Marrying Maddy by Kasey Michaels Page A

room.
    â€œMiserable, conniving…” Maddy gritted out almost under her breath, but Joe was standing close and overheard her.
    â€œI love her madly,” he whispered quietly to her as he took her arm, led her toward the foyer. “Infact, if you won’t marry me, I may ask Almira to elope with me instead.”
    â€œI think I already suggested something like that,” Maddy countered, pulling her arm free, halting to wait for Matt. “Darling?” she said, slipping her hand around his elbow, holding on to him in a near-death grip. “I’ve missed you today.”
    â€œI’ve missed you, too, Maddy, but I’m glad you and Almira had such a good time,” Matt answered, patting her hand.
    Joe fought back the urge to gag. He’d seen more passion in a dog food commercial.
    He stayed where he was as Jessie slowly brought up the rear, then held out his arm to her so that she really had no choice but to take it. “I’m sorry I didn’t phone to cancel the dinner my grandmother planned,” she said quietly as they followed Maddy and Matt out of the house.
    â€œI’m not, as I’m still going to have the pleasure of your company this evening,” Joe told her. “Now, loosen up and pretend I’m fascinating, all right?”
    â€œWhat?” Jessie asked, stopping dead on the front porch. “I don’t think you understood me, Mr. O’Malley.”
    â€œJoe,” he said, holding up his hand to correct her.
    â€œYou know who you are,” Jessie said, gathering up her professionalism and trying to apply it to this truly insane situation. “I will not be a party to this ludicrous plan of yours and Allie’s, and I told her so this morning. Now I’m telling you. Maddy is my sister and I love her. She’s happy with Matt, so why don’t you just fold up your mansion and steal away, or whatever.”
    â€œYes, they are happy with each other, aren’tthey?” Joe agreed, looking at the happy couple as they walked across the lawns, skirting the end of the split rail fence. “Just like brother and sister. Or, if I’m not too far off base, brother and sister- in-law. ”
    â€œYou’re not only off base, Mr. O’Malley,” Jessie said, her cheeks burning. “You’re completely out of the ballpark.”
    â€œAm I, Jessie?” he asked, motioning for her to precede him down the three steps to the driveway. “I don’t think so. And neither do you. As a matter of fact, I’m the answer to all your prayers, aren’t I?”
    â€œI would never do anything to hurt my sister. Never.”
    â€œAnd I’m not asking you to, Jessie. Neither Almira nor I are asking you to do anything remotely like that.”
    â€œThen what are you asking me?”
    Joe smiled, knowing he’d won at least this one battle, even without Almira’s help. “I’m just asking you to smile at me a time or two tonight, let me smile back at you. Maybe lean our heads together, whisper a time or two. Then you can look at your sister, see if she’s also smiling, or if she’s doing a slow burn, looking like she’s ready to sink a steak knife into my heart.”
    â€œAnd if she is? Looking ready to kill you, that is?”
    â€œAh, then you’ll know she still loves me, just as I still love her. That should ease your conscience when I ask you to come over to my house tomorrow to help me decide on curtain materials or whatever excuse I can come up with at such short notice.”
    Jessie bit her lip, watching as Maddy and Mattwalked along, not even holding hands. She’d seen movies of sailors walking the plank with more enthusiasm.
    What was going on? Was Maddy having second thoughts? Was Matt?
    Was she?
    â€œArranging furniture,” she said at last, giving in to Joe’s persuasive manner, to her own hopes. “That sounds more plausible.”
    Joe pulled her