they're fully functioning adults

they're fully functioning adults―well, mostly functioning,"

she said with a smile that held a trace of mischief.

"As long as you don't mind roast cat for dinner?"

Luke asked, arching one brow, and she laughed, a deep,

earthy sound that did things to his gut that had nothing to

do with humor.

"Exactly. I just want to know they'll be okay."

"Seems like a lot of concern for two people you aren't

even related to," Luke commented.

Something flickered in her eyes, as if the comment had

touched a nerve, but she shrugged. "Family isn't always a

matter of birth or marriage. They've both been good to me

and could have turned me over to Social Services when

Naomi didn't come back. No one would have blamed him,

but he didn't. He let me stay with him." She frowned

slightly. "Of course, it's possible he forgot I was there." She

ignored Luke's choked laughter. "Either way, the end result

was the same. And when he and Susan got together, she

didn't think it was odd his former girlfriend's daughter was

living with him. She paused and then with scrupulous

honesty, added, "I'm not totally sure she's grasped that,

actually."

Well if he married, he could be reasonably sure he

wouldn't be bored, Luke thought grinning. That certainly

hadn't been the case with Devon. Boredom had been a

given with her. He'd just decided that was the price he d

have to pay― along with a considerable sum of money for

an undemanding wife and a painless divorce, when the time

came.

"What about you?" he asked. "What do you want?'

"Want?" Cat gave him a confused look

"You just offered to marry me for money," he pointed out.

"I assume you want something besides a trust fund for your

step-parents."

Again, there was that flash of emotion he couldn't quite

read, a guarded look that was there and gone before he

could interpret it.

"I...I'm sure whatever arrangement you had with Devon

will be fine," Cat said vaguely.

Luke considered the bargain Devon had driven and

thought it would probably be plenty for anyone short of a

rock star's ex-wife, but he couldn't resist the urge to prod

further. "That's rather trusting of you don't you think? What

if she had made a lousy bargain?"

"Devon?" Cat looked surprised. "Devon lives to bargain.

I'm sure whatever your agreement with her was, it will just

be fine for me."

Interesting that she didn't ask what the agreement was,

Luke thought. He contemplated her in silence, one hand

idly swirling the last swallow of brandy in the snifter. She

looked uncomfortable with the whole discussion. Cynically

he wondered if she thought talking about the settlement

might make her look greedy where offering to marry him

for money hadn't. It was surprising difficult to read what

was going on behind those big green eyes. Not that it

mattered all that much, he thought. He needed a wife not a

best friend. He already had one of those and he could trust

Keith to see that the prenup protected him.

"A prenup is a given." he said abruptly, and Cat jumped a

little, startled.

"A prenup?" She said blankly.

"Prenuptial contract. Everything laid out nice and neat.

What you get. What I get in return. What happens when we

get a divorce. No surprises. No loopholes."

"When we get a divorce?" Cat wrinkled her nose. "Not

exactly positive thinking, is it?"

"Realistic thinking," Luke said. "Better than fifty percent

of marriages end in divorce, and that's when two people

start out pledging eternal devotion. What we're talking

about is a business arrangement, not a prelude to romance.

You want money. I need to be married for a year. Divorce is

pretty much a given, don't you think?"

"Maybe, but Naomi used to say you can only see the path

as far as the first curve."

"And that would mean ... what, exactly?"

When she frowned, her lower lip stuck out in a slight

pout. It was an oddly childlike expression, but the thoughts

it engendered were definitely not paternal.

"Well, Naomi tends to prefer obscurity, so I'm not totally

sure, but I think it means you can't really predict what the

future will bring."

"I think I can safely predict a divorce in my future," he

said firmly. "So if you have any romantic notions about until

death do us part, we'd better call this whole thing off."

"I wasn't sure there was anything to call off," Cat said,

giving him a direct look. "Are you taking me up on my offer

to take Devon's place?"

"I don't know." Luke tossed off the last of the brandy and

set the snifter on the mantel. He was far from drunk, but he

was aware of a pleasant little buzz, a sort of what-the-hell

feeling. somewhere in the back of his mind, danger signs

were flashing, warning him that maybe this wasn't the time

to be making life-altering decisions, but it was easy to

ignore them.