Married By Mistake!. Renee Roszel

hard, but found that all she could muster in answer was a panicked widening of her eyes.

      “Exactly when did this happen?” He slanted his head toward Lucy, one eyebrow cranked upward as though he were saying, “Not a funny joke!”

      “It was sudden,” Jack offered, squeezing her waist reassuringly. By his voice, she could tell he was smiling and she turned to gape at him. His expression was amazingly believable. “I came for a visit and—well, the next thing Lucy knew, she was engaged.” He gazed down at her, his smile tender. “Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

      She nodded numbly. She had to give Jack credit. That little speech was about as close to the truth as this ghastly fiasco was ever going to get.

      Startling her, he lowered his mouth to her temple. His lips against her skin were warm and pleasant. His mouth moved to caress her at her hairline as he added, “I don’t regret what I did, Tinsley.” Lifting his lips away, he faced Stadler. “I’ve loved her for a long time. This was all my doing, so you mustn’t blame Lucy.” His jaw clenched, then clenched again as though he were making a guilty admission. “I felt like a jerk—until your letter came.” He grinned. But the expression wasn’t particularly friendly. More cunning. “But then, you know something about jerks, don’t you, old buddy.” It hadn’t been a question.

      Stadler’s eyebrows snapped down in a grimace, and he peered sideways at Sareena. The poor thing’s features were pinched in confusion. “Ena, my pet, why don’t we get settled? You look wan.” He turned back to Lucy and managed a real smile. “May we have a key? Perhaps we can chat about this later.”

      Lucy felt a rock form in her stomach, so hard and painful she wanted to cry. Later? That one word held a horrid reality—Stadler had no intention of staying only five minutes. As she nodded, moving in a daze behind the reception desk to get him a key, she felt a sudden urge to feed Elissa piece by piece to the neighborhood squirrels. Five minutes, she’d said. She’d practically promised! Why, oh why, am I not safely on my way to Kansas City right now?

      With a frail excuse for a smile, she handed Stadler a room key. Her fingers shook so badly the metal latchkey clattered against its plastic holder, sounding like a tambourine solo. When he reached out to take it, he startled her by engulfing her whole hand in his. “What is it, pet? You seem agitated.”

      She stilled, feeling caught. She couldn’t lie! Didn’t know how. She had told Jack and Elissa she couldn’t carry this off. What was she going to do? Blurt out the truth! That seemed like the only answer. As the ugly facts scrambled to the tip of her tongue, she cast a helpless gaze toward Jack.

      Almost as though he could read her mind, Jack moved forward, instinctively protective. With a casual maneuvering of his hand, he separated Lucy from her ex-fiancé and gave Stadler the key, all the while smiling easily. “You know our Lucy,” he said. “She hates to hurt anyone’s feelings, and she’s upset about having to spring our engagement on you like this.” He enclosed her limp hand in his so that her fingers were exposed. Rubbing them against his jaw in a loving gesture, he continued to smile at Stadler. “I told her that you—of all people—would understand how these things happen. You do understand, don’t you?”

      Stadler inhaled, lifting his regal, if slightly inadequate, chin. His narrowed glance shifted to Lucy. However, when he opened his mouth to speak, Sareena touched his sleeve. “What’s going on? Why would you care if they got engaged?”

      Stadler shot a look at his fiancée, his expression troubled for an instant before he could adjust his face in a tolerant smile. He tweaked her pointed chin. “Ena-pet, you look tired. Perhaps we should rest before luncheon.” He lifted his scrutinizing gaze to Lucy. “We’ll see you later, then?”

      She nodded, apparently the only thing she was capable of doing in Stadler’s self-assured presence. She couldn’t recall opening her mouth once since he’d arrived.

      Skimming Sareena with an offhand glance, Stadler indicated the stairs. “Come, Ena-pet.”

      He headed for the staircase, but was halted by Jack’s hand on his shoulder. “This is a do-it-yourself place. Luggage won’t get up there by itself. Or did you expect the lady to carry all the bags?”

      Though Stadler was six feet tall, he was shorter than Jack by three inches. He gave Jack a fleeting glower, then backtracked to retrieve one of the bags. “I apologize, Ena-pet. I’m afraid I’m tired, too. I’ve forgotten my manners.”

      Sareena seemed startled, as though she carried bags quite a bit without help. “Uh—thanks, honeybun. My guitar case is on the porch.”

      Looking put out, Stadler went outside and grabbed the instrument, then stalked past Jack without glancing his way.

      Once the two newest guests had disappeared upstairs, Lucy planted her hands on the reception desk, half-sprawling across it, weak and sick to her stomach. She dragged her gaze to Jack’s. “I can’t do this.”

      He seemed to contemplate her for a moment, his features thoughtful. Finally, he lounged against the opposite side of the desk, placing a hand over hers. “You can, Luce. It’s important.”

      She closed her eyes, gaining strength from his touch. Inhaling raggedly, she faced the fact that she had to follow through now that the lie had begun. Besides, Stadler deserved a little ego bruising—the mewling, letter-writing cheat! Slipping her hand from beneath Jack’s, she rubbed her eyes, feeling caught between a rock and a hard place. “Okay...” She nodded, letting out a resigned sigh. “What’s next?”

      “We play it by ear. Just follow my lead.” His comment was soft-spoken and solemn, drawing her trusting glance.

      The strange glimmer she saw in his slumberous eyes had to be a trick of the lighting.

      

      “The twins look wonderful!” Lucy entered Helen’s hospital room and hurried over to the bed, hugging her younger sister. “What are you going to name them?” Before Helen could speak, Lucy reached across her and squeezed Damien’s hand. “Hi, Daddy. How are you feeling?”

      He grinned. “My stitches are killing me and I hate the food, but otherwise I’m good.”

      Helen laughed, then winced at the discomfort it caused. “Actually, the food’s very tasty. And to answer your first question, we have no idea about names yet. What do you think of Gladiola and Goldenrod?”

      Lucy stiffened, staring, not knowing what to say about the dreadful names. Damien’s rich laugh made her realize Helen was joking. “Oh, thank heaven. I know we all have flowers for our middle names, but—there is a limit!” She sank into a nearby chair. “Really, what are you naming them?”

      “We don’t know yet,” Damien said, standing. “I’m afraid we need help. I favor political names like Kennedy and Reagan, and Helen likes movie titles like Sabrina and Twister.”

      Elissa breezed in with Jack on her arm. “Okay, what did I miss?”

      Joining in the fun, Lucy kidded, “We were discussing names for the girls. I think Twister and Hurricane might be nice. They’re unique without being too outrageous. Right, Jack?”

      He grinned at her, flashing straight white teeth. “What would you consider outrageous, Luce? Calling them after microbes with megasyllable names—say, for instance, Plasmodiophora brassicae?”

      “Why, Jack,” she teased, “that’s really unique.” Placing a hand to her cheek, she pretended to fall into deep thought. “Now what can we call the other one? Everybody think. What rhymes with—Plasmodio what’s-it?”

      “Jack, you made that up,” Elissa said with a laugh.

      He looked her way. “No, I didn’t. It’s a cabbage fungus.” When his attention returned to Lucy, his smile was playful and elegant at the same time. “You’d be surprised what you can learn in the restaurant business.”

      Lucy’s cheeks heated, and she had no idea why. “I’m impressed.”