More Than a Convenient Bride Read online

  Julie had never had a pet before. Her father forbade animals of any kind in the house, and at university, with a full class-load, there hadn’t been time. After that she’d moved around so frequently, spending months abroad, owning an animal, even something as benign as a goldfish, had been impractical.

  Her condo in Royal had a no-pet policy, so adopting had never been an option. But she no longer had that obstacle, did she? She wondered how Luc would feel about adopting a small dog or even a cat. He spoke fondly of the various pets his family had owned in their ranching days, so she knew he liked animals.

  “Maybe I’ll come by and take a look,” she said. “After I talk to Luc about it, of course.”

  “Speaking of,” Megan said. “How is he holding up?”

  “He’s good.” It had been touch and go with his mother all last week, but now she was infection free, eating better than she had in months and growing stronger every day. As they drew closer to April, and the days grew warmer, Elizabeth had been spending time outside in the gardens with her nurse.

  “It must have been a shock for him,” Lark said.

  “Not really,” Julie told her. “It’s just a part of her condition.”

  “Condition?” Megan asked, looking confused. “I thought her son was the patient. Is Luc treating her, too? And wouldn’t that be a conflict of interest?”

  Julie frowned. Her who?

  “Far as I heard he’s only treating the boy,” Lark said. “Which is bad enough if you ask me.”

  There were obviously some crossed wires here. “I’m a little confused.”

  “And that’s perfectly natural,” Megan said. “I would be, too, if Drew’s ex showed up.”

  Drew’s ex? Wait, what?

  Before she could ask what the heck they were talking about, she noticed Stella approaching their table.

  “Hello, ladies! Isn’t this fantastic.” She gazed around the diner. “It’s so inspiring to see things getting back to normal in our little town.”

  “Are you here for lunch?” Lark asked her.

  “Would you like to join us?” Megan chimed in. “We’re giving Julie some much needed moral support.”

  They were? And what exactly did she need support for?

  Stella sat in the empty chair next to Julie and with eyes full of sympathy said, “I heard she was in town. How are you holding up?”

  She who? “Guys, I’m really confused.”

  “Of course you are,” Stella said gently. “Who wouldn’t be under the circumstances.”

  “No, I mean I’m confused right now, by this conversation. I must have missed something, because I’m lost. Who are we talking about?”

  “Amelia,” Stella said.

  “Amelia who?” The only Amelia that she knew of was the one who’d broken Luc’s heart. The one he was still hung up on all these years later. They couldn’t possibly mean...

  The three women exchanged a look, and Megan said, “I’m sorry. We just assumed Luc had told you.”

  Julie was beginning to get a very bad feeling. “Told me what?”

  “His ex-fiancée, Amelia. Her son is Luc’s patient.”

  Amelia was here, in Royal? Julie’s stomach did an odd little flip-flop and a rush of heat flooded her cheeks.

  As his wife, she should have known that. Even as his fake wife, a heads-up would have been nice. Weren’t they supposed to make this marriage look legitimate?

  “I guess it must have slipped his mind,” Julie said. Though technically Luc was her boss, it wasn’t often that their paths crossed at the hospital. On the average day, she rarely left her office. And though she had seen a picture of Amelia from six years ago, she had no clue what she would look like now. She could have passed her in the hall and not even known it. “We’re both pretty busy. Some nights we don’t even see each other.”

  Maybe Amelia and her son had just arrived and he’d forgotten to mention it. And maybe seeing her again, talking things over with her, would give him the closure he needed. So really, this could be a good thing. Right?

  “When did she get here?” Julie asked them, forcing a smile, trying her best not to come off as the jilted wife.

  The women exchanged another look and the bad feeling grew.

  “Last Monday,” Stella said.

  For reasons that escaped her, Julie’s heart plummeted to the pit of her belly and her appetite disappeared. She had been in Royal for more than a week?

  “I’m so sorry you had to find out this way,” Lark said. “We all just assumed you knew.”

  As Luc’s wife, she should have known. But as his friend and employee, since that’s all they really were, he was under no obligation to tell her anything. He had his life and she had hers. But he’d put her in a difficult situation.

  She wracked her brain for a way to backpedal, to make herself look at least a little less pathetic, but trying to explain something she had no real answer for would only make things worse. Maybe Luc was trying to protect her feelings, or maybe he figured she wouldn’t care either way.

  You’re rationalizing, and for no good reason, she told herself. It was what it was. An arrangement. After all that he’d done for her, how could she complain? If he wanted to talk about it with her he would in his own good time. And if he didn’t, that was okay, too.

  “He probably just didn’t want to upset you,” Megan said. “Her showing up so soon after the wedding. Maybe he felt hesitant to tell you.”

  “Or maybe he’s so over her that he didn’t feel the need to say anything,” Lark added.

  Julie appreciated their efforts, but they were only making things worse. “Can we maybe not talk about it anymore?”

  “Of course,” Stella said with manufactured cheer. “Hey, did you guys see in the paper that the coffee shop is set to reopen next week? And construction on the hospital will begin next month. I’m not sure if it’s possible, but I’d like to have the new city hall building completed by the first anniversary of the tornado. We’ve come so far already in our rebuilding efforts.”

  “It’s definitely starting to look like home again,” Lark said.

  The rest of the meal was awkward to say the least. No one brought Amelia up again, but considering the occasional sideways glances and sympathetic smiles from her friends, the subject was clearly on everyone’s mind.

  It would have been easy for her to make some sort of excuse and leave the diner, but Julie forced herself to sit there and pick at her salad, pretending to follow the conversation, when inside she was all jumbled up. She wondered how much time he’d been spending with Amelia. He’d come home very late from the hospital the past two nights. Could he have been with Amelia? Had they rekindled their romance? Was it possible that he was sleeping with her?

  The thought made Julie sick to her stomach, though it shouldn’t have. They never said they wouldn’t see other people. Julie had just assumed, in the spirit of making their marriage look legitimate, and because they were intimately involved, that they wouldn’t. And though she wanted to put it out of her mind and let it go, her brain went into overdrive instead.

  She picked at her food and sipped her sweet iced tea, when what she really needed was something big and alcoholic. Anything to loosen the knots in her chest, to sooth her bruised pride.

  The lunch seemed to go on forever, but Julie refused to be the first one to leave.

  Claiming she had more establishments to visit, Stella left first, and then Lark got a call from the hospital and had to rush back to work, leaving just Julie and Megan.

  “Julie, I am so sorry,” Megan said the instant they were alone. “We never meant to embarrass you that way. We just...”

  “Assumed that as his wife Luc would have told me. I would have thought so, too.”

  “I’m sure he had a good reason for not saying
anything. And I’m sure nothing is going on between them.”

  “Are you sure? Really? If nothing was going on, why would he hide it from me?” She heard herself and shook her head with disgust.

  “As your friend, husband and boss, he should have had the courtesy to tell you. You have every right to be angry with him.”

  At this point Julie wasn’t sure what she was feeling. Or what she should feel. If the tables were turned, would she have done anything differently?

  Yes, she would have. She would have told him the truth. She wondered how she could be so blind to what had been going on around her. Had she just been lulled into a false sense of security? And why hadn’t anyone told her?

  “What exactly have you heard about her?” Julie asked Megan.

  Megan hesitated. “Maybe you should talk to Luc about it.”

  Oh, she would, but first she wanted the entire story, or as much as Megan could tell her. “I want to know what you’ve heard. I thought she was married.”

  “Divorced.”

  Swell. “What else?”

  Looking pained, Megan said, “I heard they’ve been spending a considerable amount of time together. But that could just be talk.”

  She doubted it. “How much longer will she be here?”

  “I really don’t know. Her son is having spinal surgery, so as long as it takes him to recover I guess.”

  At least a week, maybe a little longer. That wasn’t too bad. “Did Luc do the surgery yet?”

  Megan shook her head. “And I have no idea when he’s supposed to do it. Soon, I would imagine.”

  Not soon enough as far as Julie was concerned. The faster they left, the better. Unless it was already too late. Maybe he’d fallen back in love with her. Which would mean what for Julie? Divorce? Deportation? Or would she simply have to share him until she became a legal citizen?

  What a horrifying thought.

  For the rest of the day Julie walked around with a knot in her chest. And though she had no right to, she felt angry and betrayed. She went back to the hospital and tried to work, but she couldn’t concentrate worth a damn. What she wanted to do was confront Luc, but she was still too hot under the collar. She needed time to cool off and put things into perspective. Convince herself that technically, Luc had done nothing wrong.

  She left work early and headed for home, wondering how much longer she would actually be calling this grand place home. Would Luc move Julie out, and bring Amelia and her son in? Or would they all live there together as one big happy family? The idea made her shudder.

  She wandered the house aimlessly for several minutes, confused and scared, her thoughts too jumbled to be rational, wondering what her next move should be. Should she confront Luc, or let him tell her in his own good time? And what if she didn’t like what he had to say?

  She wound up in the den, with its ceiling-high stone fireplace and panoramic windows, staring blankly into the afternoon sunshine, feeling as if the perfect life she’d had just this morning had completely fallen apart.

  “You’re home early,” she heard Elizabeth say, and turned to see her wheeling her chair into the room. “How’s my favorite daughter-in-law today?”

  She said it with a smile so filled with love and genuine affection, Julie burst into tears.

  * * *

  An emergency surgery came in just as Luc was about to leave the hospital, so by the time he finally did get home it was after eleven. He went straight to Julie’s room to tell her about Amelia, but she was already asleep.

  “Julie,” he called softly, but he didn’t get an answer. He considered waking her, but he figured the news would be much better received after they both had a good night’s sleep.

  His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he’d skipped dinner, so he went down to the kitchen for a snack. He foraged though the fridge and found a pot of leftover stew.

  “You’re home late,” he heard his mother say, and turned to see her wheeling herself into the kitchen. She was in her pajamas, but clearly hadn’t been to bed yet.

  “What are you doing up?” he asked her. “You know how important it is that you get your rest.”

  “Where have you been?” she asked.

  “The hospital.”

  “Doing what?”

  He frowned. What did she think he would be doing? “I had an emergency surgery. Why? Is something wrong?”

  “Come here,” she said, gesturing him to her.

  He set the pot on the stove and walked over to her.

  “Down here,” she said, and he leaned over, thinking she wanted to give him a hug. Instead she whacked him upside the head.

  Hard.

  “Ow! Jesus,” he said, seeing stars, rubbing the pain away. He could say with confidence that her strength was definitely coming back. “What the hell was that for?”

  “Amelia is here,” she said, and her tone said she wasn’t at all pleased about it.

  “Yes. Her son is my patient.”

  “And you didn’t think this was something your wife might have liked to know?”

  Aw, hell. “I was going to tell her tonight when I got home. I take it she already knows?”

  “Of course she knows! The way people talk around here, how long did you think you could keep it a secret?”

  “I wasn’t keeping it a secret.” He just hadn’t brought it up.

  “And the way she found out...” She pressed her lips together in a thin line, shaking her head. “What were you thinking?”

  “I honestly didn’t think it was a big deal—”

  “Not a big deal?” she shrieked, her eyes wide, and he backed up a step, just in case she took another swing at him.

  “—until today,” he finished. “Drew warned me that Amelia has been all around town making noise like she and I have some sort of relationship, but it’s not true.”

  “That’s a little hard to believe, all things considered,” his mother said.

  Did she actually believe the lies Amelia had been spreading? And if she did, had Julie believed them, as well?

  “How did Julie find out?”

  His mother explained that she’d been out with her friends when the subject came up, and that everyone knew but her. “The poor thing was beyond humiliated.”

  He cursed under his breath. He never meant for it to go this far. He should have known Amelia would do something like this. “I intended to tell her tonight.”

  “Well, you’re too late. And you owe her an apology.”

  “Of course I’ll apologize.”

  “Not only are you a lousy excuse for a husband, you’re not a very good friend, either.”

  Damn, she really was furious. “You don’t think that’s a little harsh?”

  “Not in the least. Honesty and trust are the basis for any relationship. Platonic or romantic. You lied to her.”

  Technically, he hadn’t, but he knew what his mother would say, because he’d heard it a million times growing up. A lie by omission was still a lie. “As I said, I didn’t think it was relevant. I had no idea Amelia was spreading rumors.”

  “The poor thing sobbed on my shoulder.”

  He blinked. “Amelia?”

  “No, you idiot. Julie.”

  Julie cried?

  Julie?

  In all the years he’d known her, through the worst conditions and situations, he’d never so much as seen her well up. She had tenacity, and nerves of steel. She really must have been humiliated to get that upset. And he felt like a louse for putting her in that position. His mother was right. He was an idiot. And a sad excuse for a spouse. And an even worse friend. Had he honestly believed that by avoiding Amelia, she would have no impact on his life? Or Julie’s? This was Amelia they were talking about; he should have known better.

/>   “Are you still in love with her?” his mother asked.

  “Julie?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Amelia.”

  The fact that she would even ask that question was a clear indication of just how far out of hand this had gotten. In retrospect, all this time later, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever loved her. If it had instead been a case of extreme infatuation. “I do not love her. I have no feelings for her whatsoever. I didn’t intend for any of this to happen.”

  “But it did happen, and you need to fix it.”

  He intended to. First thing tomorrow he would talk to Julie.

  Ten

  After tossing and turning most of the night, Julie dragged herself out of bed at the crack of dawn, relieved to discover that Luc was still sleeping. She’d heard him come in last night, but feigned sleep when he opened her bedroom door. Late as he was, it didn’t take a genius to know where he’d been. And whom he’d been with.

  She knew they needed to talk about it, but she needed to get her head on straight first. It was weird how quickly things could change. One minute everything was fine and going as planned, the next she didn’t have a clue what to expect. But it wasn’t Luc’s fault, or hers. Neither of them could have anticipated this happening. But if he wanted Amelia, Julie wouldn’t stand in his way.

  If Luc were to divorce her so soon after the wedding, the immigration people would be suspicious to say the least. She needed to formulate a plan, an exit strategy that wouldn’t involve deportation though the idea of staying Royal had lost its appeal. It would be too humiliating. There was nothing for her in South Africa. Maybe she could move closer to her sister, find a new job.

  She sat in her office at the hospital, staring blankly at her laptop, her mind moving in so many directions at once, she couldn’t make sense of anything. And she dreaded the moment Luc walked through her office door wanting to talk, because she had no idea what to say to him, or how she was even supposed to feel.

  Several minutes had passed when she heard a knock on her door. Her heart raced up to her throat and her knees went all soft and squishy.