Husband By The Hour. Сьюзен Мэллери

or not, but I’m looking for—”

      The woman caught her breath and clapped her hands together, effectively cutting Hannah off. “Oh, my. I would have recognized you anywhere. Hannah, honey, you’re the spitting image of Earl and the boys.”

      Nick leaned close. “Who are Earl and the boys?”

      Hannah shrugged helplessly. Obviously this woman knew her. A close friend of her mother’s perhaps? Maybe a paid companion? “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” she said.

      The woman smiled. “Of course not. Here I am talking about Earl and his sons, and I’m leaving out the most important part.” Tears sprang to her eyes and she sniffed. “Hannah, honey, I’m your mother. Welcome home.”

      Wait a minute. This couldn’t be her mother. Hannah straightened and stared. What happened to the old frail woman who was sick or possibly dying? The person in front of her looked fit and strong.

      Hannah found herself being pulled into an embrace. The woman, Louise—Hannah couldn’t really think of calling her Mom or Mother—stood in the doorway, about a half step above Hannah. That put them at the same height.

      Strong arms drew Hannah close. She didn’t like being hugged by people she knew, let alone strangers. Yet this embrace felt oddly right. Almost familiar.

      Louise cupped Hannah’s face in both hands. “You’re so pretty. I tried to imagine what you’d look like, but I never could. You have Earl’s eyes.”

      “My…”

      Louise nodded. “Your father. Your hair color is mine.” She tugged at a short blond strand. “I’m not a natural blonde, but you know what they say. I prefer it this way.” She smiled. “I can’t get over this. When I wrote you, I—” She looked past Hannah and gasped. “Your husband. Darling, I didn’t see you there. Welcome.” She held her arms open again. Nick stepped easily into her embrace and she hugged him tightly. “Aren’t you the handsomest man I’ve seen in a while. So tall.”

      Louise smiled. “Hannah, honey, you picked wisely with this one. I didn’t always pick wisely, but I made sure they were pretty to look at.”

      Nick grinned. “I’m going to like you, Louise.”

      “Well, I hope so. I want you to know straight off, I’m not going to be a meddling mother-in-law.” Her smile faded. “I’m just happy to have the chance to see you at last. Both of you.” She took one of Hannah’s hands and one of Nick’s.

      Hannah felt as if she’d been caught up in the middle of a tornado. She was being whirled around so fast, she couldn’t catch her breath or her balance.

      “What’s going on, Louise?” a male voice called from inside the house.

      Louise laughed. “I swear, it’s a good thing all my body parts are attached or I would leave them behind. Imagine me forgetting my manners. Come in.” She released their hands and stepped back, motioning them through the door. She patted Hannah’s arm. “The boys are going to be so thrilled. They’ve been waiting to meet you.”

      Hannah swallowed. “Boys?”

      “The Haynes brothers. Earl’s sons with his wife. I know it’s confusing, but you have four half brothers.”

      Nick draped his arm around Hannah’s shoulders. “Great. With me, that’s enough to play basketball.”

      “Actually, there’s Austin, too, but he’s not a real relative. More like an adopted member of the family.” Louise frowned. “Oh, did I just put my foot in my mouth? You don’t mind me saying adopted, do you?”

      Numbly, Hannah shook her head.

      They stepped into the living room. People were everywhere. Not just adults, but children. Lots of children. She couldn’t begin to estimate the size of the crowd. Over twenty people. And they were all staring at her.

      “Everyone, this is Hannah. My daughter.” Louise’s voice cracked and a tear slipped down her cheek. “Isn’t she wonderful?”

      Four men separated themselves from the group. They were tall, well over six foot, with dark hair and eyes. Hannah didn’t need to look at her own reflection to see the resemblance.

      Her heart stopped in her chest. She felt it thunk once and then freeze. She was going to die, which was a very good thing.

      Cops. Her bothers were cops. Only two were in uniform, but the remaining two had the same look about them. Cops who, if they knew about Nick and his shady practices, not to mention the deal she’d made with him, wouldn’t think twice about throwing them both in jail.

Chapter Four

      Hannah stared unbelievingly at the four men in front of her. They stared back. Silence grew. She kept waiting to fall to the floor. After all, she still couldn’t feel her heart beating. Then, in the quiet, she heard the faint thudding that told her not only was she still alive, but she was also probably going to live long enough to have to suffer through this weekend.

      Nick gave her shoulder a quick squeeze, then stepped forward. “Hi. I’m Nick Archer, Hannah’s husband.”

      The brother with a bit of gray at his temples smiled slightly. “Craig Haynes. Nice to meet you.” The two men shook hands.

      Hannah watched closely, but there didn’t seem to be any kind of male-dominance test going on. At least not yet. The handshake was brief; she didn’t notice any bulging tendons, a telltale sign that there was a pissing contest in progress.

      Craig turned his attention to her. “We weren’t sure what to expect. Sorry, Louise, but she’s a hundred percent Haynes.”

      Louise slipped her arm through Hannah’s. “Oh, there’s a little Carberry in her, too. Your side doesn’t get all the credit.”

      Hannah shook her head. She’d always wondered about her “real” last name, about any family that might be around to claim her. Here they were, in the flesh. It should have been exciting. Instead, all she wanted to do was run for cover.

      Craig motioned to the man on his left. “This is Travis, then Jordan and Kyle.” He grinned. “We’re actually standing in order of age. I’m the oldest, Kyle’s the youngest.”

      “Not anymore,” Kyle said. “Now you get to be the baby, Hannah.”

      “How nice,” she murmured.

      “We’ll run through the rest of the family,” Craig said. “I’m sure it’s going to be confusing as hell, but at least you’ll get a sense of who belongs to whom.”

      At his words, wives came up to stand by their husbands and children collected in small groups. There were too many people, too many faces, too many names.

      She tried to concentrate, but it was no use. She caught brief impressions. Craig’s wife was a petite redhead who was very pregnant. They had three boys. Jordan’s wife was also pregnant, but not so far along. There was another man introduced as “Austin Lucas, family, but not by blood.” He was dark and dangerous-looking, an earring glinting from one ear. His wife, Rebecca, was beautiful, with a face that belonged on a cameo.

      When the introductions were completed, everyone began talking at once. Louise pulled her close. “Don’t worry about trying to sort everyone out. It’s going to take a little while.”

      Nick dropped a quick kiss on Hannah’s head. She felt the heat all the way to her toes and hoped her pleasure and shock didn’t show in her eyes. “Hannah and I will compare notes tonight. I’m sure between the two of us, we’ll be able to keep everyone straight.”

      Hannah wasn’t so sure. She stared at the huge living room. A large fireplace dominated the far wall. Navy drapes covered floor-to-ceiling windows. The same color was picked up in the four sofas forming a loose square. Striped wing chairs