The Best Bride. Susan Mallery

      “You want to shake on it again?”

      He’d rather kiss on it, but hey, he would take what he could. Her hand felt small and delicate in his, but it was her smile that just about knocked him from his chair. She grinned up at him then leaned forward.

      “So tell me the real story about the trick roper.”

      * * *

      They had barely sat down to dinner when the doorbell rang. Travis threw his napkin on the table. “I’ll get it,” he said, rising to his feet.

      He walked to the front door and pulled it open. He grinned. “Austin, come in.”

      Austin Lucas strolled into the hallway and paused. He sniffed the air. “I smell dinner.”

      “You hungry? Louise left plenty.”

      His friend shrugged. “I wouldn’t say—”

      “Travis, who is it?” Rebecca called.

      Austin raised his dark eyebrows. “Sorry. I didn’t know you had company.”

      “It’s not what you think.” Travis grabbed his friend’s arm and steered him toward the dining room. Austin let himself be pulled along, but Travis knew his heart wasn’t in it. Austin didn’t go out of his way to be sociable.

      “Look who I found on the doorstep,” he said. Elizabeth and Mandy both looked up expectantly. Rebecca rose to her feet and smiled, even though she couldn’t see who was behind Travis. He stepped to one side and let Austin precede him into the room.

      He raised his arm to Austin’s shoulder, as much to show affection as to keep the other man from bolting. Austin didn’t do crowds.

      “Austin Lucas, this is Elizabeth Abbott and her daughter, Mandy. They’re staying here while Elizabeth recovers from a bout with appendicitis. Next to my brothers, Austin is my oldest friend in Glenwood.”

      Elizabeth stood up and held out her hand. Travis watched her sharply, waiting for the inevitable reaction. She said hello and smiled at him, but that was it. Interesting, he thought.

      “And you’ve already met Rebecca,” he said.

      Rebecca nodded several times. “The committee meeting on town support for the home. You were there.” She paused. Her brown eyes widened. “I mean, everyone was there, weren’t they? All the people in the town.” She paused. “Not all of them, of course, but a good many. Not just you.” Color flared on her cheeks. She smiled tightly. “Good to see you. Again. Here, that is.” She reached for her water glass. Her fingers slipped and she knocked it over on the table. “Oh, no. I’ll just—” She motioned helplessly toward the rapidly spreading pool of water. “I’ll get a cloth.”

      “I’ll help,” Elizabeth said and followed her into the kitchen.

      “What’s gotten into her?” Travis asked no one in particular; then he glanced at his friend.

      “Don’t look at me. This is only the second time I’ve met the lady. She was a lot like this at the meeting, too. She must have dropped her pen a hundred times.” He shrugged.

      Elizabeth came back alone with a couple of dishcloths. She mopped up the spill. Travis waited, but Rebecca never reappeared.

      “Have a seat,” Travis said.

      Austin shook his head. “I just came by to tell you that I’ll be here for the football game.”

      “Great. But really, there’s plenty of food.”

      “You’re having dinner with two beautiful women. I don’t want to get in the way.”

      “You wouldn’t be.” Travis meant it. In the past several minutes, Elizabeth hadn’t even given Austin a second glance. Good news because his friend’s reputation with women rivaled that of any of the Haynes brothers. Austin topped Travis by at least three inches. He’d been described as handsome as the devil himself. Between his self-made fortune, his solitary ways and the gold hoop earring Travis and his brothers never tired of teasing him about, he drew women like a shell game drew suckers. So Elizabeth was somehow immune to the infamous Lucas charm. Too bad he couldn’t say the same about Rebecca.

      “Mister?”

      Travis glanced down and saw Mandy was tugging on the sleeve of Austin’s shirt.

      “What?” Austin asked.

      “I’m beautiful, too. Mommy said so.”

      Austin drew back his head and laughed. “You’re right, Mandy. You are very beautiful. I’m sorry I didn’t include you.”

      The little girl dimpled, obviously charmed.

      “Tell me, Mr. Lucas, how long have you lived in Glenwood?” Elizabeth asked.

      Austin looked at her. “It’s Austin, and I’ve lived here since junior high school.”

      She folded her arms over her chest. The action pushed her full breasts up slightly. Travis remembered the feel of them against his chest. His mouth grew dry.

      She smiled slowly. With her long hair curling over her almost-bare shoulders and the rose-colored dress outlining her feminine curves, he knew he didn’t have the power to resist what she offered. Fortunately for him, she wasn’t doing any offering. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Elizabeth.

      “I was wondering. I’ve heard all these stories about Travis and his women. Are the stories true?”

      Austin glanced at him. Devilment twinkled in his pale gray eyes. “Every word, ma’am. Gospel.”

      Travis jerked his thumb toward the door. “Get out of here, you traitor.” He followed Austin down the hall toward the front door, all the while accompanied by the sound of Elizabeth’s laughter.

      “I’ll get you for this,” he said as Austin got into his car.

      “I’m scared.” Austin gave him a salute. “Enjoy the ladies.” He pulled his car door shut and started the engine.

      When Travis returned to the dining room, Rebecca had come out of the kitchen.

      “Oh, is he gone?” she asked, twisting her hands together. “I hate it when that happens.”

      Elizabeth glanced at the other woman. “What exactly happened?”

      Rebecca sank into her chair and buried her face in her hands. “I can’t be around that man without turning into a klutz. I have a master’s degree, I got good grades in school. I run the entire child services department for the county.” She looked up at Travis. “I do a good job, don’t I?”

      “The best.” He had to fight back a grin.

      “Don’t you dare laugh, Travis,” she said. “I’m a pathetic creature. Every time I’m around that man, I fall apart. I drop things.” She grimaced at the tablecloth. “Or spill them. I can’t finish my sentences. I’ve only met him three times, but it’s getting worse.” She sighed. “Maybe I should move.”

      Elizabeth giggled. Rebecca turned toward her. “This is not funny.”

      “I’m sorry.” Elizabeth bit her lower lip, then burst out laughing. “You have a crush on him.”

      “I know. It’s awful.”

      Travis reached over and rested his hand on Rebecca’s shoulder. “Be careful, kid. Austin has broken more hearts than my brothers and I put together. He’s not into relationships except for the convenient kind.”

      She looked up at him and smiled. She was dressed in a floral print dress that floated around her body. The garment was loose enough not to even hint at curves below. With her long hair, minimal makeup and flat shoes, she looked like everyone’s stereotypical idea of a librarian. Or a Sunday school teacher. The innocence lurking in her gaze had been one of the