The Cowboy's Convenient Bride. DONNA ALWARD

true, but it wasn’t as simple as a different last name. “Tanner, it’s not like it would be impossible to figure it out, even if I did change my name. There’d be marriage records to show that I was once Laura Jessup.”

      “Maybe,” he conceded, “but it would make it more difficult. And if you’re married, chances are that even if this guy did find you, he’d probably think that the baby was, well, your husband’s.”

      “Yours,” she said, the word echoing in the strangely quiet room.

      “Yes.”

      Silence fell. He’d hit her squarely where it hurt—her daughter. Her top priority was protecting Rowan. It was why, after all, she let the town of Gibson collectively assume that the baby was Gavin’s...even though that made her an adulteress and a home wrecker. But this was different. This was marriage. A wedding. And she wasn’t sure what Tanner wanted to get out of it. There must be something. There was no way it was a purely altruistic move.

      Good gracious, was she actually considering it?

      Of course she wasn’t. Harebrained was a great way to characterize the idea. She’d made enough mistakes over the last few years; she wasn’t too keen to compound them by marrying a stranger just so she could change her name.

      She got up and walked to the window, looking out over the backyard. The grass was greening up, but there were dry, bare patches where the ground was hard and unyielding. Laura sighed. Yes, she had her own place, but it wasn’t much. She kept it clean, but it was hardly better than the lousy apartments in Reno. Rundown and unloved. Funny, she was starting to think of herself in those terms, too.

      Marrying Tanner was a stupid idea. She’d just keep on doing what she was doing and figure it out somehow. She always did.

      “Tanner, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t need to be rescued. It’s a crazy idea and I think it would be a disaster.”

      “Why? I like you. And I think you like me.” He smiled at her. “We’d be roommates, that’s all. No funny business, I promise.”