The Bride's Choice. Sara Orwig

a sign of intelligence— the masculine, well-defined mouth—tempting evidence of a sexy kisser. She slammed the brakes on that train of thought, staring into the dark night while visions of money danced in her mind: money to pay for braces for the boys’ teeth, money for band instruments and sports equipment for the boys, money for Quin’s counseling.

      Caleb drove through Colby to the outskirts, turning down a dirt road and passing over a cattle guard, stopping beside a sprawling house with a fenced area in back. Parked near the garage was a black pickup. A golden retriever bounded forward to greet them when they stepped inside the gate.

      “That’s Red.” He waved the dog away and opened a door, entering the house and switching on lights. “I’ll get us something to drink.”

      Juliana looked at the spotless, rustic kitchen with its beamed ceiling, oak cabinets and terrazzo floor. It was a large, inviting room, filled with the latest equipment. This man shouldn’t need Elnora’s money at all. Clearly, he was already comfortably fixed. He had to have the most colos- sal greed to want Elnora’s bequest. Juliana stared at him as he shed his coat and tie, his simple moves holding a mas- culine appeal that heightened her wariness.

      With his hand on the door of the fridge, he turned to- ward her. “You’re looking at me again like I’m holding a gun aimed at you.”

      She waved her hand, indicating their surroundings. “You have so much. You’re not so desperate for Elnora’s inheri- tance to go into a loveless marriage.”

      To her surprise, he flushed and turned away. “I can use the money. Would you like wine, soda, or beer?” he asked.

      “A glass of water, please,” she answered, watching him move around the kitchen to get her water and open a bottle of beer for himself. He handed her the water, his fingers brushing hers. A tingle ran up her spine at the contact.

      “We’ll go sit out on the deck. It’s a nice night.”

      She felt even more curious about Caleb as she followed him into an attractive living area with a polished oak floor, a forest-green sofa, one chair and little else. At one end of the room in front of sliding glass doors was a mahogany dining table and eight chairs.

      They walked through the sliding doors to a wide deck. Light spilled through the glass as Cal motioned her toward a padded chair. He sat nearby, turning his chair to face her.

      “You have a nice home.”

      “Thank you. I enjoy it.” Cal felt his stomach knot. Think of the money, he reminded himself. Think about the moun- tain of debts and what the money would do to relieve them. He took a long drink of the beer, wishing now he had poured himself a straight bourbon. He looked at Juliana.

      “I still don’t understand why you need the money. You have a good practice and a beautiful home. You’re single, so you don’t have any other person to support or worry about.” She shrugged. “I can’t imagine going into a love- less marriage, even for that much money.”

      “For the sake of the boys, you should think about it,” he replied, turning the tables once again. “You’re giving up a lot of things that they may need as they grow up. They may need braces—”

      “They already do. Chris is wearing braces now. But I can manage,” she said with more conviction than she really felt.

      Cal felt amused at himself. In all his qualms and doubts and indignant speculation, he had never considered that she would give him such an emphatic no. He had expected her to accept the moment he got the proposal spoken. “It’s only one year,” he remarked.

      “I don’t care if it’s one week,” Juliana said, her heart racing as she stared at him. Damn him, anyway, for his proposal. And for having bedroom eyes that made her feel weak in the knees whenever he gave her one of his brood- ing looks.

      She stood. “No matter how sexy and appealing you are, Mr. Duncan, or how intelligent or charming, I do not care to sell myself to you for half of Elnora Siever’s estate! I have to go home now.”

       Three

      As Juliana walked away, Cal was at her side instantly, moving into the dining room with her.

      “Wait a minute,” he said, his hand touching her arm lightly. “Just listen. Sit down.”

      It was worse in the light where she could see him in total clarity and his brown eyes compelled her to do what he wanted. Amounts of money danced in her head. The man proposing marriage wasn’t a three-headed, drooling mon- ster and his proposal was tempting.

      “Think of your boys and sit down,” he said more force- fully, giving her the full impact of his dark gaze and pulling out a chair from the dining table. As she sat down, he moved another chair close to sit and face her.

      “How could Elnora have done this?” Juliana said, run- ning icy fingers across her forehead. She shivered in spite of the warmth of the room.

      “I agree entirely and would never have drawn up that will. Which is why she went to Willard Mason.”

      Juliana looked at Caleb, feeling the tension spark be- tween them and the clash of wills. “You still haven’t an- swered me. You have a nice home. You have a good business, I imagine. Why do you have to be so greedy?”

      He gave her an impassive stare as he reached out to tuck a stray tendril of hair behind her ear. She felt the warm brush of his fingers and a tingle radiated from the contact of his hand with her skin.

      “Mr. Duncan—”

      “I’m talking about a marriage in name only,” he inter- rupted quietly. “There wouldn’t be anything physical—” He paused, his dark eyes boring into her. “Unless you want a physical relationship,” he amended matter-of-factly.

      Juliana’s mouth dropped open as she stared at him, and Cal had to bite back a laugh.

      “In name only?” she repeated.

      He was in deep now and he clung to the remembrance of the amount of money each one of them would inherit. “As beautiful as your body is, I know we’re strangers. I’m sug- gesting in name only. I like my solitary life and peace and quiet and I am not a marrying man.”

      “It doesn’t sound that way,” she said dubiously.

      “In name only for one year. You have three boys to raise and send to college. I don’t know how well-fixed your grandmother or your mother is, but I imagine you may have to help them, too. And you have to take care of yourself. That’s a lot of people to be obligated to, and even if your mother and grandmother are self-sufficient, you have the responsibility for the boys. Think what you could do with half of Elnora’s estate.”

      He knew when to rest his case. He became silent, wait- ing, his gaze on her, while she seemed to stare through him into some distant place. Idly, he wondered again how she would look with her hair falling free. He resisted the im- pulse to reach out and tug loose the golden locks. Her skin was as smooth as silk and her lips full, looking tantaliz- ingly soft. What would it be like to kiss her?

      He shoved the question from his mind instantly. Keep re- lations distant and professional. Yet, when he gazed into her blue eyes, his good intentions evaporated and a little warn- ing of danger popped into his mind. The last thing he wanted was to be drawn into a relationship with her. Three boys, a mother and a grandmother—Juliana Aldrich came with large responsibilities. Now she was staring outside, her wide forehead slightly furrowed. He wondered what she was thinking.

      Thoughts tumbled in Juliana’s mind, and like an annoy- ing insect buzzing around her head, his words seemed to jam her rational processes. As beautiful as your body is…. How many men had ever told her she was beautiful? Barry hadn’t even told her that. Did Caleb Duncan really find her beau- tiful? More than likely, he was trying to spin a web of charm to get his greedy hands on Elnora’s estate. Yet, when