talk things over, so I said you could spend the night with Uncle Rand and me.”

The child’s face lit up like a beacon. “Do you think Daddy will come back and live with us?”

Haley grinned and nodded. “Could be. I think that’s what they’re going to talk about.”

Exuberantly, Carrie twirled up the hallway and then skipped back to Haley. “I can sleep in the green room, but I’ll have to sleep in my clothes.”

“You can wear one of my shirts if you want,” Haley offered, following the chattering child into the room with the dark green drapes and bedspread, the room where Mr. Blakely had slept the previous night. “I have one that will fit right into the green room.”

“If you sleep with Uncle Rand again, you’ll have to sleep on the edge. He’s right in the middle.”

Haley turned so the little girl wouldn’t see her grin. “I think I’ll sleep in another room tonight. But my clothes are in your uncle’s room. I’ll go get them and bring you back a nightshirt.

Tiptoeing around Rand’s room, picking up her things, Haley couldn’t keep her eyes from the gorgeous man, snoring softly on the bed, one arm thrown above his head. Naked to the waist, he wore only a pair of jogging shorts. The powerful muscles in his back and shoulders narrowed to a nicely defined waist and backside.
Lord, he had a cute butt!
The masculine beauty of his long legs was marred by the heavy cast on the left leg, which encased the lower half of his leg from his foot to just below the knee.

Sprawled across the bed on his stomach, his sharp features softened by sleep, he looked vulnerable and sweet. Not at all like the autocratic dictator who demanded she return to her secretarial status right after they’d shared some very hot kisses.

Sighing, she gathered her overnight bag, turned off the television, and carried her things into the next bedroom, obviously the blue room. After settling Carrie for the night, she took a quick shower and fell into bed. It had been a very long day.

The absolute quiet woke Rand at midnight. An unsettling feeling jolted him from sleep into awareness that he was alone in the bedroom. Where was Carrie? Had Elizabeth come home while he was sleeping? Where was Haley? He slowly opened his eyes. The television was off, and someone had left the hall light on. In the dim light he noticed Haley’s bag was gone.

Had she left despite her earlier decision to stay over? He cursed his leg and the pill he had taken to dull the nagging pain. Some babysitter he was. He should have been awake when they came home. Throwing his good leg over the cast, he tried to lever himself off the bed, but his foot caught in the folds of the blanket. In an awkward attempt to untangle it, he plunged off the side of the bed, landing facedown with a loud thump as his cast slammed onto the nightstand. Pain ricocheted through him, and he began a litany of low-voiced swearing, trying to hold still until the pain ebbed.

“Rand?”

Haley stood in the doorway in what appeared to be a silk slip. The light from the hallway threw her body in relief, highlighting the pert thrust of her breasts and the feminine curves of her hips and thighs. Rand groaned louder and fell back on the carpet. Haley rushed into the room and knelt by his side.

“I heard you fall,” she said in a frightened voice. “Did you hurt your leg? Is it bad?”

Her silk-covered breast brushed the corner of his mouth as she tried to turn him over. Rand groaned louder, for a completely different reason.