Three Brides, No Groom Read Free Page B

helmet
from his head, he studied her for a moment and then asked with surprising
gentleness, “Gretchen, what happened?”
    She stiffened, shocked that he had read her so easily.
“Nothing.”
    His smile was decidedly off center. “You should never lie, not
when you do such a poor job of it.”
    She lowered her gaze and rubbed her palms together. “It’s
something I’d rather not discuss.”
    He stepped off the Harley and lowered the kickstand. “Fair
enough.”
    His size was intimidating. He was at least six-two, maybe even
six-three, almost dwarfing her five foot eight. She crossed her arms over her
chest, wondering at his intentions. As if he didn’t have a care in the world, he
leaned over the fountain, scooped up a handful of water and drenched his
face.
    He glanced toward her and chuckled, the sound low and teasing.
“Don’t worry, I won’t bite.”
    “I’m not worried,” she lied.
    His soft snicker told her she hadn’t convinced him. “I don’t
sacrifice virgins, either.”
    “I suggest you don’t start now. I’d crawl off the altar.”
    He laughed, but this time the sound was rich and deep. Ignoring
her, he turned his face toward the sky, and his features glistened as the water
dripped from his face. “Where’s lover boy this afternoon?” he asked.
    His question caught her off guard. From his tone, it was clear
that Josh knew about Roger and Didi. How many others did? Her face filled with a
rush of hot embarrassed color.
    “Who told you?” she asked, her voice low and trembling despite
her effort to remain cool and calm. Between Didi and Roger’s so-called friends,
the news must be everywhere by now.
    “Is it important?” he asked. His words were soft, quiet, as if
he feared saying them would increase her pain.
    “No, I guess it isn’t.” Some students thought of Gretchen as
privileged. While it was true her family had considerable wealth, when serving
as the student-body president she’d crossed swords with any number who willingly
tossed her background in her face. Her hard work as a communicator and
volunteer, and her fervor for honesty and justice, often won them over. Until
recently she preferred to think of her friends as many and her enemies as few.
Now she wasn’t so sure.
    Josh’s gaze turned narrow and assessing, which increased her
embarrassment tenfold. She inhaled a quivering breath.
    “Roger’s a first-class fool,” Josh said at last. “He deserves
to have his teeth kicked in.”
    While in theory she agreed with him—she wanted to see Roger
suffer for what he’d done—her sensibilities didn’t lean toward violence. Roger
had allowed the blame to ricochet from Didi to Gretchen and then back to Didi.
Gretchen wanted to scream and demand that Roger accept responsibility for his
own actions. To own up to what he’d done, instead of listing excuses meant to
absolve him of any guilt.
    “Gretchen!”
    As if her thoughts had conjured him up, Roger was striding
across the lawn toward the fountain. “What the hell are you doing here, Morrow?”
he asked, arriving breathless, his chest heaving.
    When Josh didn’t immediately answer, Roger faced Gretchen. “Is
he pestering you?”
    “Of course not,” she replied, angered by both the question and
the insinuation.
    “I told you to stay away from Gretchen,” Roger snarled at Josh.
As though she needed his protection, he reached out and grabbed hold of her
arm.
    “I suggest you let go of her,” Josh said, his voice deceptively
calm.
    Roger ignored him. “Come on, Gretchen, let’s get out of
here.”
    She jerked her arm free of his grasp and met his look squarely.
“I haven’t finished thinking about you and me yet.”
    Anger flared in Roger’s dark eyes. “What’s Morrow doing
here?”
    “What do you care?” Josh asked, his words a challenge.
    Roger glared at Josh and seemed to be weighing the odds of
engaging in a fistfight, then decided against it. Wisely, she thought.
    “Gretchen, I think you’d better