If the Ring Fits

“Only part-time,” Mary Karen protested, uncomfortable with the admiration she heard in her sister-in-law’s tone. She knew many single mothers who had it much worse. At least her ex had a good job and paid his child support on time every month.

Lexi sucked in a breath. “He brought a date.”

Mary Karen didn’t need to ask who. She’d always had a sixth sense where Travis was concerned. Her heart picked up speed. She lifted her lips in a smile.

But wait. What had Lexi said? A date? Travis had brought … a date?

Her smile wobbled. Bewildered, Mary Karen turned. Her heart gave a leap at the sight of her … husband in khaki pants and a tan-and-blue camp shirt. With his sandy hair bleached a shade lighter than usual and his skin a honey-brown, he looked Tommy Bahama casual and the picture of health. Still, Mary Karen knew him. Perhaps better than he knew himself. She saw beyond the smile on his lips and realized the past four weeks had been tough on him.

Just then a woman’s laugh rang out and Mary Karen’s gaze darted to Travis’s companion. Standing way too close to him, with her fingers resting on his arm in a proprietary gesture, was Kate McNeal. The woman’s salmon-and-white jersey dress was a perfect foil for her dark hair and creamy complexion.

While she watched, Kate rose on her tiptoes and kissed Travis’s cheek. Mary Karen tightened her fingers around the stem of her glass. Intellectually she understood that she and Travis weren’t really a couple. Still, seeing him with Kate was like a knife to her heart. They hadn’t even signed the annulment papers and yet it appeared he’d already taken up with a career woman who’d probably never had baby spit-up in her hair.

Lexi took a sip of her club soda and studied the female doctor over the top of her glass. “She’s attractive.”

“I didn’t realize he was seeing anyone.” Mary Karen’s voice seemed to come from far away. Though only a few minutes earlier she’d felt almost too warm, a chill now settled over her.

July tilted her head, and her gaze turned thoughtful. “David mentioned they’d gone out a couple times before Travis left for Cameroon.”

“He must have called her as soon as he got back,” Lexi mused.

Mary Karen thought about last night, how she’d kept her phone close, not wanting to miss his call. Thought about how she’d worried for his safety while he’d been in Africa. Thought about …

Anger bubbled in her veins but she tamped it down, sternly reminding herself that Travis was under no obligation to call her the second he got into town. And it wasn’t any of her business if he’d brought a date.

“I swear he’s looking for you,” July whispered.

“Which is odd considering he’s with another woman,” Lexi said.

Mary Karen forced her gaze back to the couple and realized her friends were right. When Travis’s gaze landed on her, his face brightened.

Ignoring the warmth that rushed through her veins, Mary Karen lifted her hand in welcome, wiggling her fingers.

Obviously taking the gesture as an invitation, he crossed the lawn in several long strides while the statuesque brunette beside him struggled to keep up.

“Welcome back.” Mary Karen widened her smile to include the female doctor. “Hello, Kate.”

Kate returned the greeting, shifting from one foot to another, looking suddenly as uncomfortable as Mary Karen felt.

“It’s good to be home,” Travis said, his gaze caressing Mary Karen’s face.

Though July and Lexi were standing beside her and Kate lingered behind him, his eyes remained fixed on her alone.

Those hazel eyes were so familiar, so dear, that for a second nothing mattered except that he was home. And safe. And here with her. Until Mary Karen remembered he hadn’t called. And that he was standing in front of her with another woman while she was carrying his child.

The emotional roller coaster she’d been riding since Las Vegas crested the hill. Sudden tears clogged her throat, making speech impossible. Thankfully July and Lexi jumped feetfirst into the conversation, welcoming Kate, asking Travis about his experiences in Cameroon, laughing when he teased them about their huge bellies.

Mary Karen kept her gaze focused on her friends and pretended not to notice Travis’s questioning glances. When July and Lexi left to replenish the buffet table, she started to go with them. But they waved her back, assuring her they had the situation under control.

Reluctantly, she plastered a smile on her face and turned back to Travis and Kate.

“Quite a party.” Travis gestured with a can of beer in his hand to the backyard filled with people. “I never knew so many people cared.”

“They don’t,” Mary Karen drawled. “They’re here for the free food. And the beer.”

Verbally sparring with him was as natural to her as breathing. Their friends knew it, expected it even. But Kate wasn’t part of their tight-knit circle of friends.

Kate’s eyes widened.

Travis, on the other hand, roared with laughter. “Trust you to put me in my place.”

Mary Karen took a sip of tea, her lips curving in a half smile. “Someone has to keep you humble.”

“Let me guess.” Kate put a finger to her lips, her gaze shifting from Travis to Mary Karen. “Sworn enemies?”

“Close.” Travis looped an arm around Mary Karen’s shoulders. “Old friends.”

His gaze met hers, daring her to disagree.

She couldn’t. The woodsy scent she’d come to associate with him teased her senses and her traitorous body responded to his touch. Seconds later an ache filled her heart at the realization that the easy relationship they’d enjoyed over the years would soon be ending. The rolling in her stomach began in earnest.

“E-excuse me,” she stuttered, stepping back from his arms. “I need to … check on something.”

Travis called her name but she pretended not to hear. Without a backward glance Mary Karen zigzagged through the crowd. By the time she reached the house, she was running. The bathroom door had barely closed behind her when the crackers she’d eaten this afternoon came up.

It took every ounce of strength she possessed not to break down and bawl. But she’d been here before. She knew the challenges she faced. Being alone and pregnant wasn’t for the faint of heart.

She waited for several seconds then slowly straightened. Still, her body continued to tremble. Mary Karen couldn’t help remembering how solicitous her brother had been when July had experienced morning sickness early in her pregnancy. What would it be like to have Travis on the other side of the door waiting, worrying about her?

Stop it.

Mary Karen gave herself a mental shake and rinsed her mouth with unnecessary vigor. After gargling with mouthwash confiscated from below the sink, she squared her shoulders and headed outside to search for her friends.

On the patio, Mary Karen saw her sister-in-law talking to a tall, broad-shouldered man she didn’t recognize. July waved her over, then introduced the mystery man as Joel Dennes, a general contractor in the Jackson Hole area. They talked about the rise in home prices before July excused herself.

After chatting with Joel for several minutes longer Mary Karen noticed people had started pairing up and taking seats for dinner. For the past couple years she’d sat beside Travis at these types of events.

She glanced around the yard and saw Lexi and Nick chatting with him and Kate. Staring at the back of his head, she willed him to turn around and look her way. But his attention remained focused on the lady doctor. Mary Karen’s heart gave a ping.

“Food looks good.” Joel shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

Mary Karen refocused her attention on the sumptuous spread. Normally she’d taste a little of everything. Tonight, nothing appealed to her. Still, she knew she had to keep up her strength. If not for herself, for the life growing inside her.

“My friend Lexi did the catering and she’s a fabulous cook,” she said absently.

By now almost everyone had seated themselves. Kate still stood beside Travis waving her hands, telling some story. A funny one, if their laughter was any indication. Mary Karen turned her gaze back to Joel. “If you’re not sitting with anyone, I’d love some company for dinner.”

She wasn’t sure what made her offer. Maybe it was because he looked as out of place as she suddenly felt. Though she knew everyone here, most of them had someone special with them. Like her, Joel appeared to be flying solo this evening.

He flashed a smile and gestured for her to precede him to the buffet table.

“Amazing.” Joel’s eyes widened at the variety of food artfully displayed against the brightly covered table linen. “And to think I expected burgers and brats.”

“I can vouch for the cucumber gazpacho soup.” Mary Karen pointed to an Art Deco–inspired tureen. “It’s one of Lexi’s specialties.”

Joel’s gaze dropped to the reddish soup with brightly colored bits of vegetables and several cucumber curls on top. His easy smile faltered. Instead of reaching for the ladle, he shifted his attention back to her. “Do you have a special dish you like to make?”

“You bet she does,” a deep voice responded from behind her. “M.K.’s spaghetti rivals Chef Boyardee.”

Mary Karen whirled. “Travis.”

Her hope that he’d come to join her for dinner faded when she saw Kate at his side.

Joel grinned and clapped a hand on Travis’s shoulder. “Hey, buddy. Welcome back.”

“It’s good to be home.” Travis may have spoken to Joel but his gaze remained firmly fixed on Mary Karen. “I see you’ve met M.K.”

“M.K.? Oh, you mean Mary Karen.” Joel slanted a glance in her direction and winked. “We’re getting acquainted.”

A muscle in Travis’s jaw jumped but his smile was easy.

“Would you like to join us?” Joel asked.

“Thanks for the offer but we’re already settled in.” Kate slipped one arm through Travis’s and gestured with the other toward a large table. “The table is already full or we’d ask you to join us.”

“Us?” Mary Karen choked out the word.

“Travis and me.” Kate spoke slowly as if making a very important point. Or perhaps she thought Mary Karen slow on the uptake. But Mary Karen saw everything all too clearly.

“Of course.” Mary Karen could have cheered when her voice came out cool and even, giving no indication of her inner turmoil.

Travis’s brows pulled together and his lips pursed. “Actually—”

“That’s okay,” Mary Karen interrupted. “Joel and I have our eye on that little table by the arbor.”

An awkward silence descended.

“You look familiar,” Joel said to Kate. “Have we met before?”

“I don’t think so.” Kate’s cheeks pinked. “In fact, I’m almost positive we haven’t.”

“It’s your eyes,” Joel continued, for some reason unwilling to let the subject drop. “I know I’ve seen them.”

“I’m going to see if our hostess needs any help.” Kate smiled brightly. “I’ll see you back at the table, Travis.”

With those words, she disappeared into the house.

“I never forget a face.” Joel followed her with his eyes. “I just can’t place from where.”

Not at all interested in talking for even one more second about Kate, Mary Karen smiled and changed the subject. “Do you like lamb, Joel? These burgers with mint and cilantro are very tasty.”

“They’re my favorite,” Travis said before Joel could respond.

“Then you should take one.” Mary Karen kept her tone light. “But do it quickly. I have a feeling your girlfriend won’t like to be kept waiting.”

Girlfriend. Even the word tasted bitter on her tongue.

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Travis said, his face taking on a mulish expression.

Mary Karen wasn’t fooled. And she wasn’t in the mood to be generous. “Really? That’s not what I’ve heard.”

“Before you left you told me you were dating someone from the hospital.” Joel added a large spoonful of pasta salad to his plate. “Did you two split up?”

Travis groaned.

“I think they make a nice-looking couple.” Mary Karen elbowed Joel. “Don’t you?”

Travis’s hazel eyes flashed. Mary Karen told herself she didn’t care if she’d ticked him off. She believed in calling a spade a spade.

Still, when Travis flung a lamb burger onto a plate and stalked back to the table where Kate now sat waiting, Mary Karen wondered exactly when it was she’d turned into a jealous fifteen-year-old.

She slapped an extra big dollop of sour cream dill potato salad—that she didn’t want—onto her plate pretending it was his head.

Joel didn’t seem to mind that the guest of honor had stalked off. Instead, he leaned over and grabbed two bottles of beer from a round silver tub filled with ice and held them up.

Although a Corona sounded surprisingly good, Mary Karen shook her head. It might be only one beer, but she wasn’t taking any chances with her baby’s health. “Club soda please.”

“Thanks for inviting me to sit with you.” Joel exchanged one of the beers for a can of club soda. “A pretty woman like you could have her pick of dinner companions.”

The compliment was a balm to Mary Karen’s battered and bruised ego. Although Joel didn’t make her pulse beat faster, with his unruly chestnut hair, brown eyes and rugged features, he was a very attractive man. She quickly discovered he was also a gentleman. When they started across the yard to an empty table, he insisted on carrying her plate.

She’d wondered if once they sat down it would be awkward. After all, they didn’t know each other. But conversation flowed easily. By the time they reached for the Key lime pie, Mary Karen had learned Joel had an eight-year-old daughter and that his wife had died of cancer two years earlier. She gave him the abridged version of her own life—minus the new chapter that was about to be written. He seemed genuinely surprised to learn she was divorced and had three small boys.

“You look like a college co-ed.” The admiration in his eyes momentary distracted her from her cares.

“I’m twenty-six. But it’s nice to know you think I look young and carefree.”

Joel brought the beer to his lips, his dark eyes never leaving hers. “You don’t feel that way?”

The last time she’d felt unencumbered of life’s burdens had been in Vegas … with Travis. And that had turned out so well. Mary Karen gave a strangled laugh.

Joel cocked his head.

“I’m a busy mom,” Mary Karen explained, feeling her cheeks burn.

“I understand completely.” The handsome contractor leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “I come from a family of four boys. There was never a dull moment … or a quiet one. My brothers and I gave my mom fits. But now—except for the gray hairs she blames on us—I know she’d say it was worth it.”

“She sounds like a wonderful lady.” Mary Karen picked at a loose thread on the tablecloth. “Nowadays so many men—and women—think parenthood is too much work, too much of a hassle.”

“You’re speaking about your ex.” Joel surprised Mary Karen by briefly covering her hand with his. “The man was a fool, Mary Karen. One day he’ll wake up and realize that the freedom he wanted so badly wasn’t worth all he gave up.”

She’d actually been thinking of Travis rather than Steven, but she readily agreed both were fools. Raising three little boys might be challenging at times, but she adored them. She wouldn’t trade her chaotic life with them for anything. And, she was certain once this new baby came she’d feel the same way about him. Or her.

Yet life as a single parent wasn’t a cakewalk. In fact, most days it was downright tough. And the loneliness … She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to being single in a world of couples. A heaviness wrapped around her heart, the thought of going it alone for the next twenty years was incredibly depressing.

Mary Karen pushed the last few bites of her pie around the plate with her fork for several seconds, then lifted her gaze. “Do you think you’ll marry again?”

Joel sat back.

Heat shot up her neck. Dear God, what must he be thinking?

“I’m sorry.” She raised both hands, palms to him. “I’m just curious. I’m not shopping for a husband. Honest.”

He laughed. “Don’t apologize. Even if you were, I’d be flattered.”

“But I’m not—”

“No worries.” He shot her a wink, and the tenseness in her shoulders eased.

Yes, Joel was a very nice man. It was too bad she wasn’t attracted to him. Not that it mattered. Once she was divorced and raising four small children on her own, there would be no time to date.

Mary Karen smoothed the front of her shirt with the flat of her hand. At least Joel still had options.

“So, will you?” she asked. “Marry again?”

Joel shrugged. “If I find the right woman. But she’ll have to love not just me, but my daughter as well. Chloe and I, we’re a package deal.”

“As it should be,” Mary Karen murmured almost to herself, thinking of her boys. “Any other way wouldn’t work.”

“Any other way would be out of the question.” Joel’s firm tone told her he’d given this matter a lot of thought. “Can you imagine what it’d be like to be a child growing up in a home with a stepparent who wished you weren’t there?”

“You’re right.” Mary Karen slanted a glance in Travis’s direction and sighed. “It would never work.”

Chapter Three

The sun hung low by the time Travis left the table. With Kate still tagging along, he wandered to the back of the large yard to check out the elk refuge. The familiar rugged landscape of green and brown with the mountains in the distance did little to soothe his jagged nerves. He couldn’t get the sadness in Mary Karen’s eyes out of his head.

It didn’t help knowing he was to blame. What had he been thinking? He should never have agreed to give Kate a lift to the party.

If the pediatrician weren’t glued to his hip he could be with Mary Karen right now. Assuring her that she had absolutely nothing to worry about. Confirming that once they completed the annulment papers, what happened in Vegas would forever stay in Vegas.

Oddly, Travis found the thought bittersweet. He remembered how close he’d felt to her the night they’d said their vows. A closeness that had more to do with their friendship and shared history than the mind-blowing sex.

Kate slipped her arm through his, yanking him from his reverie.

“It’s beautiful here.” Her eyes turned surprisingly somber.

“David and July do have a nice yard,” Travis agreed.

“I don’t mean just the yard—although it is lovely.” Kate slanted a sideways glance in his direction. “I mean Jackson Hole. It’s magnificent.”

Travis settled his gaze on the land he loved so much. While some people thought of his birthplace only as a place to ski, he knew that was only the tip of what Jackson Hole and the rest of Wyoming had to offer. He casually untangled his arm from Kate’s and hooked a boot in the lower rung of the fence. “There’s no place like this on earth. Leaving this state was the hardest thing I ever did.”

Kate lifted a dark brow. “Why did you?”

Although he’d been old enough to strike out on his own, he’d refused to walk away from his brothers and sisters. Which meant he had to go with them. “I didn’t have a choice.”

Kate wrapped her arms around herself as if suddenly chilled. “The feeling—that you don’t have a choice—is awful.”

Travis nodded.

“You went to school in Nebraska, right?”

“I did.” Travis spent almost a decade in Omaha. “Great education. Nice people. Awesome college football team. Still, those years seemed endless.”

“Medical school and residency are definitely not for the faint of heart,” Kate agreed.

Travis chuckled. “School was easy. It was everything else that was hard.”

Like the time his sister Margaret had been rushed to the hospital with appendicitis the morning of his Anatomy-Physiology final. She was still in surgery when he’d been called to the high school because his brother Zac had been suspended for fighting.

Kate’s gaze grew puzzled. “I don’t understand.”

He considered making a joke and changing the subject. That’s what he usually did when someone asked about his family or something related to his past. But for some reason, he felt like talking tonight. For it all to make sense, he had to start at the beginning.

“Shortly after I graduated from high school, my parents died in a car accident.” Without even realizing what he was doing, Travis dropped into the monotone he used whenever he spoke of his parents’ deaths. “Their will made it clear they wanted my uncle in Omaha to raise us if anything happened to them. But Len was a lot younger than my mom and still single. He wasn’t sure he was ready for the responsibility.”

“I’m sorry about your parents.” Sympathy filled Kate’s eyes. “Since you went to school in Nebraska, I assume your uncle finally came around?”

He nodded. “We convinced him that all he had to do was provide the house. My sister Margaret and I took full responsibility for our brothers and sisters.”

Travis settled his gaze on a herd of bison in the distance and tightened his fingers around the fence post. Prior to his parents’ deaths his life had revolved around girls, sports and school. Taking on so much responsibility at such a young age had been a huge change. But he’d seen no other option. “If Meg and I hadn’t agreed, Len wouldn’t have taken us in and our family would have been split up. My brothers and sisters would have been thrown into the foster-care system.”

Kate tilted her head. “How many siblings do you have?”

“Seven.”

“No way.”

The shock in her voice made him smile. He lifted a hand and pulled his fingers together in an almost-forgotten gesture. “Scout’s honor.”

Kate’s brows pulled together. “I can’t imagine how you made it through college and medical school while still fulfilling the promise you made to your uncle.”

Her interest appeared genuine, and he was discovering that talking to Kate kept him from noticing how close Mary Karen was sitting to Joel. Or how pretty M.K. looked with the sun hitting her hair.

“Travis?” Kate prompted.

He pulled his gaze back and focused on the woman at his side. “For starters, I lived at home. I studied while attending sporting events and dance recitals. Thankfully they were good kids. Challenging at times, but a little fire can be a good thing.” Travis’s lips lifted in a satisfied smile. “Not a slacker in the bunch.”

Kate glanced around. “Are any of them here tonight?”

“None of them live in Jackson Hole.” Leaving his family in Nebraska to set up practice back here had been hard. But, at that point, they’d all been adults and capable of making their own decision. Still, he hadn’t given up hope that they’d all one day find their way back home. “I’m hoping that will change. Even though we live hundreds of miles apart, we’re still close.”

A thoughtful look blanketed Kate’s face. “With such a successful parenting experience, I’m surprised you don’t want kids of your own.”

Travis shrugged and watched the sun slip behind a cloud. Until he’d been thrust into the father role, he hadn’t realized all that being a parent entailed. He’d felt overwhelmed. Inadequate. Even now he wondered if they’d grown into fine young men and women in spite of his efforts and countless rookie mistakes.

He pulled his attention back to Kate and found her staring. But not at him. “What’s so interesting?”

“Your ‘old friend’ and Joel Dennes,” Kate blurted out. “They sure seem to be hitting it off.”

Travis followed Kate’s gaze and frowned. Was his ski buddy holding Mary Karen’s hand? Just then she threw back her head and laughed.

A surge of something that felt an awful lot like jealousy stabbed Travis in the side. Usually he was the one making M.K. laugh.

“There’s a certain gleam in your eyes when you look at her.” Kate’s gaze turned sharp and assessing. “Were you lovers?”