Bride by Mistake Read Online Free

inability to commit.
    She and Zach were light-years apart. Meg wanted the American dream: one husband, two-point-five children, and a house in the suburbs—goals and objectives that her lunch partner would never understand.
    Not that it mattered. After spending this week with Zach, she would fly back to Illinois, back to Martin Landsburg. And Martin
did
understand the American dream.
    “I’m going to the ladies’ room,” she announced, needing to get away from Zach, and fast. “Where is it?”
    He chuckled. “Where is it? We’ve come here about a dozen times.”
    Oh, yeah. She was supposed to know these things.
    Meg scanned the dining room but didn’t see any signs. When she noticed two women walking toward the back of the café, she trailed along after them. If they led her out a side door to the parking lot, this charade with Zach would end before it began.
    When Meg spotted the LADIES LOUNGE sign, she breathed a relieved sigh. She entered and leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. How had she lost control of her life in just a few hours? This silly game of pretend with Zach—coupled with her guilt about Martin—made Meg’s head spin.
    An elderly woman gazed at her with concern. “Are you all right, honey?”
    “Yes, thank you. I’m fine.”
    “Didn’t I see you sitting at a table with a very handsome young man?”
    Meg nodded.
    “Is the relationship serious?”
    “Um, yes. We’re planning to be married.”
    The woman smiled. “Good for you. Love is a wonderful thing. My William and I celebrated sixty years together before he died last spring. I still miss him desperately.”
    Meg felt a tug of sympathy. “I’m sure you do.”
    “Treasure your man, my dear. True love is a rare gift.” The woman walked under the archway and disappeared.
    The woman’s comments made Meg feel worse than ever. This lady had had a real relationship with her husband of sixty years, while Meg’s was just a facade. Zach wasn’t
her
man, and she wasn’t in love with him. Infatuated, enamored, and bedazzled, yes. But she loved Martin Landsburg. Martin was her man—an important fact to remember.
    When Meg rejoined Zach at the table, his smile melted her heart.
    She bit her lip, determined to keep her emotions under control.
    “I thought we’d stop by Gram’s after lunch, if you’re free. She’ll need to meet you before we announce our engagement.” Just hearing Zach put that comment into words filled Meg with excitement. This was insanity. She’d have to remind herself regularly that she and Zach were playacting. And that the engagement he was glibly discussing was pure fantasy.
    If any man places a ring on the third finger of my left hand it will be Martin Landsburg
, she told herself firmly.
    Certainly not Zachary Addison!

    Zach gripped Liza’s arm and escorted her up the curved stairway leading to his grandmother’s house. As they approached, the door swung open. “Good afternoon, sir and madam,” said Ian, Gram’s butler for the last forty-plus years.
    “Hello, Ian. This is my friend Liza O’Malley.”
    “A pleasure to meet you, Miss O’Malley.”
    “You too, Ian.”
    They followed Ian into the sunroom, where Gram was arranging white irises in a vase. Her silver-gray hair was carefully styled and she wore a white blouse and black skirt. And to Zach’s relief, she appeared healthy.
    “What a delightful surprise,” she said.
    “Gram, I’d like to introduce Liza O’Malley. Liza, Eloise Addison, my grandmother.”
    Liza smiled. “I’ve looked forward to meeting you.”
    “The pleasure is mine. Sit down, children. There, on the love seat.”
    Gram took a seat across from them and curiosity fairly sparked from her eyes. “Have you two known each other long?”
    “Liza and I met in high school. We took a lot of the same classes and enjoyed each other’s company. We still stay in touch and usually have dinner together once or twice a month.”
    “So you’re just friends,” Gram