Page 84 of The Unlikely Wife

Starting at her feet, his eyes made their way up.

Pink silk slippers peeked out from under a pink ruffled dress. Her head rested on the back wing of the sofa. Her face was covered by a row of long ringlet curls.

Was the woman hurt or asleep? Only one way to find out.

Because the front door squeaked when it opened, Michael went around back and slipped inside through the back door, then made his way into the living room.

“Uh-hmm.” He cleared his throat.

The woman’s head wobbled upward and turned his direction.

Michael’s breath hitched in his throat.

Misty gray eyes stared up at him through a haze of sleep. She sat up and pushed the curls off her face. “You. You must be Michael,” she said.

Before him was a very beautiful woman.

Who was she?

And what was she doing here?

“Michael?” She rose from the sofa. When she tilted her head a curl fell across her porcelain cheek.

“Yes. I’m Michael. And you are…?”

“Aimee. Aimee Lynn Covington.” Her words came out slow and precise and she curtsied just like Rainee had when she first came here.

His eyes widened. “You’re Aimee?”

“Yes, sir. I am.” She looked behind him. “I hope you don’t mind but when your sister, Leah, and I got here no one was home. I asked her if it would be all right if I waited here. I wanted to surprise Selina.”

She’ll be surprised all right. He knew he was.

“Where is she?”

“Who?”

She frowned. “Selina? Your wife. My best friend.” Her delicate brows rose.

The woman had done her friend a huge disservice. Aimee was no friend. “What are you doing here?” His teeth ached from biting them so hard. This woman had nerve showing up here like this.

Aimee frowned, and the gray in her eyes darkened like thunder clouds. “I told Selina I was coming for a visit. Didn’t she get my post?”

“Your letter said you would be coming sometime to visit us, but it didn’t say when.” He knew he should have written back to tell her she wasn’t welcome here and never would be.

“Well, I just missed Selina so much, I had to come and see her. Where is she?” She looked around again.

So many emotions were running around in Michael’s head that he had a hard time catching up to any of them. He stared at the beautiful, genteel Southern lady in front of him. All those years when he had pictured a wife for himself, he had envisioned someone just like Aimee. But now the only vision to fill his mind and his heart was Selina.

In that instant it dawned on him. He loved Selina. Not only loved her, but he was in love with her. Happiness flowed through his veins like warm, liquid sunshine.

“Michael, are you okay?”

“What?” He placed his attention onto Aimee. “I’m fine.” He couldn’t keep the joy out of his voice or from his face. “I’m better than I’ve been in a long time.”

“You haven’t answered my question. Where is Selina? Is she okay?”

“Oh, yes. She’s more than okay. She’s great.” He knew he sounded stupid but he couldn’t help that, either. “She’s helping Doc Berg.”

The woman’s rigid shoulders relaxed. “I’m so glad she’s okay. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to her. She’s the most amazing person I know.”

“She sure is.”

“I’m so glad you feel that way.” She looked down at the floor. “Michael, by now you know that I didn’t write everything Selina told me to.”

That snagged his attention. “Why didn’t you?”

“Because if I did, you wouldn’t have sent for her.”

Anger coiled inside of him. How dare she talk about his wife like that. “Why not?”

“Because most people listen to her talk or they look at her outward appearance and judge her unworthy. They don’t get to know the real her. I just knew if someone did, they would love her, like I do. They would see that underneath her rugged exterior is a heart of pure gold. A lovely person who deserves the best. Who deserves the love of a good man.” Her gaze came up to his. “I could tell from your letters that you were an honest, decent man. I’m sorry I deceived you, Michael. Are you sorry I did?”

He could see how important his answer was to her. She really did love her friend. He heard it in her words and saw it in her eyes.

“No. At first I was. I’m ashamed to say I did just what you said everyone else does. I judged her by her outward appearance and her speech. But then I got to know her. To know her heart, and you’re right. She is a wonderful person.” He paused, and all the anger he held toward Aimee and himself relinquished its hold on him. Selina had told him he deserved someone better. She was wrong. “I don’t deserve her. But I love her so much I’ll do whatever it takes to deserve her.”

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