Her pulse had finally stopped galloping in her chest. Tess leaned back in the chair and let out her breath. What had possessed Ryan tonight? He was acting like a man in love. At least that was how she was interpreting it, but what did she know about love? Or about men, for that matter?
“Well, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Isabelle’s smooth voice was laced with something unpleasant.
Jealousy? Malice? Tess couldn’t decide. “I think half the town is here tonight.”
Without waiting for an invitation, Isabelle slid into Ryan’s vacated seat. “I suppose you’re here with Ryan?”
Tess eyed her warily. “Yes, I am.”
Isabelle was everything Tess was not and wished she were— the kind of woman who attracted the attention of every man between fifteen and a hundred and fifteen. Nearly every guy in the room had glanced their way since she’d sauntered into the room.
She leaned in and whispered, “He told me he was going to woo you.”
“H-He did?” Was that what he’d been doing? Wooing?
Isabelle flashed a sultry smile toward a man in a tailored suit. “Of course. We’re very close. He tells me everything. And he’s right. You would be the perfect mother for Sophia. Between you and me, I don’t think Ryan could stand to have another wife who betrayed him. And he knows you would always be faithful.” She fluttered her fingers in Tess’s direction. “I mean, let’s be honest, Tess. You’re not the kind of girl who has many options where men are concerned.”
Though the words were cruel, Tess barely flinched. Isabelle wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know. A mother for Sophia. A month ago Tess would have accepted that job without a qualm. But not now that she knew how that curl of passion in her belly felt. She wanted more.
Isabelle’s slim shoulders shrugged. “Don’t look so offended, dear. Men are so practical.”
Tess could barely move her lips. “I’m not offended. I know I’m not in your league, Isabelle. I’ve always known that.”
Isabelle stood. “Well, I’m glad we had this chat. It’s always good to go into marriage with your eyes wide open.”
Tess couldn’t muster the will to tell her good-bye. Surely those were pitying glances directed her way. Everyone in town must know why Ryan was seeing her. Everyone but her. Something was crushing her chest, but she couldn’t stay here and examine what emotion was squeezing the life out of her. She jumped to her feet and stumbled out the door. That might have been Ryan’s voice calling after her, but she didn’t pause.
She thrust open the door and rushed into the night air. It was moist and fragrant with flowers. There was a wooden bench half hidden in the flowers and shrubs, and she managed to make it to the seat before her legs gave out on her. Her head swam, and she put her head between her knees. What had she expected? Did she seriously think a man like Ryan Stevenson could find her beautiful? Desirable? She gave a choked laugh. What a fool she was. A total fool.
A shadow moved in the moonlight and Ryan’s voice floated out of the darkness. “Tess?”
She scrubbed at her cheeks. “I’m here.” How could she escape this situation with her dignity? But no, what difference did it make now? The shrubs rustled as he moved to join her.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
“Wrong? Why, nothing that a little money won’t fix, right? You needed a mother for your daughter, so why not pick someone no one else wanted?” By the time she was finished, her voice had risen to nearly a shout.
He tried to take her hand, but she jerked it away. “Tess, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Isabelle told me, okay? You don’t have to pretend any longer. I know you’re only dating me to find a mother for Sophia.”
“Isabelle said that?” He still sounded bewildered.
“I know all about Candace’s infidelity. I’m sorry about that, but it’s not okay to—to . . .” She ran out of words and out of strength.
He knelt in front of her. His dark curls gleamed in the wash of lamplight. The earnestness of his eyes drew her. “Tess, do you really think everything I’ve said has been a lie? Have you seen evil in me, Tess, have you?”
Her shoulders sagged. “No,” she whispered. “I’ve seen only goodness and mercy in your life.”
His lips smiled, but his eyes were serious. “Part of what Isabelle said is true. It’s hard for a man to admit he wasn’t enough for his wife. And I wasn’t enough for Candace. She was never happy at home. She craved bright lights and adulation.” He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled. “Some of it was my fault. I was working a lot of hours. She told me she wanted a divorce just before Sophia was born. We argued, and she went into labor early. Forty-eight hours later she was gone.”
“I’m so sorry.” She could hear the heartbreak in his voice and longed to heal his pain.
“So am I.” When he smiled again, the humor reached his eyes. “But I’m ready to love again. It sneaked up on me. I finally realized I was going to the bookstore for me, not for Sophia.”
She dared to cradle his face in her hands. His cheeks were smooth. He must have shaved tonight before he came to pick her up. “Can you say that one more time? I can’t quite grasp it.”
His hands circled her shoulders and he drew her close enough that his breath mingled with hers. “How about I make it clear, Miss Tess? I love you. I’m not quite sure when it happened. Maybe when you came into the store in that ridiculous clown suit. I knew then that you were a woman who would always be herself. Good, true, honest. And so very beautiful.”
When he pulled her toward him, she went willingly. His lips were everything she’d dreamed of: firm and warm and oh so tender. The feelings that washed over her weren’t motherly at all. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with all the passion she could muster. Which was quite a lot.
She lost all sense of place and time with his warm breath caressing her face. She could spend the rest of her life in his arms. And she had a suspicion that was exactly what he was planning.