It was typical female behavior. His own mother hadn’t been able to stand the loneliness of the house at night. By the time he was ten he was used to the absences, accustomed to her flighty refusal to accept parental responsibility. His father had apparently had enough of her flirtations within the first year of the marriage. He had gone before Hank had even been born. The whole experience had colored Hank’s relationships with women. He enjoyed them, appreciated their beauty the way a connoisseur appreciated a fine vintage wine, but he’d never wanted to possess one in any sort of lasting way. He’d learned from the cradle on that there was no such thing as a lasting commitment when it came to a woman.
Still, everything he’d discovered about Ann ran counter to that image. She’d always seemed rock solid, dependable. She was an instinctive nurturer, one of those people who gave a part of herself to everyone she met. She adored these kids. She’d never once given him any reason to doubt her love or her commitment to them. A blinding image of her car crashing made him sick to his stomach. He began pacing. If she didn’t get home in the next half hour, he’d call the police. In the meantime, he’d ask Jason what he knew about her absence. Surely she’d at least called.
He tapped on Jason’s door, then heard Paul’s sleepy voice. He stuck his head in. Paul was blinking at him. There was no sign of Jason. Damn that kid. He’d obviously sneaked off the minute he heard Hank go outside.
The only thing left to do was wait. He paced some more. It was nearly midnight when he finally heard the car door slam and heard Ann’s voice as she called out a cheerful good-night.
“Thanks, Tom. I’m glad I went.”
Tom? He’d been tucking in kids and worrying himself sick and she’d been out on a date? He watched as she came around to the kitchen door.
“So you had a good time?” he said, his voice brimming over with sarcasm. He was furious with himself for believing that she was any different.
“Hank?”
“Who else were you expecting?”
“Is everything okay?”
“Everything is just swell. Next time you want a baby-sitter, though, I’d suggest you hire one.”
Even in the dark, he could see her stiffen. Her arms folded around her waist. “What are you talking about?” she said defensively. “Jason was watching the kids.”
“Wanna bet?”
“But I talked to him. He promised. Besides, I thought Paul and Tommy were going to be with you.”
“They were. Once we got home, though, Jason took off without mentioning that you had a date.”
“I did not have a date. I went to a meeting. I tried to call you, but you’d already left. I thought Jason would tell you where I was.” A tense silence hung over them for several minutes before she finally took a deep breath and asked, “Is that the problem? You thought I had a date?” There was a note of surprise in her voice. He was too angry to acknowledge what it implied about her self-esteem.
“Why the hell should that be a problem?” he snapped. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“That’s right, I don’t. This household ran just fine before your arrival. I wasn’t counting on you to look after the kids, so why are you in such a snit?”
“I am not in a snit.”
“What would you call it?” she asked patiently.
Hank tried to analyze the emotions that were whirling through him. Relief at discovering that she was okay had quickly given way to anger and jealousy. “I was worried,” he said finally. It was the only admission he had any intention of making. It was bad enough that she was so damn calm. He wouldn’t have her laughing at him.
“I’m sorry. I really thought Jason would explain. I went to Key West for a meeting about offshore drilling. It was unexpected or I would have told you about it this morning. Next time I’ll try your cell and leave a message to cover the bases.”
He nodded. He figured it was about as close to an apology as he was likely to get and probably about as much as he deserved after his sarcasm.
“How about a cup of tea?” she said quietly.
Despite himself, he grinned and felt himself beginning to relax. Tea. Ann’s cure for everything. The world was clearly righting itself, getting back to normal.
“I’ll sit with you while you have one. I’ll have a beer.”
He sat down in the kitchen and tilted his chair back on two legs, watching as she made the tea. There were no wasted motions, just quiet efficiency. Her expression, even after his irrational behavior, was unperturbed. That serenity conveyed itself to him, drawing him into the aura of warmth that seemed to surround her. He felt the last of the tension draining away.
“So tell me about Jason,” she suggested, sitting down opposite him.
The muscles across the back of his shoulders knotted at once. “He’s gone off somewhere,” he said carefully, anticipating her panic.
“Gone off?” she said without the slightest evidence of concern. “What makes you think that?”
“I sent him to his room earlier. When I checked a while ago, he was gone.”
She shrugged. “He’s probably down by the water. That’s where he goes whenever he’s upset. He’ll be back in an hour or so. What happened?”
“We had a fight over his attitude, as usual.”
“Don’t you think maybe you’re a little hard on him? He is just a kid.”
“I know, and I had an idea. What would you think about my offering him a job? He could work
