Free Real Men Don't Quit by Coleen Kwan Page A

those gorgeous lips had wandered all over her neck, and that black stubble had rasped against her skin. The memory sent a shiver through her. She hadn’t seen Luke since that night, but he stubbornly occupied her thoughts, day and night.
    “Hi, Tyler,” a man spoke from behind her. “Hi, Chloe.” She turned to see Nate, Ally’s fiancé, in his pickup truck idling at the curb. “Ally mentioned your car problems. Can I give you a ride home? We were minding Ally’s nephews the other day, so I still have a booster seat for Chloe here.”
    “That would be great,” Tyler responded, glad for an interruption from her thoughts. She strapped Chloe into the booster seat before climbing in the passenger side. “Thanks, Nate.”
    Nate cleared his throat as he pulled off. “Actually, I wanted to have a word with you in private. It’s about Ally and the wedding.”
    Tyler shot him a sharp glance and caught his furtive air. What was going on here? All the evidence suggested Nate was fully committed to Ally, but what if he wasn’t? What if he was thinking of bailing on her?
    “I don’t want Ally to know I’m talking to you.” Changing gears, he steered the vehicle around a corner. “You know how she’s getting nervy about the wedding?”
    “I do, and who can blame her? She doesn’t want a repeat of the last debacle.”
    “I keep telling her I love her and I’m busting to marry her. For Pete’s sake, the whole wedding was my idea in the first place!” Nate blew out a sigh of frustration. “But nothing I say is enough to reassure her, and it’s gotten to the point where she’s dreading the whole lead up. So I’ve decided to short-circuit the ordeal. I’m going to throw her a surprise wedding.”
    “What’s a surprise wedding?”
    “It’s a surprise party with the addition of a minister. Ally won’t know it’s coming. That way she won’t have time to worry if I’ll turn up. It’ll just happen, and she can enjoy herself. So what do you think?”
    Tyler thought for a few moments before replying, “I think it’s a bloody brilliant idea.”
    Nate flashed her a relieved grin. “It’ll still be at Clifton Gardens, but on Sunday, three weeks from now. I’ve already taken over all the wedding arrangements because Ally’s been dragging her feet, so it’s no hassle for me to change the dates and tell all the guests. But there’s one thing I need your help with. You have to get Ally to choose her wedding gown. I can’t do that for her.”
    “I don’t know how I’ll get her into a bridal shop. She refuses even to look at any wedding magazines.”
    “Tell me about it.” Nate rolled his eyes. “But if anyone can convince her, it’s you. Can I count on you?”
    The anxiety in his expression caught her attention. She knew Nate was in love with Ally, but she hadn’t realized how much agony he was going through until now. And the same torture was tying Ally in knots as she fretted irrationally about being jilted once more. If this was what love did to happy, committed couples, then Tyler was glad she’d escaped its jaws. She didn’t need this kind of torment in her life. Not that she’d sworn off men. She was no nun, and she had all the usual urges of a sexually active woman, but she could satisfy those urges without putting her heart—and her life—on the line. Once you succumb to love, your life is no longer your own , she thought. She’d been burned once with Chloe’s dad; she wasn’t dumb enough to repeat the experience.
    She reached over to pat Nate’s hand. “Sure. You can count on me. I’ll get Ally to a bridal shop if I have to drag her in kicking and screaming.”
    “Thanks.” Relief spread across Nate’s face. “It’s good to know Ally has a friend with lady balls.”

    Nate tooted his horn and drove off, leaving Tyler and Chloe outside their house. “Come on, chickadee,” Tyler said to Chloe as they walked toward the cottage. “I’ll make you a peanut-butter sandwich for