Marry Me, Kate

by Judy Christenberry

  “Four?” Charles exploded. “You’ve got to be kidding! This kind of contract is new to me. I’ve got to check out precedents, confirm legal opinions, word it exactly so as not to—”

  “Just write it in plain English, Charles. Not that gobbledygook you lawyers use.”

  “That gobbledygook, as you call it, is what protects you from lawsuits. We won that suit filed by the last small businessman you sponsored because of it.”

  “This contract is personal. And I’m going to abide by my part of it, so we don’t have to worry about that clause coming into play.”

  “You’ve taken up monkdom? Become a eunuch?”

  “No, but I’m not an animal. If I have an itch, I’ll find another way to scratch it, okay? She’s not the only beautiful woman in the world.”

  “So you want me to make it clear that fidelity is not a requirement?”

  “Man, does that sound crass or what? Surely we don’t have to spell that kind of thing out?”

  “The more we spell out, the less likely you’ll find yourself in court trying to hang on to your company. And be sure she has legal representation present. We don’t want her claiming we misled her.”

  Charles’s stern look didn’t impress Will all that much, but the thought of losing the company he’d inherited from his father and nourished and pushed into a large corporation did.

  “Okay, put in whatever you have to. Then meet me at The Lucky Charm Diner on Wornall Avenue at four o’clock, multiple copies in hand.”

  Without protesting again, Charles strode from the office, muttering under his breath. Will figured he was already writing his opening paragraph of the agreement in his mind. Charles was nothing if not efficient.

  Only occasionally did the hard, cold reality of all the aspects of her agreement impose on Kate’s active brain that day. She let her spirits soar as she thought about the new decor of the diner, the new equipment, the opportunity to expand her culinary repertoire beyond chili, bacon and eggs, and hamburgers.

  And maybe the opportunity to provide for her family, as Pop would have done.

  She was so lost in her dreams, it was a shock to answer the phone and hear William Hardison’s voice on the line.

  “My lawyer is going to meet me at the diner at four o’clock with the agreement ready for signing.”

  She checked her watch. “But it’s three o’clock now.”

  “Yes, and you’ll need a lawyer present.”

  Nothing else. No apology for the short notice, no offer to meet at another time. The man was a definite autocrat.

  “Okay.” She could be as terse as he.

  “I’ll see you then.”

  He left no time for her response. As she opened her mouth, the dial tone sounded in her ear. She slammed the receiver down in irritation. If he thought he was going to steamroll her, he had another think coming. She...and her lawyer...would read every word, study every comma, before she signed any legal document.

  Since she’d already talked to Tori, she only had to let her know the time of the meeting, and listen to her complaints about short notice. But she knew Tori would be there.

  Forty-five minutes later, her friend rushed through the door of the diner. “I’m here, but I left a disaster at the office. This had better be a good deal for you.”

  Kate hugged her friend. “Thanks. You know it is. I’m going to achieve my dream.”

  “Maggie says it’s your folly. Have you told me all the details?”

  “I think so. But that’s why I need you here. They might slip in something else.”

  “I can’t think of anything crazier than what you’ve already agreed to.” Tori drew a deep breath and asked again. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Just as she finished asking her question, the bell over the door rang and two men in suits headed in their direction.

  “They’re here,” Kate explained, suddenly filled with panic.

  Tori looked over her shoulder at the two men as they arrived at the table, then turned to stare at Kate.

  It wasn’t hard to read her friend’s reaction. Both men could’ve been models in GQ, except they had a stamp of life experiences that added a few attractive wrinkles, a little more sex appeal.

  Clearing her throat, Kate rose from the booth, Tori immediately joining her.

  “Kate,” her soon-to-be husband began, “May I present my lawyer, Charles Wilson? He’s with Wilson, Stroud, Barkley and Wilson.”

  “How do you do? This is Victoria Herring, my attorney. She’s with Linley, Carroll & Thompson.” There, she thought in relief, tit for tat. Both law firms were well established in Kansas City. She was glad Maggie had thought of Tori.

  “I’m pleased that you were able to find representation so quickly, Miss O’Connor,” the handsome attorney said. “That way we’ll all agree that there were no attempts to deceive.”

  “Of course,” Tori agreed smoothly, nodding at the man.

  Kate didn’t care what the attorney or her prospective groom thought. She wanted to get on with her plans.

  “Shall we be seated?” Mr. Wilson suggested, gesturing to the booth they’d just vacated. “In fact, I’d like to order a cup of coffee. It’s been a long day already.”

  Kate waved to Madge for service. While she was doing so, Tori and her counterpart slid into the booth on the same side. Kate had been counting on Tori moving to sit beside her, allowing her to keep her distance from the man who was turning her world upside down.

  “Uh, Tori, shouldn’t we sit on the same side?”

  Before Tori could reply, the man beside her said, “We’re not squaring off for a fight, Miss O’Connor.”

  Unhappy, Kate couldn’t think of a counterargument. Without looking at the man waiting patiently beside her, she slid into the booth across from the lawyers.

  As soon as they were seated, Hardison’s attorney opened his briefcase and efficiently withdrew a stack of papers. “Fortunately I brought an extra copy,” he said with a smile directed to Tori.

  Kate was surprised to see the sparks that flew between the two lawyers. Not that Tori wasn’t worth a second look. Though she was dressed as the consummate professional, she would turn heads on any street corner.

  The lawyer passed out the agreement. “Let’s go through this together,” he said and, after a quick look around, began explaining each paragraph. “The first paragraph is introductory and indicates this is a contract for services rendered, spelled out below, with compensation.”

  Madge arrived at the table with coffee for everyone and there was a break in the explanation while she served them.

  Kate read ahead, anxious to get to the terms of the contract. Maybe Mr. Hardison had changed his mind, altered his requirements, made it impossible for her to accept. It would be painful to pull back from her dreams now.

  She ignored the lawyer’s voice as he returned to his explanation. Having found the paragraphs that outlined Hardison’s requirements and “compensation,” she eagerly read his terms.

  Until she reached the clause about fidelity.

  “You don’t care if I have affairs?” she asked, interrupting.

  He hadn’t been following along, she realized, as he grabbed his paper off the table. “Where does it say that?”

  “We discussed that part, Will, remember?” his lawyer said pointedly.

  “I don’t recall anything about her having affairs.”

  Chapter Four

  Will took a deep breath, wondering what had come over him. He hadn’t had such a bad case of foot-inmouth disease since he was a boy. But the thought of Kate O’Connor in another man’s bed had destroyed his sense of self-preservation.

  “I didn’t mean that the way it came out,” he hurriedly said as Kate’s lawyer opened her mouth.

  “I hope not. Equality for women was established a long time ago,” Tori said mildly.

  “Exactly why that clause applies to either party,” Charles said smoothly, smiling at the lady. “What my client meant to say is
that we discussed his celibacy, but not Miss O’Connor’s.”

  Will took a quick look at the beautiful woman beside him, but she seemed disinterested. When Charles asked if she had any problems with the clause, she shrugged her shoulders.

  “This isn’t a love match. I don’t require devotion for a business agreement.”

  “Very realistic,” Charles praised.

  Will wasn’t quite ready to voice his pleasure at being dismissed on a dollars-and-cents basis. She was right, of course. They were only discussing business. And as long as he didn’t look at her, feel her sitting beside him, smell her elusive perfume, perhaps he could remember that.

  “Shall we sign, then?” Charles asked, pulling a pen from his inner coat pocket and handing it to Will.

  “Yes,” Kate agreed, pulling out her own pen.

  “Kate, I think we should take twenty-four hours, which would give me time to read the agreement more thoroughly,” Tori advised, frowning slightly.

  “I promise it’s a straightforward agreement,” Charles said, smiling at Tori.

  “I’m sure it is but—”

  “I don’t want to wait,” Kate said, writing her name. “Do I need to sign all the copies?”

  “Yes, of course,” Charles said.

  She shoved her completed copy at Will and stared at him, waiting for him to put his name on the one in front of him. With a shrug, he complied. At least he wouldn’t feel he’d forced her into anything.

  When all the copies had been signed, Kate turned to him. “Do we have time to get the marriage certificate today?”

  “Today?” Will questioned. “Why would we get it today? It’s only good for a week or two after you get it.”

  For the first time he saw emotion in her hazel eyes. But he wasn’t sure if it was fear or sadness. And he couldn’t figure out a reason for either.

  “But we have to marry at once. I want to get started on the renovations.”

  “We’re certainly not going to have some hole-inthe-wall wedding. Nothing could be worse. My mother would think that I’m embarrassed by my choice, and she’ll believe it won’t last.”

  Though she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, which only brought emphasis to her lovely figure, Kate said calmly, “But you are embarrassed by your choice, and we both know it won’t last.”

  He ignored the second part of her claim, but the first couldn’t pass undisputed. “You’re wrong. You didn’t embarrass me last night. I’m not a snob.”

  She looked away. “We need to be married at once.”

  So she wouldn’t discuss last evening? He wanted her to look at him. “Did I make you think you embarrassed me?”

  This time when she looked at him, her lips tilted on one side, a roguish grin starting. “No, I guess not. After all, you didn’t pass out.”

  “Who passed out?” Tori demanded. “I haven’t heard this story.”

  “Never mind,” Will said, “it isn’t important.”

  “I believe I could enlighten you over dinner,” Charles suggested softly.

  Tori appeared startled by Charles’s offer, but Will wasn’t. He’d already sensed his lawyer’s interest in the other woman.

  “Why don’t we make it a foursome, celebrate the agreement?” Tori suggested.

  Will knew Charles would be no more happy with that suggestion than he was, but neither of them said anything. Tori looked at Kate for an answer.

  “Probably Mr. Hardison already has plans, Tori. And I really need to work.” The idea of an intimate dinner—even with Tori and Charles as chaperones—suddenly made her uncomfortable. If she and Will Hardison were to have a platonic marriage, she’d prefer to avoid any cozy occasions. After all, she was human...and he was devastatingly attractive.

  “Work where?” He wasn’t aware she had a job.

  “Here,” she replied briefly. “When will the wedding take place? The tuning affects my plans.”

  He frowned. She seemed fixated on a date. “I figure you and Mother can pull something together in a couple of months.”

  She appeared stunned, and he wondered if he’d upset her by rushing the wedding.

  Instead she picked up one of the copies of the agreement and ripped it in two. “Then the deal is off.”

  Charles grabbed the other three copies for safekeeping, and Will seized Kate’s hands. “What are you doing?”

  “Destroying the agreement,” she explained calmly.

  “Kate, you signed them. I asked you to wait, but you said—” Tori began.

  “Okay, so it’s my fault, but I didn’t think to specify the date for the wedding. I assumed he wanted results as fast as I did. But I can’t last two more months.”

  “What do you mean, you can’t last?” Will demanded.

  “The diner is losing money every day. I don’t have enough funds to keep it going.”

  “Shut it down.”

  She turned on him as if he’d wounded her and she needed to protect herself. “Shut it down? Just like that? Destroy my dreams, my father’s world?” She shoved his shoulder. “Get out of my way.”

  Surprised by her sudden emotion, he slid from the booth, not sure what she intended. Without another word, she ran down the aisle of the diner and disappeared behind the kitchen door.

  He collapsed on the bench seat and stared at his companions. “What just happened?”

  Charles shook his head, appearing as lost as Will.

  Ton finally said, “Kate wouldn’t have made this agreement if she weren’t desperate. She told me earlier that she was almost broke. If she didn’t do something at once, she would lose the diner.”

  Looking around him, Charles muttered, “Small loss.”

  Tori became almost as ferocious as Kate. “That’s a matter of opinion! This diner means everything to my client!”

  “Sorry, Tori. I didn’t mean to appear insensitive, but...well...I’m sorry.” He looked at Will to help him out.

  “Neither of us seemed to realize the difficulty, Tori. Look, I’m going to receive benefits immediately even though the marriage won’t be for several months. I’m willing to give Kate the money at once.”

  “But that’s not what the agreement says,” she reminded him.

  “It doesn’t matter. Kate and I will both honor the agreement,” he said and then stopped, his mind spinning with that avowal of faith in a woman’s word. What was wrong with him? He knew from experience a woman only did what helped her.

  “Are you sure, Will?” Charles asked. “If you—”

  “Kate will keep her word,” Tori insisted.

  “We could write an addendum, allowing the early payment. Would Kate sign that?” Charles said, ignoring Tori’s faith.

  “Do whatever you have to do, Charles, but I’ll have a check for Kate in the morning. Will you tell her, Tori?”

  “Of course. And I know she’ll agree to sign whatever is necessary. Thank you for being so understanding.” She smiled as she motioned for Charles to let her out of the booth.

  Before she could leave the table, Will added, “And make dinner tonight a condition of the agreement.”

  “Is that really necessary?” Tori asked.

  “Yeah, it is.”

  Tori left the table, and Charles leaned across it. “What are you up to?”

  “I need to be seen in public with my fiancée. Otherwise, Mother won’t believe the story. It’s just part of the role I’m playing.”

  “But do you have to horn in on my date? I’d like to have the lovely Tori to myself,” Charles complained.

  “She seems almost as cautious as Kate. I don’t think she’ll accept your dinner invitation without Kate, so you probably owe me some gratitude instead of complaining.”

  “I haven’t needed your help getting a date since freshman year in college,” Charles protested.

  Will grinned. The two of them had been roommates in college, and Will had set his friend up on a blind date that had been a disaster. “Maybe things will work out better this time.�
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  Kate checked her appearance in the small mirror. At least she was dressed appropriately this evening. Her short black skirt, black hose and heels were brightened by a long-sleeved green silk blouse. She tied her red curls back with a green print scarf and lightly applied makeup.

  In the morning. Her future husband had promised a check in the morning. If she’d remained reasonable, explained her difficulty, would the results have been the same?

  She was lucky he hadn’t grown disgusted with her temper and agreed to dissolve their agreement. Sorry, Pop, I almost blew it. Her father had warned her about losing her temper.

  But now she could start the renovations at once.

  Madge knocked on her door. “Your friend’s here,” she called.

  Good. Tori had arrived before the two men. They’d all agreed to meet back here. Kate had even offered to cook for them, but Will Hardison had vetoed the idea, explaining that they needed to be seen in public to convince his mother of his sincerity.

  It went without saying that the diner wasn’t appropriate for that purpose.

  But one day it would be.

  With a quick spray of perfume, she grabbed her purse and walked through the swinging doors to the diner. Expecting Tori, she almost tripped when she was confronted by her future husband.

  “Oh! I—I thought Madge meant Tori.”

  “You don’t consider me a friend?” he asked, a smile on his lips.

  Awkward question. “Perhaps in the future. We haven’t known each other that long.”

  “True. Maybe tonight we can find out a little bit more about each other. I really do want us to be friends.”

  He reached out and took her hand in both of his, enveloping it in warm strength.

  Surprised by the shortness of breath that struck her with his touch, she gave him a brief smile and tugged her hand away.

  “You’ll notice I let go of your hand at once. I don’t want to have to go home to change clothes,” he teased.

  “A good idea, because spaghetti sauce doesn’t come out as readily as champagne,” she agreed, the corners of her lips lifting.