The Best Bride

Her courage fled and with it her composure. Her mouth dropped open. “He told you?”

Louise leaned forward and smiled. “No one had to tell me, honey. I could feel it the second I walked into this house.” She patted her hand. “Don’t worry. The boys are too dense to figure it out. Your secret is safe with me.”

“It doesn’t make any difference,” Elizabeth said, staring at the water glass in front of her. She moved it back and forth over the bleached oak table. “Travis isn’t the kind of man a woman settles down with, even if I was interested.”

“You be careful about believing all of his press,” Louise said. “He and his brothers paid a high price for their father’s and uncles’ ways. The boys have worked hard to be decent to the women in their lives. They mostly lack any kind of skills in relationships. No role models—at least that’s what they usually say on those daytime talk shows.” She smiled. “Maybe you should think about giving him a chance.”

“I can’t.” She drew in a deep breath. The courage returned. “I came to Glenwood to get away from my life in L.A. Mandy’s father was a bigamist, and I was his second wife.”

She told the story quickly, even the embarrassing details about how stupid she’d been. She finished, then braced herself for Louise’s well-intentioned scolding.

“That bastard,” Louise said, glaring at her. “Excuse my French, but that’s exactly what he is.”

Elizabeth blinked. She couldn’t have heard the other woman correctly. “No, you don’t understand. It’s my fault. I should have known.”

“How were you supposed to know?”

“He was my husband.”

“All the more reason to trust him. Oh, I just hate men like that.”

“But, Louise—”

“Don’t you ‘but, Louise’ me. You were a virgin when you met him, weren’t you?”

Elizabeth was too surprised by her friend’s anger to be embarrassed by the question. “Yes, but—”

“And you were faithful to him during your relationship.”

“Of course, but—”

Louise rose to her feet and started pacing the kitchen. “I’d like to find him and give him a piece of my mind. No. I’d like him castrated.”

Elizabeth giggled. “That sounds a little harsh, even for Sam.”

Louise paused and leaned against the counter. “Okay, maybe we’ll just threaten him with dismemberment. Just enough to put the fear of God into him.”

Elizabeth’s smile faded as she felt tears forming in her eyes. Louise wasn’t judging her, she was defending her. It was a miracle.

“Does this means we can still be friends?” she asked tentatively.

“Why in the world wouldn’t we be?” Louise hurried over to the table and bent down to give her a hug. Her spicy perfume comforted Elizabeth, reminding her of her own mother.

“Thank you,” Elizabeth said. “Thanks for giving me a chance.”

“I’m not giving you anything.” Louise straightened and smiled. “But while we’re on the subject, you might think about giving yourself a chance. Travis, too. I know that boy, and I think he’s smitten.”

It would never work, Elizabeth told herself. If she gave Travis a chance, he would break her already fragile heart. Leaving Sam had been hard enough. If she got much closer to Travis, leaving him would be the end of her world.

Chapter Eleven (#ulink_3bbfa570-b15c-5690-940b-7e1849ae64be)

They finished eating close to four. Despite Elizabeth’s protests, everyone helped clear the table and set out dessert. Travis looked at the small group sitting around the dining room table. Jordan and Craig couldn’t make it back for the game, so it was just him, Elizabeth, Louise, Austin and Kyle. Oh, and of course Mandy who had seated herself next to him. He was torn between wanting to ease her shyness with Kyle and Austin and being pleased that she sought him out for protection.

“Of course I specialize in stopping long-haired types like you,” Kyle said to Austin.

The other man ignored the teasing and gave Mandy a wink. His charm even worked on six-year-olds. She dimpled delightfully, then buried her head in Travis’s arm. Travis glanced over at Elizabeth and saw she had noticed the exchange. She gave him a little smile. Better, he thought, remembering how she’d avoided his gaze for the first part of the meal. Every time she looked at Austin, his gut clenched as he waited for her to figure out his friend was handsome as sin and richer than God. So far she seemed singularly unimpressed.

“Kyle is leading the pack this month,” Travis said, stroking Mandy’s hair. “Giving out the most tickets.”

“That must make him popular with the locals,” Elizabeth said.

Kyle shrugged. “At least I’m not like you, big brother. Always parking in the same place. He’s got the worst record in tickets.”

Elizabeth began cutting the cherry cheesecake in front of her and placing the slices on plates. “If you’re the sheriff, why do you give out tickets at all? I wouldn’t have thought that was part of your job.”

He made the mistake of looking at Kyle, who was making cow eyes at him, mocking him before he’d even started to answer the questions.

He balled up his napkin and tossed it across the table. Kyle burst out laughing, Elizabeth remained calm, Louise muttered about boys being boys and Austin stayed out of it. As always, his friend was on the fringe of the group, watching but never actually belonging.

“I don’t ask my men to do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“That’s fair,” Elizabeth said, as Kyle clutched his hands over his heart and pretended to swoon. “If you don’t behave, Kyle,” she said, her voice staying even and friendly, “I’m going to make you stand in the corner and not give you any dessert.”

Travis burst out laughing. Kyle looked suitably chastised. Even Austin smiled.

“He also parks his car in one place,” Austin said, taking the plate she offered. “By the main highway. Whenever he’s out looking for speeders, we all know where to find him.”

Elizabeth glanced at him. “I’m glad you were there,” she said. “If you hadn’t been, who knows what would have happened.”

“Travis took Mommy to the hospital,” Mandy said, taking her serving of cake and picking up her fork. “I was scared, but he used the siren and made sure Mommy was all better.”

“Just doing my job,” he said, slightly embarrassed.

Elizabeth saved him by changing the subject. She cut the last piece of cake and started to hand it to Kyle. His baby brother was her age, but she treated him as if he were several years younger. Travis couldn’t help being pleased by that.

“Are you going to behave?” she asked, holding out the plate.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. No more trouble from you, young man.” Her voice was stern, but her eyes danced.

Travis watched her tease Kyle and felt a warmth burning deep in his chest. He glanced around the table, at the people he loved most in the world. It felt right to have Elizabeth share in this part of his life. Louise chatted with Austin. Mandy scraped her plate clean. For the first time in years, he felt content.

Elizabeth looked up at him and their eyes met. The sadness and wariness from that morning was gone. In their place something soft and lovely flared to life. He wanted to make love to her. Instantly heat boiled through him, burning in his blood and engorging his groin. An answering passion made her lean forward slightly and lick her lower lip.

He wanted to feel her and taste her, loving her until she writhed with need. The room faded and all he saw was her. The V neck of her sweater had slipped slightly, allowing him to see the valley between her breasts and the hint of a curve. He wanted her naked, next to him. Under him. As much as he’d loved the feel of her mouth on him, this time he wanted to be inside, claiming her. He figured that line of thinking meant he was pretty primitive, but that didn’t make his erection go away.

Louise stood up and asked if anyone would like coffee. Her prosaic question broke the spell between them, and Elizabeth looked away. After a few minutes, Travis managed to quench his desires. The conversation moved from speeding tickets to the local high school football team and the chance they had at the local championship.