Page 5 of Substitute Bride

She was pretty in a curvy, brunette way, and he was so used to her now she was part of the household, part of the family. The girls loved her, and he wasn’t sure how he would have survived the past two years without her.

Not that he’d ever tell her that. He wasn’t the kind of man who did things like that. But he had a slot in his life for someone to take care of his daughters—take care of the family—and Rosie filled that better than anyone else could.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I said I’m fine.”

“It’s just going to get worse.”

“It’s just some temporary stress. It will get better soon.” The heat was actually making his jaw feel better, and he breathed deeply in relief. He should have thought of this himself.

Rose was quiet for a minute. Then she asked, “What are you stressed about?”

She’d always been careful and professional in her dealings with him. She’d never been intrusive or inappropriate—never going outside of the boundaries of her given position. But they’d known each other for a long time, and it didn’t feel strange or unnatural for her to ask such a question.

In fact, James was strongly tempted to tell her his whole list of stresses starting with Jill and her nightmares and ending with his upcoming marriage, which seemed to be looming up more every day.

He bit back the words though. It wouldn’t be right for him to confide in her. He was her employer, and he couldn’t take advantage of her sweetness and sensitivity.

He wasn’t paying her to pour out his troubles to. He was paying her to look after his daughters. That was her slot, and he was careful not to let the categories of his life dissolve into each other.

Ever since his wife died, he’d managed his world by keeping everything in its proper place.

When he didn’t answer, Rose said, “The girls are doing fine.”

“How long has Jill been having nightmares?”

“Just a few times this week.” She opened her mouth as if she would add something but then she didn’t.

Noticing her hesitance, he prompted rather gruffly, “What?”

“The dream was evidently about an evil stepmother.”

James thought about that, suddenly realizing what Rose wasn’t saying. “You think she’s worried about Genevieve?”

“I think so.”

“What should I do?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t think the girls know her very well, and that makes them afraid of the whole situation. Maybe they could be given the opportunity to get to know her better? That might help.”

James nodded, relieved by this common-sense idea. Of course they’d be nervous about his marrying someone they didn’t really know. He’d tried to get them to spend time together, but it hadn’t really worked out very often. He’d talk to Genevieve. She would understand, and then surely she’d make some extra time for them so the girls wouldn’t be so nervous about her.

He hated the idea of his sensitive little Jill so upset she was dreaming about it.

“They’ll be fine,” Rose said as if she’d read his mind. “They love you, and they want you to be happy. Give them a little time, and they’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t just want them to get used to it. I want them to love her.” He wasn’t sure why he’d said such a thing since it revealed far more than he was used to revealing.

Something strange twisted on Rose’s face, but all she said was, “Give them time.”

He knew she was right, so he nodded as he repositioned the hot pad on his jaw. Rose was looking out the window in his office, and for some reason his eyes lingered on her face.

She had beautiful ivory skin with pink cheeks, and he particularly noticed how delicately clear her complexion was in the morning light. Her lashes were thick and dark even without any makeup, and his eyes lowered to the curve of her neck, leading down to her shoulders.

It was strangely lush and graceful—for such an innocuous part of her body. A section of hair had slipped out of her ponytail, and it slid against her skin, accentuating the curve.

For no good reason—completely to his surprise—he felt an entirely new surge of physical response to Rose. She wasn’t doing anything provocative or sexual. Her body was totally covered with a loose T-shirt. But something about the graceful line of her neck and the swing of her hair provoked the most unexpected response from him.

He felt heat rush through him and his groin tighten a little. He was hard-pressed not to reach out and touch her hair, her skin.