Bed of Lies Read Free

"You two get lost?"
    His arm came around her waist, possession and tension evident. Julie stood sandwiched between her past on one side, her future on the other, both of them crowding her until she almost couldn't breathe. Steve's jaw was tight, his cheeks flushed. He glanced down pointedly at Zach's hand on her arm.
    If they'd stood there one more minute, Steve might have grabbed her other arm and they could have played tug-of-war with her. The testosterone levels were soaring. She'd never seen Steve behave this way.
    "I'm sorry," she stammered. "We were just... just—"
    "Talking about old times," Zach said. He let his hand fall to his side and stepped back, as if to cede that territory to Steve, ignoring all those not-so-subtle signs of a challenge. "Emma's pregnant again. She's my older sister. She and Rye are hoping for another boy this time to even things out. They already have two girls and a boy. Grace—my younger sister—studied art in Paris for several years. She loved it there, but now she's home."
    "And your parents are well?" Julie asked.
    "Couldn't be better."
    "I'm glad. They were always so kind to me."
    They arrived at the table to find Steve's father standing, pointedly waiting. Steve's mother was already seated. Steve held out a chair for Julie, one that put her squarely between the two men and staring at her future in-laws. Wonderful. Barbara Land seemed overjoyed, like tonight she'd find a reason to object to the engagement.
    Here Julie had been thinking she was home free from the moment the ring had gone onto her finger. But she wondered now if she'd ever feel safe and secure. That's all she'd ever wanted in life. It meant everything to her. She felt so safe with Steve.
    She slid into the chair, placed the crisp white napkin on her lap and looked around the table from one set of inquisitive eyes to another. Her composure slipped another notch.
    Another week was all she needed. She and Steve would formally announce their engagement then. Six weeks after that, they'd be married. Even if at some point in the future Steve found out everything, he wouldn't just walk away. Marriage vows meant something to him. Maybe he wouldn't care about her secrets at all. He claimed to love her, after all.
    No. He claimed to love the person she was pretending to be.
    "Ma'am?"
    The waiter was holding out a menu to her, probably had been for a while. Everyone at the table was staring at her. She took the menu, studying it intently, wondering what would be easiest on a stomach turning queasier with every passing moment.
    She gave a little start when the busboy leaned over her shoulder to fill her delicate crystal water glass. When she dared to look up from her menu again, he was gone. It was just the five of them sitting around the table. Silence fell, an awkwardness settling firmly into place.
    It was amazing. Zach had hardly said a thing, and yet they all seemed to know something was wrong. How did they know?
    "So... you're still in Ohio, Mr. McRae?" Barbara Land asked.
    "Yes," he said.
    "And what brings you to Memphis?" Steve's father asked.
    "A case," Zach said.
    "Case?"
    "I'm an attorney," he said.
    Oh, no. Julie was afraid she knew the case.
    She'd scanned the front-page headlines this morning as she'd hurried out the door. Even in a rush, she'd thought about Zach for a moment. Because she knew what he did. She'd stumbled across his name in the paper months ago, when he was defending a boy in Texas, trying to keep him off death row. Next thing Julie knew, he was on the television news. Zach McRae, right there in her living room, the first familiar thing she'd seen in ages. She'd drunk in the sight of him and the sound of his voice, and the passion in his words.
    "You're defending that boy, aren't you?" she asked. "What's his name? Tim? Tom?"
    "Tony Williams." Zach's gaze settled on her, once more seeming to see right inside her.
    She couldn't tell if he was surprised or pleased. Obviously, she'd been keeping up with him,