Truly Married

by Phyllis Halldorson

  She slumped against him, and he released her and put a few feet of space between them. “All they need for a conviction is to show that you were capable of killing your boss in a fit of rage, and you did a good job of convincing a jury of that by the way you attacked me just now. If you react that way in court the prosecution sure as hell won’t let me get away with portraying you as a naively innocent young woman who was being unlawfully sexually harassed by this creep. Not without a fight, and believe me it will turn dirty.”

  His harsh words hit Sharon like blows. How was it possible to be innocent and yet look so indisputably guilty?

  “But, Fergus, I wasn’t there,” she said for what must have been the hundredth time. “I was gone for at least five minutes.”

  He ran his fingers through his already disheveled dark hair. “I believe you, honey, but so far they haven’t turned up anyone who saw you while you were gone. If only you’d left through the outer office...”

  She sighed. “I know, but I was so mad, and the nearest exit was out the glass doors. There were people out there by the pool. Surely one of them must have seen me.”

  Fergus’s smile wasn’t very convincing as he said, “Someone did, that’s for sure. We’ll just keep looking till we find him or her. But meanwhile, you have to be prepared for some downright nasty questions from the D.A.—”

  A sharp knock on the door interrupted him, and he looked at his watch. “That’ll be Ray Quinlan now. I asked him to come over this afternoon so we could get together on our strategy before the arraignment tomorrow.”

  Fergus opened the door and greeted Sharon’s other attorney. He was a nice-looking man, about Sharon’s age, medium height and weight, with straw-colored hair and brown eyes. He wore a navy blue suit and had obviously just come from the office where he and a partner shared a fledgling law practice.

  Ray spotted Sharon and walked across the room to put his arms around her. “Hi, angel,” he said huskily. “I’m so glad to see you out of that jailhouse. I’m just sorry I couldn’t get the judge to release you.”

  She hugged him. “I know, Ray. You did the best you could.”

  He grimaced. “Yeah, but it wasn’t good enough. I’m glad Anna had enough of her wits about her to call Fergus. Man! I understand he walked into that courtroom and had you released within minutes.”

  “It wasn’t quite that easy,” Fergus said from behind them. “I had to give something to get something. Don’t forget, Sharon is in my custody now.”

  She pulled out of Ray’s embrace and looked at Fergus. “Just what does that mean?” she asked. “Did you obligate yourself for something?”

  He grinned. “Yeah, I sure did. From now on you and I are going to be very close, if you know what I mean.”

  She felt both a thrill and a chill. Now what had she gotten herself into?

  “No. I don’t know what you mean,” she said uncertainly. “Suppose you tell me.”

  “I mean that I’m responsible for seeing to it that you don’t get into any more trouble, and that you show up for your court appearances.”

  He winked suggestively. “That means I’m going to keep you close beside me from now until the trial is over.”

  Chapter Five

  This seemed to be Sharon’s day for emotional highs and lows. She was both elated and dismayed. Elated that Fergus was going to be with her for the next few weeks, but dismayed at the thought of the damage that could do to her already battered heart.

  There was no future for Fergus and her. They were a part of the past, and he hadn’t loved her enough. Sharon couldn’t forget that, nor could she ever trust him with her deepest, most sensitive feelings again.

  She’d resigned herself to the fact that he’d always be the love of her life, but she could live without that kind of love. It would be extremely difficult, though, if they were together for long periods of time. There must be another way.

  “Fergus,” she said haltingly. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your coming to my defense in this terrible mess, and I’d never do anything to get you in trouble, but I can’t live here with you. I don’t think that would even be ethical. Surely you can trust me if I give you my word. Have I ever lied to you?”

  Fergus’s expression changed from good-natured, to startled, to regretful. “Of course I trust you, Sharon,” he said quickly. “I’m sorry, I was mostly teasing. I didn’t mean you had to live with me, although considering our past relationship that would not be unethical, but I am responsible for your court appearances and I intend to keep you safe. Someone killed Vancleave, and I’m going to make sure whoever it was doesn’t come after you, too.”

  Sharon was more surprised than alarmed. “Do you think that’s a possibility?”

  He moved closer and put his hand on her arm. “Not really, but we’re not taking any chances. I’m going to send to Chicago for one of the private investigators my law firm uses. We’ll do some checking on our own.”

  “Hey, that’s something I can do,” Ray said. “I put myself through college and law school by working as a P.I. I’m good at it, and I have a lot of contacts here in St. Louis.”

  A big grin split Fergus’s face. “Great! If you can get started right away maybe you can come up with something I can use at the arraignment tomorrow. Why don’t you go over to the Starlight and check into a room for the night. That place is probably buzzing with rumors and gossip. You shouldn’t have any trouble tuning in to it. Some of it might even be true.”

  Ray nodded. “Consider it done,” he said. “I’ll be in touch with you no later than eight o’clock in the morning.”

  He left, and as the door shut behind him the phone rang. Fergus answered it, and Sharon went into the bedroom to gather up her things. It was time for her to go home, but first she had to walk over to the Starlight and get her car, which was still parked in their garage.

  She was fastening the overnight case, when Fergus appeared in the doorway. “That was Lieutenant Zurcher at homicide,” he said. “He wants to question you again in the morning, before the arraignment in the afternoon. I told him we’d be there at nine—” He broke off when he saw that she was fiddling with the suitcase. “What are you doing?”

  She turned around. “I’m getting ready to go home,” she told him, “but first I have to pick up my car at the hotel.”

  He looked disappointed. “Oh. But I was going to take you to dinner. Why don’t you just spend the night here again since we have to be at the police station so early in the morning?”

  That sounded good. So good that she didn’t dare accept. It would be pure idiocy to get used to living with him again. It was only a convenience for him, but for her it could spell disaster.

  “Oh thanks,” she said, trying to keep her tone light and the disappointment out of it, “but I must get home. That is, unless you really don’t trust me out of your sight.”

  He scowled, and waved a hand in denial. “Of course I trust you, and I never thought or said otherwise. I was only trying to make things easier for you.”

  She picked up her suitcase and walked over to him. “I know,” she said gently, “and I thank you for that. Look, why don’t you drive me over to the Starlight to pick up my car, then follow me home and have dinner with us? I’d like you to see where I live and get to know the women I share a house with.”

  His gaze searched her face before he nodded. “Fine. I met Anna briefly this morning when she brought your clothes. She’s one gorgeous-looking lady and seemed awfully nice, but I’d like to meet the other woman, too, and see where you live.”

  Sharon felt a stab of jealousy. It was true, Anna was a stunner. A fact Fergus hadn’t lost any time noticing. Did that mean he was attracted to her?

  Sharon felt sick, but forced a smile and a light tone. “Tracey’s not as beautiful as Anna, but she’s awfully cute. Red hair, pug nose and freckles. Neither of them is seriously involved with a man right now, so you can have your pick.”

  Fergus caught his breath as Sharon’s
words landed like a blow to his midsection. She was trying to fix him up with one of her roommates! Damn! So much for any hopes he may have had that someday she’d learn to love and trust him again.

  “Knock off the matchmaking, Sharon,” he said angrily. “I’m not in the market for a woman.”

  He reached out and took the case from her. “Come on, maybe if we hurry we can miss the worst of the rush-hour traffic.”

  After picking up her car, then a quick stop at her favorite supermarket for groceries, Sharon eventually pulled up to the curb in front of her house, with Fergus right behind her. Neither Anna’s automobile nor Tracey’s was in the driveway, which meant that they weren’t home from work yet.

  Sharon and Fergus got out of their cars and met on the sidewalk, Fergus carrying the groceries, which he’d insisted on paying for. His gaze roamed over the red brick Tudor house with the gabled roof and the arched doorway. “Nice place you’ve got here,” he said. “Classy old neighborhood, too. No wonder it takes three of you to pay the rent. How many rooms do you have?”

  She fingered her keys for the one to the house while she answered. “Four bedrooms, although we use one of them as a family room, a living room, formal dining room, modernized kitchen and three baths. Oh, there’s also a full basement, where we do the laundry.”

  They strolled up the cement walk that bisected the thick green lawn and led to three steps and a landing in front of the solid oak door.

  “Surely you have a gardener,” Fergus said as he surveyed the large, well-kept lot that bloomed with colorful flower gardens and huge old shade trees.

  “Bet on it,” she answered with a laugh. “None of us has the time or the inclination to keep up a yard this size. The back is even bigger.”

  She unlocked the door and walked into the foyer with Fergus right behind her. He pushed the door shut and turned to the right into the living room, while she went left through the dining room and into the kitchen. Fergus joined her shortly, still carrying the groceries. “I’m very impressed with your house,” he told her as he set the sacks on the yellow tile counter.

  “Thanks,” she said, “but it’s not mine. I could never afford to buy it. We just keep hoping that nobody else can afford to buy it, either. We love living here.”

  The sound of a car pulling into the driveway distracted them, and a few minutes later Anna let herself in. “Sharon, are you here?” she called as she headed toward the kitchen. “I saw your car out front— Oh, there you are,” she said as she appeared in the doorway and spotted them. “Fergus, hi. You’re staying for dinner, I hope.”

  “He is, and I’m cooking,” Sharon answered as she unpacked the groceries.

  “Great,” Anna said. “I’ll go change my clothes and be right back to help.”

  She turned and walked away just as the door opened again and Tracey’s voice echoed through the rooms. “Sharon, where are you?”

  They all four met in the dining room, and Tracey grabbed Sharon and hugged her. “Oh, Sharon, I’m so glad they let you out of that awful place. It must have been gross—”

  “It was,” Sharon interrupted, not wanting to go into a long discussion about her stay in jail. “but I’m home now, and that’s all that matters.”

  She felt Tracey stiffen just before they pulled apart. “Do you mean you’ll be spending the nights here again?”

  Sharon blinked. “Of course. Where else would I stay?”

  A high blush of emotion stained Tracey’s face. “Oh, I...that is, I thought you’d be staying at the hotel with Fergus. You know, like you did last night.”

  Sharon’s confusion increased. What had gotten into Tracey? She was always a little flaky, but she wasn’t usually irrational. “Whatever gave you that idea?” she asked crossly. “Clients aren’t chained to their lawyers, you know.”

  “No, of course not!” Tracey exclaimed quickly. “I didn’t mean... That is, I don’t know what I was thinking of.” She seemed to become more flustered the longer she talked.

  “Excuse me, I...” She paused for a moment, then turned away. “I have to go change my clothes,” she stammered, and hurried out of the room.

  Sharon saw Fergus and Anna exchange a puzzled glance, but no one commented as the three of them headed back into the kitchen.

  * * *

  Fergus volunteered to barbecue the steaks on the grill in the backyard. He also buried foil-wrapped potatoes and corn in the hot coals to bake, but by the time everything was ready a breeze had come up and it was too chilly to eat outside, so they moved into the dining room.

  Sharon tossed a green salad with ranch dressing, Fergus’s favorite, and later dished up scoops of vanilla ice cream covered with chocolate syrup, again Fergus’s favorite, for dessert. Fergus, Anna and Tracey kept up a running conversation of questions and answers in the manner of companionable strangers getting to know one another, while Sharon sat back and listened.

  It was a warm, relaxed and intimate setting. Too intimate for Sharon’s peace of mind. It reminded her all too sharply of the small friendly gatherings she and Fergus used to host when they were married, and the memories were bittersweet.

  Although they’d enjoyed attending large parties, they’d preferred to entertain in small groups, and she’d always planned her menus around his favorite foods. It disconcerted her to realize she’d done the same thing tonight.

  Why was she catering to the man who had left her for another woman? She’d have to watch that. It would never do for her to fall back into the habit of doing things for him.

  Still, isn’t that what he was doing for her? Taking care of her? He’d dropped everything to come when he heard she was in trouble, even though she hadn’t asked him to. He’d gotten her released from jail on bail after Ray had been unable to. He’d put his reputation on the line by guaranteeing her appearance in court. The least she could do was make him comfortable.

  She really owed him that much. Didn’t she?

  Her uneasy musing was interrupted when Fergus pushed back his chair.

  “I hate to break this up,” he said as he put his napkin on the table, “but I have some phone calls to make when I get back to the hotel, and it’s getting late.”

  He stood, and the three women also rose. “It’s been a great evening,” he said, “and I’m sure we’ll get to know one another a lot better as time goes on. Thanks for dinner. It was delicious.”

  He turned and looked at Sharon. “Come out to the car with me,” he said softly, and she nodded, unable to resist.

  After a round of goodbyes he took her arm and strolled with her out of the house and down the walk. “Thank you for inviting me over,” he said again. “I appreciate meeting your friends and being welcomed at your house.”

  Sharon was caught off guard and wasn’t sure how to answer. “It...it seemed like the least I could do after the way you’ve come to my rescue.”

  She knew that was the wrong response when his hand tightened involuntarily on her arm, as though he’d been hit by a sudden sharp pain.

  “I don’t want you putting yourself out for me just because you think you owe it to me,” he said briskly. “You don’t owe me a damn thing, and I don’t want your gratitude.”

  He released her arm and started around the car to get in on the driver’s side.

  “Wait, Fergus,” she cried, and ran to catch up. “I didn’t mean it like that. Really. It’s just that I... I don’t know how to talk to you anymore. Everything I say comes out wrong.”

  He’d stopped in front of the car, and they stood there in the street just a few feet away from the lamp that provided enough dim illumination for them to see each other’s faces.

  He turned and cupped her shoulders with his hands. “I know what you mean,” he admitted. “I have the same problem. I’m so afraid of saying or doing something you’ll misunderstand that my tongue gets tied and my foot winds up in my mouth.”

  She couldn’t stifle a giggle. “Good. Then you won’t mind if I try again on that last foot-in-mouth
remark I made?”

  He chuckled and squeezed her shoulders. “Please do.”

  She searched his face as she spoke. “Anything you may have done to hurt me in the past has been canceled out by the way you’ve come to my rescue in these past few hours,” she said slowly as she mentally scrambled for words to express her feelings. “I’d never have survived the night in that jail cell, and as you’ve pointed out, I’m totally out of my depth in handling this horrendous experience.”

  Unable to resist touching him, she reached out and caressed his cheek with her fingertips. “I always knew you were an honorable man, and you’ve more than proven me right. You didn’t have to disrupt your busy life and come here to defend me. I’m not your responsibility anymore, but still you did just that and I’ll be forever grateful.”

  He glowered and opened his mouth, but she put her fingers across his lips and smiled. “I know you don’t want my gratitude, but you have it all the same. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I hope we can also be friends. I mean, good friends. The kind who don’t have to pussyfoot around each other for fear of being misunderstood.”

  He kissed the pads of her fingers, sending chills up her spine, then put his arms around her waist and pulled her gently against him. “At the very least I’ll always be your good friend,” he murmured huskily. “You’re special, and from now on I’ll always be there when you need me. I pray that someday you’ll trust me enough again to believe that.”

  He lowered his head and brushed her lips with his, so lightly that she would have thought it was just a soft breeze if her senses hadn’t been so fully aware of the touch of his warm, familiar mouth against hers.

  It was over before she could react, and he pulled away from her and continued on around the car.

  “I’ll pick you up at eight-thirty in the morning,” he said as he opened the door.

  “Oh no, don’t do that!” she exclaimed shakily. “It’s so far out of your way. I’ll meet you at the hotel and we can go to the police station together from there. Okay?”