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

practiced. I kissed you, and you kissed me back.”
    His last sentence created some kind of electrical charge between them. The hair on his arms rose and his hands itched to touch her.
    “Kiss me. Kiss me!” Lorelei piped up from the back seat. She laughed and clapped her hands, drawing a reluctant smile from Rosie.
    “Sorry. She’s very excited about new words,” Sam explained.
    “Yes, I’ve noticed.” Rosie stared through the windshield, her expression growing thoughtful. “What about telling my family this weekend? We usually have a cookout for the adult birthdays and there’s one this Saturday at Mama and Daddy’s place.”
    Sam braked at a stop sign. Apparently Rosie didn’t care to explain her outburst. Whatever had gotten under her skin seemed to have been exorcised. He thought about what she’d said, remembering similar celebrations he’d been invited to. “If memory serves, this would be your birthday.”
    “Yes.”
    He proceeded through the intersection. Perfect. “I know exactly what to get you.”
    “Believe me, that’s not a requirement for attendance. You can skip the gift.”
    “Not give Lorelei’s future stepmother a birthday present on the day we announce our engagement? That would look a little odd, wouldn’t it?” He glanced her way. Speaking of odd. The look of alarm on her face . . . 
    “Don’t tell me you have a problem with being a st—” He stopped himself from saying too much in Lorelei’s presence. She was so quiet most of the time, he sometimes forgot she heard and understood more than he gave her credit for.
    “Not the label, no.” Rosie saved him from having to resort to spelling. “But the role? Yes, it bothers me. It’s temporary. What about the attachment factor?”
    Sam frowned. “I’ll admit that concerns me too, but I don’t see how we can avoid it. You two have to look comfortable with each other, the same as with you and I.”
    “From what you’ve said about the past . . .” Rosie flicked a glance over her shoulder in Lorelei’s general direction. “I think contact should be limited.”
    Sam’s immediate reaction was anger, that Rosie was reluctant to embrace Lorelei wholeheartedly—for whatever reason. But he knew that had a lot more to do with Jasmine and the past than Rosie. He pushed the anger back as he drove the short distance home. Once he’d managed that, he had to admit Rosie made a valid point.
    He’d wrestled with the problem during the long drive to Arkansas, though in theory at that point. If Rosie encouraged a close relationship with his daughter, they’d have a better chance of winning, but Lorelei would be heartbroken in the end. If the two of them didn’t form an attachment, the judge, or whoever made recommendations to him or her, might not be convinced Sam’s home was the best and only place for Lorelei.
    He couldn’t allow that to happen.
    “I’d rather take a chance on her getting too attached. At least I’d be there to comfort her afterward and we could make sure the distancing is gradual. The alternative is a lot worse. We can’t risk the whole charade failing because we played it safe.”
    “You really think it’s that big a deal? As long as she’s comfortable with me being around and holding her occasionally, we should be okay. I mean, it’s not like Lorelei can tell them a lot.”
    Rosie came close to pulling off the nonchalant tone, except for a slight quaver in her voice. What was she afraid of, or was it too much all at once? If that were the case, he’d be the calming voice of reason.
    “We’re dealing with professionals trained to see what most people don’t. We have to look like a real family. If you’re not willing to commit to this, we may as well call the whole thing off.” He eased to a stop in the driveway, but left the motor and air conditioner running. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”
    He couldn’t believe he’d said that. Sam’s palms broke into a sweat on the now cooled