Page 2 of Escape Clause

He’s nervous.Krogan arched his eyebrows. “Yes?”

“My second recommendation is that…you sign up.”

“With Cosmic Mates? No.”

“Hear me out. Your participation would be the best testimonial we could get. You have tremendous influence. People respect you. If the governor-general is willing to do it, other men will do it, too. You must lead by example.”

What thefizzakdid he think he’d been doing? He gave 110 percent and then gave some more. Government service was his life. His people’s problems weighed on his mind night and day. It was his last thought before he went to sleep—when he couldsleep—and his first thought upon awakening. As soon as they’d become aware they had a deadly nano-virus on their hands, he’d scoured the galaxy for the best virologists and nanobot engineers to develop a cure. He’d secured every available stasis pod he could find to extend the life of the afflicted until the cure could be developed. And, when the situation continued to grow bleaker, he’d come up with the idea for Cosmic Mates and put Vorgol in charge of it.

“Our mendesireto marry and have a family,” Krogan said. “We’re not demanding a huge sacrifice or saddling them with an unwanted burden. We’re giving them what they want—a wife. We’re not forcing anyone to marry who doesn’t wish to.”

“They are still reluctant to wed an alien they’ve never met. But, if you’re willing to do it…”

“Marriage is not in my future.” If human females were anything like Caradonian women, they would expect their husbands to love them—or at least grow to love them. But he wasn’t capable of it. He knew that about himself. It wasn’t pretty, but it was honest. In thirty-six years of life, he’d never been in love. Lust? Yes. Love, no.

He cared enough to not subject a woman to an emotionless, sterile union but would never care enough for her to fall in love.

“It’s not like you’d be locked in forever,” Vorgol said. “The marriage doesn’t become binding until after the first year. Both parties must agree to continue the union for it to become permanent. We wrote in an escape clause to incentivize men and alien women to give it a try.”

“But they enter the contract with expectations of permanence. It may not work out, but they go into it hoping it will. It would not be fair to deceive her.”

“It’s not a deception if you’re honest. Let her know up front it will be temporary. Tell her Cosmic Mates will guarantee her another mate at the end of the provisional period.”

Some people said he was honest to a fault. Too blunt. Another reason why it was a bad idea to inflict himself on a wife.

“Caradonia needsyou. You founded the program. You know it’s our only chance for recovery.” Vorgol looked at him, letting the truth of his words hover.

Krogan sighed. “Sign me up.” He scowled. “Make it clear to whoever I get matched with that the marriagewillterminate at the end of the year. I can’timagine why a female seeking a husband would accept such an arrangement, but if you can find one who will, I’ll go along.”

Chapter Two

“You’re late!” Rose confronted her as she entered the cottage. “Take that off!” She tugged at Hope’s apron and whisked it off her. “Wipe the flour off your face.” Before she could respond, her stepmother scrubbed her cheeks with the apron before flinging it onto a hall tree. “That will have to do.”

Hope glanced at a bucket of water next to the coat rack and sighed. Another leak. That was one more repair there was no money to fix. She’d been working as hard as she could, taking extra shifts at the bakery, but money slipped through her stepmother’s hands faster than the rain seeped through the patchy roof.

“Come with me. Don’t keep him waiting any longer.” Rose grabbed Hope’s arm and dragged her toward the parlor.

“Who? Who’s waiting?”

“Mr. Gleezer.”

“The mayor is here? Why?” A hard knot formed in the pit of Hope’s stomach. A visit from the mayor was never a good thing.

“He’s come to see you.” She pushed her into the sitting room.

Pinky extended, Ivan Gleezer lifted a cup of tea to the slash of his thin lips. Rose had brought out the good china, and, judging from the aroma, the expensive tea. In his oversized paw, the delicate teacup looked like a child’s toy.

She masked her distaste with a bland expression. His corpulent form squished into the settee like a giant blob of bread dough rising out of the pan.Somebody needs to punch him down.It’s amazing how somebody so enormous can fit so easily into the regional commissioner’s pocket—and still manage to line his own.She didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty for her mean thoughts. Gleezer was not a nice man, governing Bloomhaven with an iron right hand while clutching the surtaxes squeezed out of the villagers in his left fist.

He set the cup on the saucer and wheezed to his feet. “Miss Bennett, it’s so lovely to see you.” Beady dark eyes looked like two raisins above his pasty jowls and doughy double chin.

Rose jabbed her.

She shuffled forward and extended her hand. “Welcome to our home.” She tried not to cringe as his damp palm gripped hers with surprising strength.

“Shall we all sit down? We have business to discuss,” Rose said in a syrupy voice.

Hope extricated her hand and took the chair farthest away, earning a scowl from her stepmother. But better to draw her disapproval than sit next to Gleezer.

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