Semiautomatic Marriage by Leona Karr Read Free Book Online Page A

really know about the lawyer? Had she bought into some sophisticated hoax?
    “How would I go about verifying everything you’ve told me?” she asked as Adam walked her up the stairs to her back door. In the dim light of the back-door bulb, she could see his eyes widen in surprise. It was obvious he was taken aback by her question.
    “You could decide to initiate a background check on Adam Lawrence.”
    With sudden insight she said, “That’s not even your real name, is it.”
    “For the moment it’s the only legal name I have.”
    She wanted to laugh, but the mirth caught in her chest. She turned away and went in the house without even responding to his, “Good night. I’ll call you in the morning.”
     
    B ACK IN HIS HOTEL ROOM , Adam called his supervisor, Angelica Rivers, a woman whose crisp, businesslike voice matched her appearance. Adam guessed that at this early hour, she was probably still wearing her tailored white blouse and the straight linen skirt with its matching long jacket. Angelica had been with the agency since she was twenty, and now in her forties, she brooked no nonsense from agents, male or female.
    “It’s a go,” Adam told her.
    “Carolyn Leigh agreed?”
    “Yes,” he answered, and mentally crossed hisfingers that the arrangement with Carolyn was still a go.
    “What kind of woman is she?”
    Adam knew he had to be careful. Angelica would weigh everything he said and probably read between the lines. “We can trust her. She’s ready to cooperate fully.”
    “I repeat, what kind of woman is she? Are you afraid to offer a personal evaluation, Adam?”
    “No, not really,” he lied. His personal evaluation of Carolyn Leigh demanded honesty about how attractive he found her—in more aspects than he was willing to admit to his boss.
    “You don’t like this woman who is going to pretend to be your wife?” Before he could answer, she added with knowing perception, “Or is it, as I suspect, just the opposite?”
    “That’s what I like about you, Angel,” he said, using her nickname. “Nobody can accuse you of holding back. Why don’t you just ask me if she turns me on?”
    “Well, does she? You know darn well you can’t get emotionally involved when you’re on a case—especially this one. Maybe I should send someone else in right now. You could get yourself killed if you let things get out of hand.”
    “I’m not going to let anything get out of hand. That’s a promise. And you don’t need to worry about Carolyn not sticking to the cover.” He told Angelica about the Mexican couple and their baby. “She’s a dedicated humanitarian, and she convinced herself that she wanted to cooperate.” Unless she’s changed her mind.
    “What’s the plan?”

    “We’ll arrange a civil marriage ceremony as soon as the lawyer has all the legal ends tied up in a few days. Then we’ll move into the Stanford mansion and meet some of the players.”
    “So the curtain goes up.”
    “Yes.” Adam drew in a deep breath, and as confidently as he could, said, “And the drama begins!”

Chapter Four
    Carolyn spent the next three days verifying every fact she could about her inheritance, and she satisfied herself that she could trust Mr. Bancroft. The lawyer’s personal reputation and that of his firm was without blemish. As promised, he had arranged for a substantial amount of money to be deposited in her bank account and had given her the assurance that it was only a fraction of the assets that would follow. She requested that he draw up a prenuptial agreement to protect her inheritance, and when she expressed her concerns about Adam’s plan to use her to expedite his investigation, the lawyer was quick to assure her that it was important for her to know the truth about possible criminal activities at Horizon as soon as possible.
    “The suspicions about Horizon need to be proved or laid to rest.”
    Carolyn decided that his advice was valid, and only five days after her life had