by Carol Rose
She wanted to believe she wouldn’t have made love to the man in the hallway, but she hadn’t actually come up for air anytime Jared had kissed her.
Very puzzling, she thought, trailing off into the bedroom to get ready. For years now, she’d floated along on a fairly superficial level with most of the men she saw socially, even the ones she’d fallen in love with briefly. She was fun and friendly, pretty much always ready to go out with friends.
She wasn’t a bed-hopper, however. Not one man had ever tempted her to have sex in the hallway.
Jared Barrett certainly had a strange effect on her. One that didn’t bear too close an inspection, she decided. She was going to marry the man, regardless, because she owed it to Amy and Doug.
***
Doug walked up the stairs to Amy’s apartment, the large bouquet of spring flowers in his hand. This particular selection of blossoms had cost him a bundle, but he’d handed over his credit card without a thought.
He hated arguing with Amy and this was the second spat they’d had this week. Why he’d lost his temper with her again, he didn’t know. After he’d unintentionally offended her at the banquet, he’d gone to her place and apologized. They’d watched a movie together, ate popcorn, and tried to enjoy each other as much as usual. But Amy had been as jumpy as a cat for some reason. Things had gone downhill after the movie ended when Amy had volunteered that she thought Jared would be good for Kelsey.
Doug’s hand clenched on the bouquet. Turning to walk up the last flight of stairs, his steps slowed. He’d been pissed when Amy had said that about her sister. Jared was a shark. Who would know that better than he? He worked with the man day in and day out.
But he hadn’t intended for his apology to turn into an argument. A fruitless one, too. He and Amy had been still been arguing when Jared and Kelsey showed up at his apartment the next day. God, what was Kelsey thinking about? Getting engaged to Jared Barrett? He certainly wasn’t a knight in shining armor, wasn’t the man to make up for her terrible childhood.
Doug stopped at the top of the stairs, shifting his bouquet to his left hand and pausing to straighten his tie.
Normally, he didn’t worry about such things with Amy. He hadn’t had to, they were such good friends. But things had gone nuts this last week. Even when he’d thought he and Amy were getting back in their usual groove, when she’d come by his place to make up this latest tiff, it had all gone to hell again. They’d started arguing even before Kelsey and Jared had come by and dropped the engagement bombshell.
It wouldn’t last, he reminded himself. At this point in her life, Kelsey was constitutionally incapable of getting married.
But he was here to make it up with Amy. He and Kels had always been close, but Amy had always been his best friend! They laughed together, liked the same food, enjoyed arguing over movies and politics. She liked sappy romantic movies and dippy liberal elected officials. Sometimes, he wasn’t sure why he liked her so much. Kelsey made him dizzy, his heart pounding, his palms damp. Her sister, however, filled some part of him he hadn’t realized was empty till she wasn’t there for him.
Doug really hated arguing with her.
He lifted his hand and knocked on the door. She knew it was him because she’d buzzed him in, much to his relief.
The door swung open, revealing Amy standing there in her sweats, her brown hair pulled back in a casual ponytail. He’d given her the fuzzy slippers on her feet for Christmas, Doug remembered, a wave of affection sweeping through him.
“Peace?” He held out the flowers.
She stood there, her dark eyes seeming to weigh his sincerity. For a moment, her gaze clung to the bouquet in his hand, seeming to soften. “You brought me flowers?”
“Yes,” he said awkwardly.
“They’re beautiful,” she told him, reaching to receive his gift.
“I really am sorry, Amy,” he said, his voice suddenly rough. “I’m a complete fucking jerk and I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”
“You are a jerk,” she agreed with a sigh. “Okay. I forgive you. Come on in.”
“You’re a peach,” Doug told her with a rush of affection as he followed her into her snug space. “The kind of friend every guy should have.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kelsey sat in the patio chair, her startled gaze drawn again to Jared frolicking on the lawn. It was the first time she’d seen him in casual wear. He looked just as good in slacks and a polo shirt as he did in his expensive suits.
But the child draped over his back, now that was an unexpected touch.
Jared crawled around in the thick grass spread beneath tall shade trees. The baby clutched at his neck, squealing with glee as he lurched this way and that, causing her to nearly slide off with every move.
“He’s always been great with kids,” Mary Barrett said, a fond smile on her face as she, too, watched her eldest son.
“It’s amazing,” Kelsey murmured, unable to take her eyes off the twosome on the lawn. “I’ve never seen this side of him.”
He swung his niece around to the ground, growling and nibbling on her toes. The curly-haired child squealed again. They made a striking pair, him so dark and masculine, the child all gold and pink, her fair-skin flushed with excitement.
“I’m throwing you a steak on the grill, Jared,” Mike Hastings, Jared’s brother-in-law, called out.
“Fine,” Jared managed to say, his chubby companion apparently trying to climb his face.
Kelsey sat in the shade trying to sort through her myriad impressions of Jared’s family. The guy at the grill was married to Jared’s only sister, Carla. Carla was a lawyer of some sort, pregnant now with her first child.
The tyke on Jared’s back belonged to his younger brother, Brian. They had another child, a boy who was currently pestering his father to go swimming later.
Then there was his father and mother, a more hip, retired version of Ward and June Cleaver. Kelsey had always loved reruns of that show. It had been nothing like her own life, of course, but she’d liked the parents’ loving, even-keeled style.
Apparently Jared had lucked into a real life version.
“We’re so glad to finally meet you, Kelsey,” Jared’s mother, Mary said, resting her hand briefly on Kelsey’s. “I’ve thought for some time that Jared was seriously interested in someone, but he never said a word, typically.”
“It must be quite a shock to have him just show up like this with me,” Kelsey said, pondering the woman’s words. His mother had thought he was seriously involved with someone? Had he been?
“Oh my, no. We weren’t surprised,” Mary denied, smiling. “Jared called us the night he proposed to you.”
“He did?” Jeez, the man was good. Calling home was exactly what a man who’d just successfully proposed would do.
“Yes. We’re very excited that he’s found someone special even if he hasn’t talked about you before,” his mother said comfortably. “He’s always played his cards close to his vest, if you know what I mean, so his father and I have learned never to be surprised by whatever he may do.”
“Yes,” Kelsey agreed whole-heartedly. “Predictability isn’t one of his characteristics.”
“I’d almost given up on his remarrying,” Mary said, her voice low. “He felt so responsible for the divorce that he made himself a promise he’d never marry again until he was sure it would last.”
“Of course,” Kelsey said automatically, trying to keep the surprise off her face. Jared had promised himself not to divorce again? If that was true, it didn’t make sense for him to be in this arrangement with her.
Then again, she mused as his mother chatted, maybe he’d given up on that goal. Perhaps it had been uttered long ago in his distress over the end of his first marriage. Or maybe he’d told his mother something to keep her from matchmaking.
“Jared’s a man of his word,” his mother said. “I expect you’ve discovered that. He really struggled when the marriage to Marianne fell apart.”
“Yes,” Kelsey said, trying to sound like she knew something about the subject.
“I see that he’s given you grandmother’s ring,” Mary said, gazing fondly at the ring on Kelsey’s hand.
His grandmother's ring?
“Ummm. It’s beautiful,” she said, stunned at this piece of information. He’d never said anything about the ring being an heirloom.
“Of course, Tom’s mother was still alive when we got engaged, so Tom bought me my own ring. But I’ve always admired it.”
“I love it,” Kelsey said in complete honesty.
Jared’s mother leaned closer. “You needn’t worry that Marianne wore it. Jared’s grandmother had only recently died and left the ring to him when they got engaged. I expect he didn’t give it to Marianne out of respect.”
“Oh.” Kelsey felt a sudden, irrational triumph that she’d managed to snare Jared’s grandmother’s ring when his first wife hadn’t. Crazy, really, when she only wore it on loan.
Still, this new side of Jared didn’t add up. He was marrying her only temporarily, yet he’d given himself hell for his first divorce and committed to never divorcing again. And he’d given her an heirloom engagement ring?
Kelsey couldn’t make sense of him.
Jared got up from the lawn, slinging his niece over his shoulder. “This rambunctious child is hungry. I hear her tummy growling.”
“I’m the one in the feeding department tonight,” Brian Barrett claimed, taking possession of his wiggly daughter.
“So Jared, I suppose you’ll be having some offspring of your own in the near future,” Carla commented, sinking into a lawn chair opposite Kelsey and her mother.
Kelsey felt a stutter in her heart beat. She’d known this kind of thing would come up, but she still felt bad about being less than honest with these nice people.
Jared, however, didn’t seem to blink an eye. He stood behind his sister’s chair, his hands dropping to rub her shoulders. “We’ll have a family one of these days. Right now, I’m just glad to have snagged Kelsey.”
“Yes,” Carla groaned in a voice of deep appreciation, dropping her head forward. “Keep up the back rub.”
Her brother laughed, stopping only long enough to ruffle Carla’s hair. “Glad to be of service.”
“Here’s yours, Kelsey,” Mike, Carla’s husband said, handing Kelsey a plate.
“Thanks.”
Letting the family interaction flow around her, Kelsey picked at her plate. She hadn’t really had any specific expectations about Jared’s family, but the reality left her bowled over. They were all so…affectionate. Laughing, talking, making jokes. Enjoying each other.
Jared had greeted his father with an honest-to-goodness hug. He’d remembered to bring his sister-in-law some sort of parcel from the city. He was a millionaire…being an errand boy.
She wasn’t sure why all this caught her so off guard. He was a nice guy, sort of, why shouldn’t he have nice parents? Even millionaires could have happy families, she supposed.
So why had he offered to marry her? Her own disillusionment about the longevity of love had taken a childhood to realize. Had his one effort at marriage taught him the lesson so well?
“Tom,” Jared’s mother called, gesturing to her husband with a smile. “I’ve saved my mushrooms for you.”
A tall, lanky Tom Barrett ambled across the patio, smiling at his wife.
Kelsey blinked. Jared had come by his charm honestly. She hadn’t seen his resemblance to his father before this.
His father leaned down, his head close to Mary’s while she extended a mushroom on her fork.
“Mmmm. Thank you, sweetie.”
Mary looked up into her husband’s face with loving eyes. “You’re welcome.”
Watching them left Kelsey with a funny feeling in her stomach. Envy, perhaps? Skepticism? She knew some people, a very few these days, made marriages last. But to stay in love for years? That seemed so unlikely as to border on fantasy.
Of course, she recognized that married couples often appeared different in public than they actually were in private. But Jared’s family seemed…happy. They acted like they really liked each other.
Perhaps Tom and Mary were one of the rare, lucky couples who had won the lottery in the love department.
Kelsey looked down at her plate. Maybe some people were just cut out that way. Able to fall in love deeply and somehow keep the joy and excitement alive.
She definitely wasn’t one of that rare breed, however. Certainly, she didn’t have the genetics for it and if her past love life was any indication, she’d be a bad bet for the future.
The thought sobered Kelsey. This warm fuzzy reception from his family was all well and good, but she had to remember she was playing a role here, one that wouldn’t earn the family’s good wishes when it was all over.
She could enjoy them, but she had to keep from getting too attached. Fortunately, she’d grown used to that. Descending into a family with the consciousness that any ties could and would be easily severed in time.
Still, it made her tired. She’d been in this position too many times.
“So,” Jared's mother leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. “When is the wedding? Do you have a date?”
Glancing at Jared, Kelsey swallowed a bite.
“August 15,” he answered, strolling over to where she sat next to his mother.
“August 15!” Mary exclaimed. “That’s less than a month away.”
“We know,” Jared said. “But I phoned Reverend Kinney on the way down and he’s available to do the service on that Saturday.”
“But the rest of the arrangements,” his mother sputtered. “Kelsey won’t even have time to find her dress and get it ordered and—“
“I’m sure she can find something wonderful in a city the size of New York,” Jared said, his voice reassuring. “If we have to have someone whip something up, it can still be arranged.”
Kelsey went still as his hand rested lightly on her shoulder. She wasn’t yet accustomed to the drum roll his touch elicited from her body.
“Will your mother be able to attend the wedding?” Tom asked, interrupting her thoughts. “Jared tells us that she’s living in Spain.”
“Yes, in Madrid,” Kelsey responded, trying to ignore Jared’s hand tracing delicate patterns across her shoulders. “Her husband is a Spaniard. I—I’m not sure if she’ll be able to get away.”
“You must give us her number,” Mary Barrett said with a smile. “We’d like to call and introduce ourselves.”
Jared stroked his fingers up the nape of Kelsey’s neck.
“Of course,” she said, praying she’d be able to reach her mother before the Barretts did. Chloe wasn’t big on maternal instincts, but she’d be a little upset to hear the news of one of her daughters’ impending nuptials from the prospective in-laws.
“Still, Jared,” his mother protested. “What about caterers, flowers, the reception hall?”
“I'm in the hotel business, mother,” Jared reminded her lazily. “I’ll have my own staff do the catering. One of the local hotels will probably be willing to work with us on a place for the reception. We'll work it all out.”
“I suppose so,” his mother said, her face still faintly troubled. “You will let me help, won’t you? With both of you working full time, there’ll be so many things to do.”
“We’re depending on you,” Jared assured her.
For the rest of the afternoon, conversation shifted between family discussions, Carla’s due date and wedding plans. Kelsey couldn’t help but feel guilty that Jared’s family was welcoming her so completely when the whole thing was a lie.
But what really nagged her were questions about the man she’d agreed to marry. He’d told her one set of reasons for his proposal, but given his manner and her heirloom ring, she was beginning to think she didn’t have the whole picture.
****
Jared walked across the lawn, Kelsey’s hand in his. A deep contentment fille
d him as he opened the car door for her. His family loved her, as he’d known they would. Kelsey had joined in the laughter and teasing, seeming as comfortable with them as they’d obviously been with her.
She was quiet now as he got into the car and started the engine.
“Your father’s not in the hotel business?” Kelsey asked, a pensive expression on her face.
“No, he was an accountant before he retired.”
“You said something once about inheriting a hotel,” she said, staring ahead at the road.
“Yes, from my maternal grandfather.” He wasn’t sure what was going on in her head, but she was clearly pondering something.
“Oh.”
“Why do you ask?”
She moved restlessly in her seat. “It’s the kind of thing most fiancées would know.”
“Did you enjoy yourself today?” he couldn’t resist asking.
Kelsey glanced over at him. “Yes, very much. You have a wonderful family. I hated lying to them.”
“I know,” he said, appreciative of her feelings. “But I’m sure they’d understand if they knew the whole story.”
He’d had no qualms about the deception because he hadn’t needed to fake anything. Kelsey was the only one with whom he’d been less than honest and that had clearly been a necessary evil.
“About a prenuptial agreement,” she said abruptly. “I don’t want any kind of settlement when we divorce.”
“Nothing?” he said, sending her a searching glance after a moment.
“Of course not,” she said, indignation in her voice. “Our arrangement is mutually beneficial. I’ll live at your place and pay my own bills. When we split, there’ll be no reason for you to give me any financial assistance.”
“Why don’t we let that be a private understanding just between the two of us?” Jared said, intending to dodge the issue. He was a rich man, but he hadn’t gotten where he was by hedging his bets. He was fully intending to keep Kelsey as his wife. No divorce, no need for a prenup.