The Best Bride Part 22

"i'm doing it for travis: ' she had to fight against the tears burning in her eyes. to think she might have lost the man she loved because of her own fears."

"thank you, kyle. i really appreciate this: '

"yeah, well, don't make me regret it."

"i won't. i just hope it's not too late. by."

"elizabeth?"

"y "it's not too late."

she hung up and prayed he was right. she started toward the parking lot. at the sight of her car, she paused. tcavis knew her car. she didn't want to give him time to get away from her or start to think up reasons why it wouldn't work. not now. she glanced around the playing field and saw one of the coach's wives standing close to her. she rushed over.

"mary, can i borrow your car for a few minutes?"

the young woman looked startled. "didn't you bring your car?"

"yes, but-oh, it's difficult to explain. i need to find someone and i don't want him to know it's me until it's too late and please, i promise i'll be careful."

mary looked at her for several seconds, then grinned."

"sounds like man trouble to me."

"itis: ' the blonde reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a set of keys. "it's the red station wagon right there."

impulsively, elizabeth gave the other woman a hug. "thanks. i'll be right back."

"take your time."

she ran to the car, slid inside, fastened her seat belt, then started the engine. after drawing in a deep breath for courage, she pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto the main road.

travis stared morosely down the highway. even for a sat.u.r.day morning, the traffic was light. he'd only seen half a dozen cars and all of them had been going the speed limit. not that he was in the mood to stop anyone.

he leaned his heaqback and groaned. mandy was going to be upset that he'd left before her game had started. there was no way he could explain to the little girl that he hadn't had a choice in the matter. it had been too hard to stand there staring at elizabeth and knowing he could never be a part of her life. just seeing her had been difficult. how was he supposed to get through the torture of being her friend?

friends. he swore. she might as well just shoot him in the back and get it over with.

he heard a car engine and straightened. a red station wagon barreled around the curve behind him and zoomed past onto the straightaway. travis checked his radar and raised his eyebrows. someone was going somewhere in a hurry.

he pulled out onto the highway and hit the gas. his patrol car was gaining, but slowly. he flipped on his blue light and accelerated, then frowned when he realized the driver in the red car was going faster than he'd thought. he stared ahead, but all he could see was the person wore a baseball cap. at last the driver glanced in the rearview mirror, saw him and turned off onto the shoulder of the road.

travis parked behind the car and collected his ticket book and stetson. he stepped out and walked over to the car. the window was already rolled down.

"you were going pretty fast there." he flipped open his ticket book, then glanced up at the driver. and about dropped his pen. "elizabeth?"

"hi: she jerked off the baseball cap and her brown hair tumbled over her shoulders. " i wondered if you'd see me."

"you were hard to miss, especially when you hit the straightaway doing eighty: he glanced at the unfamiliar car and frowned. " why are you driving this?"

"that's not important." she opened the car door and got out. "i was speeding. are you going to give me a ticket?"

he frowned. what kind of game was she playing? there was an odd flickering in her eyes, some suppressed emotion her mouth quivered, but he couldn't tell if she was upset or trying not to smile. none of this made sense.

"you were over the speed limit," he said."

"i know. ask me for my story.

"what?"

"travis: she planted her hands on her hips. " isn't it a tradition here in glenwood? if i tell you a story you haven't heard before, don't you have to let me go?"

he shoved the ticket book and pen into his back pocket, then folded his arms over his chest. he could feel his heart thumping. that d.a.m.n hope flared to life again. this time he let it burn hot and bright. this time he dared to believe. but he wasn't going to ask. she was going to have to tell him.

"what's the story?" he asked cautiously, wondering if she was about to say something he wanted to hear, or if she would deliver the death blow.

the odd flickering in her beautiful brown eyes turned into something he could have sworn was caring. her mouth curved up in a smile. when she leaned forward and placed her hands on his chest, it was all he could do not to pull her close.

"i love you," she said, then touched her lips to his.

fire exploded through him. his mind echoed with the wonder of her words. he grabbed her arms and held her away from him."

"what did you say?"

"oh, travis, i've been a fool. i was wrong to judge you by sam's actions, and wrong to let the past destroy my future" she shook her head. "our future. i could have lost you forever."

"elizabeth." he breathed her name. "you would never have lost me. i have nowhere else to go. no one else to love."

"i love you: ' he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her hard against his chest. he kissed her once, softly, savoring the reality of knowing they were at last together. then he angled his head and thrust his tongue into her mouth. they met in a conflagration of sensationq when they came up for air, they were both breathing heavily.

"does this mean i don't get a ticket?" she asked, and smiled.

he grinned in return. "it's a story i haven't heard be fore, so i guess not."

"good. i would have been a little cranky on our wedding day if you had given me a ticket."

he stared at her.

her smile faltered. "you do want to marry me, don't you? i mean i a.s.sumed that was the next logical step." she bit her lower lip and blushed."

"oh, travis, we don't have to if you don't-"

he grabbed her hands and pulled them to his mouth. after kissing each palm, he stared into her eyes. "i love you, elizabeth abbott. will you marry me?"

a single tear slipped down her cheek. "yes."

"we can get married when your parents are here if you'd like." when he saw her confused frown, he kissed the tip of her nose. "mandy told me. you'll be a beautiful bride, darling'."

he bent his head toward her mouth again. the kiss quickly heated them both. he was thinking about which of their houses was closer when a burst from a siren made them jump apart.

travis turned and glared at the patroi car rolling toward them. kyle was driving, with a young girl bouncing at his side. when the car came to a stop, mandy opened the front door and jumped out. her smiie about split her face in two and her blue eyes were s.h.i.+ning."

"mommy, mommy, uncl. e kyle says you and travis are getting married, and we're going to live happily ever after. is that true?"

elizabeth laughed and pulled her daughter close. "uncle kyle has a big mouth, but yes, it's true."

kyle got out more slowly. "sorry, trav. i just thought the kid might want to know."

travis pulled elizabeth and mandy into his embrace. "no problem, little brother. we are going to live happily ever after."

mandy looked up at her mother."

"are you going to have a baby now?"

elizabeth glanced at him. he swallowed hard. "maybe," he said, not wanting to hope for too much.

"yes," elizabeth said firmly.

the joy in his heart doubled.

kyle came forward and slapped him on the back. "another haynes son. you can name this one after me."

"why a son?" elizabeth asked.

travis touched her cheek. "there hasn't been a daughter born to the family in four generations."

"i'd forgotten about that." elizabeth looped her arm around his waist. "i just might surprise you all."

he held her close and felt the loving warmth of her body. "you already did, elizabeth. you already did." she had been, he knew then, the best surprise of all.

q% ) s % b. qq g prepare yourself for ' a serious heat wave this summer with silhouette's latest selection of sizzling summer reading.

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one unforgettable night with summer lawton had james wilkens vowing to meet her at the same time, the same place, the next year..

a family home celeste hamilton the s.e.xiest man in tennessee had proposed to lainey bates, but he'd done it to give his son a family home. lainey wanted her husband's heart..

marriage on demand susan mallery amid countless adoring females, rebecca chambers hadn't expected delicious austin lucas to notice her, but he had. now he was planning on giving his child his name: would he also be giving rebecca everlasting heartache?

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trisha alexander the search for her true ident.i.ty led grace gregory to a family of great wealth and power, to paul hollister, a naturally suspicious man. was she the woman he'd been waiting for?

jenni finds a father brittany young alec devereaux and tess parish both could achieve their dreams if they were married for one full year. tess's little sister, jenni, and alec's daughter wanted to make it permanent..

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marriage on demand july 1995 the women of glenwood all agreed, austin lucas was as dangerous and desirable as any forbidden sin. but when an impulsive encounter obliged rebecca chambers to marry him, rebecca wasn't sure their pa.s.sion could lead to everlasting love.

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chance just couldn't do it; he couldn't look at shea austin and just see a job. not when those wide, thickly lashed eyes made his stomach knot, not when just hearing her laugh made him feel a warmth he'd never felt, not when that slim yet ripely curved figure made his body respond with a fierceness that left him breathless.

you'd better bail out, chance, he told himself. you've lost your impartiality-you've committed the cardinal sin in police work. you're already so far gone that it'll rip you apart if she's guilty. but then chance looked at her again and knew he wasn't going anywhere.