The Perfect Match: First Comes Marriage / Yours and Mine

“Funny, Zach, very funny.”

He exhaled an exaggerated sigh. “All right, I’ll take the bait. What makes you think I’ve been bought? And what exactly am I getting in exchange?”

“Technically you’re not getting anything, and I want that understood this very minute, because I refuse to be sold.” Arms akimbo, she turned to glare down at him with the full force of her disdain. “What did he offer you? The entire company? Lots of money?”

Zach shrugged. “He’s offered me nothing.”

“Nothing,” she repeated slowly, feeling unreasonably insulted. “He was just going to give me away.” That was enough to deflate the billowing sails of her pride. Stunned, she sat down again. “I thought the bride’s family was supposed to supply some kind of dowry. Gramps didn’t even offer you money?”

“Dowry?” Zach repeated the word as if he’d never heard it before.

“Gramps’s family received a cow and ten chickens from my grandmother’s family,” she said, as if that explained everything. “But apparently I’m not even worth a single hen.”

Zach set his coffee aside and sat straight in his chair. “I think we’d better begin this conversation again. I’m afraid I lost you back there when you said something about cracking under pressure. Perhaps you should enlighten me about what I’m supposed to have done.”

Janine just glared at him.

“Humor me.”

“All right, if you insist. It’s obvious that Gramps talked to you about the marriage.”

“Marriage,” he echoed in a shocked voice. His face went blank. “To whom?”

“Me, of course.”

Zach flung himself out of the chair, bolting to his feet. “To you?”

“Don’t look so horrified! My ego’s taken about all it can for one evening. I’m not exactly the Wicked Witch of the West, you know. Some men would be more than happy to marry me.” Not Brian, and certainly not Peter, but she felt it was important that Zach think she was sought after.

“Marriage between us is…would be impossible. It’s completely out of the question. I don’t ever plan to marry—I have no use for a wife or family.”

“Tell that to Gramps.”

“I have every intention of doing so.” His face tightened and Janine guessed her grandfather was due for an earful when he got home. “What makes that crazy old man think he can order people’s lives like this?” he asked angrily.

“His own marriage was arranged for him. Trust me, Zach, I argued until I was exhausted, but Gramps hasn’t given up his old-country beliefs and he thinks the two of us—now this is really ridiculous—are perfect for each other.”

“If you weren’t serious, I’d find this highly amusing.”

Janine noticed that he seemed rather pale. “I appear to have jumped to the wrong conclusion earlier. I apologize for that but, well, I thought…I assumed Gramps had spoken to you already and you’d agreed.”

“Was that when you started mumbling about a cow and a few chickens?”

She nodded and her long bangs fell over her eyes. Absently she pushed them aside. “For a moment there, I thought Gramps was offering me to you gratis. I know it’s silly, but I felt insulted by that.”

For the first time since they’d entered into this conversation, Zach’s face softened and he granted her a faint smile. “Your grandfather loves you, no question.”

“I know.” Feeling self-conscious, she threaded her fingers through her hair. “I’ve used every argument I could come up with. I explained the importance of romance and told him how vital it is for men and women to fall in love with the person of their choice. However, he refused to accept any of it.”

“He wouldn’t listen to you?”

“He listened,” she replied, feeling defeated, “but he disputed everything I said. Gramps says the modern version of love and marriage is a complete failure. With the divorce rate what it is, I’m afraid I don’t have much of an argument.”

“That’s true enough,” Zach said, looking frustrated.

“I told him men and women fall in love and then decide to get married, but Gramps insists it’s better if marriage comes first.”

Zach rubbed a hand over his face. “Now that I think about it, your grandfather’s been introducing you into every conversation, telling me how wonderful you are.”

Janine gasped softly. “He’s done the same to me about you. He started weeks before we even met.”

Pressing his lips together, Zach nodded. “A lot of things are beginning to make sense.”

“What should we do?” Janine wondered aloud. “It’s perfectly obvious that we’ll have to agree on a plan of action. I hate to disappoint Gramps, but I’m not willing to be married off like…like…” Words failed her.

“Especially to me.”

Although his low words were devoid of emotion, Janine recognized the pain behind his statement. Knowing what she did about his past, the fact that he’d experienced only brief patches of love in his life and little or no approval tugged at her heart.

“I didn’t mean it to sound like that,” she insisted. “My grandfather wouldn’t have chosen you if he didn’t think you were pretty special. He prides himself on his ability to judge character, and he’s always been impressed with you.”

“Let’s not kid ourselves, Janine,” Zach returned, his voice hardening. “You’re an uptown girl. We’re totally unsuited.”

“I agree with you there, but not for the reasons you assume. From the minute I stepped into your office, you made it clear that you thought of me as some kind of snob. I’m not, but I refuse to waste my breath arguing with you.”

“Fine.”

“Instead of hurling insults at each other,” she suggested, crossing her arms in a show of indignation, “why don’t we come up with a plan to deal with Gramps’s preposterous idea?”

“That isn’t necessary,” he countered. “I want no part of it.”

“And you think I do?”

Zach said nothing.

Janine expelled her breath loudly. “It seems to me the solution is for one of us to marry someone else. That would quickly put an end to this whole thing.”

“I already told you I have no intention of marrying,” he said emphatically. “You’re the one who insinuated you had plenty of men hanging around just waiting for you to say ‘I do.’”

“None that I’d consider marrying, for heaven’s sake,” she grumbled. “Besides, I’m not currently in love with anyone.”

Zach laughed, if the sound that came from his throat could be called a laugh. “Then find a man who’s current. If you fall in and out of love that easily, surely there’s got to be at least one prospect on the horizon.”

“There isn’t. You’re going to have to come up with someone! Why don’t you go out there and sweep some sweet young thing off her feet,” she muttered sarcastically.

“I’m not willing to sacrifice my life so you can get off scot-free.” His words were low and furious.

“But it’s perfectly all right for me to sabotage mine? That makes a lot of sense.”