Looking for Love (Boxed set)

by Rita Herron

  Austin fisted his hands by his side. Yeah, he'd paid for a fiancée. And he'd gotten one, a real fake one.

  Not only had she fooled his parents, she'd fooled him. He hadn't even known her real identity.

  "You made a complete fool out of me," he ground out, his gaze pinned on Kimberly, the woman he'd slept with, the woman who had made love with him, but who hadn't bothered to tell him she was Marci's sister.

  Kimberly shook her head, that vulnerable expression he'd seen over the weekend darkening her eyes. The real Marci simply stared back and forth between the two of them as if she'd walked into a movie after it had already begun.

  "That's not the way it was," Kimberly said. "Austin, you wanted a fiancée—"

  "And I hired her," he said, pointing at Marci.

  "That's right," Marci said, hitching out her hip. He noticed the tattoo on her thigh and winced. There had been so many signs—he should have seen them! Marci, no, Kimberly must have been laughing her pretty head off behind his back.

  And to think, he'd fallen in love with her—he'd actually considered staying married to her!

  "Austin, I was going to follow through, but something came up," Marci continued as if her explanation made perfect sense. "So I talked Kim into taking over the job for me."

  The job—that's all he had been to both of them.

  "I see," he said, his jaw clenched.

  "I know you're upset, Austin, but we need to talk," Kimberly said in a strained whisper.

  "We had all weekend to talk," he said, emphasizing the last word. "And several hours on the way home."

  Kimberly's shoulders slumped. "But I want to explain—"

  "Explain what?" Marci asked.

  Kimberly turned to her sister. "Marci, I have to tell you something. This weekend, Austin and I—"

  "Don't bother," he said, realizing in horror she was going to tell her sister that he'd married her.

  Wouldn't Marci Turner get a kick out of that? She'd probably spend the day telling all her customers. He'd never be able to set foot in this restaurant again. Not that he'd want to.

  Marci’s face would always be a haunting reminder of Kimberly.

  He pulled out his checkbook, furiously scribbled the amount they'd agreed on, adding an extra bonus, then ripped out the check and handed it to her. "Here's the money I owe you."

  Tears pooled in Kimberly's eyes. "No, Austin—"

  He looked at both of them with disdain, silencing her. "It seems the two of you would do anything for money."

  Kimberly's chin quivered, but her sister Marci snatched the check and stuffed it in Kimberly's hands. "Go on, Kimmie, take it. If he's been this rude all weekend, I'd say you more than earned it."

  Kimberly's hand trembled, but he didn't care. He had to get out of the restaurant before he created a scene. People were already staring. "That's right, Kimberly," he said in a sarcastic voice. She winced, but he continued. "Take the money. You earned it, all right. Every penny."

  Then he turned and stormed out the door, his chest throbbing with anger, his head reeling with confusion. He forced himself not to think about the fact that Kimberly had had tears streaming down her cheeks when he'd left. And that even though she'd made a fool out of him, he felt like a heel for making her cry.

  "Well, he certainly is a hothead," Marci shrieked as Austin left, slamming the door. "Imagine him getting mad over a little twin switch when he was the one who started this whole thing!"

  Kimberly darted into the ladies' room and sank onto the chaise, sobbing into her hands.

  Marci followed her inside, then stuffed a wad of tissues in her hand. "Shh, that jerk isn't worth crying over, Kimmie."

  "But you... you don't under... stand," Kimberly mumbled brokenly.

  "I guess not," Marci said with a huge sigh. She patted Kimberly's back again. "Tell me what's wrong, sis. Was he that bad all weekend?"

  Kimberly shook her head, a fresh wave of tears streaming down her face. "He wasn't... bad... at all."

  "So, did he turn out to be gay?"

  Kimberly moaned and blew her nose. "He's not gay."

  "He's not."

  "Trust me, Marci," Kimberly said, letting out an unladylike whimper. "Austin McDane is definitely not gay. He's the sexiest man I've ever met."

  "Uh-oh." Marci snatched Kimberly's hands from her face, her eyes wide. "Kimberly... you didn't?"

  Kimberly nodded miserably.

  "You, Kimberly Turner, the responsible and shy twin slept with a guy you just met, a guy who thought you were me?"

  "Worse."

  "Worse?" Marci gasped. "Don't tell me you fell in love with him?"

  Kimberly nodded, sniffling again. "Even worse than that."

  Marci's mouth gaped open as if that were impossible. "Worse than falling in love with him?"

  Kimberly nodded and held out her left hand. "Yes. I... I married him."

  * * *

  Austin considered burying himself in work, but his mind kept straying to the mess he'd made of his life, and he headed to his favorite bar instead.

  Not only had he lied to his family, but his fake bride had turned out to be a bigger fake than even he’d thought. And now, he not only had to call and explain to his folks that he'd conned them, but that he'd also been duped himself. That he had paid a woman named Marci to marry him to impress Josh, only Marci was really her identical twin Kimberly, that his wedding was a fake, that he had to get a divorce.

  And the worst part was that he was still in love with Marci.

  No, not Marci, he corrected himself as he accepted another shot from the bartender. He'd fallen in love with her twin, Kimberly. A woman he'd never even met before.

  A woman who'd made love to him and had failed to tell him her true identity.

  No wonder she'd asked him to call her Kimberly, he thought in disgust. It had probably made it easier for her not to trip up. And he had been so damn gullible!

  He downed the drink and pushed his glass forward for another. Then he reached inside his pocket and his fingers brushed the plane tickets his family had given him for his honeymoon. A bitter taste filled his mouth.

  How was he going to explain to his family that they'd wasted their hard-earned money on a wedding gift that he would never use? Because if he suspected correctly, Kimberly would have their marriage annulled before the plane ever left the ground.

  * * *

  "You should go after him," Marci coaxed.

  Kimberly wiped her eyes. "I can't do that. You saw how angry he was."

  "But you're in love with him," Marci screeched.

  "It's obviously one-sided, sis."

  "You don't know that," Marci said. "He's mad right now, but wait till he calms down."

  Kimberly shook her head, her throat thick with unshed emotions. She couldn't go chasing after Austin. That was definitely something Marci would do.

  And her days of acting like Marci were over.

  After what had happened, she'd ended up married and heartbroken.

  And she'd probably be single by morning.

  "He said from the very beginning that he didn't want a commitment, that was the reason he was paying me—I mean you—to pretend to be his fiancée," Kimberly added.

  "He might change his mind," Marci said lamely.

  "No, I have to forget him." Kimberly traced her finger over the beautiful teardrop engagement diamond, and fresh tears burned her eyes. Austin had been so loving, so sexy, and his family, they'd been wonderful.... For a little while she'd thought, had hoped....

  She squelched her ridiculous, childish fantasies and forced herself not to dwell on her memories but to face reality. "It was a weekend fling and it's over." She stood and brushed at her clothes. "Now I need to get back to work."

  A wary expression framed her sister's face.

  "You did get my message and go to the center yesterday?" Kimberly asked, suddenly panicking. In the heat of the last few minutes, she'd completely forgotten her work, something that had never happened befo
re.

  Marci nodded.

  "So?"

  "So everything's absolutely fine," Marci said brightly.

  Kimberly narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure, Marci? You're not just telling me this?"

  Marci pressed her hand to her cheek in mock dismay. "You know I wouldn't do a thing like that."

  "Uh-huh." Kimberly folded her arms across her chest. "Okay, spill it, what happened?"

  "I told you, nothing," Marci said defensively. "What's wrong, don't you trust me, sis?"

  Kimberly worried her bottom lip. Marci actually looked hurt at her implication. "It's not that—"

  "I know what happened last time you went out of town, but this time I behaved myself," Marci said in a rush. "You don't have to worry about a thing."

  Why did she have the sinking feeling her sister wasn't being completely honest with her?

  Kimberly frowned, picked up her purse, anxious to get to the center and check on things. But when she spotted her reflection in the mirror, she groaned. Her eyes were puffy and swollen, her cheeks red, her face streaked with mascara.

  Mirror, mirror, on the wall... who's the most miserable twin of all ? And the dumbest?

  Kimberly sighed and pulled out her compact. Definitely her. Not Marci.

  * * *

  Two weeks later, Austin signed the papers on the deal he'd been working on, shook Randolph Peterson's hand and stepped out in to the beautiful summer sunshine, completely unhappy. He'd just closed the biggest deal of his life. He'd secured the bid on a contract for a multimillion dollar shopping mall which would give him the security and financial backing to fund some of the renovation projects he'd been dreaming of doing for ages. He should be happy.

  Only he was completely miserable.

  Because his dreams had been filled with memories of Kimberly, not work.

  Her tear-streaked face had haunted him day and night. Every day he'd held his breath when he'd checked the mail, expecting annulment or divorce papers to arrive. But so far, zilch. Maybe she was waiting for him to file the papers.

  Or maybe she didn't want to get rid of him.

  Could he possibly rebuild his relationship with her?

  He decided to take a walk and clear his head, knowing his lack of excitement over the new contract had everything to do with the fact that he was heartbroken over losing Kimberly.

  Inhaling the summer air, he loosened his tie, his mind roaming back to memories of that weekend in Virginia. When he'd first learned of Kimberly's deception, his anger and pride had ruled his actions. But over the past two weeks, his fury had faded and wonderful memories had invaded his thoughts, memories of intimate, erotic moments he'd shared with Kimberly that had gotten into his soul.

  He missed her. The real Kimberly, not Marci.

  All the time he'd been with her, he'd been attracted to her as he'd never been to Marci, the waitress. Now he understood the reason. Kimberly might look exactly like her sister, but their personalities were completely different.

  Kimberly had a shyness, a sweet vulnerability about her. Trying to sort the truth from the act she'd been putting on was hard, but he sensed that most of the time she had been herself.

  Hadn't she dressed differently—without him asking her to? And what about the job she'd made up, all that talk about the children's center, could it be true?

  Nah, it was probably just a lie. After all, he'd been the one to suggest they make up a job for her; he'd suggested she say she was a teacher.

  He raked his hand though his hair, his warring mind continuing the argument. But still, hadn't she fit in with his family, talked with his dad about sports, chatted with his sisters and their kids, looked at him as if she wanted him with all her heart?

  He froze, his heart thumping.

  Hell, yes, Kimberly had looked at him like that.

  And after all, he had paid her sister Marci to lie. Maybe Kimberly had been an innocent in the situation. Maybe it had all started as a game to her as it had for him, and she hadn't faked her attraction to him.

  Taking a deep breath, he prayed the hot sun wasn't making him hallucinate. But if there was a chance, just the slightest chance he and Kimberly could work things out, shouldn't he at least give it a try?

  Austin pivoted and headed in the opposite direction. He had to know one way or the other. Because he couldn't go on like this.

  If Kimberly didn't want him, he needed to get on with his life.

  * * *

  Kimberly hung up the phone, rubbing her temples to alleviate the impending headache. Marci had said everything had gone smoothly. Her sister had obviously told a little white lie.

  While nothing disastrous had come to her attention yet, over the past two weeks she'd sensed there were some minor glitches in Marci's story. Marci had told the building inspector in no uncertain terms that he needed to quit hassling Kimberly and get a life. And she'd ordered playground equipment for the center that Kimberly couldn't possibly afford.

  The phone jangled again. "What now?" she mumbled as she reached for it. Her heart raced as it had every time the phone had rung, hoping it wasn't another problem to deal with and wondering if Austin had decided to call her.

  "Kimberly Turner. KidsCare."

  "Ms. Turner, this is Pruitt Thompson calling about that renovation job."

  "Yes?"

  "I've got some quotes here."

  "Okay." Kimberly scribbled the estimated figures as the man talked, sighing under her breath. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'll have to get back to you."

  She dropped her face in her hands. There was no way the center's budget could cover the estimates. Her thumb rested on the envelope with the check from Austin, and she shook her head.

  There was no way she would accept his money either. She licked a stamp and quickly popped it into the stack of mail to send back to him.

  The phone jangled again and she picked it up. "Kimberly Turner. KidsCare."

  "Kimmie, it's me."

  "Hi, Marci. What's up?"

  "Gee, you don't have to sound so excited to talk to me, sis."

  Kimberly groaned. "Sorry, I'm just getting a headache."

  "And still moping over Austin?"

  "I don't want to discuss him."

  "Good. 'Cause if he dumped you, he's not worth it."

  "Thanks. You're really cheering me up here."

  "That's my plan," Marci said as if she hadn't noticed the sarcasm.

  "Why did you call?" Kimberly asked.

  Marci's earrings clinked in the background. "Well, there's the cutest... I mean the nicest man here at the bar I want you to meet."

  Kimberly rolled her eyes. "I'm not interested in any man you met in a bar," she said emphatically. She was expecting divorce papers from Austin any day now.

  What was her sister thinking?

  "I don't mean for a date, silly," Marci said with a laugh. "He's a construction worker. I think he might give you a good deal on the job you need done."

  Kimberly reached for her purse. "How long will he be there?"

  "I'll keep him occupied until you get here," Marci said.

  Kimberly pushed thoughts of her private life aside and hoped this time Marci would come through for her.

  After all, her sister owed her big time.

  * * *

  Austin squared his shoulders, determined to talk to Marci. He'd called Kimberly's apartment and there was no answer, and now that he'd decided to talk to her, he didn't want to put it off another minute. Was Kimberly a waitress, too? If not, where did she work and what did she do with her time?

  A thousand questions plagued him about Kimberly, and he realized he wanted to find out everything there was to know about his wife. Especially the truth about how she felt about him.

  He strode into the restaurant, his pulse racing at the thought of seeing her again. He spied Marci immediately. Then he gritted his teeth when he saw Kimberly because his dear, sweet wife was sitting with another man.

  Fury snaked through him. While he'd been losing s
leep over this woman, she'd obviously forgotten him.

  His temper soaring, he stalked toward her table. Marci glanced up, gaudy earrings dangling, her pink lips agape, and Kimberly gasped, those sweet blue eyes widening in surprise.

  "Hi, darlin'," he said, slipping his hand over her knee. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

  "I... I wasn't expecting you either," she whispered, her expression wary.

  That was obvious.

  He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, then turned to the man across from them. "Hi. I'm Austin McDane, Kimberly's husband."

  The man's red eyebrows climbed his forehead as he scooted as far back in his seat as possible. "Nice to meet you. Tate Walker here."

  He shook the guy's hand, noting his fingers were greasy and black and his jeans and workshirt slightly creased with dirt, much like some of the men who worked for him. So Kimberly and Marci liked blue-collar construction workers, huh?

  "Did you need something?" Kimberly asked in a low voice.

  He grinned slyly. "Just wanted this guy to know you're my wife." Then he shocked himself by framing her face and kissing the breath out of her.

  Tate stood abruptly. "Err, I think we'd better meet later."

  "Wait," Kimberly said, reaching her hand out to stop the man from leaving. "We need to discuss—"

  "I don't think that's a good idea," Tate said, obviously realizing Austin had thrown a fence up around his wife. "But—"

  "I'll talk to him." Marci glared at Austin, then grabbed Tate's hand and dragged the man to safety.

  Kimberly stood, clenching her hands by her sides. "Why did you do that?" Her chin wobbled, making his heart squeeze. "Were you just trying to hurt me, to get back at me? 'Cause if you were, it certainly worked."

  She snatched her purse, a lone tear streaking down her cheek, then disappeared out the door before he could reply.

  Austin sat in stunned silence, knowing he'd made a complete ass out of himself. He'd never acted so foolishly over a woman in his entire life.

  A moment later, Marci reappeared, jerked out the chair next to him and plopped down in to it. "I hope you're proud of yourself."

  He shot her an irritated look. All of this could have been avoided if she had shown up as his date instead of Kimberly.

  But then he never would have met Kimberly and shared that incredible weekend with her...