Marriage by Mistake

strong, but she'd gotten thrown way off balance. Had she or hadn't she seen 'her' Dean out there in the woods? One minute she'd been so sure, the next she had to wonder if she hadn't made the whole thing up. Yes, made it up out of a pathetic wish that she could have seen him.
    Because, darn it, she missed 'her' Dean.
    At the table, Kelly sighed. Who wouldn't miss that slow smile, that easy drawl—and okay, she'd be honest—the great sex? More than anything, though, she missed how he'd liked her.
    And for an instant there, a brief blink of time coming out of the tree house, she'd thought she'd seen him.
    Kelly's fingers abruptly halted their dance on the table top. She turned.
    Dean stood in the archway to the hall. He looked showered, freshly shaved, and was wearing a different Italian suit from the one he'd worn on the plane.
    Kelly's heart staggered. He was that handsome. Admittedly, he was handsome in a vastly different way from the man she'd married. The fellow who stood before her was cool, collected, and quietly powerful. 'Her' Dean was definitely not looking out of this man's eyes. His gaze was as cold and remote as the North Pole.
    He nodded toward the empty dishes on the table. "I trust your breakfast was satisfactory?"
    Kelly cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah. It was great."
    "Good. You'll find lunch in this room as well, but dinner is in the dining room. We dress."
    "Oh, hey, I'm very glad to hear it."
    He shot her a sharp look. Kelly didn't know whether to be amused or insulted that it seemed to take him a full minute to realize she was joking. "Yes, well." He smoothed his tie. "In any event, I came to say goodbye, and to tell you that if you need anything, ask Maggie. She's the housekeeper."
    "Goodbye?" Kelly startled upright. "You're leaving?" But of course he was leaving. He was all dressed up in a suit and tie and there was a building in downtown Boston with his name at the top of it. She shook her head. "Sorry. I suppose you've got a million things to do."
    "Yes, well, perhaps not a million, but my presence is required."
    Kelly nodded, wondering why she felt let down. Surely she hadn't expected, or wanted, him to dance attendance on her.
    "So." Dean inclined his head. "If you'll excuse me?"
    Kelly bit her lower lip. Yes, he had to leave, but on the other hand, they needed to get the getting-to-know-him business out of the way. And there was one thing she very much wanted to know. "You have time for one question?"
    Dean halted his retreat in progress. Turning halfway around, he raised his eyebrows.
    "Uh...how did a nine-year-old boy manage to hypnotize you?"
    Dean went very still. "He told you."
    Kelly huffed. "What do you think we were discussing in the tree house, the weather? So, how did it happen?"
    Dean tapped a thumb against his thigh. "It was an accident, as I already explained to you."
    "An accident ?"
    Dean's thumb kept tapping. "Robby was doing a science project, to make up for missing school. I didn't want to discourage his initiative."
    "A science project," Kelly repeated. "You mean he just got this out of a book or something?"
    "Mm. And I was his 'test subject.' Nobody expected I would actually go under." His lashes lowered. "It just...happened."
    Kelly could only stare at him, more baffled than ever. Robby was just a kid, and a kid who'd only been fooling around, for heaven's sake.
    Dean waved a hand. "An accident."
    "Yes," Kelly said. "I believe you." It certainly hadn't happened on purpose. But how had it even happened by accident? Dean didn't seem like he'd easily fall under the influence of anything, much less a nine-year-old horsing around. If he'd fallen into a trance, a deep one, it could only have been because on some level, deep down...he'd wanted to.
    But why would he want that?
    Kelly frowned, trying to puzzle it out. Meanwhile, Dean took a step back. "About Robby," he said. "Since you bring up the subject."
    Kelly blinked.
    "You're only going to be here for two months." Dean's jaw tightened. "Leave him alone."
    The words were so unexpected that it took Kelly a moment to understand. Her eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
    Dean's gaze was cool. "You'll only hurt him."
    "Excuse me?" Kelly said again, louder.
    "You know you will." Dean said this as if it were a foregone conclusion. "Stepmothers— Anyway, you'll be gone in two months."
    "I will?" queried Kelly, and hastily changed her question to a statement. "Oh, yeah, you bet I will." She'd be gone in two months—or less. "But so