Will I Do?: First in the Harrison Clan Romance Series

By Paula Barnestead

Robert Harrison is fascinated by and inexorably drawn to the beautiful woman he sees across the crowded room. When the seemingly vulnerable woman declares she has to get married he sees it as an opportunity to make sure she will always be in his life. He is a prominent doctor, but his family owns a world-famous cosmetics firm and the wealth that goes with it. Katherine does not share with him that she is a world famous doctor on medical leave from her Geneva, Switzerland clinic after a devastating bout with the flu, wealthy in her own right, and an actual genius to boot.
Unfortunately there have been an inordinate number of women who have thrown themselves Robert in hopes of marrying him to be a part of that family and wealth. He thought he’d found the one woman who doesn’t know who he is and what he is worth. His sense of betrayal when he discovers Katherine is not pregnant and had to get married for "financial reasons" swamps his otherwise gentle nature and he presses hot, angry kisses on his as-yet-untouched wife. Anger quickly becomes one night of shared passion. But the man Kathi married and has fallen in love with makes passionate love with her, and then treats her with disdain. That one night of unprotected sex has some devastating and life changing consequences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483547749

Book preview

9781483547749

CHAPTER 1

Robert had been watching her all evening. This beautiful woman had very much peaked his interest. The large luxury apartment pulsated with the sounds of the party, but the fascinating figure seemed to have finally found an oasis of peace and quiet in a deep soft armchair in the corner.

Ouch! Kathi jerked her food back as the wavering drunk passed in front of her. She leaned over to rub the top of her foot where he had stepped, unaware that in leaning she made a very voluptuous picture. At the sound of her voice, the drunk turned back to her. His eyes met the shell of her exposed throat and followed the expanse of skin as far as the loosened fabric permitted.

Kathi had thought the dark corner would afford her some privacy. She should have known she would never get a chance to think at a party like this. Glossy, glittery parties were not her favorite pastime, and particularly not when she had thinking to do.

The drunk leaned closer. Well, hi there, honey! The voice was very suggestive, and with the fuzzy, clumsy movements of a drunk he leaned over. With a hand on each arm of her chair he effectively imprisoned her. His whiskey breath was hot and extremely overpowering. Kathi drew back into her chair as far as she could but the unwanted breath and words still reached her. I haven't seen you before, sweet thing. Why ya' hidin' back here?

Please, leave me alone. I don't feel like talking.

She hadn't wanted to come, but she had already promised Jim she'd come with him. Of course that was before she'd gotten the e-mail outlining the terms of the Grace's will. Now she needed freedom from distractions and time to think. Grace Furstein had been a good friend, but damn!...she could be an unmitigated meddler. Kathi had wanted to buy that apartment house in Rome for over a year.

Aw, c'mon, baby? This 'sposed to be a party! Kathi pulled her head back further and turned it to the side in an attempt to escape the choking effects of the breath being blown at her face.

The face came closer to here and was contorted with anger. Whatsa' matter, Miss Priss? Ya' think yer too good for us? The hands that had been on the arms of her chair moved up to her shoulders, and, with obnoxious intimacy, down her body to rest on her breasts.

Her eyes closed for a few seconds. Kathi had attended many parties and dealt with many situations in which men (and women) were drunk, but she'd never before faced such a belligerent drunk at a party, and certainly not on such an 'intimate' level. She was becoming more than a little frightened. She opened her eyes, not sure exactly what she was going to do but knowing she had to do something.

The contorted face swam closer and then suddenly jerked away. Kathi couldn't figure out what had happened until she heard a deep, full voice saying, The lady asked to be left alone!

Kathi's eyes shifted from the unpleasant face she had been watching, to the shoulder just below it, and then to the firm, tapered hand which gripped that shoulder. The hand, shoulder and face began to move as a unit, up and away from her chair. The hands that had been encasing her breasts followed. In a few seconds the tanned hand she had seen on the offending shoulder was back, palm up. The voice, gentle now, floated down to her.

Robert wanted to ask her why she was hiding away in the corner. Instead he asked Would you like some air?

As her hand reached to take that extended out to her Kathi's voice quivered, Yes, thank you.

A strong arm across her back led Kathi out to the terrace. Once out in the cool evening air, Kathi gulped it in as if she had been drowning. She looked, finally, at the man who had rescued her. He was leaning back against the railing facing the doors they just come through, weight resting on one bent arm. Although his face was somewhat shadowed she could see the strong features and was struck by the dark eyes and that determined jaw line. She was very sure that while this man would never behave as had the drunk he was definitely a man be reckoned with.

She was aware that she been looking at him for some time -- staring at him really, seemingly focused on the small little scar on his chin. She blushed with embarrassment. In the half light she could see the slight smile which touched his lips.

Feeling better now? The lips were smiling but the voice was understanding, not mocking. And it was a very intriguing voice. She focused on it. It seemed to be compelling her to relax and forget what had just happened, but at the same time it was doing some rather devastating things of its own to her already frazzled nerves. The realization that he was awaiting her answer broke the spell which had held her.

Yes, thank you. Lord she sounded like a broken record and she hadn't even thanked him. Thank you. Now that really sounded stupid. It made her appear to be a witless fool and that she most certainly was not! I mean for helping me in there.

The well formed head, already cocked to the side, tilted even more in acceptance of her thanks. But that captivating voice was mute.

The silence grew longer. Kathi's earlier assertion that she was feeling better had not been quite accurate, and she welcomed the chance to pull herself together. Her thoughts then moved back to her long-range problem. A few minutes passed, and then a few more. It might have been an awkward silence but it wasn't.

You don't want to go back in there, do you? It was not really a question, but a quiet statement.

No. I didn't really want to come at all but I'd promised a friend I would come with him. He's trying to interest a friend of mine and he felt if she saw him with me she'd think more of his character. Jim has not been the most reliable of people in the past, but he's reformed in the last couple of years.

Would you like to go somewhere and get a cup of coffee? Robert asked.

Yes. Yes! I believe I would! His voice had not worked its enchantment again so that wasn't it, but she felt compelled to grab at the opportunity to get away.

Robert moved forward and once more that guiding arm moved her with him. They slipped into the milling crowd. Kathi's glance swept across the room and back. She didn't see Jim, and was about to tell her companion she'd have to find her friend and tell him she was leaving when a figure in a far corner turned towards the center of the room. Luckily Jim's glance met hers. She lifted her arm slightly overhead, pointed to the door and waved. Jim nodded and turned back to Brandi.

She realized her companion was watching with raised eyebrows and it was very clear that he thought Jim was certainly not a reformed individual when he not only had not been around to protect her from persistent drunks, but seemed to have no hesitancy about letting her leave with a strange man. Such concern for her well-being was new to Kathi and it shook her a little. She felt like an inexperienced teenager when she fumbled out, Okay, we can go now.

As the doorman phoned for a taxi, Kathi and her rescuer waited in the elegant and ultra-modern lobby. Kathi was once again involved with her own thoughts, and Robert took advantage of the opportunity to survey this damsel he had rescued from distress. Her hair was shoulder-length, the brown curls somewhat unruly. It was clear she had something on her mind. She seemed totally unaware that the hair that had earlier been held in a crisp knot at the back of her head had loosened as she had twisted in the chair. She'd never even reached up to tidy it when they had escaped to the terrace. Her face was charmingly beautiful. But when he looked closer he realized that it was a deceptive face. He'd thought on first glance that she was in her early twenties, now he realized she was probably in her mid to late twenties.

Her eyes were equally deceptive. They were a soft, sweet blue, and there were just the faintest lines around them and around the full, moist lips, that suggested that this lady smiled often, and yet there seemed be the wisdom of the ages in the depths of those eyes. At the moment however her face held a desperate look. There was very definitely something going on here. He'd do some gentle probing later. For now, his review passed to the rest of her.

Her figure was a little thick in spots, although the dress she wore was most attractive. It was a kind of rust color, and the tone and fabric were nice and soft. It was a little tight around the waist and through the hips and it did pull a bit across the breasts. All in all, this was a most intriguing lady -- the more intriguing and fascinating because she didn't seem to realize just what a desirable picture she made.

The taxi let them out at the small restaurant he had chosen. They'd come for coffee, but maybe he could get her to eat an omelet or something. He'd been watching her all evening and she'd not eaten anything from the buffet. She probably felt she had to go on a starvation diet to eliminate that slight thickening through her middle. Women and diets! Sometimes the thought of all those women on all those stupid, disastrous fad diets drove him up the wall! But, no, on second thought she was probably just too preoccupied to eat. But he'd soon remedy that.

The silence, with only a minimum of necessary talk, continued through the light supper he ordered. The woman seemed to be eating without any awareness that she was eating! He'd become a pretty good psychologist in his work -- particularly regarding women. Ulterior motives aside, he felt compelled help ease her troubles, if only by listening. They sat relaxing over the coffee for which they had originally come before the woman finally lost some of the distracted look she'd worn all evening.

He looked at her for some time, drinking in the sight of her. Her brown hair glinted in the flickering candlelight, and that same light lent a soft golden glow to her skin. He broke the silence. You said you hadn't wanted to come to the party. Was there something else you'd wanted to do?

"No. Yes. Well, not wanted to do, exactly, but..."

The compelling voice was heard again, I'm a good listener.

Hmmm? Oh! Well...

Go ahead. Long years of experience had blessed him with a manner and tone of voice that was calm, patient, and understanding. It generally succeeded in coaxing confidences from hesitant throats.

Well, you see, I found out this afternoon that I have to get married. And I've been trying to figure out where I could find someone to marry me. I guess I wanted to stay home and think.

Robert's head jerked slightly. It was a confession he'd heard before, but it was not what he'd been expecting from this lady. His thoughts went back to his assessment of her. Yes, he should have recognized -- the thickening of the waist, the tightness of the dress across her breasts and hips. But it was rather unusual in this day and age to have a woman say she had to get married. A pregnant woman got married if she wanted to, but didn't necessarily feel she had to. There were more and more single mothers around.

It was kind of a shocker to him, though. He hadn't anticipated this turn of events. Not when he had spent the whole evening watching her, and becoming more and more sure of his feelings about her. He'd heard of love at first sight, but to hear of it and to experience it were two extraordinarily different things. And now this! It certainly tossed his half-formed plans into the dumpster!

Softly. You have to get married! Won't your boyfriend marry you?

She was still focusing her gaze on her coffee cup and her voice held a desolate note, No, sorry. No boyfriend available!

Well, so much for the father. Probably married, with three kids, a dog, two mortgages and too much free rein. But to go off and not even try to help her get situated...!

The silence lengthened again. Damn! He didn't know anything about her other than that she was attractive and pregnant. And he loved her! It was ridiculous. It was impossible. It was inevitable!

Will I do?

Kathi's hand, on which her chin had been resting, hit the table with a resounding thump. Gone was the distracted air. But I don't even know you! Her voice cracked. I don't even know your name!

Well, I don't know yours either, so that makes us even.

My God! That makes it worse! Her voice underlined her shock at his suggestion. Shocked innocence, he thought, and was angry all over again at the blind ego of the man who had left her to face the world with such obvious vulnerability.

Okay! My name's Robert Harrison. I'm a doctor. I'm 39 years old. I normally hate cocktail parties and got talked into attending by the hostess and her husband -- a grateful patient invitation. I'm busy, so live fairly simply. I've certainly not led a celibate existence, but have never found a woman who could put up with the schedule of a busy doctor, or with whom I'd like to share my life. My life is dedicated to helping people and now I'm helping you. Now, it's your turn.

But...I can't...we can't....

It's your turn. Robert's voice was edged with command, almost but not quite, the same tone of voice he'd used with the drunk.

She recognized the tone and looked up at him with amazement. But....

She saw the muscles in his jaw tense, and then looked at his eyes. She always -- almost always -- tried to look directly at people when she talked with them -- tried to look at their eyes. She'd never before experienced such a magnetic gaze. The compelling, devastating effects she'd felt earlier from his voice she now was feeling from his eyes. They seemed to probe the very back of her mind and hypnotize her into releasing the information he had demanded.

Almost in a trance, her eyes locked to his, she finally spoke. I'm Kathi Burrows -- Katherine. I'm 31. I've been living in Switzerland for the last several years. I've done some modeling and business and stuff, and I'm.... After having just said she'd done 'modeling and business and stuff' she didn't want to admit to her own medical degree. It seemed to imply she put medicine lower than modeling and that simply wasn't true.

Kathi rarely told people she was a doctor. And the extra stuff, the modeling -- and the 'tycooning', for want of a better word -- wasn't really what her life was all about, and she was uncomfortable with it. She always managed to foul up by putting more emphasis -- nervous emphasis -- on that sort of stuff than on her real love. And if he was any kind of a doctor, and she knew instinctively that he was a very good one, he'd want to know all about that love. She always found it rather embarrassing explaining that she was Max Bergen's protégé. She was a good surgeon and she knew it, but to link her name and Max's seemed to imply she had his level of genius, and that, she knew, she did not have. Not at all! She let the phrase hang.

Yes. Well, we'll have to do something about that, responding to her unfinished statement which he interpreted as a comment on her situation. Lord, he was being an idiot, and yet, he couldn't let this lady go. There was something of her in his blood already, and he knew he couldn't be without her.

We'll have to be married here. I have a full load at the hospital. There's a waiting period. This is Saturday. If we get the license on Monday, we can be married on Wednesday. You are still a U.S. citizen?

She was dumbfounded but was no longer entranced. Wait! This is idiotic, ridiculous! What are we thinking? That’s it...we’re not thinking. There’s got to be a better way!

As I see it, you have little choice. You need to get married...I'm available.

I think I'm insulted! I'm not some insipid brainless twit who...who..!

I never said you were, but you're the one who needs to get married. Right?

Hey...I only need to be married for a year or so -- a platonic marriage, of course. It's not as if ...as if...

As you wish. But for the benefit of both our good names, I think we must very definitely give the appearance of a happily married couple. It will have the added advantage of saving you any additional embarrassment.

Kathi looked at him askance, finally at a loss for words.

Robert took her wordless stare for acceptance. Good. Then we can be married on Wednesday. We'll have to get to the Courthouse early on Monday.

She was disoriented by the whirlwind of events of the last couple of hours, and her momentary clarity of thought seemed to evaporate. The disorientation, had she known it, clouded her eyes. Robert, sensitive to her moods as he had never before been sensitive to a woman, picked up on her befuddled state of mind and her glazed eyes.

You're tired. Let's get you home.

A low buzzing sounded close at hand. With reflexive action, Kathi's hand went to her purse. Then she realized she didn't have her cell phone with her. It was, of course, Doctor Harrison's...Robert's. Yes, his hand went inside his jacket and he pulled out his cell phone.

Pardon me, I'll have to take this call from the hospital, and he pushed his chair back from the table. With consideration for the other patrons he walked to a quiet corner of the restaurant. It was the first opportunity Kathi had to really look at him -- at the whole man and not just a face or hand. He was quite tall and well-built. He was muscular, but slim. His clothes fit him very well, and the white on white shirt he wore emphasized the healthy tone of his skin. For just a split second she felt as if he were the only man in the restaurant, as if, indeed, he were the only person of consequence in her acquaintance. The feeling passed, however, but she was still reminded of her earlier thought that here, indeed, was a man to be reckoned with.

While he was gone, Kathi had a few minutes to gather her wits. Things had moved so fast! Well, it was only for a year, and he had agreed that it was to be a platonic relationship. He'd said he wouldn't impose himself upon her unless she wanted it. She'd had the feeling when he said that that he was saying something more than 'take it or leave it,' but she wasn't sure what it was. Oh, well, enough, already! It was too good an offer to pass up, and it would certainly solve all her problems.

Kathi didn't actually see him return, but rather felt his presence as he walked up behind her. It was an eerie feeling, one she'd never before experienced to that degree. She felt his hands on her shoulders and he leaned over to talk to her.

I'm sorry, Katherine, but I need to get to the hospital. I can drop you off, or you can go with me if you'd like, and catch a nap in the staff lounge.

I'd like to go with you, if you don't mind. She hadn't been inside a hospital for weeks. Max had made it painfully clear that she was not to do any work of any sort for at least three months. She had been running mainly on nerve the last few months, and that flu bug had knocked her for a loop. The only good thing to come out of her illness was that she had shed most of her excess pounds. She was a stress eater and had been under a lot of stress prior to getting sick. It was not a method she'd recommend to her patients but being so sick did have some advantages. In any case, it would be good to see familiar sights and smell familiar smells -- without being a patient again.

Fine, let's go. As if the events of the last couple of hours were not enough to tell her that Robert Harrison was a man of action -- quick action -- the manner in which he paid the bill and whisked her into a cab certainly was.

He gave the cabbie directions and settled back into the seat beside her. She turned in the seat so she could talk with him. What kind of doctor are you? And what hospital? She hadn't heard the directions he'd given, and she was most curious as to their destination.

I'm chief of OB-GYN -- obstetrics and gynecology -- at Canfield Memorial.

Kathi drew a quick breath. OB-GYN was her love, although she did surgery in other fields. And Canfield was one of the largest and best private hospitals in the country. She should have recognized the name before, of course. She now knew for sure that this man's self confidence was not just a facade. She had recently read an article by him in the AMA Journal. He was using a new technique in which she was very interested. Well, well, well...

Robert caught the sound of that in drawn breath and thought she was nervous knowing he was an obstetrician. There's no need to be nervous. I'm not going to bite you, you know.

I guess I'm going to have to be careful with her, he thought. And particularly after her comment about needing to be married for only a year. I want her around for a long longer than that. And a platonic marriage is not really what I have in mind! God, what an enigma she is, what a thoroughly delightful enigma! It would certainly be easier to teach her to love me if she hadn't gotten fouled up with this other man. Damn!

Robert saw her to the staff lounge on the obstetrics floor. As the door closed behind his retreating figure, Kathi poured herself a cup of coffee. Nothing like hospital coffee, she muttered under her breath. Strong enough to stand a spoon in, and used as a paint remover by the janitors. She took a cautious swallow and was very pleasantly surprised by the sweet, full-bodied, though not bitter flavor.

Recalling Robert's insistence on fresh coffee at the restaurant, she decided he was involved in all aspects of his department. When he says jump, I bet they ask 'how high.

She'd lived alone for so long that talking aloud with herself had become second nature, and she often did it without realizing it.

Halfway through her cup of coffee, pleasant as it was, Kathi realized that the caffeine was not doing anything to calm her taut nerves. She glanced around