Free New Leaf by Catherine Anderson Page A

matrimony. For him, it was a forever deal. On top of that, his parents frowned upon divorce unless it was absolutely unavoidable. They would be extremely upset if he married a woman and then divorced her a year or so later. In fact, he reflected rapidly,
upset
didn’t describe it by half. If his mother thought he was atfault, she would shorten him by a head, deputy or no deputy.
    “A marriage with benefits?” Barney heard the outrage that rang in his voice, but for the life of him, staying calm was impossible. “I’m sorry, lady, but what the hell makes you think I’m that hard up?” He pushed off the stool. “My answer is no. Not now, not ever.”
    “Please, Barney, don’t go. At least think about it before you turn me down. My little girl is in danger!”
    Barney grabbed his jacket and shoved his arms into the sleeves with a lot more force than was necessary. “And I’m really sad to know that. But bottom line is, she’s not my problem. When you said you had a proposition for me, I never for an instant suspected that it would be something this crazy.” He turned for the door, stopping only long enough to drop a couple of twenties on the table. Over his shoulder, he said, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
    •   •   •
    Taffeta was shaking so violently after Barney stormed out that she knew she shouldn’t drive. She sat alone at the table, staring at the grease bleeding off her untouched meatballs and spaghetti. The smell alone made her want to gag. She felt so stupid, not to mention frightened, rejected, and totally humiliated. Barney Sterling now had it within his power to destroy her future in Mystic Creek, and she had handed over the information to him on a silver platter. What had she been thinking?
    Taffeta’s only excuse was that she felt completelyand utterly desperate. Stepping back from her daughter’s life was one thing when she thought it was the only option for her daughter’s well-being. But she’d missed her terribly every day they’d been apart and now Sarah needed her. Asking Barney to pretend they were in a serious relationship had seemed like her only hope. Taffeta could think of no other way she might stand a chance of contesting Phillip’s custody. As Barney’s wife, she might have had a shot. She certainly wouldn’t have a prayer if she filed for custody as a single mother who had already been convicted on one count of child abuse.
    Taffeta recalled all the lonely nights that she had endured during her marriage to Phillip. Now he was abandoning Sarah in the same way. Even worse, he was leaving her with strangers who were possibly abusing drugs. Had she failed to drive that point home to Barney? She hadn’t offered him sex because she thought he was hard up for it. She had offered it as a way of paying him back if he helped her.
    Her heart sank when she thought of what her little girl might be witnessing right now.
Oh, Sarah.
She was a confused little girl who couldn’t possibly begin to comprehend why her daddy didn’t love her and resented being around her. And what line of bull was Phillip feeding the women he was using to watch his kid? Taffeta could almost hear him.
“Thefirm is litigating an important lawsuit. My mom is gravely ill. My dad’s falling apart. While I burn the midnight oil to do all the casework, I need someone to look after my child.”
How would those girlfriends react toward Sarah when they discovered Phillip wasn’t working, but was instead having a fine time with some other woman? Taffeta was particularly worried about Sarah’s caregivers being under the influence. They could be violent. It was a bad situation for Sarah all the way around.
    Taffeta finally composed herself enough to feel safe behind the wheel. As she drove back to Mystic Creek, her mind kept circling one question over and over.
    What would Barney do with all the information that she’d given him? He had never promised that he would keep what she told him a secret.
    If he