Page 52 of Seaside Cowboy's Marriage of Convenience

Once the waiter left, she broke off the tip of a still-warm breadstick, enjoying the aroma of freshly baked bread. “The more I remember and the more I allow myself to analyze things in light of my discoveries, the more it seems Mom never loved Dad. She just pretended to, while they were in public. It was different at home.”

“That’s so sad.” His eyes reflected his words. “Why do you think she married him then?”

“I talked about it with my uncle and showed him the pendant with your dad’s photo in it before you and I left on the trip. He didn’t look surprised. Dad was a trust-fund baby.” The breadstick soured in her stomach. Not a great start to a romantic lunch. “Uncle said my dad was smitten from the moment he met my mother. But it seemed to be a marriage of convenience for her.”

Who’d have thought Kennedy would follow her parents’ footsteps that way? Only in her case, she’d been the one to propose a marriage of convenience. Her heart constricted. Was she going to repeat her father’s story and fall in love with a person who’d never love her back?

The waiter brought their food, and Austin chatted to him about different things, then showed Zoey’s portrait. Kennedy suppressed a grimace when the guy turned out to be another person who’d “never seen this woman.”

Once the waiter left, Austin said grace.

Kennedy munched on ripe tomatoes from her salad, then scooped up a few olives while her thoughts took a route she didn’t want them to take. Just minutes ago, she was happy with Austin in this small historic country. Why did she have to dig into her past? Into the past of two people who were supposed to be dearest to her but who were instead like strangers.

Austin cut his chicken Parmesan. “I always thought marriage was between two people who love each other.” Then his eyes darkened. “Though I vowed I’d never treat anyone the way Dad treated Mom and us.”

Kennedy flinched from a scary thought and clutched onto the fork to prevent it from dropping. If her father had ever found this secret Kennedy had recently discovered, he had a motive to see Austin’s father gone. But Austin’s dad’s death had been ruled suicide. Besides, nobody seemed to know about the connection between her mother and Austin’s dad. Nobody had ever thought to check Kennedy’s parents’ alibis.

All Kennedy could do now was hope they hadn’t been involved. She bit into her breadstick and flushed it down with her lime-flavored water.

Of course, Austin was caring and kind and wouldn’t cheat on her. But she wouldn’t want him to be miserable if he never developed feelings for her. Why did she think she could make this work when she’d had such a stark example that it never had worked out with her parents?

“They were two unhappy people stuck together.” She forked chicken and smothered it in the white sauce, her appetite disappearing fast. She didn’t want to live her life like that, and she wouldn’t want Austin to, either. She took a bite of her chicken Alfredo, and it was juicy and tender, more than enough to feed her body. But her soul was hungry for something else.

Someone else. The person sitting right in front of her.

A fiddler started playing on a small stage, and the sounds were piercing. While beautiful, the music seemed to be written by someone who longed for love, who cried for love, and she could relate.

“Our story isn’t the same as their story. It’s up to us to live our lives honoring and cherishing each other.” He reached across the table and touched her hand.

His touch sent a lovely feeling straight to her heart. Yet she had no clue how to show him she cherished him already. She only knew she wouldn’t repeat her father’s mistake. He’d tried to buy his gorgeous wife’s affection with lavish parties, expensive trips, and sparkling jewelry.

But love couldn’t be bought, only given. And Austin wasn’t a person to be bought, anyway.

Then her phone beeped with an incoming message, interrupting their connection. He withdrew his hand, causing regret to tighten her stomach. She glanced at a nearby table where Rachel nodded, indicating the text was from her.

Kennedy didn’t like to use a phone during meals, but her curiosity was piqued. “Rachel sent us some information.”

“Please see what it is.” Austin leaned forward.

She read the text, then conveyed it in a hushed tone. “She found Mme. Lavigne’s niece.”

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As much as Austin waseager to get home to his family and his menagerie of furry patients, regret stung as they flew back to South Carolina, leaving the magical tiny country with its history spanning many centuries. Not just because their mission there wasn’t accomplished. Mme. Lavigne’s niece had told them via phone that she’d deleted the video. She’d then refused to meet with them. No, his regret was because while in Lazoria, he’d gotten a chance to spend much more time with Kennedy, and every moment had drawn them closer and closer.

Now he still loved looking at the clouds below them out the window and enjoyed the luxury of the jet, but the person near him was more fascinating than all the wonders of the world. And the more he’d gotten to know her, the more fascinated he’d become.

He covered her hand with his as he shifted to her as much as the cream-hued leather couch allowed. She looked up from her laptop and smiled absently, her thoughts somewhere else. A large part of him longed to have her attention only on himself.

Yet before he married her, he knew she was a workaholic, laser-focused on her job. Well, he also worried about his furry patients and missed his human family—okay, he should’ve put “human family” first. But unlike her, he didn’t live and breathe his job.

However, he understood her drive better now. She worked so much not just to prove herself or add more properties to an already impressive list. Gratitude to her uncle and misplaced guilt propelled her. Besides, her lonely childhood left her with a void she’d done her best to fill with work and outward success, and she wouldn’t be the first one to do so.

His CEO brother, Tex, had been doing the same, only his childhood wasn’t lonely.

Lord, please help Kennedy. And please help me understand how best to help her. I want her to be happy so much.

He glided his fingers over hers. “I hope everything is well at the hotels.”

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