Wife Wanted Read online

  Natalie led him to the foyer and up the stairs first, explaining that the house had been thoroughly modernized four years before, that the kitchen had been remodeled and a bath and a half added.

  “Now all the windows are double-paned.” She smiled over her shoulder at him. “And you’ll even have air-conditioning, for those hot summer days.”

  Rick listened to her little sales pitch, but his mind was on what had happened in the parlor. As they reached the top of the landing, he couldn’t help remarking, “You have a way with kids.”

  She shrugged her padded shoulders, and the beadwork on her dress glinted in the buttery sunlight that spilled in the window over the stairs. “Kids and dogs. What can I say?”

  “Next you’ll be telling me you’re a kindergarten teacher.”

  “First and second grade, actually. I teach at the school in town.”

  “Town?”

  “You came out from the Cities, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, if you keep going on the road you took to get here, you’ll come to Travistown, around the far end of the lake. Population three hundred and forty. We have our own school, though a few grades always get combined, and we have a market, a hardware store and a couple of gift and clothing shops. And Walleye Property Management, of course.”

  “Right. Bud Tankhurst is one of the agents there.”

  “Bud Tankhurst is the only agent there. He owns it and he runs it. His wife, Latilla, does the books for him.”

  “I see.” Her eyes really were the biggest, brownest eyes he’d ever seen. And her face was…familiar.

  Her smooth brow furrowed. “Is Toby all right?”

  Rick tensed. “What do you mean?” He knew he sounded defensive.

  She leaned against the banister. “I mean, is something bothering him? He seems…too quiet. I don’t think he said a word just now.”

  Rick looked away. He’d been in this woman’s house for ten minutes, max. She was a stranger. But she didn’t feel like a stranger. She drew him. And in ten minutes, she’d already accomplished the impossible: She’d made his little boy smile.

  He met her eyes once more. “Both Toby’s mother and his maternal grandmother died several months ago. A car accident. Toby was in the car when it happened.”

  Natalie made a small sound of distress.

  “Toby hasn’t spoken since the accident.”

  “Oh… I’m so sorry….”

  “His mother and I were divorced. And I…hadn’t seen Toby in a while. That’s why I’m interested in this place. Toby’s doctor says Toby’s making progress, but that he would get better even faster if we had more time together, just the two of us. Time for Toby to learn for certain that he can trust me. And time for me to get to know him better. Does that make sense?”

  Those big eyes were full of understanding. “Yes, it does. Perfect sense.” She came away from the banister. “Let me show you the rest of the house.”

  He thought that he could stand here talking to her forever, but all he said was “Yes, that’s a good idea.”

  She pushed the doors open on two small bedrooms and showed him the bath the rooms shared. “These will go with the rental.”

  He looked across the hall at two closed doors. She caught the direction of his gaze and explained, “That’s my bedroom, a bath and a sitting room. There’s a master bedroom and a study downstairs, so I was hoping that maybe we could just leave my private rooms out of the arrangement—if it’s only going to be you and Toby.”

  “I see.”

  “I’d adjust the rent accordingly, of course.”

  “If I take the place, that would be okay with me. There are more rooms than we’ll need, anyway.”

  She led him back downstairs, through the study and the big master bedroom, with its private bath. There was also a spacious kitchen, a pantry and laundry room with a half bath. Between the parlor and the kitchen was a formal dining room. And branching off from the kitchen was a breakfast area and a big, open family room, which Natalie referred to as the great room.

  Once Rick had seen it all, they settled at the breakfast table to talk things over. Natalie said she’d hoped to find a renter who would take the house “as is,” with all her furniture.

  “That would be fine with me. But if we do this, I’d like to use the study for Toby’s bedroom. Sometimes he has nightmares, and I want to be close by.”

  “I understand. I wouldn’t mind at all if you brought down one of the beds from upstairs.”

  “Great.”

  She was grinning. “I think this just might work out.” She braced her elbow on the table and propped her chin on her hand.

  It hit him then. He remembered a spread he’d seen in some glossy magazine. A gorgeous redhead sitting at a table with her chin in her hand and an impudent grin on her lips. Her eyes had captured him as he thumbed the magazine: big and brown and soft. Just like the eyes of the woman across from him now.

  The caption under the picture had read Fortune’s Face: Your face. Then, now and always…

  He couldn’t stop himself from asking, “You said your grandmother was named Kate? Kate Fortune?”

  She sighed. “The truth comes out.”

  “The Kate Fortune? Of Fortune Cosmetics?”

  “Yes.”

  “You know, you look a little like—”

  “Allison Fortune.” She said the name of the world-famous model and spokesperson for Fortune Cosmetics with resignation. “She’s my sister. Actually, she’s married now. Her last name’s Stone. Allie Stone.”

  She didn’t look very eager to say more, and Rick wished he’d kept his mouth shut. He remembered reading how her grandmother, an expert pilot, had died tragically over a year ago. The plane Kate Fortune was flying had crashed in the jungles of the Amazon. The body, from what Rick recalled, had been burned beyond recognition.

  “If you decided to take the house,” Natalie said, a little stiffly, bringing them back to the topic at hand, “the groundskeepers from my family’s estate, across the lake, will look after the property, so you won’t have any worries there. And a woman will come in once a week to clean the place.”

  “Fine.”

  She looked down at her hands, which she’d folded on top of the table.

  “What?” he asked.

  She met his eyes again, and her white teeth worried her bottom lip.

  “You look as if there’s something you don’t quite know how to say.”

  She chuckled. “You’re right.”

  “Just say it.”

  “All right. There’s one condition, if you did decide to take the house.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “You’d have to take care of Bernie while you’re here.”

  He really hadn’t been prepared for that one. “You want me to watch your dog for you?”

  Her face was flushed again. “I know, it’s crazy. But Bernie comes with the house.”

  “But why?”

  She glanced away, then back. “This is Bernie’s home.”

  He knew there had to be more to it than that, but she was obviously reluctant to tell him what. Rick considered her request, remembering the sight of his son standing in the doorway, with his hand on the dog’s neck. And there were ten acres of property around the house; enough even for a dog that large.

  While he thought it over, Natalie provided more detail about her plans. “I’m renting the house because I want to take a long vacation. I’m going on a cruise of the Mediterranean. I’ll be leaving July twenty-eighth, to return at the very end of August so I can get ready before school starts. But if the time frame’s wrong for you, I can stay across the lake, at the family estate I mentioned, either before or after I leave for my trip. My parents have split up and my father’s living alone at the estate now. He’d be glad to have me.” Her big eyes clouded a little, making him wonder whether there was some problem with her father.

  The Fortunes were a very important family. And since Kate Fortune’s d
eath, it seemed to Rick, there’d been a lot of news in the papers about them. A missing heir had turned up, and Fortune Industries stock was down. In fact, Jacob Fortune, CEO of the Fortune companies, had made the front page of the Star Tribune only this morning. The article had not been flattering. Could that particular Fortune be Natalie’s father? If so, it was no wonder she was worried about him.

  Rick studied the woman across from him, thinking how uneasy he’d been about this whole “vacation” idea. He was a professional man, after all. He’d started out with nothing, and the whole focus of his life had been making something of himself. He’d never had much time for kids—and he didn’t understand what made them tick. The painful truth was, he’d been scared to death that he would blow this experiment royally.

  But fifteen minutes ago, he’d seen firsthand that his little boy could be reached. Natalie Fortune had reached him—just by smiling and saying hello.

  Now, she was watching Rick anxiously, no doubt worried by his extended silence. “Mr. Dalton?”

  “Call me Rick. What?”

  “Is there some problem?”

  “No. No problem at all. This sounds just right for us. And I’d be glad to look after the dog. I need a couple of weeks to arrange a leave of absence from my job and tie up my affairs in the Cities. So I’d like to move in on July twelfth, and stay until August thirty-first. And don’t move across the lake unless you want to. It’s a big house, and you’re welcome to stay right here until you leave on your trip.”

  The smile she gave him then took his breath away. “Whew. Relief. That’s what I’m feeling now. Capital R. I thought for a moment there that you were going to say this wasn’t what you were looking for.”

  “No, this is exactly what I’m looking for.”

  “Good. Because you and Toby are perfect. Bernie will be so happy you’re the ones.”

  “Bernie will be happy?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I really wasn’t going to go into it.”

  “Into what?”

  “You’ll think it’s odd.”

  “Tell me.”

  She shrugged her spangled shoulders. “All right. It’s like this. Bernie was my grandma Kate’s dog. When she left me the house in her will, she stipulated that Bernie always had to have a home here. Also, until I get married, the house always has to be occupied.”

  Rick understood then why she’d seemed so uncomfortable when she requested that he look after the dog. He couldn’t help asking, “What does your getting married have to do with anything?”

  Around her neck she wore a thin gold chain with a single charm, a golden rosebud, hanging from it. Her fingers closed around the charm. “If my grandmother were still alive, you can be certain that I’d ask her.”

  Rick shook his head, marveling at the eccentricities of the very rich.

  “So. Do we have a deal?” she asked.

  “You haven’t named a price.”

  She did.

  “That sounds more than fair,” he said.

  She stood. “I’ll get you an application, then. But it’s just a formality. If you want the house from the twelfth of July until the end of August, it’s yours.”

  “I want it.”

  She got him the papers, then returned to the parlor to join Toby and the dog while Rick filled in all the blanks on the application.

  “Finished?”

  He looked up to see her standing in the door to the hall, still dressed in her forties finery, with Toby on one side and the dog on the other.

  He grinned. “All done.”

  “Then leave those boring papers right there and come on. I want you to see the Lady Kate.”

  They all trooped out to the sloping expanse of lawn behind the house and down to the lake. She took them out onto a wide dock and into the attached boathouse, where the houseboat, that had been mentioned in the ad was moored next to a much smaller open-bowed ski boat.

  “This is the Lady Kate, one of my grandpa Ben’s favorite toys,” Natalie explained fondly, patting the hull of the larger boat. “Grandma Kate liked speed and adventure. She was an ace pilot. She even had a hydroplane dock put in at the estate across the lake. And just a few years ago, she bought herself a matching pair of jet skis. She was forever harassing the rest of us to buzz around the lake with her. But Grandpa Ben had a quieter side. He liked long days on the lake with his fishing pole. Sometimes he’d take me with him. And more than once, he took my whole family—my dad and mom, my brother and sisters and me. We’d all stay the night out on the water.” She laughed her musical laugh. “It was no hardship, I can tell you. The Lady Kate has all the conveniences of home. She’ll be at your disposal during the time you stay here.” For a moment, those enormous eyes met his. And he couldn’t help thinking that he’d like more than the houseboat to be at his disposal.

  He wondered at himself. In the past few years, since the debacle that had been his relationship with Vanessa, he’d been wary of women. But from the moment he stepped into Natalie Fortune’s parlor, his usual wariness had seemed to fade away.

  The big dog bumped against his side. And Toby, who was holding Natalie’s hand, turned for the door that would take them out onto the open dock. The adults and the dog followed where the silent little boy led them.

  Outside, the water lapped softly against the pilings and the wind ruffled the surface of the water and far off over the lake somewhere Rick actually imagined he heard the wild, laughing cry of a loon.

  He wanted to forget all about Minneapolis and the architectural firm where he’d been working like a demon for nearly a decade now. He wanted to forget his expensive house on its nice suburban street and just stay here. Leave it all behind and remain forever in the rambling farmhouse by the lake with the son who had smiled today and the big, friendly dog and the enchanting woman who sang along to Janis Joplin wearing a lampshade on her head.

  But none of that was possible—not for two weeks, anyway.

  He smiled at his son. “It’s time to go.”

  Two

  Natalie waved goodbye as her new tenants drove off. Bernie bumped against her side. She knelt and ruffled his neck fur.

  “You love ’em, don’t you, boy?”

  Bernie swiped at her with his big, sloppy tongue, letting her know just how happy he was. Natalie laughed and ducked away from his canine kisses. She was every bit as pleased as her dog.

  Not to mention relieved. Five prospective tenants had come by yesterday; none of them had worked out. But now she could relax. She’d found just the right people to look after the house and Bernie. The silent, sad-eyed little boy was adorable. And Rick Dalton seemed ready to treat her house and her dog as if they were his own.

  He was also a hunk, with his lean good looks and his warm, exciting smile. And she would be living right here with him for two weeks….

  Letting out a little grunt of self-disgust, Natalie rose from petting the dog. It was only in her silly, romantic fantasies that men like Rick Dalton wanted a woman like her. In real life, she was much too ordinary to hold their interest for long. And besides, he was taking the house for his son’s sake. He’d have his hands full trying to get to know that little boy of his. The last thing he’d be looking for would be a summer romance.

  And Natalie wasn’t looking for romance, either—at least not until she got on that cruise ship and met someone exotic and different. Then maybe she’d go in for a shipboard dalliance. So what if she’d never been the “dallying” type. There was a first time for everything, after all.

  “Come on, Bernie.” She started up the walk. Halfway to the porch, she heard the phone ringing. She broke into a sprint and almost turned her ankle on the step, thanks to the platform shoes from Grandma Kate’s trunk.

  She made it to the foyer extension just before the answering machine picked up in the study—and then she wished she hadn’t hurried.

  “Natalie, what took you so long?” It was Joel Baines, whom Natalie had dated exclusively for five years, until a month ago, w
hen Joel broke it off.

  At first, after Joel told her it was over, Natalie had been crushed. She’d wandered around the house in a bathrobe, beset by crying jags, wondering what was the matter with her. But then she’d come to her senses and realized that Joel had done her a favor; she’d faced facts. Joel had been with her for two reasons: because it stroked his ego to have a Fortune on his arm, and because she’d made herself so incredibly convenient—always there when he needed her, always ready to do things his way. She didn’t need a man like him in her life.

  Unfortunately, for the past few days, Joel had been having second thoughts about his decision to end their relationship.

  Natalie hadn’t. “Joel, stop calling me.”

  “But, Natalie…”

  “I mean it. Listen. Do. Not. Call. Me. Again.”

  “Natalie, I was a fool.”

  “Joel, you betrayed me.” He had confessed that he’d been unfaithful, just before he told her that he was through with her.

  “I never should have told you about my little mistakes,” Joel said. “I can see that now.”

  “Just leave me alone. Please.”

  “I love you, Natalie. There’s a big fat hole in my life with you gone. If you’ll just—”

  “Goodbye, Joel.” She hung up.

  And, for a moment, she felt really good. Really, completely in charge of her life and affairs.

  But only for a moment. Then, through the door she’d left open when she raced for the phone, she saw her mother’s white Mercedes as it fishtailed into the turnaround by the front walk. Erica Fortune stomped on the brakes and brought the car to a skidding stop, spewing gravel in her wake.

  With a sigh, Natalie went out to meet her.

  Erica emerged from the car wearing a beautiful white linen suit that should have been a mass of wrinkles, but wasn’t. On Erica Fortune, linen didn’t dare wrinkle.

  “Oh, Nat. Thank God you’re here.”

  “What is it, Mother?”

  Erica smoothed back her shining silvery-blond hair with a slim, perfectly manicured hand. The huge emerald ring that matched her eyes glittered in the sunlight. In her other hand she clutched a rolled newspaper. “Here. Look.” She held out the paper.