He sighed. “I’m not stalling, kitten. I’m trying to figure out how to explain the unexplainable.”
He looked down into her face and felt his heart roll over. The patient sympathy in there, the warmth and trust he could see, nearly unmanned him. He resolved then and there to answer any question truthfully, even if it drove her from him.
Not that he would let her get very far. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Why haven’t you called the police?”
Leo nodded, his eyes once more on the horizon. He didn’t even see it, being too busy trying to gather his thoughts. Time to come clean. “Two reasons. One, because there’s not a damn thing the police could do to help us, and two, it’s forbidden to involve them in affairs such as this.”
She stared up at him, puzzled. “I…don’t understand.”
She dropped her gaze down to their joined hands, feeling his tremble slightly in hers, and knew he was working up his courage to tell her something he was pretty sure she didn’t want to hear. “Leo?” She could hear the uncertainty in her own voice and winced. “What’s going on?” A horrible thought struck her, and she blurted it out without thinking. “Shane was kidnapped, right?”
Leo grimaced, his expression rueful. He looked down at her, and something about his expression told her that this was about more than just his brother’s kidnapping. “Yes, Shane was kidnapped, and Moira’s right. It’s my fault. Partly.”
“Why, because of your money? Did they think you’d pay a huge ransom or something?”
Leo huffed out a laugh. “I wish. It would be a lot less complicated if it were that simple.”
“Tell me why, Leo.”
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51
Dana Marie Bell
The forced way he blew out his breath let her know it would be bad. Very bad. “It has to do with a marriage contract.”
“A what?” Confused, Ruby stared up at him.
“A marriage contract. An arranged marriage was set up by my mother’s father, Armand Joloun, and a man named Cullen Malmayne. Both sides thought to benefit from a marriage of power between Cullen’s son and my mother, but my grandfather is the one who approached the Malmaynes. Which is part of why this whole thing is so screwed up.”
“Your grandfather’s name sounds French, but your mom is Irish. Isn’t she?”
“Half Irish. Moira’s named for our grandmother, and Mom was raised in Ireland with her.”
Ruby thought about that, absorbing it, and let it go. It had no real relevance. “Okay, so your grandfather and this Malmayne dude wrote out a contract, swearing to wed their children to each other. I gather Aileen wasn’t so thrilled with the idea?”
“Oh, at first she had no real objection. It isn’t all that unusual, and from what I understand Duncan Malmayne is a fairly attractive man, wealthy and powerful. But Mom met Dad, and that was pretty much the end of that.”
“So, what, the Malmaynes sued for breach of contract?”
Leo sighed. “Here’s where it gets tricky. Mom and Dad share a unique bond, something that should have nullified the contract, but apparently there was an escape clause written in by my grandfather. In the event that either Duncan or my mother was unable to fulfill the terms, it would devolve to the next generation of both families. In other words, any one of their children could make an arranged marriage.”
“And they want Shane to fulfill this clause in the contract?”
Leo looked at her, and Ruby felt her heart sink. “No. They want me.”
They can’t have you! Ruby shivered with the force of that denial. “Why you?”
Leo opened his mouth, but nothing came out at first. “I’m not quite certain how to explain this.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck nervously. The other hand picked up hers and clasped it warmly, his thumb moving in soothing strokes over the back of her fingers.
“Open mouth, spit out words. C’mon, Leo, it can’t be that bad.”
“There’s something you need to know first.” His eyes were glued to their joined hands.
“Okay, what?”
“I will never, ever, do anything to harm you. You mean more to me than you could possibly understand yet. And if I have my way you and the Malmaynes will never cross paths.” He clasped both of her hands in between his, his expression more serious than any she’d seen on his face yet. She could practically feel him willing her to believe in him. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
She shook her head. She was starting to get scared. “Leo, what is going on?”
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Dare to Believe