His Brother's Bride

He’s not Paul, she reminded herself. And then turned cold.

Were loneliness and grief driving her to transfer her love for Paul to his younger brother? God, she hoped not. Really hoped not.

She’d guard against it with her life.

“Shut up, Hunter,” Bonnie said. And after sending Scott a disgusted look, she turned to Laurel. “A ball cock’s an automatic valve—its opening and closing are controlled by the float at the end of the flush lever on toilets,” Bonnie explained.

Scott had known that. He’d been teasing her. Like in the old days.

Laurel suddenly felt like crying.

* * *

“DID YOU EVER GO OUT with Bonnie Cooper?”

Scott didn’t like the pleasure Laurel’s question brought him—as though she actually cared about whom he did and didn’t date.

“No.”

They’d left the younger woman a couple of hours before and had spent the rest of the morning showing Byrd’s picture around town, to no avail. Not that Scott was surprised. Most everyone in Cooper’s Corner had been at the barbecue on Saturday.

“You dated a lot in

high school, though,” Laurel said. She was looking out her window. He couldn’t see her expression.

He had no reason to take hope that she was at all interested in his love life. Laurel was in love with his dead brother. There was no future for her with Scott, because Paul’s memory still lived on in her heart, and Paul’s death weighed heavily on his.

“I don’t think I dated any more than anyone else,” Scott replied eventually.

“Yeah,” Laurel said, her voice taking on that half condescending, half teasing tone that shot straight to his groin. “If I went out with even a quarter as many guys as you did girls, I’d have been considered a sleaze. And would have failed school, too.”

“You’re hardly a qualified judge of such things,” Scott told her. “You only dated one guy your whole life.”

He could have bitten off his tongue for bringing Paul into the conversation. And yet, maybe what he’d done was exactly right.

Paul was going to keep him safe. From her. From himself.

“In high school, I guess you’re right,” Laurel said slowly.

“You dated other guys in college? I know you went to different schools, but I thought you and Paul were exclusive even then.”

“We were.” Her voice sounded far away. “But Paul’s been gone for three and a half years.”

Scott’s blood ran cold. “Are you seeing someone?” The idea had never occurred to him, though it should have.

Of course Laurel would be dating. She was young. Beautiful. She had her whole life ahead of her. A husband. Kids.

“No,” she said.

He knew he was in trouble when that single word brought a flood of relief. He had to find Byrd and get this woman out of his life once and for all before he did something he’d regret for the rest of his life.

Like make a move on his dead brother’s fiancée.

“Not at all?” He’d told himself not to ask.

“No.”

She’d loved Paul that much.