The Marriage Merger

by Sandy Curtis

  The laughter died. Suspicion took its place.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “You know I can’t stay here after … after what’s just happened.” She knew she was acting like an overwrought teenager but, heaven help her, it was just what she felt like.

  Shards of ice darkened his grey eyes. The lines of his face hardened into granite.

  “You would abandon Caitlin?”

  She shivered at the disgust in his voice. He had her cornered and she knew it. Nothing would make her leave until she had done everything in her power to get Caitlin as healthy and happy as possible. Apart from her personal concern her professionalism wouldn’t have allowed it.

  “No. I wouldn’t do that.”

  “Really? Women do it all the time - walk out on their children, their husbands. Why should you be any different? Caitlin isn’t even your child.”

  There was something in his tone that scraped an uneasy note in Jenna’s brain. She had the feeling it wasn’t just Caitlin he was talking about.

  “No, but she is my ... concern. I’ll stay as long as I can. You have my word on that.” She drew in a deep breath. “But I would appreciate our ... relationship ... staying on a strictly professional level. I’ve found that families of trauma victims can become too emotionally dependent on their loved one’s doctor or therapist. That dependency can be misread as attraction, but it’s an attraction which doesn’t outlast the patient’s treatment.”

  “Is this a text book scenario, Jenna? Or did you learn it the hard way?”

  She ignored his question.

  “Caitlin will need us both. It’s important that she feels as secure as possible. Keeping our relationship on a professional level will enable us both to concentrate on what is best for her.”

  “So you’re just going to dismiss the obvious attraction that exists between us?” His voice developed a low, seductive timbre. Her limbs started to melt as his words washed over her. She shook her head, as much in denial as to shake off their effect.

  “Mrs Jenkins will be back in five weeks and I’ll be leaving to take up my new position in Sydney. We’ll probably never see each other again, so I can’t see any point in discussing this further.”

  Before he had a chance to reply she walked out of the room.

  In the privacy of her bedroom she tried to gather her scattered emotions. Why had she allowed him to kiss her? Why had she stayed there and let it happen? She should have known what it would be like. That initial gut-wrenching attraction should have warned her what it would be like in his arms. The last thing she needed was to become involved with him. He was her boss, and Jeff’s boss, and Caitlin’s uncle - all good reasons to keep her distance. It had taken her a long time to mend the breaks in her heart and she was determined to keep it whole.

  Fleeting memories of her first love flooded back. Her patient had been a small boy who had fallen when climbing a tree. His father, a widower, had been attracted to Jenna from the start and she had fallen in love with him. Unfortunately when the long months of rehabilitation had ended so had the relationship. Oh, he hadn’t been cruel, he was actually quite upset at having to hurt her, explaining that what he thought he felt had turned out to be gratitude, not love. The pain she had endured was the catalyst for her overseas trip. She no longer felt the pain, but was reluctant to risk her heart in the same manner again.

  The job she had returned home for was a good career move. She had been accepted as head of occupational therapy in a large private hospital. She would miss working exclusively with children but the career advantages would be worth it. Or so she had told herself. The fact that the job entailed a good deal of administration work which would allow her limited time to become involved with patients and their families was something she had glossed over in her mind. Now she was forced to admit that it had been the deciding factor in her decision to accept the position.

  Had she really become such an emotional coward? Was she running away from the one aspect of her job which had previously meant the most to her because of her fear of being hurt again? And was that fear of being hurt the real reason she had run from Braden like a scalded cat? It was a hard lesson to learn that all the maturity and confidence she had striven for could be so easily destroyed by the fear of having her heart broken again.

  Before she had left Sydney two years ago her mother had warned her to make sure she was leaving for the right reasons. Running away from your problems never solved them, only made them harder to face, she had said. Was that what she had done? Run away? And was that what she was doing now with Braden? Was she refusing to acknowledge their ‘obvious attraction’ because she was afraid of becoming involved and thereby running the risk of being hurt again?

  Perhaps it was time to let down her guard and see what eventuated. There was a possibility that this attraction could lead to something more substantial.

  Then why did the yellow traffic sign with ‘Caution’ printed on it keep intruding into her thoughts?

  The next day Braden's attitude towards Jenna was polite but remote.

  In the afternoon Jenna and Caitlin played a simple ‘match the pairs’ card game. Caitlin wasn’t laughing. She wasn’t smiling. But she was relaxed and there was a sparkle in her eyes. It made such a change to the thin pale face that Jenna had a glimpse of what she must have looked like before the accident.

  Braden emerged from his study and made himself a cup of coffee. As he sipped the hot liquid he watched them play, then suddenly asked if he could join in. At Caitlin’s pleased look Jenna readily agreed.

  To Jenna's surprise he pretended to be completely ignorant about how the game was supposed to be played, dropping his cards, putting down cards that were obviously not pairs so that Caitlin had to pull on his arm and point this out to him. He feigned bewilderment so well that Caitlin patiently sorted through the cards in his hand to find the right pair. Then he thanked her with a kiss to her hand and told her how clever she was.

  It was a side to his personality that Jenna was sure few people would get to see. The Braden Fleetwood Jeff had written about was a tough, hard-headed businessman. The Braden she was seeing now had a sensitivity and warmth that she found even more attractive than his good looks and athletic physique.

  When the intercom buzzed Braden walked over and answered it. A cultured female voice gave her name and Braden immediately pressed the button to unlock the entrance door downstairs. A few minutes later he opened the door to one of the most striking and beautiful women Jenna had ever seen.

  An inch or two shorter than Jenna, model slim and elegant, skin the colour of pale honey and a sleek cap of shining blonde hair that swished gently with every movement of her head, she was dressed in white slacks, matching sleeveless blouse with large gold belt accentuating her tiny waist, gold sandals and shoulder bag. The gold chain necklace and expensive rings declared rather than suggested wealth.

  She smiled delightedly up at Braden and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Braden, darling, you should have let me know you were up here. I would have had you over to dinner.”

  More like have him for dinner came unbidden to Jenna’s thoughts.

  “Your office said you’d been here nearly two weeks already.” The voice matched its owner, sleek and elegant, almost purring in delight. “I can’t believe you haven’t come to see me.”

  “I’ve had a lot to get organised, Veronica.” As Braden walked over to the dining room table where Jenna and Caitlin sat, the woman had slipped her arm around his and smiled up at him.

  The smile fluttered briefly as her eyes darted over Jenna, then she was hurrying towards Caitlin. She placed two slim hands on Caitlin’s face and tilted it up to hers.

  “Caitlin, you poor little thing. How is your dear mother? They must let her out of that horrible place soon.”

  Caitlin cringed, her body shrinking back into the chair. Braden placed his hand lightly on Veronica’s arm.

  “Veronica, I’d like you to meet Jenna Marti
n. Jenna is my ... housekeeper ... while Mrs Jenkins is looking after her sick daughter. Jenna, this is Veronica Lloyd, a business associate of mine.”

  Pale blue eyes took in Jenna’s cotton shirt, denim shorts and lack of make-up in one dismissive sweep. Lips that were just a shade too thin but skillfully disguised with lipliner murmured in brief acknowledgment before turning back to Braden in a brilliant smile.

  “I have so much to discuss with you, Braden. Perhaps we could go into your study? I don’t really wish to intrude on such a ... domestic ... scene.”

  Veronica swayed up the hallway with Braden close behind.

  When she had first seen Veronica Jenna had felt all her old ‘ugly duckling’ perceptions of herself rise up from some deep recess in her memory. Even as she sat there she could feel her limbs starting to take on the gawky, awkward traits that had marred her teenage years. Then when Veronica’s glance had dismissed her as nothing more than ‘the housekeeper’ a flood of anger had swept away all the doubts in her self-confidence. She knew her worth and no superficial society swan was going to treat her like a lowly kitchenhand.

  One glance at Caitlin’s face and all thoughts of herself left her mind. Tears were shimmering in Caitlin’s eyes and distress was clearly etched in her rigid demeanour. Jenna’s anger surged again. How could Veronica not realize what her thoughtless words would do to the child? Jenna stood up. “Caitlin, I’m feeling very warm so I’m going to have a swim to cool down. Do you want to have one with me?”

  Gratitude and relief slackened the stiffness in Caitlin’s body. She nodded.

  As she changed into her swimsuit, Jenna tried to push aside the niggles of resentment caused by Veronica's obvious disdain. She might not have the money to dress like Veronica, but she knew that no amount of stylish clothing could ever hope to give Veronica the curves Jenna knew were her greatest asset. From the way Braden had reacted when she had emerged from the pool the other morning she guessed that pencil-slim women were not high on his arousal scale.

  For half an hour she and Caitlin swam and played in the pool. Then Caitlin motioned to her that she wanted to continue with her exercises, so Jenna’s professionalism took over and for the next half hour she concentrated on ensuring that Caitlin was receiving maximum benefit from her expertise.

  During the next two days Braden spent most of his time in his study or in his Sunshine Coast office at Mooloolaba. Once again he had reverted to being polite but remote in his attitude to Jenna. To Caitlin he was the same loving uncle the child relied on. After dinner at night he would retire into his study.

  Jenna had persuaded Caitlin that massage was essential to help strengthen her muscles and between this, the exercises, and the extra food Caitlin was eating as a result of her stimulated appetite, the girl’s face had taken on a healthy glow and Jenna knew it wouldn’t be long before her body and limbs would show improvement.

  Late Saturday afternoon Braden walked into the kitchen as Jenna was slicing carrots in preparation for the evening meal.

  "I won't be having dinner here tonight, Jenna. I'll be eating at Veronica's."

  Jenna fought down the sharp surge of jealousy that threatened. She tossed him a casual smile. "Is Veronica a good cook?"

  He shrugged his broad shoulders in an off-hand manner. “She has her own chef but she usually hires extra staff for large dinner parties.”

  Jenna opened the freezer door and pretended to search for something. “And is this one of those large dinner parties?” she asked casually.

  Braden paused as he poured juice into a tall glass. He ran an assessing look over the appealing derriere in fitting denim shorts that turned towards him as Jenna pulled out a low drawer of the freezer. A slow smile curved his sensual lips. “No,” the gleam in his eye was more mischief than malice, “this is one of those more ... intimate affairs.”

  A packet of frozen peas flew past his head and landed on the sink. The drawer was shoved closed and the door smartly slammed. The green eyes that looked at him were wide in their innocence.

  “Sorry,” she said, “I didn’t realise you were so close.” She walked over to the sink and sliced open the packet.

  Braden watched the knife blade dig into the plastic and walked away, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

  Jenna added the peas to the chicken casserole she was preparing. Darn! How could she let him get to her like that! The thought of him and Veronica dining intimately together made her fists clench. She tried to banish the image of what Veronica might have planned for after dinner entertainment from her mind. She didn’t know if Braden found Veronica attractive or not but the woman definitely had a possessive streak where he was concerned. Jenna also didn’t know how wealthy Veronica was but Braden’s good looks, wealth and charm would certainly make him a magnet for most women.

  Deliberately she turned her mind to Caitlin. Braden had told her that he had had Caitlin assessed by the best psychiatrists but her passive resistance had made it difficult for them to help her. They were hoping that Alicia would recover from her breakdown and this would be sufficient to draw Caitlin from her silent world. What worried Jenna was that Alicia might not recover completely. Braden had said she had always been over-sensitive and nervous. What would happen to Caitlin then?

  Jenna resolved to try to get as much normalcy into Caitlin’s life as possible. Staying in the penthouse all the time and being isolated from other people, especially other children, certainly wasn’t a normal existence.

  The isolation was starting to chafe with Jenna herself. Braden had arranged for the local stores to deliver whatever she wanted and send the accounts to him, so she hadn’t even needed to walk to the store for a carton of milk. She would ask Braden how close they were to the Sunshine Plaza. She had seen the giant shopping complex advertised on television. The Lion King was showing again in one of the complex’s six theatres and she had seen the interest on Caitlin’s face as they’d watched the preview.

  Just then she heard Braden call to Caitlin that he was leaving. She turned to ask him, and the words caught in her throat. He was wearing a dinner suit, its impeccable cut emphasizing the breadth of his shoulders, his flat stomach, his strong thighs. His black hair was brushed back but one stray lock escaped onto his forehead in an appealing curl, breaking the hard straight angles of his face.

  He picked Caitlin up and swung her around. As he spun his eyes locked with Jenna’s and he slowed to a stop. The blue flecks in his grey eyes deepened, glittered. He walked slowly towards her, powerful, dangerous, challenging. She knew he was throwing down the gauntlet of his sexuality with each lithe swing of his legs but she couldn’t break from his gaze.

  Her bones were gradually dissolving, melting into one great molten longing to blend her body with his and experience all the delights she was sure it would give. She knew her desire was showing in her face but she could do little to disguise it.

  Her hands reached behind her for the support of the bench as he stopped in front of her. She felt her breath leaving her body in a great sigh and saw the triumphant gleam in his eyes. He held Caitlin out to her, and as her arms weakly reached out and took the child he turned on his heel and walked out.

  After she put Caitlin to bed Jenna paced the loungeroom like a caged tiger.

  How could she have reacted to him like that? He must have laughed to himself all the way to Veronica’s place. Her imagination ran riot as she thought of him still laughing as he kissed Veronica. But maybe he wasn’t kissing Veronica. Perhaps he didn’t see Veronica like that. He had, after all, described her as a business associate. But what sort of business associate? Jenna had known medical professionals who had affairs with their colleagues. Perhaps Braden enjoyed mixing business with pleasure.

  Finally she spent an hour swimming out her frustrations before going to bed. But not to sleep. It was two a.m. when Braden’s footsteps echoed in the hallway, and she punched her pillow into a lumpy mess before sleep finally claimed her.

  Jenna pushed a spoon i
nto the coffee jar and sighed. The day outside was sunny and fresh, a beautiful warm day alive with salt tang from the ocean. But her mood was far from receptive to the weather’s enticements.

  The coffee was hot and strong and almost burnt her mouth but it cleared a few cobwebs from her brain.

  Braden and Caitlin were sitting out in the courtyard eating breakfast. Jenna made some toast, added a liberal helping of marmalade, and carried the plate and coffee mug out to join them. Braden greeted her with a smile. He looked refreshed and relaxed as though he had enjoyed a full night’s sleep. If she really tried she was sure she could hate him.

  “Unusual for you to sleep in, Jenna,” he commented, his smile broadening. “Didn’t you sleep well?”

  “I slept like a log,” she lied. One that rolled down hills all night.

  Caitlin frowned at Jenna’s tone and Jenna felt guilty. At all costs it was imperative not to cause any friction that might set back the progress Caitlin had made.

  “And did you have a good evening?” she asked Braden nicely.

  “Yes. It was very ... successful.”

  His satisfied smile cut through Jenna like a knife. Until then she hadn’t fully acknowledged the extent of her jealousy, afraid it would reveal just how much she cared for this man. She had only known him a week but he was indelibly imprinted on every nuance of her psyche, every corner of her heart. She had known from the moment he'd kissed her that he would have the power to break her heart and she had fought his allure. But if her feelings now were any indication it was an unsuccessful battle.

  “I was just telling Caitlin,” he continued, “that I thought it was time we went for a drive and showed you some of the Coast. And there’s an ice-creamery at Noosa that stocks Caitlin’s favourite ice-cream.”