“Where are we going Rudy, that takes eight hours to get there?”
“Someplace very special for my very special wife.”
She sighed, “You aren’t going to tell me, are you?”
“No, I’m not. I want it to be a surprise, Clarice. I promise you will enjoy it and never forget the experience even if you and I don’t…”
She put her hand over his mouth. He’d been so positive all this time she didn’t want to hear him say they might not last. Her walls were crumbling and she couldn’t really remember why it was so important to keep them up with this sweet man. “Don’t. Just for this trip let’s pretend we really are going to make it.”
He looked into her eyes. “I won’t take you as my wife until it’s for real, Clarice.”
She blushed. “No, I still agree with that being off the table. But we don’t speak of what might happen, we just enjoy being husband and wife. I promised to give you a chance and I’m trying to live up to that. So show me, Rudy. Show me what it would be like to give in to our True Love Connection.”
He pulled her onto his lap and she lost herself in his lips on hers again. She knew no matter what happened these kisses would always be the standard every other kiss of her life would be judged by.
This time when Clarice woke up in Rudy’s arms she had no-one to blame but herself. He’d been the perfect gentleman all night. Yes, he’d kissed her senseless but he’d not pushed her for more and they had spent the night watching romantic movies and Rudy had even shared one of his favorites, an old black and white RomCom with, of all people, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, called Bringing up Baby. About a scatterbrained girl who falls into insta-love with a paleontologist as they hunt for her rich aunt’s escaped leopard. She had to admit that the movie was hilarious and had made her look at her handsome adventurous husband in another light. Deep inside his soul was a true romantic. Maybe, he really did believe they were the perfect match for each other. She was having more and more trouble believing they weren’t.
She slowly disentangled from her husband and grabbed her clothes and slipped into the bathroom to shower and dress. When she came out into the main cabin their flight attendant was standing in the kitchen. “Would you like some coffee, Ma’am? I can let you watch me make it if you would like.”
“I’m sorry, what is your name? This is the second time I’ve had you on a flight with me and I don’t think I ever learned your name.”
The pretty little redhead blushed. “It’s Sara, Ma’am.”
“Sara, I’m Clarice, no Ma’am or Mrs. Holliday or any of that okay?”
“Alright.”
“I trusted you last time to make my coffee and I know I can trust you this time too. I doubt that a woman would ever add to my drink what was added that made me so careful.”
“Oh no! I had a friend that happened to. We still don’t know what all happened to her. She woke up in a very bad part of New Orleans.”
“Yes well thankfully for me a very honorable man came to my rescue before anything too bad happened.”
“Well that’s good anyway. What happened to the guy who rescued you?”
Now it was Clarice’s turn to blush. “I umm…married him.”
“Oh!!”
“Yeah, don’t tell him I told you, it will give him a big head.”
There was a grunt from behind her and she spun right into said man’s arms. “Good morning, wife. Telling about my heroic deeds again? Sara knows how tough and brave I am. She has seen me come out of some very hairy places.”
“Yes well haven’t we all, Mister Surviving with Rudy.”
She reached up and kissed her husband and then twisted out of his arms to face Sara again. “There were a couple of slices of the cake left last night, weren’t there? Can I have one of them for breakfast with my coffee?”
“Of course, light cream, three sugars and a slice of cake. Coming right up. For you, sir?”
“Just my smoothie this morning, Sara. Gonna need the energy for our journey.”
They sat and ate and then curled up together and watched one of Clarice’s favorite movies, Serendipity with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. As the movie ended she looked up to see Rudy watching her. “Tell me what it is about that movie that makes it your favorite?”
She thought for a minute and smiled. “That they left the whole thing to fate and it brought them back together against all the odds.”
“You mean like us?”
She froze, he was right. She’d ran and their story should have ended but against all odd and right before her wedding fate brought them back together and gave them a second chance. “Our story is completely different. It wasn’t fate, it was your father’s ultimatum and a con man in Vegas.”
“Sure feels like fate or Serendipity to me,” he murmured just before catching her lips again.
Sara cleared her throat discreetly. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but your transportation is here and I was told if you plan to make it to your destination before twilight you need to be leaving soon.”
Rudy stood and nodded. “Thank you, Sara. Are you and the rest of the crew set?”
“Yes sir, we checked in last night after we landed.”
“And our packs?”
“Already loaded, Sir.”
“Great.”
Rudy once again helped Clarice bundle up and then swooped her into his arms. “Are you going to make a habit of this, Rudolph? Sweeping me off my feet?”
“That’s my plan Clarice, my Serendipitous Bride.”
“It’s not the same, Rudy.”
“I disagree.”
He started down the stairs and out into the open where a grizzled man and a sled with ten malamutes hitched to it stood ready. “Your chariot awaits, my lady.”
Clarice’s eyes got big. “We’re going dog sledding?”
“Well there are only two ways to reach our destination, dog sled or Snow Cat. Of the two I thought dog sledding was more romantic.”
He put her down in the front of the sled. “Stay there until I get in, okay?”
She nodded and looked at the beautiful dogs laying relaxed in front of the sled. Rudy settled in behind her and pulled her back against his chest. Her body lodged securely between his legs. She blushed thinking how intimate they were going to be pressed together. Yes, she’d woke in his arms probably more entwined, but it always happened in their sleep, this was very different. The man who was obviously the musher or sled driver or whatever he was called came around and tucked a couple of thick fur blankets around them. “Snug and warm?”
“Yes, thank you. Are these your dogs?”
“Yes ma’am, raised them from pups I did.”
“They’re beautiful.”
“That they are and they run like the wind. So if you folks are ready hold on tight; we have a two-hour trip ahead and twilight is in two and a half hours.”
With that he stepped on the back of the sled and in a loud voice called “HUP!” The dogs stood and shook themselves as they assumed a ready position. Then came the cry. “Mush you, Huskies.”
And they were off. Rudy held her close and they talked of the things they saw along the way. He pointed out beautiful vistas and interesting wildlife along the way. She saw a herd of reindeer and she teased him that he shouldn’t have invited his brothers along. Then they saw a herd of Caribou and then not long after a pack of wolves tracking the Caribou.
Clarice relaxed and let herself sink into the strong embrace of the man she married and let his scent wash over her. He always seemed to smell of crisp air and smoke and the great outdoors even when he was in New York. She realized when he was near she smelled the wilderness on him. She’d never thought of herself as an adventurous woman but this trip was perfect and she realized she’d never smell the outdoors again without thinking of this strong loving man behind her.
Almost before she was ready the sled began to slow as a series of small log cabins came into view sitting around a large frozen lake. The sun was jus
t dipping below the horizon as they pulled up at one of the lakefront cabins. “Where are we, Rudy?”
“This is Lake Inari Finland, Clarice. And this is our very own Aurora Cabin at Wilderness Hotel Inari.”
She frowned. “Aurora Cabin?”
“Yes love, they’re very special, I’ll show you why in a minute. Let me take care of our driver okay?”
“Of course.”
She got out of the sled and grabbed her pack and Rudy’s larger one. When she turned Rudy was handing the man an envelope. “They’re very good, Jori, I’ll have my assistant get in touch with you about that sponsorship for the Iditarod. This however is my thanks for a lovely run.”
“Danka, Rudy. My son will be here with the Snow Cat when you call.”
“I appreciate that as well.”
The man stepped back on the sled and called out to the dogs and they were off again heading around the lake into the quickly fading light. Rudy stepped up beside her and pulled a hotel key card out of his coat pocket and held it against the door lock. When it clicked he opened the door and led her into a cute little cabin, the back half of which was a glass wall and ceiling. He pushed a button just inside the door and the snow on the glass started to melt away. “Heated glass.”
“What is this place, Rudy?”
“This, my dear, is the best place in the world to see the Aurora Borealis in comfort and warmth. When the sun completely fades you will see the stars come out and then hopefully we will get a spectacular light show that will also reflect off the surface of the lake out where it isn’t frozen and I’ve been told it’s not to be missed.”
She looked at him. “You’ve never been here?”
“No, this is the kind of thing you do with someone special. Until now I’ve never had someone special enough to want to share this with.”
She bit her lower lip. “Oh.”
He pointed to the glass area. “Notice that there are twin beds. I’m told they can be connected but when I set this up the first time you hadn’t been sick yet. I can leave them like this if you want.”
Her heart fell at the thought of him not holding her in her sleep. “We did okay last night. At least I thought we did.”
“We did. I just didn’t want to assume anything here, Clarice. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. The fridge is stocked as is the wine cooler. I planned to fix us a good dinner and then let you get changed into your pajamas and I’ll do the same and then we’ll turn out the lights inside here and snuggle in to watch the stars come out and see if the Borealis will come bless us with a show.”
“You do dinner and I’ll see if I can figure out how to hook those beds together. Snuggling with you and watching the light show sounds like an amazing way to celebrate our almost real anniversary.”
He grabbed her and kissed her. Keeping her in his arms he looked into her eyes. “It’s really real, Clarice, even if we’ve been apart most of the year.”
She nodded and felt more of her walls fall. Was there even anything left to hide behind? She didn’t think there was.
Later, after the food was eaten and the second bottle of champagne opened, they lay snuggled together in the thickening darkness stealing kisses as they watched the stars rise. Clarice thought about her silly fears. Did it really matter how she’d married this man? He was indeed a great match just as the algorithm had indicated. Honestly, he was perfect for her. Strong yet willing to allow her to stand on her own two feet. Loving and romantic but grounded too. Handsome as the devil and richer than Midas. Plus, he could kiss like no-one else she knew. Would it be so wrong to give in and agree to stay married to him? Yes, they’d have to work out some logistical things because there would be times she would need to be in New York, but things had gone well for her so far with the telecommuting.
She gasped as the Northern lights seemed to rise from the lake dancing in blue and green throughout the sky. “Isn’t it beautiful? She sighed as she took in the wonder of nature before her. “She sure is” came the deep and sultry voice beside her. She glanced over to see Rudy, his eyes glued to her face. While nature put on what he’d called a once in a lifetime show, he was mesmerized by looking at her.
Right then she knew. All this debate, all this being careful. It was too late; she was completely and utterly in love with her accidental Vegas husband. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. This time she deepened the kiss demanding he let her devour his mouth. When her heart couldn’t take another second and her lungs demanded she breathe she let his mouth go. “Yes Rudy. I’m your wife. Now and forever. I love you with everything inside me. Please love me back.”
Rudy looked at her. “Clarice honey, what are you saying here?”
“I’m saying I’m your wife, I’m Clarice Holliday. I want to always be Clarice Holliday, I want to have little Holliday babies and watch them grow to be strong Holliday men like their daddy. I want you, Randall Rudolph Holliday, until death do us part. Please Rudy, make me your real wife. PLEASE?”
“Are you sure, Clarice? Once this is done there’s no going back. No more running.”
Clarice pulled him to her and showed him just how sure she was. While nature danced in the sky. Clarice and Rudy became husband and wife in the oldest and most intimate way known to mankind. Neither even seeing the spectacle above them in the sky.
Chapter Nine
It had been two glorious weeks since Clarice had given in to her heart and become Rudy’s wife in truth. The next day her husband had called his flight crew and sent them home. Then the two of them had finally had what Clarice had come to think of as their honeymoon. Spending the short days exploring around the lake and the longer nights watching the heavens and really getting to know each other.
Every day she had woken in her husband’s arms thankful that he hadn’t given up on her. He told her about some of the places he’d seen and she told him all about the work she had done. They discussed how to move her permanently to Rudolph’s Island and still remain a hands-on co-owner of True Love Connections. Clarice knew it would require some give and take but she was determined to spend as much time with her husband as she could. There would be trips to NYC and Rudy would have to travel on occasion too for AWSG, his equipment company as well as the occasional Adventure Channel requirement but they were committed to making their marriage and family a priority.
Like all vacations their impromptu honeymoon had come to an end. The plane had returned and it was time to go back to Alaska. She dreaded contacting Winthrop only because she knew he was going to fuss and scream and she needed to contact all the service providers she’d hired for her wedding and cancel them. The money wasted would have bothered her, but Rudy made it plain that it wouldn’t hurt their financial situation at all.
He’d promised to sit with her and go over how much money he really had but the short answer had been that even without his trust fund he was a wealthy man. The trust made him in his words ‘insanely, filthy rich’. He’d jokingly told her they had enough money to buy a small island, then smiled “Oh wait, we already own one.”
They’d be landing on the main resort island in a few hours then helicopter back home. For the first time since they left Clarice turned on her phone and checked her email to see everything was going well at TLC. She would have to remember to thank both Star and Roxy for helping her see what she should have seen from the beginning. That Rudolph Holliday was a man worth loving.
Just before they landed Rudy got a call from Roxy that he was going to need to fly to Australia to meet with a customer who refused to work with anyone but the Lone Survivor himself. He invited Clarice to come with him but she wanted to touch base with her own people and start the process of moving her life to Alaska. So, when they landed they’d kissed each other goodbye, and Clarice had gotten in the resort helicopter on her own.
As she watched her handsome husband return to the jet a feeling of dread hit her like she was seeing the man she loved for the last time. She quickly shook it off t
hinking it was just newlywed separation anxiety. After all he’d be home in less than a week and they’d have the rest of their lives together.
When they landed she quickly went to the cabin and unpacked. The day was young and if she hurried she could get some work done before her mom was up and around. She needed to let her know things had changed. Of course that meant that they’d in a show of good faith have to help Roxy find her TLC since the one Evelyn had planned for her was definitely off the market.
As she stepped out of the elevator she knew something was wrong. Roxy’s face was one of worry and fear. “What’s wrong? Is it Rudy?”
The normally perky woman shook her head and looked towards the office that Clarice had been using. “Umm no, but you have a visitor. He’s been showing up every day for a week.”
“Who is it?”
Roxy swallowed and looked over her shoulder then whispered. “He claims to be your fiancé.”
Clarice’s eyes closed and she swallowed the curse word that tried to escape. She’d wanted to deal with Winthrop but not in person. “He’s here now?”
“Yes, in your office. He asked if he could use your computer but I told him I didn’t know your password. I didn’t think it was wise to send him to the cabin or leave him out here where everyone could see him. I was going to call security but Judy said to show him to your office. What’s going on?”
Rudolph's Runaway Bride (Holliday Islands Resort Book 9) Page 9