Delivered with Love by Sherry Kyle Read Free Book Online

beautiful bouquet of pink and yellow roses as she looked tenderly at Tom. A picture of a newborn baby hung right beside the wedding photo. Claire strolled down the hall and tried to catch up with Nancy, who'd seemed to disappear.
    "Mrs. Daniels?" She passed a master bedroom and then a bathroom on the right.
    Nancy poked her head out into the hallway from a room farther down on the left. Her mouth formed a straight line. "I'm sorry, I thought you were right behind me." Were those tears in Nancy's eyes?
    "I was following until I got distracted by the photos." Claire hurried into the bedroom and stared. It looked like a picture straight out of a home decorator magazine. The walls were painted a shade of sage green, the same color as the quilt that lay at the edge of the queen-size bed. A picture of a meadow hung on the wall above the wrought iron headboard, and a blanket lay casually over the armrest of a chair tucked in the corner. Wispy curtains flowed from black metal rods, and floral rugs graced the hardwood floors.
    Claire sighed. "This is beautiful."
    "Oh, thank you." Nancy turned down the bed. "You can use the bathroom you passed on your right, and I'll come get you for breakfast in the morning. Do you need anything?" She sniffed and rubbed her nose.
    Claire shook her head no. "Thank you so much."
    "Well, good night, then."
    "Good night."
    Nancy walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.
    Strange. The woman's distracted manner gave Claire the feeling she was going through a difficult time in her life. She hoped her staying the night didn't add to Nancy's burden. Claire dropped her pillow and blanket on the floor, and she sat on the bed. It had been an overwhelming day—she left L.A., saw Geraldine at the gas station, ran into Harry and Pearl, met the Andersons, and finally had to rely on a tow-truck driver and his wife. She lay back, exhausted. Could life get any crazier?
    Yes, the room was beautiful, but it couldn't take away the dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her car needed repairs and she didn't have much money to fix it and she depended on strangers to take care of her basic needs of food and shelter. How was she going to make it on her own?
    A knock on the door startled her. Her stomach tightened. Claire jumped up and opened the door.
    "Everything all right?" Tom stood in the hall still wearing his blue pants and work shirt.
    A shiver ran down her spine. What does he want? He seemed like a nice man, but so did her brother-in-law a long time ago. She wouldn't let her guard down around any man, especially a complete stranger. "Yes, thank you." Claire made a move to shut the door.
    Tom thrust his foot in the opening to prevent the door from closing.

 
     
8
     
     
    H alf of Tom's shoe protruded into the guest bedroom. What did he want? Claire sucked in a breath.
    "Nancy got paged. Shortage of nurses tonight at the hospital. "Tom leaned forward. "She has a twelve-hour shift."
    Claire's pulse jumped. I'm alone with Tom. Tae Kwon Do might come in handy. She planned her defense in case he moved closer. "Thanks for letting me know." Her voice sounded shaky. She cleared her throat. What was it about this man that set her on edge?
    "I'll knock at 7:30 a.m. I need to be in Monterey by nine. "Tom took a step back. "Good night." He turned and walked across the hall to his room.
    Claire closed the door, locked it, then leaned against the doorframe. The ticking of the small clock on the nightstand caught her attention. 2:45 a.m. Without Nancy home, every minute until the sun rose would seem like forever. Claire grabbed her pillow and blanket off the floor, flicked off the light, and lay on top of the bed. She punched her pillow a few times before settling into her usual sleep position. Would Tom come back again? The door was locked. She was safe. Wasn't she?
    Her body relaxed and her eyes drifted closed.

    She woke to raindrops beating against the windowpane. She looked at the clock. It read 9:56.