Read Online The Inconvenient Bride by Anne McAllister - Free Book Online Page B

shook her head fiercely. She thrust the check back at Sierra who put her hands behind her back. “Well, you’re not going to do it! Never. You won’t. I won’t let you! Not even for Frankie. I—”
    â€œPammie,” Sierra said gently, reaching out and folding Pam’s fingers over the check. “It’s done. I already have.”
    Her friend’s fingers started to tremble, to crumple the check. Her eyes welled. “Oh, Sierra! How could you?”
    â€œHow could I not?” Sierra said simply. For Frankie she would have done a lot more terrifying things than marrying Dominic. She was actually feeling pretty good about marrying Dominic. “And stop mashing it! It’s real. We’ll go cash it at lunch, okay?”
    Pam didn’t seem to be able to talk. But at least she nodded her head, then swallowed. “You’re sure about this?”
    â€œAbsolutely.”
    Tears welled in Pam’s eyes. “Oh, my God, you’re a life saver!” And she threw her arms around Sierra, and Sierra felt the other woman’s body trembling. “I kept telling myself,” Pammie babbled, “that if I prayed hard enough, trusted enough, bargained enough… But I didn’t expect you to be part of the bargain, Sierra!”
    Sierra smiled. “This is my bargain. I wanted to do it.”
    â€œWho is he?”
    â€œMy brother-in-law’s brother.”
    Pam gaped.
    â€œIt’s not incest!” Sierra said hotly.
    â€œI know! I’m just…just…surprised. He’s not the brother-in-law who’s an arrogant jerk, then?” She remembered Sierra muttering more than once about Rhys’s bossy know-it-all brother.
    â€œEr, well…he has one or two redeeming qualities,” Sierra muttered, cheeks burning.
    â€œHe is the jerk!”
    â€œYes, but he’s not only a jerk!” Sierra protested. “Besides it was his idea!”
    â€œHe just walked up to you yesterday and said, ‘Let’s get married?’”
    â€œActually, he did.”
    Pammie’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
    â€œBecause he’s madly in love with me?” It was a joke, of course. But Pammie didn’t hear that.
    She looked vastly relieved. But still she said, “You’re sure?”
    â€œOf course I’m sure,” Sierra lied briskly. “Now I’m just off to work. But I’ll be back this afternoon and we can deposit the check. Is Frankie awake?”
    â€œYes. Go on in. He’ll be really glad to see you. He missed you last night. Star Trek, ” she reminded Sierra.
    Sierra banged her palm against her forehead. “I forgot.” Two evenings a week Frankie, Pam and Sierra watched old Star Trek videos. “We had to go out with his father,” sheexplained. “I’ll try not to miss the next one. Put the check away. I’ll go say hi to Frankie.”
    Frankie was eight. When Sierra had moved into the apartment at the other end of the hall he had been a five-year-old bundle of energy—all arms and legs and boundless enthusiasm, his dark hair forever mussed, his blue eyes alight with excitement as every day he stopped by Sierra’s flat and told her about his adventures.
    In the past year and a half his adventures had become less physical. He’d been home more, in school less. But the adventures he told her had become no less enthralling. He had created his own cast of characters and provided adventures for them. He wrote the stories on the computer, then printed and illustrated them. Frankie had his mother’s skill with a pen and pencil.
    He was at his desk already, even though it was just past eight. He was still in pajamas, but he was intent on his work, his head bent over his paper.
    When he heard her footsteps he turned, and a grin lit his face. “Hey, Sierra. Come see! I’m makin’ the most humungous tree house! It’s got a sun porch an’ a movie