I Do...: Her Accidental Engagement / A Bride's Tangled Vows

It was his turn to throw back his head and laugh. “We’re supposed to be in love. You think people will believe you could keep your hands off me?”

She smacked his chest lightly. “I’m surprised your ego made it through the front door. Okay, if the situation calls for it you can kiss me. A little.” Her eyes narrowed. “But no tongue.”

He tried to keep a straight face. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“My best offer,” she whispered.

He traced her lips with the tip of one finger and felt himself grow heavy when they parted again. “I think we’d better practice to see if I’ll be able to manage it.”

He leaned in, but instead of claiming her mouth he tilted his head to reach the smooth column of her neck. He trailed delicate kisses up to her ear and was rewarded with a soft moan. Pushing her hair back, he cradled her face between his palms.

Her breath tingled against his skin and she looked at him, desire and self-control warring in the depths of her eyes. He wanted to keep this arrangement business but couldn’t stop his overwhelming need. As out of control as a runaway train, he captured her lips with his.

Chapter Four

It should be illegal for a kiss to feel so good. The thought registered in Julia’s dizzy brain. Followed quickly by her body’s silent demand for more...more...more. Her arms wound around Sam’s neck and she pressed into him, the heat from his body stoking a fire deep within her. His mouth melded to hers as he drew his hands up underneath her shirt.

A man hadn’t kissed her like this in so long. As though he meant it, his mouth a promise of so much more.

A familiar voice cut through her lust-filled haze. “So, the rumors are true. Doesn’t seem right your mother should be the last to know.”

Sam’s eyes flew open as he stepped away from her. Julia let out a soft groan.

“Ever think of knocking?” she asked, pressing her hands over her eyes.

“No” was her mother’s succinct answer.

“Nice to see you, Mrs. Morgan.” Although Sam’s voice sounded a little shaky, Julia had to admire his courage in holding her mother’s gaze.

Almost unwillingly, Julia turned and met her mom’s steely glare. “I’m sorry, Mom. We wanted to keep things quiet a bit longer.”

Vera Morgan was a tiny blonde dynamo of a woman. Her hair pulled back into a neat bun, she retained the beauty of her youth mixed with the maturity of decades spent overseeing her life and everyone in it. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Until you could announce your engagement in the middle of a crowded restaurant?”

Julia cringed. “Not the exact plan.”

“I don’t understand what this is about. It sounds like one of your typical impetuous decisions. Your father and I raised you to be more careful with how you act. I thought you’d have learned to be more responsible about the choices you make. Have you thought of Charlie? What’s best for him?”

“He’s all I think about and of course I want what’s best for him. You have no idea...” Julia wanted to lay it all on the line for her mother—Jeff’s family, the attorney, her fear of losing Charlie. She paused and glanced at Sam. He nodded slightly as if to encourage her.

How could she admit her years of bad choices could jeopardize Charlie’s future? She knew her mother thought she was irresponsible, fickle and flighty. For most of her life, Julia had been all of those things and worse.

Her mother waited for an answer while the toe of one shoe tapped out a disapproving rhythm. Julia could measure the milestone moments of her life by her mother’s slow toe tap. She swore sometimes she could hear it in her sleep.

“I don’t expect you to understand, but this is good for Charlie. For both of us.”

Vera’s gaze slanted between Julia and Sam. “Having the hots for a guy isn’t the same as love. From what I just witnessed, you two have chemistry, but marriage is a lot more than physical attraction.”

Julia felt a blush rise to her cheeks. “I’m not a teenager anymore,” she mumbled. “I get that.”

“I worry about you rushing into something.” Vera paused and pinned Sam with a look before continuing. “Especially with a man who has a reputation around town. I don’t want you to be hurt.”

“I know what I’m doing. Trust me. For once trust that I’m making the right decision.” She hated that her voice cracked. She’d made some stupid choices in her life. So what? Lots of people did and they lived through it. Did she have to be raked over the coals for every indiscretion?

Sam’s hand pressed into the small of her back, surprisingly comforting. “Mrs. Morgan,” he began, his voice strong and confident. Julia wished she felt either right now. “Your daughter is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”

Julia glanced over her shoulder, for a moment wondering if he was talking about her sister.

The corner of his mouth turned up as he looked at her. “You are amazing. You’re honest and brave and willing to fight for what you want.”

Charlie’s sweet face flashed in Julia’s mind, and she gave a slight nod.

“You’re a lot stronger and smarter than you give yourself credit for.” His gaze switched to Vera. “Than most people give her credit for. But that’s going to change. I want people to see the woman I do. Maybe we shouldn’t have hidden our relationship, but it wasn’t anyone’s business. To hell with my reputation and Julia’s, too.”

“I hear a couple town-council members are making a big deal about your single status as they’re starting to review your contract. They think only a family man can impart the kind of values and leadership Brevia needs.”

“Another reason we were quiet. I don’t want to use Julia and Charlie to get reappointed. The job I’ve done as police chief should be enough.”

He sounded so convincing, Julia almost believed him. At the very least, his conviction gave her the courage to stand up for herself a little more. “Sam’s right. We’re not looking for anyone’s approval. This is about us.”

“Have you set a date yet?” Vera asked, her tone hard again.

“We’re working on that.”

Sam cleared his throat. “I’m going to head home.” He dropped a quick kiss on Julia’s cheek. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Coward,” she whispered.

“Sticks and stones,” he said softly before turning to Vera.

“Mrs. Morgan, I’m sorry you found out this way. I hope you know I have Julia and Charlie’s best interests at heart.”

Her mother’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s my cue.” Sam scooted around Vera and let himself out the front door.

“I only want what’s best for you.” Vera stepped forward. “Your father and I didn’t do enough to help you when you were younger. I won’t make that mistake again.” She wrapped one arm around Julia’s waist. “I don’t understand how this happened and I don’t trust Sam Callahan. But I know Charlie is your number one priority. That’s what counts.”

Julia didn’t want her mother to feel guilty. As a child, she’d tried to hide the extent of her problems from her parents, as well as everyone else. They weren’t to blame. She let out a slow breath. “I’m doing this for Charlie.”

“You love him?”

“He’s my entire life.”

“I meant, do you love Sam? Enough to marry him.”

“Sam is a wonderful man,” Julia answered quickly. “I’d be a fool not to want to marry him.” Not exactly a declaration of deep and abiding love but it was as much as she could offer tonight. “I’m sorry you had to come over.”

Her mother watched her for several moments before releasing her hold. “You’re my daughter. I’ll do anything to protect you. You know that, right?”

Julia nodded. Once again, she had the urge to share the whole sordid mess with her mother. She swallowed back her emotions. “It’s late. I’ll bring Charlie by in the morning before I drop him at the sitter’s.”

Vera patted her cheek. “Get some sleep. You look like you could use it. You can’t keep up this pace. You’re no spring chicken.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” That was the reason Julia wanted to handle this on her own. Vera couldn’t help but judge her. It was in her mother’s nature to point out all the ways Julia needed improvement. She’d have a field day with the custody situation. Julia had enough trouble without adding her mother’s opinion into the mix.

She closed and locked the door behind her mother then sagged against it. She’d done a lot of reckless things in her life but wondered if this time she’d gone off the deep end.

The baby monitor made a noise. Charlie gave a short cry before silence descended once more. Her gaze caught on a framed photo on one end table, taken minutes after his birth. She’d known as soon as the nurse had placed him in her arms that Charlie was the best part of her. She’d vowed that day to make something of her life, to become worthy of the gift she’d been given. While she had a difficult time tamping down her self-doubt, she never questioned how far she would go to protect her son. She’d do whatever it took to keep him safe, even this ridiculous charade with Sam. If it helped her custody case in the least, Julia would become the most devoted fiancée Brevia had ever seen.

* * *

That commitment was put to the test the next morning when a posse of angry women descended on the salon. Two to be exact, but it felt like a mob.

She’d swung by her mother’s after breakfast then dropped Charlie with Mavis Donnelly, the older woman who watched him and one other toddler in her home. She’d gotten into town by eight-thirty, thanks to Charlie’s propensity to wake with the sun. She wanted time to look over the monthly billing spreadsheets before anyone else arrived.

No one outside her immediate family knew about her condition, and she intended to keep it that way, afraid of being taken advantage of or thought too stupid to handle her own business. She put in the extra time she needed to get each financial piece right. Sometimes she studied the numbers until she felt almost physically ill.

When the knocking started, she straightened from her desk in the back, assuming it was one of the stylists who’d forgotten her key. Instead the front door swung open to reveal two pairs of angry eyes glaring at her.

“How’d you do it?” Annabeth Sullivan asked, pushing past her into the salon without an invitation. Annabeth had been in the same high-school class as Julia, a girl Julia would have referred to as a “band geek” back in the day. She hadn’t been kind, and Annabeth, who now managed the bank reviewing Julia’s loan application, hadn’t let her forget it. Annabeth’s younger sister, Diane, followed her inside.

“Morning to you, ladies.”

“He never goes on more than three dates.” Annabeth held up three plump fingers. “Never.”

“Can I see the ring?” Diane asked, her tone gentler.

Reluctantly, Julia held out her hand. “It’s perfect,” Diane gushed.

“Kind of small,” Annabeth said, peering at it from the corner of one eye. “I figured you’d go for the gaudy flash.”

Julia felt her temper flare. “You don’t know me, then.”

Annabeth took a step closer. “I know you, Julia Morgan. I know you had your minions stuff my locker with Twinkies the first day of freshman year. And made my life hell every day after that. I spent four years trying to stay off your radar and still you’d hunt me down.”

The truth of the accusation made Julia cringe. “I’m sorry. I tried to make amends when I came back. I was awful and I’m truly sorry. I offered you free services for a year to try to repay a tiny portion of my debt.”

“A year?” Diane turned to her sister. “You never told me that.”

“Be quiet, Diane. That doesn’t matter now. What I want to know is how you cast your evil spell over Sam Callahan.”

“I’m not a witch. No spells, no magic.” She paused then added, “We fell in love. Simple enough. Is there something else you need?” She took a step toward the front door but Annabeth held up a hand.

“Nothing is simple with you. Sam is a good man. He went on three dates with Diane.”

“Almost four,” Diane added. “I thought I’d made it past the cutoff. But he got called to a fire and had to cancel our last dinner. After that, he told me he wanted to be just friends.”

“So, how come you two are all of a sudden engaged when no one even knew you were dating?”

“Even Abby was surprised and she knows everything about Sam.” Diane clamped a hand over her mouth as Annabeth leveled a scowl at her.

As Julia understood it, Abby Brighton had moved to Brevia to take care of her elderly grandfather. She was the police chief’s secretary and dispatcher. She didn’t know about Abby’s relationship with Sam, but the way Annabeth was looking at her sister, there was more to the story.

“Plus, you’re a little long in the tooth for Sam,” Annabeth stated, getting back to the business at hand.

Her mom had just said she was no spring chicken and now this. Lucky thing she’d chucked her ego to the curb years ago. “I’m thirty-two, the same age as you, Annabeth. We’re not quite over the hill.”

Annabeth pulled a small notebook out of her purse. “That’s old for Sam. He usually dates women at least four years younger than him.”

“And how old is that?”

“Don’t you know how old he is?” Diane asked.

Julia met Annabeth’s shrewd gaze. Calculated error on her part. “Of course. What I don’t understand is why you carry a notebook with Sam’s dating stats in it.”

Annabeth snapped the notebook shut. “I don’t have his dating stats, just a few pertinent facts. He and Diane seemed closer than any of the other women he dated. I want my sister to be happy. She had a chance before you came into the picture.”

Julia studied Diane and couldn’t begin to picture the dainty woman and Sam as a couple. “Did Sam break your heart?”

Diane scrunched up her nose. “No,” she admitted after a moment. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s supercute and such a gentleman. But he’s a little um...big...for me.”

Julia’s mouth dropped open. “Big?”

“Not like that,” Diane amended. “He’s just...with the uniform, all those muscles and he’s so tall. It’s kind of intimidating.”

“I know what you mean,” Julia agreed, although Sam’s size appealed to her. She was five-nine, so it took a lot of guy to make Julia feel petite, but Sam did it in a way that also made her feel safe.

“You have real feelings for him.” Annabeth interrupted her musings.

“I... We’re engaged. I’d better have real feelings.”

“Frankly, I thought this was another one of your stunts to show up the other single women in town. Prove that you’re still the leader of the pack and all that.” She glanced at Diane. “I didn’t want my sister to fall prey to you the way I did.”

“I’m not the same person I was. I can apologize but you’ll need to choose whether to forgive me. I don’t blame you if the answer is no, but it’s your decision. My priority is Charlie. I want to live a life that will make him proud. I don’t intend to re-create the past. You’re married now, right?”

The other woman nodded. “Five years to my college sweetheart. He’s my best friend.”

“Why is it so strange to believe that I might want that for myself? My parents had a great marriage and you probably remember my sister recently married the love of her life, who just happened to be my high-school sweetheart. They’re happy and I want to be happy. Last time I checked, that wasn’t a crime in this town.”

Julia pointed a finger at Diane. “If your sister wants to find a man, she will without you hunting down potential suitors for her or tallying lists of how far ahead of other women she is in the dating pool. Sam is a real person, too. I don’t think he intended to become such a hot topic of gossip. He’s living his life the best way he can. We both are.” She stopped for breath and noticed Annabeth and Diane staring at her, eyebrows raised.

She realized how much she’d revealed with her little tirade and tried to calm her panic. Maybe she didn’t want to be known as the town’s head mean girl anymore, but she had a reputation to protect. She made people think she didn’t take things seriously so that they’d never notice when she got hurt. She plastered a smile on her face. “What? Was that a little too mama grizzly for you?”

Annabeth shook her head, looking dazed. “I didn’t realize that’s how you felt about things. Sam is lucky to have you.”

“I’m not sure—”

“I’m sure.”

The three women turned to see Sam standing in the doorway. Julia’s face burned. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough to know that I agree with Annabeth. I’m damned lucky to have you.”

Annabeth and Diane scooted toward the front door. “If you’ll excuse us. We’ll leave you two alone.”

He didn’t move. “Is this going to hit the gossip train or however it works?”

Diane shook her head. “We weren’t the ones who started analyzing you. It was—”

Annabeth gave her sister a hard pinch on the arm. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s clear you’re not the person everyone thought.”

Sam eased to the side of the doorway. “I think that could be said for more than just me.”

Annabeth threw a glance at Julia and nodded.

“Maybe you should spread that news around.”

“I’ll get on it, Chief.” The two women hurried out of the salon, and Sam pulled the door shut behind them.

“I’m a real man?” he said, repeating Julia’s earlier comment. “I’m glad you think so, Ms. Morgan.”

Julia slumped into a chair, breathing as if she’d just finished a marathon run. Her eyes were bleak as they met his. “It’s pointless, Sam. This is never going to work.”

Chapter Five

Sam stared at Julia. Her blond hair curled around her shoulders and fell forward, covering one high cheekbone. His fingers itched to smooth it back from her face, to touch her skin and wipe the pain from those large gray eyes. She looked so alone sitting in the oversized stylist’s chair.

Sam knew what it felt like to be alone. Hell, he’d courted solitude for most of his life. He’d learned early on only to depend on himself, because when he relied on other people for his happiness he got hurt. First when his mother died and his dad had almost lost it. Then, later, in the relationship that had ended with his fiancée cheating on him.

He’d come to believe that happiness was overrated. He wanted to work hard and make a difference—the only way he knew to chase the demons away for a little peace.

When he’d heard Julia defending his character, something tight in his gut unwound. He was used to making things happen and having people depend on him. He prided himself on not needing anyone. It bothered him to know that women were spreading rumors about him, but he would have soldiered through with his head held high. Hearing Julia take on those ladies had made him realize he liked not feeling totally alone.

Her declaration that they couldn’t make it work made no sense. “Why the change of heart?” He moved closer to her. “You convinced Annabeth and Diane.”

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-three.”

“Why do you only date younger women?”

He stopped short. “I don’t.”

“Are you sure? I’ve heard you average women at least four years younger. I’m thirty-two. My birthday’s in two months.”

“I don’t ask a woman about her age before we go out. If there’s a connection, that’s what I go on.”

“You never asked me out.”

“I asked you to marry me,” he said, blowing out a frustrated breath. “Doesn’t that count?”

She shook her head. “I mean when you first came to town. When you were making the rounds.”

“I didn’t make the rounds. Besides, you were pregnant.”

“I haven’t been pregnant for a while.”

“Did you want me to ask you out?” The attraction he’d denied since the first time he saw her roared to life again.

She shook her head again. “I’m just curious, like most of the town is now. We’ve barely spoken to each other in the last two years.”

“I thought the idea was that we were keeping the relationship under wraps.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Green,” he answered automatically then held up a hand. “What’s going on? I don’t understand why you think this won’t work. You made a believer of Annabeth Sullivan, the town’s main gossip funnel.”

Julia stood and glanced at her watch. “The girls will start coming in any minute. I don’t know, Sam. This is complicated.”

“Only if you make it complicated.”

“What’s my favorite food?”

“How the heck am I supposed to know?”

“If we were in love, you’d know.”

Sam thought about his ex-fiancée and tried to conjure a memory of what she’d like to eat. “Salad?” he guessed.

Julia rolled her eyes. “Nobody’s favorite food is salad. Mine is lobster bisque.”

Sam tapped one finger on the side of his head. “Got it.”

“There’s more to it than that.”

“Come to dinner tonight,” he countered.

“Where?”

“My place. Five-thirty. I talked to my dad this morning. He didn’t mention delving into my emotions once. Huge progress as far as I’m concerned. He can’t wait to spend more time with you.”

“That’s a bad idea, and I have Charlie.”

“The invitation is for both of you.” He took her shoulders between his hands. “We’re going to make this work, Julia. Bring your list of questions tonight—favorite color, food, movie, whatever.”

“There’s more to it than—”

“I know but it’s going to work.” As if by their own accord, his fingers strayed to her hair and he sifted the golden strands between them. “For both of us.”

At the sound of voices in the salon, Julia’s back stiffened and her eyes widened a fraction. “You need to go.”

“We’re engaged,” he reminded her. “We want people to see us together.”

“Not here.”

He wanted to question her but she looked so panicked, he decided to give her a break. “Dinner tonight,” he repeated, and as three women emerged from the hallway behind the salon’s main room, he bent forward and pressed his lips against hers.

Her sharp intake of breath made him smile. “Lasagna,” he whispered against her mouth.

“What?” she said, her voice as dazed as he felt.

“My favorite food is lasagna.”

She nodded and he kissed her again. “See you later, sweetheart,” he said and pulled back, leaving Julia and the three stylists staring at him.

* * *

“Abby, how old are you?” Sam stepped out of his office into the lobby of the police station.

Abby Brighton, who’d started as the receptionist shortly after he’d been hired, looked up from her computer. “I’ll be twenty-eight in the fall.”

“That’s young.”

“Not really,” she answered. “Maggie Betric is twenty-six and Suzanne over at the courthouse in Jefferson just turned twenty-five.”

“Twenty-five?” Sam swallowed. He’d gone out to dinner with both women and had no idea they’d been that much younger than him. When did he become a small-town cradle robber? Jeez. He needed to watch himself.

“Julia’s in her thirties, right?” Abby asked.

“Thirty-two.”

“When’s her birthday?”

“Uh...” Wait, he knew this. “It’s in May.”

Abby turned her chair around to face him. “I still can’t believe I didn’t know you two were dating.”

“No one knew.”

“But I know everything about you.” She looked away. “Not everything, of course. But a lot. Because I make the schedule and we work so closely together.”

He studied Abby another minute. She was cute, in a girl-next-door sort of way. Her short pixie cut framed a small face, her dark eyes as big as saucers. They’d worked together for almost two years now, and he supposed she did know him better than most people. But what did he know about her? What did he know about anyone, outside his dad and brother?

Sure, Sam had friends, a Friday-night poker game, fishing with the boys. He knew who was married and which guys were confirmed bachelors. Did knowing the kind of beer his buddies drank count as being close?

“Do you have a boyfriend, Abby?”

Her eyes widened farther. “Not at the moment.”