âDo you believe in love at first sight?â
Marcy held her breath. She had no right to ask him such a question. He was her employer, even if only temporarily, and she found him incredibly, inappropriately sexy and appealing, but she really shouldnât be so personal.
Still, she couldnât take back the question.
âI donât know,â he said, his gaze direct. âI havenât experienced it myself.â
Which gave her an answer in itself. He hadnât fallen for anyone at first sight, therefore he hadnât fallen for her. A stifling blanket of disappointment dropped over her.
Which was totally ridiculous, she realized. Why should she be disappointed?
âNow, lust at first sight? Thatâs different.â He took a lock of her hair in his hand and rubbed it. âItâs soft. Iâve been wondering.â
âYou have?â
âSince first sight.â
âWhich was onlyââ she did some quick calculations ââseventeen hours ago.â
âFirst sight,â he repeated.
Dear Reader,
Have you ever set a goal for yourself then wouldnât deviate from itâeven though you should? Being adaptable can save us a lot of grief through the years, but occasionally it takes a momentous eventâlike falling in loveâto make us realise when weâre sticking too closely to a plan.
That describes the heroine in His Temporary Live-In Wife. For what she believes are really good reasons, sheâs working toward a goal but with blinders on, not giving herself a chance to look even side-to-side to see what else might make her happy. Along comes our hero, whoâs already achieved his goal and is looking for something new. Heâs learned to adapt.
Itâs up to Eric to show Marcy that itâs okay to veer off course now and then, especially when the new direction could bring a greater happiness than the original path.
I cheered them on as I wrote their story. I hope you will, too.
Susan
SUSAN CROSBY believes in the value of setting goals, but also in the magic of making wishes, which often do come trueâas long as she works hard enough. Along lifeâs journey, sheâs done a lot of the usual thingsâmarried, had children, attended college a little later than the average co-ed and earned a BA in English. Then she dove off the deep end into a full-time writing career, a wish come true.
Susan enjoys writing about people who take a chance on love, sometimes against all odds. She loves warm, strong heroes and good-hearted, self-reliant heroines, and she will always believe in happily-ever-after.
More can be learned about her at www.susancrosby.com.
For Rob and Colleen, who live and love side by
side. âRole modelâ may be a big, lofty title with lots of responsibility attached to it, but youâve both worn it well.
âYou want me to house-sit a vacant home? Thereâs no furniture? Nothing?â Marcy Monroe asked her employer, bewildered. The request was a first in her four years of working for At Your Service, a Sacramento high-end temp agency. âWho hires someone to do that?â
âA cautious man, apparently.â The agency owner, Julia Swanson, smiled in that serene way she had. âI thought since your other house-sitting job fell through, you wouldnât mind. The client will pay for a cot and sleeping bag.â She handed Marcy a sheet of paper. âHereâs a list of what heâll need done in the next few days. As you can see, youâll be busy. He bought it as a foreclosure, so itâs not in perfect shape. The job is much more than house-sitting. Heâll pay double your rate.â
âTell him to triple it and Iâll do the cleaning, too,â she muttered, perusing the task list. âItâll save him having to hire a service, and itâll keep me occupied while Iâm there.â
Julia picked up the phone and dialed.
Marcy waved both hands, the paper flapping. âJulia, stop. Iâm kidding!â
âYouâre kidding about offering to do the cleaning?â Julia asked.
âNo, Iâd do it, butââ
âEric, hi, itâs Julia Swanson⦠?. Yes, sheâs sitting in my office right now. She wanted me to tell you sheâs willing to do the cleaning, too, for an extra fee⦠?.â
That sneaky Julia, Marcy thought. She couldnât say no now, and Julia knew it. âI donât do windows,â Marcy whispered loudly.
âOf course. Here she is.â Her eyes shimmering, Julia held out the phone to Marcy. âHeâd like to speak with you.â
Marcy shook her head at Julia but had to take the phone. âThis is Marcy Monroe.â
âEric Sheridan, Ms. Monroe. Thank you very much for accepting the job. I canât tell you what a relief that is to me.â
She almost sighed. It was obviously a done deal. âIâm glad I can help.â
âYou know the house has been vacant for months. It needs a great deal of elbow grease. Plus, itâs one-and-a-half stories, with lots of windows.â
Great, she thought. Just great. âThatâs fine.â
He hesitated a beat. âDid Julia show you the list?â
âYes, and I donât foresee any problems, Mr. Sheridan. You can relax. Iâm quite competent.â