Runaway Bride

  * * *

  He didn't buy all her story. She was leaving entirely too much out.

  After a few minutes, she reached for another piece of chicken. "This is great, did you cook it?"

  He almost laughed aloud. "Not hardly, I can't boil water. No, Mrs. Johnson my housekeeper leaves me something to gnaw on for Sundays, if I don't wander over to the church. They put on a regular Sunday spread. Or I can make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

  She laughed.

  God, he wasn't prepared to see that smile of hers. It lit up her face and turned her into nothing short of beautiful. Those grey-green eyes sparkled with life. Who was she trying to kid, she belonged in front of a camera. Ben tried to ignore the fact that he liked this woman. Her refreshing honesty stirred his interest. And he knew he shouldn't be interested at all. She was in protective custody, and he had to remember that she was little more than a vagrant. She was obviously running away, but from what he couldn't be sure. And until he verified her story, she wasn't going anywhere, which left him uneasy. Because sleeping under the same roof with a little gal like her might be more than most gentlemen could tolerate.

  "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen and heard it with my own eyes and ears. I've stumbled into Mayberry RFD, haven't I?" she chuckled.

  The way she seemed to relax had him on guard. "It's a pretty calm little town. Pretty laidback people live here. We don't get in a hurry to do things. Most city girls find it quite boring."

  "I can see that it's laid back…everything is closed on Sunday's. I wasn't mocking it. I'm delighted to have found it." When he wouldn't stop staring she looked away purposely. "This is a pretty big place for just you, isn't it?"

  "Never thought of it that way." He glanced around his house. "It's comfortable here. My family can come visit and I've got plenty of bedrooms for them."

  The word bedrooms brought her attention front and forward.