The Best Bride

by Susan Mallery

  “Stop staring at me,” Elizabeth said, and spun away. The quick movement caused her to gasp and clutch her side.

  He moved toward her, but didn’t touch her.

  “I’m not going to faint or anything,” she said, straightening. “I just wish you’d stop looking at me like I… Jeez, I don’t know. I haven’t committed a crime, okay? Isn’t that enough for you?”

  Anger radiated out from her, and that more than anything caused him to trust the feeling in his gut that said she told him the truth.

  “I guess it has to be.”

  “I didn’t ask to come here with you and I’ll be happy to leave.” She started for the door. “If Louise can’t give me a lift back to the motel, then I’ll call a cab.”

  He caught her in one stride and gently took her arm. “I don’t want you to leave.”

  “I don’t believe you.” She pulled her arm free and glared up at him. “You keep staring at me as if I’ve just made off with the family silver. I haven’t done anything wrong. None of this is my fault.”

  It was the fact that she didn’t cry that finally convinced him. He could see the strength it took to hold on to her control. Her mouth quivered from the effort and perspiration dotted her forehead.

  Maybe the guy had beaten her, he thought suddenly. Maybe her ex-boyfriend had been one of those sick types who got off on hitting women and children. He glanced at her bare arms, but there were no telltale marks. Of course she could have been on her own for several weeks.

  Dammit, what the hell was her story?

  She took another step and seemed to stumble. He caught her up in his arms and carried her to the sofa. She clung to him for a moment. He ignored the way her curvy body felt against his chest, the long length of her legs and the soft pressure of her breasts against his shirt. When he set her on the sofa, she immediately tried to slide away. The movement caused her to clutch at her side and glare at him.

  The anger in her gaze made him smile. Her temper he could handle.

  “You’re overreacting,” he said mildly.

  Her mouth dropped open. “I’m overreacting? Wait a minute. You’re the one accusing of me of who knows what. Maybe it would be better if I just—”

  “No.” He settled next to her on the couch and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. She jerked her head away, but there was no fear in her eyes. Relief flooded him. If she’d been beaten on a regular basis, she would have been terrified. Instead she reacted with completely understandable indignation.

  “Don’t touch me, or try to sweet-talk me,” she said. “You accused me of kidnapping my daughter.”

  “Given the little that you’ve told me, would you have thought any differently?”

  “I—” She drew in a deep breath and brushed her hair out of her face. “I suppose not. But you didn’t have to be such a cop about it.”

  “Just doing my job.”

  She nodded slowly. “I understand.”

  “So you’re not going to make a run for it?”

  “To the best of my knowledge I haven’t committed a felony.”

  He winked. “Sometimes the misdemeanors can be even more interesting.”

  She smiled. “Oh, please. Don’t get me started. I don’t even want to know what you’re talking about.” Her smile faded. “I really haven’t done anything wrong, Travis.”

  He hesitated and then said, “I know.”

  She held out her hand. “Friends?”

  She wanted to shake on it. As Travis took her warm fingers in his, he glanced at her full mouth and wondered if it would taste even sweeter if he kissed her without a six-year-old audience to censor the moment. Better to shake hands, he told himself. Safer. For both of them.

  “Friends,” he said and released her. Only then did he remember he still hadn’t solved the mystery.

  * * *

  Elizabeth hobbled over to the table and gratefully sank into the seat. She was breathing heavily and all she’d done was assemble the ingredients to make cupcakes.

  “From a mix,” she said, disgusted with her weakened condition. She grabbed the package and ripped it open. The effort necessary to raise the box to dump it in the bowl made her incision ache.

  She leaned back in the chair and took a deep breath. Thank God she wasn’t trying to make it on her own in that small motel room. She and Mandy would have starved.

  The line of thinking was a mistake, she acknowledged, as thinking of not being in the motel made her remember how she’d been rescued by the very handsome, the very inquisitive Sheriff Travis Haynes. Which made her think of this morning and what had happened between them.

  He was not a man she wanted to cross. Despite the wicked charm and sinful good looks, he was intimidating when he was angry. All his questions had made her nervous, but he’d never once stumbled close to the truth. Of course, why should he? It wasn’t the first thing anyone thought of. Things like that only happened in the tabloids. That’s where she belonged. Right between the cover story on the aliens abducting the residents of a local pig farm and the woman giving birth to the four-legged child.

  She felt guilty, too, knowing that Travis had given her the benefit of the doubt, trusting her when she hadn’t told him the whole truth. She picked up an egg and held it. Was it so wrong not to want him to know? She hadn’t done anything wrong, had committed no crime, save the one of being too young and too trusting. Okay, she’d been a fool. But was that illegal?

  “Just what is it you think you’re doing?”

  Elizabeth jumped guiltily at the sound of the voice. Louise stood in the doorway to the kitchen. She planted her hands on her curvy hips and stared.

  “I’m, ah, making cupcakes for Mandy.”

  Louise shook her head. “And you look like such a bright girl, too.” She walked over and grabbed the egg from Elizabeth’s hand. “The doctor told you to stay in bed for a week.”

  “I know, it’s just—”

  “A week is seven days. This is day two. If I have to tie you up, I will, but won’t that be hard to explain to the neighbors?”

  Elizabeth grinned and held up her hands in defeat. “I give. Just don’t make me laugh. It hurts too much. If I promise to be good, can I at least sit here for a little while?”

  Louise looked stern. “For a few minutes. Then I want you to go lie down until Mandy gets home.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Louise took the seat next to her and finished pouring in the mix. “I remember when I was little my mama used to make cupcakes for me.”

  “Mandy loves them.”

  “So do I.” The older woman smiled. “I haven’t baked anything in ages. I wonder if Alfred would like some cake with his dinner.” She thought for a minute. “No, he’s still trying to lose weight.” She leaned forward. “Alfred is a beagle and they tend to get a little heavy when they age.”

  Elizabeth hoped Louise was only kidding about making a cake for her dog, but she wasn’t completely sure and she didn’t want to ask.

  Louise stirred in the other ingredients, then started pouring the batter into the cupcake pan. “So, I heard you and Travis fighting. You want to talk about it?”

  “You aren’t one to beat around the bush, are you?”

  Louise shrugged. “I’m pretty straightforward,” she admitted. “It would probably be easier if I’d just learn to keep my mouth shut. Maybe I’ll get it eventually. But you seem like a real nice lady. Mandy is the sweetest little girl and I’ve found you can usually judge a mother by her children. Travis Haynes is one of my favorite people on earth. Why, if I was five or six years younger, I might just risk my heart on him.” She paused, then shook her head. “On second thought, I’ll leave the Haynes boys to the rest of you. I’ve already had my heart broken once by that family.”

  It was too much information to absorb, Elizabeth thought, not knowing whether to laugh, cry, be insulted or flattered.

  “He’s a good man,” Louise said, carrying the full cupcake pans over to the oven and sliding them
inside.

  “Who?”

  “Travis.”

  “I know that.”

  “He was just doing his job, asking all those questions, I mean.” Louise poured herself a cup of coffee. When she held up the pot, Elizabeth shook her head. “Of course any woman would know you’re that girl’s mother through and through. She’s got your smile. Her daddy must be some kind of looker.”

  “He is,” Elizabeth said. Sam certainly was good-looking. Not nearly as handsome as Travis, but attractive enough to make any woman look twice. She’d been so caught up by his face and body, the charm and easy smile, she’d never thought to question anything except her good fortune. Imagine little Elizabeth Abbott catching someone like Sam. Only, she hadn’t exactly caught him.

  “So, you still mad at Travis?”

  “No. I understand that he had questions.” But she wasn’t willing to give him all his answers. Still she couldn’t blame him for asking. She’d expected him to wonder what her story was, but she hadn’t expected him to come up with kidnapping!

  “I’m glad.” Louise sipped her coffee, then glanced at the clock over the stove. “Looks like it’s time for me to leave. Travis and Mandy should be back in an hour or so. You’re not going to get out of control and start vacuuming, are you?”

  “I promise I’ll behave.”

  Louise set down her cup. She picked up her purse from the counter, then crossed to the table, bent over and gave Elizabeth a hug. “I’m here if you want to talk,” she said. “I might not have any answers, but I’m a great listener.”

  Elizabeth hugged her back. The other woman’s perfume was a clingy Oriental scent that somehow suited her perfectly. Louise stepped back and waved, then left the kitchen. The back door banged shut behind her and the kitchen was silent.

  Elizabeth stared around the empty room, wishing the digital clock would tick so there would be some sound. She was completely and totally alone. She wasn’t afraid to be on her own. It was the questions that came to her, making her wonder if she’d made the right decisions for herself, and more importantly, for Mandy. Had she had other options and not realized it? Would she ever know how many clues she’d missed? She’d been worse than a fool.

  The timer on the oven clicked down another minute. She thought about Louise who had offered to be a friend. Elizabeth knew that she needed to make some friends. She desperately needed someone to talk to and have fun with. Louise was a little offbeat, but that didn’t matter. The reason Elizabeth couldn’t reach out to her was because of herself, not because of the other woman. She couldn’t dare be friends with anyone. She would always have to hold some part of herself back, be it from Louise or Travis.

  Thank God he hadn’t guessed the truth. She leaned back in the chair and sighed. Every time she thought she’d put it all behind her, something happened to remind her again.

  She tried to think about nothing more complicated than whether or not she had the strength to frost the cupcakes. In the end, she decided she didn’t and pulled the muffin pans from the oven and left them to cool. She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes, but she couldn’t escape her past even there. So she tried thinking about other things. About the kiss.

  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.