Husband by the Hour by Susan Mallery Read Free Book Online Page A

tall."
    Louise smiled. "Hannah, honey, you picked wisely with this one. I didn't always pick wisely, but I made sure they were pretty to look at."
    Nick grinned. "I'm going to like you, Louise."
    "Well, I hope so. I want you to know straight off, I'm not going to be a meddling mother-in-law." Her smile faded. "I'm just happy to have the chance to see you at last. Both of you." She took one of Hannah's hands and one of Nick's.
    Hannah felt as if she'd been caught up in the middle of a tornado. She was being whirled around so fast, she couldn't catch her breath or her balance.
    "What's going on, Louise?" a male voice called from inside the house.
    Louise laughed. "I swear, it's a good thing all my body parts are attached or I would leave them behind. Imagine me forgetting my manners. Come in." She released their hands and stepped back, motioning them through the door. She patted Hannah's arm. "The boys are going to be so thrilled. They've been waiting to meet you."
    Hannah swallowed. "Boys?"
    "The Haynes brothers. Earl's sons with his wife. I know it's confusing, but you have four half brothers."
    Nick draped his arm around Hannah's shoulders. "Great. With me, that's enough to play basketball."
    "Actually, there's Austin , too, but he's not a real relative. More like an adopted member of the family." Louise frowned. "Oh, did I just put my foot in my mouth? You don't mind me saying adopted, do you?"
    Numbly, Hannah shook her head.
    They stepped into the living room. People were everywhere. Not just adults, but children. Lots of children. She couldn't begin to estimate the size of the crowd. Over twenty people. And they were all staring at her.
    "Everyone, this is Hannah. My daughter." Louise's voice cracked and a tear slipped down her cheek. "Isn't she wonderful?"
    Four men separated themselves from the group. They were tall, well over six foot, with dark hair and eyes. Hannah didn't need to look at her own reflection to see the resemblance.
    Her heart stopped in her chest. She felt it thunk once and then freeze. She was going to die, which was a very good thing.
    Cops. Her bothers were cops. Only two were in uniform, but the remaining two had the same look about them. Cops who, if they knew about Nick and his shady practices, not to mention the deal she'd made with him, wouldn't think twice about throwing them both in jail.

----
    Chapter 4
    « ^ »
    H annah stared unbelievingly at the four men in front of her. They stared back. Silence grew. She kept waiting to fall to the floor. After all, she still couldn't feel her heart beating. Then, in the quiet, she heard the faint thudding that told her not only was she still alive, but she was also probably going to live long enough to have to suffer through this weekend.
    Nick gave her shoulder a quick squeeze, then stepped forward. "Hi. I'm Nick Archer, Hannah's husband."
    The brother with a bit of gray at his temples smiled slightly. "Craig Haynes. Nice to meet you." The two men shook hands.
    Hannah watched closely, but there didn't seem to be any kind of male-dominance test going on. At least not yet. The handshake was brief; she didn't notice any bulging tendons, a telltale sign that there was a pissing contest in progress.
    Craig turned his attention to her. "We weren't sure what to expect. Sorry, Louise, but she's a hundred percent Haynes."
    Louise slipped her arm through Hannah's. "Oh, there's a little Carberry in her, too. Your side doesn't get all the credit."
    Hannah shook her head. She'd always wondered about her "real" last name, about any family that might be around to claim her. Here they were, in the flesh. It should have been exciting. Instead, all she wanted to do was run for cover.
    Craig motioned to the man on his left. "This is Travis, then Jordan and Kyle." He grinned. "We're actually standing in order of age. I'm the oldest, Kyle's the youngest."
    "Not anymore," Kyle said. "Now you get to be the baby, Hannah."
    "How nice," she murmured.
    "We'll run through the