Part-Time Wife (22 page)

"Impressive," Jill said softly as she put the dishes down on the counter.

"I like it."

She spun toward the sound and saw Rebecca walking toward her carrying an armful of plates and silverware.
Austin
's wife was taller than Jill, but most people were. She had long, curly dark hair and the kind of face that would make a perfect cameo. She wore a flowing dress that stopped midway between her knees and ankles, and Jill had the impression that Rebecca Lucas belonged in a gentler time. She wondered what this delicate-looking woman was doing with a husband who looked like a dark pirate and even had the earring.

Rebecca approached and put down the plates. "I'm sure you're still feeling overwhelmed."

"A little."

"You'll get used to everyone. I had the advantage of getting to know Travis first, then his brothers. By the time
Austin
and I—" She paused and a faint blush stained her cheeks.

"Dated?" Jill offered helpfully.

The blush deepened. "Austin and I never really dated. We just sort of got married. I had a crush on him for years, then one night…" She waved her hand. "It's a long story. I'll tell it to you sometime. Anyway, I already knew everyone.
Elizabeth
also met the brothers a few at a time. And
Sandy
had known them from when she lived here in Glenwood and had gone to school with them. I can't imagine what it must be like for you, coming in cold like this."

"
Sandy
's easy," Jill said and grinned. "She's still in the hospital, so I don't have to worry about her. Everyone else is confusing. It's not just the adults, it's the kids."

Rebecca tilted her head toward the noise coming from the living room. "There are a bunch." Rebecca lifted the cover off a large chocolate cake. "Could you get the plates, please? We'll need…" She counted on her fingers. "Kyle left for the hospital so that's seven adults and ten kids. Is that right?"

Jill laughed. "You're asking the wrong person. You'd better cut up the whole cake. I'm sure there won't be leftovers."

"Good idea."

As Rebecca filled the plates, Jill carried them into the dining room. The children returned to their seats. She put a piece in front of Ben. He looked at her questioningly. She bent close to his ear.

"It's up to you," she murmured. "If you want to eat it, then go ahead. You're doing great. If you think it's going to make you feel bad, then don't."

He nodded. "I'll just have half," he said, reaching for a knife and carefully cutting the cake into two pieces.

She dropped a quick kiss on the top of his head before returning to the kitchen. By the time everyone had been served,
Elizabeth
announced that the coffee was done. Cups were poured and passed around the table. There was a lull in the conversation.
Elizabeth
raised her cup.

"I'd like to propose a toast. To the infamous Haynes brothers and their friends."

Jill took a sip of coffee, then leaned toward Craig. "Why are you infamous?"

Austin
heard the question. "You haven't told her?" the dark-eyed pirate asked.

Craig groaned. "Don't start on this. It was a long time ago. We've all grown up and matured."

"What was a long time ago?" Jill wanted to know.

Elizabeth
leaned forward and grinned. "Honey, the stories we could tell you about these boys. They would make your hair curl."

"Like what?"

"Can I please be excused?" a girl about C.J.'s age asked.

"Me, too," Danny said. "You guys are just gonna talk about the olden days."

Craig looked at Travis, then shrugged. "All children are excused. Go to the playroom and try to get along."

The kids cheered as they raced from the room. Within seconds, footsteps thundered on the stairs as the horde ascended to what Jill supposed was a huge playroom. The Lucas family didn't seem to do anything by halves.

Rebecca glanced at her husband. "The Haynes brothers and Austin turned dating into an art form. From what I understand, there wasn't a girl in a twenty-mile radius who was safe from them."

"Cheerleaders," Elizabeth said. "Brainy types, flirts, shy ones. It didn't matter. No one was immune to their charm."

"Really?" Jill glanced at Craig, who was squirming in his chair. Travis and Jordan didn't look any more comfortable. Even
Austin
seemed to find the silverware on the table fascinating.

"None of us do that anymore," Craig said.

"I don't understand," Jill said. "You're saying that all the brothers were—"

"Heartbreakers," Rebecca said. "They loved 'em and left 'em. Tempting them with promises, then—"

"I never made promises," Craig said heatedly.

"I was up-front from the beginning," Travis added.

Elizabeth
leaned over and kissed her husband on the mouth. For that second, their love was as tangible as the table itself. Jill felt a flicker of envy.

"We know that,"
Elizabeth
said. "We're just teasing you because we love you."

"That's right," Rebecca added. "After all, look at how you've changed."

"
Jordan
hasn't," Travis said, obviously pleased to have the attention on someone else. "He's holding out and needs a woman."

Jordan
shook his head. "Don't forget Craig. He needs a woman, too."

Austin
lifted his eyebrows. "Maybe not."

Now it was Jill's turn to blush. "You didn't answer the question,
Jordan
," Craig said. "Anyone special in your life?"

"I've sworn off women."

Rebecca laughed. "We'll find you someone." She rose to her feet and began collecting dessert plates. "Didn't we just clear this table?"

"Yes, you did, and now it's our turn."
Austin
stood and shooed her toward the living room. "You ladies go talk about us while we finish."

"You don't have to ask me twice."
Elizabeth
linked arms with Rebecca. The two of them came around and collected Jill. Together they walked into the living room.

The huge space had been designed for comfort. There was a rock fireplace in one corner, with three sofas scattered around. A few wing chairs completed the conversation grouping. Tables were bare except for a couple of floral arrangements. Paintings of outdoor scenes, women with children and one seascape hung on the walls. The predominant colors were rose and cream, with colonial blue accents. The effect was that of space and comfort. Children would be welcome here. There was nothing for them to break or ruin. The room would easily seat twenty, yet gave the impression of being welcoming and intimate.

"I'm impressed," Jill said. "Who did the decorating?"

"I did," Rebecca answered. "
Austin
helped. We preplanned the room on his computer. After that, it was pretty easy. I assume I got lucky because I don't have an artistic bone in my body."

"You can't tell," Jill said.

Elizabeth
sat in a wing chair next to a rose-and-cream-striped sofa. Jill sank down onto the couch and Rebecca joined her. She felt them staring at her.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

Rebecca laughed. "
Elizabeth
, something is wrong. We used to be subtle."

"I guess we're out of practice. I suppose it's because we haven't had anyone to interrogate in so long. Not since Kyle started dating
Sandy
. Craig brought a couple of women around, but they obviously didn't mean anything to him."

Jill wondered if
Elizabeth
was implying that Craig was interested in her. She didn't know what to say to that. She and Craig were lovers. No, they'd made love. But they hadn't talked about it. In a way, she was glad. She didn't know what she wanted from him. The thought of a relationship terrified her. The situation was too close to what had happened with Aaron. A single father with kids in need of help. She refused to be used again. She reminded herself Craig was nothing like Aaron, and she believed that with all her heart. Yet she'd been wrong before. She wasn't willing to be wrong again.

"I like Craig," she admitted at last. "We're friends. But I'm really there to look after his boys. Nothing else."

"Too bad,"
Elizabeth
said. "He's a great guy. All the brothers are. It's a shame about their family."

"I know a little about what happened with his father," she said.

Elizabeth
grimaced. "That man is a bastard. I get so angry when I think about what he did to his sons." She glanced at Jill. "We tease them about their dating habits when they were young, but the truth is they're all wonderful men."

"They seem very close," Jill said.

"They had to be. I can't imagine what it was like for their mother. I don't blame the poor woman. I just wish she'd been stronger. She should have thrown her husband out."

"I agree." Rebecca sighed. "The past tainted them all.
Austin
lived a different kind of hell when he was growing up. It still affects him."

Jill had to consciously keep her mouth closed. Rebecca looked as innocent as a nun. She couldn't believe the other woman had actually used a bad word.

"I swear, these men are all walking around with wounded souls," Rebecca continued. "They don't want anybody inside, but they desperately need the loving. I just want to hug them all until they're healed."

"If only it were that simple,"
Elizabeth
said. She glanced up at Jill and smiled guiltily. "Sorry. I didn't mean for this to get so serious."

"I understand," Jill said.

Rebecca leaned forward. "Be kind to Craig, Jill. He deserves that. He's one of the good guys."

Before she could continue, the men strolled into the living room. Elizabeth and Rebecca rose to their feet and walked to their husbands. There was that moment of silent communications. Hands touched, eyes met, half smiles were shared.
Austin
sat in one of the large chairs and pulled Rebecca onto his lap. She went easily, as if they'd performed this ritual a thousand times before. A young boy of maybe eight or nine raced into the room and joined them, squirming for a place on his father's lap.

Jill stared at the three of them. That must be their adopted boy. Both Austin and Rebecca had dark hair, while the child was blond.
Elizabeth
sat on a sofa. Travis stretched out and rested his head on her lap. Several more children came into the room.

Craig made his way to where Jill was seated. She held her breath as he paused, then released it when he took the place in the middle, leaving the other side for Danny, who climbed up next to him. He put his arm around the boy, then glanced at her and smiled. Their shoulders brushed. She could inhale the scent of him. For that moment, it was enough.

Be kind to Craig… He's one of the good guys
. Rebecca's advice repeated over and over in her head. She knew he was a good man. She'd been touched by his kindness.

Lazy conversation filled the room, punctuated by laughter. This was a collection of people who enjoyed being together. Even the children participated. Only
Jordan
sat alone on the fringes of the room.

As she studied him, she realized he was single and didn't have a child. He should be exactly what she was looking for. Yet she didn't feel even a flicker of interest. She didn't want to go talk to him; she wanted to be next to Craig.

Dumb,
Bradford
, she told herself, but she didn't move. For this moment, she was a part of what she'd always wanted. The Haynes family circle widened enough to admit her. The fantasy of being loved for herself had finally come true. And for tonight, she was going to live it for all she could.

Chapter 13

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T
he women cooed like doves. Craig watched from the doorway of the nursery as Elizabeth, Rebecca, Sandy and Jill hovered over the bassinet.

"She's beautiful," Jill said, touching her finger to the infant's tiny hand.

"Just like her mother," Rebecca said.

"Better."
Sandy
straightened and winced. "She looks just like her dad." She shifted her weight. "I'd forgotten how much this hurt. I'm too old for this giving-birth stuff. Next time Kyle can do it."

"Next time?"
Elizabeth
raised her eyebrows. "You're thinking of having another one?"

Sandy
smiled. "I think Kyle would like to, but I'm not so sure. This makes four kids. We're going to talk about it."

Jill glanced up and saw Craig in the doorway. "You want to come see?" she asked.

He shook his head. "You go ahead."