Husband by the Hour by Susan Mallery

the feeling he'd noticed me, too. That afternoon, when I walked home, he was waiting for me at the house. Sitting bold as you please, right there on the front porch."
    She shrugged. "Mama worked in a bar at the edge of town. She left right before I got home from school and didn't get back till after
midnight
. I'd always been a good girl. Never got into trouble. Until then. There was that whole big empty house with no one in it but me and Earl. I just couldn't resist him."
    She took a last drink of coffee, then rose to her feet. "The affair went on for some time," she continued. "Until after I graduated from high school. For a long while, I didn't think anyone knew, then I started to hear the whispers." She moved to the kitchen sink. "I was so embarrassed. I wanted to stop, but I loved him. Or thought I did. And he said he loved me. So I continued to see him. Then I found out I was pregnant."
    She ran the water and washed out the cup. Instead of facing the room, she continued to stare out the window. "My mother found me crying in my room one night. She wanted to know if Earl had dumped me. It was the first time I realized my mother knew what was going on. She told me later that the bar had had some trouble with its liquor license. Earl could have shut it down at any time. He told my mother he would have, too, if she interfered."
    Louise turned back to Hannah. "She needed that job. She didn't have any other skills. I found out later that she was sick. She died of cancer a few years after that, but back then, the symptoms were starting. She couldn't chance being laid off. So no one stopped Earl. Not even me."
    Hannah didn't know what to think. She hadn't thought about the circumstances of her conception. An older married man taking advantage of a young woman. The notion left a bad taste in her mouth.
    "This is a small town," she said slowly. "There must have been a lot of gossip."
    "Plenty. Once I knew I was having a baby, I left. I never told Earl why. I just said I was tired of it and that I was moving on." Her mouth twisted down. The bright fuchsia lipstick that had seemed flattering a few moments ago now stood out garishly against her pale skin. "He begged me not to go. Said he loved me. I didn't believe him. I knew his reputation. I knew that what I'd done was wrong, but I was finally going to make it right. I went to one of those homes for unwed mothers. They took care of everything. I learned to type and do office work. Their agency found a nice couple to adopt you." Tears welled up in her eyes. She raised her chin and blinked rapidly. "They were a nice couple, weren't they?"
    Hannah nodded. "Very nice. Lovely people." Her throat started to tighten.
    "I'm glad. Really. It was for the best. I know it was. The only thing is…" A tear slipped down her cheek. She brushed it away and sniffed. "The only thing is, they wouldn't let me hold you. They said you were a healthy little girl and they took you a-away." Her voice cracked. "I thought that was wrong. They should have let me hold you."
    The simple story had been acted out by thousands of women thousands of times all over the world. Innocent girls seduced and left pregnant gave up their babies every day. This shouldn't be any different. Yet Hannah found herself fighting tears. Her anger faded, drained away by sadness.
    "Tell me about them," Louise said. "The people who adopted you. What are they like? Are you a close family? Did you tell them about my letters?"
    "I…" She wasn't sure what to say, then decided the truth would be easiest. "They were killed in a car accident when I was four."
    Louise gasped and covered her mouth.
    Hannah shrugged. "There wasn't any other family. I was raised in foster homes."
    "No," Louise murmured. Tears spilled onto her cheeks. "Oh, no. Hannah. No. I can't… Oh, that's so wrong. It's so unfair."
    Louise crossed toward her. Hannah didn't remember standing, but suddenly she was in her mother's arms. They were both crying, Louise with great