More Than a Convenient Bride

by Michelle Celmer

  “Of course.”

  She took a deep breath and said quietly, so no one else would hear, “Luc and I aren’t really a couple. We only got married to keep me from getting deported.”

  Amelia sat back, looking stunned. “I have a hard time believing that.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  “You two are Royal’s ‘it’ couple. Everyone talks about you. You’re the blueprint for the ideal marriage. The fairy tale come true.”

  She’d had no idea people viewed her and Luc’s marriage that way. It looked as though they had successfully pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes. Which only made her feel more depressed and vacant.

  “So, if you’re just friends, your relationship isn’t physical?”

  “Well, it was. But not anymore.”

  “Something happened?”

  Unable to even look at her food, Julie pushed her tray away. “He told me that he’s in love with me.”

  Amelia looked confused. “And that’s a bad thing?”

  “It’s not part of the plan.”

  “The plan? Wow, sounds serious.”

  “We weren’t supposed to fall in love, but he broke the rules and now our friendship is over.”

  Amelia sat a little straighter. “So, what are you saying—he’s available?”

  That was a strange question. “I suppose so.”

  “And you aren’t in love with him.”

  She didn’t like the direction this conversation was taking. “I tried. I just can’t feel something that I don’t.”

  “You’re sure.”

  Julie blinked. “Of course I’m sure. If I were in love with someone, don’t you think I would know it?”

  Amelia was quiet for several seconds, mulling something over, her expression serious. “If I tell you a secret, do you promise not to tell anyone?”

  “Of course.”

  She looked around and lowered her voice. “This is a little embarrassing, but when I made the decision to come here, I sort of had it in my mind that if Luc was still single, and there was still a spark...”

  Julie’s heart skipped a beat, then picked up triple time.

  “When I thought he was a married man I backed off. But if your marriage is a fake, maybe I should rethink things.”

  “Maybe you should,” Julie agreed.

  “That wouldn’t bother you? Not even a little? Because now that I know you’re not really married, what reason would I have not to go after him myself? It wouldn’t technically be cheating.”

  “No, but—”

  “Hell, for all you know, he and I are already fooling around.”

  She could see what Amelia was doing, and it wasn’t going to work. “But you’re not.”

  “How do you know that when he’s ‘working late’ he’s not actually with me? I’m at the hospital 24/7 It would be really easy for us to fool around behind your back. Maybe use your condo for a quickie.”

  “But you wouldn’t do that to a friend,” Julie said.

  “Are you sure? How well do you really know me? Maybe people hate me so much because they’ve seen Luc and I together. They know we’re messing around.”

  Julie knew Amelia was only trying to make a point, but she felt unsettled nonetheless. “I’m sure someone would have mentioned it.”

  “You would think so, but all my friends—or should I say ex-friends—knew what Tom was doing and no one said a word to me about it. I didn’t find out until after the divorce that he’d had sex with my maid of honor in the men’s room at our wedding reception.”

  Julie gasped. “Did he really?”

  “And what about the nurse I saw Luc take into his office the other day after his secretary left? What reason do you think he had to close and lock the door? Maybe you aren’t the only friend he’s sleeping with.”

  Julie felt a twinge of something unpleasant. “We are talking hypothetically.”

  “Are we? If I did see Luc with another woman would you want to know the truth? Would it even matter? If you’re not really married—”

  “Yes!” Julie said, much louder than she’d intended, causing the people around them to turn and look. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Yes, I would want to know. And yes, it would matter.”

  “Why?”

  She felt her coffee rising back up her throat.

  “You’re looking a little pale,” Amelia said. “Something eating at you?”

  “Is he really seeing someone else?”

  “Why does it matter?”

  She didn’t know why. “It just does.”

  “Perhaps you’re feeling a little jealous?” Amelia said.

  Julie’s first reaction was to deny it, but whoever the woman was, if there really was another woman, Julie wanted to claw her eyes out.

  Oh God, she was jealous. And not just a little. The thought of Luc being intimate with someone besides her made her feel like barfing. “That doesn’t mean I’m in love with him.”

  “Since you became friends, how many serious relationships have either of you been in?” Amelia asked her.

  Julie frowned. “Well, I haven’t been in any, and if Luc was seeing anyone seriously he never told me. But we’re both very focused on our careers. We don’t have time for serious relationships.”

  “Yet you manage to find time for each other.”

  She was right. Luc had always made time for her and she him. With the exception of the past few days, they’d barely gone twenty-four hours without talking to each other in six years. The day wouldn’t feel complete if she didn’t hear his voice at least once. And lately, with all the fantastic sex they’d been having...

  She thought of him touching another woman the way he touched her, or even just holding another woman’s hand, and felt sick inside. Before now she just hadn’t let herself think about it. Now she could think of nothing else.

  “Oh my God,” she said, barely able to catch her breath as reality cracked her hard in the chops. “Oh my God.”

  She must have started turning blue, because Amelia gave her shoulder a nudge and said, “Breathe, Julie.”

  She sucked in a deep breath. “Oh my God. I’m in love with Luc.”

  Amelia was smiling. “Funny how it sneaks up on you.”

  How had this happened? When had it happened? Was she just so used to suppressing her feelings and guarding her heart that she hadn’t allowed herself to see it?

  Now that she had, it was almost overwhelming. She felt happy and excited and scared to death. But in a good way.

  “I’m in love with Luc,” she said again, the words rolling so naturally off her tongue it was as if they had been there all along, just waiting to be set free. “I. Am in love. With Luc.”

  In the midst of all those feelings she had another thought, one that sent the air hissing from her balloon of happiness.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Amelia said, her words startling Julie.

  “What am I thinking?”

  “You’re afraid that it’s too late, that you blew it. You’re terrified that he’s going to reject you.”

  She’d deny it if she could, but that would be a lie. And hadn’t she been lying to herself for long enough? Wasn’t it about time that she be honest not just to Luc, but to herself? She’d taken a lot of chances in her life, lived on the edge, but why was she so afraid to take a chance on Luc? And at this point, what did she have to lose?

  “I think I need to talk to him,” she told Amelia.

&nbs
p; “I think you do, too.”

  Her hands began to shake and her heart went berserk in her chest. “What if it’s too late?”

  “Then, you can at least say that you tried.”

  Luc had the courage to put himself out there. To take a chance on her. And for his trouble, all he’d gotten was shot down. Now she needed to do the same for him.

  “I have to go,” she said. “I have to talk to him.”

  “Yes you do.”

  “What time are you leaving tomorrow?”

  “As soon as Tommy is discharged. Probably around noon.”

  “I’ll be back to say goodbye.” They both stood and Julie hugged her hard. “Thank you so much.”

  “For what?”

  “Making me see what an idiot I am.”

  “Well, we all act like idiots at one point or another.”

  If that was the case, Julie was queen of the idiots. She gave Amelia another squeeze, then set off to find Luc, hoping she wasn’t too late.

  * * *

  “Are you going to mope around all day?”

  Luc looked up from his computer screen, which he hadn’t bothered to turn on yet, to find his mother in the doorway of his home office. “I’m not moping. I’m reflecting.”

  “She’ll come around.”

  He hadn’t said a word to his mother about the Julie situation, so either Julie had told her or she’d figured it out on her own.

  He’d honestly believed that giving Julie an ultimatum, threatening their friendship, would make her see reason. Five days later he was still waiting.

  Talk about a major fail.

  Now he’d painted himself into a corner and he wasn’t sure how to get back out. If this time apart had proved anything, it was how much he needed her in his life. Even if all she could be to him was a friend. He’d screwed up big-time and now he had to figure out a way to make it right. If that was even a viable option at this point. He had failed Julie in the worst possible way. She needed to know that he was there for her no matter what; instead he’d given up on her. He couldn’t imagine a worse betrayal.

  “I don’t suppose you’ve seen Houdini.”

  Luc gestured behind him, to the window valance, where the kitten sat a good eight feet off the ground, happy as could be. Despite being blind, or maybe because of it, he was fearless. In the past few days he’d taken full run of the house, where there were virtually millions of places to disappear. But on the bright side, he was starting to learn his name, and would sometimes come when called. If all else failed, opening a can of cat food usually did the trick.

  “Is there anything I can do?” his mother asked, and Luc shook his head. “I just hate to see you both so unhappy.”

  He swiveled his chair around and looked out the window. It was nearly April and the spring flowers were in full bloom. Yet he’d never felt more depressed and gloomy. “She made her choice.”

  She sighed. “You’re making this so much more complicated than it has to be.”

  That was easy for her to say.

  “She’s right, you know.”

  At the sound of Julie’s voice, he swiveled back around. She stood in the doorway behind his mother.

  “Would you look at the time,” his mother said, wheeling herself out the door. “I’m late for my physical therapy.”

  “Can we talk?” Julie asked him. She looked almost as bad as he felt. Her voice quivered and he could see that her hands were trembling. What now? Was she going to ask him for a divorce? Put an end to this charade before they caused any more damage?

  “I guess that depends what you have to say.”

  “You can’t even imagine how hard this is for me. Letting my guard down. Admitting how wrong I was. I screwed up. I was too scared to admit how I was really feeling. I couldn’t even admit it to myself.”

  “And how are you really feeling?”

  “I love you. I’m in love with you. This week apart has been awful.”

  He didn’t want to appear too eager. After all, he did still have his pride to consider. But he was having a whole lot of trouble keeping his butt in the chair. He needed her in his arms. Needed to smell her hair and taste her lips. He just plain needed her.

  Her voice shook when she said, “I know it’s a lot to ask, and I probably don’t deserve it, but if you could give me just one more chance.”

  “You’re right, it is a lot to ask,” he said. And if he didn’t love her so much, he may have told her to take a hike. Luckily for them both, he just couldn’t seem to live without her. “How do I know that you won’t freak out and change your mind?”

  “You don’t know. And I have no clue how to convince you, if that’s even possible. But I had to try.”

  He rose from his chair and though Julie looked terrified, she stood her ground. He walked over to her, until they were nearly toe to toe, and said, “We could start with a hug, and go from there.”

  He could see the instant she finally let go. The defenses dropped and she threw her arms around him, a quivering bundle. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

  He held her tight. This was right where she belonged. With him, forever. He wouldn’t be letting her go again. “I’m the one who’s sorry. My pride was bruised. I never should have given up on you.”

  She sighed, laying her cheek against his shirt. “You had to. It was the kick in the pants that I needed.”

  He cradled her face in his hands. There were tears in her eyes, but they were happy. “I love you, Julie.”

  “I love you, too,” she said, “So much. I can’t believe I almost blew it.”

  He grinned down at her, so relieved and happy it almost didn’t seem real. “You didn’t. I wouldn’t have given up so easily.”

  “Amelia told me that everyone considers you and I the blueprint for the perfect marriage. The fairy tale come true.”

  “I guess they were right,” he said.

  “But we still have one thing left to do,” she told him. “To make it official.”

  “What’s that?”

  She smiled and kissed him, with so much love in her eyes it almost hurt. “Live happily ever after.”

  * * * * *

  TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB:

  AFTER THE STORM

  Don’t miss a single story!

  STRANDED WITH THE RANCHER

  by Janice Maynard

  SHELTERED BY THE MILLIONAIRE

  by Catherine Mann

  PREGNANT BY THE TEXAN

  by Sara Orwig

  BECAUSE OF THE BABY...

  by Cat Schield

  HIS LOST AND FOUND FAMILY

  by Sarah M. Anderson

  MORE THAN A CONVENIENT BRIDE

  by Michelle Celmer

  FOR HIS BROTHER’S WIFE

  by Kathie DeNosky

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  One

  Mike Calhoun frowned, glancing briefly at the small mirror that allowed him to see Scotty in the backseat. Assured his almost-three-year-old son was okay, Mike peered ahead as sheets of gray rain swept against his truck. With the truck wipers maxed, he guessed visibility was less than fifty yards. He hadn’t passed a car or seen any sign of life for the past half hour. To his relief he spotted a small light shining on a sign and he turned, thankful to have reached the shelter of the only gas station between the closest town and his West Texas ranch.

  He slowed to stop beneath the extended roof covering eight pumps. Ed had locked up and gone home and Mike didn’t blame him. On a stormy Saturday night in the last week of January, Ed wouldn’t have had much business anyway.

  “We’re stopping, Scotty,” he said, turning to his son while he left the motor running and the car lights switched on so they would not be in complete darkness. “If we wait, the rain will let up and driving conditions will be better,” he said as he unfastened his son’s seat belt.

  Solemnly, Scotty looked at him. “Can we cross the bridge?”

  Smiling, Mike tousled Scotty’s black curls. “My little worrier,” Mike said. “I think so, Scotty. If we can’t cross the north bridge in the front, I’ll drive around to the west. It’ll take longer, but we can get home. Don’t worry. This downpour will slack off soon. It can’t rain this hard all night.”

  Twin specks of light emerged from the rain and grew bigger as a car approached. “Here comes someone else. It may be someone from our ranch.”

  When the car pulled into the lane next to Mike, smoke poured from beneath the hood. The driver passed the pumps, stopping beyond them, still sheltered by the roof.

  The driver’s door opened and someone in a parka stepped out and shook the hood away, revealing a woman with a long blond braid.