Something Borrowed (Borrowed Brides 3)

At that moment, Lee sighed in his sleep and rolled from his stomach to his side. The mattress dipped and shifted with his movement, and Mama rolled with him. The sheet, which had been modestly draped over his hip, slipped a bit lower as the doll rolled into the curve of his body. Mary stopped abruptly and stared at the thick blond hair that covered Lee's chest then tapered into a golden line that snaked down to where it disappeared from view beneath the sheet. She didn't move for a moment for fear of waking him—and barely dared to breathe, fearing he would hear the heavy pounding of her heart against her rib cage. Mama was within her reach, if only she dared to reach for her. Quickly, she made a grab for the doll. Reaching blindly, Mary closed her fingers around the doll's satin wedding dress, intending to jerk Mama toward her, but froze when the back of her hand grazed the sheet above Lee's loins. Mary sucked in a breath. She wanted to snatch her hand away, but found she couldn't.

Lee had reached out and gripped her wrist.

"You're exploring dangerous territory, Mary Two-shot," he said, slowly opening his gray eyes.

"I was trying to g-get M-Maddy's d-doll," Mary stammered nervously. "Sh-she threw it on the bed beside you."

Lee smiled, and his mustache tilted at an angle guaranteed to send Mary's heart racing. "You nearly got more than the doll, didn't you? You almost got more than you bargained for, huh?" He lowered his gaze.

She felt the hot blush creep from her neck to her face. "I-I d-didn't mean…"

His smile broadened. "My mistake." Lee slowly let go of Mary's wrist.

But Mary didn't move her hand. She didn't move at all. She simply stood there staring at him.

"When I woke up and found you groping…"

"I wasn't groping," she replied indignantly.

"Exploring then…"

"1 wasn't exploring either," she said. "I was trying to reach Maddy's doll."

"Whatever," Lee yawned widely and waved away Mary's explanation. "As I was saying, when I awoke and found you reaching for certain parts of my anatomy, I thought you might be interested in…"

Mary's blush deepened. "I'm not."

"You didn't let me finish, Two-shot." He sounded hurt.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to hear the rest of what you have to say."

"Hmmm." Lee yawned again and settled himself more comfortably against the soft mattress to give Mary's answer more thought. He had been about to ask Mary if she was ready to forget about her aborted marriage to Pelham Cosgrove III and the honeymoon that should have followed and concentrate on making a real marriage with him.

Lee thought about his relationship with Mary. It was a different sort of relationship than the one he had had with his first wife, Jeannie, and

worlds apart from the brief affair he'd had with Tabby Gray, but there was something—a foundation—to build on. He was sure of it. There was a spark of desire between them that might flame into a fire big enough to burn their entire lifetime. Lee smiled at the idea. He wasn't stupid, nor was he blind. He knew how it felt to kiss her, and how it felt when she responded. He understood the significance of Mary's stuttering. Lee had heard her sting her brother with her sharp tongue. And he had been on the receiving end himself a few times. But now, he also realized he made her nervous—knew that he, alone, had the power to make her forget how to form coherent sentences. He recognized the look in her eyes, the challenge coupled with something more… She was ready for a honeymoon all right. But who would she be sleeping with—him or the memory of Pelham Cosgrove?

Lee braced himself on his elbow so he could look at Mary. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you're not ready. But I'll be here when you are, Mary Two-shot. I'll be right here waiting."

"For how long?" His confidence shook her a bit. He'd be waiting for her, he said. But for how long? Until the next case came along? Until Pinkerton wired him telling him to report to Chicago or Washington or London or wherever the Agency needed him? Lee had told her he had decided to quit the Agency, but would he go through with his decision? And if he did, when would he resign? A week from now? Six months? A year? Would he fulfill his obligations before he resigned? Would he find Lily Catherine for David and Tessa as he promised? And what about him? What about his fidelity? His commitment to their marriage. Was he planning to stay with her for a lifetime, or just until the next pretty woman came along?

Lee had proposed to her on impulse and married her on the spur of the moment. And Mary had heard him propose to Tessa once as well. Did he make a habit of it? Was she his only wife? Or did he have a string of them in other little railroad towns like Utopia? Did he love her at all, or even like her? Mary sighed. She wanted to share his bed. She couldn't deny it. But should she trust him with her body when she wasn't sure she could trust him with her heart?

"As long as you want me," he said.

"What happened to 'till death us do part'?" Mary asked.

"I don't know, Mary," Lee said quietly. "You tell me."

"Mama," Maddy whined, reaching for the doll Mary still held in her hand.

"She wants her doll," Lee prompted.

"I know what she wants," Mary snapped at him.

"Do you?"

"Yes." Mary had to blink back the sudden sting of tears as she jerked the toy off the bed and handed it to Madeline. Maddy called her doll Mama. She wanted it to comfort her. She wanted it to serve as substitute for the mother she didn't have. But she didn't want a new mother any more than Lee wanted a wife. "She's tired and sleepy. It's time I put her to bed for her nap."