Free Newlywed Games by Mary Davis Page A

emptied. Changing in the bathroom, she ran a brush through her hair, and fixed her makeup.
    If her mother were up and wanted to know where her son-in-law was, Meghann would tell her he went to work early. Her mom would believe that. Oh, but what if he arrived in jogging clothes or something? Did he even
go
jogging in the morning? Okay, so the truth. That’s what she would tell her mom.
    What a novel idea
…
    She grimaced at the sarcastic thought. At least in this, she could be honest: Bruce was already gone when she got up and she wasn’t sure if he was jogging or at work.
    Meghann left the bedroom with confidence but stopped in midstride when she entered the dining area. Bruce sat at the table reading a Bible.
    His faith had always shown through at work, in the way he dealt with people, in the things he said and the kindness he showed. And the sight of him now, bent over the Bible, face intent on what he was reading, touched her heart deeply.
    She must have made some little noise because he raised his head and his gorgeous brown eyes settled on her.
    That heart-melting smile spread across his face. “Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?”
    “F-fine. And yourself?” Drat. Why couldn’t she think straight when he smiled at her like that? Her brain went to mush and her legs felt like they were melting out from under her.
    “Good.” He stood and pulled out a chair for her.
    She glanced around the apartment as she dutifully took the offered seat, thankful she didn’t have to rely on her unstable legs to keep her up. “Thank you.”
    “To answer your question—” he began.
    “What question?” She met his gaze. She hadn’t asked any question.
    “The one on your face.” He grinned as she felt her face flood with heat. “I slept on the couch in my office at the hotel.”
    Quick relief swept her, accompanied by a twinge of guilt.
You should have trusted him.
With a sigh, she leaned her chin on her hands. “I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”
    “It’s not a problem.” He shrugged off the apology and ducked into the kitchen. A minute later he returned with a plate full of sliced bagels and a variety of minimuffins. He placed a glass of orange juice and a small empty plate in front of her. “Water for your tea will be hot in a few minutes.”
    Her gaze traveled from the food up to him. Where did he get all this? Last night he apologized for not having any food on hand. And how did he know she liked tea and not coffee?
    His smile broadened as he tried to stifle a laugh.“Don’t ever take up poker, Meg. Your eyes are too expressive. It’s as though your thoughts are right there, waiting to be read.”
    Only by you.
No one else had ever understood her as well or as easily as this man. Why was that?
    He took his seat, still smiling, then pushed his Bible forward and rested his forearms on the table, leaning toward her. “I stopped by the grocery store on my way home.”
    She shook her head, and this time the laugh escaped him. She gave him an all-right-that’s-enough look.
Can you read that one, “darling”?
Surprise filled her when he sobered quickly—apparently he could!—but she could still see the amusement dancing in his eyes.
    “I stopped by your cottage to check on Lucky,” he said, obviously playing it safe with a change of subject. “She was snug in her doghouse. I couldn’t feed her though. The door’s locked.” He pulled a key from his pocket. Meghann looked up at him questioningly. “It’s a key to my apartment.” He handed it to her. “For when you and your mom want to go out when I’m not here.”
    She took the key and slowly looked up to his eyes. It was her turn to read the question there. “You want a key to my place?”
    “As your ‘husband’ I should have one. It would eliminate a potentially awkward situation.”
    She had to agree with his logic, but the past two days had already been filled with multiple awkward situations. What was one