The Marriage Solution. Brenda Harlen

       He’d got exactly what he wanted.

      For weeks he’d been trying to deny the attraction between him and Tess, focusing his efforts on courting her and trying not to think about the night they’d made love. His proposal might have been motivated by a desire to give his baby a family, but now that they were married, he found himself wanting more.

      And right now he wanted Tess in his bed.

      She’d finally agreed to marry him so that their baby could have a full-time father. Their marriage was a means to an end. So why wasn’t he happy?

      Because he wanted more. He wanted it all.

      He almost laughed out loud. He had a challenging and rewarding career, a beautiful home in the suburbs, a child on the way. What else was there?

      Love.

      For Neill, the man I love

       and who also happens to be my best friend. And for Jamie, with thanks.

       BRENDA HARLEN

      grew up in a small town surrounded by books and imaginary friends. Although she always dreamed of being a writer, she chose to follow a more traditional career path first. After two years of practising as a lawyer (including an appearance in front of the Supreme Court of Canada), she gave up her “real” job to be a mum and to try her hand at writing books. Three years, five manuscripts and another baby later, she sold her first book – an RWA Golden Heart Winner.

      Brenda lives in Southern Ontario with her real- life husband/hero, two heroes-in-training and two neurotic dogs. She is still surrounded by books (“too many books,” according to her children) and imaginary friends, but she also enjoys communicating with “real” people. Readers can contact Brenda by e-mail at brendaharlen@ yahoo.com

      Dear Reader,

      I’m always amazed by the unexpected consequences that result from seemingly ordinary events. An example from my own life is when I met Jamie in university. We played baseball together, shared a couple of classes and then he invited me to a party. An ordinary event…

      Five years later, I married a man I met at that party. Unexpected (and very happy) consequences…

      Tess Lucas and Craig Richmond are two longtime friends trying to get their relationship back on track after spending the night together. But the events of that ordinary night (OK, it was better than ordinary – after all, Craig is the hero) have unexpected consequences.

      Now Tess is pregnant and there are some serious decisions to be made. He wants to get married; she doesn’t. At least they both agree on one thing: falling in love is NOT an option.

      They are about to find out that sometimes the most unexpected and extraordinary things do happen.

      I hope you enjoy their story.

      Best,

       Brenda Harlen

      The Marriage Solution

      BRENDA HARLEN

      Chapter One

      Craig Richmond tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the door to open. He knew Tess was home— he’d called first to make sure, determined that her campaign of avoidance was about to come to an end. He wasn’t going to let their fifteen-year friendship fall apart just because they’d made the mistake of sleeping together.

      Not that he thought it was a mistake. More like a long-denied fantasy finally realized. But Tess obviously regretted making love with him. And while he was disappointed that there wouldn’t be a repeat performance of their one night together, he wasn’t going to abandon everything they meant to one another because of it. Tonight they were going to talk about what happened and find a way to move past it.

      At last the door opened and she was there.

      He drank in the sight of her, from the dark, slightly tousled hair, wide eyes the color of a clear summer sky and temptingly full lips, moving lower, lingering a moment in appreciation of her feminine curves before following the endless length of shapely legs.

      He’d been angry that she was ignoring his calls, hurt that she was shutting him out, but mostly he’d been lonely without his best friend. He’d missed her smile and her laughter, her warmth and compassion. He’d missed talking to her and just being with her. And because he’d missed her friendship so much, he was determined to ignore the desire that stirred whenever he was with her— as he’d ignored it for so many years already.

      He met her gaze, saw the confusion and awkwardness he felt reflected in her eyes and forced a smile. “Hi.”

      “Hi,” she replied to his greeting.

      He waited for her to step back and invite him inside, but she remained on the threshold, barring his entry.

      He shifted the takeout bag he carried from one hand to the other. “Can I come in?”

      She hesitated a moment before she responded, “I told you on the phone that this isn’t really a good time.”

      “There hasn’t been a good time for the past several weeks,” he pointed out. “And I’m not leaving until we’ve had a chance to talk. So we can talk here, in the hallway, or you can invite me in to share my Pad Thai.”

      “I’m not very hungry.” But she finally stepped away from the door and let him in.

      Craig went directly to the kitchen, as comfortable in her apartment as he was in his own, and took two plates from the cupboard. Tess hovered uncertainly behind him as he divided up the noodles. He glanced back at her, noted the pallor of her cheeks and the dark smudges under her eyes that had escaped his initial scrutiny. He wondered if memories of their lovemaking had been keeping her awake at night, too, and derived a certain amount of satisfaction from that thought.

      “Let’s eat,” he said, carrying the plates to the table.

      She sat across from him, eyed the meal warily.

      He frowned at her obvious lack of interest, but determinedly dug into his food. Several minutes passed in silence while he ate and Tess poked at her noodles. Then he heard her fork clatter against the plate. He looked over and saw that her cheeks weren’t just pale now, they were tinged with green.

      “Tess—”

      Before he could say anything else, she shoved back her chair and raced down the hall. He heard the slam of the bathroom door and the muted, yet unmistakable sound, of retching.

      He pushed his own plate away, his own stomach feeling a little unsettled now, too. Maybe Tess had a touch of the flu that was going around.

      Or maybe there was another explanation for both her physical symptoms and her determination to avoid him since the night they’d had sex and the condom broke. Maybe she was pregnant.

      Tess Lucas stared at the pink cardboard box in Craig’s hand and felt her cheeks flush the same color. Last night, he’d shown up at her apartment with dinner. Today, it was a pregnancy test.

      She closed her eyes, as if that would make the box— and the possibility—go away.

      She’d been feeling tired and nauseous for a couple of weeks now, but had assumed she had probably caught some virus. And the tenderness in her breasts was likely an indication that she was about to get her period. Because she was going to get her period—any day now, she was sure. Then she could stop worrying about the possible repercussions of faulty latex.

      Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes again the box—and Craig—were still there.

      She took the package from his outstretched hand