The Man She Should Have Married

  Testing Those Family Ties

  Marrying into the elite Britton family had been hard for Olivia. Becoming a widow and raising her daughter alone had been tougher. Or so she thought. Her mother-in-law wanted custody of little Thea, and Olivia was desperate for help. But her best option was another Britton, the devastatingly charming Matt...the man she should have married.

  Matt had vowed to look after Olivia and be a father figure to Thea while remaining loyal to the brother he’d lost. With Olivia needing him more than ever he knew the time had come to tell her exactly how he felt. Admitting his true feelings for Olivia could tear his family apart...yet it might also be the start of a new family for them both.

  “Maybe I should invite myself to dinner,” Matt said lightly.

  Olivia looked at him. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.” He grinned. “Single guys don’t get many home-cooked meals.”

  Once again, she hesitated before answering, “Well, I know Thea will be thrilled if you stay to dinner.”

  “Only Thea? What about you?”

  “Are you digging for a compliment?”

  “Everyone likes compliments.”

  “Okay. I’m glad you want to have dinner with us. There. Are you satisfied?”

  Now that the tone of their conversation had changed, he decided to make one more attempt to burrow through her defenses. “I was hoping you’d say you liked me, too.”

  “Of course I like you, Matt. You’re part of the family.”

  Because they were now approaching her mother’s house, he let the comment go without answering.

  The Crandall Lake Chronicles: Small town, big hearts

  Dear Readers,

  I love small-town life. I’m a small-town girl myself, so I understand what it’s like to be surrounded by people who know you and care about you. I’ve put a lot of myself and my upbringing into this series, which is one of the main reasons it’s been such a joy to write. I’m sure my parents are smiling down from heaven when they see how much their love and guidance has influenced my life.

  I’ve also gotten very attached to the characters in these books—characters always become real to authors—and have loved exploring their lives and loves. I hope you enjoy reading Olivia’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  Come visit me on Facebook at Facebook.com/patricia.kay.56 and chat with me on Twitter: @PatriciaAKay. I love to hear from readers!

  Warmly,

  The Man She Should Have Married

  Patricia Kay

  Having formerly written as Trisha Alexander, Patricia Kay is a USA TODAY bestselling author of more than forty-eight novels of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She lives in Houston, Texas. To learn more about her, visit her website at patriciakay.com.

  Books by Patricia Kay

  Harlequin Special Edition

  The Crandall Lake Chronicles

  The Girl He Left Behind

  Oh, Baby!

  The Hunt for Cinderella

  Holiday by Design

  Meet Mr. Prince

  The Billionaire and His Boss

  Callie’s Corner Café

  She’s the One

  It Runs in the Family

  The Hathaways of Morgan Creek

  You’ve Got Game

  His Best Friend

  Nanny in Hiding

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

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  This book is dedicated to all the amazing women in my life. I don’t know how any woman survives without girlfriends. Your friendship and support has meant the world to me. I love you all!

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Norma Dubrovnik’s Haluski (Noodles & Cabbage)

  Norma Dubrovnik’s Kolache

  Excerpt from Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne

  Chapter One

  Crandall Lake, Texas

  Mid-October...

  Olivia Britton grinned at her cousin, the newly married Eve Crenshaw. “I’m so happy you’re here!”

  Eve laughed. “You’ve already said that at least ten times.”

  “I know. But I am. I’ve missed you.” In fact, Olivia couldn’t believe how much she’d missed Eve.

  “Oh, come on, Liv. I’ve only been gone six weeks. And we’ve texted and talked on the phone almost every day.”

  “It’s not the same,” Olivia insisted. “You’re not here. We can’t meet for lunch or have dinner together or just sit and talk for hours. And Thea misses you, too!” Thea, short for Dorothea, was Olivia’s four-year-old daughter.

  Eve nodded. “I know. But no matter where I am, I’ll always be here for you...and Thea. You know that.” She drank some of her wine, then reached over and squeezed Olivia’s knee. “And I’m here now.”

  The cousins were sitting on either end of the sofa in Olivia’s living room. Their children were settled upstairs for the night and it was blessedly quiet, so Olivia hoped they were all asleep. They should be. It was after eleven, and she and Eve could finally talk without curious ears.

  Olivia sighed. Eve wasn’t just her cousin. She was also her best friend, someone Olivia had always looked up to, someone she’d known was just minutes away for a hug, a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear. The only person in the world who knew everything about her—well, almost everything—and could be completely trusted.

  But now Eve would be spending the majority of her time in either Los Angeles or Nashville, where her new husband (and the twins’ birth father), the famous and fabulous Adam Crenshaw—composer and lead singer of the band Version II—had two magnificent homes.

  Eve, along with her twins Nathan and Natalie, had come back to Crandall Lake for the weekend to join in the family celebration of Olivia’s mother’s birthday.

  Olivia sighed again. She was thrilled for Eve. Her cousin had waited a long time for some true happiness. But Olivia also loved seeing her daughter with her older cousins, both of whom Thea adored. And now that Eve and the twins had settled in Los Angeles for the school year, nothing would ever be the same again, no matter what Eve said.

  Eve was still talking, still making an obvious attempt to reassure Olivia. “I’ll be coming to Crandall Lake a lot. And you’ll be visiting us wherever we are. And you know, I’ve been thinking. If you want to, you and Thea can even travel with us when Adam has a concert and we’re able to go with him.”

  “I have a job, you know.” But wouldn’t it be wonderful to be free of everything tying her down and just take Thea and go, the way Eve was suggesting? “Besides, I don’t think I should leave my mom.” Norma was newly diagnosed as a diabetic—something their family seemed to be genetically disposed to—and was having some trouble dealin
g with the disease.

  Eve gave Olivia a sideways look. “Stella’s here.” Stella was Olivia’s younger sister and she lived within walking distance of their family home. “You said yourself she’s really stepped up to the plate and has educated herself about the disease so that she can help your mom.”

  “I know, but...” Olivia evaded Eve’s gaze.

  “Let’s talk about the real reason. You’re afraid Vivienne would make trouble for you if you moved.”

  Olivia made a face. Her mother-in-law hated her in direct proportion to the possessiveness she felt for Thea, her only grandchild, the daughter of her perfect younger son, who had died so tragically in the crash of his Black Hawk helicopter in Afghanistan.

  “Am I right? Or am I right?” Eve pressed.

  “You’re right.”

  “She’s a piece of work, isn’t she?”

  “That’s a kind way of putting it.”

  “I’ll never understand her.” Eve finished her wine and set the glass on the coffee table in front of them.

  “I’m not sure anyone does.” Olivia got up and retrieved the still-half-full bottle of Merlot she’d opened earlier. She poured more into Eve’s glass. “Even Matt says she’s just used to getting her own way, and when she doesn’t, look out.”

  She was referring to Matt Britton, her brother-in-law, Vivienne’s oldest son. He’d always been good to Olivia, in spite of his mother. In fact, since Mark’s death, Olivia wasn’t sure how she’d have coped with her mother-in-law if not for Matt.

  From day one, Vivienne Britton had been furious that Mark, her obvious favorite child, had wanted to marry “a nobody” like Olivia Dubrovnik instead of Charlotte Chambers, the daughter of the Brittons’ oldest friends. Charlotte was “our kind” and “perfect for you” as she’d told Mark many times, once even in Olivia’s hearing. It still amazed Olivia that Mark had defied his mother, because in all other things he had always done what she wanted him to do.

  “Let’s not talk about her anymore.” Olivia poured more wine into her own glass and sat down again, curling her bare legs under her.

  Eve smiled. “Good idea. Instead, let’s talk about you dating again.”

  “I’m only thinking about dating again,” Olivia corrected. “I haven’t really decided. Besides, it’s not like there’s a line of eligible men out the door.”

  There was one person who interested her, and for a moment, she was tempted to tell Eve about him, but pushed the urge away, because the situation was impossible. She felt a bit guilty about not telling Eve, because normally she told her everything, but in this case, her gut told her it was best not to put her feelings into words.

  “The reason guys aren’t lining up is because no one knows you’re ready,” Eve said.

  “I can hardly make an announcement.”

  “No, but I can get the word out.”

  Olivia stared at her. “What are you going to do? Put a notice in the Courier?” Eve had worked for the Crandall Lake Courier before marrying Adam in August.

  Eve grinned, a sly look in her eyes. “No, but I just might mention it casually to Austin when we see him Sunday morning.”

  “Austin!” Olivia was startled. Austin Crenshaw was one of Adam’s younger brothers. A successful lawyer, he took care of all Adam’s personal and professional legal and financial matters. “Why would he care?”

  “Surely you saw how he was checking you out at the wedding,” Eve said. Austin had been Adam’s best man, and Olivia had served as Eve’s matron of honor.

  “That’s ridiculous!” Olivia said. “He was just being polite to his new sister-in-law’s cousin.”

  Eve shook her head knowingly. “Nope. He’s interested. I know the signs. And he’d be perfect for you.”

  “That’s crazy. I am so not in his league.”

  “Why are you constantly putting yourself down? He couldn’t find anyone better if he tried!”

  Olivia loved that her cousin was always so loyal, but she had to face facts. “C’mon, Eve. If he’d really been interested, as you say, why hasn’t he called me or something?”

  “I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.”

  “No, no. Please don’t say anything to him.”

  “I’ll just casually bring up your name Sunday.”

  “No! Please, Eve. I really don’t want you to.”

  “It’s not a big deal,” Eve insisted. “Austin and I have a great relationship. Since Adam and I got married, I’ve really gotten to know him. We’ve sort of bonded. And he’s a really great guy.”

  Olivia knew, just from the determined look on Eve’s face, that she was not going to be dissuaded. It was useless to keep trying. Because, if she did, Eve would eventually wonder why. “Okay, but don’t say anything in front of the kids.” Eve and her twins were meeting Austin for breakfast Sunday.

  “Don’t worry.” Eve smiled, happy now she’d gotten her way. “I’ll be discreet. The kids won’t hear me.”

  “Thing is, I don’t want him to think I put you up to talking to him.” The very idea made Olivia cringe. Why had she even mentioned she was thinking about dating? She should have known Eve would latch on to that and start suggesting possible candidates. She gave a mental sigh. Austin did seem nice. Plus he certainly was easy on the eyes. All the Crenshaw men were. And since the one man who did interest her was completely and totally off-limits...

  “Quit worrying,” Eve said. “That’s my job, remember?”

  Olivia smiled. Worrying was Eve’s job, always had been. She was the conservative one, the cautious one. Olivia had always been more impulsive, more willing to take a chance.

  But that was before she’d had Thea.

  Before she was a mother.

  Now her first priority would always be her daughter, and that meant she had to think carefully before she did anything that might negatively impact Thea’s life in any way.

  “Seriously, Eve,” she said, “I’m not in any hurry. If I do get into another relationship, he’d have to be pretty special...after Mark.” It made her sad to think about Mark, who was her first love. They’d only been married months before he went to Afghanistan. They’d had so little time. His life had been cut so short, and he’d died so young. And without ever holding or knowing his daughter, except for photos and images on Skype.

  “I know,” Eve said. “You have plenty of time, and I’m sure, once the guys around here—Austin included—know you’re ready, there’ll be no shortage of possible candidates.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes. She wasn’t anywhere near as confident as Eve that men would be lining up to take on a widow with a small child.

  The cousins continued to talk for another hour or so, but when the Wedgewood clock on the mantel chimed one o’clock, Eve yawned and stretched. “I’m beat.”

  “Me, too. We’d better get to bed. Tomorrow’s a big day.” Olivia got up and took Eve’s glass. “You can use the bathroom first. I’ll take these out to the kitchen and be there in a minute.” The cousins were sharing Olivia’s bedroom and the king-size bed she and Mark had so happily purchased together.

  As she rinsed out the wineglasses and put them in the dishwasher, Olivia decided she was going to make the most of the weekend. She wasn’t going to think about her mother-in-law or about Eve going back to LA or the way Olivia’s own life had not turned out the way she’d once imagined it would.

  She was just going to relax, have fun, eat some salty and sugary junk food, and thoroughly enjoy having Eve and the kids home again.

  No matter what.

  * * *

  “It’s a gorgeous day, isn’t it?” Eve exclaimed. “I love autumn in the Hill Country.”

  “Me, too,” Olivia said, linking her arm through Eve’s.

  The cousins were strolling through the grounds where Crandall Lake�
��s Fall Festival, an annual celebration featuring music, food, games and rides as well as various craft items for sale, took place every October.

  Norma Dubrovnik, Olivia’s mother, and her older sister, Anna Cermak, Eve’s mother, were walking up ahead. Between the older women and the two younger women were Nathan and Natalie, with Olivia’s Thea between them. Each twin had one of Thea’s hands, and every few steps they’d lift their little cousin and swing her out, then set her back on her feet again. Thea’s delighted giggles peppered the air.

  “Liv, Eve, hurry up! You’re so poky!” Olivia looked around to see her younger sister Stella waving and calling to them.

  “We’re coming,” Eve said as they caught up to where Stella stood.

  “I thought you’d gone home or something,” Olivia said. “You disappeared.”

  “I spied my boss by the pizza booth, and I went over to talk to her,” Stella said. She was laughing, her fresh face and bright eyes a clear sign that life hadn’t yet dealt her any devastating blows. Olivia hoped it never would.

  Just as Eve and Olivia reached the rest of their group, who were now gathered by the crowded booth where hot funnel cakes were cooked and sold, Olivia’s mother said, “It’s so hot.” She was mopping at her forehead with a tissue.

  Olivia frowned. It wasn’t hot. In fact, the weather was perfect. Sixty-eight degrees and sunny, according to her phone just thirty minutes earlier.

  “I don’t feel good,” her mother continued. Her face had drained of color, and she swayed.

  “Norma,” Eve’s mother said, reaching out to put her arm around her sister. “C’mon, let’s go sit on that bench over there.” She met Olivia’s eyes. “She’s shaking.”

  Alarmed, Olivia said, “Mom. What’s wr—” But she never had a chance to finish what she was going to say because at that moment Norma just seemed to fold in on herself and slumped to the ground. “Mom!” Olivia dropped down to where her mother lay.

  “Norma!” This came from Eve’s mother, who knelt next to Olivia.

  People around them buzzed with concern and several onlookers crouched down.