“What I need is a bridegroom and temporary husband.”

Cara leaned into Neil, burrowing her cheek against his shoulder. “It wouldn’t be a bad deal for a man who liked Italian food,” she said with an attempt at humor. “You’ve eaten my lasagna.”

“I sure have, and you’re tempting me to volunteer.”

“I wish.” She kissed him on the cheek and stepped away, gazing at him searchingly. “You wouldn’t really consider a pretend marriage, would you, Neil?”

“No, because you’re not serious about it,” he chided her.

But the look on Cara’s face said she was very serious.

And he was seriously tempted!

Dear Reader,

While every romance holds the promise of sweeping readers away with a rugged alpha male or a charismatic cowboy, this month we want to take a closer look at the women who fall in love with our favorite heroes.

“Heroines need to be strong,” says Sherryl Woods, author of more than fifty novels. “Readers look for a woman who can stand up to the hero—and stand up to life.” Sherryl’s book A Love Beyond Words features a special heroine who lost her hearing but became stronger because of it. “A heroine needs to triumph over fear or adversity.”

Kate Stockwell faces the fear of knowing she cannot bear her own child in Allison Leigh’s Her Unforgettable Fiancé, the next installment in the STOCKWELLS OF TEXAS miniseries. And an accident forces Josie Scott, Susan Mallery’s LONE STAR CANYON heroine in Wife in Disguise, to take stock of her life and find a second chance….

In Peggy Webb’s Standing Bear’s Surrender, Sarah Sloan must choose between loyalty and true love! In Separate Bedrooms…? by Carole Halston, Cara LaCroix is faced with fulfilling her grandmother’s final wish—marriage! And Kirsten Laurence needs the help of the man who broke her heart years ago in Laurie Campbell’s Home at Last.

“A heroine is a real role model,” Sherryl says. And in Special Edition, we aim for every heroine to be a woman we can all admire. Here’s to strong women and many more emotionally satisfying reads from Silhouette Special Edition!

Karen Taylor Richman

Senior Editor

Separate Bedrooms…?
Carole Halston

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CAROLE HALSTON

is a native of south Louisiana, where she lives with her sea-faring husband, Monty, in a rural area on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, near New Orleans.

Fans can write Carole at P.O. Box 1095, Madisonville, LA 70447. For a free autographed bookmark, they should send a self-addressed, stamped business-size envelope. Romance readers can visit Carole’s Web site by first accessing http://www.eHarlequin.com.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter One

“Who’s next, please?” Neil asked as his customer turned to leave with a newly purchased set of brake pads. Half a dozen people were milling about near the long counter of the auto parts store Neil managed and would eventually own after he’d finished buying out his father’s interest.

Why hadn’t Cara come out of the office to help out? he wondered, looking over his shoulder. It wasn’t her job to wait on customers, but Cara was the type of loyal employee who pitched in and did whatever needed to be done without being asked. She knew the whole operation of the business about as well as he did. After all, she’d worked at Griffin Auto Parts either part-time or full-time since she was fifteen, and she’d celebrated her twenty-ninth birthday a couple of months ago.

Through the plate-glass wall, Neil spotted Cara’s glossy black curls and frowned, instantly concerned. Seated at her desk and gazing at a computer screen, she was blotting tears from pink cheeks with a tissue. As though sensing his scrutiny, she turned her head and saw him.

Hey, what’s wrong? he telegraphed.

She managed a brave smile and waggled her hand, mouthing the words, I’m okay.

“I guess I’m next,” a woman said, repeating herself with a hint of impatience. Reluctantly Neil returned his attention to his customer, who fished around in her purse for a full minute before she finally pulled out a receipt. “My husband sent me to pick up this part he ordered a couple of days ago. Someone called and said it had come in.”

“That was me who called.” Cara spoke from beside him, her voice slightly husky. She took the receipt from Neil’s hand. “Let me take care of this. You can help someone else who might need some automotive expertise.”

“Thanks, Cara,” Neil said. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze that not only spoke his gratitude, but offered comfort for whatever was troubling her.

It was old habit to feel protective and brotherly toward Cara LaCroix, whose name gave clues to her mixed Italian and Cajun French ancestry. He’d known her since she was born. They’d grown up in the same neighborhood right here in Hammond, Louisiana. An only child, Neil was five years older than Cara, the youngest of eight. For some reason, she’d always seemed to idolize him, and he’d thought she was cute as could be with her plump little body, big brown eyes and tangle of black curls.

Neil had picked her up off the sidewalk on any number of occasions when she’d toppled her tricycle. He’d brushed away her tears with awkward tenderness and given her a pep talk. When she’d graduated to a bicycle, he’d done repairs—tightening the chain when it came loose or adjusting the seat. He was enrolled in college by the time she’d become a teenager and begun dating. Instead of turning to her brothers for advice about boys, she’d come to Neil. He’d always listened and tried to be wise.

Before the day was over, Neil figured he would learn what was bothering Cara. He hoped it was nothing serious. If there was a problem he could help solve, well, he wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever was in his power to bring a happy smile back to her pretty face. One of his main pleasures in life now was being around Cara and enjoying her full-fledged love of life.

Customers continued to arrive in a steady stream right through the noon hour. Finally about two-thirty, business slacked off to a more normal flow that Neil’s two sales clerks, Jimmy Boudreaux and Peewee Oliver, could easily handle.

“You eat lunch yet, Boss?” asked Peewee, an African-American man in his late twenties whose nickname certainly didn’t describe his muscular build.

Cara had just come out of the office. She answered for Neil. “No, he hasn’t eaten.” She spoke to Neil, “I ordered you a roast beef po’boy earlier. It’s in the refrigerator.”

“Thanks,” Neil said, smiling his appreciation. “That was sweet of you.”

“Somebody has to see that you don’t go hungry now that your mom and dad have moved away to Florida. I’ll bet you skip at least one meal a day,” she chided him.

Neil couldn’t honestly deny her accusation. If eating wasn’t convenient, he could easily skip a meal. He’d regained some enjoyment of food during the last three years since he’d lost his wife and small son and his whole world had disintegrated, but food would never taste as good as it had when he’d been a happily married man with a family. None of life’s rewards would ever be the same again. That was something he accepted.

At least the terrible grief had softened with time into sadness. The key to surviving tragedy, he’d discovered, was keeping busy and not thinking a lot about himself.

“Hey, skipping a few meals doesn’t hurt me,” he declared, gesturing toward his tall, lanky frame. “It’s my diet plan.”

Cara made a batting motion with her hand. “Diet plan. You could eat a million calories a day and not gain a pound. All I have to do is take one bite of a rich dessert and the scales jump five pounds.”

“You worry too much about your weight.”

“If I don’t, I’ll end up wearing the same large sizes as my three sisters.”

“Their husbands don’t complain, do they?” Neil draped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a brotherly hug. “Come and share my po’boy. You probably had a salad for lunch that didn’t even satisfy your hunger pains.”

She sighed, walking along with him toward the small room that served as an employees’ lounge. “I did. And I’m starving. The salad had that nasty nonfat so-called Italian dressing on it.” She shuddered. “No self-respecting Italian that I know would make a dressing without real olive oil.”

Neil grinned at her expressiveness.

At the door of the lounge, Cara came to a standstill. “I’d better get back to work.”

“Take a break and keep me company,” Neil urged. “We haven’t had a chance to chat today.” He hadn’t forgotten that she’d been crying earlier, and he was still concerned about the reason.

“Okay, but I can’t promise I’ll be very cheerful,” she said, relenting.

“Why not? Are you feeling depressed about your grandmother’s health?”

Cara nodded, blinking hard to hold back tears that suddenly welled up in her eyes. Neil gently drew her inside the lounge and pulled out a chair at the table while he lectured in a sympathetic tone, “We’ve already talked about this. Sophia is a very religious woman. She’s not afraid of death. She’s even looking forward to being reunited with deceased loved ones in Heaven.”

“I know all that.”

Cara resisted letting him seat her. “You sit down,” she said. “I’ll get your po’boy for you. What would you like to drink?”

“I can wait on myself. You don’t need to serve me.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Sit.”

Neil was already on his way to the refrigerator. He was more interested in getting to the bottom of her unhappiness than he was in having his lunch, but he figured he might as well humor her. After retrieving the sandwich loaf, he unwrapped it on the counter and used a kitchen knife to cut each half loaf into quarters. Then he transferred the po’boy over to the table, the white butcher paper doubling as a plate. Before he sat down across from Cara, he got each of them a canned drink from the refrigerator, a diet cola for her and an iced tea for himself.

“Help yourself,” he offered and bit into crusty French bread.

“I shouldn’t.”

“Sure tastes good. If you take the edge off your appetite, you can eat a light supper.”

“That’s true. And, darn it, I’m starving.” She picked up a sandwich section and began to eat it, obviously relishing the taste of roast beef and provolone cheese. Still, her expression remained downcast, Neil noticed with compassion.

“Back to our conversation about Sophia,” he said when she’d dusted the crumbs off her fingers and sat back. Going on past experience, he knew that pouring out her thoughts and feelings to him would be therapeutic. “Is she going downhill faster than the doctor told the family she would?” Several months ago, the oncologist in charge of Sophia’s care had given a life-expectancy range of eight months to a year. Sophia had opted not to subject herself to chemotherapy when she was diagnosed with lymphoma.

“No.” Cara’s voice broke, and tears spilled down her cheeks. She wiped them away impatiently.

“Something happened since yesterday. Tell me about it. Maybe I can help.”

“You can’t help.” She sniffled and pointed a forefinger toward the uneaten half of his po’boy as a reminder that he should keep eating. Neil dutifully picked up another sandwich quarter to pacify her. Cara filled him in without any more prodding. “This morning I stopped off at my parents’ house on the way here to spend a few minutes with Nonna, like I do several mornings a week.” Neil nodded, familiar with her routine. He didn’t need her to explain that nonna was Italian for grandmother.

Cara went on, “I let myself in through the back door and went straight to Nonna’s bedroom, figuring I’d poke my head in the kitchen and say hi to Mamma on my way out. The door to Nonna’s bedroom was open and I heard Mamma’s voice and Nonna’s voice. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but before I could call out, I started listening to their conversation. Nonna was telling Mamma that she’d dreamed I’d gotten married. She described my wedding gown and the dresses my attendants wore. She described the flowers in the church. Neil, you should have heard Nonna’s voice. She sounded so happy, recalling every detail of her dream.” Cara bit into her quivering bottom lip and wiped away two more huge tears.

“Go on,” he prompted gently, getting the picture now, but wanting to let her finish out her explanation.

“Then she and my mom talked about the fact that I’m twenty-nine years old and not even engaged to be married. Nonna said if only her dream had been real, she could die without a single regret. Her main reason for trying to hang on was wishing she could see me settled down with a good husband.”

“You poor kid. What a guilt trip.” Neil’s warm sympathy was mixed with exasperation. “That family of yours mean well, but they’ve been putting pressure on you to find a husband since you were twenty years old.”

“It’s because they all love me. They can’t conceive of anyone, man or woman, staying single and being really fulfilled and content.” Cara sighed, slumping forward and resting folded arms on the table. “I agree with them. That’s the hard part. I’d give anything to be planning a wedding for Nonna to attend while she’s still strong enough. Not just for her sake but because I’d like nothing better than to be getting married. I always planned to be a wife and mother, but it just hasn’t happened.”

“The right guy will come along. You have to be patient.” Neil had pushed aside the remains of his lunch. He reached over and clasped her forearms, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

“I’ve been patient! What if I keep waiting for Mr. Right and he doesn’t come along? What if he’s already come and gone, and I didn’t recognize him? Neil, how will I know a certain guy is the one?”

“Your instincts will tell you he’s the one. When you imagine living the rest of your life without him, you won’t be able to stand the thought.”

“Is that the way you felt when you proposed to Lisa?”

“Yes.” Neil quickly shoved the memory back behind a closed door of his past, but not before he’d been flooded with painful remembrance.

“I’m sorry.” Cara took one of his hands between hers, their roles quickly reversed with her offering him support. “That question just slipped out. I know you can’t bear reminiscing because you’re still grieving over Lisa and little Chris.”

“I’m okay,” Neil assured her. He stood up. “Don’t brood over what you overheard this morning, Cara. I’m sure you’re doing a lot to make Sophia’s remaining time on earth happy, just by being yourself.”

She sat there instead of rising to her feet. Neil looked at her questioningly.

“Do you have another minute?” she asked. “There’s more.”

He waited for her to elaborate, suddenly uneasy for reasons he didn’t quite fathom.

“Last night Roy asked me to marry him.”

Neil slowly sat back down. Roy Xavier was the automobile salesman she’d been dating for quite a while, but Neil hadn’t gotten the impression she was serious about the guy. “What was your answer?”

“I sort of turned him down.”

“‘Sort of’?”

“I told him the truth. That I like him and enjoy his company on our dates, but I don’t think I’m in love with him.” She studied Neil’s face closely, an anxious frown cutting tiny lines between her eyebrows. “You seem relieved I didn’t say yes.”

“Your announcement took me by surprise,” he said, not comfortable with admitting that he was relieved. Neil didn’t understand himself why his gut reaction to the idea of her marrying Roy Xavier had been so strongly negative, other than the fact that nobody she’d ever dated had seemed good enough for her.

“I wasn’t prepared for him to propose,” she confided. “I stammered around, like an idiot. Thoughts were whirling around in my head. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, plus a part of my brain was ticking off Roy’s qualifications that would make him a good husband for me.” She used her fingers now to tick off those qualifications as she listed them for Neil. “He’s a good-hearted guy. He’s successful at his job. Most months he’s the top car salesman at the dealership. He’s a church going man. He’s from a large family. I haven’t been around his parents a lot, but I like them just fine, and he seems to like mine.” In her expressive way, Cara threw up her hands. “Why not marry Roy? That’s the question. Especially when I’ll be thirty years old my next birthday.”

“You said yourself you’re not in love with him. Not after dating him for what, six months?”

“Six and a half months actually.” She resumed her argument with Neil and with herself. “Maybe there are some people in the world who don’t ever fall head over heels in love. Maybe with those people, love grows gradually out of respect and affection. Romantic love doesn’t last anyway, right?”

“Cara, you’re trying to talk yourself into marrying Roy Xavier.”

“You think I’d be making a big mistake?”

Yes. Neil clamped his jaw closed to keep from speaking the definite reply that rose to his lips. “What I think doesn’t matter. It’s your life and your decision. But don’t feel pressured into marrying Roy or anybody else just because you’re tired of being single and would like to make your grandmother happy.”

“But you don’t dislike Roy?”

“I don’t know Roy well enough to like or dislike him. He seems like a nice enough guy,” Neil added, aware that he sounded grudging.

Cara held out her left hand and gazed wistfully at her bare ring finger. “He didn’t buy an engagement ring. He said we could go shopping together and pick one out.”

“So Roy hasn’t given up hope that you’ll say yes, I take it.”

“Oh, no. He was disappointed by my reaction to his proposal, naturally, but he’s willing to give me some time.” She placed her palms on the table and levered herself up. “Thanks, Neil, for listening to another segment in the Life of Cara soap opera. I feel better now, more able to cope. Talking to you about a problem always has that effect on me.”

Neil didn’t feel good at all about the outcome of the heart-to-heart talk they’d had. In fact, suddenly his mood was lousy.

“Boss, a sales rep is out here and wants to talk to you.” Peewee stuck his head in the doorway to speak to Neil. He named the muffler company the sales person was representing.

“Tell him I’ll be right out,” Neil said.

“Will do.” Peewee left.

Cara came around the table. “You go and talk to the rep. I’ll tidy up,” she said.

“You’re not the maid around here.”

Neil had made that point clear in an employees’ meeting recently. He’d posted a new sign, restating his father’s old rule that each person using the lounge was to clean up after himself or herself out of consideration for fellow employees. Cara hadn’t complained to Neil, but he’d noticed that she was taking it upon herself to clear the table and tidy up when her co-workers didn’t bother to pick up after themselves.

“Don’t be so doggoned self-sufficient,” she scolded him, slapping his hand lightly away as he reached for his empty beverage can. “I like to do something nice for you when I get the chance. It’s payback time.” Cara stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek, then gave him a shove toward the door.

“Thanks, Cara.”

“You’re welcome.”

With efficient movements, she crumpled up the butcher paper around the uneaten portion of the po’boy. He’d gotten down most of his three-quarters of the sandwich, much to Cara’s satisfaction. Now if he didn’t eat a square meal for supper, at least he’d had some nourishment today, she reflected.

Cara only wished she could do more than help Neil run his business and make sure that he ate right. She worried about him and her heart ached for him when she thought about all that he’d been through, losing his wife and child. They’d been killed in a terrible ten-automobile pile-up on a Memphis interstate. Lisa and three-year-old Chris, along with a dozen other people, had simply been unlucky enough to be on the highway at the wrong time.

Neil had been out of town, doing his job as a sales rep for a major manufacturer of automobile parts. Cara sensed that in low moments he might sometimes wish he’d perished with his family instead of having been spared their fate. But she thanked God for sparing him. She loved Neil every bit as much as she loved her four brothers, and, truth be told, she was closer to him than to Tony or Michael or Sal or Frankie.

Cara had been raised with the philosophy that everything happens for a reason, and all events figure into a divine plan that humans may not comprehend. It was impossible to understand why a wonderful guy like Neil would have such a horrible thing happen to him, but Cara couldn’t help but be glad for herself that he’d come back into her life three years ago when he quit his job and moved back here from Memphis, a thirty one-year-old widower.

Every day when she came to work she looked forward to seeing Neil. What was it he’d told her today about knowing when Mr. Right came along? An empty can in either hand, Cara paused on her way over to the recyclables bin, recalling Neil’s exact words: When you imagine living the rest of your life without him, you won’t be able to stand the thought.

What she couldn’t imagine was ever wanting to work at a different job with another boss besides Neil. Whether or not she married Roy, Cara would keep her job. She would continue to see Neil every day. Their relationship wouldn’t change.

With the lounge restored to a spic-and-span state, Cara returned to the office and tackled her work with renewed energy. Somehow her ruminations about her stable job situation had eased a great deal of the anxiety of deciding whether to accept or reject Roy Xavier’s marriage proposal.

Chapter Two

“Thank you, Aunt Cara!” chorused four-year-old Lea and Lauren in unison. They’d just ripped open Cara’s birthday gifts, identical little-girl makeup kits. “Now we can put on makeup and look pretty, like you!”

Mia, the twins’ mother, feigned insult, arms akimbo. “Your mommy puts on makeup once in a while and looks pretty, too, when she has time.”

“It doesn’t do your Aunt Cara a lot of good to primp,” Cara’s oldest brother Tony addressed his young nieces, a wide grin on his face.

“Oh, no, here we go again,” groaned Cara, clapping her hands over her ears.

Tony raised his voice. “Because Aunt Cara can’t seem to catch her a man to marry.”

“Stop picking on your baby sister,” scolded Rose LaCroix, eyeing her eldest son fondly.

The twins were more interested in their pile of presents than in adult verbal exchanges. They tore the wrappings from two more packages and drew general attention back to themselves, but Cara knew it was only a matter of time before she came in for more half teasing, half serious ribbing about her single status. She’d almost come to dread large family gatherings like this one.

Today the crowd on her parents’ rear lawn included all eight LaCroix siblings, the wives and husbands of the seven who were happily married, twenty-five grandchildren and assorted neighbors and relatives. Cara hadn’t counted heads, but there were between fifty-five and sixty people present. The youngest was her brother Sal’s six-month-old baby boy, Stevie, who was being passed around and tossed in the air and played with. The oldest was Sophia, holding court in a lawn chair and looking frail in a new ruffled pink duster.

Cara had helped her grandmother get dressed earlier. She’d combed Sophia’s fine silver hair, dusted face power and a touch of blush on her dear old wrinkled, gaunt cheeks, and fastened her antique garnet earrings in her ears. While she’d chattered on about various subjects, Cara kept remembering the conversation she’d overheard yesterday morning when her grandmother had described her wonderful dream about attending Cara’s wedding. Cara had imagined Sophia’s thrilled reaction if her youngest—and favorite—granddaughter confided, “Nonna, guess what? The man I’m dating, Roy Xavier? He proposed, and I’ve decided to say yes!”

Cara had almost decided. She’d gone over and over the pros and cons of marrying Roy and come up with all pros except for one single con—she wasn’t crazy in love with him. But maybe she never would fall crazily in love. A year or two from now, Cara might look back and regret turning Roy down.

The only thing holding Cara back at this point was Neil’s opposition. She’d always valued his advice and sought his approval.

Neil was the only person in her circle of important people Cara could trust to be discreet. That was why she hadn’t confided in any of her three sisters or her mother or Sophia. Rose would tell Sophia, swearing her to secrecy, and vice versa. They would tell Natalie, Cara’s oldest sister, once again admonishing her not to tell a soul. Natalie would pass along the news to Angie in strictest confidence. Angie would tell Mia. Inevitably the three sisters’ husbands would be made privy to the secret and they’d tell Cara’s brothers, who would tell their wives. It would be just a matter of time before Cara’s personal business would become the hot topic of family discussion. Everybody would have an opinion and state it— To one another and to Cara, who had learned the hard way not to be a blabber-mouth about her private life.

“We love all our presents!” sang out Lea and Lauren once all the packages had been opened, responding prettily to coaching from their mother.

“Now can we play Pin the Tail on the Donkey?” asked one of the twins’ cousins, setting off a litany of childish requests to play the traditional LaCroix birthday party game.

Eighteen-year-old Mark, the oldest LaCroix grandchild, good-naturedly carried out his assignment for the afternoon, herding the crowd of children over to an outside wall of the garage. A large poster of a donkey, much repaired with transparent tape had already been thumbtacked to the white-painted boards.

“There’s more cake and ice cream for seconds,” Rose informed the adults over the din of laughter and a dozen different conversations.

Cara was just now taking her turn at holding six-month-old Stevie. “Aren’t you precious?” she cooed to her little nephew as he gurgled and smiled at her.

“Hey, could Carmen and I have everybody’s attention? We have some big news to share.” The request came from Cara’s youngest brother Frankie, who at thirty was only a year and some months older than her. Heads turned in his direction. Frankie hugged his wife close to his side, and the two of them grinned at each other, like co-conspirators. “Looks like Stevie’s gonna have a little cousin playmate in less than nine months. Carmen’s expecting again.”

Cara added her sincere congratulations to the cacophony and tried not to look wistful. She and Carmen had been classmates in school, and now the other woman was pregnant for the third time and obviously blissfully happy about her condition.

For a few seconds Cara fantasized, visualizing Roy and herself here in the midst of the LaCroix family, making a similar announcement. Roy would look every bit as proud as Frankie did. Cara could feel his arm around her, strong and supportive.

The fantasy could easily come true. All Cara had to do was tell Roy she’d made up her mind and wanted to marry him. Immediately she could set a date for just a few months from now and start making whirlwind wedding plans to insure that Sophia was well enough to attend. How Cara wanted her grandmother to be there when she walked down the aisle, finally a bride instead of a bridesmaid.

It would make Sophia so happy. It would make the whole family happy and would mark the end to Cara’s being the lone unmarried sibling.

Stevie had begun to fret. His mother, Barb, appeared and reached for him, saying, “I’ll bet my little guy is hungry.” Feeding Stevie was strictly his mom’s job, since Barb was breast-feeding. Cara handed the infant over reluctantly. Her arms felt empty. She felt absurdly alone, an oddity, in the midst of her large, affectionate family.

I want to be half of a married couple, she thought. I want to get pregnant and have a baby. I want to be a wife, a mommy, a married daughter and granddaughter and sister.

She could have what she so badly wanted.

I’ll do it, Cara promised herself silently. She sucked in a breath of deep relief as the vapor of indecision evaporated. In its place grew an urgency to talk to Roy as soon as possible. She would tell him right away, before she even said hello. Yes, yes, yes, I will marry you.

Cara didn’t want to waste a minute getting things in motion now that her mind was made up.

“That’s really eye-catching,” Cara said. She’d walked up behind Neil. He was near the front of the store setting up a display of car waxes and polishes. “Is that a new product? The bright blue can?”

“Yes, it’s supposed to be the hottest new car wax on the market.”

“Really. I’ll have to tell Roy. He keeps that car of his so shiny you can see your reflection in it.”

“Yes, he does keep it waxed to a high shine. But then cars are his business.” Neil managed to keep his voice even, not an easy feat when he was talking about Cara’s husband-to-be. The more he was around Roy Xavier, the more Neil disliked the man.

And since Cara had gotten engaged to Xavier two weeks ago, the car salesman had taken to dropping by the store often. Neil’s gut instinct told him that, despite a phony show of friendliness, Xavier didn’t like him, either.

“Roy is coming by to pick me up. We’re meeting with Father Kerby at the church.” Cara had tipped her head back and hunched up her shoulders.

“What’s wrong? Tense muscles?” Neil asked.

“Planning this wedding is killing me,” she declared, rolling her head in a circle. “I try not to get uptight, but there’s so much to be done in such a short time.”

“You’re pushing yourself too hard. Here. Let me work out some of the knots for you.” Neil turned her so that she faced away from him. Then he began to massage her neck and shoulders.

“That feels so good,” she said. “I need you to do this before I go to bed at night. Then maybe I could fall asleep right away.”

Roy Xavier spoke from behind Neil. “Hey, I object. The only man who’s giving my woman a massage at bedtime from now on is me.”

“Oh, hi, Roy,” Cara said, her voice lazy with relaxation. “Just give me another minute or two of this heaven.”

“We’re kind of short on time, baby,” he replied.

“Are we? Too bad. Thanks, Neil.” With a sigh, she pulled away reluctantly, and Neil dropped his hands just as reluctantly.

“How are things going, Roy?” he asked, striving to sound genial. Hearing Xavier address Cara as baby in a tone of ownership had grated on Neil’s nerves.

“Couldn’t be better,” the other man replied. His clipped tone jarred with his usual smooth salesman’s manner.

Cara didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. “I’ll be about thirty minutes late tomorrow morning, Neil. I have to run by the printer’s on my way to work and look at some sample wedding invitations.”

“Take your time,” he said. “You need to slow down a little. You’re running yourself ragged getting your wedding organized.”

“Ready, baby?” Xavier drew Cara close and kissed her on the mouth. He would have turned it into a lingering kiss if Cara had cooperated, but she didn’t, Neil noticed, his fists clenching with repugnance.

“I just need to get my handbag. Bye, Neil.”

“See you tomorrow.” Neil averted his head, fixing his gaze on the display instead of watching them leave together, Xavier’s arm around Cara’s waist, staking possession.

The guy wasn’t nearly good enough for Cara. Why couldn’t she see what a mistake she was making? She was just settling for Roy Xavier because she was ready to marry somebody, but mainly because she so badly wanted to make her grandmother happy. Neil was convinced that the business about Sophia’s dream had tipped the scales for Cara.

He didn’t know how he was going to force himself to attend the wedding. Just the thought of watching the ceremony made Neil want to do something to intercede.

Cara was making a mistake. She wasn’t going to be happy as Roy Xavier’s wife. No way.

“Roy, it’s fine to give me a peck on the lips to say hello in front of Neil, but I wish you wouldn’t kiss me as though we had privacy,” Cara said after she and Roy had left the store. “It embarrasses me and makes Neil uncomfortable.” Her cheeks still felt flushed with her annoyance.

“He looked way too comfortable putting his hands all over you,” Roy replied, his voice angry.

“Don’t be ridiculous! He didn’t have his ‘hands all over me’! He was massaging my neck and shoulders. Neil has never touched me in any sexual way.”

“Every time I come into the store, he’s hugging you or patting you. I don’t like it one bit.”

“That’s an exaggeration. Even if it were true, Neil and I are like brother and sister.”

Roy grunted skeptically.

They got into his car. Cara wanted to say more, but she decided to let the subject drop for now. Before she could start up a friendlier exchange, Roy spoke in a more conciliatory tone.

“Let’s don’t fight, baby. But try to see things from my point of point. How would you like walking into the dealership and seeing me being familiar with one of the secretaries?”

“I wouldn’t like it. But you haven’t had a lifelong friendship with one of them, have you?”

Roy held up his hand, and Cara interpreted the gesture as signaling the end of the discussion. She stayed silent while he pulled out onto the street, deciding to let him start up a different conversation.

“Griffin was right about one thing.” Roy took his right hand off the wheel and rested it on her thigh. “You are running yourself ragged organizing our wedding and working a full-time job. I say go ahead and quit the job now. Give him two weeks’ notice, of course.”

“Quit my job?” Cara was staring at him in utter surprise.

“We both want to start a family right away, right? Didn’t we agree on that?” He rubbed her thigh suggestively. “At the risk of bragging, I expect to make you pregnant during our honeymoon.”

“I never said anything about quitting my job when I got pregnant. I’m sure Neil will give me maternity leave the last month or two, if I need to take leave.”

“You’ll have plenty to do to keep you busy without working. Things like decorating a nursery for the baby. Plus keeping house and cooking meals. Remember, I warned you I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy who likes the idea of being the breadwinner.”

“You warned me you like being the main bread-winnner, which is okay with me. But I don’t think I would like being totally dependent. You have to realize I’ve worked and earned my own spending money since I was fifteen.”

“Then get another job. Dammit, I don’t want you working for Griffin.” He took his hand away from Cara’s thigh, just moments before she shoved it away.

“I can’t believe you’re jealous of Neil! That’s so ridiculous!”

“The guy’s against you marrying me, Cara. I can tell.”

Cara opened her mouth to object and then pressed her lips closed when she realized she couldn’t honestly speak a denial. Roy looked over at her knowingly. “I’ll bet he tried to talk you out of accepting my marriage proposal, didn’t he?”

“Whatever kind of advice Neil gave me prior to our becoming engaged, his only concern was my happiness. Ever since I told him I was going to marry you, he hasn’t said the first negative word. And he would never do or say anything to undermine our marriage once we’re husband and wife. Neil’s too honorable a person.”

“He’s got you convinced he’s some kind of saint. That’s for certain,” Roy muttered.

“Darn it, I wanted the two of you to be good friends.”

“Fat chance.”

Cara sighed, her anger ebbing and leaving her deflated. “This puts a damper on everything, Roy. My job is a big part of my identity, just like your job is a big part of who you are.”

“But you’re going to change your identity and become my wife, Cara. You’re going to become the mother of our kids.”

“And you’re going to become my husband and the father of our kids.”

He sucked in a breath and expelled it noisily. “Cara, you’re not telling me you’d back out of marrying me before you’d quit working for Griffin?”

“I’m saying it’s unreasonable for you to expect me to quit a job I love.”

The quarrel continued until they arrived at the church. Cara was so upset that she could barely concentrate on anything Father Kerby said during the pre-marital counseling session.

Afterwards Roy made a stiff offer to take her out to supper, and Cara refused, asking him to drive her back to the store where she’d left her car. He complied, obviously still furious at her.

Neil’s garage doors were raised. Cara glimpsed him bent over beneath the raised hood of the old car he was restoring, a 1954 Corvette. Following the same instinct that had led her to his house, she pulled into the driveway and got out.

He straightened up, wiping his hands on a rag as she approached. Country and western music played on a portable boom box sitting on a shelf. Cara was reminded of the many times she’d gone looking for him at different stages in her life, when she was down in the dumps about something and needed to talk. Often she’d found him tinkering with his car in his parents’ garage.

“Hi, there,” Neil greeted her now. His tone was gentle and his gaze perceptive. It wasn’t necessary to tell him she felt lousy. He was reading that message in her face and body language, she knew.

“Hi. Just like the old days, huh? Except your taste in music has changed. You used to listen to rock and roll.”

He shrugged. “Occasionally I tune in a classic rock station.”

“Too many painful memories?” Cara’s voice was soft with sympathy as she filled in the gaps of what he hadn’t needed to explain. Some of those hit songs on classic rock stations would take him back to the era when he’d dated Lisa, back to their married years.

“Yes. You and Roy had a spat?” he asked. As always, he seemed more interested in her than himself.

“It was more than a spat. Neil, he insists I quit my job!” she burst out.

“I was afraid of that.”

“He’s actually jealous of you! I tried to tell him that you’re like a brother to me, but I couldn’t seem to get it through that thick skull of his that my relationship with you poses no threat to him.”

Neil crossed his arms and leaned against the car. The slump of his shoulders spelled out resignation. “It won’t be easy to replace you, but I certainly understand your position.”

“My position is that I’m not quitting.”

He sighed, rubbing a hand down the back of his head and neck. “Cara, there’s a lot of give and take in a marriage.”

“Roy’s being unreasonable. He’s not considering my feelings. I love my job. When I said yes to him, it was with the full intention of continuing working. For years and years.”

“You plan to have a family, don’t you?”

Cara bobbed her head in the affirmative. “Yes, but so what? I figured you wouldn’t mind if I set up a playpen at the store like Allison did when she had Jessica.” Allison was one of the two other women employees who worked in the office under Cara’s supervision. “Remember how we all pitched in and helped take care of Jessica? Even Jimmy and Peewee?”

“Maybe Roy will come around.”

“He’d better.” Cara stood on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, letting her actions thank him for listening and being there for her, centering her world. He responded in kind, silently saying You’re welcome with a brief, warm hug. “See you tomorrow,” she called over her shoulder as she walked to her car.

“Drive carefully,” he called back, his tone sober and concerned.

On the way to her apartment, Cara remembered the question Roy had asked her this afternoon during their heated argument: You’re not telling me you’d back out of marrying me before you’d quit working for Griffin?

Yes, Roy, that’s what I’m telling you, she thought now. She simply couldn’t marry anyone who expected her to cut Neil out of her life. For that was what Roy actually demanded.

Even though Neil had never said as much, Cara knew intuitively that he needed her to be there for him, too. She brightened up his day-to-day existence. Under no circumstances was she going to abandon him.

If Roy couldn’t understand, then he definitely wasn’t the right husband for Cara. She needed to call a halt to the wedding plans.

Her whole family would be terribly disappointed, but no more disappointed than Cara would at postponing becoming a married woman. By the time she eventually did find a better husband prospect—a man more considerate of her needs—Sophia would have passed away. Cara would live the rest of her days regretting that she hadn’t fulfilled her grandmother’s wish to attend her favorite granddaughter’s wedding.

Moving like an old man, Neil closed the garage doors after Cara’s car had disappeared from sight. Her visit had robbed him of all incentive to resume his repairs to the engine of the car. After turning off the boom box, he went inside his silent house.

For all her bravado, Neil expected that Cara would give in to Xavier’s ultimatum that she quit her job at Griffin’s Auto Parts. What choice did she have?—other than to cancel the wedding, and she wouldn’t go that far. Those same pressures that had caused her to settle for Xavier were still operative, primary among them the desire to grant her dying grandmother’s fervent wish to see Cara married.

In a matter of a few weeks or a couple of months at most, Cara would no longer be Neil’s employee. He wouldn’t have daily contact with her. For a while she’d keep in touch, dropping by the store occasionally or calling him on the phone. Then she’d get caught up in her world that didn’t include him any more.

The whole chain of events he foresaw was so damned depressing. And yet Neil couldn’t let Cara suspect how her absence from his life would affect him. Not for anything would he cause her guilt on his behalf.

Xavier might as well snatch the sun right out of the sky as deprive Neil of Cara’s sunny presence.

In the kitchen, Neil opened the refrigerator and closed it. He wasn’t hungry, and the effort to fix himself even the simplest meal didn’t seem worth the trouble.

Chapter Three

Cara stuck her head in the door of the stockroom, where Neil was training a new stockboy. “Neil, I’m going to the post office now. Can I run any errands for you while I’m out and about?”

“Hmm, seems like there was some errand,” he replied, scratching his head. “I’ll walk out with you. Maybe it’ll come to me.” Mainly Neil was seizing the opportunity to talk to Cara one-on-one.

Three days had gone by since she’d come to his house. She’d been awfully subdued for someone usually so outgoing and carefree. He hadn’t questioned her about the status of her relationship with Xavier out of respect for her privacy, instead waiting for her to come to him. But so far she hadn’t, and Neil was concerned about her.

“Is everything okay?” he asked when they’d emerged from the store, both of them pausing to carry on conversation. “Did you patch things up with Xavier?”

Cara sighed. “Yes, but it’s not going to work out. I’ve decided to break up with him.”

“I noticed he hasn’t been around.”

“He’s making a big deal about not coming here to the store in order to avoid you. But there are more issues than my job. Roy’s turned out to be a domineering type. I would never be happy married to him.” She mustered a smile. “Your instincts were right on target, not surprisingly.”

“Better to find out now,” he said, his voice gruff with sympathy.

“If only I hadn’t talked myself into saying yes to him. You don’t know how I dread breaking the news to my family that there isn’t going to be a wedding. I’ll never live this down.” She closed her eyes and shuddered. “What a mess. Nonna and my mother and sisters didn’t waste a minute going shopping for their outfits to wear. They all spent a fortune.”

“They haven’t worn the outfits. Can’t they be returned?”

“That’s not the point. It’s just going to be such a big letdown for the whole family.” Cara shook her head slowly, her pretty face haunted. “Especially Nonna. It was so cruel of me to give her a false sense of happiness. Last night I lay awake half the night, trying to think of some solution. I even considered begging Roy to go through with the wedding with the agreement that we’d only stay married while Nonna was alive. Then we’d get a divorce. But I know he wouldn’t do it.”

“That’s a crazy idea. You poor kid. I wish there was something I could do to help you out.” Neil wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, not really caring that cars were passing by on the street behind the store parking lot.

Cara leaned into him, burrowing her cheek against his shoulder. “What I need is a bridegroom and temporary husband. It wouldn’t be a bad deal for a man who liked Italian food,” she said with a brave attempt at humor. “You’ve eaten my lasagne.”

“I sure have, and you’re tempting me to volunteer.”

“I wish.” She kissed him on the cheek and stepped away, glancing out toward the street. “There goes Agnes Tanner in that green car, talking on her trusty cell phone. The whole town will be abuzz with her description of us in a clench outside the store.”

“Then our romance following your breakup up with Xavier won’t come as any great surprise,” Neil said lightly, wanting to make her smile at his ridiculous statement.

Cara gazed at him searchingly. “You wouldn’t really consider a fake romance, would you, Neil?”

“No, because you’re not serious about a fake marriage,” he chided her.

“I could be serious if you were willing. It wouldn’t be at all unpleasant sharing a house with you for six months or a year. We get along great. You wouldn’t invade my space and I wouldn’t invade yours. But, I realize that would be asking far too much.” She turned to leave and then stopped. “Was there an errand?”

“Yes, but I still don’t remember what it was.” He waved her on and went back inside, no less worried about her well-being than he’d been before she’d filled him in. She’d gotten herself into a no-win situation with the best of intentions. Neil was afraid she would cave in to all the pressures bearing on her and end up going through with marrying Xavier rather than cancel the wedding and disappoint her family.

Damn it, he wouldn’t stand by and let her do something that desperate. If nothing else, he would agree to participate in her far-fetched scheme to fake a marriage.

Why not? He wasn’t dating anyone, didn’t foresee wanting to date anyone, ever. Cara was wrong. It wouldn’t be asking too much of him. Not too much at all.

The talk with Neil hadn’t erased Cara’s dilemma, but, as always, she felt better after confiding in him, more positive that things would be okay. Somehow. Some way.

It surprised—and intrigued—her that he hadn’t been more emphatic in his refusal when she’d asked, You wouldn’t really consider a fake romance?

Cara couldn’t help wondering whether she could actually persuade Neil to agree to a temporary marriage. Whether or not he would go that far to help her out, she would never know because she wouldn’t ask that big a favor of him.

And yet…

The idea was crazy. Not to mention the dishonesty involved in speaking marriage vows with the intention of not staying married. But wouldn’t the good outweigh the bad? Wouldn’t God understand? How could it be wrong to grant Nonna’s wish to attend Cara’s wedding before she died?

However, Cara wouldn’t have to wrestle with the morality of a temporary marriage. She wouldn’t bring the subject up again with Neil, and he was her only candidate for a temporary husband.

Cara couldn’t imagine entering into such an arrangement and living for a period of time with any other man she knew. Not even Roy. Odd how easily she could imagine moving into Neil’s house and becoming his housemate.

The imaginary scenario occupied her mind while she drove to and from the post office. On her return to the store, she gave herself a stern lecture. It’s not going to happen, Cara, so let’s get back on track and focus on reality. Okay?

“Okay,” she said aloud glumly.

True to her word, she put aside the whole train of thought, though unwillingly.

“Cara, if you’re not in a big hurry, could you stick around a few minutes?” Neil asked.

“Sure.”

It was quitting time, and the store employees were leaving. Cara did a few tasks and straightened her desk, not finding Neil’s request unusual. She assumed he wanted to discuss some store-related matter.

As soon as everyone had gone, he came back into the office. “Are you seeing Xavier tonight?” he inquired.

“No, he has a poker game.”

Her answer seemed to give him pause. “Then why don’t I take you out to dinner?”

Cara’s immediate reaction was pleasure. “I’d like that.”

“Good. I’ll pick you up about seven o’clock.”

“Where are we going? Just so I’ll know how to dress.”

He named a popular restaurant that served steak and seafood.

On the way to her apartment Cara wondered what had prompted Neil to issue the invitation. Did she look so down in the dumps that he’d felt sorry for her? Whatever the reason, she was glad. It would be a treat to get together with Neil away from the store. Cara meant to keep the conversation on subjects other than her problems.

As she changed clothes and freshened her makeup, Cara found herself remembering how as a preteen girl she’d daydreamed about getting old enough to date Neil. She’d been so envious of his girlfriends. Cara was seventeen and going steady with her current heartthrob when Neil became engaged to be married, but she still suffered jealous pangs when she met Lisa, Neil’s fiancée and later his wife.

If tonight were really a date, it would be the realization of a lot of wishful thinking at more youthful stages of Cara’s life. But tonight wasn’t really a date. Cara and Neil were long-time friends, employee and employer. He wasn’t—and never would be—interested in her as a woman. The grown-up Cara accepted that fact of life and was happy with their relationship.

But what if Neil were interested in her? Cara brushed aside the question, since such speculation was pointless.

Neil arrived a couple of minutes early. Cara was ready and keeping a watch out for him. He’d changed clothes, too, she noticed as she climbed into the passenger seat of his pickup. Instead of his khaki pants and red knit shirt with his first name and Griffin Auto Parts embroidered on the pocket, he was wearing navy slacks and a crisp striped shirt. He looked clean-cut and handsome, his sandy hair neatly combed and his tanned skin emphasizing the blue of his eyes.

It occurred to Cara as she clipped her seatbelt, that Neil’s looks appealed to her a whole lot more than Roy’s ever had. The honest insight made her feel guilty. Talking herself into marrying Roy just because he was available and willing hadn’t been fair to him.

“Mom said to tell you hello,” Neil said. “She called right after I got home from the store.”

“How is her golf game coming along?”

“Not too good. But she’s having fun playing with a group of retirees who’re also beginners.”

“Is your dad managing to keep himself occupied?”

“Yes, he’s discovered the Internet and is looking up old army buddies.”

“How neat.”

They chatted about his parents on the short drive to the restaurant. Cara’s interest was genuine; she was very fond of Dean and Judith Griffin and had missed them since they’d moved off to Florida.

“Maybe I should have gotten a reservation,” Neil said, parking his pickup in one of the few available spots. “I didn’t think it would be this crowded on a weeknight.”

Inside they were able to get a table. Not surprisingly, Cara recognized a number of friends and acquaintances, as did Neil. They responded to greetings, following behind the hostess.

“I thought that was Agnes Tanner’s car outside,” Cara commented when they were seated. “Wouldn’t you know she would pick this same restaurant tonight?”

“So what?” he replied.

“She just happens to be the biggest gossip in Hammond. You know that.”

Neil grinned. “Should we give her something juicy to gossip about?”

Cara hadn’t seen that streak of playfulness in Neil during the three years since he’d returned to his home town a widower. “Let’s,” she replied, smiling impishly.

He leaned across the table, picked up one of Cara’s hands and brought it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. Cara felt a jolt of electricity at the contact of his lips against her skin. Warm pleasure gushed through her, all the way to her toes. Wow, she almost said before she caught herself.

“Was she watching?” he asked, returning her hand to the table.

Cara had forgotten all about Agnes Tanner. She glanced in the woman’s direction. “Gawking is more the word.”

Apparently Neil hadn’t experienced anything similar in reaction to his playacting. He opened his menu and began perusing it. Cara followed his example. Neither of them made any further mention of Agnes or paid her any further attention.

They ordered their meals. The waitress soon brought their salads and a basket of hot rolls. Cara ate with relish, enjoying the food and Neil’s company. The conversation never hit a lull. The two of them always had things to talk about. Cara didn’t bring up Roy’s name, nor did Neil until the plates were cleared away and they were having coffee.

“You said you’d decided to break off with Xavier,” he stated, stirring cream into his coffee.

“Yes, I had gotten up the courage to tell him last night, but he worked late, and we ended up just talking on the phone. So I put off telling him.”

“Don’t procrastinate, Cara. The sooner you stop the wedding preparations, the better for everybody.”

“You’re right.” Cara sipped her coffee.

Neil frowned, obviously not satisfied with her answer. He leaned toward her and lowered his voice before he spoke in the same sober tone, “After our conversation today when you were leaving to go to the post office, I did some thinking. If you’re going to marry anybody out of desperation just so Sophia can attend your wedding, I’d rather it be me.” Cara was so taken by surprise and so humbled by this proof of his affection for her that she just gazed at him, tongue-tied. He went on, “Not that I’m in favor of the whole idea, mind you. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a real marriage. We wouldn’t sleep together, naturally.” This last statement came out sounding stern. He sat upright again.

Cara felt herself blushing and wondered whether he’d been aware of how she’d responded earlier to his kissing her hand. “Neil, I’m deeply touched. This afternoon I wasn’t proposing. Honest. I would never put you on the spot like that.”

“I didn’t construe what you said as a proposal. My offer is purely voluntary. Consider it a backup plan if you start wavering about breaking off with Xavier.”

“Oh, I see. You’re afraid I’m too big a coward to face the music.”

“You’re under a lot of pressure. Don’t be hard on yourself.” He reached over and gave her forearm a gentle squeeze. Cara felt a warm tingle of pleasure in his touch. Warm pleasure had always been there when Neil patted or hugged her, but the tingle was new. What was going on?

“My conscience wouldn’t allow me to exploit our friendship,” she said and sipped her coffee. “We’re talking a major disruption of your life.”

He shrugged. “I have a routine more than I have a life.” The statement was quietly matter-of-fact. He wasn’t asking for pity, but Cara felt a surge of compassion anyway as she thought of how lonely he must be.

“You haven’t dated at all, have you?” she asked.

“No. I wouldn’t make a very good date.”

“Tell that to all the women who come on to you. Some of them even ask you to go out. I’ve heard you let them down easy.” She hesitated. “It’s been three years, Neil. You don’t want to live alone indefinitely.”

“Between work and my involvement in civic organizations, I have a lot of interaction with people. Don’t make me out to be a hermit. How did the conversation get on to me, anyway? We were discussing you.”

Cara wrinkled up her nose. “Aren’t we always?”

“So you’ll take steps to stop the wedding? Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll invite Roy over to my place for supper and tell him I can’t go through with marrying him. Then the hard part.” She sighed. “Breaking the news to Nonna and my mother. They’ll inform the rest of the family. My best bet is to take my phone off the hook. Better yet, leave town until the worst blows over.”

“Tell your family you’re acting on my advice. Make me out to be the bad guy. I can take the flack.”

“You’re so sweet.”

The waitress brought the check. Cara asked if she could pay half and he said no. While he was taking out his wallet and extracting a credit card, she glanced over and noted that Agnes Tanner and her husband had departed. Cara hadn’t noticed them leaving. She hadn’t been aware of anybody except Neil all through dinner, for that matter. Their table might have been a private island in the room.

Poor Roy. She’d never been that focused on him when the two of them were out together in public. For the first time, Cara was willing to admit that maybe Roy had had a legitimate complaint about her devotion to her boss.

No more was said about Neil’s willingness to participate in a fake marriage, but Cara knew without a single doubt he would stand by his word if she decided to take him up on the offer. The knowledge that he’d given her what he called a “back up plan” would, she knew, shore up her courage to act decisively—and wisely—in rectifying the mistake she’d made in accepting Roy’s proposal. That had been Neil’s intention—to push her in the right direction.

The scene with Roy the next evening turned out to be much uglier than Cara could ever have imagined. It turned out to be much briefer, too. They never got around to eating the meal she’d prepared. Roy was in a fury when he arrived and began hurling bitter accusations about her fooling around with her boss behind Roy’s back.

Cara could barely get in a word, but she quickly surmised that Agnes Tanner had been busy spreading gossip, and Roy had gotten a full-blown account of yesterday’s embrace outside the store and last night’s innocent playacting at the restaurant.

“I’ve had it up to here!” Roy shouted, with a slashing motion across his throat. “The wedding’s off!”

“I’m so sorry about all this,” Cara began in a contrite tone.

He didn’t let her continue a meek explanation. “So it’s okay with you to call the wedding off?” he demanded.

Cara sighed in defeat and nodded. The whole story was so complicated, and what could she say to salve his pride? “I’m truly sorry, Roy. And I don’t blame you for being angry.”

“Spare me any apologies, you—” He balled up his fist, and for one frightened second, Cara cowered away from him, afraid he might strike her. He conquered the violent impulse and instead directed a tirade of verbal abuse at her before he stormed out.

The loud slamming of the door made Cara wince. She collapsed into a chair, weak with relief and horrified that she might actually have married Roy, a potential wife-beater, judging from the way he’d acted tonight. Ironically, his language and his behavior absolved her of a great deal of guilt. He didn’t love her, either, because no man who loved a woman could call her such foul names and accuse her of such sleazy actions. Roy’s mind was in the gutter.

“No wonder Neil took a dislike to him,” Cara murmured.

One thing for sure—she wouldn’t describe the breakup scene to Neil in any great detail. He just might call Roy up or, worse, go to see him and bawl him out for treating Cara as he had. Neil had come to her defense in the past. Cara remembered a couple of incidents during her teens when he’d tracked down boys who’d acted disrespectfully toward her. She didn’t know what he’d said or done, but he’d cured the problem in each case.

The phone was ringing. Cara rose and picked up the cordless phone from an end table. She spoke a cautious hello. Roy could be calling to shout at her some more or any number of friends could be checking in to report the rumors Agnes was circulating.

“Cara Marie.” Her mother’s voice came over the line. Cara’s heart sank. She could easily picture Rose LaCroix’s face, her compressed lips and grim expression. The gossip must have made it to her ears already.

“Hi, Mamma. How are you?”

Rose ignored her conversational opener. “Are you talking on that cordless phone?”

“Why, yes.”

“I don’t want the whole world listening in to what I have to say, even if it is a pack of lies.”

Recently there had been a feature on the local news about the lack of privacy in using cell phones and cordless phones. The news reporter had played recordings of intercepted conversations, some of them embarrassingly personal.

“Why don’t I come over in about fifteen minutes?” Cara said. She might as well go ahead and finish the job of calling a halt to the wedding preparations. Especially since nosy Agnes had laid the groundwork.

“We’ll be here. Your daddy is at a meeting,” Rose added.

So “we” meant Rose and Sophia, Cara deduced, the dread settling over her like a heavy blanket and making her clumsy as she hurriedly put the uneaten dinner in plastic containers to stow in the refrigerator. My stomach feels hollow, but I’m not even hungry. That’s a first, she thought, wiping up spillage on the counter.

The drive to her parents’ house took her only ten minutes. She parked in the driveway and entered through the rear porch, as was her habit. It wasn’t necessary to use her key since the doors weren’t locked and wouldn’t be locked until bedtime.

“We’re in here. In the kitchen,” Rose called out.

Cara inhaled the mouthwatering aroma of food. The worst case of nerves couldn’t deaden her tastebuds to her mother’s cooking. “I smell something delicious.”

Sophia spoke up, “Stuffed manicotti. Your mamma is heating some up for you in the microwave oven in case you didn’t eat supper yet.”

None of Rose’s children could err badly enough to kill her nurturing instincts. That knowledge gave Cara some slight reassurance.

“I haven’t eaten,” she said from the doorway. Rose stood by the counter, a pot holder in either hand. Sophia sat at the table, wearing a robe, looking thin and gaunt and ever so dear.

“Sit down here, next to me, cara mia.” Sophia patted the seat of the chair adjacent to hers.

Cara went over and hugged her grandmother and kissed her on the cheek before she did as instructed. Rose set down a plate in front of her. “You want iced tea?” she asked.

“Please.”

“Eat,” Sophia scolded. “It’s good.”

Cara picked up her fork. “Thanks, Mamma,” she said when Rose served the glass of iced tea.

“You’re welcome.” Rose sat down across from them, her hands firmly clasped in front of her. Cara knew better than to expect a reprieve while she was eating, and, sure enough, her mother came right to the point. “So who’s spreading these lies about you fooling around with your boss behind Roy’s back?”

“How did you hear?”

“Angela from next door came over, all embarrassed, and told me it was the big topic of conversation at the Ladies’ Altar Circle meeting this afternoon. She thought I ought to know. No sooner had she gone than your Aunt Mary called to say the story was all over Hammond. I gave her a piece of my mind when she asked me if there was any truth to it. Then she had the gall to say she hoped the wedding was still on. I said, ‘Of course, it is,’ and made an excuse and hung up.”

Mary Landry was Cara’s father’s sister, and no love was lost between her and Rose, as Cara well knew.

Sophia smoothed the placemat in front of her with a bony, fragile hand. “Poor Mary’s always been jealous because you had pretty daughters and her girls are so plain, Rose. It wouldn’t surprise me if she started the gossip herself out of pure spite.”

Cara laid down her fork. “Aunt Mary didn’t start the gossip. I’m guessing Agnes Tanner is behind it. She was at the same restaurant last night where Neil and I went to have dinner.”

Rose’s brown eyes grew as round as marbles. “Cara Marie,” she said in a shocked tone. “You don’t go out on dates with other men when you’re engaged to be married.”

“Neil isn’t ‘other men.’ I’ve known him forever.”

“Where was Roy? Where is he tonight?”

“Last night he was at his regular poker game. And tonight he came to my apartment. He’d heard the gossip, too, and believed it. We had a big fight and broke up.”

“She broke up with her fiancé, Mamma. Did you hear that? There’s going to be no wedding.”

“I heard,” Sophia replied. To Cara’s anxious eye, her grandmother seemed to shrink and grow more frail. Sophia had regained some of her old animation during the past few weeks since Cara had announced her engagement. Now that animation had died.

Rose sat with her palm clapped across her forehead and her eyes closed, reciting a quick prayer.

“I’m so sorry,” Cara said. “I realized a few days ago that I couldn’t marry Roy. I don’t love him, and he insisted I give up my job….”

Sophia patted her arm. “Finish your supper. Then come and tell your nonna good-night. I’m going to lie down and rest.”

“But, Mamma, your favorite TV show is coming on,” Rose said. “You want me to tape it for you?”

“Yes. I’ll watch it tomorrow.”

Cara wanted to burst out crying, but what good would that do? It wouldn’t change the fact that she was the cause of the disappointment weighing down the atmosphere in the room. She had to do something, say something to dispel the gloom and revive the expectation she’d cruelly fostered in the first place. Her mother was healthy and could cope, but Nonna wasn’t in good health.

Neil had given her permission to claim he was her new love interest, Cara reminded herself.

“Before you go to bed, Nonna, I have a secret to tell you and Mamma. Now don’t you breathe a word to anyone. You swear?”

Rose and Sophia both leaned toward her.

“Those rumors about Neil and me? Well, there’s some truth in them.”

Chapter Four

It wasn’t even necessary for Cara to embroider the fib—a fib being an untruth motivated by good, as compared to a lie—into a believable romance. Her mother and her grandmother did that for her.

“So that nice Griffin boy finally woke up!” Sophia exclaimed, a delighted smile breaking across her dear old face. “You always worshipped the ground he walked on.”

“I’ll bet you got his attention when you were about to marry another man,” Rose said, nodding wisely. “He saw you were about to slip through his fingers.”

“He realized our Cara is one of a kind.” Sophia caressed Cara’s cheek lovingly. “He won’t find himself another wife so sweet and good.”

Rose dealt with practicalities. “You’ll want to wait a few weeks before you announce your engagement. Otherwise it would look odd, canceling one wedding and planning another one.”

“Neil and I haven’t actually discussed wedding dates,” Cara put in weakly. She had only meant to lift their spirits, not obligate Neil to step in and replace Roy as bridegroom, even though he’d agreed to do so.

“God will understand the rush,” Sophia stated, her tone tranquil. Seeing the change in her grandmother now that hope was reborn for Cara’s future, Cara couldn’t be sorry for the deception. God in His infinite wisdom surely would understand everything.

“I didn’t really like that Roy Xavier all that much,” Rose revealed. “He struck me as a typical car salesman, all phony smiles and handshakes. Your daddy agreed with me.”

So did Sophia. So did Natalie and Angie and the majority of the family, Cara learned. No wonder Rose and Sophia had been so quick to accept Cara’s breakup with Roy and new relationship with Neil.

The gabfest continued until Rose noted that it was almost time for Sophia’s TV program. Cara declined the invitation to stay and watch it with them. After fond good-night hugs and kisses, she made her escape.

On the way to her car, she glanced toward the kitchen. Through a window she could see her mother standing at the wall phone, gesturing with her free hand while she carried on animated conversation. Rose hadn’t even waited until Cara had backed out of the driveway to start spreading the highly secret news.

“I’d better warn Neil tonight. People may start congratulating him by tomorrow,” Cara said aloud to herself and sighed. She hated to complicate his life like this. Especially since he’d given her sound advice when she was considering Roy’s marriage proposal.

It was still early enough that Cara decided she’d rather explain in person to Neil what she’d gotten him into, rather than tell him on the phone. She drove directly to his house and saw lights on.

“Hi, Cara,” he greeted her with a note of surprise when he opened the front door. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, and wearing only socks on his feet.

“You’re going to hate me,” she declared.

His expression grew stern as he studied her face. “I’m not going to hate you, whatever you’ve done. Or not done. I thought you were having Xavier over for dinner tonight to call off the wedding.”

“He came, all right, but he didn’t eat dinner. He was too mad.”

“You did break up with him?”

“Actually he broke up with me.”

The tension seemed to ebb from his body, and his slight frown smoothed out. “Either way, I’m glad to hear it.” He opened the door wide in a wordless invitation for her to come in.

Cara had been inside the house on other occasions. She walked ahead of him into the living room and went over to perch on a man-size brown tweed sofa, which, like the worn brown leather recliner, was a castoff from his parents’ home. Cara had sat on the sofa in their den.

Neil hadn’t brought any household belongings with him from Memphis when he moved back to Hammond following the death of his wife and son. He’d lived with Dean and Judith Griffin for a year, then bought this one-story brick house when they’d put their home up for sale, prior to relocating to Florida.

“Would you like a beer or a soft drink?” Neil inquired. “That’s about all I have to offer you to drink, other than coffee or tea.”

“Nothing, thanks. I just had iced tea at Mamma’s house.” The TV was playing. He’d obviously been watching a TV program.

He looked thoughtful, registering the information that she’d come to see him after visiting her parents and Sophia.

“Do you want to sit down?” Cara asked nervously, curbing the urge to blurt out a confession.

“Sure.” Neil picked up the remote from the square wooden coffee table and clicked off the TV before he sat down on the sofa, too. “Okay. Out with it,” he said.

She breathed in and breathed out. “You know that backup plan you gave me last night? That you would marry me, in a pinch?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I set it in motion. Not intentionally. I only meant to use the make-believe romance part, but my mother and Nonna jumped to conclusions.” Cara lifted her hands in a helpless gesture. “I didn’t have the heart to correct them. Here’s what happened.” She filled him in, talking fast and interjecting frequent apologies. “I’m so sorry,” she said once again when she’d run out of explanation.

“Don’t take all the blame,” Neil chided her. He slid closer and put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a supportive hug. “I’m at fault, too, for putting on a show for Agnes Tanner at the restaurant. Dammit, I didn’t stop and think about the harmful consequences of egging her on. Thanks to me, your family has suffered embarrassment. And Xavier, too.”

Cara might have known that Neil would assume his share of responsibility and more. Of all the people in the world, including her family, he was the person she could depend on most to stand behind her. Gratitude welled up that he hadn’t made her feel even worse than she already did. “Neither of us meant to hurt anybody,” she pointed out, laying her head on his shoulder.

“You’re much too soft-hearted to do anything mean or spiteful,” he said stoutly in her defense.

“But look at the awful mess I’ve gotten you into.”

“We’ll get through it together.”

Cara kissed him on the cheek, wordlessly telling him Thank you and I’m sorry.

Neil hugged her close, and Cara hugged him back, feeling guilty over the fact that, despite the terrible predicament she’d created for them both, she was perfectly happy and content to be sitting there on his sofa in his living room. More content than she’d ever been when Roy embraced her during the brief period when they were engaged to be married. Safe and protected in Neil’s arms, it was difficult to muster anxiety and self-reproach. He’d always fostered the belief in her that everything would be okay.

“I’m not much of an actor,” Neil said. “That’s what bothers me.” His troubled tone burst Cara’s bubble of well-being, reviving her regret over disrupting his life. She easily followed his train of thought: it wouldn’t be easy for him to act like her lover, when he’d been like a brother to her for so many years.

“You fooled Agnes Tanner easily enough in the restaurant last night with your Casanova imitation,” she reminded him. The memory came back of how his playacting had affected Cara, arousing that tingle of delight. Would repetition of lover-like attentions dull the reaction, or would she experience it again and again? The question worried Cara. A lot. Later she would test it out, using her imagination. But not now. Not here with Neil.

“Agnes is no challenge since, like most gossips, she seems to always be looking for the worst qualities in other human beings,” he was replying. “It’s a different matter with people who know us well, like Jimmy and Peewee.”

“And Allison and Mary Ann…” Cara’s voice drifted off on a note of dismay as she added to the list of her co-workers, and his employees, at the store. “Gosh, I can’t stand the thought of deliberately misleading them, can you?” She raised her head as Neil’s arms loosened. He sat further apart from her until they were back in their original positions.

“No, but we’ll have to.”

“I should just go back to my parents’ house right now and tell them I just made up the whole thing, out of desperation.”

“You can’t do that. Think about how disappointed Sophia will be.”

Cara slumped lower as she visualized her grandmother’s reaction to the truth. The joy fading away and expectation dying. “You’re right,” she whispered. “I just can’t. It would be too cruel.”

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