Arranged by the Stars (3 page)

Ash looked from mother to
son and put her hands up. “I think it’s time I left. Dr Kanna, see
you later.” If she had known returning the ring would come with
this much drama, she would have placed it in the lost and found
box, and forgotten about the promise of reward money.

Mrs Kanna cast another
look that had her feeling like one of the girls who worked in the
topless bar in the shady part of town. “Later? So I am
correct?”

Cowardice was not
something Ash was good at. For years she had to live down what had
happened at the pageant but having to answer for something she
wasn’t responsible for in front of Kieran, felt so many kinds of
wrong. Her cheeks were on fire. She could taste the blood from
where she had chewed her lip. Forcing her gaze up, she met
Kieran’s.

If she saw pity in his
eyes then she was ready to turn and leave, if she didn’t, well if
she didn’t, she wasn’t sure what she’d do.

“
Ma, no. You
have it all wrong. Ash is not—” His fingers brushed through his
hair giving him an unruly, sexy come-get-me look. He was totally
and utterly lost.

His mother took the box
from him. “I know you. I really don’t know what is happening here
son, but this ring explains some of it. Why won’t you tell me? If
you are finally going to settle down then it’s a good thing, even
if it’s with her.” Julie Kanna turned her back as she said the last
words.

He shrugged. The rebuff
sliced through Ash. Her shoulders dropped and her eyes burned.
Kieran was at her side in an instant and he tipped up her chin.
Confusion was all she could muster.

“
Ma, please
leave.” He placed his hands in his pockets.

Kieran’s mother sighed
before taking her son aside. Her voice softened and for a moment
Ash felt a moment of jealousy. “You’re grown man and I don’t need
to know what you’re up to, but if this girl is the reason you’re
staying then I can try and be happy for you. Your father will be
pleased you’re settling down and maybe it’ll help his recovery. If
this is what you want, then I’ll accept it.”

Ash turned from mother to
son in fascination. She should have left but family drama was not
something she could resist, having not had any personal family
drama herself.

Kieran then turned to
face his mother. Ash wasn’t sure when he had taken her hand or why.
She also wasn’t sure why she was suddenly part of this family
equation, but she stood there silent, mesmerized by a decision she
wasn’t sure she had a choice in.

His mother’s smile was
bitter sweet. “This isn’t something I approve of Kieran. With your
father so ill, I’m willing to try anything to help him get better
and I do think something like this to look forward to will help
him.”

She watched Kieran
massage the side of his neck. She almost felt sorry for
him.

Kieran exhaled and his
gaze went from her to his mother. “How can I, being engaged help
Papa’s recovery? One thing has nothing to do with the
other.”

His mother nodded. “He’s
been so worried about you being overworked and not wanting to
settle down.” Julie placed her hand on her son’s
shoulder.

They stood there facing
each other. Kieran’s grip on her hand tightened.

“
We don’t see
you for years at a time. We’re getting older and your father wants
grandchildren. He wants to enjoy these years. When he had that
heart attack, it scared him.”

Kieran rubbed his palm
against his thigh. “Ma, you know I will do anything for Papa and
for you.”

His mother wiped away a
tear. “Then give him something to look forward to. It would be such
good news.”

Ash was hoping to avoid
the whiplash when she turned to Kieran after his mother’s last
comment, but his stoic expression gave nothing away.

“
Ma, go back
to Papa and take care of him. Leave everything else to me.” Kieran
looked down at their entwined hands.

Unsure of what took
place, Ash stood there in silence. She waited for Mrs Kanna to walk
away before she raised an eyebrow to the man who was confusing her
with every second that passed.

“
What just
happened?” she asked wrapping her arms across her chest. “Tell me
we didn’t get engaged because it sounded very much like it to
me?”

She watched as he let his
fingers comb his hair giving him that tussled look. He knew exactly
how to play dirty. She shook her head.

“
We’re
getting married, the least you could do is call me Kieran.” His
tone was neither playful nor serious and again, she found this a
hard to read moment.

“
Seriously?
You want to start there?” Ash walked to the lifts and stabbed the
button twice. Hard.

Kieran grabbed her arm
and she reeled around giving him her back-off look that had lesser
men run in the opposite direction.

“
Hold on,
listen to me. Please?” he let go of her arm and placed his hands
together.

Those lips of his were so
kissable that she was distracted momentarily.

Seizing his opportunity,
he gently led her to the visitors seating area and waited for her
to sit before taking a seat next to her.

“
One minute
is all you get,” she said.

“
One minute
is all I need.” He sighed heavily, then as if choosing his words
with care, he took her hand. “My father had a heart attack and
needs an operation, but he is too ill and until he is stable, he
can’t have surgery. If a fake engagement to you helps his recovery
and convinces them I can handle the clinic work—”

She wasn’t sure why he
looked uncomfortable, almost embarrassed to continue. Why wouldn’t
his parents think he could handle the clinic work? Why did he need
a fake fiancé? “Because?”

She watched him swallow
and avoid her gaze. What couldn’t he tell her? What was so bad that
he—?

“
What aren’t
you telling me?” she trained her gaze on his and waited for him to
answer.

“
All I want
is to make sure my dad recovers and I am asking you to help me. My
parents are very traditional people. My father has been wanting to
have his only child married for years.” He paused placing a hand
over the velvet box.

She pressed her lips
together and cocked her head. “So you carry that box around waiting
for the perfect bride to fall into your arms?” Leaning back, her
gaze narrowed. “People will come looking for me if I go missing.”
It would be such waste of good male body if he were a pyscho
kidnapper.

He placed his hand on
hers and she squeezed her eyes shut to prevent from flinching. “I
think they have the wedding all planned, would have been done since
the day I was born. My father has a room for his first grandchild
too, and I know there will be a fight on naming rights.” He linked
his hands together.

As odd as first meetings
went, this was one for the books. “You do realise, we’ve just met.
You don’t even know me.”

His gaze found hers and
she saw a vulnerability she couldn’t ignore in the depths of those
whiskey brown eyes. “I know what you’re capable of and it’s what I
need right now.”

Ash had never known words
could hurt until that very moment. She wasn’t proud of what
happened at the beauty pageant but had always maintained her
innocence. Her gaze narrowed. “To hell with you.”

Kieran grabbed her arm.
“Wait.”

She stopped and pulled
her arm free. “I was innocent. I never paid off any judge and I
proved that later. Too late, but I did.” Her heart kicked up a
notch as she withheld further retort. Was she never going to be
free of the reputation of a fallen beauty queen?

He looked down at his
shoe and had the decency to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I need
your help. Please?”

With her arms crossed
over her chest she lifted her chin. “What makes you think you can
trust me?”

He shook his head. “I
can’t. I’m desperate and I have to trust you. My father might die
and I need your help.”

“
So you’re
happy with a fake engagement to convince your mother you are
capable of staying here and you want me to tag along? What makes
you think you have a chance of convincing anyone you can do this?”
Was it possible he was grasping at straws?

He leaned back on the
soft leather chair and she was forced to clear her lungs of air
because there was something special about Kieran Kanna. Something
that pulled things from inside you when you didn’t expect
it.

“
Because you
are right, there is something I am not telling you. Please help
me.” He leaned forward and put out his hand.

She’d seen men like
Kieran strut around owning the world. She’d never seen this side. A
man made of glass, a man who would crack if the smallest stone
would hit, with the lightest force.

“
I can’t let
my parents down which means I can’t do this alone.” That pause
meant he was afraid.

Ash shook her head as she
looked down the corridor. “One-point-two-billion people in India
and you think I can make a difference?” Was he really serious about
this request?

The little muscle at the
edge of his jaw beat to a rhythm that she found erratic and
hypnotic. Her gaze wouldn’t move from that one spot. “There is no
one else who can help.”

With his hand still held
out to her, she could almost believe she was his only choice. “Your
minute is up.”

Kieran pulled hard at his
collar, but the stiffness of the fabric choked out what little air
passed between his lips. His heart beat like someone had given him
a high dose of adrenaline. A miscalculated dose. His gaze roamed
the reception area of the clinic until the antiseptic scent hit him
with the force of reality. He was here. His gaze rolled up to the
large red clock in the otherwise white room. It was five minutes to
nine.

The patients watched him
with a mixture of curiosity and relief. Did they sense his fear?
He’d be surprised if they couldn’t hear the pounding of his heart,
because he could swear it was about to leap from his chest. He
walked to the desk in front and greeted Jessie, the
receptionist.

“
It’s good to
see you Kieran. I called the hospital and they told me your father
is doing better this morning.” She handed him his first patient
file and pointed to his consulting room.

He got the same report
from the hospital that morning from his mother who was at his
father’s bedside. “I will feel a lot better when he can have the
surgery. I have employed someone to help with―” he looked around.
What was he going to say? He employed someone to hold his hand? How
more ridiculous could the situation get? He shook his head and
wondered if she would even accept his offer.

Jessie’s eyebrows
narrowed as she looked around the small clinic. “Kieran, we have
our own staff here and with Latha away for the next two weeks, we
don’t really need help.”

He nodded. “She will help
with the filing.” He took a look at the thick file and felt a
moment of panic as he walked towards the office. Surely this was
like riding a bike. In the office he looked around the small
matchbox size room and wondered why all bikes didn’t come with
training wheels. Whether you needed the extra security or
not.

An hour later, after
seeing the third patient with the same complaint, Kieran leaned
back and wondered what the fuss was about.

The soft knock made him
pause. “Come in.”

“
Double shot
expresso, your usual, boss,” Ash entered the consulting room and
handed him coffee before sitting on the edge of the
table.

It took him a second to
realise the galloping rate of his heart was due to more than relief
she was here. He shifted in his seat and watched her as she took in
the size and look of the room.

Kieran took the coffee
from her and then gently pushed her off the table, guiding her to
the chair. “Riding a bicycle. No, it’s not coming back. I own a
medical software company. I work with figures and programmes, not
real patients. I fix problems with data.”

Ash shrugged as though
the conversation was boring her. “Software, hardware, same thing.
You fix things. What’s the difference? Your next patient is
here.”

She turned her head so
she could see everything and then she turned back and smiled. “A
little bit plain? Your father could use a decorator.”

He sipped from the cup
and then spluttered.

“
Oh, the
coffee is hot. They don’t have a coffee machine, so I had to walk
down to the coffee place to get one.” Her lips went all pouty and
she sighed.

He could swear she wasn’t
the spoilt princess type the media made her out to be, but she
acted like it. There was intelligence behind those eyes. There had
to be more to this fallen beauty, and even though it wasn’t any of
his business, he couldn’t help being pulled into the mystery of it
all.

“
That would
have made the coffee cooler though, wouldn’t it?” he wondered if
she said the first thing that came to mind or thought things
through.