Wife in Disguise

How she hated the comparison to Aaron. Yet she knew that his stubbornness, his strength that he’d passed on to her, were the reasons for her determination and victory in her recovery. She wouldn’t have survived the past year without being so tough and unyielding. But what had served her well after the accident had been the downfall of her marriage.

I have a lot of regrets from that time in my life, but being divorced from Josie isn’t one of them.

His words echoed inside her brain. She’d come back for closure. She’d come back for some kind of connection with Del and maybe to find a piece of her whole self to blend with the broken person she’d become. Yet he wasn’t interested in anything like that. He’d put her behind him and had no intention of turning around for a second look. She’d been thinking they could have made it if only she’d been different. He’d been thinking he’d made a lucky escape.

She wasn’t sure what to do with all this information. She felt small and ugly-as if she wasn’t the kind of person anyone would want to be around. She wished she’d never bought the Miller house and was sorry she was going to have to see Del again. Josie wanted to run away. But she wouldn’t. Although she hated the pain, she would endure it. She would see this situation through to wherever it ended, and then she would move on to the next chapter of her life. Because she wasn’t a quitter.

Josie bent over and collected her cane, then rose to her feet. She wanted to stick the leftover Chinese food in the tiny refrigerator and then head up to bed. Maybe she would feel less disgusted with herself in the morning.

As she reached for the bag of food, the room seemed to tilt and swirl. Walls shifted, furniture moved until she was back in time…standing in the house she and Del had bought the second year of their marriage. She could see him walking through the door, a bag of Chinese food in his hand. They’d been fighting a lot lately and he’d suggested takeout as a way of making peace. She’d been out running and had been home long enough to shower, but not dress.

He’d taken one look at her wrapped in a towel and nothing else. A light had flared to life in his dark eyes. A heated flame she recognized. Instantly there was an answering blaze in her own body. Despite all their problems, they’d always found a way to connect on a very physical level.

“Take it off,” Del had growled at her.

For once she didn’t mind taking orders from him. Slowly, almost defiantly, she’d pulled the tucked end free and let the length of terry cloth fall to the ground. Slowly, proudly, she sauntered toward him, holding his gaze with her own, stopping only when she was within grabbing distance.

He hadn’t disappointed her. He’d dropped their dinner without a second thought and had reached for her. Within seconds she was hauled up against him, their mouths crushed together, their bodies straining. He’d been instantly aroused, as had she. While he’d teased her breasts and nipples until she’d been mad with desire, she’d managed to open his belt and unzip his jeans.

He turned so that she was pressed against the door. He grasped her bare rear with his hands and pulled her up to his waist. She wrapped her legs around his body to hold herself secure. He’d fumbled with his clothing, pushing down his jeans and briefs, then guiding himself into her. She’d been wet to his hard-ness, throbbing with need, begging him to take her.

They’d made love there, against the door. Wildly, impulsively. Kissing, biting, straining until she went first, leaping into the vortex of release, her strong, fast contractions pulling him over the edge as well.

Josie straightened and leaned on her cane. The memory receded, but the sensations of that night did not. She could still feel the cool of the wooden door on her bare back and Del’s heat as he’d filled her. Desire made her ache in a way different from her constant pain. She forced herself to pick up the leftovers and take them to the kitchen. Once there she put them away and then headed for the stairs.

As she gazed up at what seemed like a man-made mountain she would have to climb, a sense of hopelessness settled over her. Del would never be interested in her that way. Not sexually. She’d been kidding herself about seeing any kind of interest in his eyes. But even if her greatest fantasy came true and he did find her appealing, what could she do about it? Her body was broken. While she was in the process of recovering, she would never be the same. She would never have the strength or flexibility she’d had before. She couldn’t make love against a door. The hot, animal sex that was so a part of their marriage was lost to her forever. She would have to worry about being careful, of supporting healing body parts and weak areas. She would be so different.

Josie began to climb the stairs. With each step she reminded herself that pity was a one-way street to disaster. She was determined to keep on healing, to get better. But the memories were especially heavy tonight, as was the realization nothing would ever be the same for her again. Not with her body and not with her relationship with Del.

“Come on. You can get him out easy. He’s a wimp.”

Del clapped his hands as he yelled his opinion across the softball diamond. From his position on first base, he could see the “wimp” in question glaring at him.

Jason Newman, six feet five inches and well over 230 pounds of pure muscle pointed his bat at Del. “I’m taking you out, boy. Feet first. I’m gonna break your knees.”

“You and what army? You bat like a girl. You’re not going anywhere.”

Jason’s response was a growl of outrage. Del chuckled as he positioned himself to catch the easy out. Jason might play professional football, but he was lousy at softball. He was good for either a ground or fly out.

But even as the large man prepared to smack the ball toward first base, Del found his attention wandering. Not to the game, where it belonged, but to a blue-eyed woman with long wavy hair. He hadn’t been able to forget Rose since he’d left her the previous night.

He told himself it was because she hadn’t been feeling well and he was concerned about her being ill and alone in the house. Which was a big, fat lie. While he was concerned about her health he found himself thinking things that had nothing to do with healing and everything to do with making them both hot, sweaty and content.

She was sexy, smart and tempting as hell. Okay, she said she didn’t cook, but he’d compromised over that one before. As Josie had taught him-that was why they had takeout.

Jason swung and hit the ball. It soared directly toward Del, who caught it easily.

“Third out,” the pitcher yelled, motioning for the team to come off the field. Jason shook his head in disgust.

Del laughed as he jogged toward the bench. He’d scored in the last inning so he wasn’t going to be up to bat anytime soon. He set his glove on the bench and went to get a bottle of water from the cooler by the chain link fence. As he pulled off the plastic wrap, a familiar movement caught his attention.

He turned away from the diamond and saw someone on the walking path that circled the entire park. The T- shirt and sweats weren’t familiar, but he would recognize that blond hair, not to mention the cane and halting walk, anywhere.

Without stopping to think if it was a good idea or not, Del jogged toward her. He saw the exact moment Rose recognized him. She slowed to a halt and seemed to tense slightly. As if she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to him.

Del slowed as well. Instantly he thought of all the stupid things he’d said the night before. How he talked too much about his ex-wife. Talking about any woman while in the presence of another counted as extremely dumb by any measure.

But he kept moving toward her because he really wanted to talk to her. He’d thought he would have to wait until Monday to make an excuse to go over to the house. Last night she’d seemed as if she might be really sick, and he hadn’t wanted to intrude if she needed the weekend to rest.

“How are you feeling?” he asked when he was within speaking distance. “Better this morning?”

She wore her hair back in a ponytail. Perspiration stained the neck of her white T-shirt and dotted her upper lips. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked as if she’d been pushing herself physically.

“I’m fine,” she said, giving him a smile that didn’t seem to reach her eyes. “I had a good night’s sleep, so I decided to get a little exercise.” She motioned to her left leg. “I’m supposed to be in physical therapy several times a week and I’ve been neglecting that since I moved here. I have to be careful to make sure I don’t lose ground.”

“You don’t look as if you’re having much fun.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’ll admit it’s work, but that doesn’t mean I can avoid it forever. What about you?” She