Wedding Series Boxed Set (3 Books in 1) (The Wedding Series) by Patricia McLinn Read Free Book Online

gotten out and come around to open her door. She thanked him, but ignored his hand.
    She'd known him less than eight hours, but sometimes that was all it took to see the flaws. He'd made no effort to hide them. From his own words she'd learned he hated schedules and put fun ahead of responsibility. He hadn't learned that achievement followed a plan.
    It all added up to one message: he was a man to stay away from.
    Too bad her hormones didn't agree.
    "A hatchback, huh?"
    She followed the direction of his gaze to the garage door windows. Oh. Hatchback. Car.
    "That's right. A total suburbanite, that's me. It comes in handy for hauling things from the hardware store."
    "But you don't drive in to the city?"
    "Not if I can help it. It's more efficient to take the train. That way I can work during the commute and don't have to worry about parking. You always drive?"
    "I like the freedom."
    Stepping within the pool of light at the front door, she took a slow, steadying breath as she unlocked the door then turned to him, holding out her hand.
    "Thank you, Paul. I enjoyed the evening. Dinner was wonderful, and Mama Artemis's is a real find. I -"
    He ignored the hand and the speech. Grasping her upper arms, he turned her to face him, startling her into silence. He bent his head, so slowly she thought she might explode from the waiting before he ever reached her lips.
    And then, when the waiting had finally ended, all he did was brush his mouth against hers - top lip, bottom, top lip again. Softly, quickly.
    "Good night, Bette."
    He turned her around and headed her inside. Automatically, she closed the storm door and wooden door behind her. But she couldn't move any farther. She heard his car door shut, heard the engine start, heard his car back up and pull away, and still she stood, leaning against the door's wooden panels, staring into the hallway's familiar shadows.
    One thought; filled the yawning emptiness his touch had made of her mind.
    Uh-oh.
     

Chapter Three
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    PAUL TURNED THE corner and caught one last glimpse of the neat neighborhood in the rear view mirror.
    A neighborhood where all the corners were squared, all the houses in a straight line, all the lawns trimmed and the trees big. Someone with a ruler had probably plotted out the whole thing, including the flower beds filled with yellow mums.
    It suited Bette Wharton right down to the ground.
    A vague vision of his apartment rose in his mind. Although he'd lived there several years he couldn't form a clear picture of it.
    The walls were light, maybe white, and the windows good-sized so tree-dappled sunlight made it into the rooms. He had an old couch his mother gave him when she redecorated the room over the garage. But he could envision it better in that hideaway of his teen years than in his own living room. Books, a TV and stereo equipment rested on shelves of boards and bricks, smacking a bit of college days. But he'd been reluctant to put up shelves. That seemed too permanent, too attached.
    He accelerated onto the tollway and headed north.
    That seemed too permanent, too attached.
    Maybe that was what bothered him about the museum deal.
    Jobs he'd done for several museums around the country as one-shot deals had worked out fine. In fact, he'd enjoyed them. The people sure weren't in the business for money, and he liked that about them.
    Plus, he appreciated that museums these days were acknowledging the lighter side of everyday life, the toys, the games, the hobbies. And he enjoyed visits to Washington, especially since they gave him a chance to visit Tris.
    But now, with the Smithsonian talking about a regular arrangement . . . He just didn't know.
    Someone like Bette Wharton would probably jump at this kind of opportunity. He suspected that, to her, it would be a building block in some great life plan.
    He checked the rearview mirror as he steered toward the exit, caught sight of his half smile and turned it into a grimace.
    All right, so he was attracted to