Page 33 of Hidden Desire

Grace started to gather up the crayons and paper. “I knew she would. How about a walk outside before lunch?”

Hannah started bouncing. “Can we play hide-and-seek again?”

Grace groaned dramatically, making Hannah giggle. “You are much better at that game than I am. You find me every time.”

“I’ll let you win this time,” Hannah told her.

“We’ll see about that,” Grace said and took the girl’s hand. “You said that the last time. Remember?”

That just made Hannah giggle.

By the time they came back inside, they were both flush from running around, and hungry. They washed their hands before going into the kitchen.

“Hello, girls. Your lunch is on the table.” Taylor chuckled when she looked at them. “Oh, my. It looks like you both will need a nap after your meal.”

Grace grinned, and Hannah nodded.

By the time they were done, Hannah’s eyes started drooping. “Come on, Honey. Let’s get you upstairs.”

“Will you stay with me until I go to sleep?” Hannah asked.

“Of course. Let’s thank Taylor for the wonderful lunch.”

“Thank you, Taylor,” they said together.

Taylor laughed. “You’re welcome.”

Grace got Hannah back in bed and covered her up. By the time she closed the drapes, the little girl was asleep.

Grace sat in the rocking chair in the corner for several minutes before she left the room. She wanted to ask Taylor where Robert was because she wanted to talk to him.

Chapter Fifteen

Grace looked in his office and then went to Taylor. “Do you happen to know where Robert is?”

Taylor turned to her. “Yes. He’s at his office uptown. He said he’d be home late.”

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed. They had just been married the day before, and he was already staying away from her.

“Thank you.” Grace went into the family room and chose a book to read. She was engrossed within a minute and didn’t look up until she heard Hannah’s voice. She closed the book and set it on the table next to her before going to find the little girl.

Like she normally did, she found the little girl in the kitchen at the table eating a snack.

Grace bent and pressed her lips to the top of her head. “Did you have a good nap, Honey?”

Hannah nodded.

Grace laughed when Hannah opened her mouth to talk, but it was full of crackers, which spilled out onto the table. “How about you wait until you’ve swallowed your food before you try to talk?”

Hannah grinned and nodded but did what Grace suggested. After the snack, they went into the family room to play cards.

Grace had no idea how much time had passed since Taylor had called from the kitchen to tell them dinner was ready. Shocked, Grace looked at the clock on the wall. A few hours had passed quickly.

The two put the cards away and washed their hands before walking into the dining room. When Grace only saw place settings for her and Hannah, she walked into the kitchen.

“Taylor, where is Robert?”

She looked over her shoulder. “He’s working late. He told me to tell you not to wait up for him.”