Inner Harbor

He lifted the red and white striped peppermint stick. A drop of chocolate dangled on the end. Russ licked it off. The chocolate flavor blossomed on his tongue, made richer by the hint of mint. He caught her stare.

“I had some peppermint sticks left over after Christmas. No point in throwing them out.” Her eyes glittered defensively.

“None whatsoever,” he agreed, leaning back to savor the atmosphere she’d created. “It’s excellent. So is this room.”

The soft glow of firelight on the oak paneling and the comfy furniture set around the fireplace gave the room a well-lived feel. Annie, having started dinner, had changed from her jeans into a long velvet jumper the exact color of her eyes. Her hair glowed silver in the firelight. She was very much lady of the manor.

Taken as a whole, this was a picture-perfect example of home. The air was redolent with the succulent aroma of beef stew, fresh rolls and something with cinnamon that Russ prayed was apple pie. The flames, the quiet peace, all of it combined to relax the visitor. She’d achieved her aim and then some.

At the moment Annie ignored him, the same way she’d tried to ignore him most of the afternoon while he’d settled into his room, gone back and forth to his shop and taken Marmalade out for a walk with Drew. Russ stifled a chuckle at the way she tilted her nose in the air and focused her attention on the ceiling to avoid looking at him.

“Something smells very good. I hope my staying for dinner isn’t an intrusion.” He paused deliberately, found himself waiting for her comeback with anticipation. Their verbal sparring intrigued him.

“This is a bed-and-breakfast.” She deliberately emphasized the last word. “We don’t serve dinner to our guests.”

He could almost hear her thoughts. Check that, R.J. Annie Simmons was looking at him, maybe not the way he wanted, but at least she wasn’t ignoring him. He studied her in return. Marrying her wouldn’t be any hardship. She was gorgeous. But Russ knew his grandfather had seen more than that in her. Gramps was a stickler for inner beauty, the character inside a person no one could see, which spilled out in the tough times.

“I realize you don’t usually serve dinner. But Drew invited me.” He hid his smile when she glared at the un-suspecting boy. “I could hardly refuse when he said you always made way too much and if I stayed, maybe he wouldn’t have to eat leftovers.”

“Remind me to speak to you later, Drew,” she muttered, lips pinched in pretended annoyance. But the gentle glow on her face gave her away.

“Okay, Annie.” The boy returned to ignoring them both, his voice barely audible as he hovered over Marmalade. “You’re so pretty, Marm.”

“Did you think about—” Russ glanced at Drew, then straight at Annie “—um, what we spoke about earlier. Have you decided?”

“Drew, honey, I think maybe you should take Marmalade for another walk before dinner.” Annie’s eyes warned Russ to hush. “Just outside by the bushes, okay? Don’t go too far. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Okay, Annie. Come on, Marm.” Drew jumped up, snapped the cat into her leash and headed toward the door. A second later they heard it thud closed.

“I decided right after you asked me, Russ. I gave you my answer then. It’s still no. That isn’t going to change. I’m not the marrying type.” She leaned forward, her voice low, eyes flashing a warning. “According to what your grandfather told me about you, neither are you.”

“No, actually I wouldn’t be interested in marriage at all—under normal circumstances.” Boy, was that the truth. He caught her glint of irritation and rephrased what he’d been about to say. “Though I think I could be quite good at marriage.” That didn’t sound right. Russ tried again. “Not that I was suggesting anything permanent between us.” Clear that up right now, Mitchard. No responsibility.

“You take one step forward, then two back.” She ticked his misdeeds off on her fingers. “You want marriage, but not a permanent one. You think you’d be good at it, but you’re not willing to give it a full commitment.” She shook her head. “Maybe you need to think this idea through to completion.”

“I’m merely asking you to help me achieve a goal,” he clarified, then wished he hadn’t said it.

It was unreasonable to expect a stranger to marry him without some justification, but Russ had no desire to explain about that letter. She wouldn’t understand the feelings it aroused, nor could she comprehend the obligation he felt. Sometimes he didn’t understand it himself. He just knew he’d loved his grandfather dearly, that he wanted to finally live up to the old man’s expectations, do what Gramps had asked of him, fulfill that one last request.

“Your goal being marriage for money?” Annie’s arched brows rose. “You don’t seem the type.”

“It’s not exactly like that,” he protested. “I’m not a gold digger. I earn a living with my work.” Well, almost a living.

“Really?” Annie stared him down. “So why do you need your grandfather to find you a wife? Why do you need his money?” she challenged.

He didn’t. It would be nice, but he could manage without it. Still, maybe if Annie felt sorry for him, maybe if he pretended he desperately needed his grandfather’s legacy… The idea mushroomed in his mind. This way he wouldn’t have to reveal Gramps’s words.

Annie had a soft heart. Look how she’d taken in Drew, made him the center of her world, even though he was only there for a short while. If Russ could just elicit a little of those tender feelings, maybe later he could explain.

“I have two reasons for proposing.” It was hard to know exactly how to say this. “I can manage without it, but I’d hate to see the old man’s life savings go to a cat charity.”

“A what?” Annie blinked at him, her bewilderment showing.

“A cat charity. Marmalade was his cat. One of seventeen.”

“Seven—” She gulped. “You’re not bringing more, are you?”

Russ burst out laughing at the look of horror that spread across her expressive features.

“Don’t worry. I gave the rest away. Gramps had several lady friends who love cats as much as he. They’ve all got good homes.”

“Oh.” Relief didn’t begin to cover the emotion washing through her blue eyes.

“But you do see why I couldn’t give Marm away, don’t you? She was his favorite. He specifically asked me to look after her. I couldn’t let him down.”

“I suppose I can understand that.” Suspicion lurked in the depths of her voice. “Actually, he often talked about Marmalade. I just didn’t know Marmalade was a cat.”

“It’s a bit inconvenient. Marm had the run of Gramps’s house, and now I’ll have to keep her in a cage. But what else can I do?”

“Ah.” She ignored his wistful hint. “So you need your grandfather’s money to get a home for the cat?” Annie squinted at him dubiously. “Uh-huh.”

Russ read her thoughts. “He wasn’t crazy. Just a little eccentric.”

“Forcing your grandson to choose between marrying someone he doesn’t know or losing his inheritance to a cat charity is eccentric?” She tilted one eyebrow into an inverted V. “In Safe Harbor we call that crazy.”

“Gramps obviously felt he had a good reason to insist on our marriage. He was a smart man, he knew me, knew what I wanted to do with my work. I may not understand all of his reasons, but I expect that in his own warped way, he was trying to help me by arranging this.”

Russ clamped his lips closed. He wasn’t going to explain the empty barren years after he’d left the law firm, years he’d filled by taking on any challenge that came along, years that had sunk him in plenty of hot water. Gramps had understood his decision to quit law, but he’d never understood Russ’s restlessness or what lay underneath it. If he knew his grandfather, the old man had conceived this idea believing it would tie Russ down.

“Help you?” Annie stared. “You’re sure there’s no history of insanity?”

“Quite sure.” He smiled, pleased that she’d dropped her attitude.

“I’ll take your word on that. For now.” She tapped one slim finger against the fabric of her skirt. “You mentioned two reasons. The cat charity and what else? What other reason do you have for marrying to get your grandfather’s money?”

How far did he take this pretended greed? The answer wouldn’t be silenced—far enough to do what his grandfather had asked. He owed him that. Russ thought fast.

“I have plans for the future. I want to expand my shop, develop more lines, maybe take on an apprentice while I travel, hold exhibitions. Silver’s expensive. It takes time to build up a repertoire, recoup your expenses.” He shrugged. “There are things I want to do with my life, and it takes money. Why shouldn’t I have what my grandfather kept for me?”

“Maybe. But still—marrying for money?” Her lips turned down in distaste. “It sounds so sad.”

“There are a lot of reasons to get married. Money isn’t the worst one. Besides, we wouldn’t be marrying for money.” It felt good to say that, emphasize it, even. “We’d be marrying because my grandfather arranged it. What’s so bad about that?” He stabbed his toe into the carpet, wishing he knew how to word that differently.

“Hmm.” She tapped her bottom lip with one forefinger. “Where to begin?”

“I’ve watched my friends get married, Annie.” Why not let her see some of the truth that had always driven him away from marriage? “They had no expectation of failure, but they still found themselves separating after a couple of years because their goals changed and the euphoria that carried them into marriage couldn’t sustain them through reality. Life is difficult. There are only so many hours in a day, so many years allotted to each of us. I don’t want to waste any more of them doing things I don’t enjoy. Why should I give up my inheritance to a cat home when it could give us both a measure of freedom?”

“Said that way, it sounds reasonable. I suppose.”

She didn’t look convinced. Despite her agreement, Russ knew Annie wasn’t comfortable with the idea of marriage, no matter how he worded it. He could see aversion written all over her expressive face. The question was, why?

“It is reasonable. I’m not the type to hang around anywhere for long. Too many things to do and see. That’s why I told you the truth up front.” Well, most of it. “I’m not out to cheat anyone. No secrets.”

She nodded sagely, her plucky grin back in place. “Well, for your sake, I hope your inheritance is big enough to allow you that kind of freedom.”

“Nine hundred eighty-five thousand dollars,” he told her bluntly, watching for her reaction, hoping to see the character Gramps had spoken of.

“Nine—oh!” She blanched, and her blue eyes seemed to swell with worry. “You mean you’ll lose all that money if we don’t get married?”

Guilt. Russ recognized it immediately. And wished he could abolish it. The last thing he wanted was for her to marry him out of guilt. He knew too much about that emotion already.

“Well, yes,” he admitted. “I wasted a lot of time trying to contest his will, but it’s rock solid. Anyway, Gramps would be mad if I did that. He must have had a thing about you.”

“A thing? About me?” Distaste flooded her face. “He was like my grandfather, Russ. He was sweet and honest, a shoulder when I needed one. That’s all there was between us. Friendship.”

Russ nodded. She was so transparent, so easy to read. A man would know exactly where he stood with Annie Simmons. She accepted others at face value. He had a hunch she wouldn’t try to change him. She hadn’t with Drew. She’d mentioned earlier that the boy still didn’t talk about his parents much, but she didn’t push him. When he was ready, she’d said. That spoke well for their future, didn’t it?

“Maybe friendship was part of it. But I still think there was something that made him come up with this idea, and it wasn’t me. Until he phoned me that last time, we hadn’t talked in quite a while.” And that was his fault, Russ admitted. He’d been ashamed, and embarrassed.

“What kind of ‘thing’ could your grandfather possibly have about me?” She seemed genuinely puzzled.

Which was odd. Gramps had said he would explain all of it to her. Russ considered relating what the old man had said to him but quickly changed his mind. Wouldn’t it make an already tense situation worse to admit that he’d spoken with his grandfather about her? That they’d discussed her behind her back?

“Did you hear me?”

Russ blinked, then nodded.

“Sorry, yes. I was just thinking of something he said.” What was the question? Why her? “Gramps claimed he got an impression of people the first time he met them. Knew right away whether they were guilty or innocent. That’s why he was so successful in his practice. People seldom managed to bamboozle my grandfather.”

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth as if she were rehashing something from her past. Russ decided to probe further.

“Gramps met you several times, didn’t he?” Russ was flying by the seat of his pants. He knew only what she’d said about their relationship and what Gramps had hinted. But he’d sure like to find out more. “When you settled your mother’s estate—that’s how you met?”

“I went to his office for a number of reasons. I’d never done any of it before, you see. When my father died, your grandfather was also the attorney, but my mother handled everything. I barely knew him then.” She shook her head, sighed. “When Mother died, I had no idea how to proceed. Fortunately, her death wasn’t unexpected, and your grandfather had already been to town once or twice to have her sign some papers, so her estate was settled quickly, without problems. He was very kind to me.”

“I’m glad.” If he knew Gramps, and Russ had known the old guy very well, every t was crossed, every i dotted. In fact, if you read between the lines of Gramps’s last letter, Annie Simmons was like the granddaughter he’d never had.

“He visited me, you know. Every so often.” She nodded at his look of surprise. “Really.”

“For what, I wonder.” Russ frowned. “He never cared much for this town when I was a kid. Claimed a person could get snagged in the relaxed lifestyle and never make anything of themselves. One day last summer he was talking about the potential I’d find here. By fall he said he’d made a mistake in ever recommending the place and warned me away, said it didn’t have what I needed.” Which was one reason Russ had chosen Safe Harbor. He’d been fairly certain his grandfather would not interfere in his plans.

Suddenly he wondered how deliberate that move had been. Another of Gramps’s chess plays?

“I don’t know about that.” Annie blinked her surprise. “He only told me he had business in town. I never knew what it was. He’d stop by the house, have a cup of tea, and we’d talk.”

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