The Marriage Contract (7 page)

When he saw the
white sheet draped loosely over her body, revealing smooth creamy skin only a
lover should be privileged to enjoy, his whole body kicked into overdrive.  He
had been pulled into the room like some mighty magnet drawing him to her.  It
took all the strength he had to cover her body and shield his eyes from the
very vision that kept playing over and over in his mind now, driving him mad.

He fought to
shrug off this animal need enveloping him as he looked over at Cara.  Let’s
face it, friend or no friend, he still had a fairly strong male libido.  He was
a guy, after all, and Cara had turned into one incredibly desirable woman.  It
was only natural for him to respond to her.  It would pass.

With a pensive
smile, she climbed off the porch.  “You said you’d be here early, but I had no
idea you’d be up before the roosters, too.”  She walked down the concrete path
toward the driveway where Roger stood.  He gave her a quick peck on the cheek,
but it was clear that Cara expected more by the way she back away at his quick
response to seeing her.

Although he and
Ruthie were still on the porch, and Roger and Cara were standing a good
distance away in the driveway, Roger’s voice carried to them with brilliant
clarity.  “So how’s Ruthie dearest?”

Ruthie
stiffened.  But ever the gracious hostess, she smiled and swung around to greet
her new house guest.  “So nice of you to drop by, Rupert,” she said. 

“The name is
Roger,” he corrected with a heaving sigh.  “It’s been a while.”

“Yes, of
course.  Will you be staying for breakfast?” she asked brightly, although, by
the way Ruthie stood straight as a board, Devin got the idea she’d like to
pitch him out the door right now...or at least throw him into the nearest ocean
wave.

Cara’s lips
thinned.  “I told you Roger was going to stay with us for a few days.”

 “Oh, that’s
right.  How nice,” Ruthie returned.

Cara stood at
the end of the path, pleading with him with her eyes to help.  Devin just
grinned, the devil in him deciding it was much too fun to watch the flames.

“I’m Devin
Michaels,” he finally said, holding his hand out to shake Roger’s.

“Cara mentioned
she had an old friend in town,” Roger said, advancing toward the house.  “Good
to meet you.  I’m Roger Fine.”

Devin coughed
to hide his surprise. 

“Are you okay?”
Ruthie asked, shining an impish grin.

“Swallowed a
bug.” 

Devin gripped
Roger’s hand and was a little taken aback by the lack of force in his hold.  In
his profession, the handshake was a power struggle.  If an opponent’s grip was
too soft, he immediately knew he had it in the bag.  Too hard, and he was on
equal ground. 

Devin never
preferred the former.  Being equally matched in and out of the courtroom always
kept him on his toes.  It wasn’t that way with many of the other attorney’s he
knew, who opted for the easy way out.  He tried hard to squash his gut
feeling.  Cara was dating a wimp.

“You look like
you two are off for a run,” Roger commented, looking at Cara’s attire and
pulling at the braid dangling down her back.

“Would you like
to join us?” Devin asked.  He couldn’t help himself.  A little healthy
competition was good for everyone and he couldn’t wait to see just was Roger
was made of.

“Sure.”

Cara did a
double take, as if she hadn’t heard him right.  “But you’ve never gone running
with me before.”

“There’s a
first time for everything.”

Cara smiled her
pleasure.  Clearly the simple gesture meant a lot to her and had Devin
wondering more and more about this strange match.

“I’ll just get
my bags and change.”  Looking at Cara and Ruthie he added, “Where?”

“Why don’t you
take your bags up to Manny’s old room.  You’ll have plenty of room in there.”

Cara swung
around to her mother.  “That’s not necessary.  He can stay in my room with me. 
It’s big enough for the two of us.”

“Cara, I’m
surprised at you.  How would it look to your grandmother to have a man staying
in your room?   And you’re not even married.”  Devin and Cara’s eyes met. 
Amusement danced in her eyes and he wanted to laugh wondering how Ruthie would
react to hearing about Elsie’s attempt yesterday to turn a public beach into a
nude beach. 

This was going
to be good, he thought, crossing his arms across his chest.  It was worth coming
to Massachusetts if only to see how this triangle would play out.

“Besides you
only have a full-sized bed in your room.  It’s much too small for the both of
you.”

“I don’t-” she
started to say, but Roger held her back.

He blinked hard
as if he were trying to hold back his own retort.  Cara clenched her fists at
her side.

“Manny’s room
is great,” Roger conceded.  Then turning to Cara, he added, “I’ll just change
and meet you down here.”

Cara nodded and
folded her hands across her chest. 

     “I have to
write up a list for your father to take to the hardware store today,” Ruthie
said before disappearing in the house behind Roger. 

When they were
alone on the walkway, Devin asked, “I thought you said your father was at the
hardware store yesterday.”

“He was.”

“Then why is he
going again today?”

“He only goes
to watch the Red Sox game and to talk to Jerry, the owner.”

That may have
been perfectly clear to her, but to him, it made absolutely no sense. 

As if Cara had
read his mind, she added.  “Ma doesn’t let Dad watch sports in the house
anymore.  She got sick of hearing him scream and yell when someone made a bad
play.”

“So he goes to
the hardware store to see the game?”

“Right.  That
way, Ma doesn’t have to listen to him scream, Dad gets to watch the game with
Jerry, and while he’s there he picks up things he needs to fix the house.”

“So everyone is
happy.”

She laughed
that wonderful rich laugh and he knew he’d have come here for that reason
alone.  “You are the only person I know whose head doesn’t spin when I talk
about my family.”   

“Not like Roger,
I gather.” 

Cocking her
head to one side, she said, “You’ve been talking to my mother.”

He shrugged. 
“She’s concerned.  You want to tell me your side?”

Cara rolled her
head, then pulled her sweatband on her forehead.  “There isn’t enough time in a
lifetime to tell you how my mother feels about Roger.”

* * *

It was an odd
feeling, watching Cara and Roger together as they ran along the sand.  Devin
had never considered himself a jealous man.  There’d really never been a woman
who'd made him care one way or the other.  Indifference, that's what it was all
about to him back in Manhattan.  Women were merely a physical outlet for
releasing pent-up frustration from the everyday grind.  He made no promises and
had no regrets. 

He'd never been
sexist enough to think a woman couldn't stand her own ground in a court of law. 
He even admired those who'd sometimes use their feminine wiles to their
advantage while trying a case.  It was only strategy and those same women knew
when to back off.  After all, every attorney had their strengths and weaknesses
and they all played for the same prize.  The win.  Fortunately for him, he did
most of the winning.

But now, he had
to admit to being a bit green.  

As they rounded
the grassy bend for Gooseberry Point, Cara panted, “Race you to the watchtower,
Michaels.”

“Is that a
challenge?”

“You bet.”

He jogged in
place and waited for Roger to catch up.  When he did, Roger doubled over and
rested his hands on his knees, his breathing just short of a wheeze.

 “What do you
say, Rog.  Are you up for it?”

Roger tossed
his head back and forth.

Cara stopped
jogging, a note of concern etched her expression.  “Maybe this wasn't a good
idea.  We could try walking for a while.”

“No, no, you
guys...go ahead.  I'll catch up...with you.”

She cast a
questioning glance at Devin.  “I don't know.”

“Trying to get
out of it already?” Devin teased.

She eyed Devin
devilishly and laughed.  “You'd better hope you win.”

“Lady, I play
to win.”  

Leaving Roger
behind, they sprinted full force along the causeway leading to the Gooseberry
point watchtower.  Although Devin had the advantage of longer legs and wider
strides, he admired how Cara rose to the challenge and kept right up alongside
him.

As they reached
the tower, he saw how the morning sun hitting the side of the gray stone tower
made the shiny green ivy growing along the edge glisten.  He avoided the rest
of the greenery by staying on the walking path, although running through it
would have given him the advantage. 

Cara sprinted
through the first floor door first and ran up the center of the stairway, their
footsteps echoing off the surrounding walls, with Devin just a step behind. 
The cooler air inside the stone watchtower was inviting and bathed him with
each stride higher until he reached the top.

“Beat you,” she
panted, gripping the outer rail of the landing.  She walked in circles,
feathering back the wayward curls that had fallen loose from her braid. 

Watching her do
this brought Devin the most incredible urge to reach out and do it himself.

“You cheated,”
he said, following her lead and walking in circles to keep his muscles from
stiffening.

“Did not. 
You're a sore loser.”

“You're right,
but you still cheated.”

“How?” she
said, raising her arms up and then dropping them to her sides.

He leaned
against the rail, looking out at the ocean, trying to catch his breath.  “I
held the door open for you.”

She shot him a
side long glance.  “So you lost on the side of chivalry?  I don’t think so.”

He laughed. 

“Besides, it
was a piece of plywood, and all I did was seize the moment.  You would’ve done
the same thing.”

“True enough. 
So what do I owe you for the win?”

She waved him
off.  “We didn't bet anything.”

He pulled off
the sweatband on his head.  “So we'll bet now.”

She thought
about it a minute until her expression lit up.  “The Portuguese Festival is in
a few days.  It would be a miracle to get Roger to go.  He hates those things.”

He frowned. 
“You mean, just the two of us?  Wouldn't Roger be jealous of you spending the
evening with another man?”   

She sputtered. 
“Roger doesn't have a jealous bone in his body.  He'd probably be relieved I
wasn't nagging him to go.  You saw the pile of paperwork he brought with him,
didn't you?”

Devin eyed her. 
“What's with you two?”

She didn't say
anything for a minute and looked out into the bay, clearly uncomfortable with
discussing her personal affairs.  He didn't like that.  But then he had to
remind himself that seventeen years lay dormant between them.  She had a new
best friend to share her hopes and dreams with. 

And it wasn't
him.

“Roger is a very
kind person.  We never argue.  He's stable and predictable, and everything a
woman would look for in a husband, really.”

“Except you.” 

She sighed,
closing her and chuckling wryly.  “I should want to marry him, shouldn't I?”

“Not
necessarily.  Some people just don't want marriage and family.  You never did.”

She shook her
head.  “That's not it, Dev.  I should want to marry a man like Roger.  He's
hard working, considerate, and faithful.  It's not like he's asked or
anything.  In fact, I don't think he'd ever consider it.  And to be quite
honest, I think that's part of the attraction.”

“Then what is
it?”

“God, I hate to
admit this.”

“Come on.  It
can’t be that bad.  Just blurt it out.  It’s just you and me here.”  A warm
smile lit up her face and his breath caught in his throat.

“Have you ever
looked at your life and thought, yeah, I have everything I ever wanted.  I've
reached all my goals.”

He nodded.

“But I want
more.  Life is changing.  Everything around me is changing.”  Her hands flew to
her face as if she was trying to hide.  “And now my biological clock is out of
control.” 

His eyes widened. 
“A baby?  You want a baby?”

When she pulled
her hands away, he saw the unmistakable color that stained her cheeks.  She was
blushing as if she were almost embarrassed to admit it.  Embarrassed! 

“Not just a
baby.  I want a family of my own.”

“You always
said you never wanted kids.”

“I know.  Think
how shocking this is for me to suddenly be getting the urges my mother has been
hoping for.” 

She was
laughing now and he couldn't help but laugh himself.

He thought
about Cara as a mother.  Yeah, he could see it, although until that moment he'd
never thought of her as the motherly type.  She'd always focused so much on her
goals when they were kids that it hadn't occurred to him to look past that.

“I've achieved
every goal I've ever set for myself.  I keep thinking, I've got a great life, a
solid career, a wonderful condo and lots of friends.”  She reached around
herself and hugged her middle.  “But then my arms feel empty and every time I
take a good look at what I have, I wonder if that is what I really want.  Maybe
I'm missing out on the best part of life.  I believe that's family.”

“And Roger
doesn't want that?”

She blew out a
quick breath.  “We've never talked about it.” 

“Maybe you
should be talking with him about this, instead of me.”

She lowered her
voice as if she were confessing some deep secret meant only for him to hear. 
“I don't know.”

“If he's not
all that keen on the idea you could always have a baby by yourself.”