The Bride's Choice. Sara Orwig
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she was still shocked to hear the words. Even after thinking all night about what a marriage to Caleb Duncan would mean, she still wasn’t sure of her answer.
“Your suggestion startled me. I don’t know that mar- riage would be feasible for us. We’re total strangers,” she said, her words tumbling together. He pushed aside his sil- verware and carefully moved the glass of wine. Then he leaned forward, his dark eyes leveling on hers. As she looked into their black depths, she shivered and knew he meant every word he’d said.
“You need money for the boys, don’t you?”
“Not that badly,” she answered, barely able to get out her reply. She felt imprisoned by his gaze, held by the invisible bonds of his will. Thoughts tumbled wildly in her head. He must be as greedy as sin.
“Elnora’s will specifies that the marriage has to last one year,” Cal said in a quiet voice that held a note of steel. “That’s only twelve months. I’ve known men to take a prison sentence for a longer time to get the kind of money we’re considering.”
“Marriage is just too impossible to contemplate,” she said, barely able to breathe, still unable to look away from him. Her heart drummed wildly.
“No, it’s not impossible,” he said in the same firm tone that brooked no argument. “There’s no man in your life.”
“I don’t need you to fill the void!” Something flickered in the depths of his eyes; if the moment had not been so tense, she would have suspected she saw amusement there. “You don’t lose cases, do you?”
“Not often,” he replied.
She shook her head, and with an effort of will, closed her eyes. There, she had broken free of his damnable, compel- ling gaze. Marriage. All that money for the boys. She gave a little shake and opened her eyes, carefully avoiding look- ing at him.
“It would be a marriage of convenience,” he stated qui- etly, as if he were reading the terms of a contract, and she realized that was probably how he thought about this.
“I can’t believe I’m hearing you correctly. I don’t even know you. How old are you?”
Again, she thought she saw a flash of amusement, but it was gone as swiftly as it had come. “Thirty-four. I went to Texas University on a baseball scholarship. I went on to law school. My parents live in Dallas and I’ll take you to meet them. I have a brother who is a car salesman and lives in Fort Worth, and we seldom see him. I’ve never been mar- ried-”
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “I was engaged once, but we broke it off. It didn’t work out. I lead an ordinary life. I’m not abusive. I don’t smoke, drink excessively or chew tobacco.” He leaned forward again, the earnest look returning to his face. “We marry for one year and you can take care of your boys for the rest of their lives.”
The waitress appeared, and Cal leaned back against his chair. He became quiet while their steaks were served with fluffy baked potatoes and crisp strips of broccoli and car- rots.
Juliana’s stomach churned as she cut into the juicy steak. Images of Elnora’s list of assets danced in front of her eyes. The total amount of the Siever estate ran through her mind like an endless echo. Savoring the bite of steak, she care- fully avoided looking at Caleb Duncan. Marriage. Caleb Duncan actually wanted to marry her. A marriage of con- venience. Convenient for whom? He might not have bad habits, but he had to want money desperately.
Silence stretched between them, and as she ate, she con- tinued to avoid looking at him.
“We would live in Green Oaks,” he continued quietly. “The mansion is big enough that we wouldn’t get in each other’s way. There are seven bedrooms, five bathrooms.”
She looked up and realized he had already made a deci- sion about what he wanted to do. Butterflies danced crazily in her middle. “No mansion is big enough to keep three boys out of your way.”
His lips tightened. He must not like children, in spite of his easygoing manner with Chris earlier, she decided.
“Elnora was a hopeless matchmaker,” Juliana said, try- ing to push her concern aside. “Although she did introduce two couples who later married. The Kiplings, and Dale and Eva Jones.”
“Elnora believed that some people need a nudge, some- one to step into their lives and meddle a little because they’re too busy or too set in their ways to change,” he said.
“So, which are you—too busy or too set in your ways?”
Amusement was plain this time as a sparkle came to his eyes. “I’m thirty-four and single, so I guess I’m too set in my ways.”
“Give you a point for honesty.”
“And have I earned any other points?” he asked in a teasing voice. “Or all minuses?”
“No, you have points—you were very nice to Mimi, and you impressed Chris terribly.”
“I have the feeling the minuses still outweigh the pluses.”
She tilted her head in speculation, looking into his dark eyes. “No, there are some other pluses, although during the first hours in Mr. Mason’s office, the minuses were domi- nant. A mutual feeling, I’m sure.”
“Now, why do you say that?”
“You didn’t hide your animosity.”
“Elnora’s meddling in our lives got to me in a way things usually don’t. That’s a lot of money.”
“I remember when I worked for Elnora and occasionally would see you.” When he looked surprised, Juliana smiled. “And you paid no attention to me.”
“I should have had my eyes checked,” he replied lightly, giving her a direct, sexy look that sent those butterflies dancing in her middle again. Dangerous. The word flitted into her mind. Caleb Duncan was dangerous, she realized, because he was so appealing. One year in a sham mar- riage—and she might lose her heart for life. As for Caleb, he would go merrily on his way with his half of the fortune, plus her heart.
He looked entirely capable of doing both. She returned her attention to her dinner.
They were silent while they ate, and she guessed he was going over his proposal as much as she was—as much as she had been all night. Occasionally, she shut her thoughts and enjoyed the thick, tender steak, the first she’d had in too long a time to remember. Once, she even closed her eyes to chew, relishing the taste. She opened her eyes to find him watching her.
“This is a delicious dinner,” she said, embarrassed to be caught enjoying the steak so much. “Steak isn’t something the kids and I can afford. The boys could eat yours and mine and everyone else’s in this end of the restaurant and still want more, so I don’t buy steaks.”
“You have a chance now to eat all the steaks you want.”
She lost the last of what little appetite remained as her stomach began fluttering once more. “You’re single and accustomed to doing things exactly as you please. How do I know you wouldn’t try to take over our lives?”
He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. His gold cuff link caught the light. “We could draw up a contract, but I can tell you, I have no intention of interfering in your life and I don’t want you interfering in mine.”
She bristled, suspecting he wouldn’t call his actions in- terference.
“You’re not eating,” he said.
“It’s wonderful, but your suggestion has my stomach churning.”
She received a crooked smile. “It’s a good thing my ego isn’t fragile. Let’s get out of here and go where we can dis- cuss this in private.”
He paid for their dinners and in minutes they were in the car. “We’ll go to my place,” he said, his tone of voice