I Do...: Her Accidental Engagement / A Bride's Tangled Vows

“I should get Charlie home and to bed,” she said as she walked into the family room then stopped short. Sam sat on the couch, Charlie nestled into the crook of his arm, their attention riveted to the television. An IndyCar race was on the big set, and Sam was quietly explaining the details of the scene to Charlie.

“Lubock thinks he’s got this one in the bag. He’s in the blue-and-yellow car out front.”

“Blue,” Charlie said, his fist popping out of his mouth to point to the screen.

“That’s right, but watch out for Eckhard in the red and white. See where he’s coming around the outside?”

Charlie nodded drowsily then snuggled in deeper.

“I thought you didn’t like kids,” Julia said quietly, as Charlie’s eyes drifted shut.

Sam glanced at the boy then tucked a blanket from the back of the couch around him. “I like kids. Everyone likes kids.”

Julia scoffed. “Hardly. Most people like dogs. You don’t.”

“That’s different.”

She watched the pair for several seconds then added, “Charlie’s father doesn’t like kids.”

Sam met her gaze. “His loss.”

“You’ve never even said hello to Charlie before this week.”

“He and I don’t run in the same circles,” he countered.

“You know what I mean.”

Sam picked up the remote and hit the mute button. He knew what she meant. Ever since he’d found Julia after her car crashed, he’d avoided both her and her son. That moment had terrified him more than it should someone in his position. He didn’t know whether it was the memory of losing his mother, or the strange way his body reacted to the woman sitting across from him. Or a combination of both. But when he’d lifted her out of that car and carried her to his cruiser, his instinct for danger had been on high alert.

Sam was used to saving people from mishaps. It was part of the job. But she’d looked at him as if she’d put all her faith in him. That had made it feel different. More real, and scary as hell. Charlie had been born that same day, and Sam had decided it was better for both of them if he stayed away. He had nothing to offer a single mom and her child. His heart had shut down a long time ago.

Holding Charlie in his arms, he felt something fierce and protective roar to life inside him. If he wasn’t careful, he could easily fall for this boy and his mother. He had to keep his distance but still play the part. His dad had spent most of the evening fawning over Julia and her son, leaving Sam blessedly alone.

He wanted to keep up the charade long enough for his father to leave town satisfied. When the eventual breakup came, Sam was sure he’d have a better chance of convincing Joe how heartbroken he was over the phone than in person.

“We should go over a few things before you leave,” he said, trying to make his tone all business but soft enough that he didn’t wake Charlie.

Julia nodded. “I can take him from you first.”

Sam shook his head and adjusted the blanket. “He’s fine. Thanks for bringing him. You saw how happy it made my dad.”

“He’s going to be devastated when this doesn’t work out.”

Sam shrugged. “He’ll get over it. You’ve given him hope that I’m not a total lost cause in the commitment department. That should hold him over for a while.”

Julia adjusted in her chair as the dog settled at her feet with a contented sigh. Sam had heard a lot about Vera Morgan’s exceptional skills with animals. It appeared the gift was genetic.

“He mentioned your ex-girlfriend.”

Sam flinched. If he didn’t have Charlie sleeping against him, he would have gotten up to pace the room. “Leave it to dear old dad to knock the skeleton from my closet.”

“We’re engaged. He assumed I already knew.”

“And you thought knowing my favorite color was going to be a big deal.”

“We need to understand the details about each other if this is going to work. Otherwise, no one is going to believe we’re legitimate.”

“Why not?” he countered. “People run off to Vegas all the time. Maybe you fell so head over heels for me that you didn’t care about the details.”

“Highly unlikely. You’re not that irresistible.”

Her comeback made him smile, which he realized was her intention. It was strange that this woman he knew so little could read him so well. “I was engaged for six months. She cheated on me a month before the wedding.”

“That’s awful.”

“I caught her with my brother.”

Julia’s jaw dropped. “Wow.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“What happened? Do you still speak to your brother? Are they together? What kind of awful people would do that to someone they both loved?”

“The way Scott explained it, before I kicked him out of my house, was that she was bad news and he was saving me from making a mistake. The way Jenny spun it before she followed him out the door was that he’d seduced her.” He expected to feel the familiar pain of betrayal but only emptiness washed over him. “They aren’t together and weren’t again as far as I know. Turns out he was right. I found out later it wasn’t the first time she’d cheated. She’d also been with one of the guys on the squad. Made me look like a fool.”

“She’s the fool.” Julia came to stand before him. She lifted Charlie from his arms and sat down, laying her son beside her on the soft leather. “And your brother?”

“Scott was in the army for several years. Now he works out of D.C. for the U.S. Marshals.”

She squeezed his arm and the warmth of her hand relaxed him a little. “I’m not interested in his job. What about your relationship?”

“My dad had a health scare almost two years ago. I passed my brother in the hall at the hospital. That’s the extent of it.”

“Oh, Sam.”

“We were never close. My dad didn’t encourage family bonding.”

“Still—”

“This isn’t helping our arrangement.” Sam took her hand in his. “How long have we been dating?”

“Four months,” Julia answered automatically.

“Favorite color?”

“Blue.”

“Where we going on a honeymoon?”

“A Disney cruise.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Because of Charlie.”

He laughed. “Fine.” Some of the tension eased out of his shoulders and he asked, “Big or small wedding?”

“Small, close friends and immediate family.”

“Who are your close friends?”

Her eyes darted away and she took several beats to answer. “The girls from the salon, I guess. A few of them, anyway. My sister.”

“What about your friends from high school?”

“I didn’t really have friends. Followers was more like it, and most of them have outgrown me.”

“Their loss,” he said, using his earlier phrase, and was rewarded with a smile. “What about your ex-boyfriend? Do you still have feelings for him? Should I be jealous?”

“Of Jeff? No. We were over long before he left me.”

An interesting way to phrase it. Sam couldn’t help but ask, “Could I kick his butt?”

She smiled. “Absolutely.”

“Good. When is your next court date?”

“Friday.”

“Do you want me to come?”

She shook her head and Sam felt a surprising rush of disappointment. “I might be able to help.”

“You already are.”

“You can’t believe the judge will award custody to Jeff and his family. Is he even going to be here?”

“I don’t know. But I can’t take any chances. Even if he gets joint custody, they could take Charlie from me for extended periods of time. I won’t risk it. Jeff made it clear he didn’t want to be a father, so I don’t understand why he’s letting this happen. He was never close to his family.”

“Have you talked to him directly?”

“I left a message on his cell phone right after the letter came. I might have sounded hysterical. He hasn’t returned my call.”

“You’re going to have to tell your family what’s going on before it goes too much further.”

She nodded. “I realized that tonight. If my mom finds out your dad knew before her... It’s all too much. I’m finally starting to get my life on track, with the salon and Charlie. For the first time in as long as I can remember, my mother isn’t looking at me with disappointment in her eyes. When she finds out...”

“Vera will want to help. This isn’t your fault.”

“It sure feels like it is.” She sank back against the couch and scrubbed her hands across her face. Sam saw pain and fear etched in her features. It gnawed away at him until he couldn’t stand it. Why was she so afraid of her mother’s judgment? Why did she think so little of herself, to believe her son was at risk of being taken away? Maybe she’d made some mistakes in her past but Sam didn’t know anyone who hadn’t. She couldn’t be punished forever.

He might not be willing to give his heart again, but he needed to give her some comfort. He wasn’t great with words and knew that if he got sentimental, she’d only use her dry wit to turn it into a joke. Instead, he placed a soft kiss on the inside of her palm.

She tugged on her hand but he didn’t let go. “You don’t need to do that now,” she whispered, her voice no more than a breath in the quiet. “There’s no one watching.”

One side of his mouth quirked. “It’s a good thing, too, because what I want to do to you is best kept in private.”

Her mouth formed a round oh and he lifted a finger to trace the soft flesh of her lips.

“Charlie.”

“I know.” He leaned closer. “You’re safe tonight. Almost.”

“We shouldn’t...”

“I know,” he repeated. “But I can’t think of anything I want more.”

“Me, too.” She sat up and brought both of her hands to the sides of his face, cupping his jaw. “This isn’t going to get complicated, right?”

“Other than planning a pretend wedding, a custody battle, my meddling father and a town filled with nosy neighbors? I think we can keep it fairly simple.”

She smoothed her thumbs along his cheeks and her scent filled his head again. “I mean you and me. We’re on the same page. It’s all part of the show, the time spent together, pretending like we’re in love. It ends when we both get what we want.”

He agreed in theory, but at the moment all Sam wanted was her. He knew telling her that would make her more skittish than she already was. He didn’t want this night to end quite yet, even if her sleeping son was going to keep the evening G-rated. So he answered, “That’s the plan.”

She nodded then licked her lips, and he suppressed a groan. “Then it won’t matter if I do this...” She brought her mouth to his and they melted together. When her tongue mixed with his, he did groan. Or maybe Julia did. Her fingers wound through his hair and down his neck, pressing him closer, right where he wanted to be.

He deepened the kiss as his hands found their way underneath her blouse, his palms spread across the smooth skin on her back.

“Stop.” Julia’s breathing sounded ragged.

His hands stilled and he drew back enough to look into her big gray eyes, now hazy with desire.

A small smile played on the corners of her mouth. “I want to make sure we both stay in control. No getting carried away.”

Like to his bedroom, Sam thought. All the wonderful, devilish, naked things he could do to her there ran through his brain. He wanted to know this woman—every inch of her—with a passion he hadn’t thought himself capable of feeling.

He didn’t answer, not sure his brain could manage a coherent sentence at the moment. They stared at each other and he wondered if Julia’s heart was pounding as hard as his.

He heard Charlie snore softly and let his eyes drift closed for a few seconds. He counted to ten in his head, thought about the pile of work waiting in his office and tried like hell to rein in his desire and emotions.

He withdrew his hands, smoothed her shirt back down and forced a casual smile.

“My middle name is control, sweetheart.”

She cocked her head. “That’s a good point,” she said and didn’t sound at all as affected as Sam felt. “What is your middle name?”

He shook his head slightly. “Matthew.”

“Mine’s Christine,” she told him, as if she had no memory of a minute earlier when she’d been kissing him as if her life depended on it. “I’m going to get Charlie home.” She stood and picked up the sleeping boy. The Weimaraner jumped to attention and stayed close by her side.

Sam felt off balance at her switch in mood but didn’t want to admit it. “I’ll walk you to your car,” he said, keeping the frustration out of his voice. This was a business arrangement, after all, passionate kissing aside. Maybe Julia had the right of it.

She nodded and grabbed the diaper bag, pushing it at Sam. “If you could carry that,” she said, as if she didn’t trust him with his hands free.

The night had cooled at least ten degrees and she shivered as she hurried down the front walk. “Do you want a jacket?” he asked, taking large strides to keep up with her.

“I’m fine.”

While it might be true that Sam hadn’t had any long-term relationships since moving to Brevia, and had stayed out of the dating pool totally for the past few months, his evenings never ended like this.

Usually he was the one who put the brakes on, sexually. More than once, he’d been invited back to a woman’s house—or she’d asked to see his place—on the first date and gotten a clear signal that she’d been eager to take things to the next level. Sam was cautious and tried to not let an evening go there if he thought someone wanted more than he could give.

Never, until tonight, could he remember a woman literally running out of his house when he so badly wanted her to stay.

Julia opened the back door and placed Charlie in his car seat then gave the dog a little tug. The Weim jumped up without a sound, as if he knew enough not to wake the sleeping boy.

Turning, Julia held out her hand for the diaper bag.

“Are we good?” Sam asked.

“Yep,” she said, again not meeting his gaze. “I’ll talk to you in a few days.”

A few days? They were engaged. He told himself it wouldn’t look good to the town, but the truth was he couldn’t wait a few days. Before he could respond, she’d scurried to the driver’s side, climbing in with one last wave and “Thanks” thrown over her shoulder.

Sam was left standing alone at the curb, wondering what had gone so wrong so quickly. He headed back to the house, hoping a cold shower would help him make some sense of things.

Chapter Seven

Julia swiped under her eyes and focused her attention on her mug of lukewarm coffee, unable to make eye contact with her mother or sister.

Lainey paced the length of Vera’s office in the All Creatures Great and Small animal shelter. By contrast, their mother sat stock-still behind her desk.

“That’s the whole story,” Julia finished. “The judge ordered us into mediation and that meeting is tomorrow morning. I don’t think it will do any good. I know what I want and Jeff’s parents know what they want. If we can’t come to an agreement with the mediator, there will be a final hearing where the judge makes a ruling.”

“Is Jeff going to be there?” Vera asked, her tone both soft and razor-sharp.

“I guess so, but it will be better if he isn’t, if it looks like it’s his parents who want this.” Her breath hitched. “The latest document I got from their attorney asks for an every-other-year joint-custody arrangement. There’s an opportunity for it to be amended if Charlie’s well-being is in jeopardy with one of the parties.”

“Every other year?” Lainey stopped pacing. “How can they think of taking him away from you for that long? You should have told us this as soon as you knew, Jules. Maybe we could have done something—”

“What, Lainey?” Julia snapped then sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to take it out on you. But what could have been done? I hoped if I made it difficult for them, they might give up. The first letter said they wanted full custody and offered a hefty payment for the expenses I’ve already incurred in raising Charlie.”

“They thought you’d sell them your son?” Lainey’s voice was incredulous.

“That’s one way of looking at it. The last Jeff knew, I’d gotten pregnant as a way to keep him. He could have told his parents I didn’t really want to be a mother or wouldn’t be able to handle it on my own.”

“You’re not on your own.” Vera tapped one finger on the desk. “You have us. And Sam.”

Conflicting emotions welled in Julia’s chest again as she thought of Sam. He’d told her to talk to her mom and sister. She knew it was inevitable, so she’d called them both on the way home last night and asked them to meet her at the shelter before work. At the time, it had been a good way to distract herself from Sam and the way he made her feel.

He must have been baffled by her behavior after they’d kissed. Most women he knew could probably handle a simple kiss. Not Julia. Maybe it had been too long since she’d been in a man’s arms. It had taken every ounce of her willpower not to beg him to take her to bed. His touch had rocked her to her core and she’d had to beat a quick retreat so she wouldn’t do or say something she’d later regret.

When he’d proposed the pretend engagement, she’d had no idea how much her emotions would get in the way. She’d had no idea how it would affect her to see Sam cuddling Charlie against his broad chest. How much her body and heart would react to his arms around her. How quickly she’d come to depend on the comfort he gave her and how he made her feel strong by believing in her.

“I’m the one they’re going after,” she told her mom. “And Charlie.” A sob escaped her lips and she clamped her hand over her mouth.

Lainey rushed to her side and Julia let herself be cradled in her sister’s warm embrace. Silence descended over the trio. This was the time Julia would normally make a joke or sarcastic remark about her propensity to ruin her own life. But, right now, she was just struggling to not break down completely.

This was the reason she hadn’t told her family. Their sympathy and the disappointment she felt from them brought back too many memories of the past and the feelings that went with it. Her LD and the shame that went with it had made her put up walls against everyone around her. She’d gotten used to getting by, keeping secrets, not letting on how bad things really were. It was a difficult pattern to break.

From the time she’d been younger, Julia had made an unintentional habit of disappointing the people she loved. She’d let other people’s judgments guide the way she lived her life. The belief that she was lazy and stupid had stopped her from getting help so many times. It was easier not to open up to her family about her emotions. She was too afraid of being exposed as weak and lacking in their eyes.

Even when she’d shown up on her mother’s doorstep, pregnant, broke and alone, she hadn’t cried or offered long explanations or excuses. She just kept moving. Now she felt stuck in quicksand, as though nothing could save her.

Vera’s palm slammed onto the desk. “We won’t let this happen. Have you consulted Frank?”

Julia nodded. Frank Davis had been practicing law in Brevia for as long as she could remember and was a friend of her mother’s. After Sam’s suggestion that she see an attorney, she’d hired him to represent her. “He’s helping with the case.”

Vera nodded. “That’s a good start. You need to talk to Jeff. To understand why he’s doing this now when he had no previous interest in being a dad. Surely you’ll be awarded sole custody. You’re Charlie’s mother and you do a wonderful job with him.”

“I don’t know, Mom. Jeff’s family is arguing that they can give Charlie opportunities he’ll never have with me.”

“A child doesn’t need anything more than a loving family. Let them set up a college trust if they’re so concerned with opportunities.”

“What do you want to see happen?” Lainey asked.

That question had kept Julia up many nights. “I’ll support them having a relationship with Charlie. I’m sure as he gets older he’ll have questions about his father’s family. I want him to be surrounded by all the people who love him.” She paused and took a breath. “I’m afraid he’ll eventually choose them.”

“He won’t,” Lainey said softly.

“You can’t know that. But he needs to live with me now. Full-time. Swapping him back and forth is ludicrous.”

“I’m going to the mediation,” Vera announced.

Julia’s stomach lurched. As much as she appreciated and needed her family’s support, she was afraid it would only make her more nervous to have her mother with her. “That’s not a good idea. I appreciate the offer but I need to handle this on my own.”

Lainey squeezed her shoulder and asked, “Has Jeff contacted you directly or tried to see Charlie?”

Julia shook her head. “No. Neither have his parents, other than when I got messages about discussing the custody arrangement.”

“When did that start?” Vera came around the side of the desk.

“About a month ago. I ignored them until the certified letter arrived last week.”

“Ignoring your problems doesn’t make them go away.”

Funny, it had always worked for Julia in the past. She’d taken the easy way out of every difficult situation that came her way before Charlie. And thanks to the complexity of her difficulties processing both words and numbers, problems seemed to plague her. From bad rental agreements to unfair terms on a car loan, her inability to manage the details of her life took its toll in a variety of ways. Still, nothing had prepared her for this.

A knock at the door interrupted them.

“Come in,” Vera said.

A member of the shelter staff entered, leading in a gray dog. Or more accurately, the gray dog led her. Upon seeing Julia, the animal pulled at the leash, his stubby tail wagging. His lips drew back to expose his teeth.

“That’s quite a greeting,” Lainey said with a laugh.

“Sam thought it was a snarl when the dog first came at him.” Julia bent to pet him. The dog wiggled and tried to put his front paws on her chest. She body blocked him. “Down.”

“What’s the report?” Vera asked the young woman.

“We’ve done his blood work and tested him for heartworm and parasites. Surprisingly, he got a clean bill of health.”

“That’s great.” Julia felt relief wash over her. “Have you had any calls about a lost Weim?”

The young woman shook her head. “Not yet.”

“We’ll do a three-day hold before he moves onto the available-dog list.” Vera dropped to her knees next to Julia. The dog lunged for her, teeth gleaming, but Vera held up a hand and gave a firm “No.” The dog’s rear end hit the carpet, although one corner of his mouth still curled.

Julia met her mother’s gaze. “The smile’s not good for him, is it?”

Vera shrugged. “It depends on the potential adopter, but a lot of people might think the same thing Sam did. We’ll find a place for him. We always do.”

Julia stroked the dog’s silky ear. She’d planned on leaving the Weimaraner at the shelter this morning. “Can I foster him? Until the waiting period is over or someone shows interest. I’ll work on basic training commands to help offset the shock of the smile.”

Vera hesitated. “You’ve got a lot going on right now, honey. Weims aren’t easy dogs. They can have separation anxiety and get destructive.”

Frustration crept across Julia’s neck and shoulders. “You know being in a foster home is better for a dog’s well-being.” She couldn’t believe her mother would insinuate the dog would be better in the shelter than with her.

“Of course,” Vera agreed, as if she realized she’d crossed some imaginary line. “If you’re willing to, it would help him immensely.”

“Have they named him yet?” Julia knew the shelter staff named each animal that came in to make their care more personal.

The young woman shook her head.

“Call him Casper,” Julia said.

“The friendly gray ghost?” Lainey asked, referring to the breed’s well-known nickname.

Julia nodded. “It fits him and will give people a sense of his personality.”