Free Your Bed or Mine? by Candy Halliday Page B

out for the leash. “You were right about consistency being one of my golden rules,” he added. He was even
     smart enough to drop the irritating grin. “We shouldn’t confuse Simon by changing his routine.”
    Zada handed the leash right over. She didn’t even put up a fight. But the perplexed look on Rick’s face?
    Almost worth giving in.
    “Thanks,” he said.
    He sent another suspicious look back over his shoulder as he led Simon out of the foyer toward the kitchen and the nearest
     route to the jogging trail—a look that said he was still waiting for her to change her mind.
    Zada was waiting, too.
    Waiting for Rick and Simon to leave.
    The back door opened.
    The back door closed.
    Zada hit the
front
door running.
    She had a more important agenda bleeping on her radar.
    Mayday Mayday.
    Desperate Housewife to Bombshell Control.
    Simon’s morning walk was the least of Zada’s worries.

Chapter 6
    “ A licia, wait!”
    Alicia turned around when Zada yelled.
    She was already walking up the steps to the most expensive home in Woodberry Park. The house was a sprawling Tudor-style manor,
     with more money tied up in the landscaping than Zada had made on her last book.
    Short of money—or cramped for space—Miss Right-Across-the-Street
wasn’t.
Nor was Alicia lacking in the men-magnet department. Namely, thirty-eight, twenty-four, thirty-six.
    Zada squared her shoulders and started across the street, but it was Angie’s warning about Rick knowing the one thing that
     would make her walk out and never look back, that put urgency in her step. She didn’t like to think about Rick with any woman.
     But Rick romancing Alicia right under her nose was another story.
    Angie was right.
    I’d never survive it.
    I’d walk out the door and never look back.
    Her only choice was to win Alicia over to her side before things got out of control. Before Rick realized what an excellent
     weapon Alicia would be to use against her.
    I can do this,
Zada assured herself.
    She made her way up the expensive flagstone walkway.
    Alicia was standing at the top of the stone steps now, hands on her hips, and an icy glare that threatened to make frost of
     the early morning dew.
    Zada marched up the porch steps anyway.
    Be nice. Be nice. Be nice.
    Even if it kills me, I have to be nice.
    “I was rude, Alicia,” Zada said when she stepped onto the porch. “I came to apologize.”
    Alicia looked her up and down. “You were
extremely
rude,” she corrected.
    “Oh, don’t push it, Alicia,” Zada said, forgetting all about her be-nice speech. “How did you expect me to react? You were
     trying to
seduce
my husband!”
    Alicia’s eyebrow arched. “Don’t you mean
ex
-husband.”
    “No, I mean
husband,
” Zada assured her. But she added, after a long sigh, “At least for the next ninety days.”
    “Well, excuse me,” Alicia snipped. “I thought your divorce was final yesterday.”
    “Look, Alicia,” Zada said, “I’m in a real sticky situation where Rick is concerned right now, and I need your help. Until
     we’re divorced, I’m asking you woman to woman to stay on your side of the street. I’m serious, Alicia. Will you do that for
     me?”
    Up came the eyebrow again.
    “Maybe,” Alicia said. “If you tell me what’s really going on.”
    Common sense warned Zada Alicia couldn’t be trusted. But desperation whispered: Keep your enemies close. Zada opted for the
     latter.
    A quick two-minute rundown later, Zada said, “So that’s the whole story. Now do you see why I’m asking that you not make the
     situation any more complicated than it already is?”
    Alicia’s pink-painted lips curved in a catty smile.
    “I’m not stupid, Zada,” she said. “If you really wanted Rick out of the picture, you’d be delighted I was in the mood to take
     him off your hands. You’re obviously not through with him, yet. And even if you were, we both know the last person you’d want
     Rick to end up with is
me.
”
    Busted.
    But