The Marrying Man Read Online Free Page A

true.
    People talked about family. They talked about sacrifice and love. But Riley knew that love was the first thing to disappear when the sacrifices became too much to bear. He'd been five years old when he found out.
    And he wasn't about to forget it.

    ***

    Cat leaped from the bathtub, sending a spray of Mr. Bubbles across the room.
    "Jenny!" She wrapped a bright yellow bath sheet around her body as she she raced downstairs, then through the hallway toward the kitchen. "Please be home, Jenny! We forgot the cranberries!"
    No such luck. Jenny was still at the Wassersteins' pilgrim party over at Danville Park.
    The smell of turkey wafted from the oven while assorted pots and casseroles were lined up on the countertops, awaiting their turn. Too bad cranberry sauce wasn't hiding in one of them.
    Scooter, her ten year old golden retriever, bounded into the room, followed by three of their multitude of cats."We've got trouble, guys," she said, scratching the dog behind the ear. Jenny was out with the minivan. Cat's station wagon was in the shop. And only a monster would call Alec Marton for a cab on Thanksgiving afternoon.
    She glanced up at the clock over the sink. Not quite ten after twelve. If Jenny would just hurry home, there might still be time to jump into the car and head for the mini-mart before the guests started arriving.
    She wrapped the towel more tightly around her torso and started back toward the staircase. Anyone could forget cranberry sauce, she reasoned as she left a trail of Mr. Bubbles behind her. It's not as if it was a crime against the nation, even if certain people like Riley McKendrick would probably take it as a sign of her total lack of character.
    She was halfway up the stairs when the rumble of a car engine caught her attention. Turning she raced back down the stairs, darted around two of the newest litter of kittens, and barely avoided a collision with Kevin's skateboard.
    She swung open the front door. "Jenny! Don't turn off the engine, I--"
    It wasn't Jenny.
    It was Riley McKendrick and he was striding up the path and heading straight for her. He wore grey flannel slacks that hugged his form, a cream-colored sweater, and that sexy-as-hell leather jacket.
    Cat hadn't been raised in New York City for nothing. She knew exactly what to do in a situation like this. She slammed the door in his face.
    He rang the doorbell. She looked down at the bright yellow bath towel and the amount of skin it left uncovered and felt her cheeks redden.
    "Go away!" she called out. "You're three hours early." She admired punctuality as much as the next woman but this was an affront to human decency.
    He banged on the door. Scooter started to bark, which woke up Bingo and Fred, two of Scooter's offspring. Bingo and Fred started to bark as well, followed by Mitzi the beagle's preternatural howling.
    She opened the door a crack and glared at McKendrick. "I thought you clockwatchers knew how to tell time." He was every bit as gorgeous as she remembered. Why couldn't he look the way he was supposed to look? Pale, wan, and not the slightest bit interested in seeing her in a bath towel . She hesitated. The thought that he might not be interested bothered her even more.
    "I'm on my way to Boston. I stopped by to tell you I won't be coming to dinner after all."
    His green-eyed gaze swept over her from head to toe, lingering nowhere. Missing nothing. Her heartbeat lurched wildly. She wasn't certain if she should slap his face or fling herself into his arms. Both ideas had merit.
        "A bit out of your way, wouldn't you say?" She opted for a more neutral approach. "You could've called."
    "Don't have your number."
    "You could have asked Max."
    "Yeah," he said, "I could've but Max wasn't home."
    There it was again, that look of sadness, of loneliness. Don't look at me that way, cowboy. I'm not going to beg you to stay for dinner.

    ***

    Riley found himself vaguely irritated when Cat didn't try to convince him to stay for