Inner Harbor

“I made hot chocolate. That should tide you over till dinner. I’m afraid I got a little behind today.” Annie stood in front of him, her blue eyes bright with the frustration of his presence here.

Russ grinned. At least she wasn’t indifferent to him. A marriage of convenience would be difficult enough. A marriage of indifference would be intolerable. Strangely, he understood Annie’s discomfiture around him, even felt the same way. She kept him on his toes, slightly off center. He never knew exactly how she’d react. She certainly wasn’t like any other female he’d ever met. For one thing, she always spoke the truth, no matter what. It didn’t do a thing for his ego, but he found her bluntness refreshing, just the same.

“Are you going to take this mug or not?” she muttered just low enough so Drew wouldn’t hear.

Clearly she wasn’t thrilled that he’d become more than simply a guest.

“I’m going to take it. Thank you.” He peered at the peppermint in it, then glanced at her. “What about Drew?”

“I already drank some juice. I gave Marm some milk.” Drew turned to the cat. “She likes milk.”

“Thank you for taking care of her.” The boy’s attentiveness surprised Russ. At that age, he’d had a lot of pets. Had he ever been so careful of them? Maybe that’s when this problem with responsibility had begun.

Annie seated herself away from Russ, in the big brown armchair by the fire. It was a deliberate move, distancing him. Russ knew he was supposed to take note of that. Which he did, with a smile at her prim face. Then he promptly shifted seats so he lounged across from her. Keeping up with Annie was like playing chess. He adored chess. Gramps had taught him the game years ago. Check, Annie Simmons.

He lifted the red and white striped peppermint stick. A drop of chocolate dangled on the end. Russ licked it off. The chocolate flavor blossomed on his tongue, made richer by the hint of mint. He caught her stare.

“I had some peppermint sticks left over after Christmas. No point in throwing them out.” Her eyes glittered defensively.

“None whatsoever,” he agreed, leaning back to savor the atmosphere she’d created. “It’s excellent. So is this room.”

The soft glow of firelight on the oak paneling and the comfy furniture set around the fireplace gave the room a well-lived feel. Annie, having started dinner, had changed from her jeans into a long velvet jumper the exact color of her eyes. Her hair glowed silver in the firelight. She was very much lady of the manor.

Taken as a whole, this was a picture-perfect example of home. The air was redolent with the succulent aroma of beef stew, fresh rolls and something with cinnamon that Russ prayed was apple pie. The flames, the quiet peace, all of it combined to relax the visitor. She’d achieved her aim and then some.

At the moment Annie ignored him, the same way she’d tried to ignore him most of the afternoon while he’d settled into his room, gone back and forth to his shop and taken Marmalade out for a walk with Drew. Russ stifled a chuckle at the way she tilted her nose in the air and focused her attention on the ceiling to avoid looking at him.

“Something smells very good. I hope my staying for dinner isn’t an intrusion.” He paused deliberately, found himself waiting for her comeback with anticipation. Their verbal sparring intrigued him.

“This is a bed-and-breakfast.” She deliberately emphasized the last word. “We don’t serve dinner to our guests.”

He could almost hear her thoughts. Check that, R.J. Annie Simmons was looking at him, maybe not the way he wanted, but at least she wasn’t ignoring him. He studied her in return. Marrying her wouldn’t be any hardship. She was gorgeous. But Russ knew his grandfather had seen more than that in her. Gramps was a stickler for inner beauty, the character inside a person no one could see, which spilled out in the tough times.

“I realize you don’t usually serve dinner. But Drew invited me.” He hid his smile when she glared at the un-suspecting boy. “I could hardly refuse when he said you always made way too much and if I stayed, maybe he wouldn’t have to eat leftovers.”

“Remind me to speak to you later, Drew,” she muttered, lips pinched in pretended annoyance. But the gentle glow on her face gave her away.

“Okay, Annie.” The boy returned to ignoring them both, his voice barely audible as he hovered over Marmalade. “You’re so pretty, Marm.”

“Did you think about—” Russ glanced at Drew, then straight at Annie “—um, what we spoke about earlier. Have you decided?”

“Drew, honey, I think maybe you should take Marmalade for another walk before dinner.” Annie’s eyes warned Russ to hush. “Just outside by the bushes, okay? Don’t go too far. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Okay, Annie. Come on, Marm.” Drew jumped up, snapped the cat into her leash and headed toward the door. A second later they heard it thud closed.

“I decided right after you asked me, Russ. I gave you my answer then. It’s still no. That isn’t going to change. I’m not the marrying type.” She leaned forward, her voice low, eyes flashing a warning. “According to what your grandfather told me about you, neither are you.”

“No, actually I wouldn’t be interested in marriage at all—under normal circumstances.” Boy, was that the truth. He caught her glint of irritation and rephrased what he’d been about to say. “Though I think I could be quite good at marriage.” That didn’t sound right. Russ tried again. “Not that I was suggesting anything permanent between us.” Clear that up right now, Mitchard. No responsibility.

“You take one step forward, then two back.” She ticked his misdeeds off on her fingers. “You want marriage, but not a permanent one. You think you’d be good at it, but you’re not willing to give it a full commitment.” She shook her head. “Maybe you need to think this idea through to completion.”

“I’m merely asking you to help me achieve a goal,” he clarified, then wished he hadn’t said it.

It was unreasonable to expect a stranger to marry him without some justification, but Russ had no desire to explain about that letter. She wouldn’t understand the feelings it aroused, nor could she comprehend the obligation he felt. Sometimes he didn’t understand it himself. He just knew he’d loved his grandfather dearly, that he wanted to finally live up to the old man’s expectations, do what Gramps had asked of him, fulfill that one last request.

“Your goal being marriage for money?” Annie’s arched brows rose. “You don’t seem the type.”

“It’s not exactly like that,” he protested. “I’m not a gold digger. I earn a living with my work.” Well, almost a living.

“Really?” Annie stared him down. “So why do you need your grandfather to find you a wife? Why do you need his money?” she challenged.

He didn’t. It would be nice, but he could manage without it. Still, maybe if Annie felt sorry for him, maybe if he pretended he desperately needed his grandfather’s legacy… The idea mushroomed in his mind. This way he wouldn’t have to reveal Gramps’s words.

Annie had a soft heart. Look how she’d taken in Drew, made him the center of her world, even though he was only there for a short while. If Russ could just elicit a little of those tender feelings, maybe later he could explain.

“I have two reasons for proposing.” It was hard to know exactly how to say this. “I can manage without it, but I’d hate to see the old man’s life savings go to a cat charity.”

“A what?” Annie blinked at him, her bewilderment showing.

“A cat charity. Marmalade was his cat. One of seventeen.”

“Seven—” She gulped. “You’re not bringing more, are you?”

Russ burst out laughing at the look of horror that spread across her expressive features.

“Don’t worry. I gave the rest away. Gramps had several lady friends who love cats as much as he. They’ve all got good homes.”

“Oh.” Relief didn’t begin to cover the emotion washing through her blue eyes.

“But you do see why I couldn’t give Marm away, don’t you? She was his favorite. He specifically asked me to look after her. I couldn’t let him down.”

“I suppose I can understand that.” Suspicion lurked in the depths of her voice. “Actually, he often talked about Marmalade. I just didn’t know Marmalade was a cat.”

“It’s a bit inconvenient. Marm had the run of Gramps’s house, and now I’ll have to keep her in a cage. But what else can I do?”

“Ah.” She ignored his wistful hint. “So you need your grandfather’s money to get a home for the cat?” Annie squinted at him dubiously. “Uh-huh.”

Russ read her thoughts. “He wasn’t crazy. Just a little eccentric.”

“Forcing your grandson to choose between marrying someone he doesn’t know or losing his inheritance to a cat charity is eccentric?” She tilted one eyebrow into an inverted V. “In Safe Harbor we call that crazy.”

“Gramps obviously felt he had a good reason to insist on our marriage. He was a smart man, he knew me, knew what I wanted to do with my work. I may not understand all of his reasons, but I expect that in his own warped way, he was trying to help me by arranging this.”

Russ clamped his lips closed. He wasn’t going to explain the empty barren years after he’d left the law firm, years he’d filled by taking on any challenge that came along, years that had sunk him in plenty of hot water. Gramps had understood his decision to quit law, but he’d never understood Russ’s restlessness or what lay underneath it. If he knew his grandfather, the old man had conceived this idea believing it would tie Russ down.

“Help you?” Annie stared. “You’re sure there’s no history of insanity?”

“Quite sure.” He smiled, pleased that she’d dropped her attitude.