Hired by Her Husband by Anne McAllister Read Free Book Online Page A

did think that perhaps I could appeal to your adult common sense, but if that’s a problem…”
    George bared his teeth. It made his head hurt like hell. But then so did everything else he’d done today, which was pretty much nothing. He’d tried to read and couldn’t focus. He’d tried to write and couldn’t think. He’d tried to get up and walk around, but when he did, he’d barely made it back to the bed without throwing up. If they’d let him go home, he could at least get some sleep.
    “It would be different if you didn’t live alone,” Sam wassaying. “Having someone who can keep an eye on you would make it more feasible.”
    “Babysit me, you mean,” George grunted.
    Sam grinned. “If the shoe fits…”
    George glared. Sam just raised his brows, shrugged and looked back implacably.
    Scowling, George folded his arms across his chest. “I’ll be fine,” he insisted. “I promise I’ll call if I think it’s worse.”
    “No,” Sam said.
    “I have work, a dog, a life—”
    “A life?” Sam snorted at that. “I don’t think so. You teach physics, for heaven’s sake!”
    It wasn’t all he’d ever done, but George didn’t go there. He just stared stonily at Sam and waited for him to give in.
    “No,” Sam said. “Just because I broke your nose in sixth grade doesn’t mean I’m going to surrender my obligation as a doctor to give you my honest medical opinion.”
    “ The hell you did! I broke your nose!”
    Sam laughed. “Well, at least your memory’s not totally shot.” He lifted a hand and rubbed it ruefully across the bump in his nose. “At least I gave you the black eye.”
    “It wasn’t that black.”
    “Pretty damn,” Sam said. “Anyway, we’ll talk about it tomorrow. We need to make sure the bleeding has stopped.” He nodded toward George’s head.
    But George didn’t notice. His attention had been grabbed by the glimpse of someone just beyond the door. “Sophy?”
    Was he seeing things? She’d gone, hadn’t she? Done her “duty” and hightailed it back to California?
    But just as he thought it, she poked her head around the doorjamb. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you. I thought Tallie might have come back.”
    Tallie? George started to shake his head, then thought better of it. “No. She went to get the boys from school. You talked to Tallie?”
    Tallie certainly hadn’t mentioned it. His sister had breezed in this morning to see how he was doing. Well, breeze might not have been the right word. Waddle, maybe. She’d looked as if she was going to have her baby any minute. He hadn’t seen her in a month, and she hadn’t been nearly that big last time he had. He felt a little guilty calling her last night and asking her to take care of the dog.
    That was mostly what they’d talked about when she’d come by this morning.
    “Gunnar’s all taken care of,” she’d assured him. “Don’t worry about a thing.”
    She’d left again, promising to drop by later.
    “Don’t bother,” he’d told her. It was enough that she was taking care of Gunnar. And what the hell did Sophy want with her?
    “I talked to her briefly,” Sophy was saying. “She came in as I was leaving. She will be back?” she asked now, as if it mattered more than a little.
    “I hope not,” George said. “Why?”
    “I—” Sophy hesitated “—have something to give her.”
    “Leave it here. I’ll take it home when I go. She can get it from me.”
    “Well, I—”
    “But if it’s urgent, don’t bother,” Sam cut in, and George realized that he’d completely forgotten about Sam, who went right on. “He’s not going anywhere.”
    “The hell I’m not!”
    Sophy looked from him to Sam and back again, her eyes wide and questioning.
    “Ignore him,” George said.
    “Right, ignore me,” Sam agreed. “I’m only his doctor.”
    “What’s wrong with him?” Sophy was looking at Sam.
    “Other than being obstinate, bloody-minded and immature?” Sam raised a brow. “Not