Читать книгу Marry Me, Kate - Judy Christenberry, Judy Christenberry - Страница 10

Chapter Three

She gasped, drawing in a deep breath as she pulled herself together. Finally, when she had control once more, she said coldly, “I believe I mentioned earlier that I’m not for sale, Mr. Hardison.”

With a frown, he said, “You misunderstand me, Miss O’Connor. I don’t mean a real marriage. And I do not have any...designs on your body. The marriage would be one of convenience—for both of us—and would only last one year. There would be a prenuptial agreement spelling out the terms with a generous reward to you should I break any of them.”

Will watched her as she tried to understand his words. Admittedly his proposition was unusual. And if she couldn’t read his mind, perhaps even acceptable. He’d almost choked as he’d promised he had no interest in touching her, loving her. Physically. Of course, he had no interest in any emotional commitment.

He’d learned about that mistake from watching his father’s life.

But physically, the lady was a turn-on that would be hard to resist. But he would. Drawing a deep breath himself, he waited for her reaction.

“I don’t understand.”

“You met my mother this evening.”

“Yes. And I don’t appreciate what you did.”

“What did I do? I introduced you. The only thing I did wrong was announce our engagement before I spoke to you, but I said those words to protect you. My mother can be quite vicious to people she doesn’t consider...suitable.”

“To protect me,” she said, her gaze narrowing as she studied him.

Feeling like a first-grader who had lied to his teacher, he tried to keep his features smooth and unconcerned. “Yes.”

“And your reason for the proposal? Another attempt to protect me?”

Her sarcasm shattered his pretense and his cheeks flushed. “Not exactly.”

“Then explain.”

He’d figured she would demand details. Carefully selecting the version he wanted to reveal, he said, “My mother is...an ambitious woman. She’s been trying to force me into an advantageous marriage for several years.”

“And you’re not grown-up enough to say no?”

Her scornful look angered him. “Yes, I can say no. And have, repeatedly. That doesn’t stop her from disrupting my life with her efforts.”

She frowned but said nothing.

“I want some peace. I’m starting a new project that is going to take a lot of my concentration and greatly expand my holdings, and I want her to leave me alone.”

“And you can’t find anyone willing to marry you without making them a financial offer?” Kate quizzed him. “What’s wrong with you?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” he snapped back, burned by her condemnation. “Just because I don’t want—I’m not interested in marriage.”

Suddenly her big hazel eyes grew even larger and she leaned forward, whispering, “You’re gay?”

Exasperation made him slump against the plastic seat as he shook his head. “No, I’m not. Damn it, woman, why can’t you just accept what I’m telling you?”

“Because it doesn’t make sense. Why would any man tie himself legally to a woman if he doesn’t want marriage?”

“To keep from being persecuted by his mother.”

“And to embarrass her, pay her back, perhaps?”

Damn, damn, damn. No, she wasn’t stupid. “You’re not exactly the kind of woman my mother wants me to marry.” He cleared his throat. “If I married a society type, my mother would expect me to become even more involved in the society life-style. I want less.”

“So you thought you’d choose a weed to grow among the lilies, knowing everyone will hate her and avoid you.”

He didn’t like what she was saying, but he couldn’t deny at least some of it. “If the men you met tonight liked you any more, this diner would be overflowing.” She raised one eyebrow but said nothing. “Besides, what do you care if they don’t like you? You’d get your money to make your dream come true.”

“We still haven’t discussed payback terms.”

He smiled, knowing she wouldn’t have asked if she wasn’t considering his plan just a little. “That’s the beauty of the plan for you, Kate. If you meet the terms of the agreement, you don’t owe me anything.”

Her mouth dropped in surprise. “You mean—you mean the money is a gift?”

“Nope. You’re providing a service, and I’m paying. One year of your life.”

“But I can work on the diner, get started?”

“I want you to work on the diner, to be too busy for any socializing,” he assured her, feeling victory within his grasp.

“And all I have to do is go through a legal ceremony?”

“And pretend that we have a normal marriage.”

Kate felt her elation subside. “What does that entail?”

“Not much A few public displays of affection, moving into my house. Things like that.”

“But not your bedroom?” she demanded, wanting to be clear about his demands.

“Not my bedroom,” he assured her.

She stared at him. His voice was firm, his gaze clear, but there was a small flicker there that made her hesitate. That and the looks he’d given her this evening. Could she trust him?

Excitement filled her as she thought about finishing the year with her plans intact, debt-free. The possibility of succeeding was greatly enhanced if she had no loans. Maggie hadn’t believed she could pull it off.

“All right,” she said abruptly, looking him in the eye. “Have your lawyer draw up the papers. If everything is as you say, I’ll agree.”

What have I done?

That panicky question was lying in wait when Kate opened her eyes the next morning. She’d tossed and turned most of the night and felt more exhausted this morning than she had when she fell into bed.

Of course, five-thirty came early every morning, but she had no choice. Usually she hit the sack early, knowing the demands of the diner. Someday, she’d be able to hire someone else to share the burden of the cooking. Right now, she handled the eighteenhour shift by cooking extra amounts and freezing them for when she couldn’t be there, leaving her two waitresses to warm up the specials.

Thinking about the future brought her right back to the weird evening she’d suffered through. And the possibilities it offered. She had to call Maggie.

Rolling over, she reached for the phone and dialed her sister’s number. “Maggie? Are you awake?”

Her sister growled into the phone. “The sun isn’t up.”

“I know. But I had to tell you. I’ve found someone to give me the money for the diner!”

Ever practical, Maggie got right to the point. “What do you have to do in return?”

Kate tried several ways of answering, but nothing came out. It wasn’t easy to explain.

Maggie’s voice tightened. “Kate? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she hurriedly said. Maggie was younger by two years, but she’d always been the responsible one, the one to come along behind Kate and tidy up her messes.

“Then why haven’t you answered my question?”

“Because it’s hard to explain. It’s—it’s a personal services contract.” That sounded like a polite way to categorize their agreement.

“Kate! You’re not—”

“No!” Kate returned at once, understanding her sister’s misapprehension from her tone of voice. Then she rethought her answer. “I’m going to—to marry the man for one year. A platonic marriage. Strictly business.”

“Has he seen you?”

“Yes, of course he has.”

“Then don’t do it.” With an exasperated sigh, Maggie added, “No man could marry you and keep it platonic...unless he’s gay, of course. Is he?”

Kate let her thoughts travel over the sexy image of William Hardison in a tux. With a sigh, she admitted, “No, he’s not.”

“I don’t like this, Kate.”

“I know, Maggie, but I have to do it. For Pop. I know you don’t like the idea—”

“I just don’t think—never mind. I know it’s important for you to keep the diner. But I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t. It’s all going to be spelled out in an agreement. And I’ll be able to make a good living. Maybe I can even help Susan some.”

“If she’ll let you. I’ve tried, but she’s too proud. She won’t let me do much.”

“But that’s the beauty of my plan, Maggie. She’ll be part-owner. Both of you will. If I make any profits, you two will get your share.”

Maggie, ever supportive, didn’t voice her doubts, though Kate knew she had them. “Good. Have Tori look at the contract before you sign it.”

Kate smiled. She’d known Maggie would be practical. “You’re right I’ll call her.”

After saying goodbye to her sister, she added to her list of things to do a call to Victoria Herring, a longtime friend who was an attorney. And Susan. She deserved to hear the good news, too. Maggie and Kate loved their new sister, but they found her as stubborn as either of them. She refused any offers of money to help her raise her siblings.

And without a debt overhead, Kate could offer real profit. She turned to the most entertaining of her plans, new menus. Catering offerings. What she’d tasted at the party at the museum last night wouldn’t be hard to beat. She’d need an entrée, of course, to society, someone to lend her support.

She almost slipped in the shower as she realized the added benefit to marrying William Hardison. Of course! He would be her entrée. She’d been concentrating on the financial aspects of their agreement, but there was more to be gained from their liaison.

Frowning, she remembered his hope that she would keep him from the necessity of social engagements. Fine. That’s what she would do. She would be working, anyway, if her ideas worked out. No one would expect her husband to accompany her on catering jobs.

Having nicely set him aside from her plans, Kate dressed and headed for the diner’s kitchen, ready to start her day, hope riding high.

When Will reached his office the next morning, his secretary handed him a stack of messages from his mother. He’d turned off the ringer on his phone when he’d gotten home last night. He knew his mother would call and he didn’t want to talk with her until he could present her with a fait accompli.

“She’s already called three times, Mr. Hardison. I assured her you would be in shortly.”

“And I am. But I don’t want to talk to her just yet. If she calls again, tell her I’ll be in touch by this evening, but whatever you do, don’t put her through. And get Charles Wilson on the phone for me.”

He’d barely sat down at his desk when his secretary buzzed him to pick up the phone.

After his greeting, his attorney asked, “Will? What’s up, guy? I hear you caused a ruckus at last night’s party.”

“Maybe. Listen, I need some fast work. Can you clear your morning and get right over here?”

“Problem?”

Charles was not only a friend, but also an efficient, knowledgeable lawyer. He didn’t waste time with protests.

“Not really. More of an agreement that will free me from problems, but it’s...personal.”

Knowing his words would intrigue the other man, Will smiled as Charles gave him his assurance he’d be right over and hung up the phone.

Then he pulled the legal-size pad from his briefcase. Last night, when he’d been unable to go to sleep right away, he’d made a list of his requirements for the agreement. Now he wanted to review them. It wouldn’t do to be careless. If he left a loophole, Miss Kate O’Connor could take him to the cleaners for a healthy reward.

She wouldn’t do that. He dismissed that unbidden thought with a cynicism borne of living with a greedy woman—his mother. She had dared many things he would have thought beyond a woman who loved her husband, as she’d always professed to do.

Better to concentrate on the legalities. If he didn’t leave any options for Miss O’Connor, then he wouldn’t have to rely on a generous heart that he wasn’t sure existed.

Charles stared at him.

“You want to do what?”

“Weren’t you listening? I just explained it, Charles. It’s not that complicated for a legal mind like yours.”

“Complicated? No. Stupid, yes.”

“Why? I thought you’d be pleased. I’ve covered every eventuality.”

“What does this woman look like?”

Charles’s unexpected question shook Will. “Why?”

“I heard she was a knockout. A redheaded bombshell.” Charles’s gaze remained fixed on Will.

How could he deny Charles’s description? Even thinking about the way Kate had looked last night, the response from the other men, hell, from him, made denial impossible. “You heard right,” he admitted tersely.

“And you want to put in the contract that if you have sex, even consensual sex, she gets half of everything?” Charles’s voice rose higher with each word.

“Don’t you have any faith in my self-control?” Will asked, glaring at his friend.

“Not unless you’re no longer male. Proximity, legality and sex appeal don’t promote abstinence when they’re combined. It would be too easy to let yourself believe she cares about you when your hormones are in overdrive.”

“Well, maybe I’ll hang a copy of our agreement over my bed so I can’t forget.” Or a picture of his mother. Either one would be a reminder that women are out for what they can get...and nothing more.

“Man, you are crazy,” Charles returned. “Don’t you want to take some time to think about this—this contract?”

“Nope. She might change her mind.” Will was afraid Kate might decide he wasn’t offering enough and up her demands. “Can you have the contract ready by four this afternoon?”

“Four?” Charles exploded. “You’ve got to be kidding! This kind of contract is new to me. I’ve got to check out precedents, confirm legal opinions, word it exactly so as not to—”

“Just write it in plain English, Charles. Not that gobbledygook you lawyers use.”

“That gobbledygook, as you call it, is what protects you from lawsuits. We won that suit filed by the last small businessman you sponsored because of it.”

“This contract is personal. And I’m going to abide by my part of it, so we don’t have to worry about that clause coming into play.”

“You’ve taken up monkdom? Become a eunuch?”

“No, but I’m not an animal. If I have an itch, I’ll find another way to scratch it, okay? She’s not the only beautiful woman in the world.”

“So you want me to make it clear that fidelity is not a requirement?”

“Man, does that sound crass or what? Surely we don’t have to spell that kind of thing out?”

“The more we spell out, the less likely you’ll find yourself in court trying to hang on to your company. And be sure she has legal representation present. We don’t want her claiming we misled her.”

Charles’s stern look didn’t impress Will all that much, but the thought of losing the company he’d inherited from his father and nourished and pushed into a large corporation did.

“Okay, put in whatever you have to. Then meet me at The Lucky Charm Diner on Wornall Avenue at four o’clock, multiple copies in hand.”

Without protesting again, Charles strode from the office, muttering under his breath. Will figured he was already writing his opening paragraph of the agreement in his mind. Charles was nothing if not efficient.

Only occasionally did the hard, cold reality of all the aspects of her agreement impose on Kate’s active brain that day. She let her spirits soar as she thought about the new decor of the diner, the new equipment, the opportunity to expand her culinary repertoire beyond chili, bacon and eggs, and hamburgers.

And maybe the opportunity to provide for her family, as Pop would have done.

She was so lost in her dreams, it was a shock to answer the phone and hear William Hardison’s voice on the line.

“My lawyer is going to meet me at the diner at four o’clock with the agreement ready for signing.”

She checked her watch. “But it’s three o’clock now.”

“Yes, and you’ll need a lawyer present.”

Nothing else. No apology for the short notice, no offer to meet at another time. The man was a definite autocrat.

“Okay.” She could be as terse as he.

“I’ll see you then.”

He left no time for her response. As she opened her mouth, the dial tone sounded in her ear. She slammed the receiver down in irritation. If he thought he was going to steamroll her, he had another think coming. She...and her lawyer...would read every word, study every comma, before she signed any legal document.

Since she’d already talked to Tori, she only had to let her know the time of the meeting, and listen to her complaints about short notice. But she knew Tori would be there.

Forty-five minutes later, her friend rushed through the door of the diner. “I’m here, but I left a disaster at the office. This had better be a good deal for you.”

Kate hugged her friend. “Thanks. You know it is. I’m going to achieve my dream.”