Maid for Love (32 page)

Joe couldn't resist any longer. He brought her into his arms and ran a hand over her silky hair. "You don't have to do anything until you're ready." Swallowing hard, he pushed the doubts and worries and despair from his mind. "You can stay with me for as long as you need to." The words were out before he could stop them. His mouth, it seemed, was operating on autopilot.

"I can't do that. It's too much of an imposition."

God, if only she knew… "Would you do it for me? If I needed a place to hide out for a while, would you let me stay with you?"

"Of course I would. You know that."

"Then why can't I do the same for you?" Even as he said the words, Joe questioned the wisdom of opening his home to her. She'd stay a few days and recover enough to go on with her life, but her essence would linger in his home and heart forever. Well, he could always move, if it came to that.

A deep rattling sigh, the kind that followed a serious cry, echoed through her. "You really don't mind?"

"No, Janey," he said with a deep sigh of his own. "I really don't mind."

Janey focused on getting through each minute. Breathe in. Breathe out. Don't think. Don't remember. Don't go there. But despite her best efforts, the sight of her fiancé writhing in ecstasy beneath the enthusiastic hips of another woman was burned indelibly into her memory. He'd had his hands full of breasts that were much larger than hers. Had they been the draw? Or was it simple availability? Was it the first and only time? Or had there been others? Oh, God, she'd been such a fool!

She'd never suspected for one second that he'd cheat on her. He was always so busy with his internship and his life as a doctor. And she'd just accepted his many excuses because she wanted to be supportive and not add to his stress by nagging him for more of his time and attention.

All the lingering doubts from the last thirteen years came roaring back to remind her that there had been plenty of warning signs, and she'd chosen to ignore every one of them.

Like when he'd discouraged her from going to vet school. The loans will kill us, he'd said. Only one of them should go to medical school, he'd argued, because island practices won't generate enough income to pay off all those loans with enough left over to support them and the four kids they'd planned to have.

Like the fool she was, she'd gone along with him, settling for a job as a technician at the island vet's office when she'd had the undergraduate grades to get into a top veterinary school. Six years of cleaning up dog poop and grooming poodles, killing time until the day she'd be the wife of the island's only doctor and could stay home to raise their children: David Jr., Anna, Henry and Ella. They'd named them when they were just seventeen.

A sob erupted from her throat. All her dreams crushed to dust in one unbelievable moment.

Tuning into her misery, Joe unbuckled her seat belt and drew her over to rest her head on his shoulder.

For reasons they'd never discussed or acknowledged, he was probably the very last person she should've called. However, with her brother, parents and closest friends all on the island and her other three brothers out of state, there hadn't been much choice. Resting her head on his strong, dependable shoulder, Janey knew she could count on his discretion, even if she was putting him in the difficult position of serving as her knight in shining armor.

"I'm sure it doesn't seem possible right now, but you'll get through this, Janey. I know you will."

"I wish I was so sure."

"You deserve so much better than someone who leaves you alone for years and then cheats on you."

His gently spoken words reduced her once again to tears. Just when she thought there couldn't possibly be more, there were.

"I'm sorry," he said, sounding mad with himself. "I shouldn't have said that."

"S'okay," she said between sobs. "It's nothing I haven't already told myself."

He ran a comforting hand up and down her arm, and Janey sank into the warmth of his embrace.

"Hang in there. We're almost home."

Where was home now that David was no longer a part of her life? What would she do? Where would she live? Who would she lean on and make love with and laugh with? They'd had so many plans… Her head ached and her eyes burned, but still the tears continued to cascade down her cheeks.

The best part was that he didn't even know she'd seen him. He had no idea their life together was over. Would he even care when he found out? Did he still love her? If so, how could he sleep with someone else? How could he do that to her? To
them
?

Janey had never before wished so strongly for a switch she could flip to shut off her tired brain. Her eyes burned closed, and she didn't try to fight the darkness. In fact, she welcomed it.

Joe gnawed on his bottom lip until the taste of blood caught his attention. Tension coiled in his neck and back as he held her close to him. He suspected Janey had fallen asleep, which was just as well. She needed a respite from the pain, and he hoped she'd find it in dreamless sleep.

Twenty minutes later, he pulled into his driveway just as the moon was rising over Shelter Harbor. He sat there for a long time pondering the implications. Bringing her here was a huge mistake. A mistake, in fact, of epic proportions. Just being around her was sheer torture, and now she'd be under his roof for who knew how long. Heartbroken and shattered and unaware of all he felt for her.

He gritted his teeth and accepted the inevitable. He'd offered her a place to stay, and he couldn't undo the invitation. Besides, even if he could, he wouldn't. Perhaps he was some sort of masochist after all. Having Janey, even in her current condition, was better than not having Janey. A tiny spark of hope glimmered just beneath the surface of his current quandary, reminding him that he was the worst kind of fool—a man who'd spent a large chunk of his life in love with a woman he couldn't have.

But she was here now—in his truck, in his arms and in his house. Maybe this was all he'd ever have of her. As he lifted her gingerly from the truck and carried her inside, he told himself it was enough.

Watch for Fool for Love on June 1, 2011!

Fool for Love. Copyright 2011. Marie Force. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Marie Force is the author of FATAL AFFAIR (June 2010) and FATAL JUSTICE (Jan. 2011), Books 1 and 2 in her Fatal Series from Harlequin's Carina Press. Book 3, FATAL CONSEQUENCES, is coming July 28, 2011, FATAL DESTINY, the Fatal Wedding Novella, is free to readers on September 5, 2011 and Book 4, FATAL FLAW, is out in February 2012. "This novel is 'The O.C. does D.C.,' and you just can't get enough." (
RT Book Reviews
, 4.5 stars for FATAL AFFAIR). In its July 2010 issue,
RT Book Reviews
named Marie a "Future Star of Romantic Suspense."

Marie is the author EVERYONE LOVES A HERO (Feb. 2011), LINE OF SCRIMMAGE (Sept. 2008) and LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT
(July 2009)
. Of LINE OF SCRIMMAGE, Booklist said, "With its humor and endearing characters, Force's charming novel will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, reaching far beyond sports fans." Wild on Books said, "LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT by Marie Force is most definitely a keeper. It is an astounding book. I loved every single word!" Marie is also the author of TRUE NORTH, THE FALL and THE WRECK, available as e-books via Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Smashwords.com and iBooks.

Since 1996, Marie has been the communications director for a national organization similar to RWA. She is a member of RWA's New England, From the Heart and Published Author Special Interest Chapters.

While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. She is the mother of two kids and a feisty dog named Brandy.

Find her at
www.mariesullivanforce.com
, on her blog at
http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com
, where she runs the popular weekly Romance & Oreos Book Club, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/pages/Marie-Force/248130827909
, and on Twitter at twitter.com/MarieForce. Marie loves to hear from readers. Contact her at
[email protected]
.

What others are saying about Marie Force's books:

"With its humor and endearing characters, Force's charming novel will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, reaching far beyond sports fans."
Booklist
on
Line of Scrimmage
.

 
"LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT by Marie Force is most definitely a keeper. It is an astounding book. I loved every single word!"
Wild on Books
 

"This novel is
The O.C.
does D.C., and you just can't get enough."
RT Book Reviews
, 4.5 Stars for
Fatal Affair

"This book starts out strong and keeps getting better. Marie Force is one of those authors that will be on my must read list in the future."
The Romance Studio
on
Fatal Affair

"As Cole encourages Olivia's incredible talent for drawing and her love of adventure through a series of carefully planned dates, the two embark on the emotional roller-coaster ride of their lives in Force's steamy contemporary romance, a heartwarming Cinderella story set mostly in and around Washington, D.C."
Booklist
on
Everyone Loves
a Hero

"Marie Force's second novel in the Fatal series is an outstanding romantic suspense in its own right; that it follows the fantastic first installment only sweetens the read."
RT Book Reviews
, 4.5 Stars for
Fatal Justice

***