Twice the Trouble Read Free

simple. You are a villain, you asshole!”
    “Maybe you’re right. Those railroad tracks are sounding pretty damn good right now.” Alex couldn’t hold back a grin. “You know, you’re really kind of cute when you curse. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you do it.”
    Alex started tugging her toward the courthouse steps, but Lacey dug in her heels and made the task twice as hard.
    “You know this won’t work,” she said. “We don’t even know each other anymore. Why are you doing this to me?”
    Alex stopped and glared down at her. “There was a time when this was all either of us wanted. Do you find the idea of being my wife that repulsive now, Lacey?”
    Lacey straightened and pushed her hair out of her face. “You don’t understand. I have a lot of responsibilities. More than you can imagine. I couldn’t be a good wife for anyone. Dammit, I wouldn’t even know how to be married.”
    The sincere sound in her voice and the pleading look in her eyes made Alex soften slightly. “Does anyone start out knowing how to be married? I don’t think so. They stumble through it together and figure it out.”
    “You’re talking about people who love each other, Alex. That’s not us, not anymore.”
    She looked so sad, it softened him up a little more. It had been a shock, seeing her today, touching her, hearing her voice. This plan wasn’t only about punishing her for the past. He needed time to sort through the myriad of emotions bombarding him. In the meantime, he couldn’t let her slip through his fingers.
    “Here’s the deal. We’ll only see each other on occasional weekends. You’ll live on Indian Lakes and I’ll stay here. Can you handle that in exchange for your precious home? A very large and somewhat expensive piece of property, I might add. It would just be a part-time marriage, but a marriage none the less. I’d expect you to be loyal to me, only me. That’s the deal if you want to keep your home sweet home.”
    Lacey gave a frustrated sigh. “How long would you expect this arrangement to last?”
    Shit, was she already planning the divorce? It seemed she couldn’t get away from him fast enough. His heart hardened right back to the way it had started. “We’ll spend time together until I get bored, which probably won’t take long, but I won’t allow a divorce for thirteen years. I figure that’s how much time you owe me.”
    “I don’t owe you a single second,” Lacey retorted.
    “Do you want the property or not?”
    If Lacey ground her teeth any harder, she’d crack a molar. “The property would belong to me, free and clear, I’d hold the deed to the entire place?”
    “You’d still have to pay the property tax and insurance every year, but yeah. I can have a prenuptial agreement drawn up first thing Monday morning.”
    Lacey looked around and then shook her head. “I don’t know how I’d manage to come here on weekends. My grandfather is watching the place now, but he’s not as strong as he used to be. Besides that, my truck is on its last legs.”
    “You’d only need to be here if I have any kind of social engagement, otherwise, I can come to Indian Lakes. It’d be nice to get away from the city once in a while.”
    “Where would you stay in Indian Lakes?”
    Alex released her. He stepped back and crossed his arms. “With my wife, of course. You’ve got ten seconds to decide if that’s going to be you. If not, you’d better go home and start packing.”
    Lacey made another deep sigh. “Let’s get this over with then.”
    Alex followed his blushing bride up the stone steps.
    At the clerk’s desk, they were given family law booklets to read, how romantic. Then, they were directed to the waiting area.
    Alex sat on hard plastic chair against the wall. Lacey chose a chair three seats away.
    A young woman sitting catty-cornered from Lacey leaned forward to get her attention. “This has got to be the most exciting day of my life,” she said