Free The Marriage Contract by Lisa Mondello Page B

well, as though it pained him to cause any further
suffering.
    “Not for
nothing, Cara, but if this is a stray, we should probably call the animal
rescue league.  It's their problem, not ours.”
    With her
emotions on edge, she glared at Roger.  Yes, he was a very practical person,
but she couldn't believe he'd be so heartless as to pass off an injured animal
without having any feelings.  This was a side of him she'd never seen before. 
Maybe she had and had chosen to ignore it all this time.  It had her wondering
how much of Roger she'd ignored in the eighteen months they'd been together.
    Roger's
expression softened, as if he could read her thoughts.  “I know you feel bad,
but we should leave it to the professionals to handle.  It's not our problem.”
    Devin looked up
at them.  His jaw was tight and his face drawn.  “That may be true, but I'm
making it mine.”
    Careful
wrapping his arms under the dog’s chest and hind leg, he scooped up the dog,
taking care not to injure the other leg any further. 
    Cara's breath
caught in her throat when the dog began to whine.  “I can drive you to the
veterinarian, if you want.”
    Devin took each
painstaking step in the stand as if he were holding a bomb about to explode. 
“No, that's okay.  I'll take care of him.  You’ve got Roger to take care of.”
    An hour later,
Roger was waist deep in an oatmeal bath and Cara sat in a wicker chair on the
back porch reading the morning paper.  As much as she tried, she still couldn't
keep her mind off the dog.  She’d read the same page three times and still had
no idea what the article was about. 
    Giving in to
defeat, she tossed the paper on the table in frustration.  Who was she
kidding?  It wasn't just the dog, it was the love and care Devin took in caring
for it that she couldn't forget. 
    As she stood,
the back of her thighs clung to the white wicker seat.  Everything was hot and
sticky and the moisture filled air was heavy, making it hard to breath.  She
ran her fingers down the deep depressions in her skin, cursing this breezeless
heat wave baking the coast.  Maybe she’d take a swim to cool off.
    As she walked
to the kitchen to fetch a refill of lemonade, she twisted her unruly hair into
a pony tail at the top of her head. 
    This is
useless, she thought, pulling at the refrigerator door.  After all this time,
how could she doubt her relationship with Roger?  Devin had been in town no
more than twenty-four hours and already she felt her life was in a tailspin.
    But of course,
that's exactly what her mother wanted.  She was sure Ruthie had engineered this
whole thing with Devin as a way to drive her and Roger apart.  No, her mother
was not an ill-hearted woman.  Quite the contrary.  But her name was firmly
placed next to meddlesome and doting in the dictionary.  
    She only wished
her mother's obsessive need to throw her and Devin together would end, too.
    After pouring a
fresh glass of lemonade, Cara placed the pitcher back in the refrigerator,
lingering a second or two longer to let the cool air from the fridge bathe her
hot skin.  She noticed the light of the answering machine on the counter was
blinking as she shut the door.  Absentmindedly she pushed the button and
listened to the response after the beep.
    “Ruthie?  It's
me, Penny Brunelle.  I hope I've caught you before you ran out the door.  I'm
going to be a little late for our appointment, but I can still meet you at my
shop.  If you have a chance, check with Manny to see if he's free to perform
the ceremony.  I've cleared it with Father Walker and he agreed it was a nice
idea to keep it all in the family.  See you at ten.” 
    Cara drummed
the counter with her fingers as the beep indicating the end of the message
sounded.  This was all too strange.  Devin was back in Westport.  Now Manny was
coming home to perform a ceremony?  What ceremony?  And why was her mother
meeting with a wedding consultant?
    * * *
    Devin stood