The Best Bride. Susan Mallery

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      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.

      The soft sounds of classical music filled the room. Elizabeth turned and looked but she couldn’t see the speakers. Travis stood up and brushed off his hands.

      “Pretty impressive, huh?”

      She nodded. “A regular seduction factory.”

      He grimaced. “Hardly. You might want to keep in mind that Louise does have a tendency to exaggerate things.”

      “Oh? You haven’t seduced every female in a fifty-mile radius?”

      He moved closer. “Nah. Now if she’d said a thirty-mile radius, that would be different.”

      “Oh, Travis, we are a pair, aren’t we? You can’t decide how many women you want, and I never want to get involved again.”

      “Is that why you haven’t had a date in years?”

      He asked the question so casually, she almost answered it. Almost. She nearly blurted out, “No, it’s because I was married.” But she caught herself in time.

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