by Judy Duarte
Shock and mortification struck Ellie like a wallop to the diaphragm, sucking the air out of her lungs. It took her a moment to recover, then she gathered up her battered pride and stood tall. “My private life is none of your business. Nor is it your concern.”
Then she turned and walked away, leaving Steven with the two horrid women. She had no idea what he’d do or what he’d say—if anything—but she wasn’t going to stick around to find out.
A couple of beats later, he was by her side.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. But I need to get out of here. Now.”
* * *
Ellie hadn’t mentioned a word about going out to an early dinner. She’d just insisted that they leave. But Steven couldn’t blame her for that. The gossipy women had turned his stomach, and even though he’d had a light lunch, he wasn’t hungry, either.
As he pulled his SUV out of the parking lot and began the drive back to Rambling Rose, he glanced across the seat at Ellie. “You doing okay?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t believe her, but he held his tongue and let silence fill the cab. He didn’t blame Ellie for retreating from San Antonio. Her secret was out—or at least, someone had noticed her pregnancy.
Each time he stole a glance her way and saw her troubled expression, he wanted to reach out and take her hand, tell her it was going to be okay. But she leaned her head against the passenger window, pulling away from him. He figured he’d better give her some space.
By the time they reached the city hall parking lot, where she’d left her car, he couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. “There’s something I want to tell you.”
She turned to him, but she didn’t speak. Instead, she questioned him with her eyes.
“Those women were rude, and their comments hurt you and were totally uncalled-for. But you held your head high, and that’s not always easy to do when people are mean and poke their noses where they don’t belong. I’m proud of you, Ellie.”
“Thanks.” She gave a slight shoulder shrug. “I can handle the cattiness, the smirks and the laughter when it’s directed at me personally. But I don’t want my past or my private life to distract people from what’s important.”
“What’s really important,” he said, “is that you take care of yourself. You have a baby on the way, and you need to focus on that.”
She looked up at him like a startled doe in a thicket. Her lips and chin trembled. Tears welled in her eyes, and for once, her gaze held no resistance, no argument, no objection. Rather, her vulnerability peered out at him, turning him to mush and leaving him vulnerable, too.
In an effort to show his support, he leaned across the seat and cupped her jaw. Then he drew her face toward him and placed a kiss on her brow. He wasn’t sure how he expected her to react. A smile, maybe. But she burst into tears, shocking the hell out of him.
You’d think that he’d have mastered how to deal with a crying female, especially after he helped to raise four little sisters, but this situation was different. Ellie was different.
“Aw, honey. Don’t...” Words failed him. The tough, sharp politician he could handle. This soft, sweet, hurting woman left him at a loss.
Ellie sucked in a deep breath, then swiped the tears from her eyes with both hands. “I’m sorry. Believe it or not, I never cry. You must think I’m a blithering mess.”
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry for. You’re an amazing woman who’s carrying a heavy load.” He glanced around the parking lot, searching for bystanders who might have seen them arrive and witnessed her crying jag. Thank goodness, he didn’t see any.
She sniffled and swiped her eyes once again, using the backs of both hands, but the tears continued to stream down her pretty face.
Steven had no idea what to say, but there was no way he’d just drop her off in the city parking lot like this and go on his own way. “Give me your address. I’m not going to let you drive home right now. I’ll bring you back for your car later, when you’re feeling better.”
He expected an argument, a show of strength and determination, but she surprised him by saying, “Four eighteen Pumpernickel Court. It’s a small subdivision near the elementary school. And you don’t have to take me back to pick up my car. Daria should be home soon. I’ll have her drop me off after dark. Or maybe even in the morning.”
He nodded, then drove across town.
When he turned down the quiet, tree-lined street, Ellie said, “It’s the white house with redbrick trim. The one with the big elm tree in the front yard.”
Steven parked along the curb, then walked with her to the front porch and waited for her to unlock the door. She hadn’t sent him on his way yet, and unless she did, he planned to stick around until her friend got home.
Ellie had no more than turned the key when a whine sounded from inside. “Tank must be home. I asked one of the neighbors to look after him while I was gone.” She opened the door and stepped into a small, cozy living room as the scruffy black pup ran to her full throttle, nearly taking her out at the knees.
“Did you think we abandoned you, Tank?” She stooped to give the little mutt a scratch behind floppy ears.
When she straightened, Tank sat on his haunches and looked up at Steven, who stooped to greet him, too. “Hey there, little guy. Or should I say big guy? He’s going to be a moose when he grows into those paws.”
“I know. Right?” Ellie shut the door.
“He’s not what I’d call cute,” Steven said, “but he’s friendly. There’s something likable about him.”
At that, for the first time since they’d left San Antonio, Ellie smiled, and his heart went out to her.
“We’ve been trying to housebreak him,” Ellie said, “but he’s still learning. Have a seat while I let him out in the backyard.”
As the pup trailed after Ellie, Steven sat on the brown leather sofa and scanned the small living area, with its pale green walls and redbrick fireplace. A colorful area rug adorned hardwood floors.
Moments later, Ellie returned without Tank. “I’m sorry for falling apart at the seams.”
“No problem.”
She combed her fingers through her hair, then plopped down in a matching leather recliner. “I’m tired of hiding my pregnancy, although I can’t do that much longer.”
“Don’t worry. People will adjust to the news. And life will go on.”
“I know. You’re right. But I’ve worked so hard to prove to some of my older and more conservative constituents that I’m a capable leader. I might be a young woman, but I want them to realize that my age and gender are assets, not liabilities.”
“I agree completely,” Steven said. “You’re tough, but you also have heart.” It was a nice combination.
“When the townspeople learn that I not only got involved with the wrong guy, but that I’m expecting his baby, they’ll forget all the good I’ve done and focus on the mistakes. Not that I consider the baby a mistake. It’s just that...” She blew out a ragged breath.
“You championed several big projects in the community,” Steven said, “like the new park next to the lake. Thanks to you, Rambling Rose now has a beautiful greenbelt, and the children have a place to play. No one is going to forget that.”
“Maybe not, but I don’t want anything to jeopardize the work that still needs to be done.” The long black strands, somewhat messy now from her meltdown, slid over her shoulder. How could her ex-boyfriend just walk away from her?
Steven sat quietly while she talked, mostly about being judged for having two X chromosomes and for being a millennial.
“You saw it today,” she said. “Can you believe that those two women were so critical of me? You’d think they’d be happy to see one of their own take on a leadership position.”
“They might be women,” Steven said, “but they’re n
othing like you. They’re clearly jealous. And they should be.”
“Thanks, but now that they suspect I’m pregnant, they’re going to spread the word. And then everyone will start asking questions I don’t want to answer, especially about my personal life.”
“Welcome to the world of politics,” he said. “People are always going to have questions.”
He’d do anything to help her, but there wasn’t much he could do. Or was there?
She zeroed in on him with those big brown eyes, still a bit puffy, yet just as pretty as ever. “Don’t you, Steven? Have questions, I mean?”
“Actually, I do. A lot of them. But I also have a suggestion.” It elbowed itself front and center, then rolled right off his tongue. “Let’s get married.”
Chapter Nine
Ellie’s jaw dropped. Married? He had to be kidding. “Don’t make jokes.”
“It’s not a joke. The way I see it, if we were married, people wouldn’t ask nosy questions.”
“They’ll also think the baby is yours.”
He shrugged. “So what?” Then he laughed. “Hell, Ellie, having my baby might even bump up your poll numbers!”
At that, she rolled her eyes and frowned.
“Come on,” he said. “Now, that was a joke.”
She studied him for a couple of beats, then slowly shook her head. “We can’t get married. We barely know each other. And after all the times we’ve bumped heads over one thing or another, who’d ever believe that we fell in love?”
“People who like to gossip, most likely. But you have to admit that marriage would solve at least part of your problem.”
“And create a brand-new one.”
“Nothing we couldn’t fix together. After the baby is old enough, we can separate and get a quiet divorce.”
Dang. He was serious. She tilted her head slightly, waiting for him to come to his senses. But he continued to sit there.
“What’s in it for you?” she asked.
“Your friendship, I guess. I just want to help. Besides, it’s not like either of us is dating anyone else right now.”
“I don’t know what to say. It sounds so...simple. Yet devious.”
“It might be a sneaky ploy, but who would get hurt? The way I see it, you don’t have too many options right now.”
“So you’re proposing a marriage of convenience?”
“If that’s what you want to call it, sure. Why not?”
“Because there’d be nothing convenient about it.” She studied him, expecting him to laugh off the sweet but ridiculous idea, but he didn’t.
“Ellie, I just want to help.”
She combed her fingers through her hair again, as if that might help her come to a decision. “It seems so...impulsive. Can I think about it?”
“Sure. But don’t wait too long. I might get a better offer.” She looked at him skeptically for a moment, and he laughed. “That was another joke.”
“This isn’t a laughing matter.”
“No, it’s not. But think it over. We can talk more about it in the morning.”
Then he left her to ponder his offer. And that was exactly what she did. She stewed over the wacky proposal from the moment Steven walked out the front door until twenty minutes later, when her roommate and confidante came home.
Daria had no more than set down her purse when Ellie blurted out the latest twist in her current dilemma.
“Married? No kidding?” Daria asked. “He can’t be serious.”
“Those were my thoughts exactly. But he seems sincere.”
“So talk to me.” Daria plopped down on the sofa, taking the same cushion on which Steven had sat when he’d suggested the wild-ass solution to her problem. “I’m listening.”
That was one of many things Ellie appreciated most about her best friend. Daria understood the way Ellie’s mind worked, the way she talked out loud as she pondered a solution to a problem. And right now, she had a big one.
So Ellie chattered on, and Daria listened. When she finally took a break, her mind still reeling, Daria offered up an opinion. “It sounds to me as if Steven has fallen in love with you.”
“Oh no. That’s not it. We’re just friends.”
“Ellie.” Daria blew out a sigh. “Friends tell me when I have a piece of spinach in my teeth. They listen to me complain about the jerk who claimed to be single and asked me out for drinks. Then, when he went to the restroom and spotted his wife, he left me sitting on a bar stool like a jilted fool.”
True. Ellie and Daria had been through a lot together. “Friends also stand beside me while I puke my brains out each morning. And then they wipe my face with a damp cloth.”
“That’s right,” Daria said. “And you’re welcome. But friends don’t offer to marry you just to save you from temporary embarrassment.”
Ellie slunk back in her seat on the recliner, her hands on the armrests. “I know. But there’s no way Steven is in love with me. He’s just being nice. Besides, he said we’d get a quiet divorce after the baby gets here.”
“I repeat,” Daria said. “Friends don’t offer to marry you. I’ll bet you a nickel to a doughnut that Steven Fortune has fallen for you.”
“That’s impossible.” Steven did care about her, though. And there was definitely some sexual attraction at play. He’d even kissed her. Twice. Of course, they’d been friendly kisses. Sort of. She’d been tempted to kiss him back, too. And if she had let loose the way she’d been tempted to, those kisses wouldn’t have been so friendly.
That evening, Ellie continued to talk out her dilemma while Daria drove her to the city hall parking lot to pick up her car. And then again, after they got home and ate dinner.
By the time bedtime rolled around, Ellie had come to the conclusion that Steven had offered her an easy way out, and she’d be a fool not to take him up on it. But each time she decided to call him and tell him her decision, she’d go sideways.
How could she marry a man she didn’t love?
Sure, she had feelings for Steven. What woman wouldn’t? He was drop-dead gorgeous, smart and funny. But marriage was a big step. And so was a divorce.
Ellie prided herself on being an overachiever, a winner. And she’d hate for anyone to think she’d failed at holding a marriage together, even if it was fake.
Needless to say, by the time she arrived at city hall the next morning, she still hadn’t touched base with Steven. How could she, when she didn’t know what to tell him?
Doing her best to shake off her worries, she breezed into the lobby as if this were just another day in Rambling Rose.
“Good morning,” Iris Tompkins, the receptionist, said. “The newspaper was delivered a few minutes ago. I put it on your desk.”
“Thanks, Iris.”
Before Ellie ran for mayor, her news source was either the internet or an app on her phone. But during the campaign, she’d begun reading a hard copy because she thought it gave her a better glimpse at the business world, especially when she looked at various ads. Besides, when she read the news off her phone, people at the coffee shop probably thought she was checking social media or playing a stupid game.
She’d no more than taken a seat behind her desk and started to flip through the pages when she spotted a write-up about the mayors’ conference to promote tourism. She read it carefully, relieved that it didn’t mention her name.
She continued to scan the newspaper for other articles, intending to skip the gossip page, but a photograph jumped out at her. No wonder that brunette at the conference had looked familiar. Her picture had to have been taken ten years ago—and had clearly been touched up—but she was the blasted columnist.
What Texas politician and media darling’s recent weight gain has nothing to do with a fondness for fast food and desserts? We won’t name names, but let’s just say we expect the truth to
pop out any day now...
Ellie’s breath caught, and her gut clenched. The gossip columnist hadn’t mentioned her by name, but it was pretty obvious. Her secret was out. She’d better drive over to her parents’ house and give them the news in person before they heard it elsewhere.
But did she dare take the time to do it now?
* * *
Since Steven and Ellie had agreed to talk in the morning, he hadn’t expected a call from her last night, but it was a workday and already past ten o’clock. Shouldn’t he have heard something from her by now?
He strode the length of modular office they’d set up at the Paz job site, turned and walked back again. When he realized he was pacing like a nervous fool, he swore under his breath and stopped.
Why in the hell was he anxious for an answer to his proposal for a marriage that wasn’t even going to be real? It was nuts. Yet he looked at the clock once again.
How long did it take a woman to make up her mind? All she had to do was give him a one-word answer. A simple yes or no. How hard could that be?
Ellie might be a strong woman, but she feared telling her parents, which meant she had a chink in her armor, leaving her vulnerable. He’d seen the look on her face when that nasty brunette launched her attack. Were there other people out there who were eager to tarnish Ellie’s reputation and ruin her political career?
Steven wasn’t going to hang around waiting in the office all day, feeling like a caged animal, ready to snap at anyone who knocked at the door. He grabbed his keys off the desk and headed out the door, stopping long enough to tell the retiring office manager that he was going to be out of pocket for a while. Then he drove to city hall.
Once inside the lobby, he marched right past the receptionist, who tried to call him back. He ignored her and strode all the way back to Ellie’s office. He probably ought to knock, but the door was ajar, so he pulled it open.
