Ashley had responded to Brenda's greeting by shaking hands with the woman. As Jeff watched, his assistant took the pile of clothes from Ashley and set them on the dresser. She maneuvered the other woman back under the covers and pulled up the blankets.
'Don't think about anything,' Brenda instructed her. 'Just sleep and get better.'
'But I have to get my daughter dressed and take her to school. Then-'
Brenda cut her off with a quick shake of her head. 'You don't have to do a darned thing. Maggie has been fed and dressed. I'm dropping her off at her preschool on my way to the office. Maggie's sitter, one of her teachers from school, is going to look after her after school at her place.' She paused as if going through a mental list before continuing. 'Oh, and a note taker will go to class for you today, so you don't have to worry about that, either.' She turned to Jeff and beamed. 'I think that's everything.'
Ashley looked stunned. Jeff winked at her. 'I know Brenda can be a little overwhelming, but that's why I hired her. Get the best people possible to do the job.'
Brenda looked at him. 'Then I have just two words to say to you. Field work.'
It was an old argument. 'I have just one word in response. No. I'd miss you in the office and your husband would kill me.'
She glared at him before stomping out of the room. Jeff returned his attention to Ashley. 'She's convinced she would make a great spy. I suspect she's right, but she's late in starting her training and I doubt her family would approve.'
Ashley looked confused, as if she was having a difficult time following the conversation. Before she could respond, Maggie burst into the room. The little girl was dressed in purple jeans with a matching purple-and-white sweater. Tiny clips held her hair off of her face. She grinned at Jeff before racing to her mother.
'Mommy, Mommy, Brenda came and cooked me breakfast. We had waffles and I ate a whole one. Then we got me dressed and now I'm going to school in her car. She's got a dog named Muffin and maybe when you feel better we can go visit them.'
'A whole waffle. I'm impressed.' Ashley raised up on one elbow to study her daughter. 'Are you all right?' she asked. 'Did you sleep well?'
Maggie laughed. 'Mommy, I'm fine.' She gave her a quick hug, then dashed out of the room.
Ashley lowered herself back onto the bed. 'Thanks for taking care of her. And of me. You're being very nice.'
'No one has ever accused me of that before.'
'Probably because you didn't give them reason.' Her eyes fluttered closed.
Her skin looked soft and smooth. He had an instant vision of touching her cheek, then her mouth. The image was so real, his fingertips burned. Suddenly uncomfortable, he took a step back and tried to figure out what to say.
'I'll be at the office all day,' he told her. 'Will you be all right by yourself?'
'Sure. I just need to rest a little more.'
'The kitchen is well stocked. Take whatever you'd like.' He set a business card on the nightstand. 'Here's my number, in case you need it.'
She nodded slowly, her eyes drifting closed. He knew the exact moment she found sleep. For a second he thought about giving in and touching her cheek… just to see if it was as soft as it looked. But he didn't. Men like him didn't have physical contact with women like her. Men like him remembered they weren't the same as everyone else. And if he tried to forget, the dream was a constant reminder.
Ashley rolled over and glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand: 7:01… a.m. She blinked. As in the morning? She sat up with a hastiness that made her head spin. Morning? That wasn't possible. She last remembered it being seven-thirty in the morning. Had she really slept around the clock?
She threw back the covers and slid to her feet. Aside from a little light-headedness that was probably due to not eating in thirty-six hours, she felt a whole lot better than she had before. But all thoughts of health were pushed aside by the panicky realization she hadn't seen her daughter since the previous morning.
She flew through the shared bathroom and into the adjoining room. It was empty. Empty! Panic tightened her throat. Dear God, what had happened to her daughter? Her eyes began to burn as tears formed. 'Maggie,' she whispered. 'Maggie?'
Just was she was about to scream, she heard a faint sound. She spun in that direction and realized it came from downstairs. There was a low rumble of a male voice followed by childish laughter.
Maggie!
Relief flooded her. Ashley hurried into the hall and made her way to the stairs. Ignoring the shaking in her legs and the dizziness that lingered, she ran down the stairs and raced into the kitchen. With one sweeping glance, she saw her daughter sitting at the table and eating a triangle of toast and jam.
'Maggie!'
Her little girl looked up and smiled with delight. 'Mommy, you're up! I wanted to see you last night but Uncle Jeff said you needed to sleep so I was very quiet when I came to say good-night.'
As she spoke, Maggie slid off her chair and hurried to her mother. Ashley took in the mismatched shirt and jeans, the smudge of jam on the girl's cheek and the crooked clips in her hair. Her heart filled with love as she gathered her close and held her tightly.
'I love you, baby girl,' she murmured, inhaling the familiar scent of her child.
'I love you, too, Mommy,' her daughter whispered in response.
Still holding her child, Ashley looked past her to the man sitting at the table. His suit slacks were immaculate, as was his white shirt. His gray eyes seemed to see down to her receding panic. Which was crazy. He couldn't have known that she'd freaked when she'd awakened and Maggie hadn't been in her room. Could he?
'Brenda was delayed by a family crisis,' he said. 'So we had to get ready without her.' He nodded at Maggie. 'She picked out her clothes and got herself dressed without any assistance. I did her hair.' He smiled self- deprecatingly. 'But you probably figured that out.'
His smile did something funny to her insides. Or maybe it was just lack of food. Ashley released her daughter and studied her clothes and hair.
'It's perfect,' she said.
Maggie beamed. 'I've been extra good for Uncle Jeff. I ate all my cereal and I'm going to finish my toast and milk.'
Ashley looked at their host. 'Uncle Jeff?'
He shrugged. 'Mr. Ritter seemed a little formal. I hope you don't mind.'
'No. It's fine.'
Weird, but fine. She had a hard time imagining Jeff Ritter as an uncle, but he'd obviously done well with Maggie.
He rose to his feet and pulled out a chair. 'You must be starving. Let me get you some food.'
Ashley was suddenly aware that she'd jumped out of bed without a thought for her appearance. She hadn't showered in two days or brushed her teeth, and her hair probably looked like a rat's nest.
'I, ah, think I'd like to take a shower first,' she said, backing out of the room. She glanced at the clock on the wall. 'Give me ten minutes.'
Because of her recent illness, she wasn't moving as fast as usual, so it was closer to twenty before she walked back downstairs. Her first glance in the mirror hadn't been as horrible as it could have been, but she hadn't been in the position to win any beauty prizes, either. Now she was at least clean, with her hair washed, although still a little damp. Her face was too pale and way too thin. With the onset of the flu, Ashley hadn't been eating regularly for several days. Which meant a loss of weight she couldn't afford. Her jeans were already hanging on her.
She made her way into the kitchen and found Maggie dancing from foot to foot.
'Brenda called,' she sang. 'She called and she's on her way to take me to school. And-' she paused dramatically before making the most monumental of announcements '-she's bringing one of her dogs with her. The little one. Her name is Muffin and I get to hold her in the car!'
As Maggie spoke, she raced toward Ashley and threw herself at her. Automatically Ashley reached for her
