The Million Dollar Catch Bundle

by Susan Mallery

  “Public school?” she asked sweetly, then sipped her drink. She had already guessed the answer, but she confessed she didn’t mind seeing him defensive.

  “Private. Prep.”

  “Ah.”

  He glared at her, then continued. “We both went to Stanford. There was some talk of Princeton or Yale, but we weren’t interested. Our lives were in California. Snow was for ski vacations, not everyday life.”

  “Skiing in Gstaad?” she asked.

  “All over. And before you start mocking me—”

  “I would never do that!”

  He ignored her. “I want to point out that Ruth came from money. This could have been your life, too.”

  “I can understand the words, but I’ll admit I can’t make the concept real. Mom always said her parents were dead and we believed her.”

  “But if things had been different…” he began.

  She looked at him. “Then you and I would have grown up together. We would have been like brother and sister.”

  Ryan grimaced. Not exactly the direction he wanted them to go. He thought of Julie as many things, but a sister wasn’t one of them.

  As he worked, he kept getting distracted by her presence. She was so alive, so vibrant. It was as if she were the only color in the room.

  He liked the way she challenged him, and how she tried to be fair. He also liked the way she looked in her soft pink sweater that just hinted at the curves beneath. Curves he remembered and ached to touch and taste again.

  “Or maybe we would have been each other’s first love,” she said.

  “I like that better,” he told her.

  “I can see it all now. The wonder and thrill of that first kiss. Going to each other’s prom.”

  “You’d be attending a private girls school,” he said with a grin. “In a uniform.”

  “I’m ignoring you. We would have parted tearfully before college, tried to keep in touch, but you were incapable of being faithful. I made a surprise trip to your dorm and found you with that redhead.”

  “Hey—why do I have to be the bad guy? I’ve never been unfaithful.”

  Her blue eyes widened slightly. “Why don’t I believe that?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s true. I have references.”

  She seemed to consider that for a second. “Okay, so we just drift apart. Then on our next holiday together, Todd comes on to me. You’re crushed and while the two of you are fighting I run off with the brilliant computer-science major I met in the library.”

  “Do I live a life of bitterness and regret?”

  “Maybe. But eventually you find someone. A spinster librarian who reads Emily Dickinson to you every night.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “Actually, you like it a lot.”

  “So you still hate me, huh?” he asked.

  She tilted her head and her long, blond hair tumbled across her shoulder. “Not as much as I should.”

  He turned the chicken and shook his head. “I wish we’d met another way. I wish I’d run into you at the beach or the grocery store or at a party.”

  “Ryan, don’t.”

  “Why not? We get along. We got along that first night, we’re getting along now.”

  “I don’t know how much of that first night was real and how much of it was your agenda. Who are you really?”

  “I’m trying to show you.” And to be patient. Her points were valid. As much as he didn’t like it, he respected her right to be cautious.

  “Okay, I’m good with that,” she said. “I’m trying, Ryan. I’m not being difficult on purpose.”

  “It’s just a happy by-product?”

  “Kind of.”

  “So tell me about your life,” he said. “You know all about the tragedy of my childhood.”

  She smiled and his gut tightened. Imagine what she could do to him if she worked at it.

  “My sisters and I were pretty happy. There wasn’t a lot of money and no private schools with or without uniforms, but that was fine with us.”

  “Your dad died?”

  She paused and for the first time since arriving, looked uncomfortable.

  “No, he’s alive.”

  What was the problem? Divorce happened all the time.

  “My parents are still married,” she said. “They have a unique relationship. My dad is one of those guys who can’t settle down. He’s charming and funny and everyone wants to be around him.”

  Everyone but her, Ryan thought, watching the emotions play across her face. Her father had obviously hurt her.

  “He disappears,” she continued. “He’ll show up for a few weeks, much to the delight of my mother who adores him. He’ll shower us with presents and tell us stories and get involved in our lives and then he disappears. There’s never any warning and more often than not, he cleans out my mom’s bank account. A few months later, he sends a check for three or four times that amount. A few months after that, he shows up again and we’re off.”

  “That had to be hard on you,” Ryan said.

  “It wasn’t my favorite way of life. I wanted him to stay and if he couldn’t stay I wanted him gone. For so long I hated how much I loved him when he was around and how awful I felt when he left. I hated seeing my sisters so sad and listening to my mother cry.”

  She stiffened, as if she hadn’t meant to say that much. “It’s better now,” she said casually. “I don’t get involved.”

  Was that true? Was Julie really able to cut herself off from her father or did she simply avoid any emotion where he was concerned?

  “How does your mom handle it?” he asked.

  “She loves him.” Julie’s expression was both indulgent and confused. “I don’t get it, but she does. She’s loved him from the moment she first saw him. She walked away from her family just to be with him. From that life of wealth and privilege, from her parents. Your uncle was her stepfather, but he’d been a part of her life since she’d been a baby. As far as she was concerned, he was her father. According to her, it was for the best. She’s never looked back, never had regrets.”

  He checked on the bread, then removed the chicken from the grill. The salad was ready. Once the bread was done, he would make the pesto and they’d be ready to eat.

  “I admire her ability to stand by her decision,” he said. “That takes courage.”

  “I think being totally cut off from her family helped. It wasn’t as if they would have welcomed her back.”

  “Her father wouldn’t have,” he told her. “But Ruth would have. She’s a soft-hearted old bird. She’d bristly and tough on the outside, but inside, she’s mush.”

  “I haven’t seen that side of her. She was pretty intimidating when she came to visit.”

  He smiled. “You? Intimidated? I don’t believe it.”

  She laughed. “Okay, I was nervous. You obviously care about her. I can hear it in your voice. I mean this in the nicest possible way—why? She tried to get one of us to marry your cousin by bribing us. That’s not exactly sweet.”

  “But it’s vintage Ruth. She loves to meddle, but she’s also always been a big part of my life. Our parents traveled constantly and when they were gone, Todd and I lived with Ruth. She had an incredible old house in Bel Air. The grounds were massive, two or three acres at least. We’d spend summers getting lost in the gardens. When we were at school, she’d show up for no reason, pull us out of classes and take us to the beach or Disneyland.”

  “That sounds nice.” Doubt filled her voice.

  “It was. You’ll have to get to know her.”

  “I can’t wait. At least the house will be cool if she asks me to visit.”

  “She doesn’t live there anymore. She gave it to her daughter, who’s the oldest of the two sisters and she passed it along to Todd.”

  Julie stared at him. “Todd lives in an old Bel Air mansion?”

  “Does that change anything? Are you sorry he wasn’t the one on the date?”

  She laughed. “No. I
t makes him even more mock-able. What’s a single guy doing with a house like that? It must be a museum.”

  “It is. Why do you find that so funny?”

  “I don’t know, but I can’t wait to tell my sisters. Okay, my good manners are kicking in. How can I help?”

  “You could set the table.”

  “Great. Show me where to wash my hands?”

  “Sure.”

  He led her to the guest bathroom off the dining area. She glanced around at the white tile, marble floor and white fixtures, then returned her attention to him.

  “You really need to work on saying no to your interior decorator.”

  “I know. It’s a disaster.”

  “You could get snow blindness in here.”

  “If you think this is bad,” he teased, “you should see the bedroom. It’s all done in black and purple.”

  In less than a heartbeat, the entire mood shifted. Tension crackled between them. Ryan couldn’t look away from her mouth, and the need to kiss her and hold her attacked him like a semiautomatic.

  Julie opened her mouth, then closed it. “This is awkward,” she said at last.

  “It doesn’t have to be.” Although it nearly killed him, he took a step back. He’d given in to temptation at the law office and it hadn’t furthered his cause. He tried never to make the same mistake twice. “See. All better.”

  It wasn’t. At least not for him. The more he was with her, the more he wanted her, but for right now, he was going to ignore the heat and desire. He had to think long-term. He and Julie needed to establish a comfortable relationship so they could get to know each other. Then, when he’d softened her up, he would propose again. Because one way or the other, they were going to be married.

  No child of his was going to be born without legally joined parents at his or her side. So he was willing to do whatever it took to convince Julie that she could take a chance on him—even not give in to the only thing they could agree on.

  Sex.

  Nine

  This was her weekend for fancy lunches, Julie thought as she pulled into the circular drive in front of a large Beverly Hills estate. Yesterday she’d been at Ryan’s for a surprisingly delicious meal and kind of pleasant conversation. She’d returned home to find a message from Ruth asking her to stop by this afternoon for a late lunch. The invitation had sounded very much like a command.

  Julie had considered refusing for about three seconds, but then had called back to confirm. She wanted to get to know her grandmother. Ryan had painted a very different picture from the woman she’d met all of three times in her life. Maybe this visit would show her which Ruth was real.

  She walked up to the impressive double doors and rang the bell. A maid answered. When Julie gave her name, she was escorted through a foyer as large as her entire house, then into an equally large living room.

  There were several sofas, close to a dozen chairs, tables, sideboards, artwork that belonged in a gallery and a man standing in front of the fireplace.

  Her heart began to race even before he turned, so she actually wasn’t all that startled to see it was Ryan.

  Obviously he hadn’t been briefed as to her arrival, she thought as he raised his eyebrows and smiled.

  “Julie?”

  The pleasure in his voice did something to her insides. Yesterday she’d had the chance to get to know the man. Despite everything, he was making a good case for himself. But seeing him so happy to see her gave him bonus points.

  “Ruth asked me to lunch,” she said.

  “Me, too.” He lowered his voice. “A command performance.”

  “Both of us together? Should I be worried?”

  “I don’t think so.” He walked over and took one of her hands in his, then leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Regardless of why you’re here, I’m happy to see you. Lunch yesterday was good.”

  So was he, she thought as she stared into his eyes and felt herself begin to tingle all over. His fingers were warm and her cheek burned from the light brush of his lips on her skin.

  “I had a nice time,” she admitted, suddenly wishing they weren’t going to be disturbed.

  She’d been involved with guys before, she’d even been engaged, but she’d never had such a visceral reaction to a man.

  “Oh, good. You’re both here.”

  Ruth Jamison walked into the living room, her arms wide open, a smile on her carefully made-up face.

  “Ryan, darling, how good of you to come.” She hugged him and kissed him, then turned to Julie. “I still can’t believe I have such lovely granddaughters.”

  Julie got her own hug and kiss, then Ruth linked arms with them both and led them to one of the sofas. When they were seated, she took a chair opposite.

  “I know this was last minute,” she told them, “so I appreciate you indulging an old woman.”

  “A sly old woman,” Ryan said. “What’s this all about, Ruth?”

  “Does it have to be about anything?”

  “Knowing you? Yes.”

  She smiled at him, then turned to Julie. “Don’t listen to him. He’d have you believe I’m a terrible person, which I’m not. I’m very sweet. I’m also concerned. I heard that you went out with Ryan instead of Todd, dear. Is that true?”

  The question was so unexpected, Julie didn’t know what to say. How on earth had she found that out? Had Ryan told her? Ruth continued talking.

  “While Ryan is a wonderful man and I’m desperate to see him settled as well, Todd’s the oldest. He should be married first.”

  “He’s older by a couple of months,” Ryan said easily. “You don’t really care about that sort of thing, do you?”

  “Not generally, but this is different. This is family. Your great-uncle had some very particular ideas and I intend to see them followed out. Todd marrying first was one of them. So what happened?”

  “Ruth, this isn’t your business,” Ryan said gently, answering Julie’s question about whether or not he’d been his aunt’s source. But if he wasn’t, who was?

  “Of course it is.”

  Julie sensed danger ahead. She didn’t want Ryan admitting the truth about their first meeting for a lot of reasons. She had the feeling that he was torn between wanting to answer his aunt and wanting to protect Julie. Rather than see where it would all go, she plunged into the conversation.

  “I set up the date with Todd as you suggested,” Julie said quickly. “Then he got tied up with some business and Ryan stopped by to tell me he was running late. He stayed for a drink and we ended up having dinner together.”

  Ryan shot her a grateful look. “That’s right. Todd couldn’t make it.”

  “I see.” Ruth sighed. “So now what? Will you be going out with Todd?”

  Oh, God. Because she needed more stress in her life? “No, I won’t.”

  Ruth stared at her. “It’s a million dollars, Julie. Do you know what you could do with that money?”

  “I have a fair idea, but I’m good. Thanks for asking.”

  Later, when lunch was over, Julie and Ryan left together. When they stepped out into the cool afternoon, Julie turned to him.

  “I can’t figure out if she’s just a crazy old woman or if she’s the devil.”

  He shook his head. “Normally I’d take her side, but she’s acting very strange. What’s up with grilling us like that? And how the hell did she find out we had dinner instead of you and Todd?”

  “I have no idea. Although I did think it was you.”

  “It wasn’t.”

  “I got that.”

  He looked back at the house. “She’s not usually like that. Maybe having granddaughters has gone to her head.”

  “We didn’t come with any special powers. She seemed upset about me not wanting to go out with Todd. I’m going to have to warn Willow and Marina that she’ll be coercing them next. Not that she’ll have any luck with Willow. My sister is feeling very protective of me these days. The only thing she wants from Todd is the chance to yell
at him.”

  Ryan stopped beside her car. “We’ve got a mess here.”

  “Oh, yeah. I totally blame you, by the way.”

  He chuckled. “How do you figure?”

  “You have really good swimmers. Otherwise I wouldn’t be pregnant.”

  “I think it’s all your fault.”

  She leaned against the driver’s door and faced him. “Really? So guy-like.”

  “I’m a guy. It’s your fault because you were smart and sexy and funny and you smelled good.”

  “The copier toner.”

  “Whatever. I didn’t have a chance to escape.”

  “Did you want one?”

  His eyes darkened with something that looked very much like desire.

  She shivered. This was a dangerous game. She and Ryan were supposed to be in the “get to know you” stage of their relationship. Some people got to know each other before having a baby, but why be conventional?

  Still, the smartest thing to do was pull back. To step away from the sexy man and drive home. But she couldn’t seem to move, a little because the sexy man was so intriguing but also because she’d started to like him.

  “It was a great night,” he said. “You were amazing.”

  “You were adequate.”

  “Thanks.”

  She smiled. “You’re very welcome.”

  He put his hand on her shoulder. A casual touch, she told herself. It meant nothing. So why was it suddenly so hard to breathe?

  “We have to keep Ruth from finding out about the baby, at least for a while,” he said. “In her present state, I’m not sure what she’d do with the information.”

  “The thought is a little scary.”

  “We also have a business meeting in a couple of days.”

  “I know. I put it on my calendar myself.”

  “Todd will be there.”

  “I have no words to describe my joy.” Was it her imagination or was he moving closer?

  “He’s not such a bad guy.”

  “So you say.” Ryan was definitely closer. Funny how she liked that.

  “I’m not such a bad guy either.”

  She opened her mouth to say something back and he kissed her. He wrapped his arms around her, tilted his head and pressed his mouth to hers.