Read Online The Good Provider by Debra Salonen - Free Book Online

Hailey’s seat back was upright and then gave her belt an extra tug. “We have to make a detour because of the weather. I’ll let William tell you all about it when we land. But don’t worry. We’re perfectly safe and we’ll be back in the air tomorrow.”
    “Oh, jeez,” Miranda said, groaning. “Dad was right. You can’t do anything right. Now, we won’t get to see Great-Grandpa for another day.”
    Her daughter’s criticism stung, but Daria ignored it. She’d put off making this decision for too long and now she was going to have to pay the price. “Turn off the DVD player, Miranda,” Daria said. “The pilots will need to be able to communicate with the airport control tower. All electronic devices, remember?”
    She didn’t know for certain that included portable movie players, but she’d flown enough to know the drill. So did her daughter, who groused but complied.
    Once back in her seat, Daria let out a halting sigh. She’d done well to keep her emotions under control to this point, and she wouldn’t give in to tears now—even though William’s and Shane’s generosity had created a lump the size of Kansas in her throat. Kindness and compassion hadn’t been a part of her life for a long time, and she vowed to pay it forward as soon as she had the wherewithal to do so.
    She didn’t dare look too far ahead. Life was going to get tougher over the next few weeks and months, and her main goal was to protect the two sweet, fragile souls she loved more than life.
    Would she ever be brave enough to risk falling in love again? Maybe. If, by then, she’d figured out what real love was supposed to be. At least now, she knew what it wasn’t. Love was not abject control over another person.
    And if it turned out that she was some sort of magnet for controlling men who needed to dominate her to feel good about themselves…well, forget it. She’d rather be single for the rest of her life.
    As depressing as that sounded, a part of her brain couldn’t quite let go of that funny flutter in her chest that happened every time she was in William Hughes’s presence.
    I might never marry again, she thought. But I could take a lover. When the girls are older and off at college. Maybe one with an English accent.
    She closed her eyes and tucked the dream in a small, dark corner of her mind. Dreams were a luxury a divorced mother of two could not afford. She’d do well to remember that. Once she had her feet on the ground, they needed to stay firmly planted because, like the big bad wolf, Bruce would huff and puff and try to blow her back into the controlling net of his world, his family.
    Fighting Bruce, fighting for her daughters would take all of her focus. So no more fantasizing about handsome, inscrutable Englishmen. Period.



CHAPTER FOUR
    “G OOD CALL on Durango,” William told his copilot. “The only thing I know about western Colorado is its ski resorts, and I don’t think that’s something that would interest our passengers.”
    “Yeah,” Lucas said, his gaze never leaving the runway that was barely visible in the distance. “Durango’s a college town, but it’s pretty low-key. I haven’t been back for a while. Like I told you earlier, my aunt lives there—I’ll stay at her place tonight, if that’s okay.”
    “Fine with me. Do you know if there’s a car rental at the airport?”
    They discussed the logistics of their destination for a few minutes more, then William keyed the intercom to inform Daria and her daughters to prepare for landing.
    He knew she was worried about the cost of this trip, but he didn’t quite know how to reassure her that the expense would be absorbed by their corporation without sounding like a pompous ass. Pride was a delicate factor that he constantly had to keep in mind when negotiating deals for his clients. If one actress discovered that someone had received orchids in his or her trailer and he or she had only gotten roses, feelings would be hurt and there