Free White Lace and Promises by Debbie Macomber Page A

stricken eyes glaring down at him when he woke. He had wanted to take her in his arms and explain, but she’d jumped from the bed as if she couldn’t get away fast enough. Not that he blamed her. The worst part was that he couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t happen again. Angie had been an integral part of his life for nearly two years. He had cast her from his thoughts with an all-consuming effort, but he had no control over the ramblings of his mind while he slept. He stroked his fingers through his hair and heaved a disgusted sigh. Whatever it was, he wouldn’t allow it to ruin this marriage. Somehow he’d find a way to make it up to Maggie.
    The bathroom door opened and Glenn turned anxiously. He studied Maggie’s face for evidence of tears and found none. He had forgotten what a strong woman she was and admired her all the more. He vividly recalled the time she was fifteen and broke her arm skateboarding. She’d been in intense pain. Anyone else would have been screaming like a banshee, but not Maggie. She had gritted her teeth, but hadn’t shed a tear. He also remembered how the only person she had trusted to help her had been him. The guilt washed over him in dousing waves.
    “Can we talk now?” he asked her gently.
    “I think we should,” she said, pacing, because standing in one spot seemed an impossible task. “We need to make some rules in this marriage, Glenn.”
    “Anything,” he agreed.
    “The first thing you have to do is stop loving that other woman right now. This minute.” Her voice trembled, and she battled for control.
    Glenn felt physically ill. Maggie was unnaturally pale, her cheeks devoid of color. Herdark, soulful eyes contained a sorrow he longed to erase, and yet he knew he couldn’t. His thoughts were in turmoil. “You know I’d never lie to you.”
    “Yes.” Glenn might be a lot of things, she knew, but a liar wasn’t one of them.
    “Maggie, I want this marriage to work, but what you’re asking me to do is going to be hard.”
    A tingling sensation went through her that left her feeling numb and sick. She wouldn’t share this man—not even with a memory.
    “In that case,” she murmured and swallowed, “I’ve got some thinking to do.” She turned from him and started toward the door.
    “Maggie.” Glenn stopped her, and she turned around. Their eyes met and held. “You don’t want a divorce, do you?”
    The word hit Maggie with all the impact of a freight train. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I may be mad, Glenn Lambert, but I’m not stupid.”
    The door made an echoing sound that bounced off the walls as Maggie left the hotel room. Glenn felt his tense shoulder muscles relax. It had taken everything in him to ask her about a divorce. That was the last thing he wanted, but he felt he had to know where Maggie stood after what had happened that morning.
    The curious stares that met Maggie as she stepped off the elevator convinced her that the first thing she had to do was buy something to wear that was less ostentatious. A wrinkled pink maid-of-honor gown would cause more than a few heads to turn, and the last thing Maggie wanted was attention. In addition, she couldn’t demand that her husband give up his affection for another woman and love and care for her instead, when she looked like something the cat left on the porch.
    The hotel had a gift shop, where she found a summer dress of pale blue polished cotton, which she changed into after purchasing it. A walk through the lobby revealed that Glenn was nowhere to be seen. With time weighing heavily on her hands, Maggie pulled a ten-dollar bill from her purse. Already the hotel casino was buzzing with patrons eager to spend their money. Standing in front of the quarter slot machine, Maggie inserted the first coin. Pressing the button, she watched the figures spin into a blur and slowly wind down to two oranges and a cherry. Maggie stared at the fifty cents she’d won in disbelief. She didn’t expect to