Wish on the Moon (5 page)

"I'd like to ask you a favor. Call Mitch in
here, will you?"

So much for a father-daughter reconciliation.
Weren't they going to talk about what had happened? Why they hadn't
seen each other for six years? Or was Mitch to be included in every
little thing. She stuffed her resentment. She couldn't take the
chance of exciting her father. She had to do what he asked.

She went to the door. "Mitch, he wants you to
come in."

When they were both standing by the bed, Ray
Applegate said, "I know I'm going to make it through this surgery
tomorrow. So we're not going to start spouting words we might
regret. But it is going to be a while until I'm back on my feet and
up to full speed again."

"You don't have to worry about anything,"
Mitch assured him. "We have good people at both stores."

"I know we do, but they're not us. You have
your exhibit coming up and I know you're busy with that." He gazed
at his daughter. "Laura, Mitch told me you plan to stay two weeks.
I'd like you to change your plans and stay six weeks, take over
managing the York store until I can go in at least part time. What
do you say?"

One glance at Mitch told her this was a
surprise and an unwelcome one. Either he didn't like the idea of
her staying, or he hated the idea of her being involved in the
business. Maybe he thought of it as his domain.

"I don't know if I can be away for six
weeks," she said quietly.

Her father growled. "Won't your husband let
you help your father?"

Mitch shot her a "be careful" look.

"I'm a widow, Dad. I'm self-supporting and I
need a job when I go back."

He appeared shocked. "When did that
happen?"

"Two years ago."

"I'm sorry." She doubted his sincerity when
he asked, "Was he doing something crazy like racing his
motorcycle?"

She held onto her anger, trying to remember
that her father was a sick, though still infuriating man. "He was
sailing and got caught in a storm."

Her father grunted.

He'd never understand how happy she and Doug
had been, once--without his money and without his approval. She
sighed. Six weeks. That was a long time to be gone. Would her
supervisor let the assistant manager take over for that long?

"Dad, I'll think about it and give you my
answer after your surgery."

His eyes closed for a moment and he sighed.
"I guess I shouldn't have expected an immediate 'yes.'"

She wanted to reach out to him somehow, tell
him not to worry, that she'd help if she could. But the past
inhibited her. She could only offer one thing. "You'll have to
recover quickly so you can meet your granddaughter."

His eyes flew open. "What's her name?"

"Mandy."

"How old is she?"

"She's four."

"Where is she now?"

Mitch answered. "She's at your house with my
mother. They took to each other right away."

"Nora's a nice lady." Ray focused his
attention on Laura. "Maybe she'll help you with Mandy while you're
here."

She didn't need anyone's help with her
daughter. Didn't her father think she was capable of doing anything
right? Instead of expressing her thoughts, she said, "We'll
see."

A nurse bustled in, nodded to Mitch and
Laura, and checked the IV. When she finished, she said, "The doctor
prescribed some medication. I'll be back with it shortly."

When the nurse had gone, Mitch moved closer
to the bed. "We'd better be going. You need your rest. I'll be here
during surgery tomorrow."

Laura patted her father's hand. "I'll be
here, too. We'll be in to see you as soon as they'll let us."

"Surgery's at seven-thirty in the morning.
You could wait for the results at the house."

Mitch shook his head. "We'll be here."

Ray refolded the hem of the sheet over his
chest. "Nora's welcome to stay overnight. That way you won't have
to get the child out of bed in the morning."

"Don't worry about anything. We'll work out
the details." Mitch extended his hand and Ray took it.

Laura saw understanding pass between the two
men and was suddenly jealous she didn't have that rapport with her
father. When Mitch crossed to the door, she followed. Feeling
awkward, she turned and said, "Try to get a good night's sleep."
There didn't seem to be anything else to say.

Walking down the corridor to the elevator,
Mitch finally spoke. "You could have told him you'd do more than
think about staying."

Her chin lifted. "Was I supposed to lie to
him?"

"I guess to you a job would be more important
than your father."

All her frustration from the moment she'd
opened her door to Mitch spurted out. "I don't know how important
my father is. This is the first I've seen him in six years through
his fault as much as mine, and I'm trying to assimilate that. I do
know one thing though. Mandy comes first. I have to have a decent
job to go back to if we're going to survive. So don't give me that
holier than thou attitude when you know nothing about my life!"

He didn't back down. "How can you say Mandy
comes first when you live like you do?"

She stopped in the middle of the hall. "And
just how do I live?"

"Practically in a commune!"

Somehow, she held onto her fuse though it was
getting mighty short. "Right. Just like the flower children I've
read about."

A couple passed them in the hall. Laura
waited until they were out of hearing distance before she finished.
"Anne and George are good friends. I live with them for practical
reasons."

"I saw the way George looked at you. Is that
your practical reason?"

If they weren't standing in a hospital
hallway, she might have slapped him. Instead, she stiffened her
arms at her sides. "What you saw was good old fashioned affection,"
she said through clenched teeth. She took a few steps closer to him
and knew she was courting danger but didn't care. "Maybe you think
you saw something because of the awareness between us."

He appeared shocked, as if she shouldn't know
about it, think about it, or voice its existence. "There's
awareness all right. The awareness any man feels when he's in the
same room with an attractive woman."

One thing she'd always been was honest. She
wasn't going to start hiding the truth now. "You can reduce it to
that if it's easier for you to digest. I only know I haven't felt
this 'aware' for a very long time. I don't think it's an everyday
occurrence for you, either. We don't have to like it, but it's
ridiculous not to admit it's there."

His nose was a few inches above hers, his
head close enough for her to feel his warm breath on her cheek. "I
suppose you've been celibate since your husband died?" The question
was as mocking as it was bold.

She met it with the same boldness. "Yes, I
have."

He looked as if she'd told him Christmas was
occurring in July this year. "Give me a break, Laura. A woman like
you--"

"You might have heard many tales about me
from my father, but the one thing you never heard was that I'm a
liar. I tell the truth. Always. I learned that from my mother."

For the first moment since she met Mitch, she
saw respect in his eyes. But she didn't know if it was there
because she'd been celibate or because she'd told the truth.

***

As they rode the elevator to the lobby and
walked to the parking garage, Mitch tried to sort his thoughts.
Ray's face had registered shock that Mitch had brought Laura to
York. But there was no censure. Mitch had worried about that on the
flight home, unsure he'd done the right thing. His doubts had
vanished when he'd seen the spark of hope in Ray's eyes when he
asked Mitch to bring Laura to his room.

Laura sure as hell confused Mitch. He'd had a
picture in his head of the woman Ray had described--an
irresponsible, uncaring hoyden who thought of herself first, last,
and always. She hadn't dispelled that image but she wasn't that one
dimensional, either. Maybe that's why she made his head spin. But
that made her all the more dangerous.

What if she saw Ray's invitation to stay as
an opportunity to take over the businesses? He and Ray had a simple
partnership agreement, if any contract could be called simple. But
it could be terminated by either of them and the option was there
for either to buy out the other if they both agreed. Mitch could
never afford to buy Ray's share. But Ray Applegate could buy out
Mitch easily.

What if he wanted to do that? After all Ray
had done for Mitch, how could Mitch stand in his way? What if Laura
put pressure on her father and pushed her way back in? Would Ray
allow that? Would he rather have his daughter as a partner?

When they opened the store in Harrisburg, Ray
had told Mitch it was his to make a success. Mitch had put most of
his savings into the inventory. He had that back now, plus. He'd
made the Harrisburg store the success it was today. Ray wouldn't
cut Mitch out, would he? Of course not. Ray was not like Mitch's
father. And they were more than business partners.

But neither of them had considered Ray's
health would fail. If something happened to Ray...if Laura took
over control... Mitch wouldn't let her. He'd keep his eye on her
and not let her make a move without his knowledge.

The only problem was she was too damn sexy
for his peace of mind. The fluffy blond-brown hair, enticing lips
temptingly pink, a smile that could dazzle Edison when she switched
it on high. For such a small person, she had long legs. He thought
of sliding his hand up her thigh and his body responded. Damn! His
hands clenched into fists. What was he thinking of?

Lust. Deprivation. It had been a long time
since he'd brought a woman to his bed. That's all it was. She
awakened basic male urges.

If he had to stick close to her, he'd have to
keep his urges under control. That had never been a problem. Not
even with Denise, though he'd considered marrying her. There was no
earthly reason why he couldn't be in the same room as Laura and
ignore the "awareness." Unless she was a siren.

He smiled. He was too old and too wise to
believe in sirens or love potions. He was dealing with a mortal
woman. A woman he was going to watch closely.

CHAPTER THREE

When Laura saw her daughter fast asleep on
the sofa, she wanted to curl up beside her. Instead, she crossed to
her little girl and gazed at her innocent face, letting her love
for Mandy well up and wash over her.

Nora set her crocheting on the end table.
"She fell asleep about fifteen minutes ago. Poor thing couldn't
keep her eyes open."

"She had a long day." Mitch strode to the
sofa and looked down at the child in the pink gown. He lifted his
head and his gaze met Laura's. "Would you like me to carry her
upstairs?"

She nodded. "I'd appreciate it. Maybe if you
do it, she won't wake up. I jostle her too much."

Mitch scooped Mandy into his arms. "Mom, can
you stay the night so we don't have to get Mandy up in the
morning?"

"Here? Does Ray know--"

"He suggested it," Mitch replied casually, as
if the whole matter was no big deal.

She pursed her lips. "I suppose I can stay.
It would look better since you're staying here too. Not that you
and Laura need a chaperon. But people do talk."

Mitch rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. "We
know about that, don't we? Dad and Carey..." He stopped, as if
suddenly remembering he and his mother weren't alone. "I don't
think rumors are a concern now."

"They might be for Ray. He's very
proper."

Laura wondered if Nora knew her father well.
She seemed to have him pegged.

Nora continued, "I'll need a change of
clothes."

"After I take Mandy up, I'll go get what you
need."

"It's times like these, I wish I could
drive," Nora said.

He sent her a slanted grin. "You can still
learn."

Her cheeks pinkened and she became flustered.
"Goodness, no. I'm much too old."

Mitch nudged her with his elbow as he passed
her. "You're only as old as you think you are."

Pain twisted in Laura's chest. She'd never
get over losing her mother. Seeing Mitch interacting with Nora made
her realize how much she'd missed. Her mother would have loved
Mandy, probably spoiled her.

As Mitch carried Mandy up the stairs, Laura
said, "So your mom has never driven?"

"Nope. She uses public transportation. She
could always walk to the tailor shop or someone else who worked
there picked her up. When I was home I drove her and still do."

"I don't want to impose on her."

He didn't stop climbing. "I did it for
you."

The tone of his voice should have warned her,
but she never did take warnings seriously. "Why?"

"Because I didn't want you to have an excuse
not to be at the hospital."

What could she say? Thank you, but stop
taking pot shots at me? What if she stayed six weeks? He wasn't
hostile, but he was so suspicious. So unlike Doug. The man she'd
married had had a "live and let live" attitude. Doug had taught her
she didn't need anyone else's approval. As long as she was true to
her heart, no one else's two cents mattered. Until Laura's sense of
responsibility for Mandy had put a damper on spontaneity and Laura
couldn't run off at the drop of a hat to go sailing or or whatever
the latest adventure was he wanted to share with her.

When they were first married, they thought
alike, they, dreamt alike, they believed alike. Make the most of
the moment. Live for today. Love for today. If passion was
sometimes lacking, it didn't matter because they were such good
friends. Falling in love with Doug had introduced her to the world
of adult emotion...and adult heartache. When he died, she'd had to
grapple with grief, fear, and the stark knowledge he had taken one
too many risks. That might have been her fault. She'd never know.
Anne and George had helped her rid herself of the blame.