Practice Husband

“It can’t be that bad.” Joe felt an urge to comfort her. To put his arms around her and wipe away the uncertainty darkening her eyes.

Addy grimaced. “Do you know how many dates I’ve had in my life? I’ll tell you,” she rushed on before he could say anything. “Three. Exactly three. One in high school and the twit parked the car on the side of the road and demanded sex.”

“His technique left a lot to be desired, even for a high-school kid,” Joe said dryly.

“Technique nothing. He told me that anyone as fat as I was should be grateful to trade sex for a date.”

“The little bastard!” Joe felt a flash of anger at Addy’s bleak expression.

“Definitely. Anyway, I slapped him and walked home. My second date was during nurse’s training and all he wanted to talk about was his microbes. I doubt that I even registered as a woman to him. I was simply an audience who was too unsure of herself to tell him that I found him boring as the devil.”

Joe chuckled. “You said three. What about the third?”

“The son of a patient I nursed. His mother was an unstable diabetic, and he was divorced with two teenagers. one of whom was pregnant and the other one was strung out on drugs. He saw me as the answer to all his problems. A nurse to take care of his family.”

Joe shook his head. “The man was blind.”

“Desperate,” Addy corrected, “but what I was trying to make you understand was that I have no experience at dating. And if I’m going to have any luck at finding a husband, I’m going to have to get some.”

“What ever happened to looking across a room and falling madly in love?”

“I did that once,” Addy assured him seriously. “At a hospital dance. As usual, I was standing on the sidelines trying to pretend that I was waiting for someone who just hadn’t shown up yet. Then I looked over at the refreshment table and saw the most gorgeous man. Every hormone I had went into overdrive.”

“What happened?”

“I mentioned him to a girlfriend of mine later in the evening, and she said that he was a disbarred lawyer who was at the hospital doing community service that had been ordered by the court because he’d been convicted of embezzling funds from his elderly clients. That took the shine off my feelings.”

“I rather imagine it might. All right, I’ll concede that you have no experience at dating, but what does that have to do with your property?” Joe decided to risk finding out if he was the husband she had in mind.

Addy ran her tongue over her lower lip, took a deep breath and blurted out her plan. “I’ll sell you my property if you’ll let me practice dating skills on you.”

Joe blinked, taken aback. “Exactly what do I have to do?” he asked cautiously.

“Well... I thought... If we were to have some dates, then I could practice relating to a man. And you could tell me how men feel about various things. That way when I went out with a real candidate, I’d have some firsthand knowledge of how the male mind works.”

Joe stared down at his drink as he considered her crazy idea. But the more he thought about it, the saner it seemed. Addy had identified her goal, as well as what it was that was keeping her from reaching that goal, and she’d thought out a logical way to remedy her lack. Her reasoning was impeccable. What she really wanted was a combination brother and Dutch uncle. He glanced up into her soft, brown eyes, which were watching him hopefully.

He could help her, he told himself. It wasn’t as if she were trying to marry him. Which made sense because he’d always known that his main attraction for women was his money, and Addy didn’t care about money.

No, Addy wasn’t a threat to his blissfully single state. And she was his friend, he reminded himself. And while he didn’t have a great deal of experience with friends, even he knew that friends helped each other out. His eyes homed in on the soft, pink fullness of her lips. Would his tutelage include kissing her? The idea shook his composure.

Her land. He dragged his mind back to the central issue with an effort.

“It’s an intriguing idea,” he said slowly, “but there’s a problem from my perspective. I need your property now, not at some time in the future when you finally manage to lure some hapless male to the altar.”

Addy tried to ignore her sense of discouragement at his immediate judgment that it would take her a long time to find a husband, focusing instead on the rest of his words. “But if I sell you my home, then I won’t have any place to live,” she pointed out. “And—”

“Damn!” Joe’s roughly bitten-off expletive interrupted her. He was staring at a point over her left shoulder, an annoyed expression on his face.

Addy started to turn around to see what had caught his attention.

“Don’t look,” he ordered. “It’s Charlie Wheeling. Come on.” He stood up and held out a hand for her. “Let’s dance. Maybe he’ll take the hint and go away.”

Addy put her hand in his and stood up, suddenly full of inhibitions. “I can’t dance,” she hissed as he led her out onto the crowded, postage-stamp-sized dance floor. “I never learned.”

“You aren’t about to learn here, either. There isn’t room. Just follow me.”

Addy did as she was told, instinctively moving closer as he took her in his arms. The heat from his body reached out to engulf her, warming her flesh and softening her muscles. She felt pliable. As if she could mold herself to him. Another couple bumped into them and Joe gathered her even closer, cradling her protectively against him. Her breasts brushed against his chest, sending a tingling sensation shooting through her. She could feel the tips stiffening, and she had to fight an impulse to move closer to try to intensify the sensation.

Addy took a deep, steadying breath, but it only made matters worse. The scent of his cologne filled her nostrils. He smelled so good, she thought dreamily. Not overpowering, the way some men did, but subtle. As if he were hiding most of his personality from the casual observer. As he probably was, she realized with a flash of insight. Joe Barrington was a very private person. What would it be like to probe behind the face he presented to the world? The tantalizing idea caught her off guard and she stumbled, falling against Joe’s chest. It was like hitting a warm wall. There was no give to him anywhere. He must be pure muscle. What would he look like without his clothes on? The images that flooded her mind flustered her and she stumbled again.

Still, she decided she’d much rather Joe thought she was clumsy than so susceptible to his nearness. It was only propinquity, after all, she tried to tell herself. She’d been thinking about men and sex and marriage and children for over two weeks now, and Joe was an attractive man. A very attractive man. It was hardly surprising that she would react to being this near to him.

“Oh, hell!” Joe bit out. “Wheeling sat down at our table. Can you believe that? The jerk is going to wait for us.”

Addy glanced back at their table. The man seated in Joe’s chair looked pretty harmless to her. “Maybe he just wants to say hello?”

Joe gave her a cynical look that chilled her. “Charlie sells insurance, and he’s been after me to buy my liability insurance from him for months.”

“Tell him no and be done with it. As long as you keep avoiding him, he’ll hope you’ll eventually agree.”

“I did say no, the first time he asked, so now he’s switched his tactics. He keeps inviting me to things.”

Addy studied Joe’s annoyed features thoughtfully. Apparently she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t throw off the past. Joe appeared to assume that a social invitation automatically came with strings attached. That no one could want him just because they enjoyed his company.

“Have you ever considered that he might simply want to get to know you better?” Addy suggested.

“No.”

“Well, consider it now.”

Joe narrowed his eyes, stared briefly at the ceiling and then said, “Okay. I considered it, and I still don’t believe it.”

“You’re far too cynical.”

“And you’re far too trusting,” he countered. “I suppose it comes of your being so hung up on religion. You’ve started to believe what they tell you.”

“I am not hung up on religion!” she objected. “I simply happen to believe in the value system that my particular religion espouses. And one of those values is that one should give the benefit of the doubt to people.”

“Hung up,” he repeated. “If you’d take a good look around you, you’d see that people aren’t very nice.”

“They are too! Most of them,” she amended.

“You need a reality check. Come on.” Taking her arm, Joe shepherded her back to their table.

“I’m going to introduce you to Charlie. That should be enough to convince even you.”

“Joe!” Charlie got to his feet as they approached and, giving them a wide grin, held out his hand. “My wife saw you when we came in and she told me that I should come over and invite you to a party we’re having this weekend. Kind of a coming-out party for her cousin Warren.”

“Where’s he been?” Addy asked cautiously, fearing the worst. She was fast coming to the conclusion that Joe had been right. Her gut reaction to Wheeling was distaste. He was simply too...something.

“Married. His divorce becomes final next week. So we thought we’d throw a party and celebrate his freedom. You’re invited too, Miss...”

“Edson,” Joe introduced her. “Addy, this is Charlie Wheeling.”

Charlie frowned at her. “I vaguely remember an Edson from high school, but you couldn’t be her. She was fat and...”

Addy stared at him as anger and embarrassment surged through her. She wanted to yell at him and run and hide at the same time.

“Oh, sorry. No offense intended...” Charlie stammered. “I didn’t mean...”

“I’ll get back to you about the party,” Joe said, cutting him off.

“Sure. Anytime.” Charlie hurriedly escaped.

“Yes?” Joe gave her a wicked grin. “You were telling me what a good guy he was.”

Addy sank down into her chair. “People who go around saying ‘I told you so,’ are universally disliked.”

“But at least they don’t get taken advantage of. Or insulted.”

“Maybe he didn’t mean to be insulting.” Addy tried to be fair, even though Charlie’s comment burned in her mind. “After all, I was fat in school. All he did was state a fact.”

“There are lots of facts that are better left unsaid, and one would expect someone his age to have figured that out.”

“It would have been nice. Who’s he married to?”

“The bleached blonde sitting beside him.”

Addy turned and looked to find a vaguely familiar woman staring at her. The woman smiled and waved, and Addy politely waved back as she tried to place her.

“When you knew her, she was Cookie Lawton,” Joe offered.

Addy’s mouth dropped open in shock. “That’s Cookie Lawton! She’s at least seventy-five pounds heavier than she was in school and she looks...artificial.”

Joe shook his head and gave her a mournful look which was belied by the twinkle in his eyes. “Shame on you. Taking pleasure in the fact that one of the social lions of your high-school class has gone to seed.”

“I wasn’t...” Addy began and then giggled enchantingly. “Yes, I was. If you only knew how many years I put up with her sly little digs about whales during gym classes, and now to find out that she’s overweight...”

“While you look like the embodiment of every man’s dream,” Joe finished.

Addy stared at him uncertainly, wondering if he was just saying what he thought she wanted to hear, or if he might actually like how she looked.

“As long as the dream doesn’t turn into a nightmare,” she finally said. “Now, about what we were talking about before Charlie interrupted?”

“Yes, nightmares and marriage do kind of go together.”

“Don’t be facetious,” she said. “I’m serious. Will you help me?” She held her breath, mentally willing him to do it.

Joe stared down into the melting ice cubes in his drink for a long moment and then said, “As I was saying, I need your land now.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Addy felt her spirits sink.

“There is a way around it, though,” he said slowly. “I live in the old Iverson place.”

“I think I remember it. Isn’t it that huge old Queen Anne place sitting on most of a city block over on North Washington?”

“That’s it. It was in pretty bad shape when I bought it, and I had it virtually rebuilt inside. There was also a housekeeper’s cottage in the back by the garage that was redone at the same time. But, since I prefer my privacy, I use a cleaning service and the cottage has never been occupied. You could stay there.”

Addy was taken aback by his offer. Apparently he didn’t think that she was enough of a threat to his privacy to matter. For some reason the thought rankled. Just once, she’d like a man to consider her a massive threat to his peace of mind. Someday, she promised herself. And accepting Joe’s offer was the first step on the road to that someday. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her focus on the future and not the past and said, “It’s a deal.”

“I’ll have my lawyers draw up the papers first thing in the morning, and you can stop by the plant about ten and sign them.”

Addy chuckled. “You mean, here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?”

“The sooner you sign, the sooner I can get started on the new plant,” he defended himself. “Also the sooner we can get started on your project.” His eyes narrowed, and he stared past her.

Addy, who was coming to recognize what she thought of as his thinking mode, waited.

“Maybe we ought to go,” he finally said.

“Go?” Addy frowned. “Go where?”

“To the Wheelings’ party. It’ll give you a chance to look over the competition.”

“How so?” Addy asked, not understanding.

“If the party is to reintroduce Warren to the social scene, then it makes sense that all the eligible women that the Wheelings know will be there.”

“Clever.” Addy gave credit where it was due. “But I would have thought that you already know the competition?” She couldn’t resist the gentle probe into his private life.

“I haven’t the time for parties. Nor the stomach,” he said bitterly. “You know damn well Cookie Wheeling would never have invited me if it weren’t for my money. She practically held her skirts away from me in school when I passed her in the halls so that I wouldn’t contaminate her.”

Addy felt her heart twist at his revealing words. Somehow, she’d never thought of Joe as caring what the others thought of him. But obviously she’d been wrong.

“Joe...” she began, not sure what she should say. What she could say. Only knowing that she wanted to ease his pain.

A wry smile curved his lips. “Please, spare me the consoling homily.”

“I wasn’t going to give you one. I was merely going to point out that people change. Everything changes.”

“Yeah, particularly my financial worth.”

“Quit harping about your money!”

“Why not, when it’s my major appeal to people?”

“And don’t talk in generalities! I could give a hang about your money.”

“Which makes you the exception that proves the rule.”

Addy shook her head in annoyance and gave up. He wasn’t going to listen to her. Maybe she could find some way of showing him. It would be a fitting reward for helping her.

“About the Wheelings’ party,” Joe persisted.

Addy bit back her instinctive refusal and tried to think. If she was going to find a husband, then sooner or later she was going to have to face the social scene. It might as well be sooner. And Joe would be there. Her spirits rose fractionally. She wouldn’t have to face the situation on her own.

“I think you’re right,” she finally said.

“I usually am,” he said with a smugness that made her smile. Joe was such a strange mixture. She had never really realized what a complex man he was. Getting to know him again was going to be an intriguing process.

Three

“Change is the essence of life,” Addy muttered to herself as she closed the back door of her parents’ home behind her and headed toward her car. Climbing behind the wheel, she turned on the ignition and pulled away.

Unable to resist the temptation, she stopped at the end of the driveway and stared back at the house. For a moment, an overwhelming feeling of grief filled her at all that she’d lost. Of the people who had lived there that she’d never see again. Then the feeling of intense sadness ebbed, leaving room for memories to surface. Memories of sitting beside her grandmother at the kitchen table and sneaking sips of her coffee when her mother wasn’t looking. Memories of her mother standing at the stove cooking supper while Addy perched on a stool and told her all about her school day. Memories of sitting on the old rocker on the front porch and waiting for her father to come home from work.

Addy closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of warmth and love that always came when she thought of her parents. It was a feeling she could call up anytime, she suddenly realized. The feeling was part of her. She didn’t need the house to bring it to mind.

Addy nodded decisively, feeling fractionally better about her decision to sell. It really was time to move on. She pulled out into the road. Would her children someday remember her with the same sense of happiness with which she remembered her parents? She pondered the unsettling idea as she covered the short distance to Joe’s plant.

The visitors’ parking spaces in front of the plant were filed, so Addy drove around to the back of the building and parked there. Making sure that her car door was locked, she started toward the offices, only to pause when she noticed a sign that said Nurse’s Office. Wondering what kind of facilities Joe provided for his workers, Addy pushed the door open and stepped inside.

She found herself in a starkly sterile room. The walls were painted an antiseptic white and an institutional light gray tile covered the floor. Except for six gray plastic chairs lined up against the wall, the room was empty. There were no magazines, no plants. Nothing to relieve the oppressive barrenness.

Addy shivered. It might be adequate for treating the body, but the room was a total flop at providing comfort to the senses.

Curious as to what type of person was content to work in these bleak surroundings, Addy walked toward the open door at the back of the room labeled Nurse. She was about to knock when she heard a sharp, feminine voice from inside snap, “No! It isn’t my job.”

The woman was answered by a softly apologetic male voice, “But I just want to know what to do about all the ear infections my son has.”

“My job is to treat accidents that occur in the workplace, not to be giving you advice on raising your kids.”

Addy frowned. What kind of nurse had Joe hired? Any professional worth her salt should be happy to pass on any health information that might help.

“Go see a doctor,” the woman continued, “and quit wasting my time.”

“I have.” The man’s voice sharpened. “But he just prescribes something and, when I try to get information, he brushes me off.”

Rather like the nurse here, Addy thought.

“That’s not my problem,” the woman said. “It’s time for my break.”

Addy hurriedly left, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. It would appear that there were some gaps in the health service that Joe’s company provided. And dangerous ones, too. Sometimes, information could be more important than a prescription—a fact that father had instinctively known. Not that his insight appeared to be doing him much good.

Addy frowned thoughtfully as she pushed open the doors to the factory’s main offices. She was at loose ends at the moment. She had intended to see if she couldn’t do some volunteer work for one of the various social agencies in town, but maybe she wouldn’t have to go that far. It appeared to her that there was real need right here for someone with her skills. The plant needed a children’s clinic. She could include regular checkups and classes dealing with various children’s health issues.

If Joe would let her do it. Reality put the brakes on her enthusiasm. He might not be willing to let her use the facilities of his clinic. He might not want to upset his nurse by bringing in someone else.

Addy chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip. She didn’t know what he would say, but she did know that the very worst thing that would happen would be that he would say no. In which case, she wouldn’t be any worse off than she was. And he might well say yes. Joe was such a strange mixture of hardheaded cynicism and caring, it was impossible to tell what his reaction to her request might be.

“Ah, Miss Edson.” The immaculately groomed receptionist gave her a bright, professional smile. “Mr. Barring-ton said that you would be stopping by this morning. He said to send you right through to his office.”

“Thank you.” Addy resisted the impulse to check the front of her lemon-yellow shirt for dirt smudges. She wondered how long it took the woman each morning to achieve such polished perfection. It was probably an inherited trait, she thought glumly, like being born with musical ability.

Addy started down the hall, her footsteps unconsciously quickening at the thought of seeing Joe. She entered the reception area outside his office, pausing when she realized that she wasn’t the only person waiting.

There was a thin, harassed-looking man who appeared to be in his late thirties sitting in a brown leather chair. His head was bent, and he was staring fixedly at the design in the Oriental carpet. His shoulders were hunched defensively as if he were expecting a blow, and Addy’s soft heart was touched. Poor soul, she thought, and went over to sit down across from him, intending to distract him from his obviously unhappy thoughts.

“Good morning,” she said cheerfully.

The man jumped and gave her an uncertain smile.

“It hasn’t been, so far,” he muttered. He glanced worriedly at the door to Joe’s office and then down at his watch. “What time is your appointment with Barrington for?”

“Well, I don’t actually have one,” Addy said. “I’m just here to sign a few papers. Is he running late?”

“That’s one way of putting it. My appointment was for almost an hour ago.” He sighed despondently. “Which probably means that he isn’t all that interested in our meeting.”

“Not necessarily. Maybe he got an overseas call. Or maybe he spilled coffee all over his suit and he had to send it out to get cleaned and he’s waiting for it to come back.”

Which would mean that he was sitting there in his underwear, Addy thought, as her mind followed her nonsense through to its logical conclusion. What kind of underwear did Joe wear? The tantalizing thought drifted through her mind. Silk boxer shorts? Soft and smooth and eminently touchable? Or perhaps plain white cotton briefs that would fit snugly over his—

The man’s chuckle broke into her erotic thoughts, and she blinked, refocusing on the man.

“Thank you, Miss—” He paused expectantly.

“Edson. Addy Edson,” she responded, rather surprised at how easily she’d handled the move from stranger to introduced stranger. Of course, there was nothing even remotely sexual in their encounter, she conceded. But even so, any conversation with a man was good practice.

“I’m David Edwards.” He held out a hand, and Addy shook it.

“I—” he began and then broke off as the door opened and Joe appeared.

Addy turned, David Edwards forgotten at the sight of Joe.

He was wearing another of those impeccably tailored suits. Its pale gray material hugged his shoulders, subtly emphasizing their width. The pristine whiteness of his cotton shirt emphasized his light tan, and Addy felt her fingers itch with a desire to rub her fingers over his cheek to see if it was as smooth as it looked. She automatically clenched her fingers to try to dispel the urge, unsettled by the intensity of her physical reaction.

“Mr. Barrington,” David began, only to be cut off by Joe’s curt nod.