“You’ve been really terrific,” she said, then took a drink of coffee. “I’m feeling a lot better today. I’m sure that I’ll be a hundred percent tomorrow and then we’ll be out of your hair.” She cleared her throat. “Would it be too much trouble to have someone bring my car here?”
Jeff studied her for a long time. As usual, not a flicker of thought or emotion showed in his steel-gray eyes. He could have been planning sixty-seven ways to kill her with household appliances or deciding on a second cup of coffee. She really hoped it was the latter.
She returned the scrutiny, noting the short, blond hair brushed back from his face and the high cheekbones. He was tall, muscled and extremely good-looking. So why did he live alone in this gorgeous house? Was there a former Mrs. Ritter somewhere? Or was Jeff not the marrying kind? She bit her lower lip. As closemouthed and mysterious as he seemed, she could understand his avoiding a long-term commitment. Was there a series of significant girlfriends? And more importantly, why did she care?
Before she could come up with an answer to the question, he spoke.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better, but getting over the flu is no reason to rush off.”
His voice was low and well modulated. Controlled, she thought. Everything about him was controlled.
“I think it would be better if we left,” she told him.
“Why? Do you really want Maggie living in a shelter until your apartment is fixed?”
Of course she didn’t. It wasn’t anyone’s dream of a housing situation, but she didn’t have a choice. “Maggie is resilient. She’ll be fine.”
“Agreed, but I don’t see the need to expose her to that. Why not stay here until your housing problem is resolved? There’s plenty of room. You won’t be in the way.”
“But you don’t know us. We’re not family. I don’t understand why you’re—”
His phone went off before she could finish her sentence. Jeff glanced at the screen of the tiny machine, then rose to his feet.
“I have to leave,” he told her. “Try to get plenty of rest so you can build up your strength.”
Before she could say anything else, he’d grabbed his suit jacket from its place on the spare chair and left the room. Seconds later she heard a door close as he walked into the garage.
“How convenient,” she muttered, nearly convinced he’d somehow arranged for his phone to go off at that exact moment. Which was crazy. Even someone like Jeff couldn’t do that.
She finished her breakfast, then cleaned the kitchen. After wiping down the counters for the second time, she figured she might as well take a look at the rest of the house before she began studying. Not Jeff’s bedroom or anything private, but just to get a lay of the land.
Jeff had made it clear they were welcome to stay until her apartment was fixed. Which could be a few more days. If she got more comfortable in his house, she might be more comfortable with the man. After all, he’d been right about the shelter. It would be far better for Maggie to stay here than to move again.
She wandered through the main floor of the house. There was a large, formal living room with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the lake. The furniture was expensive, well made and completely impersonal. Her initial impression had been dead-on. There weren’t any personal effects anywhere.
The dining room’s cherry table could seat twelve, but Ashley had the feeling no one had ever eaten on it. In the family room she found state-of-the-art entertainment equipment, but no books or DVDs.
Ashley paused in the center of the oversize room. The sectional sofa sat opposite the wide-screen television. There weren’t any photographs or paintings. Nothing personal. Who was Jeffrey Ritter and why did he live like this? It was as if he had no past—but instead had appeared fully grown. Was he estranged from his family? Were they dead? There weren’t even any trophies of war. Maybe he had a secret vault somewhere with all that personal stuff.
The thought should have made her smile, but instead she shuddered as if brushed by a chill. Again the question came to her mind. Who was Jeff?
Ashley shook her head. She decided she didn’t want or need an answer. She wasn’t looking for a man in her life, and if she was, Jeff wouldn’t make the final cut. While he was efficient, thorough and even kind, he wasn’t warm and loving. She was only interested in someone who would love her with body, heart and soul. She wasn’t even sure Jeff had a soul.
Which meant she should be grateful for his hospitality and should stop analyzing the man. After all, if he let her stay until her apartment was ready, it meant she could take a mini vacation from the trauma that was her life. As her mother used to say, if someone offers you a gift, take it. If you don’t like it, you can always exchange it later.
Chapter 5
Ashley spent most of the day studying and sleeping. Around three, the sitter, one of Maggie’s preschool teachers, dropped off her daughter.
“Tell me about your day,” she said when the sitter had left after refusing payment.
“Cathy read us a whole book and I colored in the number book and we talked about our trip to the zoo next week.” Maggie shared the bounty of her experiences over a tuna sandwich.
Ashley listened with half an ear, all the while trying to figure out how to raise the issue of payment with her host. It was one thing to stay in his house, but it was quite another for him to take financial responsibility for Maggie’s child care. It’s not as if he were the girl’s father. In fact, Damian had never once contributed a penny. She rubbed her temples. Thinking about Damian would only make her sad and frustrate her in equal measures, so she wouldn’t. And she vowed to talk to Jeff later about him paying for things that he shouldn’t.
Maggie swallowed her mouthful of food. “Mommy, are you coming with us to the zoo?” her daughter asked. “Cathy said we need extra grown-ups and I couldn’t ’member if you have school.”
Blue eyes stared beseechingly. Ashley couldn’t help smiling, then touching her daughter’s cheek. “I don’t have classes, and if Cathy needs help I would be delighted to come along. I love seeing all the animals at the zoo.”
