The Best Bride (76 page)

He shook off the picture. He and Hannah weren't a couple and there wasn't going to be a baby.

Rebecca placed her hand on Hannah's arm. “You look stunned. I didn't mean to upset you.”

“I'm fine. The thought of having children is a little scary.”

“Tell me about it.” Rebecca touched her still-flat stomach. “I've already had a baby and I'm getting nervous thinking about going through that again.” She motioned to
the store. “That's why I'm here. Jason, our youngest, doesn't want to give up his room. I'd hoped to move him into a new bedroom and keep his old one for the baby, but that's not going to work. So now I have to decorate two rooms. I'm here to get some ideas.”

“There's so much to think about,” Hannah said. “All the furniture, clothes, stroller, car seat.” She picked up the lamp. “I think we'll get this. At least I know what it is.”

Rebecca laughed. “It's so interesting to watch you, Hannah. You remind me of your brothers, yet in a completely feminine way.” She tilted her head. “Sort of like trying to read something from a reflection in the mirror.”

Nick moved closer and leaned against the crib. “That's our Hannah. She's a product of her destiny and doesn't even know it. Her looks, her job.”

The two women continued talking. Nick watched them. Rebecca was slender and delicate. Her flowing calf-length floral-print dress couldn't have been more different from Hannah's jeans. They were both attractive but in different ways. While Nick could appreciate Rebecca's beauty, Hannah was the one who appealed to him. He liked her toughness. Her strength made her vulnerability even more meaningful because he knew what it cost her to expose that side of herself.

Rebecca glanced at her watch. “I'd better look around while I can. In a little while I have to pick up Jason from his play group.” She wrinkled her nose. “I trade with four other mothers a couple of mornings a week. We have two days with all the children, then eight days off. It's heaven.”

She waved and walked toward another cluster of rooms. Hannah watched her go.

“Do you think it's true?” she asked. “Is this all destiny?”

“Maybe how you look, but the rest of it? I'm not sure.”

“But I work in law enforcement. Don't you find that odd? And I look a lot more like my brothers than I look like Louise.”

“Louise is blond,” he said. “You'd probably look more like her if you had the same hair color.”

She surprised him by laughing. “Are you saying I should dye my hair?”

He reached up and tugged on her braid. “Don't you dare. I like the color of your hair.”

Her mouth parted slightly. She hugged the lamp close to her body. “Really?”

Self-protection required that he make a flippant remark. But he couldn't do it. He smoothed his palm down the thick length of her hair and wished he could see it loose. Just once. He touched the tip of her nose. “Yeah, really.”

Hannah found herself forgetting to breathe. She could go entire hours without thinking about how handsome Nick was, then something would happen and she would notice all over again. It was very disconcerting to have the air ripped right out of her lungs.

She studied his face, trying to determine exactly what combination of features, bones, muscles and skin made him so perfect. Was it the vivid blue eyes? Perhaps his irises picked up the color from what he wore, but his shirt was white and his jeans had faded to nearly that color. Maybe it was the strong line of his jaw or his sensual mouth. She found herself studying his lips, remembering the feel of them against hers, the taste of him as he tempted her.

“As far as destinies go, it's not a bad one,” he said.

She blinked several times before she could pull herself together to remember what they'd been talking about. “Law enforcement?” she asked.

“No, the family. Look at how happy your brothers are.
They have great wives and kids. That could be your destiny, too.”

“I never thought about it that way. With so many people, I was fighting the feeling of being trapped.”

“They don't want to hold you to keep you from going away,” he said gently. “They want to hold you because they care about you.”

Just when she was on the verge of convincing herself her attraction to Nick was purely physical, he went and said something insightful and sensitive. Then she had to like him for himself. The man made her crazy. She didn't want to have feelings for him, except maybe disdain. Anything else was very risky for her.

She clutched the lamp to her chest. “I'm going to buy this. Maybe I'll have them gift wrap it. We should probably get a card, too.”

She led the way back to the counter. The clerk found the original box for the lamp and wrapped it up. Hannah glanced around the store. Rebecca had gone upstairs and was looking at baby clothes.

In her flowing dress and long, dark hair, she looked like a creature from another time. “She's so beautiful,” Hannah said. “I could never dress like that.”

Nick came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Why would you want to?”

“Don't you think she's lovely?”

“Of course, but so what? You're just as lovely. You shouldn't mind being different, Hannah. That's what makes you special.”

She wanted to laugh off his words, but she couldn't. Mostly because she wanted him to mean them. She wanted him to think she was special. She didn't dare turn around to see if he was teasing her. Instead, she repeated them silently to commit them to memory.

She knew she was being silly. Everything about their relationship was a house of cards and it was all going to come tumbling down around her ears. How was she supposed to hold it all together?

“I don't know what to do,” she blurted out. “About my family, about getting in touch with my father, about going home, about telling them the truth.”

He turned her until she was facing him, then touched a finger to her chin. “You don't have to do anything right now or even this week. You can just enjoy getting to know everyone. Later, it will be more clear and then you can decide.”

“You promise?”

He nodded.

“And you don't think I should just confess everything? About us, I mean?”

“No. Not until you're ready.”

She was secretly relieved by his answer. As long as they lived a lie, he would have reason to stay. As soon as the truth came out, Nick would leave. A few short days ago, she hadn't been able to imagine spending time with him at all. Now she couldn't picture a world without him.

* * *

Insults flowed freely around the large dining-room table. Hannah picked up her cards and grinned. “I know what it is, boys. You can't deal with the fact that a woman is whipping your collective fannies. Male pride. You're going to have to get over that.”

Kyle pointed to the pile of chips in front of her. “I know she's not cheating, so how come she's winning every hand?”

Hannah arched her eyebrows. “Woman's intuition.”

The five men at the table groaned. She was playing poker with her brothers and Austin. Nick had been invited to join
the game, but he'd said he wanted to retire early and had walked back to the gatehouse. The women were in the living room making a baby quilt. Each of them crocheted a small square, which Louise then assembled into a larger piece. Even the older girls were helping. With so many hands, it should only take a few nights. Offered the opportunity to play cards, which Hannah already knew how to do, or learn how to crochet and expose her definite deficiency in the domestic arts, the choice had been clear.

She put one card facedown and slid it toward Jordan, who was taking his turn at dealer. He offered her another card in return. She added it to her hand and fought down a grin. Three ladies, a nine of spades and her new card…a nine of hearts. The bet was a quarter. She tossed one in from the impressive pile in front of her.

Austin had three of a kind; Travis, two pair; the rest, nothing. She swept the pot toward her and laughed.

“I need a break,” Craig muttered, getting to his feet. He went over to Hannah and gave her a quick hug. “You're secretly a witch, aren't you?”

“You guessed. I never thought anyone would.”

“I saw the broom in the back of your car.”

She chuckled, then stood up and headed to the front porch. It had been a warm day and the house hadn't cooled off much. Outside, the stars were bright in the night sky.

She leaned against the railing and inhaled. The sweet air smelled of freshly cut grass and spring flowers. Whatever happened, she was pleased she'd come to Glenwood. She would remember this time forever.

“Did you come outside to give us a break?” Travis asked as he joined her.

“I wouldn't complain if I was dealt out of a hand or two. I can't believe how well I'm doing. I'm not usually that lucky at cards.” She stared at him, his features shadowy in
the faint light of the porch. “You're not all letting me win so I can feel better, are you?”

Travis held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “We're not that nice. Ask anyone who knows us.”

“Somehow I think people would say you
are
that nice.”

“Maybe, but I promise we're not letting you win.”

He settled next to her on the railing. Night creatures called to each other. Hannah felt herself relaxing. It had been a lazy day. All she needed was a warm bath and maybe a couple of kisses from Nick. She smiled. She could offer to work off some of the debt. She had a feeling he might not protest the exchange.

“Did you really meet Nick on a cruise?” Travis asked.

There was nothing in his tone to make her worry, but she stiffened and had to swallow before speaking. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious. How long have you been married?”

Frantically, she tried to remember the lies. Nick had wanted to come up with a story together. She'd been too pigheaded to cooperate and now she was paying the price. Had they said how long they'd been married?

“We met on a cruise about four years ago.”

“Nick said five.”

Then she got it. Travis had overheard part—or all—of her conversation with Nick last weekend. She closed her eyes and prayed for direction. What was she supposed to say to him? What should she confess and what should she keep secret?

Maybe she should just tell him everything. But what would he think of her? What would he think of Nick? Would he want to take some action against him? She reminded herself that Nick wasn't really wanted for anything, at least not yet. But if she told the truth, what would happen? If she told the truth, Nick would leave.

“Where was he born?”

She exhaled. At least she had the right answer this time. “In a little town north of Santa Barbara. It was just him and his dad. His mother died when he was born.”

Travis paced to the front of the house and back. He stopped in front of Hannah. “Try Philadelphia.”

“What?”

“I ran him through the computer, Hannah. Nick Archer, born Nicholas Robert Archer, grew up in Philadelphia. Both his parents are dead, although his mother died only a couple of years ago.”

Hannah felt the blood rushing from her head. The world tilted and she had the terrifying sensation of losing control. After a couple of deep breaths, she realized she wasn't going to faint, although the situation did call for desperate measures.

Had Nick lied to her about his family? She couldn't believe that. The way he'd talked about his father and the violence—that had to be real.

So why did the computer say differently?

“What else did the computer say?” she asked, barely able to speak the words. What hideous crimes had he concealed from her?

“He's clean.” Travis sounded almost disappointed. “No outstanding warrants, no criminal record.”

Thank goodness, she breathed silently.

“There are very few records at all,” he said. “The ones there show that he's only been in Southport Beach about a year. And there's no mention of his being married.”

She was tall, but her brother was taller. In the darkness, he was a large, dangerous man.

“Where do the two of you live?” Travis asked.

She gave her address, mostly because she didn't know Nick's.

“Funny, but that's not what's in the computer.”

She wanted to die. She wanted to blurt out the truth. And in some strange way, she wanted to protect Nick. She knew instinctively that despite the bravado he put on about his criminal life, he wouldn't want her brothers to think badly of him.

“It's not what you think,” she said quickly, then wondered what on earth she was going to say.

Travis folded his arms over his chest. “Then tell me what it is.”

“He's…” She closed her eyes for a second, then received divine inspiration. “He's a private citizen working with local law enforcement on a sting operation. I can't go into details. It involves several beachfront developments in the area. Because of that, he has his own place. Most people don't know that we're married.”

Travis didn't look as if he bought the story. She crossed her fingers behind her back and wondered if this lie was big enough to send her south when her time was up. She hoped not.

“He often has to come to the station and talk to Captain Rodriguez. The operation requires him to deal with a lot of criminal types. You can call down and check on that if you'd like. But please be careful. I don't want anything to happen to Nick.”

Of everything she'd said, only the last sentence was true. She felt as if she were being ripped apart. Two voices screamed in her head. One demanded that she simply tell the truth. So what if Nick left and she never saw him again? Wasn't it more important that she not lie to her family? What had happened to honor?

The other voice merely whispered. It repeated all the kind things Nick had said and done on her behalf. It reminded her that he couldn't be all bad. It wasn't possible.
The voice spoke of how she felt in his arms and what it was like to laugh with him. If not for Nick…