Carole Mortimer - A Man To Marry

Caleb returned her gaze. “Cat,” he murmured softly. “First, no matter what opinion you may have formed of me, I am not in the market for some brief, meaningless relationship, either! Secondly, I have a three-year-old son asleep upstairs, so if you think I can be seduced into bed later, forget it!”

Her mouth opened. And then closed. And then opened again. “I wasn’t going to ask!” Cat finally found her voice.

Caleb grinned at her outraged expression. “Seduction isn’t asking, Cat, it’s exactly what it sounds like—gentle persuasion!”

“Gentle persuasion” with this man would be like using a cap gun against a tank! “I’m not into ‘persuasion,’ either,” she told him sharply. “Gentle or otherwise!”

CAROLE MORTIMER says: “I was born in England, the youngest of three children—I have two older brothers. I started writing in 1978, and have now written one hundred books for Harlequin ®.

“I have four sons, Matthew, Joshua, Timothy and Peter, and a bearded collie dog called Merlyn. I’m married to Peter senior. We’re best friends as well as lovers, which is probably the best recipe for a successful relationship. We live on the Isle of Man.”

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For Peter

PROLOGUE

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

EPILOGUE

‘FOR goodness’ sake, Gemma, get out of bed, get dressed, and leave! She’ll be here any minute!’

‘She’ had already arrived…

Cat had stopped outside the door of the apartment, and knocked, only for that door to open slightly because it hadn’t been closed properly. Very remiss of Graham, Cat had thought as she’d quietly entered. But now she knew it wasn’t absent-mindedness that had caused the omission; it had been another impulse completely!

Cat didn’t move, couldn’t move, held motionless by the sound of Graham—the man she had believed loved her and wanted to marry her—asking some female—Gemma—to get out of his bed…!

‘I hope this creeping about won’t go on much longer, Graham,’ the woman, Gemma, told him in a bored voice. ‘Why don’t you just ask her what you want to know? And while you’re at it—’ there was a rustle of movement in the bedroom as Gemma obviously got out of bed ‘—ask her for my engagement ring back; the girls in the office are starting to ask questions about why I’m not wearing it any more!’

Cat looked down at the ring on her left hand, a diamond solitaire that Graham had given her when he’d asked her to marry him a week ago! A diamond solitaire, it transpired, that really belonged to—Gemma!

‘It won’t be for much longer, Gem,’ Graham assured his companion soothingly. ‘We’re supposed to be discussing wedding plans this evening—’

‘That’s something I would like to discuss too—our wedding plans,’ Gemma told him sharply.

‘As soon as I have this story in the bag,’ Graham promised eagerly. ‘I’ll be able to get thousands of pounds for it. I may even consider taking it abroad; the appeal is going to be international, after all!’

Story? What story? But did Cat really need to ask? There was only one story in her life that was worth all the trouble Graham had taken to get close to her: first a whirlwind courtship, then an engagement—albeit forged with Gemma’s ring!

Tears blurred Cat’s vision now. She had believed Graham when he told her he was a wealthy businessman, that he travelled a lot, which was why they couldn’t meet as often as she would have liked. She had believed him too when he’d told her he had fallen in love with her, that he wanted to marry her, that he wanted to settle down with her. They had even discussed having children together!

But now it turned out he was nothing but a liar and a cheat, just another reporter trying to get a story, one that would make him rich and famous—and ultimately destroy the life of the person he wanted to write that story about!

‘I still don’t see—’

‘You keep missing the point, Gemma, that’s why.’ Graham sounded impatient. ‘Wedding plans means meeting her family and friends. And once that happens I have my story!’

That was what he thought! Cat might have been duped, but now that she knew what Graham really wanted he was the one in for a nasty surprise. She slipped the diamond ring off her finger and placed it conspicuously on the coffee-table, so that he would realise exactly what had happened. And the reason why he wasn’t going to get his story, or make his fortune.

She left the apartment as quietly as she had entered it.

She didn’t look back.

She knew she never would.

But she would never trust a man again, either…

‘REALLY, Toby, do try a more original approach!’ Cat laughed up at him as she lay full-length on the swinging garden seat. Her jean-clad legs were stretched comfortably over Toby’s thighs as he sat at the other end of the seat. ‘Offering to sleep with me to stop speculation in the village that Kate and I are having a “relationship”!’ she added derisively, green eyes still laughing at him. ‘You’ve been reading too many cheap and nasty newspapers!’

He shook his head, handsome in a roguish, unkempt sort of way, hair overlong, jeans faded, his shirt frayed at the collar and cuffs. But his casual appearance belied the true state of his finances, Cat was sure. Toby was a highly successful artist; he just liked to look the part of struggling in a garret!

‘It just isn’t natural for two beautiful, unattached women to live with the grandmother of one of them in this big old house,’ Toby protested. ‘And with not a man in sight between the three of you!’

‘You’re in sight,’ Cat replied mockingly. ‘At least, you seem to be here sharing a lot of meals with us!’ The four of them had finished eating Sunday lunch together half an hour ago; Kate’s grandmother had gone for a lie-down, Kate was still in the house somewhere, and Cat and Toby had opted for sitting in the garden. ‘I wouldn’t worry about Kate and me too much, if I were you,’ Cat continued derisively as he looked about to protest once again. ‘The village probably think the three of us are involved in a ménage à trois!’ she dismissed airily, not taking his earlier suggestion in the least seriously.

Toby suggested going to bed with either Kate or herself at least once a week, and had done so since they’d all become friends several months ago. In fact, it would probably be disappointing if he stopped now! But, by the same token, he would probably run a mile if either of them took him up on his offer. However, he was amusing company, fun to have around, and so Cat and Kate didn’t mind too much playing along with the game.

His gaze sharpened with interest at her comment. ‘Do you really think they do?’ He obviously liked the idea.

Cat laughed once more at his boyishly pleased expression. ‘I’m sure of it,’ she confirmed teasingly, feeling as if she were the elder, although at thirty-five Toby was ten years her senior. To her he was like a mischievous younger brother—and just as harmless. ‘Now if—’

‘Cat? Cat, for goodness’ sake, where are you?’ Kate could be heard calling as she left the house to come into the high-walled garden to look for them.

Toby had hunkered down in the garden seat at the first sound of Kate’s voice, grimacing across at Cat. ‘The dragon lady cometh,’ he muttered conspiratorially. ‘Let’s keep quiet, and maybe she’ll go away,’ he added hopefully.