Wife by Design

Maybe Lynn had arranged it. Maybe that’s why she’d taken the call.

“Kara’s.”

The kid was only three. Way too young to have a bag to pack.

“She’s going somewhere? Without you?”

“Yeah.” Lynn didn’t look too happy about it. And his hackles rose again. For a completely different reason. If Lynn didn’t want her daughter to go someplace, then no one had the right to make her go.

“She’s going to spend the night with her father,” Lynn said slowly. “In San Francisco.”

The city was three hours away.

“Her father lives in San Francisco?” He’d assumed the guy was still in Santa Raquel. Or jail.

“He moved there a year ago.”

Grant moved closer to her, wanting to take those shadows out of her eyes.

He’d done a little reading over the past couple of weekends. About abused women. A disturbing percentage of them went back to the life they’d left.

Time and distance changed perspective, softened memories and…

“You think it’s a good idea to send her off to be alone with him?” he asked, because it was clear that she wasn’t happy about the situation.

“I don’t want to send her,” Lynn said, a wry smile on her lips. “But yes, I think it’s a good idea or I wouldn’t have agreed to do so.”

“You don’t have to send her?”

“Not technically.”

“Have you talked to Lila about this? Or Sara?”

“No. Why would I do that?”

He didn’t want to make her defensive. When he made Darin defensive they got nowhere fast.

“I don’t know. Just in case…”

“In case what?”

Lowering his chin to his chest, he looked up at her and then away. “I don’t know. Do you think she’ll be safe with him?”

“He’s her father, Grant!”

Wow. He’d overstepped on that one. She’d never given him any reason to believe that she wanted him as a confidant. Or even a friend.

“He’s never…hurt…her, then?” Why wasn’t he letting this go?

“Of course not!” The horror on Lynn’s face couldn’t be faked. “Brandon loves Kara more than anything on earth. He’d give his life for her.”

He should stop. But couldn’t. Even if he pissed her off. Because Kara was…three. And…

“If he hurt you, don’t you think there’s even a remote possibility that—”

“Hurt me? We’re divorced—of course I was hurt—but just because he didn’t want to be married to me doesn’t mean that he’ll ever abandon his daughter. He’s a great father.”

Jealousy screwed up his logic for a second. He sidestepped it. Forced himself to focus.

“I’m not talking about emotional hurt or abandonment.”

She stood, hands out on either side of her. “Then what are you talking about?” she asked, her face lifted up to his. Those blue eyes were wide and searching—and unusually open to the heart and soul he was trying to avoid.

In way over his head, Grant swallowed.

He cared about her. Whether she wanted to be his friend or not.

“I… You’re here, at the Stand. A resident. He… Brandon… Kara’s father… Your ex-husband…” Get it out, Bishop. Everyone present knew who the man was. “Did he hit you?”

He couldn’t pretend now that his personal interest was just about sex.

“Brandon? You’re kidding, right?”

“No.” But he was beginning to think he had her all wrong.

“Brandon would no more lift a hand to me than slit his own throat.”

“You weren’t abused?”

“No! I had no idea you thought that.”

“You’re here.”

“Because I had an aunt who was killed by her abusive husband,” Lynn said. “My mother’s sister. And because my own sister was abused. That’s why my parents are in Denver and don’t get home much. Katie’s ex managed to get all domestic violence charges dropped. He not only got joint custody of their kids, but he wants her back, as well. My folks live with her in the hopes they can prevent that from happening. And to watch over the kids. Mom can’t bear the thought of losing Katie like she lost her sister.