A Wife by Accident Read Online Free PDF Page A

his square chin.
    “You might have a point.”
    “I think I’ll call it quits for the day if you don’t mind. I’ve got to get up early for work in the morning,” she said.
    When she got near him, Gary almost reluctantly turned to let her pass. A nagging thought pressed at him, one he hadn’t considered before. It wouldn’t seem right for her to be leaving the house just as darkness fell each day. Someone, some neighbor, would eventually notice the pattern. His worries were sidetracked as a whiff of vanilla and chocolate caught his attention.
    “Did you bake something?” He frowned and then smiled. No one had ever cooked in the big, empty house before. It made the place feel homey.
    Hayely shrugged nonchalantly on her way out. “I made chocolate chip cookies. They’re on a plate in the kitchen. Tomorrow I’m stocking up all the cupboards. People could starve to death around here.”
    With a smile and a sigh she shut the heavy front doors behind her.
    As soon as her car sputtered out of the driveway, Gary made a lumbering dash for the kitchen. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten hot, homemade chocolate chip cookies. Having a pretend wife had more advantages than he’d imaged—and he’d discovered a few more of them in one evening.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Three
    At exactly quarter till eight in the morning, Hayely was already at her desk typing up a memo for Kathy when the woman herself walked by. With her hands hidden under her desk, Hayely quickly slipped the wedding band off her finger and into her purse. She felt ridiculous wearing it anyway.
    “ Hayely ,” she greeted without looking directly at her. Instead, her boss glanced at the clock and then briefly at Hayely’s desk before walking off down the hall.
    “Good morning.” Hayely felt the muscles in her neck and shoulders constrict. She could tell what kind of mood Kathy was in just by watching the way she walked, as if she were on her way to a matter of such importance that she had no time for civilities.
    Hayely had gotten to the office earlier than usual that morning so she could have her real work done in time to do a little research. With the Internet a click away, she wanted to see what she could find out about Gary Tarleton. Who was he exactly? She brought up the online version of the local newspaper and typed his name into the box for searches.
    And there it was. She’d sold herself to Nevada’s very own version of Donald Trump, and all for twelve thousand dollars that he would hardly miss after what she’d gleaned from the article. Not that the amount mattered, she cautioned herself. She’d broken that watch and it was her responsibility to pay for it.
    But still, Gary could have hired the best interior designer on the planet and rented a supermodel to pose as his wife for half a year. Why on earth would he want her? She gritted her teeth as the answer came: because she could be bought cheap and she owed him.
    Apparently, Mr. Gary Tarleton owned a number of architectural, engineering and construction firms all under the umbrella of his enormous local parent company—not to mention considerable stock in several large corporations and membership in all sorts of organizations. The man was a tycoon!
    No wonder Charlie had laughed at her uninformed comments. And no wonder Gary looked like a construction worker. He probably went down to one of his company’s sites from time to time and wanted to fit in with the crew.
    Hayely clicked on another link. “Wow,” she said aloud.
    In front of her was a picture of Gary she would never have imagined. Dressed to kill in a tuxedo, clean-shaven and with closely cropped hair, he was something closer to James Bond than the mountain man he’d resembled the day before. She peered closer at the picture.
    All the people standing in the background behind him faded before her eyes as one person came into focus. Kathy L. Mark. What were the odds her boss did business with her new husband? No,