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Nobody except Brendan and me.
I didn’t want to stray too far, so I turned back around and headed back. Brendan already had two beers in his hand, but rather than looking for me, he was surrounded by three women.
Three very familiar women.
The three blondes who had been following Danielle and me around the dress shops apparently hadn’t been just looking for dresses. As they simpered over Brendan, laughing, tossing their hair, touching him, I had a sneaking feeling that they were there to get a good look at me.
Jealousy swept over me, and I took a deep breath. This was a small town, and Brendan was not only sexier than sin, but he was also ridiculously wealthy. It shouldn’t surprise me that most of the women here had their sights set on him, but by now they had to know that he was married.
So what the hell did they think he was doing?
“Your husband is a very popular man around these parts,” an amused voice said. “But then, before you returned, he spent enough time with them to give them some hope of a future. It looks like the news of his wife hasn’t deterred them. Maybe they know something that the rest of us don’t.”
With an uneasy feeling, I turned around. The man speaking to me was a little older, in his mid to late thirties. He was dressed casually, but I could tell that the jeans and the shirt were brand new. The collar was stiff and starched, and there wasn’t a speck of dirt on him. I would have considered him handsome if he wasn’t staring at me with a curled lip of disgust.
“Excuse me? Do I know you?” I asked politely.
“No, I suppose we haven’t met. I’m Dennis Blackwell.”
Oh. Harry’s son.
No wonder Brendan was going to such great lengths to keep the land away from this man. I’d just met him, and he already made my skin crawl. “Jillian,” I said politely.
He took my hand and pressed it to his lips, but rather than a chaste kiss, he licked me.
With a shudder, I ripped my hand away. “That was uncalled for,” I said coldly.
“My apologies.” His smirk told me of his lie. “I can see why Ward married you. You are delicious. So I heard that you and Brendan are trying to make your marriage work. Funny how that happens right when my father told your husband he wanted a family man to take over.”
“There’s nothing funny about it,” I said coldly. “Brendan and I were married long before these issues ever came up.”
“Yes, and then estranged for years and years. Why didn’t you just get a divorce? Was it the money? You realized how wealthy your husband really is? If it’s money that you want, I’m sure that you and I can come to some sort of arrangement. What I want to do with that land will make me five times as wealthy as Ward, and I’d be more than happy to share it with someone who made it worth my while.”
His stare raked up and down my body, and I wanted to vomit all over his shiny boots.
“My wife is not for sale,” Brendan growled as he walked up to us. “And if you bother her again, you’ll find yourself face down in the mud. Are we clear?”
Immediately, I glanced around for the three blondes. They were glaring at me, and I felt a little better. “Brendan, it’s okay,” I murmured as I reached out and took the beer. “Really.”
“I would listen to your wife if I were you, Ward. A family man doesn’t get into brawls in public,” he drawled with a disgusting grin. “Jillian. I’ll be seeing you around. Maybe you’ll save a dance for me.”
“Not likely,” I said through clenched teeth. He walked away, and Brendan put a comforting arm around me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was here. I should have warned you about him.”
Sipping at my beer, I glanced back at the three women still staring at us. “It appears that you’ve been busy.”
Following my gaze, he gave me a small smile. “Jealous?”
“It’s hard to work on a marriage if the husband is a philandering pig.” I tried to keep my voice light, but I was angrier than I expected.
“It’s not like that. I’m not saying that I was a monk after I came back, but I’ve been careful. I’ve never been with anyone who expected more from me, and I haven’t been with anyone since I found out that I was still married. Actually, longer than that.”
“Why not?”
Brendan frowned, and he navigated me through the crowd until we were no longer in sight of the three stalkers. “I’m a lot of things, Jillian, but I’m no cheater.”
“It wouldn’t have bothered me,” I lied. “But that’s not what I meant. You thought you were single. Why didn’t you try and find someone to fall in love with?”
