The Lawyer's Contract Marriage. Amanda Browning

your parents have signed, that will be that, my dearest Sam,’ Leno declared, taking her hand and kissing it gently. ‘And I…I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make you as happy as you have made me.’

      Sam closed her eyes momentarily, as for a fleeting moment she was made achingly aware of what she would be giving up. However, her family was everything. They needed the help only she could afford them. So she cleared her throat. ‘I shall do my best to be a good wife to you, Leno. However, there is one other thing I would ask of you.’

      If he was surprised he did not show it. ‘Name it.’

      ‘I would like us to be married as quickly as possible.’ Now that she had given her word she did not want to have too much time to think.

      Leno smiled and took both of her hands in his this time. ‘Ah, we think alike, you and I. I will make the arrangements. Then, after we are married, we will take a long honeymoon in Italy. I have always wanted to go back home one day. I will show you where I grew up. You will love it there.’

      Right then Sam didn’t know if she would ever care for anything again, but she agreed with his plan. Frankly, it didn’t matter where they went or what they did, for she would only be going through the motions. Her life had just changed for ever.

      All Sam wanted to do was leave, but she didn’t know how to. Having just agreed to marry this man, how could she simply walk out? Whether he realised her discomfort or not, it was Leno who came to her rescue.

      ‘I’m sure you will want to take your brother home and tell your parents what has happened here tonight. We will have dinner together Saturday to discuss our plans, my dear Sam,’ he said conversationally as he walked them to the door. ‘Ah, and please tell your father I will call on him tomorrow. Good night, my dear,’ he added as he bent and kissed her on either cheek.

      Sam had braced herself for the brush of his lips on hers, but this he did not do, and she was grateful for his forbearance. ‘Good night,’ she responded gruffly, and, taking Tony by the arm, hustled him to where she had parked the car.

      She drove her brother back to their parents’ house, and it was only then that he spoke.

      ‘I’m sorry, Sam,’ he apologised. ‘I got in over my head and I didn’t know what to do.’

      Sam looked at his forlorn figure and was torn between justifiable anger and love. ‘You were lucky this time, but don’t expect that to happen again. You have to stop gambling, Tony, and if that means seeking help, then get it.’

      He drew in a shaky breath. ‘I will. I promise. Are you coming in?’

      She shook her head. ‘Not now. You tell Mum and Dad what happened, and what Leno said. I’ll phone them tomorrow.’

      Tony climbed out, then bent down to look in at her. ‘Oh, God, Sam, have I ruined your life?’

      Sam felt pain tear through her as she heard his words. Though she felt like crying, she managed to shake her head. ‘Hey, you know what they say. Life is what happens whilst you’re making other plans. Now go in. Don’t keep them worrying any longer. Remember, say nothing to the others.’

      ‘I won’t let you down, Sam. I promise,’ he told her, then squared his shoulders and went inside.

      Alone in the car, Sam closed her eyes for a moment, then put the car in gear and drove off. How could she tell her brother he had ruined her life, even if he had? It wasn’t in her nature. All she asked was that he kept his promise. That he came good. For then any sacrifice would have been worth it.

      By the time she reached her bedsit, it was late and she was exhausted. It didn’t help to have missed a meal, but she didn’t feel like eating. Glancing around her, she could see the things she had tossed here and there only that morning when Ransom had dropped her off. Then she had thought the whole of the future was theirs for the taking. Now she knew for ever had been a mere handful of hours.

      Sinking onto the lumpy couch, she placed a trembling hand over her heart and could almost feel it breaking. Ransom. His name was an unremitting ache deep inside. She longed to see him, but dared not. Not until she knew what she was going to do. But she could talk to him. To hear his voice would pour some balm on the open wound where her heart had been.

      Reaching for the telephone, she had to swallow hard before she had enough composure to dial his number. When he picked up and growled into the handset, a crystal tear blurred her vision.

      ‘Hi. Did I wake you?’ she asked softly, visualising him sitting up in bed and switching on the lamp so he could see the clock.

      ‘Sam? Is everything OK?’ Ransom queried immediately, seeing how late it was.

      A lump started to grow in her throat, making it hard to speak. ‘Um-hmm. I just wanted to hear the sound of your voice.’ Had needed it so badly. ‘How did it go today?’

      ‘The jury’s still out. We’re hoping for a result tomorrow. How was dinner with your family?’ he asked, stifling a yawn at the same time.

      She wanted to cry out that the sky had fallen in, but couldn’t. ‘Noisy, as usual. I would rather have been with you.’ How she wished she had never gone home tonight, but it would only have put off the inevitable. Had she not gone to her parents, then they would certainly have come to her.

      ‘They sound like my kind of people,’ he said, and she could hear the humour in his tone. ‘Next time I’ll join you, then you won’t have to miss me.’

      The tear overflowed down her cheek. ‘I like the sound of that,’ she agreed, whilst her heart contracted at the knowledge that there would be no next time.

      ‘God, I wish you were with me right now. This bed is too damn big and lonely without you in it,’ Ransom told her gruffly, and Sam hastily stifled a sob behind her hand.

      ‘It’s only one night,’ she pointed out when she was able to control her voice. She hated herself for lying, but there was nothing else she could do. She realised now that calling him had been a mistake. She was going to feel worse, not better.

      ‘I guess you’re right. To make up for it, have lunch with me tomorrow. I can’t go the better part of forty-eight hours without seeing you,’ he urged and though she knew it probably wasn’t wise, she held onto the lifeline he threw her.

      ‘Lunch would be lovely. Name the place and time and I’ll be there,’ she promised. It would be all right. By then she should have decided how she was going to break off their affair. Lunch would be a final good memory. She would need all of those she could get.

      Ransom named a restaurant close to the court, and she agreed to meet him at the time he suggested. He yawned again, and she knew she had to go. ‘I’ll let you get back to sleep now.’

      ‘I’m glad you rang. ’Night, sweetheart.’

      ‘Good night, Ransom,’ she said back, and held the receiver to her ear until she heard the sound of his phone going down.

      Hugging the phone to her chest, she finally gave way to tears. They carried with them a wealth of helplessness. Of loss and utter despair. They tolled out the knell of her dreams, and the prospect of a future that promised to be bleak and empty without the man she loved in it.

      CHAPTER TWO

      SAM sat at a small table set in the restaurant’s window embrasure and waited for Ransom to arrive. Her watch told her he was a little late, but she wasn’t worried yet. It wasn’t easy to get away from the court on time. She felt…strangely numb. Which was odd, because between crying and thinking she hadn’t got much sleep last night.

      Thinking of that, she reached into her handbag for a mirror to check her appearance. Thankfully the puffiness around her eyes had gone, and any redness had been hidden by make-up. She looked normal, which was all she could hope for. The numbness was welcome, but it would wear off all too soon. All she asked was that it would last the day out.

      Sighing, she