Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods

heard about their plan?” Maddie asked, exasperated.
    “I doubt it,” he said. “I figure those two gals knew you’d be a hard sell and wanted to get folks on their side to help with any convincing that needed to be done.”
    “Oh, great,” she grumbled. “I’ve half a mind to turn the job down.”
    He grinned. “You’ll get past that,” he said with conviction. “A smart gal like you won’t walk away from the chance of a lifetime just to be stubborn.”
    “You realize if we get half the women in Serenity on somesort of health kick, Neville, your soda fountain will suffer,” she warned him.
    “Nah,” he said, showing a complete lack of concern. “I’ve been in this business more than fifty years. Good intentions can’t hold out against hot-fudge sauce for long. And I’ll be sure to send my best customers over there to work off the calories. That way we’ll both profit.”
    She studied him with surprise. “Then you really think this health club is a good idea?”
    “Are you kidding me?” he asked incredulously. “Have you looked at the magazine racks lately? Fitness and weight loss and all that sort of thing is all anyone writes about these days. That tells me folks must be pretty worked up about it. Women sit at my counter every single day and talk about low-carb this and low-fat that. If it’s a craze, you three gals may as well make some money from it. Goodness knows, you won’t have any competition from Dexter’s.”
    “No question about that,” Maddie agreed. “Thanks, Neville. I’d better get out to the car before Tyler melts. It’s hot as blazes out there, even if it is only March.”
    “I know. Makes you wonder what July will be like, doesn’t it?” he said with a shake of his head.
    The weather was the least of Maddie’s concerns. Even with all of Neville’s well-meaning advice, she still didn’t know what to do about her one solid job offer…or about her very angry and disillusioned son.

4
    W hen the doorbell rang just after lunch on Saturday, Maddie gladly left it to the kids to answer the door. She had no desire to face Bill after the frustrating week she’d had. These days she didn’t want to see him when she was at her best, much less when she was feeling defeated.
    She was about to run a hot bath for herself when she heard Tyler’s raised voice from the front hall.
    “What the hell are you doing here? We don’t want you in this house!”
    Horrified by his language and his attitude, Maddie rushed from her bathroom wrapped in an old terry-cloth robe, her hair piled atop her head in a haphazard knot. “Tyler Walker Townsend, what on earth?” she said, then came to an abrupt stop beside him as she spotted the very pregnant Noreen standing on the doorstep.
    Maddie had first met the young nurse when she’d interviewed candidates for the job in Bill’s office. She’d been impressed by the woman’s résumé and composure. In the weeks after Bill had hired her, Maddie had noticed the woman’s efficiency and her warmth with the young patients. She’d had no idea that Noreen’s attentiveness had extended to her husband.
    On the two occasions when she’d seen Noreen since discovering the woman’s involvement with Bill, Maddie had been struck by how self-possessed she seemed, even dressed in her end-of-the-day wilted nurse’s uniform. Now, despite her designer maternity outfit, she looked far less sure of herself. There were patches of red on her cheeks from embarrassment and her eyes were shadowed with distress. She looked even younger than her twenty-four years.
    “Dad sent her to pick us up,” Tyler said, his body radiating outrage. “I’m not going anywhere with her. And neither are they.” He scowled at Kyle and Katie, who were standing nearby in wide-eyed dismay. Kyle whirled around and ran upstairs. Katie promptly burst into tears and flung herself at Maddie.
    “I miss Daddy!” she cried, hiccuping with sobs. “When is Daddy coming home?”
    Despite