by Eve Gaddy
Maggie looked at Tucker and smiled that big, heart-in-her-eyes smile. “Do you want to hold her?”
Hold her? What if he broke her? But he didn’t see a way out of it. “I don’t know anything about babies,” he said without much hope.
“That’s all right, I’ll show you.” She placed the baby in his arms, then stood close by while he held her.
She was so…little. She yawned, blinked at him with those big blue eyes and waved a tiny fist in the air. A fist the size of a walnut. Good God, how did people take care of anything so fragile and helpless? He made another mistake and looked at Maggie. She met his eyes and smiled again. Damn, she was totally gone over this baby.
“Isn’t she precious?” Maggie said, still with the sappy look on her face. And her voice…He’d never heard her sound like that, so tender and, face it, so damn vulnerable. Vulnerable wasn’t really a word he’d have picked when he thought of Maggie. Until today, that is.
Even Tucker had to admit there was something about the baby that got to him. Something…not needy. More like trusting. “You’d better take her,” he said.
Maggie took her back and said, “I’m going to put her down for her nap. We can leave after that.”
You’re an idiot. You’re thinking about doing it. You are actually considering marrying Maggie, he thought as he watched her walk out.
Shortly after that they left and he went back home. But he didn’t get a single one of the chores he’d been planning to do accomplished. His house was in a newer subdivision of Aransas City with some fairly substantial homes, though nothing approaching the scale of his parents’ waterfront home in Key Allegro. He went out on the deck to sit in the warm February sunshine and think about Maggie’s proposal.
He kept seeing Maggie’s face when she’d held the baby. She’d looked so happy…and so wistful. Her smile had touched him and the hope in her eyes made him wonder how he could stand to disappoint her.
And they were friends. Maybe not as close as they’d been as kids, but he cared about Maggie and had enjoyed renewing the friendship when he’d moved back to town. Still, marrying her seemed a little excessive.
It hit him that he was actually seriously considering doing it. She wanted this kid so badly. Otherwise she’d never have proposed such a scheme.
He thought about his parents’ reaction and had to grin. His dad would be fine with it, if that’s what Tucker wanted. But then his dad had never shared his wife’s ambitions for Tucker. His mother would blow a gasket if he told her he was marrying Maggie Barnes. Especially since she’d been pushing Isabella at him as hard as she could.
Maggie was a cop and the daughter of a fisherman, not the sort of woman his mother had dreamed of him marrying. Maggie had no patience for the social scene or any of the other things Eileen Jones held near and dear. And while Tucker loved his mother, he had to admit, one of her major faults was that she was a snob. Cops and fishermen were not genteel, not in Eileen Jones’s world.
If he did marry Maggie, he’d have to come down hard on his mother. He wouldn’t allow her to disrespect his bride, even if she was a fake bride.
But could he live with Maggie and not have sex? Wouldn’t that be too weird?
Tucker spent the rest of the afternoon and evening thinking. By the next afternoon, he knew he wouldn’t get anything accomplished until he’d taken care of the problem.
He called Maggie’s home and got no answer, then tracked her down at work. “When are you off?”
“My shift’s over in an hour. I came in early today. Have you decided?”
He didn’t answer that directly. “We need to talk. I’ll come to your house after your shift.”
“All right. I’ll see you then.”
He’d made his decision. Now all he had to do was convince Maggie to change the game plan. Not in a major way. Just one little detail.
TUCKER WAS WAITING for Maggie on her front porch when she came home so she went in that way instead of through the kitchen as she usually did. She hadn’t been able to tell on the phone, but she suspected he was going to turn her down. So she’d spent the rest of her shift trying to brace for it.
“Hey, Tucker.”
“Hey, Maggie.”
He followed her in and she tossed her keys down on the hall table. She hung the jacket she hadn’t needed on the hook by the door. Walking into the living room, she took her Glock out, checked it, then laid it on the coffee table. Next came the equipment belt, which went on the table beside the Glock.
If she ever did get to keep Grace she’d have to lock up her weapon. That would be one of the first things CPS made sure of. She stretched and wished she’d had time to have a little workout with the punching bag before Tucker arrived. It might have relaxed her.
“What?” she asked because Tucker was staring at her.
He grinned. “I’ve never seen you take off your cop stuff before. It’s kind of…sexy.”
Maggie laughed. “Right. Are you hitting on me, Tucker?”
“Well, that’s what I came to talk to you about. That and your proposal.”
“You decided not to, didn’t you?”
“No, I decided I’d marry you.”
She stared at him. “Really?” Her heart thudded painfully. He wouldn’t joke about that, would he?
He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked away a few steps. “I’ll marry you but I’m not sure about one of your conditions.”
“What condition is that?” she asked warily.
“I don’t think we can live together and pretend to be married and never have sex. It just won’t work, Maggie.”
“You’re saying if I want to marry you I have to have sex with you. That’s blackmail.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. And that’s not what I said, exactly. I said it wouldn’t work.”
“Sex would be a mistake. Think how messy it would be once we divorced.”
“I don’t see why. If we both know going in this is temporary, why shouldn’t we enjoy ourselves?”
She was appalled to discover she was considering it, and not simply because she wanted to be married. “You don’t really want to sleep with me, Tucker. You just don’t want to be celibate for months.”
He walked over to her, reached out and gently played with her hair. “You’re wrong about that, Maggie.” He paused and added, “Did you know I had a thing for you in high school?”
“Liar,” she said a little breathlessly. She was finding it hard to breathe. The man had no right to be so gorgeous. And when he smiled at her like he was doing now…Oh, baby. What had ever made her think Tucker Jones would be safe? That she could marry him and not want to sleep with him? Stupidity, that’s what. Still, she hadn’t come this far to give up now.
“Yeah, you had a thing for me all right. Is that why you stood me up for the homecoming dance?”
He frowned. “I knew you still held that against me. I was eighteen and stupid, Maggie.”
“You were a slime,” she stated categorically, moving away from him. “You stood me up because Annette Carson said she’d sleep with you if you took her instead of me.” At least, that was the story she’d heard. She’d never found out if it was truth or rumor. But judging by Tucker’s expression, it held more than a grain of truth. “I cried about you, you jerk.”
He winced at that. “I didn’t sleep with her,” he said. “And I knew I’d made a mistake as soon as I did it. You never gave me another chance after that.”
“Once burned, you know. But it doesn’t matter now, anyway.”
“Doesn’t it? Would it help if I told you I regretted it ever since I did it?”
“Huh. Because she wouldn’t put out, I imagine.”
“No, because I hurt you and you never forgave me.”
“I forgave you. We were still friends after that.”
He laughed. “After you made me grovel. Yeah, I guess we were friends.”
“You have a point,” she conceded. “Living together and not having sex might not
be easy, but we’re both adults. We should be able to put our glands on hold if necessary.”
“That’s just it. Why is it necessary?”
Part of her wished it wasn’t. But she had to be realistic. “Because sex would make the marriage too real. And neither one of us is ready for that.”
He didn’t look convinced. He’d put his hands in his pockets and was studying her. He still wore his office clothes, tailored khaki slacks and a powder-blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up over muscular forearms. Her mouth went a little dry just looking at him. She wondered why she didn’t simply agree and make it easy on both of them.
“Admit it, Tucker. You don’t want a real marriage any more than I do. Sex would complicate everything.”
“Maggie—”
She broke in before he could shoot her down. “There’s another reason. I’m not cut out for meaningless sex.”
“This might come as a shock to you, but I don’t much care for it, either. But I don’t think making love to you would be meaningless, Maggie.”
“That’s as much of a problem as if it were meaningless. What if one of us fell for the other? That would bring nothing but pain to both of us.”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I see what you’re saying, but that doesn’t change the facts.”
Her heart sank. He was trying to let her down gently. Maybe he was right. A fake marriage was too much to expect from him. But she wanted Grace so badly she’d been willing to try anything to get her. Almost anything. She knew herself too well, though. If she went to bed with Tucker, she’d fall for him. And she couldn’t risk that. “What facts?” she asked, clamping down on her emotions.
“We’re going to have to pretend to an intimacy we haven’t experienced. It won’t be easy.”
“No, but we can do it. I know we can.”
As he looked at her a rueful smile twisted his lips. “I care about you, Maggie.”
Hope burgeoned. “I know. I care about you, too. What are you saying?”
“What the hell. I’ll marry you.”
“Really?” She wanted to throw her arms around him but she restrained herself. “Marriage and no sex?”
“If that’s the way you want it.”
“I think that’s best for both of us, considering the circumstances.” She held out a hand. “Shake on it?”
Tucker looked at her hand, then at her face and smiled. “Don’t you think we should seal this deal with a kiss?” He took her hand and tugged her closer.
His mouth curved upward, his eyes were smiling, but there was understanding in them, too. She hesitated, torn between doing what she wanted and doing the smart thing. But damn it, a woman didn’t get engaged every day. Sham or not, she was still talking about marriage.
“You don’t want our first kiss to be at the wedding when the preacher says ‘you may now kiss the bride,’ do you?”
“That would definitely be safer,” she said, and he laughed.
He pulled her closer, their joined hands pinned between them. She slid one hand up his arm and around his neck. His other arm came around her to hold her lightly at the waist. Maggie was a tall woman but Tucker was several inches taller than her and she had to look up to see his face.
“Are you sure about this, Tucker?”
“About kissing you?”
“No, about the whole thing.”
He smiled and his arm tightened around her. “Let’s get married,” he said softly, and then he kissed her.
CHAPTER FIVE
HE’D ONLY MEANT IT as a friendly kiss. But her lips were soft, and tempting, and when he traced the bow with his tongue, they parted and welcomed him inside. She tasted sweet, and a little spicy, and exactly as he’d always imagined Maggie would taste.
Damn. Friends, he reminded himself. He turned her loose and smiled.
She returned his smile with a saucy one of her own, and said, “Now why am I not surprised you’re good at that?”
He laughed. Obviously, she hadn’t been as affected as he had. It would be good to remember that. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
She gave him a cheeky grin. “I guess we need to talk about details. I’d like to do this as soon as possible. How long is the waiting period after you get a marriage license?”
“Three days. I looked it up before I came over.” He checked his watch. “We still have time to go to the courthouse today and apply for it. Then we can get married on Friday. Are you going to talk to your minister?”
“I don’t know, Tucker.” She frowned and rubbed her arm. “I’d feel like a hypocrite if I asked my pastor to marry us. Let’s just go down to the justice of the peace and do it at his office.”
That would be logical, he supposed. But if they wanted people to take them seriously, he thought a traditional wedding would be best. Still, for now, he held his tongue. “We can talk about those details later. Right now we should go apply for the license.”
“Okay, let me change.” She picked up her gun and equipment belt and took them with her.
Maggie came back a short time later in jeans and a lightweight sea-green sweater that turned her hazel eyes a soft, mossy green. She’d brushed her hair and left it down. Her hair was an amazing mix of colors. Everything from deep auburn to strands of strawberry blond. It was soft, too, as he’d discovered earlier. He controlled an impulse to touch it again, and decided not to think about what it would feel like against his bare skin. Much better not think about that, since it wasn’t going to happen.
“I’ll drive,” he said. “We need to go buy you a ring after we go to the courthouse.”
Maggie looked at him in surprise as they walked out the door. “You mean an engagement ring? I don’t need one. All I need is a plain wedding band.”
He opened the Mustang’s door and let her in, then got in himself before he answered. “If you’re marrying me you need an engagement ring.” He started the car and pulled away from the curb.
“I don’t see why. It’s just a needless expense.”
He shot her an amused glance. “Maggie, do you want everyone to believe this marriage is for real?”
“Of course. That’s the only way to make sure the CPS doesn’t get wind of the truth.”
“Then you need an engagement ring. No one who knows me will believe I didn’t buy my fiancée a ring.”
She grumbled but she conceded his point. He had a feeling they weren’t through arguing about the ring and knew he was right an hour later when they walked into a jewelry store in Corpus Christi.
Maggie strode in, every inch the officer in control. He regarded her with some amusement as she looked at the case the clerk pointed out and immediately zeroed in on a ring with a diamond so tiny he needed a magnifying glass to see it.
“This one looks good,” Maggie said, pointing. “How much is it?”
The clerk looked disappointed and Tucker couldn’t blame her. He caught the woman’s eye and shook his head. “My fiancée is being thrifty, but I’m not.” He gestured to another ring, a simple solitaire setting but with a decent-size diamond. It looked like Maggie, he thought. “Let us see that one.”
“That’s a lovely choice, sir.” The clerk beamed.
“Tucker, that’s too expensive.”
He noticed the mutinous set to her jaw and smiled. “Excuse us a minute,” he told the clerk and, putting his hand under her arm, led Maggie outside. She started arguing the moment they walked out the door. Leaning back against the planter in the center of the courtyard, he let her rant. Patiently, he waited as she made her case, which consisted mainly of her arguing that she didn’t think a hunk of glass should cost so much and she didn’t intend to pay for something so ridiculously outrageous.
“Are you through?”
“I guess.” Her eyes flashed with annoyance.
He didn’t bother to debate, but gave her the clincher to his case. “Maggie, if you get that dinky little ring everyone in town will know the marriage is fake.”
“Why s
hould they? No one will notice.”
“Who are you kidding? We’re living in Aransas City, gossip capital of the U.S. Besides, my parents would know the instant they saw it. You don’t want them to know our real reason for getting married, do you?”
“No, of course I don’t.” She sulked. “If you didn’t have so much money it wouldn’t be a problem.”
Tucker laughed out loud at that. “You really are one in a million. You’re the only woman I know who’s unhappy because her fiancé has money. Let me buy the ring for you.”
“We’ll split it,” she announced. “And all the other expenses, too.”
She couldn’t afford half of what that ring cost. Not on a cop’s salary. Besides, he wanted to buy it for her. “Nope. I buy the ring.”
“Tucker—”
“It’s a deal breaker. Take it or leave it.” She glared at him. “Are you armed?” he asked. If that was the way she looked at suspects, he was glad he wasn’t one.
“Always.”
That surprised him. “You wear your weapon to the jewelry store?”
“My Glock is with me whenever I’m dressed.” She reached behind her back and said, “It’s either here or, if I can’t conceal it, I have a purse with a hidden holster. I’m a cop. If I see a crime being committed I’m expected to intervene. Why do you ask?”
He hadn’t known that, but then, he’d never dated a cop before. Or been engaged to one. And not being a criminal lawyer, he didn’t know a lot of cops well. “Because you looked like you were about to blow me away.”
“Ha-ha. No, I save that for the bad guys. You’re merely annoying.” She paced away from him a step, then turned back. “It’s not right, Tucker. I don’t want you spending your money on me. This marriage thing was all my idea.”
“Yes, but I agreed to it. So we need to do it right. There’s no point in our getting married if we announce to the world it’s fake.”
“I guess you’re right,” she said grudgingly. “You can always sell it once we’re divorced.”