Borrowed Bride Read Online Free

slipped the shoe off her left foot and shoved it into his jacket pocket along with its mate. “There. That’s much better.”
    He lifted his leg off hers, freeing her, and she immediately scrambled to her feet, tugging her dress down as she went.
    â€œDid you hurt yourself when you fell?” he asked, standing beside her by the open door.
    â€œAs if you care.”
    â€œBelieve it or not, I do. Very much, in fact.”
    â€œWell, you sure could have fooled me. After all a few scrapes are nothing compared to what’s going on inside me, worrying about what all those people back at the church are thinking, what my poor mother is thinking, not to mention Toby and how he must...” She broke off abruptly and bit down on her bottom lip.
    Connor steeled himself to the sight of her pain. He’d known going into this what he would be up against and that there would be no turning back. Not unless he wanted to risk letting her be hurt even worse, and that he wouldn’t do. Not if it killed him. He’d screwed up once and Gabrielle had paid the price. Never again.
    â€œThere’s a phone right over there,” he told her, pointing in the direction of a phone booth by the side of the two-lane road. It was the only thing in sight for as far as they could see. It was the reason he had arranged to be dropped off there in the first place. “I’ll let you call home and tell them you’re all right, but you have to say exactly what I tell you to say. Nothing else.”
    She spun to face him, her eyes flashing like dark sapphires. “Why?”
    â€œBecause I said so, that’s why.”
    â€œOh, I see, the same reason I had to give you my shoes.”
    â€œI took your shoes so you won’t go running off the second I turn my back to get the bike out of here.”
    â€œWhat’s the matter, Connor?” she taunted. “Afraid your hostage might escape?”
    â€œFor God’s sake, Gaby, for the last time, you are not a hostage. And if you’ll shut up for a second and look around, you’ll see there’s nowhere for you to escape to. If you take off, I’ll chase you down in a few minutes. I just don’t want you to go hurting yourself trying to run in those stupid pink shoes.”
    â€œApricot.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œThey’re not pink, they’re apricot. Iced Apricot, to be precise.”
    â€œI see. Well, whatever color they are, the heels are still ridiculous, and you probably would have broken your ankle before you got twenty yards.”
    She sniffed and folded her arms tightly across her chest.
    Deciding that was probably as close to concession as he could hope for, Connor went to work lowering the ramp and rolling the motorcycle out to the street. He turned to offer her a hand, which she of course refused, choosing to pick her way down the ramp in her stocking feet.
    He was closing the door behind them when he noticed her bouquet tossed in the corner of the van and hoisted himself back inside to retrieve it.
    He handed it to her and got a brittle “thanks” for his trouble.
    â€œYou’re welcome.” He took a step toward the cab of the truck to thank his buddy behind the wheel for the lift and tell him he owed him one, then hesitated and turned back to her. “And, Gaby, for what it’s worth, you looked really beautiful standing out in front of that church.”
    She glanced sullenly at the hole in the toe of one stocking and the black grease stains along the hem of her rumpled dress. “You got that right. Looked. Past tense.”
    He shrugged, turning away quickly before he lost control and smiled. He couldn’t help it. The bouquet had been a kind of reality check, reminding him all over again of why she’d been at the church in the first place and the obvious fact that she had worn that garter belt to please his old friend Adam on what was to have been their wedding night. Maybe it