by Cara Colter
“Yeah, she’s that. Just a nice girl.”
“Not all nice. She gave me the middle finger salute.”
Lancaster laughed. “Ah, well, a little naughty mixed in with the nice could be a good thing. All sugar is a bit too sweet. You need a little spice.”
“The middle finger,” Ward mused. “I’ve never been on the receiving end of that before.”
“You wanted to experience a bit of normal,” Lancaster reminded him, wryly. “Not that the middle finger means what most people think it means.”
“It doesn’t?”
“No, in the old days the middle finger was the most important one on an archer’s hand. If he was captured, it was cut off. And so when he won a battle, or eluded capture, he would extend his middle finger to the enemy to show I will fight again.”
“I don’t think she meant it that way,” Ward said, drily. “Sod off, plain and simple.”
“And yet to fight you again may be the way of her destiny.”
“You’re not leaning toward domestic bliss if she says yes?”
“What would the fun in that be?” Lancaster growled. “Despite the scones, I don’t see Maddie as traditional, the way our women are. But I like it, and I think it will be good for you. Once the initial shock is over, I don’t think she’s going to be cowed by the fact you’re a prince.”
Ward thought of the spark in Maddie’s eyes when she unabashedly yelled at him, but, if she said yes, he was probably going to miss the sparks flying as part of a union with Maddie. Regrettably.
“It’s not as if it’s real, Lancaster.”
“Aye, that’s what you say.”
“You sound doubtful.”
“Just wondering, how do you keep it from getting real with a girl like that?”
“With great effort,” Ward said. If she said yes, wouldn’t that be the most important part of this exercise? Protecting her?
Lancaster was silent, he made no effort to get in the car. Ward realized he was faintly preoccupied.
“Something else on your mind?”
“Would you wait for me for a few minutes?” Lancaster said, glancing up the street.
“You’ll leave me without your protection?” Ward asked drily, following Lancaster’s gaze. “Is that Sophie’s house?”
Lancaster looked torn. “I have to say something to her.”
“Yes, you do,” Ward agreed softly, and watched the big man lope away from him and knock softly on the door. It opened and he slipped inside, and it closed behind him.
Ward stood back and breathed in the crisp mountain air, the silence, the sense of being alone he had so rarely experienced. He was aware of freedom, the exhilaration of somehow being in control of his own fate, no matter what Maddie’s answer was.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MADDIE AWOKE IN the morning, aware of a shift in herself. It was the first time in a long time she had awoken without the feeling of dread in the bottom of her belly. Given the magnitude of the decision she had been asked to make, that seemed extraordinary.
She had thought she would have trouble sleeping, but instead, she had slept like a baby and awoken knowing her answer.
Oddly, it was not just about saving Kettle’s business, Sophie’s education and possibly, the town.
It was something more, a part of her she had been unaware she had.
There was in her a deep craving for adventure. A need for the unexpected. An embracing of this surprise life had offered her. She had not even touched her talisman, her pendant, seeking an answer, or reassurance, or a remembered voice to guide her. This had to be her answer, and hers alone.
Yesterday, she had been an ordinary girl, struggling with ordinary issues.
And today, that had all changed. Since the death of her father, Maddie had been so aware how life could change—for the worse—in a second, in the blink of an eye. That lesson had been reinforced, in the worst possible way, by Derek stepping out with a woman she counted amongst her best friends!
But this morning, she was aware it could change in the blink of an eye in other directions.
So she was going to say yes. Today, she was going to say yes to marrying a prince. She was going to marry a man who was a stranger. And one who had lied to her.
She was going to participate with him in the telling of an even larger lie. But there was a larger good here: both her town and the people she loved were going to benefit from this, as was a stranger named Aida. It was a wild adventure in saying yes instead of her customary no. So it was crazy to feel as calm as she did, as if she was marching toward that very thing he had mentioned last night: destiny.
She chose a simple summer dress, longer than the one she had worn yesterday, Indian cotton, pale yellow, buttoned down the front, belted at the waist, the skirt full and sensual as it swished around her legs.
She had no sooner tried to do something with her curls when she heard the soft tap at the door.
Taking a deep breath, she walked through her house to her door and answered it.
Ward stood there. He looked a different man. He was in a beautifully cut suit, a pristine white shirt, a navy blue silk tie knotted at his throat. He was freshly shaven, and he looked exactly what he was: wealthy, powerful, privileged. A prince.
It was as far from Maddie’s own working-class background as you could get.
She contemplated, for the first time ever, the word commoner. Doubt attacked her, coming from all sides.
This was supremely dumb. It was hasty. It was fraught with emotional peril. Their arrangement was based on a lie. They were going to try and fool a whole nation.
In about five seconds, her mind chattered, rapid-fire, going through all one thousand reasons this was not a good idea in about five seconds.
But even as her mind chattered, there was a calmer place inside her. It regarded him deeply. It looked into his eyes and found something there she could both trust and hang on to in a world that had been so full of fear and disappointment.
“Yes,” she said quietly.
Ward looked momentarily stunned, as though he had been bracing himself for a different answer. And then he smiled, and it was as if a light went on around them.
But then neither of them knew what to do! Did you shake hands on such an agreement? He took a tentative step toward her. Her eyes widened as his head dropped close to hers. Her heart went crazy.
But then he took both of her hands in his and bussed her lightly on the cheek, the way you might an elderly aunt you hadn’t seen for a while! He let her hands go as quickly as he had taken them. Maddie felt oddly chagrined, even though she knew this was the safest way to treat their arrangement.
Though how were they going to make it seem as if they had experienced a wild, impetuous romance with kisses like that?
“I want you to know,” he told her, “that though we will make a public appearance of husband and wife, you will always have your own sleeping quarters.”
Don’t blush, she ordered herself.
“I’ll ensure your schedule is not too onerous, leaving you time to pursue your own interests and to explore the new world you will find yourself in on your own terms.”
She nodded.
“I’ll make sure you are generously remunerated for your time. Lancaster will work out the details with you.”
“Thank you.”
“And at every opportunity I will look for ways to promote Mountain Bend, and look for ways our business interests might benefit each other.”
This was precisely why she had said yes. She took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “A written contract might be complicated.”
“That’s fine.” She stopped short of saying she trusted him. “What’s next?”
“I have a private jet.”
Of course he did.
“I’ve
had Lancaster working on the logistics. We’ll go to Las Vegas. No waiting period, and no difficulty marrying people who aren’t citizens of the US. We can fill out an application online and be at the Clark County office to pick up a marriage license by this afternoon. An official will be lined up to conduct the proceedings.”
She gulped. Had she been expecting things to unfold that quickly? Not really. On the other hand, it gave her less time to think, to lose her courage, to listen to that voice that was still insisting on rattling off the thousand and one reasons this was not a good idea.
“I need to talk to Kettle. And Sophie. I’ll need to pack.”
“Don’t worry about packing too much,” he said. “I can have someone come and pack for you.”
She looked at him. It occurred to her he had probably not packed for himself ever. He had servants and staff who looked after all the mundane details of life for him.
“Why don’t you see what you still need from here after I buy you a new wardrobe? We’ll send someone with a list after you’re settled.”
She contemplated that. What did it mean? That her clothes weren’t good enough? Obviously, they weren’t good enough. She was wearing a cotton dress she had picked up on the sale rack.
And they’d send someone? From Havenhurst to Mountain Bend to pack her belongings for her? The easy extravagance of it took her aback. She could feel her feet getting colder by the second.
But suddenly, there was no time for second-guessing.
She quickly packed one overnight case, which Lancaster would not allow her to carry. He stowed it in the trunk of the car, and then they stopped at the Black Kettle.
“I’ll go in alone,” she told Ward.
“No, you won’t.”
“I don’t know how much to tell them,” she said, suddenly nervous.
“I think the fewer people who know the whole truth of it, the better.”
She agreed. She set her shoulders and let Ward open the familiar door for her. She stepped in and looked around. Her home. This place had given her sanctuary from the world when she needed it most.
“You’re late!” Sophie sang from the kitchen. “How unlike you. Guess who our ooh-la-la guys really are? It’s all over town, and Lancaster confirmed it last night. He came to see me!”
Sophie came out the kitchen door and stopped, looking from Ward to Maddie, and then beyond them to where Lancaster was waiting outside.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I—I—I’m going with them,” Maddie said.
“I’ve asked Madeline to be my wife, and she’s agreed,” Ward said, taking her hand in his. Maddie was shaking. Was she going to be called Madeline now?
“What?” Sophie, naturally, was stunned. Her lip trembled. “Are you going to be a princess, Maddie?”
“I guess I am.”
“That’s fantastic,” Sophie said, through tears. And then Maddie found herself wrapped in a hug that was so tight that she could hardly breathe. That’s why she was crying, wasn’t it?
Kettle came out as Sophie broke away. Maddie told him her news.
Unlike Sophie, he was not prepared to see the romance of the situation. His face looked like thunder. “That’s plain dumb,” he told her. “You don’t even know the man.”
“Not that knowing the man served me that well,” Maddie reminded him.
“Is that what this is about?” Kettle demanded. “Playing it safe? Taking yourself out of the game?”
Maddie hadn’t thought about it like that, but was there some truth in what Kettle was saying? Love had let her down so badly, that she wasn’t risking that again?
No, it was about being given an opportunity—to help her town, and those she cared about—and taking it.
Though she had a feeling if she said that to Kettle right now, he’d lock her in a closet and never let her out!
Kettle shook the spoon in his hand at Ward.
“I don’t give a crap who you are—you hurt her, and I’m coming to get you. You hear?”
“Yes, sir, I hear. I won’t hurt her. I promise.”
Kettle limped over. He looked her up and down and then with tears in his eyes, he embraced her long and hard.
“Oh, Maddie,” he said, his voice choked, “I thought you were going to be the sensible one.”
“Are you and Sophie going to be able to manage? Without me?”
“We will,” Kettle said firmly. “You’ll step up to the plate, won’t you, Sophie?”
The younger woman nodded solemnly. “Maddie, can I talk to you for a minute by yourself?”
“Of course,” she said, and they went off to a table, leaving Kettle to grill Ward.
“Do you love him?” Sophie asked earnestly.
“Oh, Sophie, how could I know that? I just met him.”
“But you’re marrying him!”
“There are many good reasons to get married that don’t necessarily involve love. Love’s a funny thing, Sophie. I thought I loved Derek. And look how that ended.”
“I love Lancaster,” Sophie said firmly.
“Oh! You can’t. Sophie, you’re so young! You barely know the man!” Though given her own choice, that was a poor argument.
“Well, I do. When he came over last night, he told me something. He told me he thought I was a beautiful, smart girl, and that he didn’t rebuff my affections—isn’t that posh, rebuff my affections—because he didn’t like me. He told me his wife and baby, a little boy, were killed in a fire. He said there’s a stone where his heart used to be.”
“That’s very sad,” Maddie said.
“It is so sad. But it just makes me love him more. Eventually, I’ll come there, to Havenhurst.”
“Of course you will!”
“And maybe he’ll be ready,” Sophie said, determination and wistfulness mixed.
“Maybe he will,” Maddie agreed. “I’ll call as soon as I’m settled. Maybe you can come in the fall, when things are slower here.”
“I’m going to miss you so much,” Sophie said, and then they were hugging and crying all over again.
When the hug broke, Sophie went and filled a bag with scones and a tub with cream. She handed them to Maddie, her eyes moist.
“Tell him they are a gift from me.”
And then, their goodbyes finished, they were in the car and heading down the road. Ward told her he thought it might be best if they didn’t announce their intentions at all. Only Lancaster knew the truth of their arrangement, and he had arranged for the news to travel for them after they were married.
Before Maddie could really register what was happening, she was being ushered aboard a private jet. There was a crest by the tail: a dragon woven around a heart, and a crown above both of those things. The pilot and stewards and staff were all lined up at the bottom of the stairs, in navy blue blazers with that same crest embroidered above their breasts. As Ward ushered her by them, they each snapped off a crisp salute. She was pretty sure the shock of that would have made her trip and fall on her face if Ward did not have such a tight grip on her arm.
The inside of the jet looked more like a very fancy living room, than an airplane. Deep white leather sofas faced each other. Beyond the sofas, was a tall counter with a marble top. Shelves behind it showed a fully stocked bar, coffee, tea and kitchen items.
To one side of that, there was a desk with a deep leather chair on swivels facing it. And then there was a hallway that Lancaster disappeared down, still hugging his sack of scones with a look on his face that said he would protect that particular package with his life.
“Miss, my name is Glenrich, if you’ll take a seat here,” one of the uniformed attendants, a middle-aged woman with graying hair and a pleasant smile, told her, “I’ll brief you on our takeoff procedures and see to all your needs on the flight.” Already, an engine had thrummed to lif
e.
Her needs? What could she need on such a short flight?
Ward took the seat beside her and showed her where the seat belts were tucked into the sofa.
Maddie only half listened to the safety talk, overwhelmed by what she was experiencing, the reality of it all around her. She wished Ward would take her hand, but he did not. In fact, he was brought a briefcase and immersed himself in papers!
The jet lifted off with such power, Maddie was sucked back into her seat. Moments later, she was being offered coffee and hot breakfast. She realized she was starving. The breakfast was superb, flaky croissants, homemade preserves, fluffy eggs. This was on an airplane!
Lancaster came back down the hall and settled in one of the chairs by the desk. He was now wearing a navy blue uniform, pressed shirt, with that same crest on the breast, tucked into crisply pleated trousers, which were tucked into black combat boots. He was clean-shaven and had an epaulette on both shoulders with three solid gold bars on each. What looked to be a beret was tucked under one shoulder bar, and there was a plain black dirk and holder on his belt. He said no to breakfast and tucked into the bag of scones, a notebook computer balanced on one knee.
He looked formidable, like a warrior, plain and simple, and had Maddie not been faintly intimidated by her surroundings she would have snapped a picture of him to send to Sophie.
“Miss Nelson,” Lancaster said, appearing at her side with the small computer, “if you could fill this out, it will expedite matters substantially.”
“Miss Nelson?” She didn’t want Lancaster to call her Miss Nelson, but something in his face stopped her from inviting familiarity. She realized she had a whole new set of rules to learn.
The computer was open to the online application for the Clark County Marriage License Bureau.
“Your Highness, I’ve already filled yours out. Unfortunately, you both have to appear in person at the bureau to be issued a license.”
Maddie slid Ward a glance. Was she supposed to address him as Your Highness? She was appalled at the thought and about how little she knew about the situation she was racing toward.