Falling for the Boss (7 page)

Chapter
Five

Much to Maggie’s surprise, t
he days off did help to lift her spirits. Though her heart had sustained a knock, the optimism that pervaded her character wouldn’t permit her to stay down for long. Hadn’t her mother always said that falling in love was something every woman needed to do at least once?

The
morning hours spent relaxing on the beach, her nose in a book, brought a golden tan to her skin and sense of resolve to her mind. The afternoon shopping trips brought a smile to her face as she allowed herself the luxury of a new summer wardrobe.

As the time drew near for her
return to work, she found that her absence from Bradford House hadn’t been the ordeal she’d been dreading. It also seemed fitting that on her last day of vacation she treat herself to something special. She decided to sample one of the popular restaurants located in the historic district, a place she often recommended to others, but seldom had the opportunity to enjoy herself.

The meal and service
were superb – Maggie could still taste the light-as-air custard she’d consumed for desert as she strolled out the door. While crossing a street crowded with people and vehicles, her eyes alighted on a familiar silver car parked along the sidewalk.

Wit
hout being aware of it, she quickened her steps, failing to notice the horse-drawn carriage full of tourists approaching from the other direction. The young driver couldn’t stop fast enough to avoid her, and the over-sized front wheel knocked her to the ground with bone-rattling force. Maggie felt a moment of intense pain before everything went black.

People
were talking in whispers all around her, but the words hardly registered. Slowly opening her eyes, Maggie’s blurry gaze locked on to a pleasant-looking man in a white coat standing next to her bed. He smiled reassuringly in her direction.

“
Hello, Maggie. I’m Dr. Logan and I hope our chattering didn’t disturb your rest.”

“
No, not at all.” Was that raspy voice hers? A tentative glance around the room was enough to tell Maggie she wasn’t at home. She was in the hospital. This did explain the bandage covering her head that she’d felt from time to time in her sleep. It was then she realized someone was standing just behind Dr. Logan.

“
You have a visitor; he’s been haunting these halls since your accident.”

Maggie was confused.
“I don’t remember an accident.”

“
I’ll let your friend tell you all about it. No doubt he would prefer to have you to himself anyway.” The doctor winked at her as he left the room, and while Maggie was trying to assimilate what she’d been told, Marcus appeared at her side.

“
It’s a relief to see you awake.” He noted the numerous cuts and bruises on her face and arms with concern. He could only imagine what the rest of her looked like. “How do you feel?”

“
Confused and sore. I can’t seem to remember how I got here.”

“
Basically, you walked in front of a tourist carriage, knocking yourself out in the process. I’d just come from one of the shops across the street and saw it happen.”

“
Did you? The last thing I remember is eating at Angelo’s.”

“
That’s probably for the best,” he pointed out gravely.

“
Yes, I suppose you’re right.” She paused, her eyes again roving over the room. She spotted a crystal vase full of pink roses. “Look at those lovely flowers! I wonder who sent them.”

A faint smile
appeared. “An ardent admirer, no doubt. They remind me of the color of your cheeks when you blush.”

Maggie swallowed quickly.
“It’s nice of you to come; I know how busy you are.”

Marcus
clasped one of her hands, much to the disruption of her pulse rate. “There’s nothing very nice about it. It would be remiss of me not to visit any of my employees should they find themselves in the hospital. In your case, it was imperative.”

Maggie could hear the teasing note
running through his deep voice. “Why was it imperative?” she asked quietly.

His eyes locked with hers. “Don’t you know? You’re my favorite. I thought I
’d made that obvious.”

“
I hardly think picking me for the historical society conference counts as favoritism.”

“It doesn’t. I was referring to several more personal moments that you and I have shared.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said primly.

“
Yes, you do, but now is not the time for reminiscing. We have more important things to discuss. In a day or so, you’ll be released from here. Obviously, you’re going to need time and a suitable place to recover. Dr. Logan mentioned two weeks, but it’s early to be worrying about that. I think the best thing would be for you to come and stay at Bradford House. Your room is still available.”

“
No work for two weeks? Are you kidding?”

“You have a knot the
size of a goose egg and about 100 stitches to go along with it and that’s just on your head. Two weeks is probably overly optimistic.”

“Well, I can stay home then. There’s no need to
impose on you. I bet you forgot about Mittens, too.”

“You’re not an imposition and accommodating Mittens
has already been taken care of. If those are your only objections, we can proceed with my plans.”

T
hose weren’t her only objections, but they were the only ones she could voice. Sensing defeat, Maggie acquiesced with good grace and was rewarded with a pat on the cheek.

“We’ll have you back on your feet in no time.”

But what would be the condition of her heart? This was a question to which she already knew the answer.

The
rays of sunlight filtering through the window felt warm on Maggie’s face. Where was she? Sitting up abruptly, an action she regretted almost at once, caused her head to swim, but did allow her to recall her surroundings. She’d been integrated into the Rose Room with a speed and efficiency that was entirely characteristic of Marcus.

As t
he door slowly opened, she glanced up expectantly, her wish rewarded by the appearance of the man who’d come to mean so much to her.

“
How’s my patient today?” he asked softly.

“
I’m fine. I feel so lazy sleeping in when I really should be returning to work.”

“
I thought I was the one married to my job.” Marcus seated himself on the side of her bed, an action that he repeated often, yet always managed to set Maggie’s heart racing. “How long have you been toiling for worthless people like me?”

“
Since I left school.”

“
That can’t have been so long ago. You look about sixteen.”

Maggie
smiled faintly. “Something no woman wants to hear. I’m twenty-two.”

“
I wasn’t wrong when I said I could give you fifteen years.” He suddenly bent forward and touched her cheek. “You’re looking more like the Maggie I’m used to seeing. Another week or so, and no one will be able to tell that you tangled with a carriage.”

“
That’s fortunate since I work with the public. Right now I’d probably scare off the tourists.”

He laughed.
“A few scratches aren’t enough to render you scary. I don’t think anything could diminish the beauty of your eyes.”

Maggie tried to quell the tide of pink that threatened to stain her cheeks. Needing a diversion for her thoughts, she was
relieved to notice Mittens trying to squeeze through the partially closed door. When she managed to get through, the cat made a beeline for Marcus.

“
I think I’ve been replaced,” Maggie observed teasingly.

“
Only temporarily. This has been a new experience for me, you know, sharing my house with a feline.”

“
I appreciate your kindness in letting her stay here. She would have been lonely at my apartment.”

Smiling widely now, Marcus nodded slowly.
“Yes, it was kind of me; it was also totally out of character. It must be your influence; some of your goodness rubbing off on me.”

“
Seriously, I know that between us, Mittens and I have been an inconvenience you and Mrs. Griffin could have done without. I wish I could think of some way to repay you.”

The glance he threw her was full of speculation.
“Actually, there is a way you could help me.” At Maggie’s look of surprise, he laughed. “Are you a good actress?”

“
Not really. What role have you picked out for me?”

“
One every woman can do. A fiancé.”

Her
eyes widened. “To whom am I supposed to be engaged?”

“Me, of course. I could hardly suggest anyone else.”

“You’re asking the wrong person. Felicia is more suited to that role.”

He shook his head. “I want the convenience of being attached without the ult
imate sacrifice. Felicia wouldn’t be agreeable to those terms.”

“I’m really confused now.”

“You said you wanted to repay me, and I simply suggested a way you could do so. Don’t worry about the why’s. This arrangement won’t last long enough to cause you any major problems. I’ll make sure of that.”

A few minutes later she was alone again. Marcus could be heard whistling as he went downstairs. At least one of them was satisfied. Had she really agreed to his preposterous suggestion?

Maggie had little time to debate the wisdom of her decision. Mrs. Griffin was the first to offer her congratulations closely followed by a very amused-looking Luke and once the tours were over for the day, a shocked Brenda. Maggie hoped she’d appeared suitably excited by her good fortune. At the same time, she marveled at the ease with which people could be led to believe almost anything.

Her own thought
s weren’t so sanguine. The enormity of what she’d done left her unable to sleep that night. She would have an illusion of what she wanted – a mirage that would disappear at some future time with a wave of Marcus’ hand. Worse than that was the very real chance that in playing her part, she might reveal her true feelings for him. He would be a hard person to deceive.

T
he following day, after making sure Marcus had left the house and Mrs. Griffin was occupied in the kitchen, Maggie strolled out the back door and made her way into the rose arbor. She wouldn’t admit to herself that it had been quite a feat to get out of bed and get dressed. But sitting on the stone bench, her wan face raised to the warm sunlight, she knew her efforts had been worthwhile.

Presently, she
began reading one of the numerous books thoughtfully provided by Marcus. So absorbed was she in the latest mystery novel she didn’t hear the soft purr of a high-powered car returning to the garage nor the quick footsteps going up the steps into the house.

The next thing she was aware of was a sudden breeze sweeping across her face. It felt
nice because she was so warm. She was thinking about returning to the house when a blinding pain in her head sent her tumbling off the bench.

The impact stunned her momentarily, and it was some minutes before she could summon the energy to open her eyes.
Lifting her head just a few inches was agony. If only the pain would stop for a minute - it was so difficult to think. How long would she lie there before someone found her?

S
he must have fainted for she never heard the exclamation of the person who did discover her. The sensation of being carried brought her awake once more. They were mounting stairs and the heart of her rescuer beat heavily in her ear. When she dared to open her eyes, she looked straight into a pair of intensely angry green ones.

“
You little fool! The minute my back is turned you are into trouble. Do you know how far today’s work may have set back your recovery?”

Maggie
couldn’t have answered even had she wanted to. Though Marcus carried her gently, every movement seemed to worsen the blinding pain in her head. Wondering if this nightmare would ever end, her eyes closed again.

Marcus
laid her gently on the bed with the unnecessary order to stay put before disappearing into the bathroom where he could be heard rummaging through cabinets and drawers, muttering fiercely to himself. He returned momentarily with the necessary first-aid items to deal with the scratches she’d received during the fall. By this time, Maggie was so weak from pain she couldn’t have cared less what he was doing.

“
Maggie, can you hear me? Is it your head?” he whispered urgently. Her nod was barely perceptible, and the look of torment on her ashen face was enough to give Marcus, a man known for his mastery of almost any situation, a momentary sense of alarm. His anxious glance scanned the room. Finding the object he was seeking, he dumped the contents of Maggie’s purse on the floor, his fingers quickly locating an amber bottle.

A
n hour later, Maggie was asleep. The lines of pain had slowly disappeared from her face as the pill Marcus had administered worked its magic. He moved stiffly from his place by the bed, relieved that the crisis appeared to be over, but at the same time reluctant to leave the scene of his ordeal. His glance moved back to the bed, back to the slumbering form. Would he ever forget the sight of her lying motionless on the ground? On a long sigh, he left the room.