makes a man think about settling down and raising a couple of kids.”
“I know, that’s why I married her.”
“She’s your wife?” Parker shook his head. “She’s not wearing a ring. If you’re married, why isn’t she
wearing your brand?”
Making a mental note to remedy that problem as soon as possible, Luke glared at the man. “That’s my
business, not yours. She’s mine and you keep your damned hands off her.”
“And if I don’t?” Parker prompted, his cocky grin sending Luke’s blood pressure into stroke range.
“You’ll be picking up several of those capped teeth of yours from the floor,” Luke warned, halfway
hoping the man would give him a reason to show that he meant business.
“Is that a threat?” Parker asked, raising an eyebrow.
Luke shook his head. “No, it’s a fact.”
Luke walked away before he carried out his promise and punched Parker square in the face. Taking
several deep breaths to bring his anger under control, he searched the crowd for Haley. He wasn’t sure
who he was irritated with the most—Parker for zooming in on the fact that Haley wasn’t wearing a
wedding band or himself for forgetting to buy her one.
Either way, it didn’t change the fact that she belonged to him, and Luke Garnier wasn’t the type of man
who shared what was rightfully his.
By the time Haley found Arielle in the powder room, her anger at Luke had been replaced with an
undeniable sadness. There was no way he’d ever see their marriage as anything more than another one
of his business deals. She’d been deluding herself when she’d thought that he might.
Not only had he introduced her to Emerald Larson as his executive assistant, he obviously hadn’t shared
the fact that the woman was his newfound grandmother. And if that wasn’t proof enough that he viewed
her only as his employee, just look at the way he’d ordered her to look for his sister.
“Haley, are you all right?” Arielle asked, clearly concerned. “You don’t look like you feel very well.
Should I go get Luke?”
Lowering onto one of the plush sofas in the lounge area, Haley shook her head. “I’m fine, really. And
no, I’d rather not see Luke at the moment.”
“Uh-oh.” Arielle walked over to sit down beside her. “What has that boneheaded brother of mine done
now?”
“More like what he hasn’t done,” Haley informed, feeling absolutely miserable.
She wanted a baby more than anything, but what had she gotten herself into? How could marrying a man
she loved with all of her heart for the purpose of having the baby she wanted so badly, make her feel so
hopeless?
“You love him, don’t you?” Arielle inquired, reaching to place her hand on Haley’s. “That’s why you
agreed to his hair-brained plan to have a baby, isn’t it?”
“You know about our arrangement?” she ventured, somewhat surprised.
“I know all about it,” Arielle assured Haley, her smile encouraging. “When Luke told Jake about the two
of you getting married and the plan to have a baby, Jake couldn’t dial my number fast enough.” She
grinned. “I think it was just too much for poor Jake to keep to himself. But it did give me a bit of a
reprieve.”
“I’m sure it was quite a shock to both of you,” Haley attested, nodding. “But enough about me and Luke.
What about you? Your brothers—”
Obviously not wanting to discuss her brothers’ concerns, Arielle interrupted, “I’ve known for some time
that you absolutely adore Luke.”
“But how? I’ve always been careful not to show how I felt about him.”
The young woman smiled. “When I was here at Christmas, I saw the way your eyes would light up when
he walked into the office. And let’s face it, women are a lot more intuitive than men. You could hang a
sign around your neck, advertising how much you care about him and I think Luke would probably miss
it.”
“Men are rather clueless, aren’t they?” Haley agreed, her mood lightening ever so slightly.
avoided having a real relationship so long that he doesn’t recognize what is as plain as the nose on his
face to the rest of us. I’m just glad he finally realized how perfect you are for him.”
“You do know that our marriage is just to get me to have his heir? It’s only temporary,” Haley
elaborated, wondering if Luke’s sister really did know everything.
“That’s what I was told, but I don’t think that’s going to be the case.” Arielle gave Haley a knowing
look. “I saw the way Luke reacted when he found Chet Parker talking to you. If looks could kill, they
would be hauling poor old Chet to the morgue right now.”
“But I’ve never been interested in anyone but Luke,” Haley argued, shaking her head.
Arielle laughed. “I know that and you know that, but my overly obtuse brother can’t see it.”
They were silent for a few moments, before Haley brought up her brothers’ concern. “I’m sure you
know Luke and Jake are very worried about you.”
The young woman sighed as she stared down at her hands. “As much as I love my brothers and
appreciate everything they’ve done for me, there are some things they just can’t fix.”
Haley put her arm around Arielle shoulders. “Is there anything I can do?”
Shaking her head, Arielle raised tear-filled eyes to meet Haley’s questioning gaze. “I really don’t think
there’s anything anyone can do. I’m almost three months pregnant.”
“Have you told the baby’s father?” Haley asked, her heart going out to her sister-in-law.
“I’ve tried, but I can’t find him.” Arielle bit her trembling lower lip. “Please, you have to promise me
you won’t tell Luke or Jake. I’m just not ready to listen to a lecture right now.”
“You have my word.” She wasn’t about to betray her sister-in-law’s confidence. “But you will have to
tell your brothers eventually.”
“I know, but I have some things that I need to work out before I let them know.” Sniffing, Arielle
straightened her shoulders. “Besides, Luke and Jake would just start demanding to know who the father
is so they could have one of those famous brotherly talks with him.”
“You’re right. And that would probably just make matters worse.” Haley knew for certain they’d track
the man down no matter what it took.
“My brothers don’t seem to realize that I’m not ten years old anymore and these are my decisions to
make, not theirs.”
“If you need to talk to anyone, you know I’m as close as the nearest phone,” Haley attested. She truly
liked Arielle and hoped they would remain friends even after she and Luke parted ways.
“Thank you, Haley,” Arielle reflected, hugging her. “I hope Luke wakes up soon and realizes how much
he loves you. I really would like to keep you for my sister.”
Haley tightly closed her eyes to keep a fresh wave of tears in check as she hugged Arielle, too. She
greatly appreciated her sister-in-law’s good wishes, but she really held no hope for that ever happening.
Nine
O n Monday evening, Luke guided Haley to the private room he’d reserved at the restaurant for the
dinner meeting with his brothers, and holding the chair for her, smiled at his brothers and their wives.
“Sorry we
’re late, but there was an accident on I-24 and we had to make a detour.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Caleb spoke up. “We all just got here ourselves.”
“Why don’t you introduce your lovely date?” Jake teased, his knowing grin enough to set Luke’s teeth
on edge. “I’ve known Haley for several years, but I don’t think you had the chance to introduce her to
anyone at Emerald’s reception.”
“This is my executive assistant, Haley Rollins,” Luke announced, seating himself beside her. “Haley,
these are my brothers, Caleb, Nick and Hunter and their wives Alyssa, Cheyenne and Callie.”
With the introductions complete, he noticed that Haley had grown extremely quiet. “Are you feeling all
right?” he whispered, leaning close to her ear.
“I’m fine,” she murmured, then immediately turned away to engage the other women at the table in
conversation.
Deciding that getting to the bottom of what was wrong with her would have to wait until after they
returned home, Luke spent an enjoyable evening getting better acquainted with his brothers. They hadn’t
known each other for more than a couple of days, but he knew they were building a lifelong bond and
looked forward to staying in touch with them. He was also pleased to see that over the course of the
evening, Haley’s mood had improved. She seemed to have opened up and was enjoying the company of
his sisters-in-law, as well.
“So, when are we all getting together again?” Hunter asked as the men’s conversation about their
various building projects began to wind down.
“If you’d like to come out to Wyoming this summer for a week or two, Cheyenne and I would love to
have the company,” Nick offered. “We’ll give the old house a family send-off, then next summer we’ll
have a get-together and christen the new log home Luke’s company is going to build for us.”
“Absolutely,” Cheyenne agreed enthusiastically. “And we’d love for you to come for a visit too, Haley.”
“We all went up there last summer and had a great time,” Alyssa Walker added, laughing. “I even
learned to ride a horse.”
“I’m sure you’d enjoy yourself, Haley,” Callie O’Banyon proclaimed, smiling. “Please say you’ll try.”
Luke watched Haley give the women a weak smile. “That would be very nice, but I’m not sure what I’ll
be doing this summer. If it’s all right, I’ll have to let you know later.”
No one besides himself and Jake seemed to think Haley’s vague answer was anything out of the
ordinary. But when they rose to leave, Jake made it a point to pull Luke aside.
“What’s going on, bro? Why wouldn’t Haley be right there with you?”
Luke shook his head. “I have a pretty good idea and you can bet your life I’m going to find out for
certain.”
As soon as they were comfortably seated in the back of his limo, Luke pushed the button to raise the
privacy window between them and the driver. “You seemed to have a good time this evening.”
She nodded. “I really like your brothers and their wives. They’re all very nice.”
Silence reigned for several more minutes before he asked what he thought might be the likely cause for
her moodiness. “Are you still worried that we might not have been successful yet? Because if you are,
don’t be. I’m sure if you aren’t pregnant this month, you will be shortly.”
Instead of answering, she simply shrugged.
Trying to get her to open up to him was like trying to pull teeth and he was damned tired of it. “What’s
wrong? And don’t tell me ‘nothing’ because you haven’t been yourself for the past few days.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” She wouldn’t look him in the eye.
He shook his head. “Don’t play dumb, sweetheart. We both know you’re a lot more intelligent than that.”
When she finally raised her gaze to meet his, the sadness in the turquoise depths caused his gut to twist
into a tight knot. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not…go into it right now,” she said.
He’d bet every last penny he had that she was a heartbeat away from the flood gates opening. “Okay,
we’ll wait until we get home,” he concurred, putting his arm around her shoulders and drawing her close
to his side. “But I want answers, Haley. And neither of us are going to get any sleep until I get them.”
The rest of the ride home was spent in complete silence and when the driver finally opened the
limousine’s rear door and Luke helped her from the backseat, Haley’s nerves were stretched to the
breaking point. For the past several days, she’d been struggling with herself and having dinner with his
brothers and their wives this evening had helped her reach a decision. What she had to say wasn’t going
to be easy and Luke certainly wasn’t going to like hearing it, but she had no choice in the matter. Her
survival depended on it.
While Luke locked the front door and set the security alarm, she slowly climbed the circular stairs to the
second floor and steeled herself for the argument she knew was sure to ensue. She just hoped with all of
her heart she could voice what had to be said before she dissolved into a torrent of tears or worse yet,
allow him to convince her to change her mind.
When she entered the master suite, Luke wasn’t far behind and after he’d closed the French doors, she
turned to look at the man she loved more than life itself.
“What’s going on, Haley?” he asked before she had a chance to speak. “And don’t try to deflect the
question again, because we both know that something’s bothering you.”
Tossing her purse onto the bed, she took a deep fortifying breath. “I never thought I would go back on a
promise to you, Luke. And God knows that having to say this to you now is killing me. But I just can’t
do this anymore. I thought I could, but I can’t.”
His eyes narrowed as he tugged his tie loose and released the button at the collar of his shirt. “And just
what exactly is it that you think you can’t do, Haley?”
“Th-this.” She struggled to keep her voice even, but she knew she was failing miserably. “I can’t
continue this charade any longer.”
“I think this would be a good time for me to remind you that we have a couple of written contracts,” he
countered, his tone so calm and collected she wanted to scream.
“You mean the prenuptial papers you had me sign?”
He nodded. “Those protect my assets and custody issues if we have a child.”
“Don’t worry about that,” she disclosed, feeling more desolate and alone than she’d ever felt in her life.
“I don’t want anything from you. I just want out.”
“We also have a marriage certificate. I was under the impression that made things very real. And let’s
not forget our verbal agreement for you to have my heir,” he reminded. “In most courts, that’s just as
legal and binding as a written document, sweetheart.”
Why did it not surprise her that he’d bring up the threat of litigation if she tried to get out of it? But then,
that’s all their marriage had been to him, all it would ever be—a business deal to get what he wanted.
“Why are you doing this to me, Luke?”
“I’m not doing anything. You’re the one who brought all of this up.” He shrugged out of his suit coat
and tossed it on a chair along with his tie. “You agreed to have my heir if I met your requirements.” He
started
walking toward her. “I followed through with my end of the bargain and we got married. Now I
fully expect you to follow through with yours and have my baby.”
She held up her hand to stop his advance at the same time that she backed a few steps away. If he
touched her, she knew for certain her resolve would crumble.
“Please don’t, Luke. We both know this isn’t a marriage. It’s a…” She searched for a word to describe
the biggest mistake she’d ever made. “…a farce, a sham, an outright degradation to the sanctity of
marriage.”
Folding his arms across his chest, he gave her a look she’d seen many times before. He was going into
serious negotiation mode again. But this wasn’t up for compromise.
“What do you think our marriage should be, Haley?” he asked calmly.
“Not this,” she retorted, becoming more upset with each passing second. She walked over to the sitting
area by the balcony doors to put more distance between them. “Whether it’s a temporary situation or not,
I’m your wife. But there hasn’t been one single time that you’ve introduced me as anything more than
your employee. Not to your clients. Not to your family. When you introduced me to your brothers and
their wives this evening, you told them I was your executive assistant.”
“And your point is?”
“We’re supposed to be married. We live together. Sleep together. That makes me your—”
“So you’re saying that you want me to start referring to you as my wife?” he interrupted.
How could he be so intelligent and still be so stubbornly insensitive?
“No. I want you to want to think of me as your wife.”
“What makes you so sure I don’t?”
Haley felt her stomach twist into a tight knot. He wasn’t the type of man who conceded even the
slightest point of an issue.
“Don’t patronize me, Luke. If you thought of me as your wife, you’d introduce me to people that way.
Instead of telling everyone my name is Haley Rollins, you’d tell them I’m Haley Garnier.” She shook
her head. “You couldn’t possibly think of me as your wife. I don’t even wear the basic symbol of