Kate grabbed the hair at her nape and squeezed. To tell him yes would be a lie, but to tell him no felt like a betrayal to Lucas. She let the silence grow. She wanted to ask if he’d loved Stephanie, but what did it matter now? The other woman’s journey with Bryan was over, and she had nothing but a foiled wedding as a souvenir.

A bolt of fear struck her thoughts. What if Stephanie leaked the information to the media? What if she told them Bryan was supposed to be Kate’s husband and that Kate was nothing but a fraud?

“Bryan, how did things end with you and Stephanie?”

The pause seemed to last a lifetime. “What do you mean?”

“How did things end?” she asked sharply. “Did you break it off? Was she upset?” She grasped the phone tightly, wanting to wring the answer from it.

“I broke it off,” Bryan said. “She was upset. Why, Kate?”

Kate descended the deck steps and crossed the sandy grass toward the shoreline. “What if she goes to the media and tells them everything?” She felt like swearing herself. She didn’t know what kind of a person Stephanie was. Was she the vindictive sort?

“She wouldn’t do that,” Bryan said.

“How do you know?” She wanted proof. Or better yet, a reason Stephanie wouldn’t want the news out that she’d broken up Dr. Kate’s marriage. Maybe she detested being in the spotlight or had a career that would be damaged by the gossip.

“She’s not like that. There would be no reason for her to do it.”

“You said she was upset.”

“Well, she was, but I think she’d—”

“You think or you know?” Kate kicked a hill of sand and took a breath.

“I’ll call her if it’ll make you feel better. I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect you, I promise.”

His tone was sincere, but the last promise Bryan had made ended with her at the altar saying “I do” to another man.

Lucas turned off the griddle and scooped the bacon onto a plate. It clanked as he set it too hard on the table. He opened the oven and removed the warming pancakes.

He had no idea how long Kate would be on the phone, but he was going to eat while it was hot. He scooted his chair back and sank into it. Bo, knowing better than to beg for food, settled on the rug beside him.

When Bryan had identified himself, Lucas had wanted to ask what business he had calling his home on a Saturday morning and asking to speak to his wife. He might have done it, if Kate hadn’t been standing there with her wide eyes and tousled wet hair.

She’d gone outside for privacy, but he’d heard every word through the open window.