The headline that had appeared in
USA Today
snagged in his mind.
“Dr. Kate in Loveless Marriage.”
Two of the tabloids he’d picked up had an article that focused on their loveless marriage arrangement.
When he’d read it, he’d almost laughed. Little did they know, there had been plenty of love in the marriage. Unfortunately it was all his.
Was it? Would she have given herself to me that last night if she didn’t love me?
His chest tightened, aching at the thought. Maybe it was only wishful thinking.
But what if it’s true? What if Kate loves me? What if she only left because she’s afraid?
He remembered the articles about their loveless marriage and wondered if it would accomplish anything if her readers knew he’d loved her.
Still love her
, he corrected himself. Would it somehow redeem her in the public’s eyes?
Even if it did, there was no way he could trust the media. They were sharks, out for their scoop and willing to trample anything that stood between them and their prey. Even if Lucas could somehow convey his feelings to the media, they would twist it and warp it and use it to hurt Kate.
Maybe he should call that publicity woman Kate worked with—Pam? Maybe he could bounce the idea off her without letting Kate know. Maybe then, if he did everything in his power to help her, he’d finally have peace.
Love is always a risk.
—Excerpt from
Finding Mr. Right-for-You
by Dr. Kate
“I’m going to the grocery, Dad.” Kate shut the dishwasher, latched it closed, and pushed the button to start it. It whirred into action.
In the living room, her dad turned on the TV to a Taco Bell commercial. He reached for his wallet. “Here, let me pay this time.”
Kate waved him off. “I got it.” She picked up her purse. It was the least she could do when he was letting her stay there until she found a place. She had a nice nest egg in her savings account. “I might run by that apartment on—”
“Kate.”
Her dad turned up the TV’s volume.
Kate followed his widened eyes to the screen.
Lucas.
Lucas was on TV. He wore a suit and tie. Her breath caught.
“—happened between Dr. Kate and her Mr. Right?”
The screen changed to show
NewsWire
correspondent Nancy Lopez. “Can you tell us how you came to be married to Dr. Kate?”
There was a quick clip of Lucas shrugging, a mischievous look on his face; then the camera cut to Nancy.
“Dr. Kate has been ridiculed for entering a marriage as if it were a business arrangement. Was it really a loveless marriage?”
The camera cut to Lucas. “Funny you should ask that.” He gave his charming half grin.
The
NewsWire
logo appeared on the screen and a voiceover sounded. “Everyone wants to know why renowned columnist Dr. Kate married Mr. Wright, and
NewsWire
has the exclusive. Tune in tomorrow night at ten o’clock Eastern Standard Time.”
Another commercial started and her dad turned down the volume. Kate sank onto the couch, numb.
I don’t understand. Why did Lucas do it? Just when the scandal died down, he went and brought it to the surface again.
“I can’t believe it.” She stood again and paced the room as anger fired through her veins, her heart beating double time. She was furious—and hurt.
Why is he doing this?
“You should call him,” her dad said. “Maybe there’s a—”
Her cell rang. She pulled it from her purse, hoping it was Lucas, because she had a few things to say to him. Her hand shook as she answered.
“Kate, what’s going on?” her friend Anna asked. “I just saw a promo for
NewsWire
—”
“I know. I saw it too.”
“You didn’t know about it?” She’d kept Anna up-to-date on everything through e-mail.
“No, I didn’t know. I can’t believe he’s done this.” Kate ran her hand through her hair.
“Just when everything was starting to die down,” Anna said. “Why would he do it?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. I’ll call you back after I talk to him.”
They hung up, and Kate looked at her dad. Her throat was tight, her head ached behind her eyes, and she wanted to hit something.
“Maybe there’s an explanation,” her dad said.
“Sure there is. About two hundred thousand of them.” They’d probably paid him at least that for an exclusive. Did Lucas hope to expand his shop with the money? She’d never thought him ambitious, yet what other reason could he have?
She remembered how he’d turned down the opportunity to be interviewed on
Live with Lisa
alongside her. What had he said?
“Talking’s not my thing. Words don’t come easy to me, like they do you.”
She remembered the sob story he’d told her about being paralyzed with fright in front of a school assembly. Apparently he could keep his composure if enough money was involved.
The betrayal hurt.
Kate dialed Lucas’s number. He should be home by now, probably making a mess in the kitchen.
I hope he chokes on his dinner.
“Maybe you should wait until you’ve calmed down.” Her dad flipped off the TV.
The phone rang over to voice mail. The beep sounded. Kate tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it was firmly lodged. “What are you doing, Lucas? I just saw the
NewsWire
promo. I can’t believe—” Her voice wobbled, and she took a steadying breath.
I am not going to let him know he has me in tears.
“I can’t believe you’d do this. Call me.” She disconnected the call.
She paced the room. She was a traveling earthquake, and Lucas was the epicenter.
“So, this is the guy you’ve been mooning over for weeks,” her dad said. “He doesn’t deserve you.”
“He doesn’t have me, Dad.” Not now. Not after this. She couldn’t stand the thought of him anymore.
Come on, Kate. Feelings don’t evaporate simply because you’ve been betrayed.
She knew it was true. All she had to do was remember Mrs. Hornsby and all the other victims of unfaithful spouses she’d counseled. But couldn’t she just be mad without her internal therapist kicking in?
“Well, I suppose your career can’t be damaged any more than it already was.”
No, but Kate had hoped the public humiliation was over. She’d hoped to fade from the public eye and return to private counseling. The last thing she needed was to have the scandal revived. She’d thought if anyone would betray her to the media, it would’ve been Bryan.
She’d never thought for a minute Lucas would cave to the pressure.
Love is full of surprises.
—Excerpt from
Finding Mr. Right-for-You
by Dr. Kate
Kate tidied the kitchen, then straightened the seasonings on the wooden rack. Two more minutes. Each one passed like a turtle on Valium.
All day she’d tried to reach Lucas. When she called the shop, Ethan said he was out, yet he didn’t answer at home. No one picked up at his parents’ house, and her e-mails went unanswered. They were probably embarrassed by Lucas’s betrayal. But maybe they’d been interviewed too. Maybe they were splitting the bounty and taking a trip to Europe to celebrate.
A dish towel fell to the floor and Kate kicked it, leaving it crumpled between the fridge and cabinet. No one from Rosewood had returned her calls either. She’d phoned Ronald first thing that morning, but he hadn’t been able to reach Paul or Chloe. It seemed she had become persona non grata. They had to know about the exclusive. They were probably angry with her for letting it happen.
As if I had a choice.
“Kate, it’s coming on,” her dad called from the living room.
Kate entered the room where her dad perched on the edge of the brown sofa, his elbows on his knees.
Kate sat beside him and hugged the chenille pillow to her stomach. A barrier for the coming sucker punch.
The
NewsWire
theme song played as the logo appeared. They showed previews of the upcoming segments, including the same preview she’d seen the night before. The first segment began, but it wasn’t Lucas’s.
When they cut to a commercial. Kate released her breath. “I hope it’s not last.”
Her dad crossed his legs at the knee. “It might be.”
She’d waited all day, a nervous ball of energy. Why hadn’t Lucas returned her calls? Why hadn’t anyone returned them? Was he too ashamed to face her?
He should be.
“Want some coffee?” Her dad asked. “I can put on a pot.”
Kate shook her head. “I feel like I could run across water as it is.”
When the show returned, they focused on the TV, but it was a segment about trans fats in restaurant food.
Kate wondered what questions they would ask Lucas. Would he tell them she’d cried herself to sleep on their honeymoon? Would he tell them his mom disliked her from the beginning because of whose daughter she was? Would he tell them about the special moments—the ones when they forgot their marriage was an arrangement?
Fear sucked the moisture from her mouth. Kate felt as if she stood on the gallows, with a thick rope at her neck, waiting for the floor to open. And there was nothing she could do but wait.
The segment ended and another commercial break ensued. It was half past the hour.
“Hang in there, Kate. Whatever comes, I’ll be here for you.” Her dad reached over and squeezed her cold hand.
“Thanks, Daddy.” She couldn’t sit anymore. She stood and walked to the patio door. Outside, darkness swallowed the yard and a sliver of moon peeked from behind a curtain of clouds. She kept remembering the last days with Lucas, the way he’d held her that night, pressing kisses to her forehead and chin, smoothing her hair from her face. She’d never felt more cared for, more cherished.
And now he’s airing our dirty laundry on national TV. It doesn’t make sense.
“It’s back on,” her dad said.
Kate returned to the living room, stopping behind the recliner. Evan Greggory began a segment about the sole survivor of a ferry accident overseas. They were saving Lucas’s segment for last, which showed they viewed it as important.
They must’ve gotten some juicy material from Lucas.
The ferry segment seemed to last forever. A long commercial break followed. Kate’s heart rate tripled as she waited for the commercials to end. This was it. There was only twelve minutes remaining—only enough time for Lucas’s story.
When the program returned, her dad cranked up the volume. The camera panned in on Nancy Lopez. “Welcome back to
NewsWire
.” She turned to a different camera. “She is the queen of relationships and the author of recent self-help book
Finding Mr.Right-for-You
.”
Nancy held up a copy of the book. “Dr. Kate’s book was released with much media attention on her wedding day this summer, and it soared to the bestseller’s list.”
Kate nearly rolled her eyes. The book had barely made it to the bottom of the bestseller’s list, achieving less than Rosewood had hoped.
Nancy continued. “But Dr. Kate’s career recently turned upside down when it was revealed that her real fiancé, Bryan Montgomery, left her at the altar, and that Dr. Kate impulsively entered a loveless marriage arrangement with Nantucket native Lucas Wright as a last-ditch effort to save her book from certain death.
“Little is known about the terms of the arrangement or Dr. Kate’s feelings on the matter, but
NewsWire
has gained an exclusive interview with the man who found himself at the altar with marriage expert Dr. Kate.” Nancy smiled and turned as the camera cut to Lucas. “Welcome to the show, Mr. Wright.”
Kate honed in on Lucas. He’d shaved, and his hair was combed neatly off his face as it had been at their wedding. He wore a dress shirt and tie she’d never seen. He thanked Nancy.
“Can you tell us how you knew Dr. Kate and for how long before the wedding?”
Lucas shifted subtly. He was uncomfortable.
Good.
“Kate had been on the island for three years,” Lucas began. “She was born there, but her family left when she was young. I didn’t know her then. When she moved back, she wanted to open an office in town. She rented the space over my shop.”
“Can you tell us what happened on the day of her wedding?”
He nodded slowly. “I was working in my shop that morning. Actually I was putting the finishing touches on the gazebo she’d asked me to make.”
“For her wedding with Bryan Montgomery?”
“Yes. She’d hired me to build it months earlier. Kate came to the shop to check on it because I was supposed to have delivered it already. When she was there, she got a call from her fiancé.”
“Mr. Montgomery?”
“Yes. I only heard her end of the conversation, but it was enough to tell me he wasn’t going through with the wedding.”
“What was Kate’s state of mind after the phone call?”
Lucas tilted back, and he shook his head. “She was devastated. She was trembling.” He gave a sad smile. “You’d have to know Kate to know how unlike herself she was after that phone call. She’s the most calm, capable individual I’ve ever met. She’s the kind of person you want during a crisis because she—She just takes care of things. But it was five hours before her wedding, and her groom just left her at the altar, and with the publicity surrounding the release of the book . . . who wouldn’t panic?”
“How did you come to be part of the solution?” Nancy asked.
“It was my idea. I don’t know where it came from. It was impulsive, and it seemed like the only solution at the time. She needed a groom, and I wanted to help her.”
“That’s some help. Why would you agree to step in and save her wedding?”
Lucas looked down at his lap and paused a moment. “The reason I gave Kate was that I needed her help on a personal project.”