Read Online Love Is Elected by Alyssa Howard - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alyssa Howard
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now she rarely wore it unless she was planning to wash her car. She completed the outfit with a worn pair of jogging shoes. And then headed downstairs toward the kitchen. What she needed was a cup of coffee, she thought.
All of the draperies on the lower floor were drawn. And the house seemed unusually quiet as Kara strode across the living room. But as she opened the cafe doors into the kitchen, she was surprised by the aroma of freshly made coffee and the sight of her husband sitting at the round butcher block table reading the financial section of the
Baltimore Sun
. He was dressed in flannel gray slacks, a creamy beige turtleneck, and a casual tweed sportscoat with leather patches at the elbows. The sight of Matt looking so cool and unruffled after their stormy encounter of the night before enraged her.
"Well, sleeping beauty is finally awake," he observed mockingly. Then his eyes roamed over her scruffy outfit. "Or is it the scullery maid?"
Kara tried to think of a snappy comeback. But none came to mind.
"By the way," Matt added, "the message on the T-shirt is superfluous. You've already made it clear what a crab you can be. But you'd better hide your claws for today. We're going out to Windy Willow Farm to meet my mother."
Kara's mouth flew open. "We are? Why didn't you have the courtesy to tell me? But then, why should I expect courtesy from someone like you?"
"If you hadn't made it clear that you didn't want my company last night, we might have had more time to discuss our plans for today," he retorted, studying her coldly.
"You mean, if you hadn't been in such a hurry to get out of here and into bed with your mistress," she countered.
Matt Jordan threw back his head and laughed at her accusations. "And just what makes you think that?" he challenged.
"I happened to pick up the phone in my bedroom and I heard…" Kara began.
But the dangerous glint in her husband's eyes cut her off in mid-sentence.
"I will not tolerate anyone eavesdropping on my conversations," he said very calmly and deliberately. But the icy tone of his voice sent a shiver up Kara's spine. Biting her lip, she looked down at the table top.
"And since you've made it clear that you don't really want to be my wife, where I go and what I do is really no concern of yours."
Kara felt her lower lip begin to quiver. And she was unable to look up and meet his eyes. But the next second he reached out and covered her long slender fingers with his strong hand.
"You don't know how I spent last night, Kara," he said more gently. "And if you did, you'd understand that I have good reason to be edgy this morning. But we have a long day ahead of us at my mother's place in the country, so let's call a truce. I'll heat up some blueberry muffins for breakfast while you go up and change into something more suitable for meeting her. And for heaven's sakes, take your hair out of that pony tail. She'll think I'm robbing the cradle."
Still unable to look up, Kara turned and fled from the kitchen. Back in her bedroom she looked through her closets and drawers trying to find something that Matt would consider suitable for a visit to Windy Willow Farms. Finally she settled on a burgundy corduroy skirt with a matching vest and striped blouse. To add a note of sophistication, she pulled on a pair of high-heeled, brown suede boots. Then she brushed out her hair, put on a dab of lip gloss and a touch of violet eye shadow.
"What am I doing?" she asked herself suddenly as she surveyed her image in the mirror. "I don't want to go meet his mother. How can I act as if things are normal when this whole affair has been so contrived? I'm going to tell him I won't go," she said decisively.
When she returned to the kitchen, Matt surveyed her assessingly. "That's a lot better," he approved, "although you're still not quite sophisticated enough to play the part of a candidate's wife. But we'll talk about that later."
"You certainly know how to give a woman compliments," Kara
All of the draperies on the lower floor were drawn. And the house seemed unusually quiet as Kara strode across the living room. But as she opened the cafe doors into the kitchen, she was surprised by the aroma of freshly made coffee and the sight of her husband sitting at the round butcher block table reading the financial section of the
Baltimore Sun
. He was dressed in flannel gray slacks, a creamy beige turtleneck, and a casual tweed sportscoat with leather patches at the elbows. The sight of Matt looking so cool and unruffled after their stormy encounter of the night before enraged her.
"Well, sleeping beauty is finally awake," he observed mockingly. Then his eyes roamed over her scruffy outfit. "Or is it the scullery maid?"
Kara tried to think of a snappy comeback. But none came to mind.
"By the way," Matt added, "the message on the T-shirt is superfluous. You've already made it clear what a crab you can be. But you'd better hide your claws for today. We're going out to Windy Willow Farm to meet my mother."
Kara's mouth flew open. "We are? Why didn't you have the courtesy to tell me? But then, why should I expect courtesy from someone like you?"
"If you hadn't made it clear that you didn't want my company last night, we might have had more time to discuss our plans for today," he retorted, studying her coldly.
"You mean, if you hadn't been in such a hurry to get out of here and into bed with your mistress," she countered.
Matt Jordan threw back his head and laughed at her accusations. "And just what makes you think that?" he challenged.
"I happened to pick up the phone in my bedroom and I heard…" Kara began.
But the dangerous glint in her husband's eyes cut her off in mid-sentence.
"I will not tolerate anyone eavesdropping on my conversations," he said very calmly and deliberately. But the icy tone of his voice sent a shiver up Kara's spine. Biting her lip, she looked down at the table top.
"And since you've made it clear that you don't really want to be my wife, where I go and what I do is really no concern of yours."
Kara felt her lower lip begin to quiver. And she was unable to look up and meet his eyes. But the next second he reached out and covered her long slender fingers with his strong hand.
"You don't know how I spent last night, Kara," he said more gently. "And if you did, you'd understand that I have good reason to be edgy this morning. But we have a long day ahead of us at my mother's place in the country, so let's call a truce. I'll heat up some blueberry muffins for breakfast while you go up and change into something more suitable for meeting her. And for heaven's sakes, take your hair out of that pony tail. She'll think I'm robbing the cradle."
Still unable to look up, Kara turned and fled from the kitchen. Back in her bedroom she looked through her closets and drawers trying to find something that Matt would consider suitable for a visit to Windy Willow Farms. Finally she settled on a burgundy corduroy skirt with a matching vest and striped blouse. To add a note of sophistication, she pulled on a pair of high-heeled, brown suede boots. Then she brushed out her hair, put on a dab of lip gloss and a touch of violet eye shadow.
"What am I doing?" she asked herself suddenly as she surveyed her image in the mirror. "I don't want to go meet his mother. How can I act as if things are normal when this whole affair has been so contrived? I'm going to tell him I won't go," she said decisively.
When she returned to the kitchen, Matt surveyed her assessingly. "That's a lot better," he approved, "although you're still not quite sophisticated enough to play the part of a candidate's wife. But we'll talk about that later."
"You certainly know how to give a woman compliments," Kara
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