The Stepmother: An Everland Ever After Tale Read Free

seen a ghost. Maybe opening the door hadn’t been such a good idea. Was he all that ugly, really? From the way she was looking a bit sick, he thought that maybe he was .
    “Can I help you, ma’am?”
    She didn’t say anything, but continued to stare, her fingers twined around themselves in front of her lips. “Ma’am?” It was damn cold out here, and he was letting all the heat out. She shook her head once, although Jack couldn’t tell if it was in response to his question, or if she was trying to shake some sense into herself.
    Zelle whimpered in her sleep and nestled deeper into the crook of his neck. He would’ve patted her back to sooth her, but he was still holding the knife. The baby had drawn the mystery woman’s attention, though, and he watched her fear—or was it only surprise?—fade as her gaze swept over Zelle’s wispy pale hair. He tried again, “Ma’am?”
    This time, she met his eyes and dropped her hands from her mouth. He noticed that they were still twisted together, though. She took a deep breath. “I’m Meri Almassy.”
    She said it like it was supposed to mean something. “Yeah?” He knew he was being rude, but she still hadn’t explained anything.
    When he didn’t react sufficiently—what had she been expecting?—her dark brows drew together, making a cute little “V” that he itched to smooth away. Another deep breath, and he pretended not to notice the way her small breasts strained against the light gray of her coat. Why in the world would someone who looked like her show up at his door at this hour? There was no call for it, no good reason.
    “Are you the doctor?”
    Ah . There was a reason, but not a good one.
    So Jack scowled, and told the truth—”No”—and slammed the door in her face.
     

CHAPTER TWO

     
     
    Did he…? Did he just slam the door on her? The door of the house that was going to become hers? Meri’s jaw dropped at his rudeness, and while she stood there, it dropped further. How… how dare he? How dare he ?
    Apparently Doctor Carpenter had the manners of a goat. Or a pig. To slam the door on his future wife…! Meri harrumphed , snapped her mouth closed, and crossed her arms in irritation. Her first impression of her future husband was not a glowing one.
    Actually, this was her second impression of Jack Carpenter, and her first hadn’t been much better. When he’d opened the door, and she’d had to tilt her head back to see his face, she’d been shocked. Doctors were bookish and kind and plain! There was no reason for him to be so tall, so broad, so handsome. That realization had caused a genuine gasp and consternation when Meri realized that—against everything she’d expected—Jack Carpenter was attractive. Very attractive. Write-to-Lettie-and-tell-her-how-attractive attractive , even. His hair was the kind of black that sucked light into it, and it was shaggy around his ears. She hadn’t been able to see the color of his eyes, but his jaw had been strong under several weeks’ worth of beard, and his nose was intimidatingly crooked, like it’d been broken and healed wrong. His brows were hard slashes, and his cheekbones were high, and the hand that cradled the baby’s bottom was twice the size of hers.
    Oh yes, Doctor Carpenter was attractive, in a terrible sort of way. She wanted a man who was quiet and devoted and not so much larger than her that she’d be overwhelmed. She didn’t want a man like Bernard; she wanted a man who was gentle and mild. Men who looked like Jack Carpenter did not devote themselves to helping others. They—they wrestled bulls or climbed mountains or—or—or…
    Meri sighed, and bit her lip. No, Jack Carpenter was not what she’d been looking for in a husband, but he’d written so eloquently about serving others… Maybe she was wrong. Maybe just because he looked like an ancient Roman gladiator should, didn’t mean he wasn’t also a gentle doctor. Besides, she was here, and she needed a husband, a