Free Husband by the Hour by Susan Mallery Page A

mattress.
    They returned to the living room. "Would you like to sit for a minute?" Hannah asked Kyle.
    "Sure."
    Kyle settled on one end of the sofa. Hannah took the cream-and-green-flecked easy chair. Nick sat on the other end of the sofa and figured Hannah would want to keep Kyle around for as long as possible. Not only to get information about her family, but to avoid being alone with her pretend husband.
    Kyle stared at Hannah for several seconds, then laughed. "Sorry. I've known about you for a few months now, but it's strange to actually have you here."
    "It feels weird to be here," she said and clasped her hands together. "I have so many questions, but I don't know where to start."
    Kyle shrugged. "Start wherever. We don't have any secrets."
    Hannah's body stiffened at that remark. Nick knew she was thinking about her own secrets – about him and their so-called marriage. If she'd chosen to sit on the sofa instead of the easy chair, he could have moved close and offered support. But she was too far away for him to touch her. No doubt she'd planned that deliberately, not wanting to give in to weakness.
    He liked her strength and her stubbornness nearly as much as he liked the softness she kept hidden from the rest of the world. If he ever told her that, she would either assume he was trying to make fun of her, or haul off and slug him. Nothing about Hannah was easy, but he suspected she was worth the effort. Too bad his stay in her life was only temporary.
    "What about my – our – father?" she asked, her voice low and uncertain. "You never see him?"
    "No." Kyle leaned back on the sofa and crossed one ankle over his opposite knee. "None of us has gone to visit him since he moved to
Florida
and he hasn't been back. Sometimes he sends one of us a card, but that's about it."
    "You don't mind?"
    Kyle's features tightened. His mouth pulled into a straight line. "No. We don't mind. Earl Haynes isn't exactly a model father. I wish I could tell you he was a kind man, or a loving husband, but none of it's true. He never cared about anyone but himself. He was a real—"
    He stopped abruptly and glanced at her. "I'll mention this to my brothers and the five of us can talk about him together. We can get out the photo albums if you want to see what he looks like. I'm sure there are some good memories."
    Hannah didn't wear much makeup and what she'd applied that morning had long since worn off. Nick could see the shadows under her eyes. Pale skin made the irises appear even darker brown. A single strand of hair had dared to escape her neat braid. It was the first time he'd ever seen that happen. The strand fluttered around her neck.
    Nick looked from half brother to half sister. He could see the similarities in eye and hair color, in the shape of their mouths, the straight noses, the set of their shoulders. Hannah was a beautiful, feminine version of her brothers.
    "I'm sure Louise will be happy to talk about Earl, too," Kyle said.
    "They weren't married, were they?"
    "No. If they had been, she wouldn't have had to give you up."
    Hannah nodded.
    Kyle dropped his foot to the floor and leaned toward her. "Don't judge Louise. She was very young and very much in love with my father. He had a way of charming women. We don't blame her, and you shouldn't, either."
    "I don't," Hannah said, but Nick wasn't sure she was telling the truth. The brothers were enjoying having a new sister in the family. Hannah had to deal with the fact that her own mother had given her away. Understanding the past and trying to forgive were going to be long and difficult tasks.
    Kyle rose to his feet. "I don't want to keep you two up any longer."
    Hannah stood. "Oh, it's fine. You don't have to go. Really."
    Nick heard the note of panic in her voice.
    Kyle grinned. "We'll have plenty of time to catch up." He came over and gave her a hug. "Welcome to the family." Then he kissed her cheek.
    Nick saw him to the door. "Thanks for everything," he said. "The house is