Must-Have Husband

“And here stands the woman, who — not hours ago — was telling me that now’s the time to fess up. Come clean with the whole family.”
    She pinned Linda in place with her stare. After a prolonged beat, Linda dropped her eyes, awash with shame. “You’re right. It was a stupid idea. I never should have mentioned it.”

    Mac shook his head, trying to clear it. It still hurt quite a bit and his body ached all over, but he was built tough and would soon get over it. He’d had the wind knocked out of him before and had always recovered. What he didn’t get was why his wrists felt raw. He massaged them, studying them curiously. Wait a minute. Is that rope burn?
    Mac raised his brow at the women whispering on the far side of the tent. They both turned to look at him. “You’re sitting up!” the one in the baseball cap said.
    But it was the other girl with the short blonde hair who held his attention. He chuckled to himself, thinking he’d envisioned her as an angel when he was still coming to. Of course, that halo must have been the campfire’s glow illuminating her from behind. And then when he’d nearly caught her feeling him up, it was all he could do to keep a straight face. Going for his credentials, right. She’d blushed so brightly when he caught her with her hand down his pants, he couldn’t help making that joke about being dead. For some weird reason, though, the girls didn’t seem to find it funny at all. In fact, he had the notion they’d taken him seriously.
    When the women scooted toward him, Mac decided maybe he should have taken himself seriously too. For when he looked in his angel’s eyes, it was like he’d died and gone to heaven. They were pale blue like the sky on a springtime day, and her lips were full and kissable. Man, she was a knockout with those nice long legs and that lean athletic body. He wondered briefly if she was as outdoorsy as he was. Then she drew closer and he caught a whiff of her perfume, deciding nope . No wilderness girl went out in nature sweetening themselves up for insects that way.
    “How are you feeling?” she asked, lifting her brow in concern. The other woman’s face also looked worried.
    “Better. But I don’t think I should stand yet. Best to give it a little time.”
    “Uh-huh,” both girls agreed.
    The shorter one adjusted her baseball cap, and Mac noted she was wearing a wedding band set next to an enormous rock of an engagement ring. His gaze casually panned down his angel’s arm to her delicately manicured fingertips, noting one of her nails had broken. Definitely not a nature girl, and definitely not married , Mac mused to himself, thinking he’d picked just right. Mac drew a breath, scarcely believing himself. What was he doing, thinking of choosing and looking for wedding bands? He must have taken a much harder knock to his noggin than he’d imagined. He coughed and pointed to his water across the way.
    “Do you think you could hand me that canteen over there?”
    The smaller girl reached for it while the other one just sat there, staring in his eyes. Mac wondered if she’d noticed him checking for a ring and felt his face warm beneath his beard. He had to get a grip. He didn’t even know her name.
    “My name’s Connie,” she said, smiling sweetly. “I’m the one you nearly fell on back there.”
    “Fell on? I’m so sor—”
    “And I’m the one who saved her,” the other one proclaimed, butting in as she passed him the canteen. “I’m Linda.”
    “Nice to meet you both. I’m Mac.”
    “We know,” they parroted together.
    Mac raised an eyebrow. “Are you two twins or something?”
    “Sisters,” Connie said.
    “She’s older,” Linda added.
    “I see.” He studied them both, attempting to devote equal attention to each, but it was tough to pull his gaze away from pretty Connie. “Just what were you girls doing out here anyway? It’s not really safe to be wandering around at night.”
    “Don’t we know it!” Linda said.
    “We went hiking.” Connie shrugged. “But we got lost.”
    Linda explained further. “We ran for shelter during the storm and got off the trail.”
    “Never a good thing to do,” he told them. “Stray off the trail, particularly when you’re not used to being outdoors.”
    Connie set her hand on her hip and flipped her hair to the side. “What makes you think we’re not used to being outdoors?”
    He glanced at her chipped fingernail, then once more met her eyes. “Wild