The one in the University of Miami sweatshirt rubbed the side of his jaw as he blatantly stared at Hannah. "Is this the gal you spent all that time – "
"Are you going to stand around here all morning gawking, or are you going to help us move?" Riley demanded, lifting a box and shoving it into Don’s arms.
Don let out a loud grunt as the box was shoved against his chest, then cast the others a rueful grin before carrying it out the front door to the waiting van.
The four soon formed a small caravan, carting furniture and boxes. Within less than a half hour, everything in the kitchen and living room was neatly tucked inside the moving van.
In the bustle of activity, Hannah was left to her own devices. Before she misplaced her purse, she carried that down the stairs along with a bag of cleaning supplies and set them on the floor of the truck, locking the door. As she stepped away, she heard Burt murmur something to Riley about a woman named Judy. The short, stocky man who wore a Seahawk football jersey number twelve seemed concerned and abruptly stopped speaking when he noticed Hannah.
Riley turned and frowned, as though anxious she might have heard something he’d prefer she didn’t.
"You weren’t carrying anything, were you?" he demanded when the silence seemed as loud as thunder.
"My purse," she returned softly, and hurried up the stairs, pressing herself against the railing halfway up when Don and Steve walked past her, each holding one end of the mattress. As soon as they were safely past, she rushed up the steps, pondering what she’d overheard.
Judy.
From the way Burt and Riley behaved, it was apparent they hadn’t wanted her to hear. Their reaction led her to only one conclusion: Riley had been involved with the mystery woman. The fact he was married had certainly come as a surprise to the very men he’d labeled his friends.
So Riley had a woman friend; it shouldn’t come as any surprise. He was a virile man, and not once had she believed he’d lived the life of a hermit.
A weary feeling came over her when Hannah entered the apartment. Naturally Riley wouldn’t tell his friends about their marriage. No man would want to admit, even to the best of friends, that he’d been forced into marriage. Hannah swallowed at the growing lump in her throat. She’d been a fool not to realize Riley would be involved with someone else. Not only had her night of folly wreaked havoc in her own life, it had disrupted several others as well. Recriminations pounded at her like tiny hammers, and she sucked in a giant breath as she battled with her renewed sense of guilt.
Brushing the hair away from her face, Hannah walked over to the sliding-glass door that led to the balcony. Several long-legged cranes walked along the pebbled beach, their thin necks bobbing as they sauntered along the edge of the shallow water. Hannah folded her arms around her middle as she stiffened her spine. It had been Riley’s choice to marry her, she recalled. He’d insisted. She might have been able to dissuade her father from this marriage, but when Riley concurred, Hannah had agreed, too weak to battle the pair of them. Riley had chosen to marry her of his own free will, whatever his reasons, and despite the fact that he was currently involved with someone else.
Judy. Hannah was shocked by the hard fist of resentment that struck her as she mentally repeated the other woman’s name. Recognizing she was being utterly unreasonable didn’t help. It wasn’t as though her marriage was a great love match. Riley had never led her to believe it would be. No doubt he’d been with any number of women over the years.
The four men walked into the apartment, diverting her attention for the moment. Riley paused when he found her in the kitchen. His blue eyes searched her as if to read her thoughts, and when she offered him a weak smile, he seemed genuinely relieved.
Doing her best to stay out of the men’s way, Hannah did what she could to help the loading go as smoothly as possible. Generally, this consisted of directing traffic and answering minor questions.
It amazed her how smoothly everything was going. She’d assumed it would take most of the day to move, but the four men worked well as a team and handled the burdensome task with an economy of effort.
When the apartment was nearly empty, Hannah moved into the bedroom to push some boxes into the center of the room. She wanted to do something, anything other than stand idle. Never in her life had she stood by, wasting time while watching others work. It went against the very grain of her personality, and she deeply resented it now.
"Hannah!"
"I’m only trying to help," she cried. "You’re treating me like an old woman."
"I’m treating you like a pregnant woman," he countered sharply, gripping her by the shoulders. Despite the anger in his voice, his touch was light. Hannah raised her gaze to his, and when their eyes met, something warm and delicate passed between them. The silence swelled, filling the room. It was a comfortable silence that chased away the doubts she’d experienced earlier.
Whatever his reasoning, whatever hers, they were married now; and each in their own way seemed determined to make the best of the situation. If Riley had lost his love, then it was behind him now. She, too, had loved another.
Riley’s hands inched their way from her shoulder, caressing the sides of her neck. His eyes continued to hold hers, then with excruciating slowness, he lowered his gaze to her mouth. Hannah felt her stomach tighten. The soft throaty sound that slipped from between her lips came as a surprise to her. Her face was flooded with color as she realized she’d practically begged Riley to kiss her again. The very thought mortified her. After all, she’d been the one to lay the ground rules in this relationship, and that had included no touching, at least not for a while. To his credit, Riley had respected her wishes all week. They’d lived as brother and sister – or, more appropriately, as drill sergeant and draftee.
A smile captured his eyes as he lazily rubbed his moist lips over hers. His kiss was gentle and undemanding. Their lips clung as his mouth worked against hers, deepening the pressure and the intensity. Hannah found herself opening up to him. Her hands slid up the hard wall of his chest as she leaned into his strength, absorbing it. Fire danced in her veins as a welcome, foreign excitement filled her.
Riley ended the kiss abruptly, dragging his mouth reluctantly from her. "I don’t want you helping anymore. Understand?"
"But, Riley…"
"That’s my baby you’re carrying."
No sooner were the words out when Steve walked into the room. The other man’s gaze shot from Hannah to Riley and then back to her again, as though he weren’t sure he’d heard correctly. He didn’t comment, but it was apparent the information came as a shock, for his gaze grew deep and troubled.
"I can’t stand around doing nothing," Hannah protested heatedly, biting into her lip. Riley might have announced her condition with a bit more diplomacy, instead of dropping it like a hot coal in his friend’s lap a few minutes after introducing her as his wife.
A flustered Steve grabbed a box and left the room. Tears of embarrassment filled Hannah’s eyes as she abruptly moved away from her husband. Silly tears, she realized. There was no need to hide the fact she was pregnant; it would become obvious to all soon enough, and everyone would know the real reason Riley had married her.
"Hannah?" Riley’s tone was gentle, concerned. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so tactless."
Assuming he’d left with his friend, Hannah stiffened and kept her back to him as she smeared the moisture across her cheek. "I overreacted---I guess I’m just a little tired is all."
"You’re doing too much."
Hannah couldn’t help smiling at that. She’d barely lifted a finger all morning. Once again his hands rested on her shoulders; and he gently turned her into his arms. As before, his touch was tender. His breath mussed the soft brown curls that had escaped the scarf that held the hair away from her face. Closing her eyes, she soaked in the comfort she felt in his arms, which seemed to outweigh the revelations of that morning.
"Steve and the others would have figured it out sooner or later."
Unable to resist, she flattened her hands against his hard chest and rested her head there for several seconds. "You’re right. It’s probably best this way. It’s just that-"
"You’d have preferred for my friends to digest one piece of information at a time. You needn’t worry that they’ll judge us, you know. Friends wouldn’t." He smiled down on her and then leaned over to brush his mouth against hers once again.
Hannah blinked as he moved away from her, lifted a heavy box upon his shoulders and seemingly without effort carted it out the door.
She stood for a moment and pressed her fingertips to her mouth. These few brief kisses were the first they’d exchanged since that fateful night. It had been incredibly good. Incredibly wonderful.
Once the truck was loaded, Riley came for Hannah, escorting her down the stairs and unlocking the van door before helping her inside the cab. Coming around the front, he hopped into the driver’s seat, started the engine and then grinned over at her. "You ready, Mrs. Murdock?"
His smile and mood were infectious, and she nodded and grinned herself. "Ready."
Switching gears, he gripped the steering wheel and started whistling a catchy tune. It was the first time in a week or so, it seemed, that they hadn’t been at odds with each other; the first time that Hannah felt that her husband wasn’t going to storm at her for some imagined wrongdoing. Thus far into their relationship, he seemed more like a caretaker than a husband.
He continued whistling, smiling over at her every now and again. His hand reached for hers, and he linked their fingers together. He stopped whistling long enough to raise her hand to his mouth and kiss her knuckles.
"Who’s Judy?" The question was out even before Hannah realized she was going to ask it. Her timing might be lacking, but she was relieved to have the subject out in the open.
Riley stopped whistling; his happy sound was cut off abruptly as a weary silence filled the cab.
"What makes you ask?" He merged with the flow of traffic as they followed the highway that curved around Sinclair Inlet, his gaze not wavering from the roadway.
"I’m not stupid, you know," she returned, resenting his attitude. "I heard you and Burt talking. If you were involved with someone else, the least you could do is give me fair warning."
Riley’s frown deepened. "Judy and I are not involved – at least not the way you’re implying."
"I wasn’t implying anything," she answered primly. "I was just trying to save myself from future embarrassment."
"Future embarrassment?"
"Yes. It’s obvious your friends know nothing about me, and others might share the same concern as Burt had about…Judy. I don’t mean to make a federal case out of it." Indeed she deeply regretted bringing up the subject. "All I want to know is if someone is going to give me weird looks and then inconspicuously inquire about Judy when you introduce me."
"All Burt did was ask a simple question. One, by the way, that was none of your business," Riley returned shortly. His hands tightened around the steering wheel.
