Free His Darling Bride (Echoes of the Heart #3) by Anna DeStefano Page A

cards of yours,” he asked, “have anything to do with BenALoserAllHisLife ?”
    She laughed at his hijacking Nic and Clair’s running joke. She slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized people were staring again.
    “Only the part,” she told him, “where five years ago he passed off several of my paintings as his to get himself accepted to the New York art school we were going to together.”
    Mike’s expression hardened with the kind of swift fury she’d seen on her brother’s face just before Oliver punched Benjie.
    “He stole your work—plagiarized it—while he was dating you?”
    “I’m pretty sure,” she conceded, “that painting was the only reason he was dating me.”
    “He wanted you to teach him how to do what you did?”
    “As if I knew. And when I couldn’t . . .”
    “He outright took credit for something you created.”
    “Several somethings. Flattering, huh? And I’d thought it was true love. It took me a while to sort myself out after that.”
    “And now he’s sniffing around again? The guy’s lucky Armani didn’t take him apart before Thursday night.”
    “It was a long time ago.” Years of wrong men and wrong turns. She slid to the edge of her chair. “My mistakes with him are a distant blip on the radar.”
    “Then why invest so much energy into avoiding him?” Mike asked, putting two and two together and coming up with far more than he should have.
    She smiled and got to her feet. “I’m not avoiding him anymore. Thanks in no small part to you. And now you know the story behind the story. So, thank you again.”
    “You’re welcome again. But—”
    “No worries about the wedding, of course. I’ll make sure my family knows the truth. They won’t bother you about Thursday anymore.”
    “No worries.” He rose, too. The buzz of countless conversations quieted as diners tuned in for the big finish. “Helping someone should always be this much fun. I hope I haven’t added to the issues with your family. And in case we don’t get the chance to talk again, I—”
    Shandra rushed back over. She crashed into Bethany, nearly toppling her with a hug that wasn’t really a hug, but it felt like the best hug Bethany had ever gotten. Because her carelessness that morning hadn’t dimmed her sister’s enthusiasm for the day.
    “We’re going to be late,” Shandra said. “Class starts in forty-five minutes.”
    “Another foster sister?” Mike asked, letting go of whatever he’d been about to say.
    “Twin sister,” Shandra quipped.
    Bethany nodded. “This is—”
    “Shandra.” Mike touched the brim of his hat in another greeting. “I heard. And it’s Cowboy Mike, not Bob.”
    “She’s my forever sister,” Bethany clarified. Today of all days, Shandra needed to know Bethany was in for the long haul. “Once a Dixon, always a Dixon.”
    Her sister beamed.
    Mike did, too, as if their very personal moment had touched him. He held his hand out to Shandra. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
    Shandra shook. “Wow. Oliver didn’t say you were a hottie. No wonder Bethany’s been keeping you to herself all this time.”
    “Gotta go.” Bethany shook his hand as well, purely for the benefit of their audience. “Thanks again, Mike.”
    His grip held firm, as if he regretted saying goodbye as much as she did. He lifted her fingers to his mouth for a kiss. “The pleasure’s been all mine.”
    “I . . .” She pulled free. “I guess I’ll see you around town sometime.”
    “Sure,” he said. “See ya around.”
    Bethany practically dragged a gaping Shandra through the riveted G&Bs crowd, to the door, and then outside to her truck. Bethany should have locked herself inside the thing in the first place and sent Shandra to pick up their cheesecake. Because as hopeless as Bethany was at being on time, she was evidently even less skilled at ignoring the reckless things men like Mike Taylor made her feel.
    Drifting men. I’m not going to be around for long