Marriage At a Price

by Miranda Lee

  What on earth had Hilary hoped to achieve with her lies? Time? Time for what? Winning the Lottery?

  Now it was too late. The bank was closing the Queenswood branch and any pull he might have personally had with the manager there was now gone. Courtney's only hope was this investment broker she'd told him about on the phone. Jack Falconer.

  But he'd have to come up with the money pretty darned quickly. The bank had only given her one miserable month to repay the loan in full, after which they were threatening to repossess and auction 'off Crosswinds, lock, stock and barrel. And it was no idle threat. Banks were no longer in the business of philanthropy and public relations. They played hardball business these days,

  Bill rose wearily from behind his desk and walked over to the window to stare blankly down at Queenswood's main street, his mind wandering back to Hilary, and her extraordinary behaviour. It wasn't like the woman to be such a dreamer. Or was it? Maybe her aggressive feminist manner had all been a facade. Maybe, underneath the toughness, she'd been the biggest dreamer of all.

  The sight of a red convertible sports car zapping into a central parking spot directly in his line of vision snapped Bill out of his musings, his eyes widening when he finally recognised Courtney as the female passenger who climbed out.

  Okay, so she was still wearing jeans. But there was no checked shut. No dusty hat. And no unflattering ponytail. Her glorious hair was down and she was wearing a fluffy figure-hugging cream jumper with a softly rolled collar.

  Never in all the years had he seen the girl looking so utterly gorgeous and feminine.

  Bill's surprised eyes swung to the driver, who was at that moment striding round the front of the car to join Courtney. A tall broad-shouldered man, he had short dark hair, cut army style, and an air of decisiveness in his walk which Bill immediately liked.

  He suspected Courtney must like him too, to have bothered with her appearance. Never had he known it to happen before. Jack Falconer had achieved in a few short days what no local lad had in twenty-five years.

  Admittedly the man was impressive, Bill conceded as he watched him take Courtney's elbow to steer her across the street. Ruggedly handsome in looks, a gallant gentleman in manner and city sophisticated in his dress. The trendy fawn trousers and longsleeved open-necked black shirt he was wearing with such panache were not the sort of clothes often seen around Queenswood.

  Bill's mood immediately perked up. He'd thought he'd heard something in Courtney's voice when she'd been telling him about this miracle man she'd found. Now he knew what it was. She'd fallen for him, like a ton of bricks.

  If this Jack Falconer had fallen for Courtney in return then he would bend over backwards to get her an investor. Men in love liked nothing better than to come to the rescue of their fair damsel when in distress.

  Of course, till this moment Bill would never have described Courtney as a fair damsel in distress...

  Bill watched them disappear from view under the street awning before hurrying back to his desk and awaiting their arrival with a little imore optimism than he had a few minutes before.

  'Probably grasping at straws,' he muttered to hims'elf as the seconds ticked away, 'When she finds out what Hilary and the bank have done, she'll start acting like her usual difficult, stroppy self, and her miracle man will be speeding back to Sydney before I can say Jack Falconer!'

  She didn't. She just sat there in one of the two chairs he'd set out for them, looking utterly defeated.

  'So that's it,' she said flatly at last, her shoulders sagging, her eyes dead. 'I'm done for. Crosswinds is done for.'

  'Not necessarily,' he said, land glanced over at Jack. 'Let's hear what Mr. Falconer has to say. The bank calling in the loan shouldn't change his feelings on Crosswinds as an investment prospect.'

  'You don't understand, Bill,' Courtney broke in before the miracle man could answer for himself. We have this problem with Goldplated. It'll probably take more than a month before we know if he's going to be any good.'

  'What do you mean? Anyone who knows anything about horses knows it'll take a good couple of years before you know if a new stallion's any good.'

  When Courtney told him what the problem was with Goldplated, his heart sank to rock-bottom level. 'Damn and blast,' he muttered. 'That's torn it all right.'

  'Might I say something now?'

  It was the miracle man who'd spoken, as cool as you please.

  'Of course,' Bill said politely.

  'You're both right about one thing. I couldn't advise a client to invest in Crosswinds in its present circumstances. But I have an alternative solution to Courtney's problems.'

  'You have? Courtney exclaimed, head swivelling round, dark eyes wide.

  'What?' Bill asked.

  'I will repay the loan personally.'

  Bill heard Courtney's sharp intake of breath, as well as his own. When this man came to the rescue, he sure did it in style. He must love Courtney a lot!

  'And before you say anything,' Jack went on swiftly, slanting Courtney a stern glance, 'yes, I can afford to. I did hint to you on several occasions that I was far from broke, but you weren't listening, and in the end I decided to drop the subject. You seemed happy believing I was practically on the breadline and, to be honest, I rather enjoyed not having the matter of money enter into the picture for once.'

  For a few seconds Courtney looked like a stunned mullet, but then some kind of enlightenment came over her face, an enlightenment which clearly infuriated her.

  Oh-oh, Bill groaned silently. Hilary's daughter was about to look a gift-horse in the mouth!

  'There never was a mystery client willing to invest in Crosswinds, was there?' Courtney threw at Jack. 'It was you all along. You, worming your way into my good books, and then into my bed!'

  Bill blinked at this news. So they were lovers already? That was good news. Very good indeed. This was just a lovers' spat, then. Nothing to be concerned about

  Clearing his throat loudly, he rose from behind his desk. 'Perhaps I should leave you two alone to discuss things. I'll just pop along to the Bluegum Cafe" for a spot of morning tea. Be back in say...fifteen minutes?' He glanced first at a fuming Courtney and then at a splendidly composed Jack.

  "Thanks, Bill,' Jack returned. 'I think that might be a wise move.'

  Bill resisted smiling, for fear it would rile Courtney all the more. But the moment he was safely alone he had a good old chuckle. It seemed the girl had finally met her match!

  'Now, Courtney,' Jack began calmly as soon as Bill was gone.

  'Don't you "Now, Courtney" me!' .she exploded, jumping to her feet and stalking across the room to the front window, where she whirled and glared at him from the safety of distance.,'You deliberately tricked me and deceived me. Lord knows what for. Do you get off playing games with other people's lives? Do you?' 'No, of course not.'

  'I think you do. You've been having a great time. You yourself said how much you enjoy playing games.'

  He stood up from the chair. Her hands immediately balled into fists at her sides. She was so angry she could hardly see straight. Finally she crossed her arms, because if he came near her at this moment she'd be tempted to deck him one.

  'Courtney,' he said as he started walking towards her. "There are games and there are games. Yes, I have been

  having a great time. I admit it. But I don't think paying off a three-million-dollar debt could qualify as a game, do you?'

  His cool reasoning flustered her. 'How would I know? Maybe you get off on paying other people's debts as well! You did it before, when you didn't have to.'

  His face grew serious as he reached for her, his large hands curling over her stiffly held shoulders. 'But I did have to,' he insisted, his'eyes searching hers. 'Surely you must see that. I couldn't have lived with myself knowing all those people had lost their life savings because of my partner's greed. Just as I couldn't live with myself now if I let you and Crosswinds go under. I care about you too much for that.'

  Her
heart just stopped. Was he saying what she suddenly hoped he was saying. That he loved her?

  'But it's not charity I'm offering you,' he continued. 'It's a deal.'

  'A deal,' she repeated, dismay clutching at her heart.

  Not love...

  A deal...

  'I will clear your debts if you do something for me in return.'

  'For heaven's sake, what?' It had to be something huge for three million dollars.

  Jack looked worried for a second. "This might be a bit of a shock, coming so quickly after we've met. But I'm quite sure on my part. In fact, I've never been more sure of anything.'

  'Jack, for pity's sake, what?'

  'I want you to have my child.'

  Courtney was simply poleaxed.

  A child. He wanted her to have his child. In her wildest dreams she would never have thought of that.

  'You mean as...as some kind of surrogate?' she asked, still stunned.

  'Good Lord, no. I mean we have a child together. Like any normal couple.'

  The idea moved her as she would never have imagined. All her life Courtney had believed there wasn't much of the maternal in her, but the thought of having Jack's baby seemed to call not only to the woman in her but the mother. Yet the reality of having Jack's child was fraught with more risk of future hurt than being secretly in love with him. She really shouldn't even consider it And he shouldn't have asked her. It wasn't right. 'So what do you think?' Jack persisted when she just stood there, staring up at him.

  Courtney gathered herself to answer. 'I think you have a hide,', she stated, her outer coolness a cover for her inner agitation. Because she knew that no matter what she said to him, her final answer was always going to be yes.

  But she couldn't give in that easily, could she?

  His smile was soft 'Which makes us well-matched, don't you think? Any child of ours would be able to take on the world.'

  Courtney's heart lurched at his words. 'I'm sorry, Jack,' she said stubbornly, 'but my answer has to be no. I would never bring an illegitimate child into this world, not after having been one myself.'

  Jack shrugged. 'Marry me, then.'

  The nonchalance of his proposal staggered her. Till she realised that marriage to her was just a means to an end to him. He must want a child very badly. But he'd backed her into a clever corner with his countermove. She'd thought her bringing marriage into things would put a spanner in the works. Instead, she was now in deeper trouble than ever.

  Marry me, he'd said. Dear Lord, she'd die for him.

  'The only reason I didn't mention marriage first,' he went on, 'was because you didn't seem the marrying kind.'

  Courtney bristled, despite the accuracy of his observation. Had he been talking to Agnes about her? 'Well, I'm not,' she confessed grudgingly. 'But if there's going to be a child involved...'

  'Then you will?' His hands tightened on her shoulders, his eyes lighting up with genuine delight. 'You won't regret it, Courtney. I promise you. I'll be good to you. And to our child. You won't need to worry about anything ever again. God, I—'

  'I haven't said I will yet,' she broke in before he got totally carried away and took her with him. 'First, I'd like to ask you a few questions. But, before I do, do you think you could let me go?' She never could think straight when he was this close.

  His hands dropped away from her shoulders and she walked back over to sit on the corner of Bill's desk, a nice distance between them. 'Right,' she began firmly, crossing her legs and clamping her hands over her top knee to stop her legs from shaking. 'I want to know when you decided to ask me this? And please don't give me any bulldust. Did you have this idea in your mind all along when you invented your mystery investor and wangled coming home with me?'

  'Good Lord, no,' he denied. 'No!'

  'When, then? Today...now...right here in this office?'

  'Not quite. The thought did occur to me briefly the first time we made love. But I dismissed it as fanciful. I didn't think you'd agree. But today, when the idea came to me again, I felt that perhaps you would, under these new circumstances.'

  'I shouldn't,' she muttered. 'It isn't right'

  'What's not right about it?'

  'I'd have to be a mercenary bitch to agree to marry a man and have his baby in exchange for three million bloody dollars,' she threw at him. 'And you'd have to be a cold-blooded bastard to propose it in the first place!'

  'Come now, Courtney, my offer isn't at all coldblooded and you know it. We might not be in love with each other but we like each other one hell of a lot. The heat we generate together would put a furnace to shame. A lot of besotted couples aren't as compatible in bed as we are.'

  "That's just sexual chemistry,' she argued. 'The sort which is highly unstable, I might point out Give it six months and, poof, it will all burn out' '

  'I doubt that very much.'

  'Well, forgive me, but experience tells me it will. The truth is we don't know each other well enough for such a big step as marriage and a baby.'

  'I know everything I need to know about you,' he insisted.

  'In four days?,' she challenged back.

  'I've learnt more about you in these past four days than I knew about Katrina after four years of living with her. And I like what I've learnt very much so. I think you've gotten to know me pretty well, too.'

  Only in the biblical sense, she thought unhappily.

  Jack's frustrated sigh snapped Courtney back to the sight of him running his hands agitatedly through his hah'. 'Still,' he said, an edge on his voice, 'there are things about me you can't possibly know, and perhaps you should. I don't want you to ever say that I tricked you or deceived you in any way. So let me put you in the total picture.'

  "The total picture?' she echoed, a dark dread pooling deep inside her.

  He began pacing back and forth across the room, talking and glancing over at her as he went. 'A year ago, the idea of getting married and having a child was the last thing on my mind. I thought I had everything a man could possibly want. A business which was making me millions. A house in the right part of Sydney. A glamorous lady who seemed crazy about me. A lifestyle of five-star pleasure-leisure. Then, in the space of a few months, everything changed. My partner did a flit. My business went down the tubes. I lost a fortune. Then, to top it off, my girlfriend left me for another man...'

  Jack stopped his pacing to throw Courtney an uncompromisingly harsh glance. 'You believed Katrina's defection was because of money. And you know what? You could be partially right. Though that didn't occur to me at the time. I stupidly thought my still having a couple of million in the bank was enough play money for anyone. Still, the main reason Katrina left me was because I began pressuring her to have a baby.'

  'You...you wanted Katrina to have your baby?' she choked out, feeling sick inside. In one fell swoop she was right back to being a stand-in for Katrina again. A second-rate substitute.

  'Yes, I did,' he grated out. 'More fool me.' He shuddered at the memory, then began to pace the room once more. 'The disaster with my business partner changed me in more ways than you can imagine. Suddenly I saw the end result of living one's life for material gain and hedonistic pursuits. I started to appreciate that the simple family life my older brother led held much more satisfaction and real pleasure than my own so-called high life. I started hating the emptiness of it all. I wanted more. So I asked Katrina to marry me...and have a baby..' His pacing slowed to a halt, as did his voice.

  Suddenly, his eyes were a million milesiaway. Such bleak, bleak eyes.

  Courtney couldn't bear to think,about what he was thinking about 'And?' she prompted harshly.

  His head snapped round to her, his eyes still holding a cloud of remembered pain. 'She told me she loved me but had no intention of ever having children. She said she hated the thought of having babies. She wanted us to go on as we'd been doing, having no responsibilities except for each other's pleasure.'

  Courtney didn't want to think about how well Katrina had
given Jack pleasure, given he still wasn't over her.

  'I told Katrina that if i she wasn't prepared to settle down and have a baby, then we were through.'

  Courtney was taken aback. 'You mean it was you who left her, not the other way around?' |

  'No. No, I have to confess that's not how it was I arrogantly thought that, if she loved me, she'd give in to my demands. My ultimatum was a bluff. A dangerous one, considering Katrina's antagonism towards being forced to do anything at all. As you know,' he finished bitterly, 'she left me for Axelrod whom she subsequently married.'

  Courtney could find no words to say at this juncture. Jack stared down at his feet for a few seconds before looking up again, his face grim.

  'I won't deny I was devastated for a long time. I won't deny I came to the races last Saturday simply to see her again. Did I want her back? You may well ask. In all honesty, I don't know. I told myself I just wanted her to see that I'd survived, that I was as rich as ever. Richer, even! Yes, it's true. After Katrina left me, I began playing the stock market like some kind of self-destructive maniac, recklessly taking chances which would have given a wise investor nightmares. Perversely, I could do no wrong, and soon I had more money than before the fiasco with Graham.'

  'I think you wanted to get her back, Jack,' Courtney stated, forcing him to face the whole rotten truth of his feelings for that woman. 'You still love her.'

  'No,' he I denied. 'No, I don't believe I do. Not any longer. The moment I met you, Courtney, the moment I started seeing Katrina through your very clear eyes, I knew I wanted nothing more to do with her. I also knew I wanted to get away from Sydney for a while. City life had begun to pall on me. Which is why I came up with the mystery client idea. I didn't deliberately deceive you. I was genuinely going to invest in Crosswinds if it looked like a going concern. I delayed revealing my identity so that I could spend more time with you as the man you thought I was, the not-so-successful Jack Falconer. It soothed my world-weary soul, and my badly bruised ego, to have you like me for myself. To want me for myself.