Texan’s Wedding-Night Wager / The Oilman’s Baby Bargain: Texan’s Wedding-Night Wager. Michelle Celmer
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she thought sourly. Not Cara Pettigrew-Novak.
She was still his wife, but in name only. She had stopped being a Novak four years ago.
Cara slipped out of her riding clothes, tugging off the new leather boots Kevin had given her. He’d remembered her shoe size, she realized. How many men would even know their wife’s shoe size?
“Remember why you left him,” Cara whispered in the quiet of her room. He’d been fun and loving for the first few months of their marriage and then he’d become obsessive and driven. For success? For money? For power? Cara wasn’t sure of his motivation, since he’d made a decent living and she’d never complained. She hadn’t asked for riches. She’d grown up wealthy. She’d seen how her own father had been driven and how much his obsession had hurt his marriage—and her. She’d been the daughter her father never had time for.
“Money doesn’t guarantee happiness,” she’d tell Kevin. But her husband hadn’t listened. His competitive nature made him want to prove his worth to Cara and her family. He wanted to measure up, she presumed, though she’d never once implied that he wasn’t enough for her.
When the hotel phone rang, Cara was grateful for the interruption of her thoughts.
“Oh, hi, Mom.”
Perhaps grateful was too strong a word. Her mom had been like a watchdog lately and she was the last person Cara wanted to speak with about Kevin. Especially after what had happened between them tonight. Ever since Cara had made her decision to divorce Kevin, her mother had been overly supportive.
“Did he sign the papers yet?”
Cara flinched. Her mother got right to the point. She couldn’t possibly tell her mother the truth, that she’d been blackmailed into sleeping with her estranged husband before he’d sign on the dotted line. “No, Mom. Not yet. But we had a…meeting tonight. Kevin is cooperating.”
“But, dear, I don’t see why there’s a problem. You’re not asking for much. Actually, you’re being quite fair with the settlement. What’s the holdup?”
What was the holdup? She didn’t know what purpose it served to hang around Somerset for two weeks, but she had to tell her mother something. “Well, Kevin is really busy.”
“He hasn’t changed,” her mother chimed in bitterly. “Just like your father.”
Cara swallowed that and continued, “Mom, you know I liked living in Somerset. I’m catching up with friends while I’m here. Taking a little vacation.”
“Dear, a vacation is relaxing in a villa in Siena, not begging for signed divorce papers from your husband. I’m worried about you, Cara. You’ve done so well for yourself in Dallas.”
“I was happy here, too, once upon a time.”
Her mother’s silence was quite telling. She couldn’t blame her for being protective. Cara had been hurt by the separation. She’d really loved Kevin, and no mother wants to see her child in pain. Cara understood all that.
“I know, dear, that’s why ending it quickly is better for you. It’s been dragged out long enough.”
“I agree with you, Mom. And I’ll get back to Dallas as soon as I can.”
“Well, all right. I hope to see you home soon. I love you, dear.”
“Love you, too.”
Cara hung up the phone and took a long pull of oxygen, thankful the conversation hadn’t lasted too long.
When the phone rang again, Cara let it ring four times. She was through talking for the day. All she wanted to do was climb into bed and get to sleep.
But her curiosity got the better of her. She picked up the receiver, hoping it wasn’t her mother on the other end with more pearls of wisdom.
“Hello?”
“Hi, baby.” The deep timbre of Kevin’s voice oozed through the phone line. “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting out of my…uh, getting ready for bed.”
“Yeah? Me, too. I just got out of the shower.”
The visual image of Kevin’s hard-ripped body wet from head to toe and wrapped in a skimpy towel swept through her mind. She mouthed a silent oh, thankful that the word didn’t slip out accidentally.
She cleared her throat.
“What do you wear to bed these days?” Kevin asked.
The question was so audacious, Cara laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“I would, Cara,” he said with quiet sincerity.
“Nothing.”
Kevin let go a sexy groan.
“Much. Nothing much. I mean, just an old Dancing Lights T-shirt.”
“I can picture you wearing that.”
“Kevin, why are you calling so late?”
“Had a good time tonight, Cara. Just wanted you to know.”
Cara nibbled on her lower lip. She squeezed her eyes shut, yet couldn’t shake off images from tonight of Kevin’s lips on hers, his mouth making love to her breasts, the tantalizing look of pure lust in his deep-blue eyes when he’d taken off her blouse. “Thank you.” She paused, then added, “It was a good night. I enjoyed riding Dream Catcher.”
“I thought you might.”
“Why are you being so sweet to me?” Cara blurted. She couldn’t figure out his motivation. “Our marriage is ending.”
Kevin didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, but there’s no reason we can’t be friends, Cara. No reason we can’t end this on a happy note.”
“Marriages usually don’t end on happy notes, sweetheart.”
He paused, and she realized she’d used his favorite endearment. “Ours could. We can be different from everyone else. So, are you picturing me dripping wet in my towel or what?”
Cara gasped and then laughed aloud. He’d caught her, but she’d rather die than admit it. “I see you haven’t lost your sense of humor after all, Kevin.”
“I’ve lost a lot of things, Cara.” His playful mood suddenly changed. “But not my sense of humor.”
Cara didn’t want to deal with the serious tone of his voice now. Sudden panic developed and she searched for an escape. “Kevin, I’d better get to bed.”
“Yeah, me, too. Sleep tight, babe. Dream good dreams.”
Cara nearly choked out a quick good-night. She knew what would fill her dreams tonight.
Good or bad, they’d be of Kevin.
Wearing nothing but a small towel.
The next day the image of Kevin stayed with her all morning long. Restless from those thoughts, Cara left the Four Seasons and walked the Houston streets, stopping in at boutiques along the way—she was bored with the few changes of clothes she’d brought for a trip she had thought would only take two days.
She’d told her mother she’d be taking a little vacation and, though she’d had to rearrange her entire schedule to stay on in Houston, Cara decided, a shopping spree would do her good. Why not enjoy the city while she was here?
By the end of the day, she’d filled two shopping bags with gifts for her dance instructors, a Gucci French flap wallet for her mother and several new outfits for herself, including a scarlet dress to match the new Valentino slingbacks she’d purchased.
The time had flown by. She had just enough time to rush back to the hotel and shower before Kevin came knocking.
It bothered her that she’d changed her clothes