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“I still can’t help you.” She jiggled the key. “You can take this room or you can leave.”

To Leah’s disappointment, Mandi took the key. “I suppose I have to take my own luggage upstairs?”

Leah nodded. There was no way she was going to cater to this woman. How Shaun ended up married to her was beyond Leah’s imagination. He was kind and thoughtful. This woman was rude and selfish.

“Don’t tell Shaun I’m here,” Mandi said. “I want to surprise him.”

“I won’t say a word. I have some work to do.” Leah turned and walked away.

It wasn’t until she was in the kitchen that she let out an uneven breath. She couldn’t believe Shaun had lied to her. Well, that wasn’t quite true. He’d done what her mother had done—he hadn’t told her about certain important pieces of his life.

Old wounds started to reopen. Anger churned in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t believe Shaun had taken advantage of her. The knowledge pierced her heart. Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she refused to give in to them.

She had been such a fool. How could she have been so naive?

Sure, he was good-looking and charming, but she should have known better. A married man, really?

The protective walls around her heart were back in place. She wasn’t going to fall so easily for anyone else. In fact, she wasn’t going to fall for anyone—ever. She knew that was a bit drastic, but in the moment, this whole situation felt drastic.

She had continued to work until she had the kitchen spotless. She was just about to take Mochi outside when she heard footsteps in the hallway. Mochi was immediately up from where she’d been lying next to Leah. The pup took off to investigate.

The footsteps were solid, heavy footsteps like a man’s. Shaun was back. Her chest tightened. She really didn’t want to see him, but being the owner of the establishment, she didn’t have much of a choice.

It would be so easy to keep her back to him, but she wouldn’t let him think that she wasn’t up to facing a lying cheater. She couldn’t believe he’d been so slick that he hadn’t set off any warning bells. Maybe it was because she was in Vermont and feeling off-kilter that she’d missed the signs.

“Hey, sorry it took so long.” Shaun stepped into the kitchen. “They wanted to go over all of the repairs in detail.”

She straightened her shoulders, tilted her chin up ever so slightly and then she turned. “It’s fine.”

If she wasn’t so angry with him, she might have noticed how the wind had mussed up his hair. There were a few strands hanging in his face that had her fingers itching to reach out and move them. But she resisted the urge. His wife could do it. The thought made her chest ache.

He had the nerve to smile at her and flash his dimples. She told herself that she was immune to his charms.

He reached down and petted Mochi. “But I wanted to help you finish up the cookies and the cleanup.”

She shook her head. “I don’t need help. Could I have the keys?”

“Oh. Yeah.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the car key.

When he handed it to her, she was careful not to touch him. She kept waiting for him to say something about Mandi. But he was acting like everything was the way it had been.

Anxious to get this over with, she said, “Your wife is upstairs waiting for you.”

His eyes widened, and his voice rose. “My what?”

He was really going to make her say it again. “Your wife. Mandi. She’s in room four.”

An array of emotions filtered through his eyes from shock to something that looked a lot like anger. Was he upset that she’d found out he was living a lie? Too bad.

“Leah...”

She held out her palm, stopping his words. “I don’t want to hear it. Just go.”

He looked torn between going to his wife and staying to apologize. He might as well go because she didn’t want to hear anything he had to say. She’d heard way too much from him already.

“Leah, please hear me out.”

She shook her head as she glared at him. “Go. Now.”