A Suitable Wife: A Sweetwater Springs Novel by Carol Burnside, Emily Sewell, Kim Killion

get back.”
    The buffet line moved fast, though the place was bustling with customers. Sam deliberately sat next to her in the booth as they ate. Rosie was a little quieter than usual. Nothing he could put his finger on, but something was off. Maybe things were moving too fast for her. He had warned her they would.
    He put his arm behind her on the booth and leaned in close to whisper. “Bonus. I think half the town is here.”
    She flicked him a half-smile, barely acknowledging what he wasn’t saying.
    “You still okay with this?” he all but growled at her, feeling very much like he was standing naked and alone in front of an audience.
    “Yes. Of course.” She lowered her voice. “It’s a necessary part of the illusion we’re trying to create.”
    Lilah and her friend Marge Heller stopped to say hello, their plates laden with fluffy omelets. Sam congratulated himself when their alert gazes darted to his arm behind Rosie. He moved it away, a subtle shift intentionally designed to convey that he didn’t want to advertise their relationship in public, when indeed he did.
    Twice more, friends of the Baxter’s stopped at their table to welcome him and greet them before leaving the busy restaurant. Each time, he managed to give the impression he and Rosie were together as a couple.
    Rosie didn’t try to sabotage his efforts, but she didn’t do anything to reinforce them either. What was with her? At least they could talk freely on the way home. He signaled for the check, now eager to get away from public scrutiny.
    In the parking lot, the twitchy feeling hit him again as he held Rosie’s door. She eased past him, managing not to touch him in the process. But the action caused her sundress to gape slightly at the scooped neckline, giving him a glimpse of sheer white lace and the plump swell of one breast.
    He suppressed a groan, trying to erase the vision from his mind.
    Rosie reached across and started the car and air conditioner while he secured Lorelei in her car seat. As he clicked his own seatbelt into place, a pleasant scent tickled his nose, a fragrance so intrinsically Rosie he had to grip the steering wheel to keep his hands to himself.
    The heat and humidity intensified it and the blower was spreading it throughout the truck. He lowered the rear windows halfway to allow the heat to escape.
    This wasn’t good. He couldn’t let himself become interested in Rosie as a woman just because they were—technically—getting married. Before Jasmine, he’d always thought of marriage as a lifetime binding ceremony.
    He’d been naïve.
    This time he knew better.
    “Do you want me to drive?” Rosie stared at him with eyes of blue ice.
    Sam shook his head and shifted into reverse.
    He couldn’t remember Rosie interacting with Lorelei at all until she’d offered to help secure the tray on the high chair. Had he gone overboard with the protective dad routine? Sam drove the SUV off the parking lot and onto the street, determined to clear the air so they could get back to whatever passed as normal between them.
    “I’m getting the distinct impression you’re uncomfortable with this whole scene.”
    “I was a little uncomfortable back there,” she snapped. “It feels like we’re lying to those people. And word will leak back to my family. We agreed to tell them together.”
    “Nothing wrong with giving them a hint something’s afoot before hand, is there? Don’t you think they’re more likely to believe our story if they’ve already heard a few rumors?”
    “Maybe. But you should have discussed it with me first. I don’t like being manipulated.” That last bit she issued through gritted teeth.
    Manipulated? Where had that come from? Sam kept his tone even. “That wasn’t my intention. We talked about this, remember? Back porch? We decided to simulate a version of You’ve Got Mail .”
    “Don’t patronize me. Of course I remember. But—”
    “Both of us agreed some PDA would be effective. We