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A NTHONY COULDN ‘ T CONTROL THE URGE to whistle a jovial tune as he moved about Elsie’s large, well-stocked kitchen, making supper preparations for this evening.

The main dish, which consisted of ground beef, onion, green pepper, salt, black pepper, butter, shredded raw potatoes, eggs, milk, and shredded cheddar cheese, was already in a pan on the stove, keeping warm.

A tossed green salad with plenty of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and black olives that he’d put together a short time ago sat on one end of the counter, ready to serve.

Anthony had also made his special recipe for cheesy breadsticks, which were in the oven turning nice and brown.

While Rosa and her mother were in town shopping, Anthony had created a scrumptious-looking carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert.

It rested beside the salad bowl on a glass plate he’d found in one of the cupboards.

Sure hope everything I made today will be enjoyed by everyone in Rosa’s family, he thought.

For Rosa’s sake, Anthony wanted to make a good impression on her relatives, not only with his cooking, but by the way he treated her family members.

Anthony couldn’t help feeling sorry for his make-believe wife and the situation she currently found herself in.

It was bad enough that Rosa was pregnant and dealing with morning sickness and that her father had been so distant toward her since their arrival at his home.

Rosa’s sister Susan seemed almost hostile whenever she spoke to Rosa, or she looked at her with angry scowls.

It made no sense. Anthony wondered what had happened between the two of them in the past to cause the animosity.

Or maybe Susan’s negative attitude was due to something that had occurred during Rosa’s absence and she was using her older sister as a scapegoat for her own unhappiness.

And Rosa’s father? Why wouldn’t he have welcomed his daughter home with love and gratitude, knowing she was safe and had returned of her own free will? It seemed to Anthony that Mahlon, a preacher no less, would have been thrilled to have his eldest daughter back in his home.

Some people do strange things when they are miserable.

Anthony continued with his contemplations.

I’ve often wondered if my dad’s grouchiness has more to do with something that happened in his past than it does with his frustration toward me.

Or maybe it’s the business of running the restaurant that keeps him on edge.

Too bad he won’t take some much-needed time off once in a while.

I’m sure my mom would enjoy taking a vacation.

The portable windup timer positioned at the back of the stove went off, and Anthony let his thoughts dissipate in order to open the oven door and check on the breadsticks.

Sure enough, they were nicely done. He grabbed a pot holder, pulled them out, and placed the tray on a cooling rack.

Rosa had told him twenty minutes ago that she and Tena were going to set the dining room table, and Anthony figured that had probably been done by now.

It was time to let the family know that supper was ready to be served.

“This meal is really delicious, and the fact that you made something similar to a pizza in a pan is most unusual,” Elsie commented after taking a second helping of what Anthony had named German pizza.

“I’m glad you like it.” Pleased with her comment, he offered Elsie a wide grin.

“And since all the ingredients are cooked in one pan, it’s quite easy to make.

Also, without a crust made with high-carb flour like traditional pizzas, it’s a healthy dish for those who are diabetic or simply watching their weight. ”

“Nobody at this table has diabetes, and none of us is overweight.”

With puckered lips, Mahlon made a grunting sound. “And since we’re eating it with a fork and not our hands, it doesn’t seem much like a pizza to me.”

“Maybe not the kind most folks are used to eating,” Rosa interjected, “but it’s certainly quite tasty. I also like the fact that the shredded potatoes make the texture seem almost like there is a crust.”

“I like the German pizza dish,” Tena chimed in, looking at Anthony. “It has lots of flavor, and so does the salad you made.”

“Thank you.” He handed the basket of breadsticks to Rosa’s father. “Would you like one of these?”

Mahlon shrugged. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt.” He took two and passed the basket to Alvin. “How about you, Son?”

“Okay.” The boy took a plump-looking cheesy breadstick, covered it with plenty of butter, and took a bite. “Yum! You’re sure a good cook, Anthony. You oughta fix supper for us more often.”

“Glad you like it.” Anthony glanced over at Susan, who sat across the table, to gauge her reaction to the meal. But she said nothing and didn’t even make eye contact with him. Instead, she reached for the ranch dressing he’d made using buttermilk and poured some on her salad.

Anthony appreciated the positive comments he’d received from Elsie, Rosa, Tena, and even Alvin.

He wished he could say the same for Susan and Mahlon, but he would take whatever he could get.

Maybe when he brought out the carrot cake for dessert, it would meet with everyone’s approval.

He’d certainly put his best efforts into making it and looked forward to eating a decent-sized piece of the cake himself.

“That meal I cooked for tonight’s supper sure didn’t go over the way I had hoped.

” Anthony sank to the foot of Rosa’s bed and groaned.

“I doubt that anything I could say or do would merit your dad’s favor.

” He stretched his arms over his head and yawned.

“I’m exhausted from trying to make conversation with him. He doesn’t seem to care for me at all.”

“Don’t take it personally, Anthony. My father can be quite difficult at times, but I believe that somewhere deep inside, his heart is soft as a marshmallow.”

“Really? Well, you could have fooled me. He seems kinda like my dad—they are both hard nuts to crack.”

Rosa couldn’t help but smile as she took a seat beside him. “I’ve never heard it put quite that way, but I guess you’re right about that.”

“I wonder how your folks will take it when we stage our breakup and I head back to New York to get the fake divorce.”

She released a heavy sigh. “Maybe we should come clean and tell them the truth, that we’re not really married, and you only came here as a favor to me.”

Anthony gave a quick shake of his head. “No way! I promised to accompany you and pretend to be your husband so you didn’t have to suffer the embarrassment of telling them the truth of how you got pregnant.

If we stick with our original plans, your folks will be none the wiser.

I have less than a week before my vacation is over, so we need to see this through until the day of our planned breakup.

After that, I’m sure you’ll have your parents’ sympathy and full support, which is exactly what you want, right? ”

“Yes, of course, but—” Rosa stopped talking when she heard footsteps in the upstairs hallway. “Oh boy, I hope nobody heard us speaking about this,” she whispered.

Anthony flapped a hand. “Naw, I doubt it. We weren’t talking that loud, so I wouldn’t be concerned.”

“I hope you’re right.” Rosa continued to keep her voice low. “The last thing I need is for the truth to come out—especially from someone other than me.”

He leaned close to her ear—so near that she felt his breath blowing gently on her neck, which caused goose bumps to erupt on the upper half of her body. “Try not to worry, Rosa,” he said. “It’ll be fine.”

Rosa hoped he was right, because she desperately wanted things to work out for both her and the baby, who would be born in about six months.

A few minutes before, after hearing voices she recognized coming through the closed door of Rosa’s bedroom, Susan had halted her footsteps to listen to what was being said. What she had heard Anthony and her sister saying was a shock, and she covered her mouth to keep from gasping out loud.

So Rosa and Anthony are not even married, yet they’re pretending to be so she can worm her way back into this family.

Learning that her runaway sister had been bold-faced lying to their parents since her return caused Susan’s pulse to quicken.

If Rosa was truly pregnant and Anthony was the father of her unborn child, why hadn’t he done the right thing and married her?

Why the big act, and why were they planning a fake breakup? It made no sense at all.

Susan leaned closer and put her ear right up to the door, hoping to hear more of their conversation.

However, Anthony and Rosa had lowered their voices, and all she could make out now was some murmuring, but nothing clear enough to know exactly what else had been said.

She stood there several more minutes, hoping their voices might get louder again, but all was quiet.

Figuring they had probably quit talking and had gone to bed, Susan turned sharply and entered the room across the hall that she had been forced to share with Tena.

She felt relief to discover that her sister was already in bed and appeared to be sleeping.

Susan was in no mood to engage in small talk with Tena, who could be a chatterbox at times.

Besides, the teenage girl usually wanted to talk about things Susan had no interest in, like the so-called cute little squirrels she’d seen trying to get into one of Mom’s bird feeders.

Another topic Tena often mentioned was her hope of getting another bunny someday that she could keep as a pet.

How ridiculous! Susan thought about the last rabbit her sister had found and kept in a cage for a while, and how their little brother had set the rabbit free.

At first, Tena had been quite upset when she’d discovered it was gone, but she had finally agreed that the critter was better off being outside where it could roam around, rather than living in captivity.

Susan removed her shoes, took off her dress, and slipped into a clean nightgown.

After letting her hair down and brushing it for a good long while, she pulled back the covers on her own bed and slipped between the sheets.

As her head reclined on the soft pillow and she closed her eyes, her thoughts returned to the conversation she’d heard across the hall.

Hmm … I wonder what I should do with the unexpected information I learned. Should I confront Rosa about it? Tell Mom and Dad what I know? Or would it be better if I keep quiet for now and wait to see how it all plays out when Anthony and Rosa have their so-called breakup?

Susan had several choices she could make, but for now, she would set her contemplations aside and try to get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow was another day, and after her body and brain had a chance to rest, she would hopefully be thinking more clearly and could make a proper decision.

She lay there several minutes and, when close to dozing off, gave a satisfied sigh.

For the first time in a good long while, she was one up on Rosa.

Susan felt sure that once the truth was revealed, her older sister would no longer be their mother’s favorite daughter.

Their father would probably kick both Rosa and Anthony out of the house.

After that happens, I will take my rightful place in the position of favored daughter, she mused.

And then I shall be happy and satisfied at last.