Captive Hearts

by Gina Leuci

“We’re fine. Everything is status quo,” I insisted. Which was true, with status quo being where we were before our little romp in the bedsheets the night before. “How’s the arm?”

  His hesitation was enough for me to know he wasn’t buying my excuses, but he let it pass. “Nothing a few days won’t cure.”

  “Help yourself to cookies, but the pie and breads are for the meal tomorrow. Good night.”

  He didn’t push any further, and I quickly changed and curled up on one side of the bed. I heard him moving around and a part of me wondered if he would take the hint and sleep back on the floor in the other room again.

  He didn’t. He came in, stripping off his clothes in the dark and sliding in beside me. I pretended to sleep, keeping my breathing slow and even, but I was aware of every move he made. Aware of the length of his body under the same blankets. Aware of the immediate heat he generated.

  He’d been the one to remind me we were still playing a game. Jake’s visit had only reinforced how important it was to play it cool and keep emotions out. Game on.

  Maybe.

  Chapter Ten

  Caleb was in the shower when I woke. It gave me a couple minutes to prepare for another day. I needed to get my head back in the ‘game’ of this pretend marriage.

  Jake was right. I needed to keep a distance from the man I’d been forced to marry. But would I keep myself away and still convince everyone we are happy newlyweds? How do I convince Caleb nothing has changed either?

  I’m not a natural flirt. I haven’t had a succession of boyfriends, but I’m not a virgin either. I heard the water turn off in the other room and knew my time was up. I could do this. I could handle the kisses and touching and show the town we are close, but it would stop there. No repeats of Friday night.

  I grabbed clothes to wear to church and was ready when the bathroom door opened. “Don’t you look nice?” I plastered a smile on my face as I looked him over from his Khaki pants, white button-down shirt, and plain tie.

  “Thank you.” I saw the look he gave me, assessing my mood. I touched his arm as I brushed past him. “My turn to clean up. Be out shortly.”

  I closed the door and leaned back against it. I did it. Friendly and casual. I’ve got this.

  Sitting in church and eating the fellowship meal was easy because there were three children who demanded time with their father and managed to put space between us, maybe with a little coordination on my part, but I made sure to look across their little heads to smile up at my ‘husband’ and maintain the look of family to the world around us.

  Halfway through the meal, Shawna demanded, “Daddy, I want to go to the park.”

  Caleb looked down at her plate. “You have to eat first before we play. Justin, if you want to go on the swings, you need to sit still and eat, as well.”

  “See, Daddy,” Elena shoved a forkful of food in her mouth, talking over it, “I told you yesterday he won’t sit.”

  Rita, who sat across from me, rolled her eyes at Elena’s uppitiness about her siblings, but their dad took all their antics in stride.

  Once the meal ended, Rita and her husband, Conrad, left while we took the kids to the park which gave me another excuse to have separation as we chased the little ones in opposite directions. I pushed Shawna on a swing, while Caleb was off with Justin. Elena was old enough to roam between us. There were lots of other families there, too, and I hoped the five of us together presented a normal relationship of a couple out with their children.

  We weren’t alone again until after dinner when we finally left Rita’s home to walk back to the apartment. I’d grabbed Caleb’s hand as we walked out the door, a perfect sign of unity, but Eagle Eyes hadn’t been fooled by my antics. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

  I’d been waiting for this all day, playing it out in my mind. I gave an innocent look up at him. “What do you mean? I thought today went well. I think everyone saw us as a good family unit.”

  “Ahh.”

  No arguments? No more than a single non-committal word? And silence. I can’t stand silence. Or this man’s penchant for non-committal, one-word revelations.

  Nope. I wasn’t going to engage. Nope, I was going to leave well-enough alone. I didn’t want to argue. I made it half a block before I pulled my hand from his, turned to face him and stopped him from moving forward.

  “What do you mean by ‘ahh’?”

  He raised an eyebrow and continued to remain silent. Fine, he had learned which button to push. “Don’t ignore me, Caleb.”

  “Why don’t we have this conversation back home?” His tone was quiet and non-engaging. He was maintaining the calm I’d hoped to do moments before but lacked the control to do so.

  “Why? So no one sees us arguing? So we don’t blow our cover?”

  While my voice had risen with my sarcastic comment, his remained low and annoyingly controlled. “May I remind you who stands to lose if we are not seen as a loving couple? The town council has eyes and ears everywhere, reporting our behavior.”

  I opened my mouth to make another sarcastic retort, but he was right. We weren’t the only ones on the street, and any one of the neighbors could be reporting in to Roger or his blind followers. I turned on my heel and strode ahead, Caleb only a step behind.

  “Let’s wait until we get home, he says. There are people watching, he says,” I muttered under my breath. “The apartment is not my home, it’s just a freaking temporary living arrangement. Oh, and he always answers with a single word, like he knows what I’m thinking, like that isn’t annoying.”

  “You know I can hear you, right?” he said from beside me, and the quick glare I threw at him had me fuming more. Did he think this was funny? That’s it. The man was toast. I couldn’t wait until we were back in the apartment.

  I stopped short and turned on him. “Stop smirking. Ugh, you are so infuriating.”

  Caleb pressed his lips together; my guess was so he could suppress another smile. I poked the bear in the chest. “I don’t know what you find so funny? I’m not finding any of this humorous in any way.”

  Now he raised his hands in surrender. “I’m not laughing.”

  “Not out loud, but I saw you.” I poked him again. “And what’s with the single word answer? Why do you always have to be in control of everything?”

  He continued to hold his hands up in the air. “What has you so hot and bothered today? What did Jake say last night to have you in a tailspin?”

  He was too close to the truth, and my skin prickled with tension and pent up frustration. “Why do you think Jake has anything to do with this? He has nothing to do with this.” I poked him again, this time his eyes went dark and maybe I sensed he was no longer laughing but I didn’t quite process the change. “We had a good conversation last night, but he didn’t say anything I didn’t already know.”

  “And that would be what exactly?” His voice dropped. My brain sent a quick ‘Danger, Will Robinson,’ but my mouth had already engaged.

  “Why don’t you tell me, Mister I-know-where-this-is-going, sputtering out a single non-committal word?” I went to jab him once again, but my hand was captured in his larger one.

  “Be careful, Grace,” he warned in an ice-cold tone, one that I didn’t heed.

  “Or what?” I stared up at him. “Jake thinks you’re part of the conspiracy. He said you are playing me like Hope played him. That…that…that you are like all the others and plan to seduce me until I no longer want to go home.”

  Caleb’s head snapped back, and the air between us darkened. “And you believe him?” He released my hand and stepped back. “Of course you do. You’ve known him a long time.” I don’t know how he does it, but it was like a curtain came down over his expression. There was no emotion. He motioned with his arm toward the sidewalk ahead. “Let’s head home.”

  “Oh, yes, let’s go back to the apartment.” I enunciated the word, making sure he understood I wasn’t calling it home. I stomped ahead, while he maintained his quie
t control. The man didn’t even make a sound walking, which made me want to stomp harder.

  We were half a block away from our destination when someone called out to Caleb. “Hey there, Chief. Enjoying the sunshine?

  He took time to stop as though we were out on a casual evening stroll; as though we weren’t in the midst of an argument that I was oh so ready to continue. “Evening, Shelly. Your rose bush is exceptional this year. Did you do anything different?”

  I wanted to move forward, but if I left Caleb behind to talk with the neighbor, it would send the wrong message about our relationship. Instead, I made sure to stand a foot away from him, half hidden from Shelly’s view, and tapped my foot, until he finally waved goodbye.

  Finally. Now to get back so we could have our conversation in solitude. Before we could get to the apartment complex, we were interrupted a second time. Officer Brent pulled up alongside us in a patrol car.

  “Hey, Chief, we have a situation, and I was wondering if I could pull you back on duty to give a hand.”

  Caleb stepped off the curb, and I stayed where I was, more so because I was curious of what ‘situation’ would be cause to pull someone off their honeymoon leave.

  My ears perked up at Brent’s words. “Sam spotted kids out behind his corn field. He chased them away but found a half-gallon of hard cider.”

  I knew where this was going; I suspected the chief did as well.

  “I looked on the tracker, and it was A.J. and Leland,” Brent continued. “Looks like they have two of the new girls with them, as well. Penny and Christy.”

  Caleb looked back at me, and the tightening of the jaw said more than words that our conversation was far from over. “I’m going to be late,” he said before circling the car and got into the passenger seat. Brent handed him his phone so he could use the tracker, and the two drove off.

  I headed upstairs only to realize I was itching for an argument but couldn’t fully rationalize where the emotion stemmed from.

  ****

  He didn’t come home.

  I woke to an empty bed and empty apartment and dragged myself to the shower. I hadn’t slept well, wondering when Caleb would get back and if he’d want to continue our discussion.

  The shower pounded on my shoulders as I contemplated the issue at hand. I knew why I was mad at him. After swearing to myself I would not get emotionally involved with my forced roommate, he’d gone and shown a sensitive side, kissing my bruise, then making love to me, but also keeping his word to not jeopardize my leaving. Despite his role in bringing us to Wellington, despite his job to keep us locked inside, I’d seen a softer, gentler side.

  My anger wasn’t Caleb’s fault. No, that was on me. I had turned around and thought I was falling for him. I let myself believe I might have feelings for him and, gulp, believed he felt the same way.

  I was obviously wrong. He’d made it clear after the game on Saturday that it had all been for show. That had hurt. More than I wanted to let on, so I’d tried to stuff it all down, but that’s not how I’m wired. I need to vent, to let the emotions out.

  We’d almost had sex on Friday night. Almost. The angry part of me said the reason we didn’t was because Caleb wanted me to trust him, to give me a false sense of hope. The rational side knew if Caleb wanted to have a hold over me, he’d have consummated our marriage.

  I had let him get too close, but I could hardly tell him the truth. No, that would give him too much power. Better to let him think I regretted Friday night and still blamed him for bringing me to this town than to let him know he’d slipped past my defenses.

  I wrapped a towel around my body and another around my hair and opened the door to go back to the bedroom and instead walked into Caleb, who’d been about to knock.

  I didn’t scream at the unexpected arrival but did let out a squeak. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I didn’t hear you come in.”

  He stepped back quickly, his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, I didn’t want to startle you.”

  I licked my lips, still not sure what to say, knowing there was already so much unsaid between us. “Um, did everyone stay in jail like last time?”

  “Penny is at the hospital. She drank too much, but she’ll be fine. Christy is home. The rest continue to stay at their new hotel for at least another day.”

  I raised my eyebrow at the extended jail time, and he answered my unasked question. “Second offense this summer. I’ll head back there in a little while. After I clean up, we need to keep our appointment with Frank.”

  Shit. I’d forgotten about the wedding bands. I wasn’t in the best frame of mind for putting up a show in front of someone I’m sure was a spy for my dear friend, Roger. “I’ll get dressed.”

  I found clothes quickly, not wanting Caleb to walk in while I was still naked. I heard the shower still running as I moved back into the living room and headed to the kitchen. If ever there was a need for a strong cup of coffee, it was now. I was at a loss for something to replace the immediate craving, and with the tension between me and Caleb I was far from hungry.

  But I was brought up around chefs, and chefs feed people, even if they are mad at them. By the time my male roommate—as that was all I considered him—was dressed, I had a hot plate of food ready. I munched on an English muffin while I cleaned, leaving Caleb with the impression I’d had more to eat.

  I’d thrown on shorts and a casual top to combat the heat of the day. I found it twice as hot here as at home, maybe because of all the flat farmland around. I was used to more mountains and a lot more trees. Maybe that’s why I liked the far end of town where it butts up against the woods. That area reminded me of home. I needed to go back there to rejuvenate soon. I grabbed my sunglasses and walked with a silent Caleb out the door and headed toward the hustle and bustle of activity at The Square.

  I’d hoped for silence, hoped for a bit more time before we continued our discussion that had been interrupted the night before, but Caleb wasn’t one to wait. “Grace, we need to talk about Friday.”

  Shit, shit, shit. I wasn’t ready. “Now? I mean, we need to play nice in front of Frank. You know he’ll report to Roger and the rest of the council.”

  He ran a distracted hand over the scruff at his jaw. The fact he didn’t seem to have everything under complete control made him almost human. “Exactly my point. The tension between us is visible. We won’t be fooling anyone.”

  I plastered a smile on my face. “Sure we can, dear. One united front and all that shit, right? I’m sure we can put our differences aside for now and do whatever it takes to convince everyone we’re fine. There’ll be plenty of time after, when we don’t have to rush out.”

  After a long pause, he finally opened the door to the store. “Okay. Whatever it takes.” He put a hand on the small of my back as he led me to the back to the jewelry department. I know it is a simple gesture, Caleb being a gentleman, but the heat of his hand seared my back. I couldn’t stop the wishful side of me from wanting Friday night to have been real, and to have his touch be more than a necessity.

  I gulped as Frank spotted us and joined us at the jewelry counter. “Good morning, newlyweds, and how are you this fine morning?”

  Let the game begin. I pushed my sunglasses on top of my head. “We’re doing fine, but poor Caleb worked all night, so he’s a little off his game today.” I spotted the spark in his eyes as I put the ball in his court. “We’ll be quick with our decision, so he can get back to work.”

  Caleb’s hand moved from my back to take my hand. “Not too fast, though. We need to find the perfect ring for this beautiful woman.” He kissed my knuckles, and I felt a blush tinge my cheeks. Damn, he was good.

  There was tension, for certain, but I almost felt a spark of what had been between us out on the ball field on Saturday. Pure sexual tension. I bit the inside of my cheek, the pain reminding me not to lose focus.

  “Lovely.” Frank bobbed down off his step to reach into the locked case then spryly jumped back into position with a tray of
sample rings. His gnome-like face sporting a look of determined intent. “I already have your sizes, so now all you’ll have to do is pick a design.”

  Caleb pointed to the first one with an intricate webbed design. “This one matches your personality.” He leaned down and whispered into my ear. “Complicated and confusing.”

  Two could play. I pointed to the ring on the opposite side. “And this one matches yours.” Like him, I leaned in so only he could hear the rest. “Plain and simple. No muss, no fuss.”

  Frank watched the display between us, and I hoped he was only seeing what we wanted him to. Caleb slid his finger toward the center of the collection and his tone changed to something softer and his eyes met mine, freezing me in my spot. “Maybe we could meet in the middle?”

  I sucked in a breath. Was he still talking rings? I didn’t think so, but I turned my focus from his intense gaze onto the ring he pointed out. It had a beautiful knot design, not unlike the one on the far end, but it was only along the middle of the ring, while on either side the band was plain. A perfect blend of simple and complex. Much like our tumultuous relationship.

  Meet in the middle? If he could, then I would too. “That could work,” I agreed. I hoped he got my message. I was ready to talk and work things out.

  He took my hand again, giving it a light squeeze, and I knew we were both talking the same language. “We’ll take this ring, Frank.”

  “Excellent. I’ll order it today, and it should arrive by Friday.”

  “Caleb!”

  The shriek rang through the entire store. A short woman with platinum blonde hair, a massive bubble butt, and a Jessica Rabbit chest, made a beeline toward us. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The woman gave the jewelry counter a disgusted glance, pointed an exasperated stare at me, then turned her considerable venom on Caleb. “My son is in jail while you are in here, shirking your duties.”

  I didn’t know who she was, but I immediately became defensive. I stiffened and took a step toward the woman, putting myself between her and her target. Before I could say or do anything, I felt a large hand on my shoulder and a gentle squeeze.