The Best Bride

Her eyes flew open. Not that. But now that she’d remembered it, she found it hard to forget the soft brush of his lips on hers yesterday. Today, when he’d sat next to her on the sofa and they’d shaken hands, for a moment she’d thought he might kiss her. Softly, tenderly, holding her close in those strong arms.

He carried her so easily, but that was an impersonal gesture made to aid an invalid. She wanted to be held close by a man who needed to hold a woman. She wanted to know if Travis could make her feel safe and secure in his embrace, if he could loan her a little of his strength and confidence. Foolish dreams. She hadn’t answered all his questions. They both knew that. He might believe that she hadn’t broken any laws, but she’d seen the look in his eyes. He was reserving judgment on her until he knew the truth. Imagine what he would think of her then.

The back door opened and she heard Mandy’s laughter as she came into the kitchen.

“Mommy, Mommy, where are you?”

“In here,” she called, sitting up slowly and leaning against the headboard.

Mandy flew into the room. She had several papers in one hand and her bear in the other.

“How was your first day of school?” Elizabeth asked, holding out her arms.

Her daughter scrambled onto the bed and threw herself into her embrace. Elizabeth held her close. Even the pain in her side didn’t matter, she thought, as she stroked her daughter’s hair.

Mandy leaned back and knelt on the bed. “I had fun.”

“Did you?”

Mandy nodded. “Miss Brickman says we’re going to learn to read.”

Elizabeth touched Mandy’s paint-smudged cheek. Her dress was wrinkled, her ribbons loose and coming undone, but there was a bright glow of happiness in her child’s eyes that made her heart lighten. Maybe she had made the right decision after all.

“You already know how to read.”

“I know.” Mandy grinned. “She said she’d help me learn better. And we’re going to do counting, too. Here.” She thrust out her papers. “I did these.”

Elizabeth looked at the drawing of what she was pretty sure was supposed to be this large house, a sheet with Mandy’s name painstakingly spelled out in a childish scrawl, and a note from Miss Brickman outlining the homework schedule for the first half of the year.

“You’re supposed to sign this one,” Mandy said, pointing at the note from the teacher. “We’re going to have homework, just like the big kids.” She sounded delighted. Elizabeth wondered how long that would last.

“Someone’s been busy.”

She looked up and saw Travis standing in the doorway. He held a tray containing a plate with several chocolate cupcakes and two glasses of milk.

Mandy’s blue eyes got big. “Mommy, you made cupcakes for me.”

“I thought you weren’t supposed to get out of bed,” Travis said.

“Louise did all the work.”

“Why don’t I believe that?”

“Don’t ask me, because she did.”

“Sure.” He put the tray down on her nightstand, then pulled Mandy off the bed. “Maybe you should change into play clothes before you get crumbs all over that dress. What do you think?”

Mandy looked at her mother, who nodded, then sighed. “Okay, but don’t eat all the cupcakes before I get back.”

“We won’t,” Elizabeth said and watched her daughter scamper out of the room. She glanced at the cupcakes and saw they’d been iced. “Thank you,” she said. “I meant to get back to that, but I must have dozed off.”

“Hey, I opened a can. How hard could it be?” He perched on the edge of the bed. “You’re not overdoing it, are you?”

Exhaustion overwhelmed her with all the subtlety of being hit by a large truck. She tried to smile, but suddenly she was too tired. “Maybe just a little.”

He leaned forward. For a second she thought he was going to kiss her. She found out she had just enough energy left to get excited by the thought, then was disappointed when all he did was lay his hand against her forehead.

“No fever,” he said, “but you should stay in bed for the rest of the day. The last thing you need is to land yourself back in the hospital.”

“I know.” She picked at the bed cover, then looked at him. He’d shaved that morning, but the shadowy darkness of his beard highlighted his strong jaw. He had dark eyes framed by thick lashes. A firm mouth that was threatening to curve into a smile. Nothing in his expression reminded her of the questions he’d asked that morning. Yet that conversation sat in the room like a rather large intrusive elephant.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

His expression hardened, and his mouth pulled into a straight line. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“I want to. You’ve been very kind to me.”

“This is a full-service community.”

She chuckled, then clutched her side. “Travis, don’t make me laugh. It still hurts.”

“Okay, I’ll be serious.”

He leaned closer, bracing one hand on the far side of her body. She wanted to reach up and pull him close. She settled on inhaling the scent of his body. He smelled like a fall day, with a hint of musk thrown in for temptation.

“Tell me your secret,” he said softly.

When she’d first met Sam she’d thought she’d loved him with her whole heart and soul. He only had to look at her to make her want to be with him, next to him, touched by him. She’d learned later that her feelings for Sam Proctor were more about the newness of a physical relationship than anything else. But it had already been too late. She’d committed the ultimate foolish act and fallen in love with him.

Nothing about Sam’s practiced charm had prepared her for Travis’s lethal combination of strength and concern. It would be so easy to lean on those shoulders she admired, to tell him everything. But to what end? Once he knew the truth— She couldn’t even bear to think about it.

“I can’t.” She met his gaze and held it.

“You won’t.”

“Yes. I won’t. Please don’t ask me again. I don’t want to have to lie to you. I haven’t done anything illegal. It’s a silly little secret, but it’s mine to keep. If telling you everything about my past is the price for staying, then I have to leave.”

He studied her a long time. His gaze swept over her face, stopping at her mouth before dipping to her throat and returning. He reached up and touched her cheek, much as she’d touched Mandy’s. But his caress was anything but maternal. Her stomach tightened and her breasts tingled in response.

Before she could say anything, or think about touching him back, he reached down for the comforter folded up at the foot of the bed. He pulled it over her and smoothed it in place. Then he leaned down and brushed his lips against her forehead.

“Go to sleep, darlin’,” he said, and stood up.

She watched him leave the room and close the door quietly behind him. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. It would be so easy to let Travis into her world, she thought sadly. So easy to try to believe again. If she had the strength and the words, she would explain that it wasn’t so much about him. Sure, she couldn’t risk trusting a man again, but worse, she couldn’t trust herself.

Chapter Six

“You’re nervous,” Travis said, taking off his Stetson and sending it across the family room. It landed neatly in the center of a writing desk on the left side of the window.

Elizabeth sank into the leather sofa and rolled her eyes. “Number one, if you keep doing that hat toss trick to impress me, I’m immune.”

“Liar,” he said as he crossed the room.

His khaki uniform, slightly wrinkled from his day at work, made his shoulders look broader and his legs longer. His wide black belt emphasized his trim waist. And yes, she had been lying. The nightly toss of the Stetson got her heart racing as if she’d just climbed three flights of stairs.

He settled on the sofa and grinned. “What’s number two?”

“Number two is I have nothing to be nervous about.”

“Double liar.” He leaned closer, resting his weight on

his elbow. His perfectly trimmed mustache outlined the teasing curve of his mouth. “I’ve made tougher women than you swoon with my cowboy hat, and while there’s no reason to be nervous about having dinner with Rebecca, you are. I can see it in your eyes.”

She opened her mouth to deny his statement, then closed it. He was right; she was nervous. “Okay, just a little.”

He sat up straight, then leaned over and patted her bare leg. “Don’t be. Rebecca’s a sweetheart.” He kept his warm hand on her knee. She told herself she should move away, but she liked it when he touched her.

She raised her eyebrows. “Do you realize that every time a female citizen of Glenwood is mentioned, you’ve dated her?”

“Only if they’re between twenty-five and forty.”

She reached behind her for one of the throw pillows and batted his hand away. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m one of the Haynes boys. What else am I supposed to do?”

She’d been in Travis’s house for six days. Louise had filled her head with enough stories to tell her what being a “Haynes boy” meant. “Settle down with one woman. Try monogamy for a change. There is something to be said for quality rather than quantity.”

His good humor faded quickly. “I tried that, remember?”

“Oh.” She did recall him mentioning a divorce. “Sorry.” She was silent for a moment. “So what happened?”

He turned his head until he was looking at her. The lines around his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “You’ve been hanging around with Louise a little too much, don’t you think? You could have been a bit more subtle with that question.”

“Probably,” she admitted shamelessly. “So what happened? Or don’t you want to talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to say. It just didn’t work. I’m sure some of it was her fault, but I have to take most of the blame.” He held his hands out in front of him, palms up. “It’s a little difficult to get past who I am.”

“So that’s why you know Rebecca is a sweetheart?”

“Want to know a secret?”

She wasn’t sure she did, but Travis was difficult enough to resist most of the time, and now, when he was rumpled and just tired enough to let his guard down, he was impossible to refuse.

“Sure.”

He slid closer to her. Her body tensed. Her incision had healed quite a bit, although it still hurt if she moved around too much. She wanted to pull back, but there was nowhere to go except off the sofa. Six days with Travis had taught her two important things. The first was that being in his presence made her very aware of her body, his body and the potential those two bodies had together. She told herself it was just hormones, and being lonely and afraid that brought on that thinking. The second thing she learned was that even if she was ever foolish enough to get involved with a man again. Travis Haynes was absolutely the worst one she could pick. He and his brothers had reputations for being lady-killers and heartbreakers. Louise had told her story after story about the female conquests made and cast aside. Elizabeth had to admit that in most of the stories, Travis had been honest, caring and had at least tried to make the relationship work. But the reality was he made Sam Proctor look like an amateur when it came to seducing women.

He leaned over so he could whisper in her ear. His chin rested on her shoulder, pushing aside the thin strap of her tank top. Stubble grazed her suddenly sensitized skin, making her muscles jump and her toes curl against the thick carpet.

“Rebecca is my greatest failure.”

“What?”

She made the mistake of turning to look at him. He hadn’t pulled back and their faces were inches apart. Breath mingled with the heady scent of his warm body. She clutched her fingers tightly together to prevent herself from reaching out toward him and touching his arm, his chest, anything she could get her hands on.

“Shortly after we met, I took her out on a date. It was supposed to be this great seduction. I had everything planned.”

The pain in her midsection wasn’t from the surgery, she realized, chagrined. It was envy, pure and simple. She prayed he couldn’t see it in her eyes.

“I picked her up at seven-thirty. By eight-ten I figured out I’d made a large error in judgment.”

“Which was?”

“Chemistry. It was all wrong.”

She stared at him, at his dark eyes that suddenly seemed to be flickering with the most intriguing fire.

“What was wrong with it?” she asked, barely able to disconnect from the flames enough to follow the conversation.

“There wasn’t any between us. Rebecca and me. We were destined to be good friends. But it’s a secret. What would people say if they knew the truth? After all, the Haynes charm is supposed to be all-powerful.”

It was working just fine on her, she thought as she lowered her gaze to his mouth. So close. She licked her lips. Three, maybe four inches separated them. The longing inside of her grew. She wanted to know what it would be like to be kissed, really kissed, by him.

She closed her eyes and forced herself to turn away. Why was she doing this to herself? Hadn’t Sam taught her anything?

“Everybody needs friends, Travis. Rebecca seems very nice.”

“Oh, she is.”

He stood up and stretched like a powerful cat taking a moment’s rest from stalking the mouse. That was her destiny: Elizabeth Abbott-rodent. She giggled.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Nothing. I’m pleased that you and Rebecca are friends. Now I get the chance to spend some time with her before I start my job.” She smiled brightly, trying to banish the lingering lethargy and leftover passion, not to mention the image of herself with whiskers and a tail. “She’s going to bring some paperwork by for me, to help fill the days.” She pointed at the television. “I can only read so much, and TV is quickly losing its appeal.”

“Just so you don’t overdo it.”

She gave him a mock salute. “Yes, Sheriff. I’ll be careful. And I’ll keep your secret.”

“It’s just as well it didn’t work out,” he said, walking over and picking up his Stetson. “I have two women in my life already. Even I couldn’t handle a third.”

“Two women?”

Her heart seemed to falter slightly. He was dating two women? She told herself the sudden dullness she felt was exhaustion. She’d probably done too much when she’d gone to the grocery store with Louise that morning. She could feel her smile fading and did her best to keep it in place. She didn’t want Travis to know she was even slightly attracted to him. In fact she wasn’t at all. He had two women. Good for him. She wished him well.

He paused by the doorway and looked back. “Although I have to say, of the two of you, Mandy is definitely my weakness. I guess it’s those blue eyes of hers.”

Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open. She stared at him. The teasing glint in his eyes told her she’d been had.

She picked up the pillow beside her and tossed it at him.

He easily ducked out of the way. “Gotcha,” he said and stepped into the hallway. Before she could finish fuming, he poked his head back into the room. His mouth straightened and those flames were still flickering in his dark eyes.

“For what it’s worth, Elizabeth,” he said slowly, never taking his gaze from hers, “the feeling is mutual.”

With that, he left. She heard his footsteps as he walked down the hall, then made his way up the stairs.

Trouble. This was all very big trouble. She was willing to admit there was some kind of chemical reaction between her and Travis. Sometimes she worried that the heat between them was going to set the house on fire. But it didn’t have to mean anything. It couldn’t mean anything. She wasn’t ready to get involved. She might never be ready for a real relationship. Even if she was willing to take a chance, it wouldn’t be on Travis Haynes. The man was a walking, breathing heartbreaker. And she’d had enough heartbreak to last a lifetime. What woman would willingly give herself to someone who was destined to leave her for the next conquest?

She stood up and walked toward her room. Although she was healing, her side still gave her a little trouble. Travis had offered to move her to an upstairs bedroom so that she could be closer to Mandy, but she preferred to stay where she was. Her daughter was safe and happy in this big house, and Elizabeth wanted as much distance between her and Travis as possible. Just because she knew she would never get involved with Travis didn’t mean she’d figured out a way to tell her body to get over its physical attraction to him.

She undressed then stepped under the warm spray of the shower. There was still over an hour until Rebecca was due to arrive, but everything took Elizabeth longer since the surgery. She was getting her strength back, but not as quickly as she’d hoped. The doctor hadn’t been kidding about the recovery time needed. Her trip to the market with Louise had wiped her out for the entire day. She’d had to take a three-hour nap. But it had been worth it to get outside for the first time since the surgery.

As Elizabeth washed her hair, she wondered about Louise. The older woman had mentioned she was divorced. Elizabeth wanted to ask what had happened. For the most part Louise was funny and outgoing, but at the mention of her marriage, she’d gone all quiet. What made it all the more curious was her suspicion that Travis knew exactly what had happened. A couple of things Louise had said hinted at that. But Elizabeth wouldn’t be asking anyone for the story. As much as she’d tried to hold herself back, knowing there were secrets she could never share, she and Louise were becoming friends. If Louise wanted her to know the truth, she would tell Elizabeth herself. If not…well, she certainly understood the need to keep some things private.

After drying off, she applied a little mascara and blush, then started blow-drying her hair. It still hurt to hold the dryer up for very long, so the process was slow. As she rested, she thought about Rebecca and hoped her new boss remembered to bring over some work for her to do. She would like to get a head start on her job so that when she went back full-time, she would know what was going on.

Elizabeth clicked the dryer back on and held it in one hand while fanning out her hair with the other. What must Rebecca think about her living arrangement? What must the whole town think? She was a virtual stranger, living with a single man, in his house. Was there talk? She shook her head and continued drying. Of course there was talk. She was living with Travis Haynes. One of the Haynes. A man with a reputation for women and trouble.

Elizabeth chuckled. That made Travis sound like a guy in a black leather jacket from some sixties B-movie. He certainly wasn’t a troublemaker, although she wouldn’t mind seeing him in a black leather jacket.

She put down the dryer and picked up a brush. The small bathroom was still steamy from her shower so her damp hair curled up toward her shoulders. She smoothed it with the brush, then slipped on a rose-and-green fabric-covered headband.

Despite his rather wicked reputation, she had to admit he wasn’t at all what she’d thought he would be. Sam had left her alone so much, she’d practically raised Mandy on her own. She was used to making all the decisions and handling the responsibilities. She hated to admit it, but it felt kind of nice to have someone else making some of the choices. She even liked living with Travis. He was fun and easygoing. He made her laugh. Better than that, he helped her forget her past.

Her rose sundress had a sweetheart neckline and elastic ribbing in the back to hold it up. The skinny straps were more show than to secure the bodice. She pulled the dress down over her strapless bra and closed the side zipper. After slipping on a pair of high-heeled sandals, she stepped out into the hall.

She could hear a cartoon video playing in the family room. Mandy was excited at the thought of company at dinner, but even more thrilled that she was being allowed to watch her favorite show twice tonight. Elizabeth smiled. Life was certainly simple for a six-year-old.

She turned toward the kitchen to check on the dinner that Louise had made and left warming. A sound on the stairs caught her attention. She looked up and saw Travis.

He’d showered, as well. His hair was still damp, his face freshly shaved. She liked the clean look of his cheeks and jaw, but missed the darkening shadow of his afternoon stubble. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt rolled up to the elbows, and gray trousers. It wasn’t all that different from jeans or his sheriff’s uniform, but that didn’t stop her heart from beating a little faster or her breath from catching in her throat.

She waited until he reached the first floor, then she looked him up and down. “Very nice,” she said, struggling to keep her voice sounding normal. “Are you sure Mandy and I won’t be in the way?”

“I told you, Rebecca is just a good friend.”

“But it’s Friday night. Shouldn’t you be out on a date? You don’t have to stay in to keep us company.”

His dark eyes drifted over her face before dipping down to the bodice of her dress. She hadn’t thought it was all that low-cut before, but she had the sudden urge to check to see exactly how much cleavage showed. His gaze left her feeling shivery and her knees threatening to buckle. Maybe the dress was a mistake.

“I didn’t cancel a date to stay in with you, Elizabeth, so quit worrying about it. I want to spend time with you and Mandy, and I haven’t had Rebecca over for a while.”

He headed toward the front parlor. She followed, feeling that he was just being polite.

“But I don’t want you to think that—”

He turned so quickly, she almost ran into him. As it was she stopped a scant inch from his tall, broad body and had to crane her neck back to see his face.

“I don’t think anything,” he said. His eyes darkened to the color of black velvet before brightening with a fire she didn’t dare identify. “Except that you look very beautiful.”

She blushed. Elizabeth wanted to put her hand on her cheek to make sure, but she knew the sensation of heat on her face could only mean one thing. “I— You—” She swallowed. “Thanks, but you don’t have to say that. I mean, I’m just a paying guest here.”

“Hardly that.” He moved away to a stereo set on the floor in the corner. Wires disappeared into the walls. Louise had mentioned that he’d put speakers in the whole house. While he flipped through his CD’s, she walked around the large empty room.

“This is going to be a beautiful place when it’s finished,” she said.

“I hope so. It’s taking longer than I’d thought.” He slipped a couple of CD’s into the machine, then rotated the table to insert three more. “So what about you, Elizabeth? Why don’t you have some guy from L.A. pounding down my door?”

“Me?” She laughed. “I haven’t had a date in years.” Seven years to be exact, she remembered. Her last date had been with Sam. That’s when she’d told him she was pregnant with Mandy and had foolishly assumed they would do the right thing and get married. It was hard to believe her life had ever been that simple.

She touched the bare walls of the cavernous room, then looked up at the high ceiling. The basic structure of the house was lovely. Nothing like the cramped place she and Sam had rented. She’d wanted to buy a house, but he hadn’t. She remembered the fights they’d had about that, and about having another child—she’d wanted four. That had changed, as well. She’d realized that with Sam gone so much, more children would be difficult. She’d practically lived as a single mother. She’d had such high hopes for the relationship, but the truth was it had been in trouble for the past two years. She’d been on the verge of leaving Sam when the police had arrived to take him away. What irony, she thought, stopping by the window and staring out into the night. She’d been wrestling with her commitment to Mandy’s father, wondering if leaving was the right thing, or just the easiest solution to her unhappiness. She hadn’t known that in a matter of days the question would be decided for her.