Marriage by Mistake (39 page)

"In body," Valerie sighed. "But not in
soul."

Kelly didn't have anything to say to that. It
was too true. On the one hand, she knew she'd done the right thing.
The marriage would never work. But on the other hand, she couldn't
get past the feeling they belonged together. Oh, it was crazy.

She came home from practice and her
conversation with Valerie feeling more tired and sore than usual.
Despite trying to keep in shape while she'd been gone, it had been
hell getting back to the physical demands of her profession. At
least the thermometer hadn't hit one hundred today. Amazing for
July. Kelly went straight from her front door to the bathroom and
turned on the water full hot. The apartment's air-conditioning was
actually working today and she needed a good soak.

She'd stripped and was just stepping into the
tub when the doorbell rang.

Kelly closed her eyes. She'd ignore it.
Probably just a salesman. But when the doorbell rang again, Kelly
sighed, took her toe out of the deliciously hot water, and reached
for her robe. If she wanted to be able to relax in the tub, she was
going to have to answer the door to get rid of the guy.

Opening the front door with a pleasant
rejection on her lips, Kelly stopped dead. On her doorstep stood
Kirk, with a sulky-looking Robby lounging beside him.

Kirk was smiling double-time. "Kelly, my
dear, you are indeed a sight for sore eyes."

Kelly shut her eyes. But when she opened them
again the pair was still there. Kirk still wore his wide smile but
Kelly thought the charm was getting a little ragged around the
edges. Robby regarded her suspiciously. Kelly could only stand
there, her heart beating way too fast, and wonder what was going
on.

"May we come in?" Kirk asked.

Kelly's heart was still racing madly but her
brain did kick in. This had nothing to do with Dean. He would never
have asked his father to do anything, much less to come to see
Kelly, his not-yet-ex-wife. Whatever this was, it was unrelated to
her marriage.

She took in a breath and stepped back from
the door. "Come on in."

Kirk exhibited a moment of bald relief and
waltzed through. Robby gave Kelly a narrow-eyed look and followed
after.

"So." Kelly closed the door and turned. "To
what do I owe the honor?"

Kirk lost no time in making himself
comfortable on Kelly's floral sofa. Her question, however, seemed
to leave him nonplussed. "Mmm. Robby?" he offered.

But Robby only hunched his shoulders and
stalked to the corner, where he began to stare at a print of some
wild ponies.

Kirk turned back to Kelly. He appeared to
consider his answer. "Well," he finally said, "we called the
estate, quite discreetly you understand, looking for you. We heard
you were here, having left Dean    don't blame you a bit,
my dear    and, hmm... Well we thought you wouldn't mind
taking care of Robby for a while." Kirk held up a hand and spoke
quickly. "I'm not dumping him, all right? He
wanted
to come
here."

In his corner, Robby snorted.

Kelly crossed her arms over her chest. She
was beginning to get the picture. Kirk was here to get rid of
Robby, and he thought she was a soft touch. One side of her mouth
lifted. "Bit off more than you could chew, eh?"

Kirk's gaze averted. "He drove off Marisa and
even the boat captain. What was I supposed to do?"

Kelly bit the inside of her cheek. She could
easily see Robby doing that, especially if Kirk had been neglecting
him. Oh, she was going to get mad if Kirk had been too awful.

Stop
, sang a voice in her head.
This isn't your problem
! But Kelly was excruciatingly aware
of Robby tensed in the corner. She was his friend, if nothing more.
She had promised him that much. "I would love for Robby to stay
here," she said, perfectly sincere. "I've been missing him, but why
don't you take him home to Dean?"

Kirk looked amazed. "And admit I couldn't
handle it?"

Kelly raised her brows.

"All right." Kirk winced. "I'm a coward but
you said you'd take him, so I'll just    " He stood
up.

"Oh, no you don't." Kelly stopped Kirk with
an upraised hand. "You aren't going anywhere without checking if
this is all right with Dean."

Kirk blinked in alarm. "Dean? What does he
have to do with it?"

"You know darn well what he has to do with
it. And I'm not taking Robby unless Dean knows about it, and
approves."

"Oh, all right." Kirk sighed, disgruntled.
"You can call him."

"Me?" Kelly's eyes widened. "Oh, no."

Kirk went puppyish. "But you could
   "

"No."

In his corner, Robby snorted again.

Kelly turned to look at him. "What?"

Robby hunched his shoulders higher and stared
with more intensity at the wild ponies. "You can't even talk to
him."

Kelly's nostrils flared. "And why should I
talk to him? You were the one who kept bugging me, kept telling me
he ought to say he loved me. Well, he didn't. He didn't!"

Robby turned to point at her. "
You
didn't wait the whole two months!"

"One week more? It wouldn't have made any
difference    "

"Oh, yeah? Well    "

The argument was interrupted by the sound,
once again, of the doorbell.

"Who is that?" Kirk wanted to know.

Kelly shrugged. "Given my day so far, it
could be anybody." Angry now, she strode to the front door and
swung it wide. Her mouth was open to tell off whoever stood
there.

Dean stood there. Beautiful, sober-faced,
suit, tie, and everything. Kelly couldn't close her opened mouth.
Her heart thudded painfully against her ribcage. No, her mind told
herself. He couldn't be here. He hadn't sent Kirk and Robby, so he
had no reason to be here. And was that a bruise on his jaw?

Dean's gaze was completely unfathomable. Then
he looked past Kelly and his expression changed dramatically. "What
are
you
doing here?"

Kelly heard Kirk's drawl. "Same thing you
are, no doubt. Begging."

Dean's gaze switched back to Kelly. For an
instant she thought she saw...acknowledgment? Then the mask came
down again.

"Excuse me." Dean shifted past Kelly and let
himself into her apartment. "You are leaving," he told his father.
"Now."

"Hey, wait a minute." Kelly turned on her
doorstep. Dean had just walked in, and intended to clear everyone
else out. Panic banged in her chest. She didn't want to think about
why her husband might be here, or what he'd have to talk to her
about    alone. "This is my home. I'll decide who leaves
or stays."

Dean whirled on her. "But we have to
talk."

Was that so? With the panic banging harder,
Kelly set her hands on her hips. "So happens Kirk and I have to
talk, too."

Dean's gaze went incredulous. "What could you
and Kirk possibly have to talk about?"

"Me." Robby stepped forward from his corner.
"They're arguing over who has to take care of me."

Kelly saw Dean's jaw drop. "You?"

"That's not what we're talking about," Kelly
said quickly.

"Is so," Robby argued.

"Actually," Kirk weighed in. "We were talking
about who had to tell Dean you were here. That's a much different
subject."

"Sounds the same to me," Robby sniffed.

"Wait," Dean said.

"We were not arguing over who had to tell
Dean," Kelly spoke to Kirk. "That was decided."

"Oh? Then what did the two of us have to talk
about?" Kirk sounded interested.

"Wait," Dean said again, louder.

"I don't know what," Kelly told Kirk. "But
I'm sure it was something. And you got here first."

Kirk looked pleased. Dean shouted louder,
"Wait!"

His voice reverberated against Kelly's
peach-colored walls. For a moment there was silence. Then Dean slit
his eyes toward his father. He spoke low, but clearly. "I don't
know what kind of trouble you're here to stir up, but I give you
fair warning, I won't allow it."

Kirk puffed himself up. "I'm sure I don't
have any idea what you mean."

"It's not as if Dad knew you were coming,"
Robby told Dean, adopting his own lecturing tone. "Come to think of
it, what are you doing here?"

"Yes," Kirk wanted to know, too. "Why are you
here?"

Dean looked at Kelly. Her heart was too high
in her throat for her to say anything, but she was asking the
question hardest of all. What was he doing here? The marriage was
over. He'd told her so. And she'd agreed. Kelly swallowed. This had
to be about their divorce.

"There's something    I'd really
like to talk to you," Dean said softly. "Couldn't we speak
alone?"

Kelly tried to breathe. No. She didn't want
to discuss a divorce. She didn't want that to be what he'd come all
the way across the country to discuss. "No, I    No," she
said.

Kirk snorted. "There. What does that tell
you, son? She doesn't want to be alone with you."

Kelly lifted her chin. Kirk was right, but
for the wrong reasons. "Whatever you have to say," she told Dean,
"can be said right here and now."

Dean's accusing look nearly killed Kelly, but
she wasn't going to budge. If he really wanted to end everything,
permanently, she didn't want to take it alone.

His jaw tightened. "You're making this
extremely difficult."

"I    I'm sorry, but this is the
way it has to be."

Dean's lashes lowered. "I see." Then he
raised his eyes again. His lips firmed. "Fine. If this is the way
you want it."

Kelly straightened. "It is."

"Go ahead," Kirk sighed. "Get it over with,
already."

Dean shot his father a fulminating look, then
turned back to Kelly. "All right. I'll say it. I want you to come
home."

A moment of intense silence followed this
pronouncement. Kelly felt her heart stop right in her chest. He
wanted her to come home. It was the last thing she'd expected him
to say.

Dean turned red but he barreled on. "I want
you to come home with me. It    it makes sense. You know
it does. We're married. We made vows. We    we get along.
There is no reason    " Dean's eyes narrowed. "No reason
we shouldn't be together."

Kelly still couldn't breathe. Not a divorce.
He didn't want to talk about separation. He wanted her back! She
felt a moment of supreme elation.

Then Kirk started to laugh. "You want her
back?" Dean glared daggers at the man but Kirk went on. "Because
you
get along
? Because it's
reasonable
?"

"Yes," Dean retorted, a hiss.

Kirk laughed again. "As a beg, son, that
hardly cuts it."

Though her heart was still racing, Kelly felt
brought up short. Kirk was right. Dean wanted her to come
home...because it was
reasonable
? Where was love in this
equation? Where was trust? Oh, he hadn't changed, not one little
whit. And she hadn't changed, either. She'd been so impressed she'd
nearly fallen right into his stubborn arms. Kelly narrowed her
eyes. "You tell me," she asked Dean. "Is that it?"

Dean's blue eyes were nearly black as he
stared at her. "You need something more?"

Kelly stared back at him. Inside she was
shaking. She wanted to tell him, 'No, I don't need a thing more,
only you.' She wanted to feel his arms, strong and sure, around
her. But her brain was whirling. She had to withstand the
temptation.

Didn't she?

She had to stand up for what she deserved,
which was something other than what Dean offered her.

Wasn't it?

Suddenly the determination that had defined
Dean's face stripped away. The expression left was raw anguish.
"Forget it," he muttered. "I never should have    " He
shook his head and turned away, making for the door.

The door. Kelly's body jerked in reaction.
Wait! She didn't want him to go. At least that's what her heart was
shouting.

She felt herself stiffen into immobility, for
she was supposed to doubt her heart, wasn't she?

Before Kelly could decide what she should or
shouldn't do, Dean was out the door. He was gone.

"Booted him," Kirk said, and gave a low
whistle. "Wish I knew how to do that."

###

Dean rushed down the stairs of Kelly's
third-story walk-up and ran right past his rental car parked on the
street. He wanted to get away, as far and as fast as possible.

Stupid. He was an idiot. And a coward. The
minute he'd seen Kelly    and then his father
   every well-rehearsed speech had gone flying out the
window. He'd simply been overcome by all he wanted. All he needed.
Come home
. How more brutish could he have gotten?

Already breathing hard, Dean started to run.
He felt a pressure increasing in his chest, choking up his throat.
He'd botched it. His one chance and he'd thoroughly botched it. He
could still see Kirk smirking at him. And Kelly, her face
so...disappointed.

And why shouldn't she have been disappointed?
He hadn't told her anything important.

Dean ran until he was out of breath. On a
street corner under a giant plastic donut, he bent over, gasping
for air and hating himself.

Then he heard her voice. It was way down the
sidewalk. "Dean!" She sounded breathless but determined.

At first, still bent over, he didn't believe
his senses. It couldn't be Kelly. That would mean she'd come
running after him and she wouldn't have done that, not after his
terrible performance in her apartment.

"Dean!" somebody shouted again, and this time
she was much closer. Skeptical, Dean straightened. Disbelieving, he
turned.

Ten feet down the deserted sidewalk from him
Kelly stumbled to a stop. She was still in her bathrobe, her hair
was wild, and there was a crazy look in her eyes. She was
panting.

No
, Dean thought. But there she was
right in front of him. Beautiful, sweet, and unattainable. He felt
his throat work but nothing came out.