Married by Mistake

Adam walked over to the window. He stood so close to her she could have reached out and touched him. “Just tell them no.”

“Haven’t you ever said yes to someone when you didn’t want to?” she demanded.

“I don’t do anything I don’t want to do,” he said starkly.

She blinked. “Well, that’s nice for you. But I just can’t say no to all that…that—”

“Emotional blackmail?” he suggested.

Casey nodded. Maybe, despite his uncompromising claim, he did understand. Back when Mom died, Casey had been the only one who could do what had to be done. She’d done so without knowing it would become a trap of her own making, a mutual dependence none of them could escape. Because being needed had a seductive appeal all its own. Which made not being needed tantamount to a withdrawal of love.

It was screwy, but somehow she’d fallen into that way of thinking.

Even her relationship with Joe had been built on need and dependence. Joe’s mom had left him when he was a kid. He needed a woman who would stick with him forever. He didn’t mind that Casey might never have a baby of her own, if the doctors were right; Joe would’ve been happy not to share her with a child. Or so she had thought.

“A couple of months ago, I won a writing contest with part of a young adult novel I’m writing,” she told Adam. “The editor who judged it wants to see the whole book. She’s speaking at a conference in Dallas in August. I arranged to meet her there and give her my manuscript.” She sighed. “If I go home, I’ll never finish it. My family sees my writing as a hobby, and every volunteer organization in Parkvale has me down as a soft touch.”

To Adam, writing a book sounded like another girlish fantasy. It ranked right up there with being adored. She needed to stop dreaming and start doing something that would halt the emotional blackmail. Like Adam was. Though in his case, the blackmail was as physical as it was emotional.

And in his case, blackmail wouldn’t work. He’d meant it when he told Casey he didn’t do anything he didn’t want to. That was why his dad had gone to such extreme lengths when he’d made his will, a last-ditch attempt to make Adam do what his father wanted.

It was ironic that despite the differences between them, he and Casey were both struggling with pressure from their families. Ironic that if their marriage had been real, it would have solved both their problems….

The idea burst into blazing, clamoring life.

“You’re right,” he said. “We should stay married.”

“What?” She slipped off the windowsill, grabbing for the curtain tieback to steady herself. “I’m sure you’re very nice—” she didn’t sound at all sure, he noticed “—but I’m not desperate enough to stay married to a stranger.”

His eyes narrowed. “You were desperate enough to lie to your fiancé and marry him on a reality-TV show.”

“I was bringing the wedding forward,” she said. “We were engaged.”

“And we—” with a wave of his hand he indicated the two of them “—are married.” He paced between the window and the couch as he thought about how they could make this work. “I don’t mean we’d be married for real. We’d just stay together until the annulment comes through. For a month, we pretend we’re truly husband and wife. In public,” he added hastily.

“I can see that might help me,” she admitted. “But how does it help you?”

Adam figured he’d have to tell her enough to convince her. “When my father died, he left me his majority share of Carmichael Broadcasting. His will stipulated that if I’m not married—or as he put it, in a marriage of a lasting and committed nature—when I’m thirty, my share passes to my cousin Henry.”

“Is that legal, demanding that someone be married in order to inherit?”

Adam shrugged as he leaned against the back of the couch. “No. At least Sam says it’s not. But the will stands until we make a case in court to prove it’s invalid. Sam and I are working on that now. But Henry and his mother, my aunt Anna May, have their lawyers working to prove the will is legal. They’re hoping Henry will inherit. They know I’d never get married just to please my father.”

“Sounds like your dad was a real romantic,” Casey said. She caught a glint of irritation in Adam’s eyes.

“Dad had reason to believe I was anti-marriage. I admit that when he died, getting married was the last thing on my mind. But I assumed I’d find someone suitable over the next few years.”

Someone suitable? Did he mean someone he loved? “But you didn’t,” she guessed.

“I was wrong.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I turn thirty next month. If the will’s ruled legal, I’ll have until I turn thirty-one to find a wife. My stepmother’s not so confident we can have it overturned. She’d like me to get married, so that I win either way. She’s spent the past few months arranging accidental introductions to the daughters of her friends. She’s organizing a party for my birthday, and I know she’s planning on inviting practically every woman in Memphis. I don’t have time for this crap—I have a business to run and a lawsuit to fight. But with Eloise, my life is turning into one long bridefest.” He poured loathing into the word.

“Hey,” Casey protested. “This sounds just like my family. If you don’t do anything you don’t want to, how come you don’t just tell Eloise to take a hike?”

“I wish I could,” Adam said with feeling. “Before Dad died, he asked me to take care of her. I want to honor his memory, to keep my promise. But she makes it damn hard.”

“Were she and your father close?”

Anger flickered in his eyes, then vanished. “You could say my father died for her.” The look he gave Casey said, Don’t ask.

Briefly, she considered asking anyway. But that might be pushing her luck—and she still didn’t understand why Adam wanted to pretend their marriage was genuine. She abandoned her position at the window to return to the couch. “So you want to beat your aunt’s lawsuit and you want to escape Eloise’s bridefest.” She spoke the word with relish, and he glared.

“If I’m married, she’ll have to back off. No more introductions, no birthday party. Anna May and Henry will think they’ve lost the battle because I’ve already met the will’s conditions. By the time the annulment comes through and they realize they were wrong, Sam and I will have built a compelling case against the will.”

Adam spread his hands, palms up, as if to say this was unarguable logic. “So what say we buy ourselves some time? A month is long enough for me to deter Eloise and get my legal battle under control. Is it enough for your sister and your father to sort out their problems? You can use the computer at my place to work on your book, since you’ll have nothing else to do.”

He smiled and Casey’s danger sensors went on alert. This man was used to getting what he wanted, and she suspected he might ride roughshod over others to get it.

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