Lowell watched him with narrowed eyes while Frances had jumped to her feet and taken to patting Nick on the back. When he wasn’t coughing out a lung anymore, she sat again.
“I assume you wish to be married so you can claim your portion of the inheritance,” the slick attorney said to her, though his gaze never left Nick.
“Of course, that’s why,” Frances said, glancing at Lowell like he was an idiot.
“Then I would like to offer my services,” Lowell said, leaning forward. “It would kill two birds with one stone. You’ll fulfill the requirement in your father’s will that you marry before gaining your inheritance, and I would give the appearance of meeting your uncle’s demand.”
“It won’t work with you.” Nick coughed to clear his throat. “Lancaster’s going to expect you to bring her to him immediately after the wedding. She needs someone she can trust who isn’t tied to her uncle.”
“It would only be temporary,” Frances said to Nick and his heart leaped into his throat again. She’d said it tohimand not Lowell. Frances continued, “The marriage contract would have to state our intent to have it annulled, however long it takes to satisfy the attorneys over my inheritance. Once I have control of that, you’d be free to move on.”
“Wait, you’re going to marry this cowboy?” Lowell asked, reaching across the table to try to take Frances’s hand. Nick was gratified when she pulled hers out of his reach.
“He offered, and I trust him,” she said simply.
While Lowell sputtered, Nick couldn’t decide if he was pleased with the assessment or crushed. Would she only consider marrying him because she trusted him? Did she have no feelings for him at all?
“Edgar, no offense,” Frances said, “but you’re the one who came out here specifically to try to lure Doris back to Indianapolis and into Uncle William’s clutches.”
“Am I never going to live that down in your eyes?” His face flushed. “I told her what was going on. It never came to that.”
“But the truth is you were tempted to do it. What would it take for Uncle William to tempt you again?”
Lowell jumped to his feet, his chair tipping over. “You have obviously forgotten the facts. I did not come here willingly, nor because I was tempted by payment. My reputation had been threatened with a lie. You’ve lived in higher circles. You know what those people are like.”
“Vultures,” Frances agreed, her voice placid. “But it’s a huge character flaw in my mind that you thought it was all right to do a dishonorable thing to save your honor.Shemight have forgiven you, but that doesn’t mean I trust you.”
“I thought we’d become friends.” Lowell’s soft words almost made Nick feel bad for the man.
“Oh, we are, and you can still work with us.” Frances waved for him to take his seat again. “Sit down and let me explain.”
For a second, Nick thought he might not do it. The man even glanced at the door.
“You say you want to help defeat my uncle,” she said, her words soft.
Lowell heaved out a deep breath and sank back into his chair. “And how can I do that if you’re married to someone else?”
“You can prepare an ironclad marriage contract for us. I don’t want Uncle William to think he can use Nick against me.”
Nick gave himself a mental shake at how unemotional she sounded. He’d been wanting to marry Frances Lancaster for months. Did the thought of being married to him mean so little to her? Was he putting himself in a bad situation?
As soon as he asked himself the question, he knew the answer: it didn’t matter. Frances needed a husband, and she’d asked him. This was Nick’s chance to win her.
“Are you going to tell your family our marriage is a sham?” he asked.
“Of course not.” Frances gave a shudder. “I can just see Luke. He’d never sign for me if he thought this was all pretend, and the girls would side with him for sure. You have a problem with that?”
“No.”Yes.But Nick kept the thought to himself. He wanted to make sure, when the time finally came to be honest about his feelings for her, Frances knew he wasn’t after her fortune. He said to Lowell, “Be sure our marriage contract protects my interests as well.”
“Youhave interests needing protection?” Lowell asked with a smug look of disbelief.
“I sure do. Frances wants to be in control of her life and her finances, and so do I. There are things I’m hoping to do, business-wise, here in Lilac City.” Nick winked at her. “I don’t want to have to negotiate with her about how to use my money.”
Frances shot him a considering glance but then grinned. From her approving expression, his gut instinct had been right. He didn’t like the idea of blabbing about his inheritance to Lowell.
“When do you think your office will be ready, Edgar?” she asked.
“It already is.” He leaned back in his chair, looking proud of himself. “I’ve got more work than I know what to do with.”
