A Family Circle 1 - A Very Convenient Marriage by Dallas Schulze Page B

house. Nikki's heart jumped a little, but that was easily explained. She and Sam might have been getting along this past week, but she still wasn't accustomed to the idea that she no longer lived alone. And it wasn't as if she and Sam had become friends overnight. The overt hostility was gone, but they were still strangers. They'd hardly seen each other this past week, which could be why their truce had held, she thought as she pushed open the front door!
    Sam was coming down the stairs as she entered the house, as if he'd been conjured by her thinking about him. He smiled when he saw her, and Nikki was struck by how much more pleasant it was to be on speaking terms. Prior to their truce last week, they'd probably have exchanged little more than a nod.
    "Nikki, I'm glad I caught you," he said, taking the last two stairs in one stride.
    He was wearing jeans, well-worn and faded, clinging to his long legs in a way that made her aware of the muscles beneath the snug denim, and the light from the chandelier picked out the gold in his dark blond hair. All in all, he looked altogether too attractive. It was too bad Max hadn't come up with a nice, mousy type for her to marry, someone with a plastic pocket protector and safety glasses that slid down his nose—someone who wouldn't have even the slightest effect on her pulse.
    With an effort, she forced herself to concentrate on what Sam was saying.
    "I was hoping I'd get a chance to talk to you before I left for work."
    "I thought you worked today," she said. Walking to the narrow mahogany side table that sat along one side of the entryway, Nikki set ha- purse down and picked up the stack of mail there before turning back toward Sam. The little bit of extra distance made it easier to breathe.
    "No rest for the wicked." His smile couldn't completely banish the tired lines beside his eyes. "Thanksgiving is next week." Sam was shrugging into his jacket as he spoke. "I never thought to ask if your family is coming back from Europe for the holidays."
    "My family?"
    The questioning tone of her voice made Sam's brows go up. "Your mother and your brother," he clarified. "Are they coming home for Thanksgiving or Christmas?"
    "Not that I know of. I think Mother planned to spend the holidays in Monaco. I don't know what Alan will be doing." She shrugged. "We're not really very close." Which was a bit of an understatement, particularly when it came to her brother, whom she hadn't seen since their grandfather's funeral two years before.
    "Then there's no conflict," he said with satisfaction.
    "Conflict?"
    "With your family and mine both expecting us to join them. We can go to Los Olivos." He pulled his keys out of his pocket, apparently satisfied that the decision had been made.
    "I can't spend the holiday at your family's home," Nikki protested, horrified at the idea.
    "Why not?"
    "Because they think we're married."
    "We are married."
    "You know what I mean." Agitated, she set the mail back down and shoved her hands in the pockets of her slacks.
    "You mean they're going to expect us to act like a couple." He took the lift of her shoulder as agreement and continued. "You didn't think we could make it a whole year without running into situations where we'd have to pretend we were really married, did you?"
    "It's too soon. We could never carry it off. Besides, I was planning on spending the holidays with Jason. Otherwise, he'll be alone." She finished on a note of triumph, confident that she'd solved the question of the holidays.
    "Isn't Jason going to think it a bit odd if we spend our first holiday together apart?" Sam's tone was dry. "We're supposed to be madly in love, remember?"
    Nikki stared at him. She wanted more than anything to argue with him, but she couldn't. Jason would think it very odd if she spent Thanksgiving with him and left her new husband to go off and join his family.
    "Why don't you see if Jason wants to join us?" Sam asked, accepting her tacit agreement that they'd be