The Best Bride Part 4

"how do you know?"

travis shot her a grin. "when he left the office, he turned on his siren. something tells me that was mandy's doing: '

"she can be stubborn: ' "

"i guess she gets that from her mother"

qq the best bride she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but he was staring at the road. she relaxed in the seat and watched as he drove through the small town. as they neared the park, traffic became heavy. she saw families walking together her stomach clenched, not from the surgery, but from envy and regret. she and mandy should have been part of a family like that. it had all been taken away from them. stolen. she stared out the window and willed the tears away. no. not stolen. they'd never had it in the first place. it had all been a lie.

as they pa.s.sed the duck pond, she saw the motel. "wait i have to get my things."

"already done," he said, not bothering to stop. " i went there this morning and checked you out. your suitcases are in the trunk: ' she didn't know whether to thank him or yell at him for invading her personal s.p.a.ce."

"before you get hurry and start hollering at me," he said, as if he could read her mind," i knew you would want your things with you even if you'd made other plans. so i didn't a.s.sume you would take me up on my offer: it took too much energy to get angry, so she simply leaned back in the seat and went along for the ride. he'd been right. she couldn't have made it work at the motel. they pa.s.sed a sheriff's car parked on the side of the road by the park. elizabeth looked around but she didn't see mandy."

"when will kyle bring her back? " she asked."

"i'll bring her home about four-thirty. there's a parade today, and a big barbecue. games for the kids. i thought she might enjoy it and you need the rest. i'm going to have to drop you off then head back to the park myself. have to make an appearance. between kyle and myself, we'll keep an eye on mandy. louise is off until monday so you should have plenty of peace and quiet."

he entered a tree-lined residential area. elizabeth recognized it from her house hunting. he drove around the high school and along a narrow two-lane road she'd never been on before. the houses got larger and farther apart from each other on oversize lots.

"you mentioned kyle was your youngest brother," she said. "how many are there?"

"four, counting me. craig is the oldest, then me, then jordan and then kyle."

"so kyle is a deputy. are you all cops?"

"it's a family tradition. my dad used to be the sheriff in glenwood. all his brothers are in police work. jordan is the only rebel. he's a fire fighter up in sacramento."

"a real black sheep"

travis grinned. "we give him a hard time about it. yup, the haynes family grows boys and cops. not a girl in the last four generations. what about you?"

"i'm an only child."

"too bad: ' "why? it's all i know. my parents were older when i was born and they only wanted one child"

"they got a pretty one."

elizabeth chuckled. this man could charm milk out of a snake. she would do well to remember talk was cheap. but she had to admit travis haynes had a certain amount of style to recommend him, and his heart was in the right place. she resisted glancing at his firirq body so close to hers in the confines of the car. from what she had seen, everything else was in the right place, too. but the last thing she needed was to get involved with a heartbreaker. her heart hadn't recovered from what sam had done.

they pulled off the road and onto a long driveway. maple trees and oaks grew on either side of the path. up ahead she saw a peaked roof, and more trees. then the path curved around and they drove up into a clearing and parked in front of a beautiful three-story house.

he'd told her he was restoring an old house, but he hadn't said it was a mansion. big windows opened up onto a wide front lawn. a porch wrapped around the front. the columns holding up the porch covering had been painted white, as was all the trim. the rest of the building was dove gray, soft and light in the morning suns.h.i.+ne.

"you could get lost in there," she said, staring at the masterpiece.

"i did, the first couple of days. stay in that seat and don't even think about moving: ' he got out of the car and came around to her side. he opened the door, then helped her to her feet. before she could take a step, he bent over and slid one arm behind her back and the other under her thighs.

"what are you doing?" she asked even as he lifted her against his chest. elizabeth grabbed his shoulders to maintain her balance.

"and here i thought you were smarter than that." he started toward the house.

her face b.u.mped against his shoulder, and she could smell his masculine scent. he'd shaved only a couple of hours before, so his neck was smooth. she fought the urge to nestle against him. "travis, put me down. i can walk: ' he ignored her. there were four steps up to the porch. he climbed those easily and headed for the front door. she held on, ignoring the way her right breast flattened against his chest and the heated strength of his body. she was wearing shorts so the arm under her legs touched bare skin. each of his fingers seemed to be leaving a warm imprint on her flesh. she thought about struggling, but her side hurt and she was tired of fighting. instead, she gave herself up to the feeling of being safe and protected.

when he opened the front door and stepped inside, she stared at the beautiful interior and caught her breath. he had told the truth when he'd said he was restoring the house. several of the walls had been stripped but not painted or papered. there wasn't a rug on the wooden floor, and she could see the pile of tools next to the front door.

but none of that mattered. he released his arm and she slid to the ground. instead of moving away from him, she leaned against him and looked around. a crystal chandelier hung in the foyer. the cut gla.s.s caught the sunlight and diffused it into a hundred tiny rainbows. the long staircase swept up to the second story where it split and circled around both sides. arched doorways led to high-beamed rooms. a giant fireplace filled one wall of the parlor to her left, while on the right, a study with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves held sheet-covered furniture.

"wow." she looked at him. "you live here?"

he shrugged."

"yeah."

"all by yourself?"

"i do now. i was married when i bought the place. some people have a baby to try and save their marriage. julie and i bought this house." the humor left his brown eyes."

"i'm sorry."

he shrugged. "don't be. there were no hard feelings. sometimes it doesn't work out. julie and i kept b.u.mping into each other on the curves. h.e.l.l, it was no one's fault. cops don't make good husbands and neither do haynes men. i had no business trying: ' she was about to ask why when he collected her in his arms again and started down the hallway next to the stairs.

"i'm going to put you in here," he said, using his shoulder to push open a door. "there's an attached bathroom. it's small, but i didn't think you'd want to ha.s.sle with the stairs."

even though she hadn't moved much since leaving the hospital, her side was already aching. "you're right: ' a double bed stood next to a window looking out on the side garden where roses had grown into a tangled disarray of blossoms. a single nightstand and a long dresser took up the rest of the s.p.a.ce in the room. there was a half-open door and she could see through to a bathroom."

"this will be perfect," she said.

"mandy's been sleeping upstairs: he set her on her feet."

"she can stay there, or i can dig up a cot for her in here. it would be a little crowded, but-"

"don't worry about it. i'm sure mandy is happy where she is."

"i'll go get your luggage." he disappeared back the way they'd come.

elizabeth settled on the bed and touched her healing incision just three days ago she'd arrived in glenwood hoping to make a fresh start. many things hadn't worked out the way she'd planned, but they were getting better. she could feel it. she had to get on with her life. it was the only way to put the past behind her.

travis looked at the empty plate on the table, then at elizabeth. "are you done?"

she laughed and patted her stomach. "yes, thanks. it was wonderful. here you had me believe you didn't know how to cook."

"i'm okay with omelets," he said, and carried the plates over to the counter. "and i know my way around a barbecue, but other than that, it's just me and the microwave"

"i can make french toast," mandy announced proudly from her place opposite her mother.

"i know, darling'. you made it for me this morning."

"how long did it take you to clean up the mess?" elizabeth asked.

travis rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher."

"about an hour.

she looked at him and smiled."

"amazing, isn' t.i.t?"

"i found eggsh.e.l.ls everywhere."

"he ate four pieces," mandy said.

"good," elizabeth said, but he could see she was more tired than enthused. there were dark circles under her eyes, and her smile wasn't as bright as it had been that morning when he'd brought her to the house.

he wiped his hands and turned toward the table. the kitchen had been the first room he'd remodeled. that had been before julie had left. she'd picked out the cream tiles edged in blue flowers, and she'd been the one to insist on bleached oak cabinets. he'd wanted a more traditional kitchen but he had to admit her taste had been better than his. the rectangular room was bright and airy, despite an overabundance of storage and the large subzero refrigerator and six-burner range.

"mandy, let's put your mama to bed. then you can help me clean up."

"but it's early yet," elizabeth said.

"you're dead on your feet."

"i can't be. after you left, i had a nap. i've only been up for-" she glanced at her watch"-three hours: she punctuated her observation with a yawn.

mandy laughed. "you're tired, mommy."

"i guess i am." elizabeth braced her arms on the table and slowly pushed herself to her feet. travis moved closer, but she waved him off.

"i made it to the kitchen under my own power, i think i can make it back."

"have it your way."

she took small steps. mandy dogged her heels, and he brought up the rear, ready to jump to the rescue in case she slipped. her nap wasn't the only thing she'd done while he was gone all afternoon. she'd also showered and changed clothes.

the shorts and tank top had been replaced by a loose fitting summer dress. it dipped low in front and back and, as he had served his famous vegetable omelet, he got a flash of cleavage. he hadn't seen where the tan ended and her pale skin began, but the peek had more than stirred his interest he'd spent most of dinner giving himself a stern talking-to.

elizabeth was his guest. despite his claim to want to be paid for the room, he would no more take her money than he would hurt mandy. he was simply temporary shelter and the only friend she had in town. he couldn't take advantage of her, or the situation. it wasn't right. if he wanted a woman, there were plenty in town to oblige him. he'd never once had a problem finding company.

as she turned down the hallway, the last rays of sun caught the thick braid hanging down to her shoulder blades. her hair gleamed with rich color, brown and gold with a hint of red, so different from mandy's pale blond hair. had elizabeth's hair once been that color, turning darker with age, or had mandy inherited her hair color from her father?

they reached the bedroom. elizabeth sank onto the bed and smiled at her daughter. "i'm going to rest here for a few minutes before i get ready to sleep. why don't you kiss me good-night now and then go help travis in the kitchen."

mandy reached up and kissed her cheek. "i love you mommy."

"i love you, too, honey."

"i'm glad you're not in that old hospital anymore. tomorrow can you come upstairs and look at my room?"

"we'll see." elizabeth stroked her daughter's head, then glanced at travis. "thanks for everything. i really appreciate it: '

"just being neighborly," he said from his place in the doorway.

"hardly, but i do appreciate everything." she motioned to the room, and then smiled at her daughter. "i don't know what i would have done"

he cut her off. "all you should worry about now is getting better. leave the rest of it alone. come on, mandy. your mother needs to sleep" he held out his hand.

mandy looked from him to her mother. "but, travis, aren't you going to kiss mommy good-night, too?"

chapter four.

elizabeth looked up at him, obviously startled. her big eyes got bigger and her lips parted slightly with surprise. but she hadn't flinched.

he pushed off the door frame and slowly approached the bed. her gaze never left his. "i do my best work under pressure," he drawled.

"i'll bet," elizabeth muttered, then looked away. "look, you don't have to-"

"mommy, you need to be kissed good-night," mandy said, and bounced on the bed. "it'll make you feel better. travis made me feel better when he gave me a kiss. i didn't have even one bad dream last night."

"simply medicinal," he said.

"what's mecidinal?" mandy asked, struggling with the strange word.

he didn't take his gaze off elizabeth's face. color steadily climbed her cheeks. she glanced at him, at mandy, at her fingers twisting together in her lap. he approached the bed and bent over.

"it means doing something for medical purposes," he said."

"like taking medicine."

he rested his hands on her shoulders. their eyes met. mandy asked another question, but he couldn't hear all the words. elizabeth's irises were a pure brown, almost chestnut colored. her sweet breath fanned his face. his stomach tightened in antic.i.p.ation, which, he told himself, was stupid. she'd just had major surgery, her six-year-old daughter sat inches away. he was simply going to give her a quick peck on the cheek. so what was the big deal?

but he didn't kiss her cheek. he moved his head to the left side of her face, but at the last minute veered back and brushed his mouth against hers.

he'd expected some kind of attraction. he was a healthy single male, and she was d.a.m.ned good-looking. but he hadn't expected to get third-degree burns from the heat.

the contact, lasting no more than one or two seconds, seared his mouth and sent flames of need racing through his body. instinctively, his hands tightened on her shoulders. her arms reached up toward him. he felt them whisper by his sides then fall back. he wanted to haul her to her feet and pull her firmly against him. he wanted to feel her body pressing along his, thighs brus.h.i.+ng, hips rotating, chest to breast in exquisite delight.

"don't you feel better, mommy?" mandy asked.

he raised his head. elizabeth's eyes were wide and unfocused as if she, too, had felt the conflagration. she swallowed and looked away. but not before he'd seen the answering desire in her gaze.

"much," she answered, her voice low and husky. she cleared her throat. "i do feel better. thank you: ' travis stared down at her. who was this woman and what had brought her to glenwood? why was there no one, no man, for her to call in her time of trouble? he took a step back and fought a grin. not that he minded the fact that she was single and in his house. if anything, their kiss had shown him the next three weeks could be very interesting but why was she alone?