Her Accidental Husband Read Online Free Page A

eyes widened when she saw him, then narrowed in suspicion. “Unless you’re about to confide that you’re wearing tights and a cape under your clothes and can fly us both out of here, pronto, then maybe you can wait. I’m not giving up this place in line, buddy.”
    He smiled at the ticket agent. “Perhaps you can indulge us for a moment, but is there any chance you can guarantee us a seat on any U.S. or Mexican airline that will arrive in Puerto Vallarta by tomorrow night?”
    This time the woman delivered a wide smile at him. “I’m afraid not.”
    Satisfied, he looked back down at Payton. “So are you ready to hear me out now?”
    She looked disgruntled but gave a terse nod. She threw an annoyed glance over her shoulder at the ticket woman before he dragged her away.
    “Look, Payton, I’m as invested as you are in getting to Puerto Vallarta in time to see my brother get married. But unless we want to spend the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours sitting in airports hoping to snag a seat on an already oversold flight, then we need to come up with another plan.”
    She folded her arms in front of her, looking as stubborn as a mule.
    Damn his brother. It was his fault Cruz was on babysitting patrol. If not for his promise, he’d be enjoying a cocktail on the beach right now, having arrived the day before. Or at the very least, be making his way to the nearest bus terminal, not giving a second thought to the beautiful but aggravating blonde terrorizing the airline staff.
    But he had promised.
    And to be honest, helping Payton, Dick Eastman’s future daughter-in-law, might give him the boost he needed to settle his business deal in time for breaking ground in early June.
    “You can release my arm now. I’m quite capable of holding myself upright.”
    He raised his brow at that comment, deciding not to mention her near fall earlier today, and released her arm. She tottered for a moment but stayed on her feet. “We have two options. One would be to cross the border, rent a car, and drive ourselves to Puerto Vallarta. It’s almost nine hundred miles and, driving straight through, should take us around fifteen hours. Second option. We could buy two tickets at the bus station in Nuevo Laredo that would take us to Puerto Vallarta. Even with the added four or so hours, my choice would be to take the bus. We could just relax and do some reading without any of the stress of driving.”
    “Take the bus?” This time her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Are you a lunatic? Haven’t you seen Romancing the Stone ? Don’t you know that bus rides for foreign women in third world countries never end well?”
    He managed not to roll his eyes. “Payton, that was a movie, and it took place in South America, not Mexico. The bus system in Mexico is extremely reliable and safe.”
    She smiled almost indulgently at him. “I can assure you that no matter how desperate I become, I will not be leaving my life in the hands of an unknown bus driver who’s not licensed or certified by any governmental authority I’ve heard of. And if I’m not stabbed first, how can I trust that someone won’t try to plant drugs on me during the trip? Didn’t you hear about that American woman last year who was held in a Mexican prison for allegedly transporting drugs they found taped under her bus seat? No. If we’re traveling, it’s going to be by car.”
    He thought about mentioning the fact that the roads in the northern border cities were dangerous to any person, American or otherwise, whether on a bus or private vehicle, but didn’t think that would be productive to their discussion.
    She took a step forward, smiling deeply enough for him to see those dimples again. “I appreciate your concern, Cruz, really. And if you’re not up to it, I’m more than happy to drive us there myself. I’ve been driving since I was sixteen and am quite capable. I’ve driven to Vegas more times than I can count, and that’s a six-hour drive,