“Now, sweetheart, surely our love is strong enough to survive a few bumps in the road of life.” He stopped at a newspaper vending machine.

“Introducing me as your fiancée made you look ridiculous, not me,” she said. “Those people aren’t blind. We look bizarre together.”

“You have some serious self-esteem issues.” He dug in his pocket for change.

“Me? Try again. Nobody’s going to believe a brainiac like Blue Bailey would fall for a mental lightweight like you.” He ignored her and pulled out a paper. She stepped in front of him. “Before we head for the grocery, I need to make inquiries about a job. Why don’t you have some lunch while I look around?”

He tucked the paper under his arm. “I already told you. You’re working for me.”

“Doing what?” She squinted up at him. “And how much are you paying?”

“Don’t you worry about it.”

He’d been irritable with her all morning, and she didn’t like it. It wasn’t her fault his mother was dying. All right, so it was her fault, but he didn’t know that, and he shouldn’t punish her for April’s medical tragedy.

When they reached the grocery store, the introductions started all over again as one person after another welcomed him to the town. He was cordial to everybody, from the pimple-faced produce clerk to a crippled old man in a VFW cap. The older kids were in school, but he rubbed bald baby heads, shook a slobbery fist, and engaged in an encouraging conversation with an adorable three-year-old named Reggie who didn’t want to use a potty. Dean was the weirdest combination of ego and decency she’d ever met in one person, although his decency seemed to stop with her.

While he handled PR, she slipped away to do the grocery shopping. The store didn’t carry a wide selection, but she found the basics. He met up with her at the checkout line, where she had to stand silently by as he whipped out his Visa card. This couldn’t go on. She had to make some money.

Dean unloaded the groceries and left Blue the job of deciding where to put them while he went back outside to move his car into the barn. Even Annabelle didn’t know the identity of his real father, but Blue had dug it up after spending only four days with him. She was the most intuitive person he’d ever met, not to mention the most devious, and he had to play a smarter game.