Bride by Mistake by Marilyn Shank Read Free Book Online Page A

look, Zach. They’ve even printed their menu.”
    Meg’s cell phone rang, and her stomach clenched when she noticed Martin’s number on the caller ID. She’d ignored a couple of his calls, since speaking to her boyfriend in the presence of her “fiancé” could prove challenging. But if she didn’t answer this time, Martin would worry. And possibly send a SWAT team to check on her.
    “I need to take this, Zach. Why don’t you check out the menu and we’ll choose something when I get back?”
    “Is it your law firm calling? Do they want you to plan a baby shower?” Zach’s gray eyes caught Meg’s and their teasing gleam made her want to giggle. Even when the man gave her trouble—which was often—she could hardly resist his charm.
    “You’re not funny,” Meg retorted as she hurried to Liza’s master bath. After closing the door, she flipped on the overhead fan so Zach couldn’t pick up snippets of conversation.
    “Hello? Is that you, Martin?”
    “Hey there, sweet stuff. You must be having fun,” he said pleasantly. “I called several times but it went to voice mail.”
    “Sorry. I’ve just been relaxing and enjoying this vacation,” Meg lied. All she did these days was lie!
    “That’s good. I know you were frustrated with teaching and needed a break. Glad you’re getting one.”
    “Me too,” she affirmed. “How are you, Martin? How’s the convention going?”
    “So far, so good. I present my paper tonight. Hope it’s impressive enough for all the bigwigs attending.”
    “You’ll do awesome. You’re a great public speaker.”
    Martin laughed in his easy, relaxed manner. “And you’re my best supporter, honey. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
    Meg smiled. Her sweet, humble Martin. So talented yet not full of himself like so many men she knew.
    “How’s the weather in Los Angeles?”
    “Warm and sunny. But I miss Meadow Springs and can’t wait to go home.”
    “I hear you,” Meg said, wishing passionately that she were going home. Going home to Martin and to her small-town life, and, best of all, leaving her pretend fiancé behind.
    “If I don’t call you a lot, don’t worry. I’ll be busy with meetings and contacts.”
    “I won’t worry. Just enjoy yourself.”
    “Thanks, Meg. Miss you.”
    “Me too. But we’ll both be home soon.”
And the sooner the better
, Meg thought.
    “Enjoy your time with Liza. Tell her I said hello.”
    “Um, I will,” Meg said. She could tell Liza hello from Martin the next time they talked on the phone. Then this wouldn’t qualify as a fib.
    “Good luck with your speech, Martin. Love you.”
    “Love you too. Bye now.”
    After she hung up, Meg leaned against the sink in an effort to calm her jangled nerves. A few days ago her life was moving steadily toward her goal of marriage and family. She’d felt utterly content. Maybe not exhilarated, but satisfied with her life and her choices.
    So why were question marks starting to appear in her thoughts? If she really loved Martin, and she absolutely did, why did she feel so attracted to Zach? Was her reaction to the man just a remnant of her high-school crush?
    Meg shook her head. How foolish to let a high-school heartthrob make her question her carefully planned life. Good thing Martin had called. Hearing his voice had given her a reality check. It had taken nearly three decades for Mr. Right to come along, but he’d finally appeared. Martin Landsburg was the perfect man for her.
    Meg suddenly remembered that another man waited patiently in the living room, knee-deep in catering information. She glanced in the mirror. “Back to work, Liza O’Malley, attorney at law,” she told her mirror image. Her two worlds—the real and the pretend—had almost collided. But she’d sidestepped disaster this time. Hopefully she could continue.
    Meg fluffed her hair and returned to her Liza responsibilities: helping Zach plan Eloise’s party. From here on she’d remember who she really was: a