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Inherited:OneChild(27)



The next hour passed in a rush as everyone pitched in to gather up the   puppies and return them to the room in which they remained penned   whenever they couldn't be watched. After dressing, he, Annalise and   Isabella shared their ritual family breakfast before he headed off to   the office. If a hint of stiltedness existed between husband and wife,   it couldn't be helped. Whatever the cause, tonight would correct the   situation. The instant they finished eating, his niece gave him a   farewell kiss then made a beeline for the stairs leading to the   bedrooms … and the dogs.                       
       
           



       

Jack turned to Annalise and held her gaze, forcing himself to use a hint   of the ferocity that had helped him turn a small, startup  import/export  business into a multi-billion-dollar international  success story. He  aimed it straight in the direction of a lanky,  golden-eyed ex-nanny with  intoxicating kisses and a heart even larger  than his bank account.

"Tonight," he reminded his wife. "Cards on the table." He didn't phrase it as a question.

She gave a steadfast nod. "I told you we would. But, Jack-" Her voice   held an unmistakable warning. "You might not like the hand I deal you."

The doorbell sounded in the distance and his mouth twisted. "I may surprise you."

He dropped a swift kiss on his wife's mouth before going to answer the   imperious summons. He opened the door, less than pleased to discover the   Wicked Witch of all four compass points, plus several in between   standing on his welcome mat. Or in her case, his unwelcome mat.

"Mrs. Locke."

"Mr. Mason."

He planted himself between her and his home and eyed the birdlike woman.   He'd learned during their first meeting just how deceptive appearances   could be. She barely reached the middle of his chest and appeared   fragile enough for an errant breeze to snap in two. But that was as much   a lie as the cheerful, robin's-egg-blue eyes that blinked sweetly from   behind the lenses of her rimless spectacles. She offered a wide,   guileless smile that didn't fool him for one little minute. She was a   witch cloaked in the plumage of an innocent sparrow.

The two squared off against each other and Jack launched the first   volley. "Did we have an appointment you forgot to arrange?" he asked   mildly.

She looked entirely too pleased with herself which put him on instant alert. "It's called an unannounced home inspection."

"That's funny. According to my lawyer, you were supposed to call and arrange a convenient time for a visit."

"That would have defeated the entire point of the 'unannounced' portion   of the inspection." She folded her twig arms across her nonexistent   bosom. "Are you going to let me in, or are you going to continue looming   there in that threatening manner?"

He narrowed his eyes at her phrasing. She narrowed hers right back at   him. He wasn't sure how the stalemate might have ended if it hadn't been   for Isabella charging toward him with a shriek. Her fingers fluttered   in a gesture she used to alert them to a problem with the puppies. Then   she yanked on his suit coat.

He turned to Mrs. Locke. "You'll have to leave. We have an emergency on our hands. That takes precedence over everything else."

She stiffened and yanked out a cell phone from the purse tucked beneath   her arm with impressive speed. "Shall I call 9-1-1?" she asked crisply.

"That won't be necessary. It's a-" he hesitated "-dog emergency."

Mrs. Locke's brows climbed skyward. "A dog emergency is not an emergency   I recognize," she informed him in a wintry tone. "The inspection will   continue."

Isabella yanked harder at his suit coat and he rested his hand on her   head in gentle reassurance. Damn it to hell. Why now, of all days? He   regarded Mrs. Locke with a sour expression and gave her two options. "In   that case, you may wait here until I'm available, or grace us with  your  presence at a more convenient time."

"I'll stay," she stated in tones as implacable as his own.

"Jack? Red alert. The puppies are on the loose." Annalise charged into the hallway and skidded to a halt. "Oh, we have guests."

Jack grimaced. This grew more complicated by the minute. He'd wanted   time to prep Annalise before the two women met. "Mrs. Locke is not a   guest. She's here for an inspection."

"Mrs. Locke?" To his disgust a broad, welcoming smile swept across his wife's face. "Isabella's Mrs. Locke?"

The caseworker inclined her head. "And I assume you're Mrs. Mason?"

"Oh, please. Call me Annalise." She held out her hand. "I'm afraid we have a bit of a family emergency going on here."

"So, I understand. Something to do with dogs?"

Isabella made a frantic noise and Jack interrupted. "Which we need to   take care of immediately. Annalise, ask Sara and Brett to scour the   first floor. I'll take the bedrooms. You and Isabella see if anyone's   found their way to the third level. Since this isn't a scheduled   appointment, Mrs. Locke can return at a more convenient time."

His beautiful, sexy, loyal wife fluttered her lashes at him and turned   traitor in the blink of an eye. "I'll give Sara and Brett the heads-up   while you and Isabella check the bedrooms. Mrs. Locke and I will be   having some iced tea out on the patio. Once everyone's rounded up, you   can join us there."                       
       
           



       

"Excellent suggestion," Mrs. Locked concurred. "I wanted some private time with your wife, anyway."

"I-You-"

Annalise smiled in satisfaction. "It's a plan. I'll call your office and   warn them you're running behind." She fished her cell phone out of her   pocket and hit a preprogrammed button. "Mary, it's Annalise. Jack's   going to be late again. What? Oh, yes, of course. The pups on their   usual rampage. Expect him when you see him."

Isabella didn't give him an opportunity to argue further. Grabbing his   hand, she literally towed him in the direction of the steps. The last   view he had of his double-crossing wife was her saucy backside vanishing   in the direction of the kitchen, accompanied by the smirking Wicked   Witch, her broomstick slung over one shoulder.

This was not good. Not good at all. He'd planned to be there the first   time Annalise and Locke spoke, to run interference in case they hit any   snags. Based on the smug look the caseworker shot him, she'd known it   and took great delight in outmaneuvering him. Not that she'd actually   been the one to make mincemeat of his plan. He could lay that delightful   screwup squarely on his wife.

It took thirty nerve-racking minutes to round up five of the mischievous   puppies and return them to the gated bedroom that was their "nest."   Isabella remained with them while he went in search of the last one, the   runt of the litter. He found Mister Mayhem, as he'd begun to refer to   the dog, on the verge of sneaking out the kitchen door. He scooped up   the wriggling bundle of energy before the pup could make good his   escape.

From the direction of the patio, he caught the distinctive sound of   feminine laughter. He stood there, literally frozen in disbelief. That   couldn't possibly be Mrs. Locke laughing. Not the witch herself. He had   no idea how Annalise managed to charm the woman, but he could only  thank  God it had happened. Then he immediately shook his head.

He did know how his wife had pulled it off. He'd watched her do it with   him and Isabella, and every other person she met. She had a knack about   her, a natural charm. No, even that wasn't quite right. She welcomed   people in. Even though she'd been hurt, she hadn't allowed past events   to close her down the way he had. She continued to open herself to   others, despite the fact that she might get hurt again. The   vulnerability remained, reflected in those magnificent eyes of hers. But   she gave of herself, anyway.

The laughter had faded and he heard Mrs. Locke say, "So, tell me the truth, Annalise. Why did you marry your husband?"

Jack didn't think he could have moved if Doomsday itself were unfolding   at his feet. Everything within him strained to hear the answer. But  when  it came, it was spoken so softly he couldn't catch the words he  longed  to hear.

He erupted from the kitchen onto the patio, the pup still cradled in his   hands. He didn't know what he'd hoped, perhaps to discover Annalise's   response still lingering on the summer breeze. Maybe to read it in her   expression or glittering like gold dust in her eyes. Instead, her head   swiveled in his direction and she simply smiled. Just that. A smile  that  made his heart stand still and left him more helpless and out of   control than he'd ever been in his entire life.