Mother Of The Bride. Кэрол Мортимер

coming out tonight, had his second shave of the day. The fact that she knew his movements so intimately unsettled her even further.

      ‘Why do you always have to put yourself down in that way?’ he rasped now, standing so close that she could smell his aftershave, that elusively masculine smell that was so much a part of him. She could never recognise the smell of this aftershave on other men without thinking of Zack; it could be very disconcerting. ‘I've never denied you're a beautiful woman,’ he told her abruptly.

      Helen had never been very impressed with the way she looked, had never actually had a lot of time, with a job to do and a small child to bring up, to take a lot of notice of it. And the truth of it was, the way she looked had made no difference in either of her marriages; they had both been disasters. Her first marriage had been entered into when she was too young to know what she was doing, and the second marriage—that was too complicated to even think about!

      ‘And you know about beautiful women, don't you, Zack?’ she derided drily.

      His eyes narrowed coldly. ‘And just what is that supposed to mean?’ His voice was soft, dangerously so.

      Braver people than her had been quelled beneath the power of that withering gaze, and in fact it took all of her will-power not to be counted among their number, but she couldn't allow herself to be cowed by this man. ‘You know very well—–'

      ‘We're a mere two minutes late and already they're at each other's throats,’ remarked a lightly mocking voice.

      She and Zack had been so engrossed in their conversation that neither of them had been aware of Greg and Emily entering the restaurant together, looking at the two of them with the indulgent affection usually shown towards recalcitrant children!

      Zack met his son's gaze challengingly, and if Helen had been going to make a reply it was never uttered as she watched in mute fascination while Emily turned laughingly to Greg, her hand resting briefly against his arm as she did so. Her left hand. And on the third finger of that hand winked a diamond and emerald ring.

      An engagement ring …?