Free Love by Proxy by Diana Palmer

she couldn’t allow. He was not a marrying man, and she couldn’t handle an affair. She’d just have to think up some polite way of telling him that she’d rather they had a friendly relationship that didn’t get physical. She’d long since given up on the idea of a husband and children, since her relationships were so few and far between, and only lukewarm at best. The good men were married, and the ones who were left were unmarried for too obvious reasons. She’d learned that these days most men liked brief affairs and nothing more lasting. They’d learned that they could have their cake and eat it, too—all the benefits of marriage and none of the responsibilities. But Amy wanted it all, wedding cake and rings and exchanged vows. And she supposed that she’d just waited too long to try. It was too late. She was a spinster for life. Well, so what, she asked herself irritably. Wasn’t living alone better than risking everything on a man who could turn out to be a gambler or a secret drunk or a wife beater or a bigamist? Sure it was! She closed her eyes on that optimistic note and finally fell asleep.

Six
    A melia called and canceled her job interview, and settled down at the Carson home, working hours that were odd and sometimes tiring, but enjoying herself all the same.
    Worth was in and out, mostly out. Infrequently he had her take notes or type up something for him, but she spent most of her time with Jeanette. The elderly lady could tell some hair-raising stories, recollections of her days as a reporter. Amelia learned about grisly murders and street life with wide-eyed fascination. Jeanette delighted in shocking her.
    Summer went into fall, and Amelia found herself looking forward to each new day. The Carson estate had beautiful grounds, and when her employer was busy with other things, she liked to wander around them and sigh over the vegetation. It was a shock when Worth came looking for her one Monday, a day he usually spent at his office.
    He’d kept his distance from her since that unexpectedly ardent exchange at the supper table. But he’d been watchful, and in another man she might have mistaken it for interest. She didn’t make that mistake with him. Jeanette had told her too much about his past. She’d daydreamed a little, but very quickly she learned that he could turn his emotions on and off, teasing her one minute and bellowing about mistakes the next. She coped with his shifting moods by not letting herself get too involved, by keeping her emotions at a safe distance. And it worked. He became more friend than employer, and she found him unusually easy to talk to, just as she had that first day.
    “Does Mrs. Carson want me?” Amelia asked with a smile. She was wearing white slacks with a pink tank top, her hair loose and swinging freely around her shoulders, sandals on her small feet. She laughed as he joined her, and he watched her face for a minute before he replied.
    “No,” he said lazily. He fell into step beside her. He was wearing gray slacks and a white shirt, rolled up to the elbows and carelessly unbuttoned.
    “Something bothering you, boss?” she teased gently.
    He glanced down at her with a smile. “No.”
    “You’re home early or going to work late, then,” she remarked. She had a strand of grass in her hand, and she nibbled it as they walked back toward the house. It was a beautiful day. Flowers and shrubs bloomed all around the cobblestone path and birds sounded in the tall trees.
    “I have something for you,” he said.
    She stopped walking and stared at him. “For me?”
    “Sort of,” he murmured dryly. “Come on.”
    He led her to the side of the house and presented her with a ten-foot square of neatly plowed and raked ground.
    Her breath caught. She looked up at him with huge eyes. “For me?” she exclaimed, and her smile was like the sun coming out.
    He chuckled at her enthusiasm. “For you. Plant whatever you like.”
    “Oh, Worth!” Impulsively,