Just Between Friends (O'Rourke Family 4) (3 page)

Well,
duh.

The last thing Kate wanted was to move into Nanna Jane’s mansion with its dozens of cold rooms and echoing space. She wanted them to live in a place where Dylan couldn’t avoid her, no matter how hard he tried.

It wasn’t as if she was being terribly deceitful, or anything. If he really thought about it, he’d realize how she’d been in love with him forever. And if he still didn’t feel the same about her after being married for a year, she’d agree to an uncontested divorce.

But Dylan was still looking thoughtful, so she pushed aside the possibility of failure and leaned forward. “What’s wrong with my place? It’s not that small and your company did the work to modernize it, so you know it’s in good condition.”

“Hmm…yes.” He scratched the side of his face. “But this is a great old building and there’s a lot of room for expansion. You’ve talked about enlarging—so this would be a good time to get it done. I really think it’s best.”

Kate shrugged in defeat. “All right. Draw up the plans and send me the bill.” So much for a crowded living space pushing them together. The forced intimacy would have helped—now she’d have to think of something else.

Dylan looked scandalized. “I couldn’t do that.”

“Why not? It’s just like the last time.”

“Like hell. Husbands don’t charge their wives for work they do.”

Much as Kate enjoyed the oblique reference to being Dylan’s wife, she didn’t think it was right for him to work on the converted carriage house without getting paid.

“That isn’t fair,” she objected.

“Tough,” he said, still sounding offended. “You won’t change my mind on this, Katydid. As a matter of fact, you’ll have to get used to not getting your way on everything. I’m not spending the next year saying ‘yes’ to you.”

He set his jaw, looking so endearingly macho and stubborn that a quiver went through her stomach. There’d always been a core of strength and certainty in Dylan that fascinated her. He was like a giant boulder in the middle of a river that water had no choice but to
flow around. No matter what he might say, she’d never been able to talk him into anything that he didn’t actually want to do.

“Do you understand, Katydid?” he said insistently.

Her chin rose. “I understand. I’m not as spoiled as you think, and that’s something
you’ll
have to get used to.”

The level note in Kate’s voice made Dylan’s eyes narrow. He had the uncomfortable feeling he’d missed something significant, but he didn’t know what. Hell, women were a complete mystery. If he didn’t comprehend his own sisters, what made him think a woman like Katrina Douglas would be any easier? She lived in an ivory tower, and he lived in the real world.

“I just…all right,” he said finally. “When do you want to…uh…?”

“Get married?”

The easy way she said “married” made him wince. At least it was only for a year, and he wouldn’t have to feel responsible for her getting hooked up with the wrong man. Anyway, taking care of Kate was such a habit he wasn’t sure how to stop.

“Yeah, married,” Dylan muttered.

“It needs to be before my birthday, that’s all.”

“Okay, the sooner we do it, the sooner it’ll be over with. We don’t have to do one of those big society weddings do we?” he asked. “Your grandmother didn’t make
that
a requirement, did she?”

“No, just that I get married and live with my husband on the Douglas estate.”

“I’m surprised she put something so specific in the will.”

“I’m not,” Kate said glumly. “Grandmamma might
have been old, but she had a mind like a steel trap. She was probably suspicious that I’d try to get around the conditions of my inheritance.”

Dylan’s breath caught in his throat as Kate stretched slowly, arching her back like a silky little cat. She took her time, reaching her hands toward the ceiling, her body twisting sensuously. It was totally innocent, and totally devastating to his already shaky peace of mind.

When she lowered her arms again she smiled lazily. “Sorry. I haven’t been sleeping well with so much to think about. It’ll be better tonight now that we’re getting things settled.”

Great.

She was going to sleep like a baby, and he was going home to a cold shower.

Gritting his teeth, Dylan ordered his body to stop behaving like a teenager with his first case of lust. This was
Katydid,
for heaven’s sake, he didn’t have any business getting stirred up over her. She’d asked for his help because she trusted him. Besides, it was temporary insanity. He’d get over it and then everything would be the same between them.

Ignoring the voice inside his brain that was laughing sarcastically, he leaned forward.

“How do you want to handle the ceremony?”

Kate drew a circle on the table with the tip of her finger. “How about going over to Victoria? Your brother’s wedding there was beautiful.”

A frown creased Dylan’s forehead. Victoria, British Columbia, was popular with courting couples, and the O’Rourke women had raved endlessly over what a romantic setting it had been for Kane and Beth’s wedding.
But it didn’t seem right for him to marry Katydid in a place intended for lovers, not when they were just friends making a paper commitment for a year. It was much easier thinking about it that way—a paper commitment. Not really a marriage.

“I’d rather keep it smaller, here in Seattle,” he said after a moment. “Maybe just the two of us in a civil ceremony at the courthouse.”

Kate’s eyelids dropped instantly, yet he thought he saw disappointment in their sea-green depths before it was hidden. But surely she didn’t want a romantic wedding—or worse, a church wedding. There was something sacrilegious about going into a church and promising to love, honor and cherish when you were planning to get divorced in a year.

“Won’t your mother be disappointed?” Kate murmured after a moment. “I know how much she enjoyed it when Kane and the others got married. We could ask her pastor to do the ceremony. It wouldn’t have to be a big deal.”

Dylan winced.

Much as he wanted his mother to stop pestering him about settling down, he didn’t want to hurt her. But she’d be both worried and appalled if she knew the truth about
why
he was marrying Katydid. Fond as she was of Kate, she’d say they were making a huge mistake by using the sacred institution of marriage for something other than love. He was a little uneasy about it himself, but it wasn’t as if they’d
really
be married.

No sex, for one thing.

Lord, the next year was going to be dismal.

Unfortunately, sex deprivation didn’t seem like a
good enough reason to say no. Dylan cleared his throat. Kate was so innocent, she probably didn’t have a clue about what she was asking from him.

“Katydid…I just don’t feel comfortable about having some preacher speak words over us.” His inexplicable physical reaction to her was causing another kind of discomfort, but she didn’t need to know about
that.

A stillness crept over Kate until she slowly nodded. “I see. So we’ll do it at a courthouse, or wherever civil ceremonies are offered.”

Swell, now he felt like a selfish crumb.

Husbands probably felt like that a lot, so he was getting off to a good start. Moreover, it didn’t even make sense because Kate knew the ceremony wasn’t supposed to mean anything. So why did he feel guilty?

He sighed. “Look, I know you wanted—”

“No,” she interrupted quietly. “You don’t know. It’s fine. We’ll have a civil ceremony and explain that we were in too much of a hurry to wait for a big wedding. That should satisfy the lawyers. They’ve been nagging me about the deadline, anyway, so they should understand.”

Dylan searched Kate’s face, trying to guess what was going through her head. If she thought anyone would understand their marriage, then she was fooling herself. Katydid was like a shaft of moonlight—beautiful and unattainable, with quicksilver emotions and a pedigree of snobbish old wealth and privilege. While he was the son of down-to-earth Irish immigrants who’d worked hard and made a place for themselves in a new country.

They were utterly incompatible.

The only reason anyone might be deceived was because of the charity events she’d dragged him to over
the years. Of course, his family had often hinted about something between them, but he’d always laughed it off.

Now they were the ones who’d be laughing.

“H
old on for a minute,” Kane O’Rourke ordered.

Dylan wanted to yank his collar open, but his brother was too busy fastening the tie around his neck. Kane had filled their father’s shoes after his death, and he seemed to think this was one of his responsibilities.

“I can’t breathe,” Dylan grumbled.

“The groom has to be presentable, and that means a properly tied tie. Isn’t that right?” Kane appealed to the rest of the male O’Rourkes crowded into the smallest of their mother’s upstairs bedrooms.

The others nodded agreement with varying shades of amusement on their faces.

Dylan’s carefully laid plans for a quiet civil ceremony at the courthouse hadn’t materialized. Instead he was marrying Kate in his mother’s backyard with the entire family—plus a few dozen uncles, aunts and cousins—in attendance.

“I feel like a damn fool,” Dylan muttered.

“It’s the O’Rourke curse,” Neil said mildly. “Remember? Putting women and O’Rourke men together usually results in the men feeling foolish.”

A chorus of agreement followed, making Dylan glare. They didn’t know the half of it. And what did Neil know about it anyway? Or Kane and Patrick? They were besotted over their wives. He’d never seen more billing and cooing in his life than when the three couples were together at family gatherings.

Now
he
was supposedly joining the ranks of happily-in-love-and-delighted-to-be-married.

With an effort Dylan unclenched his jaw. His sisters-in-law were a charming trio of women, but ever since he’d announced his engagement to Kate, things had gotten completely out of control. You would have thought he planned to have the ceremony in an alligator-infested swamp rather than a courthouse.

What was wrong with a courthouse? A simple civil ceremony, no witnesses required—it was the best way to get married, especially when you didn’t really plan to
be
married. But that was the problem—he couldn’t admit any such thing.

“I suppose everyone thinks I’m going to be next,” said Connor with a grim look on his face. He was the youngest of the brothers, twenty-seven, and even more determinedly single than the rest of them. That is, the way the rest of them
used
to be.

Just wait a year, little brother,
Dylan advised silently.
I’ll be rejoining the bachelor ranks.

Well, it might be over a year.

He’d been thinking that it wouldn’t look good to the
lawyers if he dumped Kate on her cute rear end after twelve months. They should go a while longer so it wouldn’t seem quite so much as if she’d gotten married just for her grandmother’s house. It might not make any difference legally, but he didn’t want Kate to be embarrassed. There’d been so much hysteria over putting the wedding together that he hadn’t had time to tell her.

A knock came at the door. “Is everyone decent in there? And fully clothed?” called their mother’s voice.

Everyone except Connor chuckled. It was an old joke, going back to the time when the preacher had come to visit on a hot Sunday afternoon and six-year-old Connor had streaked through the house, bare-butt naked. When Pegeen had scolded her son, he’d looked at her earnestly and said he
was
decent because he’d just been to church, but that it was so much cooler without clothing.

“I wish everyone would just forget about that,” Connor grumbled. Being the youngest son wasn’t easy, but it was an old complaint and lacked any heat.

Patrick reached out to open the door, a smile still on his face. “Decent
and
clothed,” he said.

“All right, then. Now all of you go on downstairs, I want to talk with Dylan.” Her Irish brogue was stronger than usual, the way it always was when she was feeling emotional.

Dylan watched his brothers and two closest cousins file good-naturedly from the room. He knew his mother had spoken privately with Kane, Patrick and Neil before their weddings, and he’d been dreading the moment; lying didn’t come easily, particularly to someone he loved.

Pegeen hesitated, then sighed softly. “Your father always
wanted to be here, talkin’ to you before you got married. But then, I think you know what he’d say, don’t you?”

“I know.”

Keenan O’Rourke had taught his sons simple lessons about honor and fidelity and about what being a man meant; lessons that were part of the everyday fabric of living and not just for special occasions. So, yes, Dylan knew what his father would say. The words weren’t necessary.

“It’s a fine thing to make your own way in the world,” Pegeen murmured. “And you’re a fine man. But pay heed to what your heart tells you, son. ’Tis the one thing you’ve forgotten how to do.”

A frown creased Dylan’s forehead, but his mother continued before he could say anything.

“Only I shan’t worry overmuch,” she said. “Your Katydid is a darling child. She’ll help you to listen to your heart, as well as your head.”

“She’s a child, all right,” Dylan agreed without thinking, then winced. He hardly sounded like an adoring groom. “That is, she’s still so young.”

A smile curved his mother’s lips, reminding him of a cat with cream on its whiskers. “You’ve never wanted to see her as grown up, but she’s old enough to know what she wants. Katrina has a woman’s needs. I don’t think she’ll be lettin’ you forget that.”

He got a peculiar feeling, rather like the ground was moving beneath him in an earthquake. The whole conversation was making him uneasy—much like his recent discussions with Kate. She was honest and straightforward about everything, and yet he kept sensing currents of unspoken emotions. He supposed it was
natural, she’d once had dreams of love and happily-ever-after, and here she was, forced to get married because of her battle-ax of a grandmother. Or rather, because of the battle-ax’s last will and testament.

He’d had his own lawyer look at the will, and Jane Douglas had indeed tied up her estate in language as stern and unbreakable as she’d once been herself.

The stubborn old bat.

“Is it time to go downstairs?” he asked gruffly.

“I’ll send one of the boys up when Kate is ready,” Pegeen assured. She kissed him, then paused at the door.

“ ’Tis bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.”

Dylan closed his eyes and restrained his groan. What would his mother say about “luck” when he ended up with a divorce in a little over a year? He couldn’t tell anyone it was really like an annulment since they wouldn’t be intimate. One thing was clear from the will, it had to
appear
to be a real marriage, even if it wasn’t.

Maybe they could just say they’d mistaken friendship for love and had decided to end things before they made each other miserable. It sounded okay but Dylan still didn’t feel right about it.

Lord, Katydid had gotten him into some messes before, but this one was a doozy.

The strains of the wedding march spilled through the garden and Kate held her breath. Her heart was pounding so hard she was shaking from her white satin shoes to the miniature roses pinned in her hair.

She knew Dylan wasn’t happy about how the quiet courthouse ceremony had become a romantic garden affair, but it was the wedding she’d always dreamed of
having. And, since she expected it to be her one and
only
wedding, it was fine with her, even if he was upset about it.

“Ready?” asked Kane O’Rourke. He smiled and extended his arm. “I’m sorry your parents couldn’t be here, but I’m honored to fill in as ‘father of the bride.’”

“I’m the one who’s honored,” Kate said sincerely, yet a stab of guilt went through her. She hadn’t wanted to hear her parents disparage Dylan, so she’d waited until the last minute before calling them in London to say she was getting married. Her father had missed so many of the important events in her life, it never occurred to her that he’d be disappointed not to walk her down the aisle.

It had never occurred to her that they’d want to come at all.

She searched Kane’s face, wondering if he disapproved of the hasty way his brother was getting married. If he did, he hadn’t said so. The O’Rourkes had been so supportive it made her want to cry. Was love supposed to be this difficult?

“It’s time to go,” he said. “Ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” But they hadn’t taken three steps before her feet faltered. “You know how much I love Dylan, don’t you?”

“I think the whole family knows that.”

Everyone except Dylan,
Kate thought to herself. She forced herself to breathe. “I’ll do everything possible to make him happy,” she said.

“Well, if my little brother gives you trouble, you’ve got my number. It’s about time he woke up when it comes to you.”

She blinked and walked out of the house with Kane, at the same time thinking about what he’d said.

It’s about time he woke up when it comes to you…

Did Kane know that Dylan wasn’t in love with her? Maybe he thought Dylan really
was
in love, but hadn’t realized it yet. Or Kane might be deluding himself, just wanting to believe his brother had fallen in love.

Maybe…she dragged her racing thoughts under control. Maybe it didn’t mean anything.

It was a lovely day, unusually warm for May in the Seattle area, and the yard was filled with flowers, both growing and arranged in baskets set in every available space. Kate might have wanted a romantic wedding, but she’d tried to support Dylan’s plans for a courthouse ceremony. As a result his mother and the rest of the family had taken over. The place was beautiful. The photographer Pegeen had hired would be pleased.

Dylan waited for her in front of a rose-covered arbor, banked in ferns. His face was impassive, almost cold, and she shivered. The idea that she might be making a huge mistake was foremost in her mind. But Dylan wasn’t cold like her father, he was a decent, wonderful man, even if he did look as remote as an Alaskan glacier at the moment.

Just then he smiled and her heart melted. For once in her life she was going to take the risk of getting what she really wanted, and she’d deal with the doubts later.

“Hey, there, Katydid,” he murmured, holding out his hand.

She wasn’t wearing gloves and the hard calluses on Dylan’s fingers against her softer skin sent sensual images through her mind. What would it be like to have
those same calloused fingers caressing her body? Would she ever find out?

Warmth crept up Kate’s face, and she hastily focused her attention on the judge’s face. One thing Dylan had succeeded on having was a civil, rather than religious, ceremony. She’d tried not to let it hurt, knowing Dylan saw the whole thing as just a favor to her, but she would have liked having Pegeen’s pastor do the wedding.

The judge said a few words about the sanctity of marriage and Dylan stiffened. Her tummy, already swooping with nerves, took a plunge that rivaled the highest roller coaster drop in the world. How would she get him to look at her in a whole new way if he was so against it in the first place? It wasn’t a new thought, it just seemed more of a problem now that they were actually
getting
married.

“Do you, Dylan James O’Rourke, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” asked the judge.

“I do,” he replied.

“Do you, Katrina Cecelia Douglas, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” asked the judge.

“I…do.”

Her slight hesitation earned a quick glance from Dylan, who had been staring at the hedge. One of his eyebrows lifted. He wouldn’t back down now, not having promised to help her, but he undoubtedly hoped that
she’d
decided she couldn’t go through with it. The judge, a friend of the O’Rourkes, continued smoothly, seeming unaware of the undercurrents between bride and groom.

Dylan looked positively fierce when he had to repeat the vow to “love, honor and cherish.” Luckily the moment
passed before anyone noticed, and she was making the same promise.

The wedding band slid over Kate’s third finger, sending another pang of regret through her. Dylan wouldn’t be wearing a ring himself, he’d told the family it wouldn’t be safe with him working with construction equipment. She was the only one who knew it was just an excuse, one more reminder of their temporary arrangement.

When the judge said it was time for them to kiss, Kate’s lungs refused to function. How often had she dreamed of kissing Dylan, only to wake up and find it wasn’t real? Friendly hugs and busses on the cheek weren’t the same as the way a man embraces a woman.

Dylan put his hands on her shoulders and drew her close. Their gazes locked, then he looked down and focused on her mouth. Could he see the pulse jumping in her throat, the heat blooming across her skin, just because he was close?

Dylan,
Kate cried silently. She’d give him anything he wanted, if she just knew what it was.

Very gently, he pressed a polite kiss to her mouth and ice condensed around her stomach. She couldn’t bear the thought of him drawing back, still so cool and remote, and she opened her mouth to protest.

This is our wedding, please…

Dylan felt Kate’s rush of breath and without conscious thought pulled her against him. She was clean and fresh, and he deepened the kiss, forgetting that she was the kid he’d always taken care of.

Sweet…she tasted so sweet.

He thrust his tongue between her teeth, trying to capture the elusive flavor, his senses infused with her fragrant
warmth. He hadn’t held anything so soft in longer than he could remember, and his blood burned hot and heavy in his groin. She arched against him, her breasts seeming to plump into his chest. A ringing sound filled his ears.

This was
Kate,
not a woman like…well, other women.

Coming to the realization he’d French-kissed her in front of his family and friends, Dylan lifted his head. She blinked at him, looking as shocked as he felt. And why not? They were supposed to be playacting.

Yet his body didn’t seem to know it was an act. His body wanted a wedding night like a normal groom.

“I would like to present Mr. and Mrs. O’Rourke,” the judge announced.