An Independent Wife by Linda Howard Read Free Book Online Page A

someday. I'm sorry, that was thoughtless of me.-

    A vein began throbbing in his temple and she watched it in fascination. It meant that he was furious, as she remembered all too well, but she couldn't think why he should be so angry. After all, she hadn't been killed, so she didn't see anything to worry about.

    He closed the file and tossed it back onto his desk, his lips pressed into a grim line. "Get married again!" he suddenly shouted. "Why would I be fool enough to do that? Once was enough!"

    "It certainly was," she agreed with heartfelt sincerity.

    His eyes narrowed and he seemed to force his temper down. "You don't think you'd like to remarry?"
    he asked silkily.

    "A husband would interfere with my job," she said, and shook her head. "No, I'd rather live by myself "

    "You don't have any ... er ... close friends who object when you take off for days, even weeks, at a time?" he probed.

    "I have a lot of friends, yes, but they're mostly in the business themselves so they understand if I go on assignment," she answered calmly and ignored the inference he made. It was none of his business if she had any lovers or not, and suddenly she felt it was important for her pride that he not know he was the only man who had ever made love to her. After all, he certainly hadn't lived the life of a monk, as witness the gorgeous Coral Williams!

    "I've read a lot of your articles," he commented, switching to a different tack. "You've been in some tight places-Lebanon, Africa, South America. Don't your friends mind that you could get hurt?"

    "Like I said, they're in the business themselves. Any of us could come back dead," she returned dryly.
    "It was the same with you, but you kept going. Why have you grounded yourself? You could pick your own assignments, and we heard you were offered the anchor job?"

    "Maybe it's a sign of old age, but I got tired of being shot at," he said abruptly. "And I was getting bored, I wanted a change. I'd made some good investments through the years and when Review came up for sale I decided to make the change, so I bought it. I'm still signed with the network to do four documentaries for next year and that's always interesting. I have time to do more research, to build a background on my subject."

    Sallie looked doubtful. "I think I'd prefer foreign assignments."

    He started to say something when the phone on his desk buzzed. In swift irritation he punched the intercom line and snapped, "I said no interruptions!"

    Simultaneously the door opened and a soft voice said, "But I knew you wouldn't consider me an interruption, darling. If you have some poor reporter on the carpet I'm sure you've already said all that needs to be said."

    Sallie turned her head to stare in amazement at Coral Williams, who was breathtaking in a severe black dress that merely served to flatter her blond perfection. The model was a picture of self-confidence as she smiled at Rhy, fully expecting him to welcome her with open arms.

    Rhy said evenly, "I see your problem, Miss Meade," and replaced the receiver. To Coral he said in the same even tone, "It had better be important, Coral, because I've got a lot on my mind."

    Such as stumbling over his long-lost wife, Sallie thought to herself, involuntarily smiling as she got to her feet. "If that's all, Mr. Baines ... ?"

    He looked frustrated and ill-tempered. "We'll talk about it later," he snapped, and she took it that she was dismissed. She made her exit with a triumphant grin at a visibly puzzled Coral and gave Rhy's secretary the same grin on her way out.

    The first thing she had to do was relieve Greg's mind, so she stopped by his office on her way down.
    "He knows," she told him matter-offactly, sticking her head through the door. "It's okay, he didn't fire me."

    Greg shoved his fingers roughly through his hair, rumpling the prematurely gray strands into untidy peaks. "You've aged me ten years, doll." He sighed. "I'm glad he knows, that's a weight off me. Is it going