Husband for Hire by Susan Crosby Page B

there were clouds that hid the stars. The metallic smell of impending rain had assaulted him as he left her place. Rain wouldbe good, he thought. Clean things up a bit. Start the day fresh.
    Start fresh. Maybe that’s what he needed for himself. Maybe going back to work in a week or two wasn’t the answer. He certainly wasn’t ready yet. His hands wouldn’t be steady, he would question every decision he made. And the longer he stayed away, the less he wanted to return to his practice. To that life.
    He couldn’t delay his decision forever, he knew that. But it could wait until he’d helped Becca through this weekend. He kept his commitments.
    But once the weekend was over, he would make his choices.

Chapter Nine
    â€œY ou’re sure?” Gavin asked.
    â€œIf you think we can pull it off, then, yes.” Becca paced her living room, not paying attention to how beautiful it looked. It was Saturday morning. Shana had finished up the decorating last night. Becca had cried, it looked so nice.
    â€œDo you think we can, Gavin?” Her worry about her brothers’ arrival was becoming increasingly stronger.
    â€œI don’t see why not.” He didn’t look quite as confident as he sounded.
    â€œI think they’ll expect me to be behaving a little differently,” she said. “After all, I’ve never been married before.”
    â€œYou’re probably right.”
    She pressed her hands to her stomach. Gavin had made her eat some toast, which had helped settle her queasiness some but not completely.
    â€œC’mere,” he said, taking her hand, leading her to the couch and forcing her to sit beside him. “Let’s run through this one last time. Why did you pretend you eloped in the first place?”
    She focused on the goal. “For them, especially Eric. He won’t relax until he knows I’m being taken care of. Only then will he give up his constant sense of responsibility to me and my happiness and let himself find his own.”
    â€œIt’s a very good reason, right?”
    â€œRight.” The tightness inside her eased a bit. “I know my reasoning was good, even though my solution may be over the top. I’m not sure I can fake the lie for twenty-four hours. I could never pull a fast one on Eric. Or Jeff, for that matter. He’s only two years older, so we spent a lot more time together than I did with Sam and Trent.”
    â€œI’ll be beside you every minute, Becca. You won’t have to handle it alone.”
    â€œYou’re really okay with doing this?”
    â€œI’ve thought about it for nine days. The more I’ve come to know you, the easier the idea has become.” He squeezed her hand. “But if at any time you decide you want to come clean, I’ll be here for you, too.”
    Every day he became more of a gift to her, Becca thought. And every day she fell for him a little more.She didn’t want to fall in love with him. Refused to. What a horrible situation that would create.
    â€œOkay. Game on,” she said firmly, looking at Gavin. “That was good thinking, bringing some of your clothes to hang in my closet and your stuff for the bathroom.” Not to mention, he’d put copies of Sports Illustrated and Car and Driver on the coffee table. Extra beer in the refrigerator. Plenty of food for men with big appetites to snack on. Gavin had taken care of every detail.
    Becca glanced at the clock on her mantel. Half hour to go. Thirty nerve-racking minutes…
    Â 
    Gavin got up from the couch and went to Becca’s iPod dock, deciding she needed something else to occupy herself until her family arrived. He scrolled through her music list, chose a tune, started it, then asked her to dance. He hoped she wouldn’t beg off.
    He needn’t have worried. She grabbed his hand, bounced right up and got caught up in the rhythm. She danced well, moved gracefully, put her whole body