“You want ten thousand dollars in return for agreeing to marry me?” he repeated, his neck turning a dull red. “Selling yourself cheap, aren’t you?”
She nodded as the shot hit its mark and crossed off what she’d written. “You have a point. Make that ten thousand a year for the first five years. Guaranteed,” she added, “even if the marriage falls apart.”
This time, he was the one who looked as if she’d tried to flatten him with a two-by-four. Katie was rather pleased with herself.
“You can’t be serious,” he said.
“Oh, but I am. Putting this place on a sound financial base is what this deal is all about, right? From my point of view, that is.”
She beamed at him. “Now, then, as far as me being a mother to Robby, we make decisions about him together. You don’t just start bullying me around or pull rank whenever I do something that doesn’t suit you. A child’s parents should present a united front. Squabbling will just confuse him.”
“What the hell do you know about raising a child?”
“I’ve watched all those baby doctors on TV. Besides, you’re the one who picked me to be a mother to your son. Are you changing your mind?”
Based on Luke’s stunned expression, Katie had the feeling she’d finally turned this stupid game of his to her advantage. The fact that he hadn’t stormed out the door was a testament to how committed he was to this plan he’d dreamed up.
“Okay,” he said, his teeth clenched. “You win.”
“Good.” She nodded approvingly as she made a note. “Just one last thing.”
“Only one more?”
Katie glared at him. “We have separate bedrooms. You can have the one that’s empty right now, as soon as the roof’s repaired, of course. I wouldn’t expect you to sleep in it while the rain is pouring in. And we want to give Robby a few weeks to get to know me before we set the date.”
“Now wait just a minute,” he protested. “What the hell kind of marriage is that? Husbands and wives do not sleep in separate bedrooms.”
“That’s true enough for ordinary husbands and wives.” She shrugged. “You’re the one who established this as some sort of business arrangement. I have no idea what your code of ethics is like after all this time, but I don’t sleep with business partners. I wouldn’t think you’d want any messy emotional entanglements, either. Sex has a way of muddying things up.”
“How would you know?” he muttered, scowling at her.
She could tell that she had taken him by surprise with her list of demands, especially this last one. She couldn’t imagine what Luke had been thinking by making this ridiculous proposition to her this morning. But if he had expected her to fall into bed with a man who could suggest this cold, calculated arrangement, then he was sadly mistaken.
She might love him to distraction, but she would never let him see her vulnerability. She knew that if Luke so much as touched her, she would go up in flames. It had always been that way. She doubted that time had dulled the effect. Time obviously hadn’t done a thing to correct her inability to think straight around him. Just look at the crazy agreement she was about to enter into. She suspected it was like making a bargain with the devil. No matter how many concessions a person gained, there was no way to win in the long run. But she intended to give Luke Cassidy a run for his money.
“Those are my terms,” she repeated, meeting his gaze evenly. She held out the tablet on which she’d written every last detail of their agreement. “Sign it.”
He seemed a little bewildered by her stance, but he nodded finally, scrawled his name across the bottom, then held out his hand. “It looks like we have a deal.”
“So it does,” she said, avoiding his hand as if it were contaminated. One touch, she reminded herself. Just one and this cool attitude of hers would be ashes.
“I’ll be in touch to work out the wedding plans,” Luke said, sounding satisfied—or relieved?—now that the deal was concluded.
As he left, Katie clutched the signed contract and fought to contain a sigh of regret. So much for moonlight and roses and a proposal that came from the heart. That was just one more silly yearning she would have to pack away. After being a bridesmaid more times than she could recall for Hannah, Emma and all the others, she would finally have her wedding. She’d finally have the only man she’d ever loved.
But it would all be a sham.
CHAPTER ONE
The upcoming wedding of Caitlyn Jones and Luke Cassidy was the hottest topic at the Clover Beauty Boutique on the first Monday morning in June when Lucy Maguire Ryder, just back from her own honeymoon, divulged the news. When she discovered she’d scooped the bride and groom, Lucy rushed to Peg’s Diner to apologize.
Naturally Lucy’s apology and the reason for it were overheard and within seconds the news had spread from one end of the diner to the other. Katie could barely squeeze through the center aisle to deliver the rush of morning orders of eggs and grits for all the well-wishers stopping her to offer congratulations and best wishes. Periodically, as she poured cups of her Aunt Peg’s potent special blend coffee, she paused long enough to glare at Lucy.
“I’m sorry,” Lucy said again when Katie was finally able to take a break. “I thought for sure you would have told everyone by now. The wedding’s this Saturday, for heaven’s sakes.”
“You sound just like Luke. He’s getting impatient, too.”
“Well, I can’t say that I blame him. You’re acting as if this is something you’re ashamed of. What
