The Secret Wife Read Online Free PDF Page A

of our family,” he said and nodded to her.
    She smiled at the children.
    “She’s here to assist Millie in the office and to fill in anywhere she’s needed. However, Elissa’s only going to be with us for a couple of months.”
    She didn’t hear the rest of what he was saying—she was too furious. Bad enough that he accused her of betraying him, now he was telling the children she wasn’t going to be sticking around. She felt like the witch in Snow White. Why not just make her wear a sign. Warning—Do Not Take Apples From This Woman.
    When Cole had finished his speech, the children clapped politely. Cole led her over to the seats Tiffany had saved. “Help yourself to the buffet,” he said, and turned away.
    “Aren’t you eating with us?” Tiffany asked.
    “Not tonight.”
    “But you always eat with us,” she said, her voice close to a whine. “I saved you a seat.”
    He ruffled her bangs. “Next time, kid. I promise.”
    With that, he was gone.
    As Tiffany took her through the buffet line and explained which items were delicious and which should be avoided at all costs, Elissa couldn’t help thinking about Cole. He’d been difficult and withdrawn when she’d known him before, and that hadn’t changed. If anything, he’d gotten worse. But one thing was the same—he was a man of his word. He’d obviously meant what he said when he’d told her they would never be friends.
    * * *
    Three hours later Elissa closed the door to her two-room suite and breathed a sigh of relief. She’d enjoyed spending time getting to know the children, but it had been a long day. Her evening usually consisted of an occasional dinner out or some quality time with a good book. Trying to concentrate on a board game while being bombarded with questions from fifty curious children had sapped the last of her reserves. Still, she had one more thing she had to do before she could crawl into bed.
    She found the blank pad of paper she’d left on her nightstand and returned to the living room. After clicking on a floor lamp, she settled into a corner of the sofa and nibbled on the end of her pen.
    The kids’ clothes were fine. Many were obviously hand-me-downs, but that happened in every family, not just at orphanages. Some of the buildings needed painting. That was one option, although not one that thrilled her.
    She closed her eyes and thought about what she’d seen on her way into the dining room. Trees, grass, bushes, a couple of bikes, a basketball. She replayed the image and realized the basketball had looked flat, while the bikes were old and dented. Hmm, now that she thought about it, she didn’t remember seeing any playground equipment. That’s where she would start.
    She opened her eyes and began writing. It didn’t matter that Cole hated her, or that he would probably fire her if he knew what she was doing. This wasn’t about him; it was about the children. Besides, she wouldn’t be dissuaded from her plan. She could have everything in place with just a couple of phone calls. She couldn’t wait to see the looks on the children’s faces. Or the look on Cole’s.

Chapter Three
    C ole stepped into the administration building and heard the sound of female voices. Normally that wasn’t enough to drive him back outside, but he recognized one of the voices as Elissa’s. In the week she’d been working at the orphanage, he’d done his best to avoid her. He told himself he wasn’t being cowardly; he was simply making the best of an awkward situation.
    The excuse sounded feeble, even to himself, so instead of disappearing into the afternoon, he continued toward Millie’s office.
    Elissa’s work space was in the reception area. He rounded the corner and braced himself for the impact of seeing her. No matter how many times he told himself it didn’t matter, every time their eyes met, he felt the connection clear down to his soul. He hadn’t known hatred and longing could coexist so easily.
    But instead of finding