Secretly Matched Read online

  Secretly Matched

  Match Made in Heaven Series

  By Marie Higgins

  Edited by: Lynda Floyd and Veronica Mesia

  Cover design by German Creative

  Copyright © 2018 by Marie Higgins

  Edition License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Secretly Matched (Match Made in Heaven)

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  Find more stories by Marie Higgins

  Author’s Bio

  What’s worse than not getting an inheritance? How about discovering a secret engagement to the son of her father’s enemy?

  Rayne Kennedy thinks her life is ruined when during the reading of her father’s will, she discovers she’d been secretly matched to Calvin Gates... and in order to get her inheritance, she must marry him and stay married for one whole year. Now she must put her own pending nuptials on hold. No matter how difficult it is, she must resist Calvin’s dreamy eyes and charming smile and remember the kind of life she really wants.

  Attorney-at-Law, Calvin Gates, has tried unsuccessfully to get out of the twenty-year-old contract his insane father signed with Rayne Kennedy's father. As an obedient son who wants his part of the inheritance, Calvin will follow the contract and marry the very attractive Rayne Kennedy even though she's adamant that their marriage will be in name only. But he can't forget the passionate kiss they shared when they first met, and as he gets to know her better, he realizes he wants to be her husband for the rest of their lives.

  Calvin longs to discover what true love is all about, but is Rayne ready for the same challenge?

  ONE

  And just like that – in a matter of seconds, no less – Rayne Kennedy’s life was ruined.

  “The binding contract states,” Mr. Parry, the family’s attorney who had been reading her father’s will, glanced up at Rayne from across his large cedar desk, scrutinizing her with his beady brown eyes, “that in order to keep the family’s money with the right connections, you must marry Calvin Gates. The marriage must last for one full year and it needs to be consummated, this includes the contracted parties,” Mr. Parry glanced up from the document, “you and Mr. Gates.”

  “I know,” Rayne snapped as anger shot inside of her like a rocket, immediately starting a tension headache.

  The lawyer looked back at the parchment. “If the contracted parties get an annulment or divorce before the year is up, neither will receive an inheritance.”

  “And—” Rayne’s voice cracked, so she cleared her throat, “when exactly did my father write this in his will?”

  The middle-aged lawyer glanced over his paperwork in silence, rubbing his clean-shaven jaw. Rayne’s hands were fisted so tightly in her lap they turned white. She was sure her face was the same color. She wouldn’t be surprised if her eyes were red, as well. How could her father do this to her? There’d been many stipulations he’d given her while growing up, but this took the prize for being the most ridiculous.

  “Ah, there it is.” Mr. Parry grinned. “This contract was signed by both your father and Calvin Gates’ father twenty years ago in March.”

  “I was only four years old?” Rayne jumped to her feet. The rockets inside her head were going off like the Fourth of July – and not in a good way. “All this time I’ve been promised to Calvin Gates, and my father just forgot to tell me?”

  Mr. Parry held up his hands in surrender as his smile disappeared. “Please, Miss Kennedy. I can see why you’re upset, but I’m just doing my job.” He motioned to the chair. “Will you let me finish now?”

  Rayne tried to breathe slower as she lowered herself back down on the chair. As Mr. Parry continued to read her father’s will, she boiled inside while tears stung her eyes. For years she’d known that her father wasn’t the most practical person in the world, but why had he done this? He had always told her, “What I do, I do for a reason.” Most of the time, she’d figured out his reasoning, but a handful of times, he made no sense at all.

  Take this particular situation, for instance. For as long as she could recall, her family and the Gates family had been at war. Well, maybe war wasn’t the correct term to use, but they’d definitely not gotten along. The Gates family had power, wealth, and prestige, just like the Kennedy family, but it seemed that all her father and Calvin’s father could do was compete against each other. She’d never heard her father say a civil word to Mr. Gates. So why would her father and Calvin’s father sign a marriage agreement between the two families?

  She rubbed her pounding forehead. The timing of this disaster was all wrong. The man she loved and had been dating for six months had finally popped the question the day before her father died. And now she couldn’t marry him for at least another year?

  This was just... insane! She couldn’t wait that long to be Mrs. Edward Carlson – to have his children and grow old with him. She just wouldn’t follow through with this clause in her father’s will.

  So what if she gave up her inheritance? Eddie hated his job, and once he finished trade school, he would have a degree in engineering. Most companies would be desperate to hire him. So until then, they needed her inheritance.

  She scowled. Her father hadn’t given her much of a choice, had he? In order to get the money, she would have to follow his twisted sense of humor and marry Calvin Gates. Unless...

  What if she could convince Calvin to break the contract? From what she’d heard, he was making pretty good money on his own as a lawyer. Maybe he wouldn’t need to rely on his family’s inheritance.

  “Now, Miss Kennedy, if you’ll sign right here...”

  Grumbling she snatched the pen away from Mr. Parry and scribbled her name across the paper that stated that she had read and understood. Although she really didn’t understand, she’d sign the blasted thing and get out of here. The next step in her strategy was to convince Calvin to break the contract.

  Once she had signed her name in the designated spots, she threw the pen on the table and stood. Grumbling something to Mr. Parry, she hurried out of his office. She flexed her hands as she marched down the steps of the office building. If mother was alive, she’d be rolling in her grave right now. Unless she knew about the clause... No. Mother wouldn’t have agreed to something that binding, and idiotic, and... controlling.

  She wanted to run and get all of her frustrations out. And she wanted to punch something. Her next stop would have to be the gym before she hurt anyone.

  “Hey, babe. Why are you ignoring me?”

  Eddie’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she stopped. Eddie, the man she loved and wanted to marry, pulled away from the brick wall he’d been leaning against. Lines creased his forehead and around his big, brown eyes. Her heart dropped. She’d been so focused on the clause and her inheritance that she’d forgotten that Eddie was waiting in the car for her.

  Inwardly, she groaned. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. His palms moved slowly over her back, gradually relaxi
ng her.

  “What’s wrong, Pookey-bear?” He kissed the top of her head. “You looked like you were ready to tear someone’s head off.”

  She nodded. “I’d received some awful news, and I can’t think straight right now.”

  His body stiffened. “The lawyer told you some bad news? What is it? Are you still getting an inheritance?”

  She tilted back her head and looked at him. His face appeared thinner for some reason. Perhaps it was because of his tight lips. A light breeze blew a lock of his scraggly red hair in his eyes. Sighing, she pushed back the hair on his head.

  “It’s complicated, but don’t worry. I’m a Kennedy. I’ll work it out.” She gave him a sharp nod. If her father had taught her anything in life, it was that Kennedys used their brains to figure out life’s messes. Well, she was determined to repair the damage her father had done to her life one way or another.

  RAYNE BLEW OUT A GUSH of pent-up breath as she stood in front of the building where Calvin Gates worked. Determination rushed through her, making her want to sprint up the cement stairs in order to get this over and done with faster, but she held herself back. It was important that she tackle this problem like an adult, not an over-eager adolescent.

  She wasn’t nervous. Not really. She had memorized everything she was going to say to him today. And yet, her heart hammered out an erratic beat. What made her worried was whether he would say something to try and intimidate her or not. Or, maybe he’d say something that would make her snap and she’d give him a piece of her mind.

  She just prayed everything worked out the way she’d mapped it in her head. It had to. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  Pulling her shoulders back, she walked into the building with confidence, and pressed the up button for the elevator. Seconds later, there was a ding and the doors opened. I’m a winner, she convinced herself as she stepped inside and pushed the button for the third floor.

  As a fashion designer, she’d worn the perfect color and design for her meeting; the red mid-length sleeved dress, buttoned on the side from the round neck down to just below her knees, not only showed her as someone to be taken seriously, but as someone who knew how to dress for success. She kept her light-brown hair long and flowing over her shoulders and back. She was a woman, and not a woman trying to fit in a man’s world.

  It didn’t take long, and soon she was walking from the elevator and in through the double-glass doors of the office. An older woman, probably in her early forties, sat behind the receptionist’s desk, peering at the computer screen through her purple-rimmed glasses. When the woman noticed Rayne, she smiled and faced the front of the large, semi-circular wooden desk that sat in the middle of the lobby.

  “Good morning,” Rayne greeted politely. “I would like to speak with Mr. Gates.”

  The woman’s smile faded and she shook her head. “He’s out of the office, and not planning to be back until later this afternoon. May I schedule you an appointment? He has a full calendar, but I could probably squeeze you in next week.” She turned toward her computer and her fingers flew across the keyboard.

  Rayne breathed slowly through the unexpected delay. Maybe she should make an appointment. At least she’d get to see him. “Fine. When is his next open slot?”

  They settled on a day and time, and the receptionist wrote it on an appointment card. Rayne thanked the woman, turned and left the office. As she made her way to the elevator, she grumbled under her breath. Why hadn’t she listened to the prompting yesterday that urged her to call before coming? But she’d pushed the thought aside and had decided to surprise him. After all, she’d had her father throw a surprise at her, so why not share it with the other person who was in this unfair contract?

  The elevator doors opened and she walked inside. Maybe she should try to find out where Calvin lived, instead. Waiting a week to talk to him would wear on her patience, and well... she was not a patient person.

  The elevator moved down one floor and stopped. The doors opened, but nobody was there. She shrugged and pressed the main level button again. Just as the doors started to close, hurried footsteps pounded on the tiled floor and seconds later, a man wearing a gray business suit rushed in. The doors opened wide, and he turned so quickly to face the doors, that she didn’t get a chance to get a good look at him. All she could see was that he was a very tall man, maybe six-foot-five inches, and his brown hair was very short. His facial hair was also trimmed short. He looked to be muscular, but not like a fanatic bodybuilder would be.

  He jabbed the level three button continuously and mumbled, “Come on... close already.”

  Rayne rolled her eyes, knowing that talking to the door wasn’t going to make it close any faster.

  Finally, the doors started to close, but once again, more footsteps echoed on the floor, sounding like clicks from a woman’s high heels. The man grumbled in distaste. He peered over his shoulder, making eye contact with Rayne. His gaze did a quick sweep over her before he whipped around and gathered her in his arms.

  “I need your help,” he whispered. “Just play along.”

  She gasped and pressed the heels of her hands against his chest to stop him, but it didn’t. Before she knew what was happening, his mouth swooped down over hers. She stiffened. Her first reaction was to be appalled, but the boldness of the situation stunned her.

  He pushed her back against the wall of the elevator, settling his body more comfortably with hers. Warmth spread through her at the speed of light, and for a moment, she wondered if it was her temper igniting or not. But the gentleness of his mouth disturbed her... and it was remarkably unsettling how his lips moved so seductively over hers in such a short amount of time.

  “Oh!” The woman’s shriek from the hallway echoed louder than her clicking heels had. “You are such a... jerk!”

  The man broke the kiss, but kept Rayne in his arms. Her heartbeat hammered wildly, and her mind was numb. He’d wanted her to play along, but right now, she had no other choice since she couldn’t think – or react – or do anything but let him take the lead.

  He looked at the other woman. He sighed dramatically. “Rona, I told you not to follow me.” He motioned his head toward Rayne. “Didn’t I tell you I was meeting my girlfriend?”

  “Yeah, but... but...” She stomped her foot. “I thought you were telling me that just to get rid of me. I didn’t believe you.”

  From the position Rayne was in as he tenderly held her, she could see the irritated woman who stood blocking the elevator doors from closing. Her face was as red as her frizzy hair. The poor woman definitely didn’t know what clothes to wear to compliment her figure, let alone the odd shade of her hair. And her makeup... Rayne didn’t even want to get to that subject.

  He shook his head. “Rona, you’re a nice person, but I really can’t go out with you.” He looked at Rayne with his dark gray – and dreamy – eyes. “Not when I’m so madly in love with my girlfriend.” He gave Rayne a wink.

  Why her heartbeat quickened, she’d never know. This very good-looking man was an accomplished flirt. She’d never let a man get the best of her, and she wasn’t about to start now.

  The redheaded woman pouted. “Then... then... you shouldn’t have been overly nice to me.”

  He looked back at the woman and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I’m a genuinely nice guy.”

  Rayne really had to do something. She was staring at him like an idiot. Where was her mind, and why couldn’t she use it?

  She cleared her throat, getting his attention. His eyes were wide and silently pleading for her help. She cocked her head and folded her arms across her chest. “Yes, you are an overly nice guy,” she told him, “and it’s starting to get annoying.”

  His eyes widened even more. “Annoying?”

  “You heard me.” She shook her head. “How many times have you given women the wrong impression?” Frowning, she sighed. “Darling, as much as I love you, I just can’t let you go around breaking women’s hearts... starting with mine.
” She pushed away from him.

  The redhead’s face brightened. Rayne should just tell the woman to take him, but it was hard not to keep playing along. Obviously, both of these two needed to be taught a lesson in flirting. But was Rayne the one who needed to teach them? She didn’t have the time. And she definitely couldn’t tolerate players.

  The man took Rayne’s hands into his and brought them up to his mouth for a kiss. His gaze still silently begged for her help.

  “Sweetie, I’ll do anything you want to make this right. Just tell me.”

  Rayne nodded to the other woman. “Apologize to her for leading her on.” The man’s mouth dropped open. “I mean it. Apologize.”

  His face tightened and he slowly turned to the redhead. “Rona, I’m very sorry if I led you on. That wasn’t my intention.”

  The woman’s gaze jumped back and forth between the man and Rayne for a few awkward moments before she arched a heavily penciled eyebrow.

  “So, are you two breaking up?”

  Rayne almost snorted a laugh, but she held it in. The redhead was clueless! And the man... well, the panicked expression on his face told Rayne what she needed to know. Although she thought him a pitiful creature right now – very good-looking, but pathetic – she would give him the help he needed. He really did appear afraid of Rona.

  “Actually,” Rayne said, sliding up to him as she wrapped her arms around his waist, “I think I’ll give him a second chance.” She looked up into his eyes – eyes she wished weren’t so dreamy. “After all, he’s my man and I love him.”

  A soft smile spread across the man’s face as he gathered Rayne back in his arms. She tried to make her heartbeat stop pounding so hard as he stared into her eyes, but she locked her eyes on his, hoping the other woman would hurry up and leave so that Rayne could stop this intimacy. But when his eyes smoldered, and he bent his head down to hers again, she sucked in a quick breath.

  This time when he kissed her, she was better prepared. As her mouth moved with his, she tried listening for the woman’s heels to click on the tile, letting Rayne know of her departure, but there was no such sound. Instead, all she heard was the small groan that came from the man holding her as he deepened the kiss.