Page 37 of Seaside Cowboy's Marriage of Convenience

“Sorry, Kennedy.”

“Many times, I overheard my father tell my mother that he couldn’t bear to lose her, that he’d never let her go. That he knew he loved her much more than she loved him. And now with the story of how the brakes in my car were cut...”

Marina’s eyes narrowed. “Do you want me to look into your parents’ accident?”

Hmm. She might uncover things Kennedy wouldn’t want to know. “Let me think about it.” Kennedy placed her mother’s silver bracelets inside and closed the box.

“Okay, let me know what you decide. Um, just a quick question. You inherited everything, right?”

“When I turned twenty-one. Until then, my uncle was my guardian, so he was managing the estate in the interim.” Kennedy closed the safe’s door more forcefully than she should have. Ouch, the hard metal jarred her arm. She pressed the button, and the bookcase moved back. “But he had no connection to their accident, of course.”

“Of course,” Marina echoed, but she didn’t sound entirely convinced.

The conversation in the library Kennedy had overhead three days before the accident floated into her mind. She’d been curled up behind some bookshelves at the time. And when she heard voices, she’d figured it was best not to reveal herself because she only seemed to irritate her parents when she showed up.

“Why do you keep spending everything on lavish parties and expensive whiskey?” Uncle’s voice had been angry, a rare occurrence. He usually got his point across without raising his voice.

“Because the love of my life likes it.” Her father had growled. But then, he’d had a temper and yelled at the household staff when drunk. Was he drunk then? “Just because your wife left you doesn’t mean I need to lose mine! I don’t want to be a hermit like you.”

She had winced then.

But Uncle’s voice had become even. “That’s a low blow, and you know it. It all needs to change. A couple more years, and you’ll run the family business into the ground. There’ll be nothing for Kennedy to inherit.”

“It’s all about Kennedy again, isn’t it?” Her father had snarled. “You’d better back off. She’ll never become a stand-in daughter for you.”

No! She slammed the door to those memories with as much force as she’d closed the safe door. Her uncle was her rock. She couldn’t doubt him.

She gestured for her friend to follow her into the kitchen, and, seeming to decide the invitation was extended to them as well, Caramel and Smiley ran after her. When Kennedy got a treat from a cabinet, both dogs jumped, trying to get it. She chuckled. “Be patient. Each one of you will get a treat.”

Her spirits lifted somewhat. It was impossible to stay sad around their antics.

After feeding the dogs, she washed her hands with jasmine-scented liquid soap, then picked up crystal bowls filled with colorful fruit salad from the stainless-steel fridge. She’d combined stainless-steel appliances and milky-white marble counters with copper accents. The mosaic backsplash with a metallic tint offset cream-colored cabinets. Unlike the house she’d grown up in with hand-carved cherrywood furniture and hand woven Persian carpets, she wanted hers to be light and breezy.

Before marrying Austin, she hadn’t spent much time in the kitchen, though, because cooking for one didn’t make sense and she didn’t have time for it, anyway. Now she truly appreciated the design, the skylight windows, and the row of cookbooks she’d never opened.

“If you have even a smidgen of concern, can you postpone the honeymoon?” Marina’s eyebrows furrowed as she walked alongside Kennedy into the spacious dining room. The expensive antique hutch and buffet with heirloom plates starkly contrasted the modern furniture, but Kennedy needed to bring at least something from her parents’ home. Well, besides sadness.

She sent a wistful glance toward the terrace, but they’d be an easy target there. “It’s not just a honeymoon, which I know is unfair to Austin. I want to speak face-to-face with the person who posted the festival video. Remember? In it, my uncle saw someone who might resemble my missing cousin. Maybe I can talk to local businesses and show them the age-progression drawings Mason used a computer program to create. And then Skylar made a drawing, as well. I owe it to my uncle to do the on-the-ground research.” She paused. “And to my cousin, too. Austin says he understands.”

Marina’s expression softened, and she touched Kennedy’s hand. “Of course, Austin understands. And in case you didn’t notice, he’d go to the other side of the earth for you. Well, he’s about to.”

Kennedy’s heart stirred. Could she hope Austin would develop feelings for her indeed? And that she wouldn’t push him away in the process? Several men she’d gone out with had told her she’d been too distant. She didn’t doubt they could be right.

Kennedy and Marina sat at the cream-colored oval table. She’d bought it two days ago to replace the one with sharp corners. “In case you wondered, the taster already tried the fruit salad and is still alive. So it’s safe to eat.”

Marina coughed a little. “I never thought about that. But thank you for letting me know.” Yet she paused before trying the fruit salad. “You say that like it’s not a big deal.”

“According to my uncle, when you’re affluent, you have what other people want, and some could stop at nothing to take it. I told him people could just ask me for what they want, and if I had it, I’d give it to them.” Kennedy chuckled, though the mirthless sound cut at her tight throat. “He said the world doesn’t work that way.”

“Wow.” Marina tapped her fingers over the table’s surface. “I only saw the good parts of your life.”

Well, give it to Kennedy to bring doom and gloom into a happy day. “Of which there are many.” She spooned up a cube of melon and peach. They were fresh and juicy, but things had tasted better before she’d had to check them for poison. “I’m exhilarated to be married to Austin. But I’m aware he didn’t marry me out of love.” And that hurt more than it should have.

“From where I am, he looks happy and joyful.” Marina chewed her salad carefully and slowly. Maybe the reassurance wasn’t so reassuring.

Kennedy’s fingers tightened around her spoon. If only she could believe she was the reason for his happiness, but she knew better. “That’s his nature. I’m afraid I’ll bring danger into his life.... Look what happened to people who simply work for me.”

Marina shook her head, sending her hair flying. “It’s not your fault! And most likely, you had nothing to do with it. You might not be the one targeted, considering the information about the possible assailants I’ve uncovered. Besides, Austin chose to stand by your side despite the threats, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from him.”

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