more than a silly, spoiled princess. Now she was a pathetic mess.
It grated on her nerves to have Griffin bear witness to the most humiliating moment of her life. Chances were good he’d eventually congratulate his younger brother for escaping a lifetime shackled to the darling of the Spencer family. That thought was equally irritating since her only sin had been trusting the wrong man.
She gingerly put her right foot on the ground, hoping the pain might have miraculously disappeared. Instead, a sharp stab of pain caused her to whimper, and she turned without a word and hobbled the few steps to the Land Cruiser.
To his credit, Griffin didn’t say anything or try to help her. It was like he could sense that her composure was as thin as an eggshell and might splinter into a thousand pieces if he got too close. She hated feeling fragile, hated being hurt, hated Trevor and his litany of excuses.
Griffin shut the door when she finally managed to get herself up into the SUV and gather the dusty fabric of her wedding gown’s train into the vehicle.
He’d left the Land Cruiser running, and Maggie was profoundly grateful for the cool air blowing from the vents. The strap of the heel cut into her flesh, but she didn’t pull off the shoe. There was a decent chance she’d scream or throw up if she did, and neither was going to happen in front of Griffin.
“I’m guessing we aren’t headed back to the church,” he said as he pulled away from the curb.
“I bought Grammy’s house a few years ago. She lived—”
“I know where your grandmother lived.” Griffin’s knuckles turned white gripping the steering wheel. “I grew up here.”
She had the odd sense she’d hurt his feelings, although that would be far-fetched on a good day. Griffin had always made his derision for Stonecreek crystal clear, and he’d left them all behind the first chance he got. Still, she couldn’t help being a champion for the town. It was in her blood. “The neighborhood has a lot of young families now. It’s nice.”
Griffin’s response was a noncommittal grunt, and Maggie let out a sigh. She shouldn’t be trying for small talk, not under the best of circumstances, and let alone when she was running away from her wedding to his younger brother.
Trevor had promised he’d stall as long as possible, so Maggie figured she had about thirty minutes until her family descended on the two-story Cape Cod–style house she’d purchased from her grandmother three years ago.
Grammy wasn’t going to take the news well, no matter how justified Maggie was in walking away.
Another complication, because Maggie couldn’t tell her grandmother the truth. She’d promised Trevor—
“What did he do?” Griffin asked suddenly, like he could read her mind.
“It wasn’t Trevor.” The words were sawdust in Maggie’s throat. “He’ll always be a friend, but we were never suited for marriage.” She gave what she hoped was a bittersweet smile. “I’m just sorry it took me so long to realize it.”
That was good. She sounded regretful but not angry. Surely, people would accept her explanation. Everyone knew Maggie Spencer wouldn’t lie.
“Is he gay?” Griffin asked conversationally.
Maggie’s eyes widened. “No. We had a healthy... I mean, we’re both busy so it wasn’t exactly... Just no.”
“Another woman? A gambling addiction? Internet porn?”
“Why can’t you believe I made the choice to walk away?”
“Because you always do what’s expected, and a union between the Spencers and the Stones is something people around here have wanted for ages.” He pulled up in front of her house and threw the Land Cruiser into Park. “You don’t have the guts to defy them.”
Too stunned to move as Griffin got out of the SUV, Maggie watched him walk around the front toward her side. It was like he’d clocked her with a sledgehammer. A man she hadn’t seen for almost a decade—a man who’d never said a nice thing to her in all the years they’d known each other—had just summed up her life in one sentence, and it didn’t reflect well on her.
Especially because it was true.
“You don’t know me,” she said through clenched teeth as he opened the door. She went to push past him, a challenge with her ankle, but it didn’t matter. Griffin scooped her into his arms, ignoring her protests, and stalked toward the front door.
“Is it locked?”
“No,” she muttered, “and put me down.”
“Once we’re inside.”
He shifted his hold to reach for the doorknob, pulling her more tightly against his chest. She couldn’t help but breathe in the scent of him, tempting and dark like every rebellious thought she’d ever had but never acted on.
His heat enveloped her and she fisted her hands in the lapels of his navy suit jacket. She had the unbidden urge to press her mouth to the suntanned skin of his throat and forced her gaze to remain fixed on his striped tie.
The house was quiet, and he set her gently on the sofa, then knelt down in front of her.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking your ankle.” He pushed up the fabric of her gown, revealing her open-toe sandals with the delicate pearl detail across the straps. The shoes were elegant and glamorous and she needed them off her feet about as much as she needed to breathe.
Yet Griffin touching her was too much when she was in pain and emotionally vulnerable.
“I can handle it.”
“Let me look.” He undid the ankle strap, and she was amazed at how gentle his calloused hands were as they gripped her leg. “I was a combat medic during my time in the army.”
The pain had lessened slightly, or maybe she’d become numb to it. “You wore your dress blues to your dad’s funeral.” It was the last time Griffin had been home to Stonecreek, although she doubted he considered the town his home any longer.
His broad shoulders stiffened, but he nodded.
“Are you out of the army now?”
Another slight nod.
She winced as he manipulated her ankle, rotating it gently to one side then the other. “Why did you leave?”
He glanced up at her, his gaze both guarded and intense. “Why didn’t you marry my brother?”
“I already tol—”
“Trevor did something, Maggie.” He lowered her foot to the floor and sat back as he studied her. “Tell me what it was.”
“So you can rush off and slay my dragons?” she asked with a laugh, flipping her gown down over her knees. “Playing the part of hero doesn’t suit you, Griffin.”
Something flashed in his gaze, but it was gone before she could name it. “An understatement,
