“No thanks.” Unless she could serve him up his partnership and he could forgo this farcical foray into matrimony.

“Nothing for me.” Edward lowered his voice even though Bitsy moved onto the kitchen. “Yeah, well it’s not going to be so ‘excellent’ when Kat finds out. She’s going to be plenty angry with all of us.”

A twinge of doubt surfaced before he dismissed it. She’d left no room to negotiate the point. Andrew stared out the window, unseeing. “I can handle one woman’s anger, but I will not sign away a Winthrop’s birthright.”

“Hell hath no fury like a woman deceived.” Eddie misquoted in final warning.

Outside, a car sputtered to a stop, backfired once and died.

Andrew squared his shoulders at the surge of adrenaline rushing through him. He stood one matrimonial step away from getting what he’d worked for all these years-his partnership.

“I believe my blushing bride just arrived.”


KAT PARKED BETWEEN the gurgling fountain gracing the circular driveway and the front walkway. She checked her rearview mirror to make sure Jackson pulled in behind her. She’d driven by the house when she’d investigated Andrew, but it was set far back from the quiet residential street and she’d never seen it this close. They’d met at his beach house.

An impeccable lawn gave way to impeccable evergreen shrubs. Everything was unmitigatingly serene, unrepentantly verdant. Kat shuddered at the uniformity.

She snapped a retractable leash onto Toto’s collar-she didn’t know how understanding her groom would be of Toto’s incontinence today-and waited for Jackson to join her at the brick-paved walkway. Toto darted about, intent on introducing himself to every shrub.

“Nice house.” Jackson surveyed the whitewashed stucco with the red-tiled roof.

Kat shrugged at the rectangular structure, smiled at her brother and led the way to the front door. “I’m not particularly interested in his house, just his sperm.” She needed to remember that was all she was interested in. Last night had proved their physical compatibility. She’d just have to keep it in check.

Jackson seemed decidedly unamused by her attempt at humor. “Are you sure you want to do this? You and Andrew haven’t signed these documents yet.” He lifted his briefcase. “Or made any binding legal commitment. You can still change your mind.”

“That binding legal commitment is known as marriage, and no, I don’t want to change my mind.”

“If you’re marrying him because of this-” Jackson indicated the section of newspaper folded against his briefcase “-don’t worry about one racy photograph…and it is racy. The fickle public will forget soon enough.”

Kat patted his cheek. “Don’t worry so, Jackson. You know I’m not marrying him because of that photo. I’m past ready to have a baby. It may have moved the schedule up a little, but the deal was already put to bed.” She glanced at the photo and laughed. “Don’t take that literally. Although Andrew is one heck of a kisser.”

Jackson scowled and straightened his already straight tie. “That definitely falls into the category of more than I wanted to know.”

As he reached for the doorbell, Kat stopped him. “Jackie, you and Eddie settled all the details in the contract?”

He tensed beneath her fingertips. Apparently he still didn’t approve of her marrying Andrew. “Of course we did.”

Bored with marking his territory, Toto plopped onto her foot.

“Okay, I just had to check.” Kat squeezed Jackson’s arm and released it. “You know you’re my favorite brother.”

“I’m your only brother.”

She reached around him and pressed the doorbell. “Yeah, well, if I had another one, you’d still be my favorite.”

The door opened and Kat found herself poised on the threshold of her new, temporary home, face-to-face with her groom. For the next few months, possibly the next year, she’d see this man across the breakfast table. Despite the fact they qualified as polar opposites, it wasn’t a dismaying prospect. A quiver of anticipation arrowed through her. He appeared as immaculately groomed as his lawn, but far more arresting.

A low heat began to simmer inside at the look in his eyes as they swept over her. Kat was glad she’d chosen the sleeveless linen dress. She’d told herself it was because it was elegant, cool and comfortable and it matched the stones in her engagement ring, but she also knew the sapphire blue complemented her eyes. She’d left her legs bare-she didn’t wear panty hose, not even for her own wedding-but she had rushed out this morning and bought a pair of strappy sandals, right after she’d purchased Andrew’s wedding ring. She’d also conceded to vanity and brushed on a light coral lipstick.

She moistened her lips as the seconds dragged on and they continued to study each other. She absently hoped the baby inherited his nose and cheekbones.

A flash shattered the moment.

“The groom greeting the bride at the door.” Bitsy sang out a caption for the photo.

Andrew welcomed Kat and Jackson with a sweep of his hand. “Please, come in.”

Kat reeled Toto in when he headed toward Eddie’s pant leg, and shared a conspiratorial grin with Andrew. Her mouth gaped open. She faced the largest custom-built aquarium she’d ever seen. A literal wall of fish loomed before her. Toto quickly forsook Eddie’s leg to yip at the myriad of colorful fish. Kat felt as if she were snorkeling without getting in the water. It was breathtaking. Exhilarating.

“Wow!” she breathed to no one in particular.

“I like fish,” Andrew responded simply.

“It was the one thing the interior decorator couldn’t talk him out of,” Bitsy volunteered as they moved en masse around the glass wall to the living room.

While Edward and Jackson popped the locks on their briefcases, Kat examined her surroundings with mounting dismay. Despite her earlier flip comment to Jackson, she would live here for several months. Pale peach tile offered the only hint of color in a room of creams and tans.

“The decorator planned the theme of the house around tranquility,” Bitsy offered by way of explanation.

“She was obviously addicted to sedatives.”

“He was quite expensive.” Andrew’s tone was stiff.

“He had to pay for all those sedatives somehow.” Kat stood her ground.

“The truck’s bringing your things on Monday, isn’t it? Feel free to change whatever you want to. I certainly want you to feel comfortable while you’re here,” Andrew offered.

Kat nodded an acknowledgment. “Thanks.” Exactly where would her flea market rocker fit into this urbanely somnolent room?

Jackson cleared his throat. “If you two could just sign the papers, it’s probably best to get this out of the way before the J.P. gets here.”

Kat released Toto from his leash and moved over to Jackson’s side. She picked up a copy of the contract and began to read.

Jackson interrupted her. “Just sign on the back page. It’s all there.”

The doorbell pealed, reinforcing his directive. Even though Harry Murdoch, the justice of the peace, was known for being closemouthed, they wanted this contract out of sight when he entered.

She hastily scribbled her name, Katrina Anastasia Hamilton Devereaux, for the last time and, with rock-steady hands, passed the pen to Andrew, who followed suit.

Jackson and Edward breathed a collective sigh of relief as they stuffed the papers back into briefcases, closed them and slipped them out of sight. Bitsy backed into the corner to get a better photo angle. Kat simply stood and admired the rear view of the man about to become her temporary husband as he crossed the room to answer the door.


“BY THE POWER INVESTED IN ME by the state of Florida, I now pronounce you man and wife,” intoned Harry Murdoch. No organ broke into “Oh, Promise Me.” Toto’s snoring provided the only background accompaniment.

Despite the unusual circumstances of their nuptials, four pairs of expectant eyes watched Kat and Andrew. He turned her to face him, his hands wrapped around her bare arms. Andrew’s expression remained unfathomable, but his intention was clear as he bent his head toward her. Standing on tiptoe, Kat braced her hands against his broad shoulders and met him halfway.

At first pass, it was the briefest brushing of mouths, the merest tempting taste that left her hungry for more. She sought more, reveling in the taste of him, the hard, masculine line of his mouth against the full softness of hers. Andrew tangled his hand in her hair and pulled her closer.

Kat went willingly.

She sighed softly as his tongue teased against the corner of her mouth. She saw stars behind her closed lids.

A cough interrupted the sensual daze enveloping her. She opened her eyes as another star flashed by in the form of Bitsy and her camera.

For the briefest second she recognized the passion darkening Andrew’s eyes as equal to her own before it vanished beneath his cool composure. He disentangled his hand from her hair, the loss of his touch leaving her oddly bereft. She absolutely could not, would not, should not crave his touch. That was not part of the deal. That could lead straight to that excessive business she was determined to avoid.

While Andrew shook hands with Harry and thanked him for performing the ceremony on such short notice, Jackson wrapped her in a congratulatory hug.

He muttered in her ear, “That was some show, sis.”

“I told you he was a hell of a kisser,” Kat murmured in return. Good grief, if he was half as good at the rest of it…

Jackson released her, feigning disgust.

Bitsy embraced her with open arms. “I can’t believe it! We started out as friends and now we’re sisters-in-law!”

Kat held her close, touched by Bitsy’s obvious pleasure in her becoming a family member, however temporary. “Better keep thinking of me as a friend, since we’ll remain friends a lot longer than sisters-in-law.”