"He was with another woman," Sean said. "But if it makes you feel better, he said he really did love you."

Laurel laughed. Love. She was far too practical to believe in that particular emotion. She and Edward were compatible, and she'd thought he came from a good family, so she'd decided to accept his proposal when he'd asked. After all, it had fit right in with her own plans. She would marry Edward, collect her trust fund from her uncle, and make all her dreams come true. And now, everything was ruined.

Or was it?

"Tell me something," Laurel said, lifting her gaze to Sean and sending him a smile. "Are you married?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Do you have a girlfriend or a fiancée?"

He cleared his throat, an uneasy expression crossing his face. "I better be going now. You have a lot to take care of. You probably can't return the wedding dress, but maybe your guests will let you keep the gifts-once they realize this wasn't really your fault."

"What size jacket do you wear?" Laurel quickly turned and retrieved a garment bag from a hook on the back of the standing mirror. "I'm pretty sure this will fit," she murmured as she unzipped the bag and glanced down at his shoes. She could still salvage something from this mess. "I doubt if we'd be so lucky that the shoes would fit, too. Edward had really big feet."

"No way. I'm not getting all dressed up so I can tell your guests you're not getting married," Sean said. "I've done what I came here to do. I'm leaving."

"I don't want you to tell the guests," Laurel said. "I do plan to get married this afternoon."

"Eddie is in jail. I don't think they're going to let him out," Sean replied.

"Oh, I'm not going to marry Edward. I'm going to marry you."

Laurel waited, the silence in the room deafening. His jaw slowly dropped and he stared at her as if she'd just sprouted horns and a tail. Maybe the suggestion was a little rash, but she was desperate. "Before you say no," she murmured, "I want you to listen to my proposal."