More Than a Convenient Bride

by Michelle Celmer

  Julie knew Elizabeth would feel that way, which is why she’d brought it up. If she was going to persuade Luc to talk to Amelia, she would need Elizabeth on her team. Was it a little underhanded and sneaky? Maybe so, but Julie believed deep in her heart that Luc needed to settle things with Amelia, and this was the only way she could see to make that happen.

  “If I didn’t know better, I might think that you were trying to push the two of them together,” Elizabeth said.

  “If they’re meant to be together, nothing I do or don’t do will change that.”

  “That’s very convenient for you.”

  Julie blinked. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It’s the perfect excuse to keep him at arm’s length.”

  “It’s not that,” Julie said, though Elizabeth’s words hit a little too close to home. “Whether he falls in love with Amelia, or some other woman, I just want him to be happy.”

  “Have you considered the possibility that Luc might be in love with you?”

  She considered and dismissed it. But not to protect herself as Elizabeth implied. Julie was a realist. She knew that sex did not always equal love. Not the forever kind.

  “I really feel that he needs this to move forward,” Julie told the older woman. “With me or anyone else.”

  Elizabeth sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

  “So...you’ll talk to her?” Julie said.

  “I’ll think about it,” Elizabeth said. “But no promises.”

  That was all Julie could ask. “Thank you.”

  “I wouldn’t do this for just anybody.”

  “I know.”

  “Even though you and Luc are married in name only, I think of you as my daughter.”

  “And I consider you one of my closest friends.”

  Elizabeth smiled.

  “Well, I should get going. I’d like to stop by the hospital and check on Amelia. Her son’s surgery is Tuesday and she’s getting nervous.”

  “You really do like her,” Elizabeth said, looking perplexed. “And you trust her?”

  “I do. She just wants to make amends.”

  The older woman nodded slowly and said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Fourteen

  Having never had an animal before, there had never been a need to patronize a pet supply store. The sheer volume of available products was mind-boggling. Julie stood in the cat food aisle for a good forty-five minutes reading labels and looking up online reviews on her phone. The litter aisle was a nightmare as well, and the toy aisle even worse. There were a bazillion choices of every shape and size. How was she supposed to know what a blind kitten would like to play with? Even something as simple as picking out a collar took forever.

  She made her selections to the best of her ability, nearly having a stroke when the cashier rang it all up and gave her the total. No wonder the shelter was always desperate for donations. Everything was so expensive.

  With the kitten taken care of, Julie drove to the hospital. She had a few spare minutes, so when she got there, she made a quick detour to Tommy’s room. Amelia sat in a chair next to her son’s bed reading to him. She smiled brightly when she saw Julie, but the dark smudges under her eyes said it had probably been a long night.

  She patted her son’s arm. “Wake up baby, look who’s come to visit.”

  With effort, Tommy opened his eyes, flashed her a sleepy smile and said, “Hi, Julie,” so softly she had to strain to hear him.

  “How are you feeling today,” she asked him, but he had already fallen back to sleep.

  “They had to up his pain meds again,” Amelia said, concern darkening her features as she gazed down at her son. “Thank God the surgery is Tuesday. I never thought I would hear myself say this, but I’m actually a little homesick.”

  “Understandable considering the way people have been treating you.”

  “It’s lonely. Tommy sleeps most of the time, and no one else around here talks to me unless they have to.”

  Not only did she look exhausted, but she’d lost weight, meaning she probably wasn’t eating properly. The last time they had lunch she’d only picked at her food. “Have you been sleeping?”

  “As much as I can. The nurses come in at all hours of the night to check on Tommy and I’m a light sleeper, so they inevitably wake me up. I’m only able to catch an hour or two here and there. I could swear that sometimes they do it just to mess with me.”

  “You need some uninterrupted sleep,” Julie told her. “In a real bed.”

  “I can’t leave the hospital. I don’t want Tommy to wake up alone.”

  “You’re no good to Tommy if you don’t take care of yourself.”

  Her expression said that she knew Julie was right.

  “Are you working today?” Amelia asked her.

  “Nope, I’m meeting Luc for lunch.”

  “Speak of the devil,” Amelia said, looking past her to the door. Julie turned to find Luc entering the room.

  “Am I late?” she asked with a smile, but he didn’t smile back. Now what?

  “I have the results of the blood test from this morning,” he told Amelia in his “doctor” tone, and the grim look he wore made Julie’s heart drop.

  Amelia must have sensed that something was amiss, that it wasn’t just Luc being his usual bitter self, because her face paled a shade and she asked, “Is something wrong?”

  “Tommy’s white count is up,” he said.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It could mean that he has an infection somewhere.”

  “Which means what exactly?” Amelia asked him, and Julie could see that she was struggling to hold it together, to be strong for her son.

  There was genuine compassion in Luc’s tone when he said, “If it remains elevated we may have to postpone the surgery.”

  The devastation on Amelia’s face made Julie’s heart hurt for her. “How long?” she asked.

  “It’s hard to say until we know what we’re dealing with. Days, a week. Maybe longer.”

  Amelia looked so pale and distraught Julie worried she might lose consciousness. Julie wasn’t a hugger by nature, but she felt compelled to do something to ease her pain, and Amelia readily accepted her embrace.

  “I’m so sorry,” Julie said. “I know this is frustrating, but I’m sure he’ll be better in no time.”

  Amelia clung to her for several seconds, then let go and blinked away the tears that hovered just inside her eyelids. She took a deep breath, pulled herself up by her bootstraps, lifted her chin and asked Luc, “What’s our next move?”

  “I’m going to start him on a round of broad spectrum antibiotics, and do more tests. See if we can pinpoint the problem.”

  “You think that will take care of it?”

  He hesitated, then said, “I’m cautiously optimistic. But if you would like to get a second opinion—”

  “No,” she said firmly, shaking her head. “If I didn’t trust your judgment we wouldn’t be here. Do what you think is best.”

  A look passed between Luc and Amelia, and they both smiled. Was he finally coming around?

  Julie felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For a few seconds anyway, before she felt a sudden and intense twinge of something unpleasant.

  It was envy, she realized. She wanted the two of them to bury the hatchet, so why would she feel jealous?

  Jules, you’re being ridiculous.

  She shoved the feeling deep down where it belonged.

  “I’ll stop by later this afternoon to check on Tommy,” Luc told Amelia, and she flashed him a grateful, if not exhausted smile.

  Amelia needed sleep. Badly.

  “Can I see you alone for a minute?” Julie asked Luc, nodding
toward the door, and he followed her into the hall. “Let’s go down by the nurses’ station.”

  When they were far enough away that Amelia wouldn’t hear them, Julie turned to him. “In light of what just happened in there, I have a favor to ask.”

  He looked confused. “Something happened?”

  “You and Amelia had a moment.”

  “We did? When?”

  “Just a minute ago. You smiled at each other.”

  “I smile at a lot of people.”

  Now he was just being difficult. “There was a connection. Don’t deny it.”

  He shrugged and said, “If you say so.”

  Did he seriously not see it?

  “You mentioned a favor,” he said, wiggling his brows at her. “Your office or mine?”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “Not that kind of favor. I was hoping you could maybe say something to the nurses about the way they’ve been treating Amelia. I would, but I feel as if it’s not my place to tell them how to do their jobs. But if you say something—“

  “I’ll talk to everyone,” he said.

  One less thing to worry about. “Thank you.”

  “We should get down to the cafeteria,” Luc said.

  “About lunch...” She looked from her watch to Tommy’s room.

  “Go,” he said with a grin. “Amelia needs you. We’ll have lunch another day.”

  “You’re sure? Thanks for understanding.”

  He reached up and touched her cheek. “I hope Amelia realizes how lucky she is to have you as a friend.”

  Julie knew that she did. “How late are you working?”

  Luc looked at his watch. “I should be home for dinner.”

  She pushed up on her toes to kiss him goodbye, aiming for his cheek, but Luc had other ideas. He cupped the back of her head and pulled her close, slanting his mouth over hers, and then kissed her in clear view of everyone at the nurses’ station. And not a hospital hallway sort of kiss. This was a bona fide, just-wait-until-I get-you-home kiss.

  Public displays of affection usually made her uncomfortable, but she could feel herself melting against him as he drew her closer. Until someone at the nurses’ station wolf-whistled.

  She pulled away and grinned up at him, her cheeks warm and her blood pumping. “That was nice. A little inappropriate considering where we are, but still nice.”

  “You’re my wife. I can kiss you however and wherever I want.”

  “Is that how it works?”

  “Damn straight.” His eyes locked on hers, and the look he gave her was so supercharged with desire her heart skipped a beat. He was playing a role, that’s all. They both were. But something in his eyes said he may have forgotten that.

  “But I’m not really your wife,” she reminded him.

  He took her hand, grazing his thumb over her wedding band. “As long as this ring is on your finger, you’re my wife. In every sense of the word.”

  He looked so serious, as if he really meant it, which was as confusing as it was terrifying. And yes, maybe a little exciting, too. Not to mention totally unrealistic. “Aren’t we a little far into the game to be changing the rules.”

  “Maybe I don’t like the rules anymore.”

  Her heart jerked violently, and then raced ahead double time. What the heck was he trying to say? Did this have something to do with her decision to sleep in his bed last night? Was she unknowingly leading him on? That had certainly never been her intention.

  She took a step back and he let go of her hand. “I’d better go.”

  “Eventually we’ll have to talk about this.”

  No they wouldn’t, because they had already talked about it. It was a done deal. His friendship meant too much to her to risk losing over a misguided sexual relationship. Even if it was really fantastic sex. “I’ll see you later.”

  Looking resigned, he said, “See you later.”

  She could feel his eyes boring into her back as she walked to Amelia’s room, but she was too chicken to turn around and face him. She was terrified of what she might see. Maybe it would be wise to put a little distance between them. Perhaps Luc was becoming a little too comfortable with the physical aspect of their relationship.

  Amelia stood next to her son’s window, gazing blindly out the window, looking distraught.

  “Everything will be okay,” Julie said.

  Amelia turned to her. “Deep down, I know that.”

  Amelia would feel so much better if she could get some uninterrupted sleep, and was able to take a long hot shower. Or better yet, soak in a hot bath with essence of lavender and lots of bubbles. Which Julie just so happened to have at her condo...

  Before she could talk herself out of it, Julie pulled her key ring out and unhooked the key for her condo. She crossed the room and handed it to a confused Amelia.

  “What is this for?” she asked Julie.

  “My condo. I want you to use it as a home base while you’re here in Royal.”

  She looked warily at her sleeping son. “You know how I feel about leaving the hospital. What if Tommy wakes up...”

  “He’ll be fine. The nurses will take good care of him.”

  Amelia looked from her son to Julie, and back again. “I don’t know...”

  “Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately? You look terrible.”

  Amelia sighed, her shoulders sagging. “And I feel terrible. But he needs me here.”

  “Does he need you, or is it that you need him?”

  Amelia frowned.

  “Do you think Tommy doesn’t notice how you look? He needs you to be strong for him. You can’t do that if you’re about to collapse.”

  Julie’s words clearly hit home. “I guess I could sneak out for a little while.”

  Feeling relieved, Julie jotted down the address for Amelia, who typed it into the GPS on her smart phone.

  “You know, you’re going to be a great mom someday,” Amelia told her.

  It was meant as a compliment, but it made Julie’s heart hurt. She wouldn’t be a good mother, because she would never have children. If she couldn’t set aside her fears and let her guard down for Luc, her best friend, there was little hope left of her ever finding Mr. Right.

  Fifteen

  Late that afternoon, when Luc pulled into the garage, Julie’s car was gone. He felt both disappointed and relieved at the same time. They needed to talk, to figure this marriage out. Despite his best efforts to adhere to their “plan,” to think with his head, his heart seemed to be calling the shots now. He wanted Julie, in every way a man could want a woman. But her unwillingness to even consider discussing it didn’t bode well for him. And she was so insistent that he and Amelia settle their past, he couldn’t help but feel that she was hoping that he and Amelia would fall back in love. That would certainly save Julie the task of confronting her feelings. The difficult ones, that she kept buried deep. Her heart was like a fortress, and he wasn’t quite sure how he would tear the walls down.

  Or if that was even possible.

  Luc let himself into the house, and found his mother in the family room, by the window overlooking the garden, reading a book. On her lap, curled in a ball, slept the kitten.

  “Babysitting?” he asked her with a grin. He’d suspected she would enjoy the kitten as much as Julie did.

  “Houdini,” his mother said, and in answer to his confused look, added, “That’s the kitten’s name.”

  “Why Houdini?”

  “He’s an escape artist, and once he gets away, finding him is almost impossible.”

  “He’s white, how could you miss him?”

  “You’ll see. And when you’re searching for him, do yourself a favor and look up. That’s where he prefers to be.”

  “Up whe
re?”

  “Anywhere he can reach. If he can get his nails into it, he starts climbing and doesn’t stop until he reaches the top.”

  “Like what?”

  “A bed, curtains, a pant leg. A bare leg—and you can bet that my nurse wasn’t happy about that. It doesn’t matter as long as it takes him vertical.”

  Luc frowned. “He’s blind. That could be very dangerous.”

  “I tried to explain that to him, but you know cats,” she said with an exaggerated shrug, “they never listen to reason.”

  He shot her a look.

  She smiled. “On the bright side he has a very hard head.”

  “And how do you know that?”

  “Every now and then he gets overexcited, takes off running and slams headfirst into something. Usually a wall or a piece of furniture. I won’t lie, it’s hard not to laugh, but he just shakes it off and keeps going. Then, bam, he hits something else. He’ll do that three or four times in one spot, until he learns the landscape. I think he’s mapping out the house.”

  “With his head?”

  His mother shrugged. “Whatever works, I guess.”

  Luc wondered if cats were capable of using that sort of logic. “I don’t suppose you know where Julie is.”

  “She’s sitting with Tommy while Amelia naps, so he won’t wake up alone.”

  “Where is Amelia?”

  “At Julie’s condo. She insisted that Amelia go there and take a nap.”

  Julie’s condo? Hadn’t she given it up when she moved in with him? She’d never actually said she would, but he’d just assumed...

  He sighed and shook his head. Wrong again.

  “Dinner will be ready at seven,” his mother told him, in a tone that said being late was unacceptable.

  Which gave him just enough time for a couple of beers at the Texas Cattleman’s Club.

  He turned to leave, but she stopped him. “There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

  “About what?”

  “I’m having my blood transfusion tomorrow and Julie asked me to stop in and see Amelia while I’m there. She said Amelia wants to apologize to me.”