The Borrowed Groom

“What?” Melissa asked, leaning closer to him.

He stepped back. “Three hours a day?”

Her face brightened, as she realized she’d won. He backed up again. There was so much warmth coming from her, he figured a man would never be cold around her.

“She could come for lunch every day. There’s no point in her having to fix a meal for herself when it’s so easy to add one to our lunch. Then, I’ll make sure she’s home by four. Will that be okay?”

She was practically bouncing on her toes, beaming at him. Lord have mercy, what had he done?

Chapter Two

Rob told Terri the news the next morning over breakfast.

His daughter launched herself at him, wrapping her hands around his neck. “Oh, Daddy, thank you!”

Emotion rocked his heart. She seldom called him “Daddy” anymore, not since she thought she was growing up. “Listen to me, little girl,” he began sternly. “This is a job. I’m not letting this woman adopt you. Understand?”

Terri continued to beam at him, as if he hadn’t spoken. “Of course not, Dad. When do I go?”

“She said come to lunch. But you’re to be back here at four, and you do your chores in the morning before you go.”

“Yes, Dad.” Her dutiful response was still accompanied by a huge smile.

Did that mean he’d done the right thing? Sometimes, as a parent, he felt lost. Before his father died, he’d at least had someone to discuss his decisions with.

The three of them, his father, him and Terri, had lived on the family ranch in south Texas. It had been home, even if it wasn’t highly successful. His father had been reluctant to change anything.

When his father died, the taxes on the ranch, already cash-poor, had made it impossible to keep. He’d had to sell out to a neighbor.

Unable to bear watching someone else implement the changes he’d wanted to make, he’d decided it was time for him and his daughter to move on.

He’d put away the money left over from the sale and promised himself he’d own his own place again…someday.

He’d worried that the move, after just losing her grandfather, had been too hard on Terri. He’d worried that she wouldn’t make new friends. He’d worried about her having to start a new school. He’d worried about her being alone all day while he worked.

Now he had that last problem solved.

So, instead, he worried all day about his daughter.

Melissa’s suddenly conceived plan of having Terri help her was a brilliant success. Jessica and Mary Ann followed the older girl around like little puppies. Terri was affectionate and caring.

Her father had done a good job of raising her, Melissa decided. She was sweet, gentle and agreeable.

“Where’s your mother?” Melissa asked over an afternoon snack.

Terri seemed unconcerned about the question. “She left when I was a baby. Dad says she wanted to be a big movie star.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Melissa quickly apologized.

“It’s okay. Me and Dad and Grandpa did fine.”

“Our mama left us,” Jessica whispered, as if she feared her words would shock everyone.

For the first time, Terri seemed upset. Not about her own abandonment, but about Jessica and Mary Ann’s. She looked at Melissa, as the younger girls did.

“We know, Jessica, and we’re sorry, but we’re lucky, too.” Melissa smiled as all three girls stared at her, perplexed.

“How?” Terri asked.

“Because we get to be together. I never would’ve met Jessica and Mary Ann if they hadn’t been left behind. And you wouldn’t be here with us, either.”

Melissa turned the situation into a celebration that the little girls joined in. Terri sent her a congratulatory smile, as if she understood, and they all toasted their togetherness with a lifting of their milk glasses.

After Terri left, promptly at four, Melissa stood watching the young girl walk to her house and thought again of the gruff man from last night.

He might not be friendly to her, but he loved his daughter. In spite of not wanting Terri to spend time with her, Rob Hanson had agreed because it was best for Terri. So, for what it was worth, Rob Hanson received Melissa Kennedy’s stamp of approval.

As if he’d care.

She giggled at the thought. She could just picture the look of disgust on his face if she told him. He wouldn’t be impressed.

It didn’t matter. Unlike Jessica and Mary Ann’s parents, Rob Hanson hadn’t abandoned his daughter, even though she’d only been a baby when his wife had left them. Admiration filled her. He’d cared for his daughter when another man might’ve given up. And he’d done an excellent job.

She didn’t care if he didn’t want her opinion. She intended to tell him the next time she saw him what a good parent he was.

Rob didn’t get home until almost seven. He was tired, hungry, and worried. As he stepped onto the porch, the door swung open and Terri’s happy face greeted him.

“Dad!” She offered him a kiss on the cheek, a fairly unusual occurrence, which reflected her mood. Then she protested, “Eew! You smell.”

He cocked one brow. “No more than normal. Give me five minutes and I’ll clean up.”

After a quick shower and clean clothes, he returned to the kitchen, surprised by the delicious smells. For a twelve-year-old, Terri did a good job of throwing something together for dinner. But her efforts didn’t involve much actual cooking.

He watched as she carefully removed a casserole of some kind from the oven and placed it on the table. “You cooked?” he asked abruptly.

She beamed at him. “Melissa taught me. We made this casserole together.”

Before he could comment, she put a pan of rolls in the oven. Then she opened the refrigerator and withdrew a tossed salad.

He took a long drink from the iced tea she’d already placed on the table. Suddenly he noticed a complete place setting of utensils. Usually, she only put out a fork for each of them.

“How come we’re getting all fancied up suddenly?” he growled.

His heart sank as Terri stared at him, dismay in her gaze. “Don’t you like it? Everything’s so nice at Melissa’s, I thought I’d try to do better here.”

He took the napkin from beside his plate and spread it in his lap. “Sure I like it, baby,” he agreed heartily, hoping to erase that look from her face. “And the food smells great.”

She forgave his momentary criticism and soon they were eating. He’d worked hard all day, with only a brief break for a packed lunch. He was starving.

But he had to eat his meal with a constant stream of praises for Melissa Kennedy. Terri had had a wonderful day, it appeared. His worry had been for nothing.

Now he was really worried.

He knew he was right when Terri brought out half a chocolate cake.

“You baked half a cake?” he teased.

“No, silly. Melissa said she was glad to have someone to share a cake with. It would ruin before they could eat all of it, and that would be wasteful.”

“That was kind of her,” he muttered, and decided if he heard the fateful words “Melissa said” one more time, he’d throw the cake against the wall.

At least he would’ve until he tasted it.

He’d find something else to throw.

“Melissa said—”

“Terri!”

His unaccustomed snapping stopped his daughter in midsentence. “What, Dad? Don’t you like the cake?”

With a sigh he said, “The cake is delicious. But could you possibly start a sentence with something other than ‘Melissa said’?”

Her eyes rounded in surprise. Then hurt. “Sorry,” she muttered. And said nothing else.

The change from constant chatter to absolute silence was unnerving. Rob tried several topics of conversation, but Terri didn’t respond.

Finally he gave up and stood to clear the table. Terri carried her own dishes to the sink. “I’ll clean up,” he said. “After all, you did the cooking tonight. It’s only fair.”

“Melissa—I mean, I didn’t do much.”

He put an arm around his daughter and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry I was an old grump, baby. I’m glad you enjoyed your day.”

His apology released a flood of words. While he washed the dishes, Terri told him again about her day, and how much she’d enjoyed being with the other females.

He frowned, feeling a little rejection.

As if sensing his feelings, Terri quickly added, “I didn’t mean I don’t like being with you, Dad. But Melissa—she knows so much about girl things.”

“Yeah.” Terri was right about that. Melissa Kennedy knew how to make a man ache. To make a man want. And he didn’t want to do either of those things.

A knock on the door disturbed them.

Terri hurried to answer it and reappeared in the kitchen a couple of minutes later with the one person he didn’t want to see.

Melissa Kennedy, accompanied by the two little girls.

“Good evening. I hope you don’t mind our visit,” she said with a smile as she entered.

“After that dinner, I could hardly object, now, could I?”

He’d meant to sound like he was teasing her and thanking her at the same time. Unfortunately, his voice had come out harsh.

She stiffened, apparently not fooled by the awkward smile he attached to the end of his words. “I’m sorry for the intrusion, but the girls wanted to see where Terri lived.”

Terri looked from him to Melissa and back again. Damn, he was going to be in trouble with his daughter if he didn’t do a better job. “No problem. Have a seat. I’ll be finished here in a minute.”

“Dad, can I show the girls my bedroom?” Terri asked. “I told them about my dolls and they want to see them.”

“Sure.”

He stubbornly continued to wash the dishes as the children left the room, reluctant to acknowledge that he was alone with Melissa.

But she didn’t sit down at the table. Instead he suddenly found her beside him, the cup towel Terri had been using in her hands.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I’m more comfortable when I’m busy.” She picked up a plate and dried it. “Where do they go?”

He nodded to the cabinet in front of her. “Up there.”

She put the plate inside and picked up the other one. He scrubbed extra hard on the almost-clean Pyrex dish that had held the casserole.

“I have something to tell you.”

His head whipped around to stare at the beautiful woman beside him. Tonight her dress was mint-green, almost the color of her eyes. It fit snugly from the waist up, and he hurriedly looked away. “Yeah?”

“You’re a good father.”

He dropped the dish. Fortunately, the water cushioned its landing so it didn’t break. It only splashed him with water. Melissa took the cup towel and began blotting his shirt. He thought he’d die.

Melissa felt the hard muscles of his chest and stomach beneath the cup towel. Her mouth went dry. The man was like a rock. Visions of what he’d look like without the shirt filled her head, and she found herself staring into his blue eyes.

“Why did you say that?” he demanded harshly.

She took a step back. He sounded like a lion. “I—when I met you yesterday, I thought…you seemed hard.” Her face turned bright red. She had ample proof that he was hard, but that wasn’t what she had meant. “I wanted you to know that Terri is a special little girl. And since you’re the one who raised her, it’s obvious you did a good job.”

Seemingly reluctantly, he muttered, “Thanks.”

“Do you want me to dry your shirt more?” she asked, her breathing getting more shallow as she both feared and wanted to help him.

“No! No, it doesn’t matter.” He took the cup towel from her hands, however, and rubbed it against his shirt.

Her gaze was fixed on the motion of his hand. When it stopped moving, she looked up to find his blue eyes fixed on her face. More specifically, on her lips.

As if he intended to kiss her.

She thought she stopped breathing altogether.

The girls tumbling back into the room, happiness exuding from them, broke the tension of the moment.

“Melissa, Terri’s got three dollies!” Jessica announced with awe. Mary Anne nodded emphatically, holding up three fingers.

“Really? How wonderful. May I see?” she asked, anxious to escape Rob’s presence.

Terri eagerly led Melissa from the room. The two little girls, realizing they would be left with Terri’s dad, chased after them, calling for them to wait.

When they returned to the kitchen, the sink was empty and Rob was gone.

Melissa discarded the disappointment that filled her as ridiculous. “Um, I was going to ask your dad about a shopping trip tomorrow.”

“Shopping?” Terri asked, her eyes widening with excitement. “Where?”

“There’s a big mall in Wichita Falls that has everything. I need to buy things for the girls, and I thought you might need to shop, too.”

Without another word to her, Terri headed for the door, shouting for her father. When she got an answer, she turned to Melissa. “I think he’s outside. Come on.”

Melissa and the little girls followed her outside. Rob Hanson was sitting on the porch steps, his back to them.

“Dad, Melissa has something to ask you,” Terri told him in a rush of words.

Melissa watched as the man stood. He was so tall and strong, so…overpowering. She inhaled a deep breath and took a step forward, feeling the younger girls pressing against her legs, as if for protection.

“Mr. Hanson, I’m taking the girls into Wichita Falls tomorrow to shop for some clothes. I thought maybe Terri would like to go with us. She would be a big help.”

“Please, Dad, please,” Terri added almost before Melissa stopped speaking. “I have my birthday money, and I really need some new things. I’ve outgrown everything!”

His frown didn’t look like approval to Melissa. Surely the man would understand his daughter’s need to—

“Sure, baby, you can go. We probably need some things for the house, too, since we didn’t bring that much.”

Melissa swallowed, not sure she should speak. But she did. “I talked to Abby earlier. She said if you needed to go with us, she could spare you one day.”

He jerked his head around to stare at her. “Go with you? I can’t take off work to shop! That’s ridiculous.”

Melissa figured she might as well go all the way. “She also said you could have an advance on your salary if you needed it.”

He took a menacing step toward her. “I don’t need charity.”

“No one offered you charity,” she assured him, her voice cold. “You’ll earn every penny Abby pays you. Ranch work is hard.” Like his body. She banished that thought at once.

“Dad, it would be so great. If you came, I could get a bedspread and maybe some place mats, like Melissa has. We could have a real home.”

Melissa knew nothing of their circumstances. Terri had mentioned her grandfather dying recently, but that was all. She watched Rob’s face in the stream of light from the kitchen. Clearly he was struggling with his decision.

“Tell you what, baby, why don’t you and I go shopping tomorrow evening? We can eat out, make a night of it.”

He put a heartiness into his words, to convince his daughter, but Melissa suspected Terri could hear the reluctance as easily as she could.

To Melissa’s surprise, instead of accepting his offer, Terri turned a bright red and stared down at the porch. “Dad, there’s something…I need Melissa’s help.”

“You can pick out place mats as well as she can,” he assured his daughter.

Terri grew even more embarrassed. Melissa stepped closer to the young girl. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she wanted to help.

“I need Melissa,” Terri said firmly, but she didn’t meet her father’s gaze.

He turned to glare at Melissa, as if his daughter’s defection was her fault.

She leaned closer to Terri. “What is it?” she said softly.

Terri leaned over and whispered her problem in Melissa’s ear.

Melissa bit her bottom lip, knowing the man towering over her was going to hate what she had to tell him. “Terri, why don’t you walk the girls back to the house and get them started on their baths. Your dad and I will be there in a second.”

“Are you sure?” Terri asked, her gaze darting between her dad and Melissa.

“I’m sure, honey. Everything will be fine.”

Terri looked at her dad again, then took the little girls’ hands and hurried around him and down the steps.

Melissa stood waiting until the children were out of earshot. Rob didn’t move, either, until they heard the door closing at Melissa’s house.

“My daughter and I don’t have secrets,” he growled in a low voice.

“It’s not a secret, Rob. But Terri finds it a little embarrassing to explain it to you.” She figured it was going to be a little embarrassing for her, too, but she was a mature adult.

“What is it?”

“Terri needs some new underwear.”

“Hell, I’ve bought her underwear before. I don’t know why that would embarrass her. Did you put some silly ideas in her head? Is that why—”

“She needs a bra.”

Her words stopped his sputtering stone cold.

Chapter Three

Rob stared at Melissa, speechless. A bra? His little girl needed a bra? No! She was only…twelve, almost thirteen. Almost a teenager.

“But she can’t…she’s too…what do I do?” He realized his mistake at once. He’d appeared vulnerable in front of Melissa. He stepped back as she moved forward.

“Rob, it’s not that big a deal. If you go with us tomorrow, you can take the little ones for ice cream while Terri and I make a quick purchase. After once or twice, she’ll be able to shop by herself, if she needs to.”

He should’ve been relieved. But he’d heard all she hadn’t said. She expected him to go on a shopping trip in the middle of the week with her and three children. She expected him to take the two little ones for ice cream. Most important of all, she expected him to act like a husband.

“I can’t do that!” he returned harshly.

“Okay.” Without waiting for an answer, she stepped around him, down the steps, and walked toward her house.

“Wait!” he called, hurrying after her. She never broke stride, however, until he grabbed her arm. “What do you mean, okay?”

“If you can’t go, you can’t go. I hope Terri can still go.”

“Of course she can. But what about…I mean—”

“Terri purchasing her underwear? If we can’t manage it with the other two children, I guess you’ll have to take her shopping for it. After all, she’s your child.”

She pulled free and began walking again.

It was a warm night. But the sweat beads on his forehead were from nerves, not the summer air. He’d walked past stores like Victoria’s Secret, but he’d always looked the other way. He’d ordered Terri’s undergarments from the Sears catalog. He’d never actually been in a lingerie department.

Melissa had said Terri could learn to shop for these things without any help.

He licked his dry lips. In the interest of being independent of Melissa Kennedy in the future, he needed to see that Terri got the instruction she needed.

He could do this.

“I-if Abby doesn’t mind, I’ll go tomorrow. You’ll show Terri how—I mean, you’ll help her?”

“Of course. I’ll be glad to. And the girls love ice cream, so they’ll be good for you. They haven’t gotten many treats in their little lives.”

He frowned at the sadness of her words, but he still hadn’t dealt with all the plans for tomorrow. “What time will we leave in the morning?”

“I thought we should leave about nine-fifteen. The stores don’t open until ten.”

“Then I’ll have time to talk to Abby in the morning. You’re sure she said it would be okay?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you, Rob. She knew you started work at once. Sometimes it takes people a little longer to get settled.”

“I can do a few chores before we leave,” he figured aloud. He usually started his day at six.

They’d reached her front porch, its light shining in the night. The smile on her face didn’t look condescending, but he wasn’t sure. “Will you send Terri out?”

“Of course, but you’re welcome to come in to wait for her. I’ll have to go upstairs to get her. We can’t leave the little ones in the bath without someone to watch them.”

“No, I’ll wait here.”

“Then, I’ll see you in the morning,” she said, still smiling. He watched until the door closed behind her. Then he sank down onto the porch steps. She had a Mona Lisa smile if he’d ever seen one. But she was a hell of a lot sexier than that Italian lady.

Didn’t mean he could figure her out.

But that didn’t matter. He was getting some help for Terri. He guessed he’d have to admit that she was getting to the age that he couldn’t fix everything for her.

He should be grateful there was a woman nearby who could help her. But he should’ve asked Ellen to help. She was nice, motherly. She didn’t get him all hot and bothered.

He would’ve asked her, if he’d known there was a problem. But Terri had blindsided him tonight. She hadn’t talked to him. She hadn’t asked for help. At least, not from him.

That hurt.

But then, he couldn’t help her pick out a bra. So maybe it was just as well she hadn’t asked him. But if she had, he could’ve asked Ellen.

Oh, hell!

Rob administered the medicine to the two horses in the barn, feeding and watering them, too. Then he checked his list for any last-minute chores to do before he cleaned up. He’d talked to Abby just after breakfast. She’d assured him they could make it one day without him.

With a shrug of his shoulders, he turned back to the house where he and Terri had moved. It wasn’t a bad place. Ellen had helped them clean it up.

If it made Terri happy to buy a few things, dress it up a little, he’d agree to that. But he needed to get it all done today. He didn’t intend to take another day off just to go shopping.

His daughter was waiting in the kitchen, her dark hair, the same color as his, gleaming, curled under around her heart-shaped face.

“You look pretty, baby.”

“Thanks, Dad. Uh, could you not call me ‘baby’ when we’re out? I’m more grown-up now, and…and I don’t want people to think I’m still in elementary school.”

“Right,” he agreed, though he hated the idea. “I’ll try to remember.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she said, a sweet smile on her face as she leaned over to kiss him. Then she pulled back. “Hurry. You smell like horses.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed, and continued on to the bathroom. He wanted to get this chore over with as soon as possible.

After cleaning up, he gathered his billfold, checkbook and charge cards. He wasn’t sure what he’d need, but from what he’d heard, he’d need something to pay the bills. Women and shopping could get out of hand.

When he returned to the kitchen, Terri was coming in the front door.

“Come on, Dad. Melissa’s outside.”

“Okay, okay. You got everything you need?”

“Yeah,” she threw over her shoulder as she hurried out the door.

Melissa Kennedy was a damned pied piper. If she told Terri to jump off a cliff, he figured his kid would run over him to do just that.

He was frowning when he looked up and saw the Chevy Suburban parked out front. The vehicle was new. Melissa was standing beside the passenger door. Terri had already gotten in the back.

“Do you mind driving?” she asked, smiling again.

“Me?”

“Aren’t you comfortable driving? I thought it would be easier for me to deal with the girls, if they get nervous, if you’re driving.” When he didn’t say anything, she added, “I can drive, though, if—”

“I’ll drive.”

He pulled open the passenger door and waited until she got in. Then he closed it and circled the vehicle to slide behind the wheel. He was comfortable driving. But little girls didn’t bother him, either. After all, he’d raised Terri.

Melissa gave him brief, succinct directions, and he looked at her in surprise. His experience said a woman couldn’t tell you how to go in a straight line without a lot of side trips.