Newlywed Games (9 page)

“You can use my toothpaste,” Bruce broke in. His voice did not suggest any emotions.

He turned away and she fell silent. What was he
thinking? She was rambling like an idiot. She knew it but couldn’t stop. She hadn’t expected to feel so nervous; after all, he said he would be leaving. She hoped he meant it. She heard a drawer open, then close a moment later.

He appeared at her side again. “You can wear these.”

Her hands, of their own volition, reached out and accepted the men’s blue silk pajamas. Her thank-you got caught around the lump in her throat.

“I’m going to go wash up,” he said, and entered the master bath.

Meghann stared down at the blue silk in her hands, biting her lip, wondering what he’d do if she bolted for the front door and just went home. Because she wanted to do exactly that.

More than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.

Bruce hadn’t heard any noise from the bedroom and had taken longer than normal in the bathroom to make sure he didn’t catch her indecent. Tapping on the door, he said in a hushed voice, “I’m coming out.” He heard no protest; in fact, he heard nothing at all. He rattled the doorknob to make his intention known and opened the door slowly.

A smile crept across his face when he saw her curled up on the far side of the bed. Her head was on his pillow and her feet conspicuously hanging off the bed as if to keep her shoes off the bed. He moved around the end of the bed to stand beside her. She still
held the pajamas he had given her cradled in her arms.

He debated whether or not to wake her. She was so tired and the situation was terribly awkward. The contrast of her dainty form against the dark, harsh background appealed to him but seemed out of place. He looked around the room and surveyed the rest of his apartment. After being in Meg’s wonderful house, his place suddenly resembled more of a show room than living quarters. This was definitely a bachelor’s apartment. Unlike Meg’s charming, cozy place, there was not a hint of anything feminine here, except this delicate flower asleep on his bed. The picture was too lovely to disturb.

Slipping off her shoes, he carefully eased her feet onto the bed and pulled the forest green and burgundy comforter over her. As he brushed back a strand of hair from her forehead, a warmth welled up from deep inside him, a sense of rightness. He wondered if a month would be long enough to satisfy his need to take care of her and gazed at her a moment longer before silently slipping away, closing the door softly behind him.

M
EGHANN WOKE SLOWLY, MOVING HER STIFF BODY AND
rolling onto her back, stretching her muscles one at a time. She felt so snug and comfy…

She pried her eyes open, but they slammed shut. Concentrating hard, she managed to get one open and keep it open. With success, she proceeded to open the other one and focus.

This isn’t my room,
she thought with a yawn.
Where am I?
Suddenly her eyes snapped wide open.
Bruce Halloway’s!
Reality crashed in on her and she bolted upright in bed. Quickly she scanned the room and the bed. Her heart raced. The clock read 7:22
A.M.

Man, what a sleep. Once she drifted off, she was out. Sleep depravation had certainly caught up with her last night.

The last thing she remembered was waiting for Bruce to come out of the bathroom after he had given her his pajamas. She looked down and found the blue silk in a puddle beside her. She was still in her clothes from yesterday; evidently she had slept in them. The
bed was untouched except for the comforter over her. Bruce must have covered her. But where was he? More important, where had he slept last night? Had he left as promised?

She pulled back the comforter and stood. Making the bed with quick, hasty movements, she selected some fresh clothes and dumped the remainder in the two drawers Bruce had emptied. Changing in the bathroom, she ran a brush through her hair, and fixed her makeup.

If her mother were up and wanted to know where her son-in-law was, Meghann would tell her he went to work early. Her mom would believe that. Oh, but what if he arrived in jogging clothes or something? Did he even
go
jogging in the morning? Okay, so the truth. That’s what she would tell her mom.

What a novel idea
…

She grimaced at the sarcastic thought. At least in this, she could be honest: Bruce was already gone when she got up and she wasn’t sure if he was jogging or at work.

Meghann left the bedroom with confidence but stopped in midstride when she entered the dining area. Bruce sat at the table reading a Bible.

His faith had always shown through at work, in the way he dealt with people, in the things he said and the kindness he showed. And the sight of him now, bent over the Bible, face intent on what he was reading, touched her heart deeply.

She must have made some little noise because he raised his head and his gorgeous brown eyes settled on her.

That heart-melting smile spread across his face. “Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?”

“F-fine. And yourself?” Drat. Why couldn’t she think straight when he smiled at her like that? Her brain went to mush and her legs felt like they were melting out from under her.

“Good.” He stood and pulled out a chair for her.

She glanced around the apartment as she dutifully took the offered seat, thankful she didn’t have to rely on her unstable legs to keep her up. “Thank you.”

“To answer your question—” he began.

“What question?” She met his gaze. She hadn’t asked any question.

“The one on your face.” He grinned as she felt her face flood with heat. “I slept on the couch in my office at the hotel.”

Quick relief swept her, accompanied by a twinge of guilt.
You should have trusted him.
With a sigh, she leaned her chin on her hands. “I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”

“It’s not a problem.” He shrugged off the apology and ducked into the kitchen. A minute later he returned with a plate full of sliced bagels and a variety of minimuffins. He placed a glass of orange juice and a small empty plate in front of her. “Water for your tea will be hot in a few minutes.”

Her gaze traveled from the food up to him. Where did he get all this? Last night he apologized for not having any food on hand. And how did he know she liked tea and not coffee?

His smile broadened as he tried to stifle a laugh.
“Don’t ever take up poker, Meg. Your eyes are too expressive. It’s as though your thoughts are right there, waiting to be read.”

Only by you.
No one else had ever understood her as well or as easily as this man. Why was that?

He took his seat, still smiling, then pushed his Bible forward and rested his forearms on the table, leaning toward her. “I stopped by the grocery store on my way home.”

She shook her head, and this time the laugh escaped him. She gave him an all-right-that’s-enough look.
Can you read that one, “darling”?
Surprise filled her when he sobered quickly—apparently he could!—but she could still see the amusement dancing in his eyes.

“I stopped by your cottage to check on Lucky,” he said, obviously playing it safe with a change of subject. “She was snug in her doghouse. I couldn’t feed her though. The door’s locked.” He pulled a key from his pocket. Meghann looked up at him questioningly. “It’s a key to my apartment.” He handed it to her. “For when you and your mom want to go out when I’m not here.”

She took the key and slowly looked up to his eyes. It was her turn to read the question there. “You want a key to my place?”

“As your ‘husband’ I should have one. It would eliminate a potentially awkward situation.”

She had to agree with his logic, but the past two days had already been filled with multiple awkward situations. What was one more?

“If you give me your key, I’ll have a copy made.”

Meghann shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“That’s all right,” he said. “If you’re not comfortable with my having a key to your cottage, don’t worry about it. We’ll work around it.”

“No, that’s not it at all.” She reached out, putting her hand on his arm. “I already have a spare key. It’s under the front lip of the porch by the top rail post on the right. But you have to watch out for spiders and crawly things.” She shuddered at the thought and realized she was still touching his arm. As casually as her suddenly racing pulse would allow, she pulled her hand away and picked a couple of minimuffins and a half of a bagel from the plate. “I’ll get it later when I check on Lucky.” She meticulously spread cream cheese back and forth on her bagel until it was completely covered.

“You missed a spot.” Bruce’s voice broke in. The bagel came into focus, and she set it aside. She looked straight at Bruce and held his gaze.

“Mr. Halloway, is there anything I can do or say to get you to change your mind?”

“Call me Bruce,” he said in a voice designed to disarm her, “after all, we
are
married.” He gently lifted his eyebrows.

Oh no you don’t. You’re not going to distract me with charm.

Not completely, anyway. With pure force of will, she shook off the haze of attraction his tone had created and pulled herself together.

Kind of.

She stared at him, then frowned. She’d been saying
Something…something important…what was it—

“You wanted to change my mind.” His smile was broader now, and just a bit smug.

Crossing her arms with a huff, she nodded. “Would you
please
reconsider a business trip? It’d be simpler for everyone, especially you.”

“But not nearly as much fun.”

Fun!
Her mouth went dry. “Won’t you please go away?”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” He leaned back in his chair, effecting a perfect wounded little boy expression.

Her reply was without hesitation. “Absolutely.”

He clutched his chest as if a mighty blow had struck him in the heart. She was going crazy here and he was playing games! When she didn’t laugh or even smile at his antics, he sobered. “Meghann, you aren’t still worried I’ll impose myself upon you, are you?”

“Let’s see…you spent the night on my living room floor with a black Lab as a companion, and last night you slept on a sofa. I just have to wonder how long you will put up with it. You can’t be sleeping well.”

“You don’t trust me?” He sounded mildly offended.

“No, it’s not that.”

“You don’t trust yourself then? Should I be worried
you
will try to take advantage of
me?”

“No. Yes.
No.”
She took a slow, deep breath. “I mean, I feel like I’m already taking advantage of your
kindness.”
How had the conversation gone astray so quickly?

“I’ll take a room at the hotel, then. Will that make you feel better?”

No! “A month in a hotel room would be very expensive.”

“There are generally always a few empty rooms. I’ll use one of those until we fill up just before the ball and won’t have to pay a thing. Feel better?”

Not really.

“Meg.”

At the soft word, she focused on him, taking in the sincerity in his eyes, the slight smile on his lips. He reached out to give her hand a light squeeze. “Everything will work out. You’ll see. Just relax.”

She nodded, swallowing against the tears his gentle words had sparked. As though sensing she needed some time to herself, he excused himself and disappeared into the bedroom. A minute later, her mother came out of her room. Meghann hoped she hadn’t overheard any of her conversation with Bruce.

Speaking of the devil, he reappeared a few minutes later, dressed in a crisp suit. “Sorry to desert you ladies, but duty calls.” He came up behind Meg and rested both warm hands on her shoulders. All her senses came alert and she had to fight not to lean back against him.

“I’ll go by the cottage and feed Lucky.” When he leaned over her and kissed her on the cheek, she jumped.

He chuckled and grinned at Meg’s mother. “She’s still not used to me.”

“I daresay it won’t take much longer for her to be so,” her mother said with a laugh.

That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,
Meg thought miserably.
Kisses from Bruce would be all too easy to get used to.…

He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I’ll brave the spiders and get the key.” With that, he kissed her cheek again and headed for the door. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”

Meghann jumped up and rushed after him. “I’ll walk you to the elevator.” She practically pushed him out the door, and he looked down at her with a barely restrained grin.

When they stood in front of the elevator, she turned to him, straightening her shoulders. “I think I should change and go to work, too.”

“Nonsense. You stay here and enjoy your time with your mother.”

“I feel so guilty. It’s not right. I should be working.”

“Right or not, that’s the way it is. Spend the day with her and come in tomorrow for a few hours.” The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Bruce stepped inside but kept them from closing with his hand. “By the way, running after me to walk me to the elevator looked good.”