Quinn waved him off. “Chill out for a second and listen. Her family sent the man to bring her back home.” For now, Quinn would leave out the most private details of Juliana’s situation. He knew she wouldn’t want his brothers to know her family viewed her as property to be traded and her virginity as the bargaining chip. “She knows about their ties to organized crime rings, to an extent, and she’s been working as an accountant for them in one of their legal businesses for a few years.”
“So they don’t want her away from their clutches,” Liam said. “Telling their secrets.”
“Exactly,” Quinn said. “We still don’t know how they found her. She flew to Dallas and hitchhiked to Cedar Lake.” Quinn still hadn’t come to terms with her doing something so dangerous. Mostly, he just didn’t think about it.
“Shit,” Brennan said. “She does not need to be hitchhiking.”
“I realize that. Let’s focus. I scared this one guy off, but there will probably be more. I need y’all to be on the lookout.”
“Consider it done,” Brennan said. “I’ll keep an eye out.” He grabbed the mug of coffee and drank it all at once before punching me in the arm and leaving.
Kellan squeezed my arm. “I’ll set up some extra security cameras around town. I’ll see if we can get some facial recognition software up and running.”
“I’ll do some research into the Romanian families in that area,” Liam said. “Don’t worry. I won’t set off any alarm bells. Not until she’s ready.”
“Thank you guys,” Quinn said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
11
Juliana
For the last few weeks, Juliana had done nothing except obsess over her situation. She’d been staying in Quinn’s guest room for two days now, after the break-in. It was time to get a job and time to get out in the community more.
Quinn had a date planned for them that evening, something public, but she had all day to herself, so she called Clara, who agreed to meet her at the Bluebonnet Cafe. She wanted to get to know Clara because she liked her, and she also needed to let her know that she was seeing Quinn. The engagement would look a lot more convincing if Quinn’s family wasn’t shocked by the proposal. The deception sucked, though. She’d grown up watching her family play complicated games of subterfuge, and she’d never had any desire to get involved.
This woman is going to be my sister-in-law, in all the ways that matter. Even though she doesn’t know it yet.
As soon as Juliana arrived, Clara hugged her tightly. “How have you been?”
“Good. My arm’s almost healed,” she said. “I want to do something nice for Quinn. Meeting him was a life-saver.”
“I understand that.”
“You do?”
Clara nodded. “I don’t talk about it often, but when I arrived in town, I’d just left an abusive relationship. I was trying to hide from my ex-boyfriend, and I wound up in Cedar Lake.”
Juliana felt her jaw drop open but managed to hide it. She didn’t want to sit there and gape at Clara when she’d ended up in Cedar Lake for very similar reasons. “Wow. I never would have guessed.”
“It’s still hard to talk about. I mean, I was a kindergarten teacher, and I had a great life, but I let myself get trapped with a man who controlled every aspect of my life.”
“Hey. Those decisions were his fault, not yours.”
Clara nodded. “I know that, but sometimes, I still wake up at night and think I’m back in Mississippi.”
“I ran away, too.” If she was confessing, then Juliana should share some information, too. It was only fair.
“You did? Were you with an abuser, too?”
“Not a boyfriend. But my family…” Juliana’s throat began to close up. She imagined what it would be like if the monster her father had hired came to Clara’s house and stood over her bed, threatening Clara. She thought about Clara’s son, Declan, who was too young to have to deal with anything that scary. “I’m not ready to talk about it, but I needed an escape, too. I actually flew to Dallas and then hitchhiked here.”
Clara laid her hand over Juliana’s. “I understand. You don’t have to tell me anything, but I’m always happy to listen.” She pulled her hand back and leaned forward, eyes bright. “You hitchhiked? You have to tell me about that.”
Juliana laughed. “Yes. I did. I know it’s supposed to be scary and dangerous, but nothing seemed as scary as what I’d just left, so it really didn’t seem like that big of a deal. Plus, tracking me down was going to be much harder if I hitchhiked.”
Although, they’d obviously succeeded. She had no idea how yet.
Clara’s eyes were full of sympathy. “I understand that, too,” she said.
Juliana paused to take a sip of her iced tea. She didn’t want to drag them both down by recounting all the terror she’d felt. “So I get to the Dallas airport, and I start looking around for someone who might be willing to give me a ride. This is going to be such a stereotype, but I saw this young couple who looked like they’d just backpacked across Europe. I asked them for a ride.”
“And they said yes?”
“Yep. They were headed home to Austin. They stopped here to eat at the Bluebonnet Cafe, and something about this town just spoke to me.”
Clara pressed her hands to her cheeks and leaned in closer. “I don’t want to sound kooky, but that is exactly how I felt when I got here. I just took a bus, and when I got off at the bus stop, I just stayed. Now I’ll never leave.” Clara’s grin was blinding.
Juliana felt a pang of sadness. She was getting engaged and married for the first time, and it was fake. Not only was she losing the true experience of getting engaged to someone she loved, but so was Quinn. “When did you know Kellan was the one?” Juliana asked.
“Well. I don’t know if you know this, but I started out as his nanny.”
“No, I had no idea.” Quinn hadn’t told Juliana any of this stuff about Clara, which made her realize that she could trust him and the rest of his brothers to keep her issues secret, too.
“Yes. I was his nanny, and I was falling for him. So, I tried to push him away. I was terrified of being dependent on a man again. I’d already done that, and it was a huge mistake.” Her face clouded over. “I almost missed out on being happy.”
“But you changed your mind,” Juliana said.
“I sure did.” Clara peered at Juliana. “Is there a reason you’re asking me about Kellan?” Clara lowered her voice. “Are you interested in Quinn?’
The blush that traveled across her face was not fake at all. Juliana looked down at her pie as if it was going to make it easier to lie to Clara. “Yes.”
“Let me guess. He’s interested in you, too.”
Juliana nodded as she picked at the slice of peanut butter pie.
Clara slapped her hands down on her legs. “I knew it! I told Kellan you two were interested in each the night we first came by!”
“You did?”
“Yes! I did.” Clara wiggled in her seat, nearly knocking their glasses off the table. “Sorry, I’m just so excited.” Clara bit down on her lip and visibly tried to calm herself. “What are you going to do about it?”
“We’ve actually been seeing each other this whole time. We got off to an odd start because we met when I broke my arm, and then he helped me out, so I understand where you were coming from about being dependent on Kellan. I left to get away from a controlling family, so I need to be in control of my own life here.”
“That makes perfect sense to me. But Quinn is an amazing guy. You don’t have to ever worry about him taking advantage of you in any way.”
“I can tell that about him already,” Juliana said, taking a bite of the pie. “He’s taking me to Dallas tonight.”
“Oh, how fun. Do you need anything to wear? I bet we’re close to the same size.”
Juliana propped her arm on the table. “This stupid cast ruins the way everything looks, but I’m supposed to get it off this afternoon. I haven
’t really wanted to spend any money on clothes until I get a job.”
“Come to my house,” Clara said. “I’ve spent way more money on clothes than I should have, and I would love to share.”
“Well, since I left with almost nothing, I could use the wardrobe help.”
“That’s another thing I understand,” Clara said. “I left with only what was in my purse.”
The two of them exchanged a look of deep understanding, and once again, Juliana was grateful she’d chosen to stay in Cedar Lake.
As they continued to chat, Kate, the owner of the cafe, stopped by their table to say hello to Clara. Juliana had met her before, and this time Juliana asked, “Do you still need another server?”
“Yes. Do you have any experience?” Kate asked.
“I do. It’s been a few years, but I worked in a bistro in Boston.” At that moment, taking a break from accounting sounded like the best thing she could do for herself.
Kate glanced down at Juliana’s broken arm. “It might be hard to work with that cast on.”
“I’m supposed to get it off today.”
Kate nodded at Clara. “Can you vouch for her?”
“Absolutely.”
“Can you start in a week?” Kate asked Juliana.
“Yes, I would love to.”
Kate disappeared and then came back with an apron. “Then I’ll see you a week from today.”
“I look forward to it,” Juliana said.
Kate just smiled. “Pie’s on me, ladies. Y’all enjoy your day.”
When Kate was gone, Clara and Juliana took their time getting up and leaving. Once they were on the sidewalk, Clara grabbed Juliana and hugged her tight. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she said.
“Me too,” Juliana said in return. She just hoped Clara would feel the same way if she ever found out Juliana was marrying Quinn for all the wrong reasons.
Clara drove Juliana to Quinn’s office, where he proclaimed her arm healed and removed her cast. She still had to wear a splint, but it wasn’t nearly as annoying as the cast. Then Clara had made her try on at least fifteen dresses, exclaiming happily over each outfit before deciding on a bright yellow sundress with white sandals. She had made Juliana sit down at her large dressing table so she could apply makeup to Juliana’s face and curl some loose waves into her hair.
At six that afternoon, Juliana was completely ready for her first official date with Quinn since they’d hatched this plan. Juliana glanced at herself in the mirror once more. Her lips were pink, just like her cheeks, thanks to the lipstick and the light dusting of blush. She had to admit that Clara had chosen well.
Five minutes after six, Quinn walked through the door and whistled. “Wow. You always look great, but right now, you are taking my breath away,” he said.
He came toward her with heat in his eyes, but he didn’t touch her. “I’ll shower and get ready,” he said.
Within fifteen minutes, he was finished getting ready. In the car, she asked where they were headed.
“Dinner in town at the Catfish House so everyone will see us, and then an evening event at the Dallas Museum of Art. There’s a guest speaker on art in pop culture and a wine bar.”
“That sounds perfect.”
At the Catfish House restaurant, no less than fifteen people stopped to say hello. Juliana met people who worked with Liam, Brennan’s deputy sheriff, and Declan’s kindergarten teacher.
“This is normal for the Catfish House. Everyone’s here, so it’s perfect for us to be seen,” Quinn said.
After dinner, they enjoyed a pleasant drive to the art museum in Dallas, and while they waited for the lecture to begin, Quinn took her hand and held it between both of his. For a moment, she couldn’t think straight. His hands were large and warm, and the feel of his skin on hers was magnetic.
She pulled out the program for the lecture and noticed a Gaelic name, which made her think about Quinn’s name, as well as his brothers’ names.
“All of your first names are Irish. Quinn, Kellan, Liam, Brennan, and Declan, too. Your last names are also Irish,” she said.
Growing up as a Romanian-American, Juliana had always been fascinated by surnames. When she visited Romania with her family, her aunt there had always talked about their history and their lineage. Usually, when she asked someone about their name, they launched into a detailed description. Most people enjoyed talking about their genealogy, and if they didn’t have the information, they’d tell Juliana about how it felt to be missing that piece of their history.
Quinn didn’t say anything. He just sat there for a moment. Then, he seemed to recover. “I am Irish. We all are. We grew up in Western Ireland on the coast, and we all moved here at seventeen to start over.” He clenched his jaw and then released it. “That’s one reason I understand your need to start over.”
Wow. That was a lot of information, crucial information that he hadn’t shared yet. She wasn’t sure what the significance was, but she would guarantee that it was a big deal. It wasn’t her place to push, though. “You don’t have an accent,” she said. “My family is Romanian, and even the ones who moved here when they were ten years old have a faint accent.”
“I worked hard to drop it. We all did.”
That was too bad. Juliana loved the lilting sounds of that particular accent, but Quinn and his brothers obviously had a reason for adopting an American accent, and she wasn’t going to ask why when it was so clearly a touchy subject. “Do you miss it?”
“All the time.” He squeezed her hand. “It’s home. It always will be.”
“Your memories of home must be more pleasant than mine,” she said.
His eyes got a faraway look again. “They are.”
“I can see why. I’ve been to Ireland a few times.”
He turned to face her, and his eyes were clear and focused again. “Really? Where?”
“Cork, Dublin, and Kilkenny.”
A genuine smile lit his handsome face, and they talked about Ireland until the speaker appeared. Quinn held her hand the entire time, even though there was no one there from Cedar Lake to see them, and Juliana savored every second.
12
Quinn
Over the next week, Quinn took Juliana out every night on a date. The dates might be fake for Juliana, but for Quinn—and his dragon—they were very real. He felt like shit for not confessing the truth to his brothers, but Juliana didn’t want to. He’d told them about her family and the attack, but not that they weren’t truly getting married.
Maybe it was sentimental of him, but he was asking his brothers to stand up beside him while he said his vows, and the relationship wasn’t even real. Maybe that was okay. Maybe it would be real enough for him.
On the seventh night of their continuous dates, they got ready to go out. He was about to propose, and unlike a normal situation, his future fiance knew exactly what was going to happen.
Just a few hours ago, he’d stood in a jewelry store, choosing a ring for his future bride. According to his research, a woman’s wedding ring in Romanian tradition would be a gold band with an inset diamond. He chose the most elegant one and asked for the jeweler to engrave a Celtic knot on each side.
Choosing a ring that symbolized both of their heritages might seem odd to her because they weren’t truly together. All of this was new to him, though, because dragon shifters didn’t exchange rings when they mated. The ring couldn’t withstand the transformation of their body from human to dragon, but many mated couples often wore a bracelet.
This might be his only marriage, though. If Juliana was truly his mate, then he wouldn’t fall in love again. Ever. So, he was going to handle the proposal correctly, and if any of her crooked relatives showed up snooping around, every detail of their relationship would look real.
He hoped she’d be comfortable with the acknowledgment of her family’s origin. Although he loved his brothers, he missed his parents and his sister terribly. They’d been killed in the battle with the witches thirte
en years ago. He had respected them and loved them deeply, and he cherished his dragon shifter culture.
Juliana’s feelings toward her family were another matter altogether.
Before he left the house, he texted his brothers.
Heads up. Proposing tonight at the Catfish House around seven.
Within seconds, he chuckled as his phone was flooded with all kinds of obscene comments and thoughtful well-wishes from his brothers.
At seven on a Friday night, he and Juliana finished having dinner. He’d lucked out—half the town was in the restaurant, and the other half seemed to be out walking around the lake, so they’d have a large audience for the proposal. He paid his bill and took Juliana by the hand. They walked out together, and many of the diners watched them go.
She looked gorgeous, as always. She’d declared herself done with the brace for her arm and left it at home. She wore a sleeveless apricot-colored dress shirt with buttons, white capri pants, and platform sandals, which made her look willowy. Her dark hair was sleek and shiny, and tonight, her lip color matched her dress.
They walked across the outdoor patio down to the edge of the lake, where they’d still be visible to the people eating inside. The night was muggy, and the mosquitoes would be out soon, but he was determined to make this as romantic as possible. He’d worn jeans even though it was at least eighty-five degrees, even with the sun down. The humidity only seemed to make Juliana’s skin glow even more.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He stopped walking and turned toward her. Then, he went down on one knee and pulled the ring box from his pocket. “Juliana, I know our meeting was unconventional, and I’ll never be glad that you broke your arm, but I am glad every single day that I’m the one who saw you outside your house. Will you marry me?”
He cracked open the box and held it up, letting her see the ring he’d picked out. Juliana’s hands flew to her mouth, and her eyes misted over, but she didn’t say anything. Quinn glanced up, seeing that several patrons from the restaurant were gathered on the patio, watching them. He raised his eyebrows at Juliana.
Doctor Dragon's Fake Bride (Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Book 2) Page 6
