Strategy For Marriage

She turned an inquiring face to him, unnerved by something in his expression. “Would you care to discuss it with me?”

“What would be the point?” she answered flippantly, but she shook inside. “I told you. I’m off marriage as a topic of discussion. For a long time.”

“What a challenge!” The self-assurance in his black eyes brushed that claim aside. “Do you know how good you look?” He reached out and touched the back of her neck.

For Christy the cobalt blue sky tilted. She experienced a blind rush of sexuality….

“Margaret Way uses colorful characterization and

descriptive prowess to make love and the

Australian Outback blossom brilliantly.”

—Romantic Times on The Carradine Brand

“…climactic scenes, dramatic imagery

and bold characters, Margaret Way

makes the Outback come alive…”

—Romantic Times on A Wife at Kimbara

A wedding dilemma:

What should a sexy, successful bachelor do if he’s too busy making millions to find a wife? Or if he finds the perfect woman, and just has to strike a bridal bargain…

The perfect proposal:

The solution? For better, for worse, these grooms

have decided to sign, seal and deliver the ultimate

marriage contract…to secure a bride!

Will these paper marriages blossom into wedded bliss?

Look out for our next CONTRACT BRIDES novel

in Harlequin Romance®:

Bride by Design (#3720)

by

Leigh Michaels

Strategy for Marriage

Margaret Way

MILLS & BOON

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

Deakin-McKinnon Wedding

Reception—McKinnon Riverside Mansion

Brisbane, Queensland

“ASHE, darling, who is that girl?” The blonde in the exquisite green dress?” Mercedes, his aunt by marriage and mother of the bride, dug him in the ribs, a worried frown on her brow.

“You mean Ms. Botticelli?” His answer, even to his ears, was sardonic. “I’ve been wondering the same thing.” In fact he’d begun to marvel at just the amount of attention he was giving that particular young woman and was amazed at the unprecedented thrust of sexual desire she aroused in him. He’d grown cynical, really cynical, about a woman’s beauty and her ability to hold a man spellbound. Beautiful women in the style of this blonde reminded him of his runaway mother. The mother he’d hated and ached for since she’d abandoned him and his father when he was ten years old.

“No one on our side seems to know her,” Mercedes whispered with genuine concern, her fingers fidgeting with her extremely valuable string of 19 mm Australian South Sea pearls, the finest in the world. “That is to say everyone I’ve asked. Oh for heaven’s sake why am I worried?” She gave a false little laugh. “It’s not as though she isn’t beautiful and well behaved but I mean it’s fairly obvious our dear Josh seems to know her even if he’s not going anywhere near her. Would you mind awfully, darling, getting some idea of who exactly she is?”

The fact was he’d been about to make his move. For one thing “our dear Josh” was the bridegroom. A possible ex-girlfriend didn’t help. “No problem, Mercedes.” He smiled down at her. “Leave it to me.” He was extremely fond of Mercedes, and his quiet little cousin, Callista, who looked as radiant as she could ever look on this day of days. Sad to say he hadn’t taken to her new husband, Josh Deakin. In his most suspicious moments, which were frequent, he was a suspicious person, he thought Deakin the male equivalent of the proverbial gold-digger. At one time he’d very nearly said so, worried Deakin was only after Callista’s money. The problem was Mercedes was very taken with him and Callista was clearly head over heels in love. She wouldn’t have listened. She’d have dug in her heels. Although Callista dearly loved her mother, at twenty-nine she was anxious to escape the nest, get married and set up her own home. This was a fairytale wedding he’d been told. Who believed in fairytales? Certainly not him, though he had to admit Ms. Botticelli looked magical.

Mercedes’ rich contralto brought him out of his reverie. “Everything is going marvellously,” she said as though at any moment all could change. “The last thing we need is for something—um-um—” She stared across the crowded room at the beautiful blonde, seeking the right word.

“Don’t fret. I told you I’d handle it,” he soothed, hoping to God it wasn’t already all too late. But if Deakin imagined Mercedes and Callista didn’t have someone looking out for them, he’d better think again.

“You’re my great support, Ashe,” Mercedes told him fondly. “I’m afraid I lean on you for so much.”

“We’re family, Mercedes,” he offered lightly when he didn’t feel lightly about family at all. He was head of a clan even if his immediate family had gone. His mother with her lover. They lived mostly in New York. His father and his uncle Sholto, Mercedes’ late husband, had been killed in a light plane crash five years ago. An event that made some people say the family was cursed. Maybe it was. It had had its fair share of tragedies. So in his late twenties he had become head of the family, head of the McKinnon pastoral empire, executor of the Family Trust. He took his responsibilities very seriously.

As Mercedes, in a very becoming silvery outfit, sailed off towards her guests he acknowledged he hadn’t told her he’d had his eye on Ms. Botticelli since she’d gatecrashed the reception. His well-honed instincts warned him that was the case but he didn’t want to put a blight on such a day by overreacting. He’d take his time. She’d done it in the cheekiest way possible. Two ushers were guarding the open double doors of the McKinnon mansion taking the wedding invitations from the guests and checking them against their lists when he spotted her arrival from the head of the gallery. He couldn’t look away. He who was very good at taking a woman’s beauty and aura in his stride. She was tall, even taller in high-heeled sandals. She wore a ravishingly pretty dress, a froth of chiffon, printed in a swirl of different greens. The crossover sleeveless bodice showed a tantalising glimpse of the curves of her breasts, the short ruffled skirt sprinkled with glittering little beads showed off her lovely long legs. High up on one shoulder was a huge rose made out of the same material sprinkled with brilliants like the skirt. It was an outfit only a beautiful young woman with a perfect figure and lots of self-confidence could wear without risking the dress overwhelming her.

So there she was. A long-stemmed mystery blonde, her hair drawn back from her face into a high knot, the rest of her mane cascading down her back to past her shoulder blades. The overhead chandelier, plus the last rays of sunshine, washed her in light, so she gave off a spectacular sparkle. Her skin, he could see clearly, was a smooth textured cream, blushed over the high cheekbones. There was a shallow cleft in her chin; her eyes even at this distance were a clear light green set at a faint slant as were her darkened brows. She looked excited, a beautiful young thing who inexplicably had no partner, so why did he get the odd feeling all the animation didn’t spell happy. Far from it. More like nerve-ridden. He moved further down the staircase feeling another hot surge of desire. It made him irrationally hostile even as it served to remind him he was human.

Who was she exactly? How did she fit in? He thought he knew all of Callista’s friends. God knows she and Mercedes had tried to match him up to quite a few, not even listening when he warned them off. He saw her make a little play of rummaging in her glittery purse for her invitation—but then she saw across the marble floored atrium someone she knew. Her face broke into a lovely infectious smile and she waved, calling a name. Instantly, tactfully, the ushers let the beautiful creature go in. Women like that were unmistakably Somebody. Anyone could see that. As a bit of play-acting it was darn near perfect.

Just as he suspected, she didn’t head towards anyone in particular. There was no one waiting for her. She walked right on, flashing iridescent glances around the elegant entrance hall massed with flowers. She hadn’t been at the church. No way he would have missed her. But she’d turned up at the reception. Interesting! It wasn’t a sit-down affair where guests were allotted seats at a table. That might have proved a mite difficult even for an enterprising young woman. Instead a sumptuous buffet had been arranged. It was to be served from the huge bridal marquees that had been erected in the three-acre garden. The dessert table alone Mercedes had told him was one hundred foot long. Mercedes had spared no expense to make this a great day for her only child.

Now they had a gatecrasher. Albeit a woman whose beauty had made the breath catch in his throat. That alone made him laugh and his laugh was deep with self-mockery. In his action-packed life he had no time for a woman who could keep a man in thrall. He had too much on his mind. Too much to do. This woman was Trouble. Moreover she was somehow connected to Josh Deakin, his cousin’s bridegroom of only a few hours. The ex-girlfriend immediately sprang to mind. An ex-girlfriend perhaps bent on some kind of disruption. No way! He had the sure feeling at some point he would have to hustle Ms. Botticelli out of the house. And that was quite a while before Mercedes had put voice to her own niggling concerns.

Christy, sick with nerves but too angry and upset to abort her mission, made it through the front door of the two-story McKinnon mansion. Her nerve was holding. It was a shocking breach of etiquette to gatecrash a wedding. On so many levels she deeply regretted it, but her ex-boyfriend, Josh, the man who had convinced her he loved her, deserved a good fright. She had no intention whatsoever of upsetting the bride, the McKinnon heiress. The bride was probably a young woman as gullible as herself. Josh, after all, was all charm on the surface. The only difference between her and the bride was around 15 million, not to mention what that fortunate young woman would eventually inherit from her mother, Mrs. Mercedes McKinnon, a woman of considerable substance and the widow of the late Sholto McKinnon, well-known pastoralist and philanthropist. While Josh had been courting his heiress, he’d also continued his ardent courtship of her. How many times had he told her he loved her? How many times had he brought up the subject of marriage? She’d seriously been considering entering into an engagement. Six months of having a lovely time together. Fun really. In retrospect no depth. It all came to a halt when by sheer chance she saw Josh kissing another woman outside the very law courts that figured so often in his fund of amusing stories. Josh was an up-and-coming lawyer. The young woman turned out to be today’s bride, Callista McKinnon, now Mrs. Josh Deakin. Even as Josh had been proclaiming his love for her, he’d been courting the heiress. Fate had played its hand. Mrs. Mercedes McKinnon, a favoured client of the prestigious law firm where Josh worked as an associate, came into the offices one day bringing her petite, pretty daughter, Callista. Josh was especially good with female clients so his boss allowed him in on proceedings. It had to be that very day Josh realized a golden opportunity had opened up for him. With a rich wife the world was his oyster. Josh was very ambitious. Money was important to him. Real money. Social position. Obviously he saw an instant rocketing up the ladder. She had never fully understood that side of Josh. Not that she had really known him at all. He was a liar for one. A traitor. A good actor who could excel in any number of parts. The very worst aspect was as he told her about his plans to marry Callista he spoke like a man who had come into a huge lottery win. A win they were both going to share. She’d have died before accepting that shocking lack of integrity. Josh Deakin, cad that he was, had earned himself this lesson. But she still couldn’t stop her nerves crackling.

Halfway across the gracious entrance hall, a perfect setting for valuable antiques and magnificent arrangements of fresh flowers, she became aware she was under close surveillance. She couldn’t fail to know by now her blond good looks attracted attention but the gaze that was concentrated on her didn’t send out any currents of admiration. It felt more like she was under an extremely daunting inspection. And found suspect. Her senses were so wired she was drawn to look upwards, searching out the origin of that magnetic beam.

Her green eyes widened in shock. Her gaze honed in a man standing at the curve of the elegant staircase, looking down at her with brilliant near-black eyes.

Ashe McKinnon.

It took her less than an instant to recognise him. He was even more damn-your-eyes handsome and arrogant than his photographs. After Josh had told her of his plan to marry into the McKinnon clan, she had felt upset enough to make it her business to find out what she could about them. And there was plenty. They were a pioneering dynasty. Cattle kings from colonial times who had generated great wealth. She’d seen photographs of the current McKinnon and his ancestral home in Channel Country South West Queensland. It was a magnificent homestead. There were photographs of him at different functions, including a brilliant action shot of him playing polo, arm thrown back for a full free swing. She’d know him anywhere. In fact the sight of him gave her the oddest sick thrill. He didn’t look a kind man. Far from it. He looked formidable. Certainly not the sort of man who’d tolerate having a gatecrasher at his cousin’s wedding.

Christy moved swiftly. All she wanted was the opportunity, however brief, to give Josh the fright of his life. The most she intended was to give him a little wave. Then she’d go home happy, or as happy as a girl could be when a man had humiliated her. She hadn’t written Ashe McKinnon into the scenario at all. A huge mistake. She had the shivery feeling he could catch up with her very soon. Christy made her way into the opulent living room, impressed despite herself at the decor and the magnificent artworks on the walls.

“A friend of the groom?” an attractive voice queried at her ear. She spun on her high heels relieved beyond words to see a tall red-haired young man beaming down at her, his bright blue eyes filled with the sort of admiring look she was used to.

She was safe for a while. She intended to stay until she had her little moment of revenge on Josh, and Ashe McKinnon, the big cattle baron, could go to hell.

Of course she had no difficulty easing herself in. Not with that intoxicating image. From the open glass doorway leading into the plant-filled solarium Ashe watched her, openly marvelling at her audacity. He saw all the bachelors in sight make their moves on her. He couldn’t believe his response. It angered him. He wanted to tell Jake Reid, a guy he’d known all his life, to take his big hands off her. Even the muscles in his shoulders tensed. This was so unlike him.

The solarium had been turned into a ballroom. Lots of couples had taken the floor to a plethora of styles that ranged from old-fashioned elegance to near gallops. He waited his moment, subtly keeping an eye on her, then he excused himself from the group around him.

“Pardon me.” He tapped his friend, Tim Westbury, on the shoulder. “I really ought to introduce myself to your partner.”

“Heck, Ashe, we were having such a good time.”

For a moment it looked like Tim was going to hang in there until he saw his expression.

“So I noticed. Goodbye, Tim.”

“Catch you later, Christy,” Tim called before he was swept away by his current girlfriend who eyed “Christy” balefully.

“Wonderful party.” He put his arm around her, a strange pleasure, and inhaled her fragrance, freesias spiked with something citrus.

“Wonderful,” she agreed, turning her face away, all poise when her heart was thumping with fright.

“Beautiful wedding ceremony.”

“It brought tears to my eyes.”

“Truly?”

“I never lie.”

“Perhaps you have on this occasion. I had the notion you weren’t at the church at all. Ashe McKinnon, by the way. I’m Callista’s cousin.”

She frowned slightly, her eyes as green as peridots. “You don’t look in the least alike.” It was hard not to be impressed by him. Aesthetically anyway. How best to describe him? All commanding male. A touch severe. Yet the kind of man women went wild over. Not her. She already knew he was too tough for her, but he did look wonderful in his formal morning suit, traditional grey with a very dashing burgundy silk cravat.

She knew from her partner, Tim, he had given the bride away. Head of the family and all that. He certainly looked the part. His height alone made him stand out. He was well over six feet, but lean, powerful. He made her feel small and at five-eight she was tall for a woman. She could feel the whipcord musculature in his arms and along his back. He was very strong.

Christy continued her abstract inspection. A deep permanent tan, not Josh’s beach boy stuff, Ashe’s was trademark Outback. He had lustrous black hair with a natural wave. If he let it grow a centimetre longer it would spring into curls. His eyes were really beautiful, brilliant like glittering whirlpools. She couldn’t see into them but he seemed to be looking right through her.

He wasn’t a sweet man. Or a man who would make a woman feel safe. He looked dangerous enough to be treated with caution. There was so much tension there. A hard impatience that was communicating itself to her. Then again he possessed a stand-apart elegance, very much in keeping with a glamorous member of the landed elite. No question about his pedigree. And he just knew about her. So what was he going to do, throw her out? For all he knew she could put up a struggle. Or maybe he had taken her measure. There was only one person she intended to embarrass and that was Josh.

He received her long scrutiny, totally unfazed. “I’m dying to know your name,” he prompted, dark voice sardonic.

“You have only to ask me. Christine Parker. My friends call me Christy.”

Her answer was gentle and low. Music. Another ace up her sleeve.

“Then I’ll call you Miss Parker. Are you a friend of the bridegroom, may I ask?” He slid his hand along her back with the surety she had a beautiful supple body.

“Now why does that sound like you’ve thrown out a challenge?” she parried.

“Possibly because you’re the sort of woman who responds to one.”

“I mean no harm, Mr. McKinnon. I want you to understand that.”

“I’m pleased to hear it.” He gave her a sardonic glance. “I can’t have you spoiling my cousin’s day.”

“I have no intention of doing anything like that,” she protested. “There’s no spite in my nature.”

“But you’re looking to upset Deakin?”

“Now you sound like you don’t care.” It was wonderful to be able to challenge him. There was something very dangerous about being close to this man. It gave her quite a jolt. In her altered state she compared it to shock therapy. Something was happening to her. She didn’t know what.

“My only concern is this reception goes off beautifully,” he said in a warning voice that left her flushed. “I’m devoted to my aunt and cousin.”

“Really?” All of a sudden Christy needed to lash out, her anger and humiliation festering. “From the look of you I wouldn’t have thought you had a tender bone in your body.”

“Play it cool, Miss Parker,” he said.

There was considerable heat between them. Christy realised with a sense of astonishment a lot of it was sexual. She wondered how that could possibly be when she still considered herself jilted by Josh. She could feel the imprint of this man’s hand right through the chiffon of her dress. It might have been pressed against her naked flesh. Her perceptions so long blunted by acute dismay were now razor-sharp. But then he was a striking, powerful, physical man, she reasoned, quite without the easy-going gentleness with which Josh had surrounded her.

Looking down at her telltale face, his expression tautened. “Let’s go,” he said abruptly. The tips of her breasts were giving him little shocks as they brushed up against him.

“Where?” She threw up her head, startled. His face was quite unreadable.

“Out into the garden,” he suggested curtly. “All the time we’ve been dancing Deakin has been staring over here. Even with his bride on his arm.”

“Pay no attention,” she said. But she hoped Josh was staring. He looked so deeply familiar she thought she couldn’t bear the whole situation. Callista looked so nice. She deserved to be happy. Christy’s instinct told her it wouldn’t be for long. Not with Josh. Josh wasn’t good enough. Josh’s only real fondness was for money. But Callista on her big day looked radiant in her beautiful ecru satin gown that glimmered with thousands of seed pearls. Her billowy floor-length organza veil was held off her small face by an exquisite diamond-and-pearl diadem that looked like a family heirloom.

After all that she knew, Christy still wished perversely things could have been different. That Josh could have been different from the man he really was.

“How well did you know him?” Ashe McKinnon asked her, his dark face taking on an aspect of contempt.

“I don’t think you want to listen.”

“Try me,” he clipped off.

“It’s all in the past. Another dimension.” She needed a huge breathing space from this man.

“It’d better be.” With one hand he lifted her face and turned his black gaze on her.

“What do you want to do, crush me?” She envied him his masculine strength. The hard detachment.

Instantly he eased his grip. What did he want with her? To pick her up and carry her off? To make love to her until she couldn’t even remember who Deakin was?

“Are you suggesting I could be that physical?”

“I could feel your anger.” Yet something about him was giving her a deep, languorous feeling. It was like being engulfed in the black velvet of night. What was she doing twisting and turning in this stranger’s arms? He was so totally different from Josh. With a powerful magnetism that reached through her pain. Moreover he was controlling her, pulling her closer.

“So are you going to tell me exactly why you are here? I’m certain you have no invitation.”

“I let it get away from me.” She glanced at him briefly, her lashes shadowing her eyes. “It flew into the air and blew away.” There was no comfort in this man, only astonishing heat. She kept seeing Josh and his bride out of the corner of her eye. Hurt spasmed through her. “Kiss me,” she ordered before she started to cry.

He shook her a little. “Because you want to make him jealous? Look at me.” He was going to kiss her before the night was over. He had never wanted to kiss a woman more in his life. This beautiful creature who was electric for another man. A man who had his cousin lovingly tucked into his shoulder. “You little fool,” Ashe muttered, lowering his dark head protectively over her. “There’s no way, no way, you can get him back.”