“Anyway, I hired a nanny.”
“Ack.”
“My thoughts, too. But she insisted. The cost of living wasn’t high in Corning so we could afford it. At one point, I managed to only work four days a week and put a lot on my credit cards. I rescheduled the nanny so I could take care of Seth myself, which I loved.”
“Midnight feedings? Dirty diapers?”
“The whole shebang. Anyway, we got along like this for six years because she had her freedom. She became very social and went out with friends a lot. Then a rich businessman, GayleMarchand came to Corning Glass to do some consulting and she met him at a party. Even though I was there, she flirted shamelessly with him. And when he left town, she went with him.”
“She was an asshole to give you up.”
He chuckled. “My ego needs to hear that.”
A sexy grin. “Then I’ll tell you every day.”
“Thanks. Needless to say, I was a mess trying to do everything. One night I was called to an emergency delivery of a foal. Everything went wrong and the foal died. I felt so bad I quit being a vet before I could lose my license and took Seth to live with his grandparents, the only relatives I have. They were warm with Seth, not so much me. Again, I worked two jobs and saved my money and as soon as I could afford to, I came to Rockford and bought the farm.”
“You’ve had a hard life.”
“I thought things were getting better when I came here, but then Evangelina shows up.”
“One thing I don’t understand is if she hated being a mother, why did she come back to see him.”
Joe shrugged his shoulders. “People change, I guess. But even if she has, I still don’t trust her.”
“With good reason. In any case, thanks for telling me all about your life.” She stood and circled around the desk, pulled him up and kissed him hard. “Thingsarebetter for you, Joe Larson. How about if I come back here on my lunch hour?”
“You want me to cook for you?” he teased.
“Yes. After.”
CREATED BY JUTOH - PLEASE REGISTER TO REMOVE THIS LINE
Chapter 7
He watched Juliet Sullivan with her kids. Man, she was pretty. He wouldn’t mind a piece of that. But he wasn’t here for sexual gratification, so he quelled his response. What to do with her? He’d figure it out. Two rambunctious boys were prone to ignoring their parents’ orders. He’d been like that. Maybe if they’d loved him more, kept better track of him, he wouldn’t have met Judkins, his mentor. He’d learned a lot from the crazy old man before he had to kill him.
* * *
Oliver had put his twin girls to bed and walked into the kitchen when his wife came in through the garage door. “Hello, darling.”
Crossing to her, he picked her up and hugged her. “Hello.” He set her down. “How was work?”
“It went well. Only one surgery. And we had a department meeting. I told you before how much I liked the new chair of the department. Today, she underscored how forward thinking she is on a new interventional technique.”
“No twinges that you didn’t accept the position?”
“Not at all.”
He kissed her cheek.
She leaned against the counter. “How’s everything here?”
“The girls just went to sleep. I’d like to go out for a bit, if that’s all right with you.”
“Sure, where?”
“To see Juliet. I’ve been thinking about her all day. Actually, I’ve got a niggling feeling that something’s wrong.”
