Page 13 of Keep Me

“You should know a little about my family before I continue.”

I don’t respond as she turns the papers toward me. I stare at her inquisitively.

“I have three brothers. Killian is the eldest. Then, Declan. And Lachlan. Then me, between Killian and Declan.”

“Okay…” I say again, waiting for the part where I come in.

“My brother Killian, being the eldest, is the heir to ourfamily’s estate, Barclay Manor, which you have recently visited. He chooses to live there, regardless of our family’s wishes. Our parents have sadly passed away.”

“Why does your family not want him there?”

Her spine straightens. “Killian is…eccentric. He’s turned our family’s estate into a house of debauchery and parties.”

“Sounds fun,” I mutter to myself. Behind me, the coffeepot beeps, and I quickly turn away from Anna’s judgmental glare. “Cream and sugar?”

“Just cream, please.”

“Got it,” I reply, going to the fridge for the cream. “So, Killian won’t leave your family’s castle,” I say as I prepare our coffees. “What do you need me for?”

“That’s the strange part.”

As I carry over our cups, she purses her lips and waits for me to sit before speaking again.

“I’ll cut to the chase, Ms. Devereaux.”

“Please,” I reply, setting my cup on the table.

“I’d like you to marry my brother.”

Suddenly, it’s as if the entire dining room of my apartment cants to one side, and my coffee cup tips over, spilling the hot contents all over my lacquered table. Anna quickly lifts her papers, to avoid the coffee staining them.

“Oh shit,” I mumble, rushing to grab some paper towels from my kitchen and quickly cleaning up the mess. She waits patiently as I dab it up.

“I’m sorry…what?” I stammer, sitting down and staring at her in shock. The wadded-up paper towels are still littered all over my table.

“It’s quite complicated, but the only way for my family to access the ownership of the manor is if it’s transferred out of our brother’s name. And the only way for it to be transferred out of his name is if he remains married for at least one year. At which point, ownership of the home would be granted to his wife.”

“One year?” I stutter.

“Or until they have a child.”

My eyes nearly bug out of my head.

“I don’t expect you to do that,” she adds.

“Oh, good,” I reply sarcastically. “You just want me to marry a complete stranger for a year so you can con your brother out of his home. Okay. Well, that’s good because, for a moment, I thought you were out of your mind.”

She lets out a sigh. “Before you paint us as the villains, you should know that Killian’s reasons for staying in the manor are not to his benefit. He did not handle the death of our parents well, and after he spent his twenties in a drug- and alcohol-induced haze, he has secluded himself in that house since. We discovered recently just how out of hand his lifestyle has gotten. We’re doing this for his own good.”

“Have you, and I’m just tossing out ideas here, thought to talk to him about it?”

“For seventeen years,” she replies flatly.

“Seventeen years?” I snap.

“My brother needs to move on with his life. He needs a nudge.”

A laugh bursts through my lips. “A nudge? You flew halfway across the world to ask a complete stranger to marry your brother, and you call that a nudge? Why on earth would I agree to this?”

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