The Best Bride (77 page)

“I'm sheriff here,” Travis said. “I'm also your brother. I'm here for you if there's ever a problem. Of any kind. I want you to know that, Hannah.”

Tears burned in her eyes. She felt lower than a snake's fanny pack.

He pulled her close and held her tightly against his chest. He didn't believe her. Who could believe that ridiculous story? Yet he wasn't calling her a liar, or throwing her out, or threatening to expose her. In fact, she was sure Travis hadn't discussed this matter with anyone.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“That's what family is for,” he told her.

In his warm embrace, for the first time since she'd arrived nearly a week before, she felt as if she belonged.

N
ick put down the book he was reading and glanced at the clock on the mantel. It was after nine. Hannah had joined her brothers for a friendly game of poker, but he'd declined to participate.

He rose to his feet and crossed to the window. Was Hannah a good poker player? He could imagine she wouldn't have any trouble hiding her excitement or disappointment with her cards, but she might not have the courage to bluff well. The cautious lady probably played cautious cards.

The night was beautiful—clear, cool, quiet. Yet instead of enjoying the beauty, he fought an edgy restlessness. He'd spent too much time alone not to recognize the symptoms. The gnawing in his gut, the need to keep moving, no matter what. If he stayed still, if he allowed himself to listen to the silence, he would hear the faint whisper of pain.

He was tired of being lonely. He wanted to connect.

He swore softly, wondering when Hannah had first
gotten under his skin. He knew it had started months before. Maybe the first day he'd noticed her and had invited her to run away with him. She'd been too startled to speak. Big doe eyes had widened as her mouth had parted in shock. Then she figured it was all a joke and had put him in his place with some scathing remark. He couldn't remember what she'd said. It didn't matter. He'd known then that he rattled her cage and he couldn't wait to do it again.

Teasing Hannah had been his favorite hobby. He'd looked forward to seeing her. But he'd never thought about making it real…until this past week. Until he'd spent time with her, had caught glimpses of the tenderness she kept concealed under layers of toughness. Until he'd held her in his arms and kissed her and begun to suspect this was a woman he might never forget.

He played a game, allowing himself to see what the future could have been like if he'd been someone else. A different kind of man.

He knew the past kept him trapped. Maybe he should think about letting it go. But he couldn't. Those images, that pain, were as much a part of him as his bones and skin. Imprinted on every cell were the beatings, the suffering, the uncertainty. The latter had been the worst. He'd never known when. Each morning, he'd awakened with the question—would his father drink today?

Sometimes they went weeks without an incident, even a couple of months. Then his father wouldn't come home from work and Nick would lie awake and wait. Hours or days later, he would return. Drunk, angry, mean. Broken and bleeding, Nick had vowed never to feel that much pain again, and he'd kept that vow. He'd never worried about being physically hurt. That wasn't the pain he feared. Instead it was the emotional betrayal—a loved one turning
on him for no reason. He'd kept his promise to himself, too. He'd avoided getting involved.

With the hindsight of an adult, he knew it was time to make peace with that angry child from his past. It might even be time to take a chance on love.

Did he dare? Did he even know how? After all these years of withdrawing emotionally, did he know how to love anyone? He'd never tried.

He caught a flash of movement through the trees and turned toward the front door of the gatehouse. Hannah pushed it open and walked into the room.

Energy vibrated in the air around her. She crossed her arms protectively across her chest, her face pale. He moved to her side.

“What's wrong?”

“I…” She shook her head. “Nothing.”

He wanted to pull her against him and hold her until whatever was troubling her went away. Yet something told him to wait and listen. He stood next to her, close enough to touch. He inhaled the scent of her body, sweet and familiar, and again felt the longing he'd experienced earlier.

She circled the room as if examining it, then moved to the sofa and sat down. He crouched next to her.

“Hannah?”

She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them and stared at him. “Travis asked me about you.”

“I'm not surprised. He overheard our conversation last Sunday.”

“You knew? You knew and you didn't tell me?”

He settled next to her on the sofa. “I wasn't sure how much he'd heard or if he was going to say anything. I didn't want to upset you.”

She covered her face with her hands. “It was awful. I
don't even want to think about it. He knows something's not right.”

“Tell me what happened.”

She shuddered. “He asked how long we'd been married. I didn't know what to say. You're right. We should have come up with a story in advance. What was I thinking? I can't believe I was that stubborn.”

“I can. It's one of your more endearing qualities.”

She glared at him. “This is no time for humor.”

“It's exactly the time for humor. Poor Hannah. I understand why you're upset. It's okay. What did Travis say when you told him the truth?”

She sprang to her feet and faced him. With her hands on her hips, her chin raised high, her eyes bright with anger, she looked like a pagan princess. He'd never wanted her more.

“I didn't tell him the truth.”

Nick couldn't have been more startled if she'd confessed to murder. “You lied to Travis?”

“Yes. I did.” Each word was clipped as if speaking was an effort. “What did you expect me to do? Confess all?”

“Yeah. Why not?”

She turned away. “I couldn't. He asked where you were born and I told him. I told him about your parents, about your mom dying when you were born and how you were raised by your dad.”

Nick winced. “And he said it was all a lie.”

She nodded.

Dammit. Now what? Hannah had lied for him. He didn't understand why, but he knew what it had cost her. Honorable Hannah, who took herself and her job very seriously. What had he done to her?

He stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. She flinched but didn't pull away. “I know what's in my
computer file,” he murmured. “That I was born in Philadelphia. My parents died a while ago, my mother most recently. Of course there isn't any record of our ‘marriage.”'

“You lied to me,” she whispered.

She stood with her back to him. He wanted to turn her around so she faced him, but he knew she would resist that. Instead, he tried to tell her the truth with his touch on her shoulders and with his words.

“Never,” he said, then realized that was the biggest lie of all. “I didn't lie about my family,” he amended. “The computer files have been changed. I paid someone to do it.”

“To hide a criminal record? Travis said you were clean.”

“It was easier to start over,” he said and hoped she wouldn't notice he hadn't answered the question.

She glanced at him over her shoulder. Dark, troubled eyes studied his face. “You told me the truth about your dad, what he did and all, and about your mom dying?”

“Yes. I swear, Hannah. That's all true.”

“I suppose it's something.”

He ached for her pain. If only he could tell her the truth. That was always the temptation on an undercover assignment. To tell one person. Then another, then another. He knew how it worked. His cover had to be absolute. Hannah would treat him differently if she knew. She might feel compelled to tell her brother. Nick couldn't risk it.

But he wanted to. If she knew who and what he really was, she would respect him, even let herself care about him. Perhaps it was just as well. He might have learned the wrong lessons from his childhood, but those lessons were firmly ingrained.

Hannah walked to the small fireplace and leaned against the mantel. “I told him the reason the computer records
were so strange, not showing our marriage and listing an address different than mine, was that you were a civilian working with the Southport Beach Police Department on a sting operation. Something to do with beachfront property.”

She got it all out in one breath. He stared at her, barely able to comprehend what she'd said. “You told him that?”

She nodded.

Her lies were so close to the truth, he started to laugh. One glance from her told him he'd made a mistake, but he couldn't stop. Except for the fact that he was a cop and not a civilian, she'd been one hundred percent accurate about him.

She glared. “It's not funny.”

His laughter faded into slight chuckles. “I know. I'm sorry. It's just—”

She spun toward him. “It's just what? How dare you laugh at me? I lied for you, Nick Archer. I stood in front of my brother and deliberately withheld the truth. As a common criminal, I'm sure that's pretty meaningless to you. However, I don't share your loose moral code. I value my word and I always try to tell the truth.”

She was close to tears. He could tell by the tremor in her voice and the stiff set of her body.

“I know,” he said quietly and moved toward her.

She took a step back. “Don't touch me.”

He glanced around the room. “There's no one else, Hannah. It's me or be alone.”

“I'd rather be alone.”

“I thought you said you didn't lie.”

She covered her mouth with her hand as if holding in a sob. He crossed to her and gathered her against him. She continued to hold herself stiffly as he put his arms around her and stroked her back.

“I can't believe you made me do this,” she muttered.

He thought about pointing out that he hadn't made her do anything. She could have turned him in to Travis, but she hadn't. He wondered why. He would like to think it was because she was starting to feel something for him. He suspected it had something to do with the fact that he was her anchor in this strange situation. With him gone, she would have to face her family alone and that thought terrified her.

In time, she would adjust to them and not need him anymore, but he didn't want to think about that.

He also knew that part of the reason she'd withheld the truth was to protect him. She would think he didn't want her family knowing the truth, and in a way, she was right. He enjoyed his relationship with her brothers. If they thought he was a lowlife, everything would change.

Maybe it already had.

He continued to stroke her back and gradually she relaxed. Her hands rested on his waist. He took her wrists and drew them up over his shoulders. She buried her face in his neck.

“Damn you,” she whispered. “I'll never forgive you for this.”

Did she damn him for the lie, or for making her care?

“Sweet Hannah.” He almost wished she had turned him in. Then he could get out of here. Before someone got hurt. “I don't deserve this.”

She raised her head and looked at him. Tears swam in her eyes, but she blinked them back. “At least we agree on something.”

He smiled faintly. “Not just because of who I am, but because…” He wasn't sure how to say it. “I want the best for you.”

She frowned, not understanding his words. Then comprehension dawned. “And that's not you.”

“Exactly.”

“I know. Don't worry. My heart is quite safe.” She took a step back. “Although I find the warning interesting. If you're trying to convince me you're one of the bad guys, you should have just used me and tossed me aside. Warning me off in advance doesn't exactly get you nominated as villain of the week.”

His chest tightened and a peculiar aching began around his heart. “You're a hell of a woman.”

“I know. Everyone says that. It's a real burden.”

Her smile was a little shaky around the edges, but he wasn't going to comment on the fact. She would survive this because she was strong. He admired that.

She walked to the sofa and took a seat. “My head is spinning. I can't believe everything that's happened to me. I have a family, although God knows what Travis is thinking right now.”

He settled next to her. “I'm sorry, Hannah.”

“I believe you. You've been—” she glanced down at her hands “—you've been nice to me, Nick, and I appreciate that. For what it's worth, this past week with our pretending to be married has been a lot better than my real marriage.”

“How long were you married?”

She sighed and mumbled something under her breath.

“What?” he asked.

She glared at him. “Five days, okay? Five days. Go ahead and laugh.”

He didn't, although it was hard not to. “Five days. But you said you only got divorced a couple of months ago. What happened in between?”

She leaned back against the sofa. “I was pretending. I
somehow thought if I wasn't divorced, then I wasn't really alone.”

He reached for her hand and stilled her twisting fingers. “I understand that.”

“I'm glad someone does. It never made sense to me. It's not as if Shawn was a part of my life anymore.”

“Where did you meet?”

“At the beach. I went with some friends to a little cafe´ and he was there.” She smiled at the memory. “He was completely gorgeous. I don't know what he saw in me, but I wasn't going to ask any questions.”

The hot, burning jab in his gut went unidentified until Nick caught his breath and realized he was suffering from acute jealousy. He released her fingers, but she didn't seem to notice.