by CA Quigg
I swallowed hard, my eyes darting toward Tom. "Do you know what happened?"
"Come sit." Tom made a move toward the ten-table cafeteria.
"I can't sit and talk. I need to do…something. Help."
"I'll have Dr. Mike come see you as soon as possible," Sage said. "Go talk with Tom."
"Is he going to die?" I sucked in a deep breath, and my mind went to the worst possible place. "It's okay, you can tell me."
I didn't miss the worried glance Sage shot Darcy before looking at me. "I don't know, sweetie. His injuries didn't look life threatening, but I'm not a doctor."
"I think I'm going to throw up." I pressed my hands against my solar plexus and breathed, not that it helped. Antiseptic mixed with sterile air singed my nose and throat, but throwing up in the hospital admissions wasn't an option.
"Give me all of his insurance information, and I'll begin filling in the paperwork," Sage said, guiding me toward the cafeteria. "Talk to Tom. He knows more than I do."
"Here, Take this. The insurance information is all in my wallet." I pushed my bag into Sage's arms.
"I'll come with you," Darcy said to Sage. "In case you need any other information not in her wallet."
Sage nodded, and both of my sisters went toward her office.
Sean ran into the cafeteria, his cheeks flushed from the cold, and he looked more flustered than I felt. "What can you tell us?" he asked, directing his question at Tom.
Tom turned toward me, and asked, "Is it okay if I talk about what happened in front of Sean?"
I nodded, sat on a plastic chair and shoved my hands beneath my thighs.
"He was found on the side of the road a few miles from the club unconscious and bloody. He didn't know his name or where he was. His head doesn't look so good."
"Was he driving? Did he hurt anyone else?" Please God, don't let him have been driving. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd driven drunk, but if he'd hurt anyone else, I'd never forgive him.
Tom shook his head. "No sign of his car. I can't say for sure until we investigate, but there's a possibility it was a hit and run."
A sob worked its way up my throat, but I swallowed it down and suppressed the urge to cry. I took off my glasses and rubbed the heels of my hands over my eyes.
"Has anyone threatened him? Is he in trouble?" Tom asked. "It would help if I knew what he got up to these past few days."
"He's been at home or at the club," I said. "You know him as well as I do, no one likes him, and he owes money to half the people in town. But I don't think anyone would purposely hurt him."
"I'll keep looking and questioning." Tom stood and tapped his fingertips against the table. "You know where I am if you can think of anything."
I nodded. "If I find out anything, I'll call you."
"I'll walk you out," Sean said, patting Tom on the back.
As soon as Tom and Sean had left, Sage and Darcy came into the cafeteria. Sage's brow furrowed and her lips pursed. Darcy sat beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Sage sat opposite me and slid my bag across the table.
"Your dad's insurance isn't active," Sage said. "He's not covered. I'm sorry. The cost of his stay…"
"There must be a mistake." I fished my wallet out of my bag and pulled out the insurance card. "I pay on time every month. It's the one thing I make sure is taken care of. For the employees and us."
I grabbed my phone and punched in the number for the 24-hour helpline. After answering a hundred automated questions, I finally got through to an actual person. I gave the customer service rep all of my details, and, a few heart-stopping seconds later, he confirmed what Sage had said. The policy was inactive because of nonpayment.
Dread misted my vision, and I hung up. "All the checks I sent bounced. He must have hidden their letters. Deleted their emails."
Darcy hugged me close. "We'll figure something out. This isn't your fault."
Sage reached out and wrapped her warm hand around my cold one. "Come to the waiting room," she said. "I don't know how long it'll be, but I know the doctor will come and talk to you as soon as possible. We can figure out a finance plan or something tomorrow."
"We'll both stay with you," Darcy assured. "And Dad'll be back in a few minutes. Talk to him about what's going on."
"Not yet."
"But soon, for your sanity, promise us, you'll talk to Dad," Sage said.
I nodded, and, on autopilot, followed my sisters through the sterile hospital to the waiting room.
Each minute on the white plastic clock above the waiting room door seemed to take an hour. While my sisters, skimmed through their phones, and Sean read the newspaper, I paced up and down lost in thought. How was I going to pay for this? No way would the bank give me a loan, and, thanks to my dad, my credit cards were maxed out. Selling my internal organs on eBay along with my shoes seemed like the only answer. I could sell my apartment, but since I'd already remortgaged it last summer, the money I'd get from the sale wouldn't even pay the realtor's fees.
There was a solution to this mess. One that killed me to consider, but one I had no choice but to accept. Mrs. Elizabeth Gallagher didn't sound so bad. If I didn't marry Caden and agree to his bailout, my dad's medical bills alone would put us on the street.
I pulled out Caden's card from my bag. By marrying him, I would be committing a crime and lying to everyone I loved. But I was doing it for the right reasons, and surely that would be okay.
"I just have to make a quick phone call," I said. "Be right back."
Outside the waiting room, I punched in the number then deleted it before punching it in again. Get it together . I pressed my forehead against the cold wall and closed my eyes. If ever there was a time I needed a backbone, now was that time. I could do this. I could break the law, pay off our debts, and pay for my dad's medical bills. There was no other choice. Even if there was, figuring one out would take too long. I needed an instant solution, and this was it. Dragging in a now or never breath, I pressed the dial icon.
When Caden picked up, I didn't wait for him to say hello, I simply said, "I'll marry you."
Chapter 5
Caden
Candy-apple colored leaves sheltered the mile-long driveway to the club. Sundown Sands Country Club truly was a stunning piece of property. It would make me a lot of money and bring jobs plus investments to the village. Elizabeth might not see it that way yet, but in time she would.
I parked in the near empty parking lot and stepped into the crisp fall day. A few golfers braved the cold and the cut-up courses to hit a few balls. Redesigning the course would cost more than a few quid, but having a potential award-winning course would be worth it.
Elizabeth 's unexpected phone call was more than welcome. I didn't know why she'd changed her mind and wasn't sure I wanted to know, but thank God she had.
The pickings for fake wives were slim. I'd spent the last few days browsing dodgy websites looking for a solution, but now Elizabeth had said yes, there was no need to go down that route any longer.
I strolled into the empty foyer and whistled. A place like this should be filled with guests and staff, and have at least a two-year waiting list.
The original checkerboard floor with hexagon tiles was beautiful. I tapped my foot over a few spots-and in good condition too. The ceiling and wall moldings were also original as was the low-hanging crystal chandelier. I'd make sure my designers kept as many features as possible. The place had lost enough over the years, and I didn't want it to lose anymore.
I wandered around the ramshackle interior, making mental notes about renovations and eventually found my way into the ballroom. Elizabeth stood silhouetted by a grimy bay window with her shoulders slumped. An urge to ask if she was okay tugged at me, but I wouldn't do it. If I showed any affection, she might get the wrong idea, and a business deal like this was no place for sentiment or emotion. But,
on the other hand, if she showed any interest, I wouldn't say no.
I cleared my throat to alert her to my presence. She quickly lifted her head and gave me a sad smile.
Her glasses hung from her fingers, and the shadows beneath her eyes were darker than they were when we first met.
"Sorry. I was miles away. I didn't hear you come in."
"Is everything okay? I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.
"Everything's fine," she said in a bright and breezy tone that told me everything was far from fine.
"Something's obviously wrong." I strode across the dance floor toward her. "You look like you haven't slept in days."
She forced a smile. "I bet you say that to all the girls."
A lone tear slipped from her left eye and rolled down her cheek, and my fingers ached to brush it away, but before my fingers betrayed me, she wiped the back of her hand over her cheek and held it there for a few seconds.
I figured she wouldn't be happy about marrying me, but acting like someone had died wasn't what I'd expected. It wasn't like I'd handcuffed her and would drag her down the aisle by her hair. The only time I handcuffed a woman and pulled her by the hair was when she was a willing participant.
"I guess we should get started." She straightened her posture and strode toward a round table strewn with papers. Her signature scent of citrus drifted in her wake, and with each step, the high stilettos she wore gave her calf muscles a defined shape. A shot of lust cannonballed through my body and went straight to my dick. If Elizabeth knew where my thoughts were right now, she would probably tell me to get the fuck out.
"Let's get down the business." I shrugged my backpack onto the table and took out my laptop.
"If you want me to marry you," she said, "I want 80/20 in our favor." She put on her glasses and slid a sheet of paper toward me. A series of numbers were outlined and highlighted.
"No can do." I slid the paper back to her. "My original deal or nothing." I was calling her bluff, there was some wiggle room, not as much as she wanted, but if she pushed hard enough, and I hoped she would, I'd give her more. Not much, but some.
Desperation and fire filled her eyes. "Mr. Gallagher, when my father said you needed us more than we needed you, he was right. I've done a little investigating. Your consortium has resorts all over the United States. Buildings under development everywhere. If you have to leave the country, you stand to lose a lot more than your visa."
"Is that so?"
She might think she had the upper hand but the way she fiddled with her pen and the way she wouldn't meet my eyes, told me something very different. Lizzie was more than a little nervous.
"You're right I do need you but let's be honest, I could find someone else to marry me and buy the club the day the bank decides to auction it off. 80/20 in my favor."
She licked her lips and clasped her fingers together but not before I saw her shaking hands. There was something the beautiful Ms. Beaufort wasn't telling me.
"60/40," she said, "and I'll marry you whenever you want. Hell, I'll marry you today."
"I'll tell you what," I said, not wanting to play hardball with someone on the verge of falling apart. "75/25. Take it or leave it."
Her cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of pink and my mind wandered to what she would look like in the middle of an orgasm. Shame that was something I'd never see.
She nodded and blew out a shaky breath. "Fine."
Why had she given in so quickly and easily? The woman I'd met a few days ago wasn't the same woman standing in front of me now. What had taken the wind out of her sails?
"We need to apply for the marriage license sooner rather than later," I said. "After that, we have 90 days before I have to get married. But I'd prefer to marry within ten days. I have too much going on to delay this any longer than I have to."
She smoothed her hands down the sides of her pencil skirt and gave me a tight smile. "As a sign of good faith, I need a hundred thousand transferred to my bank account today." Her words came out in a hurry as if she'd been rehearsing them.
I raised an eyebrow but didn't prod as to the reason behind her request. "Perhaps I should talk to your father before we go any further."
"You can't. He's in the hospital."
"This is the last place you need to be." I shut down my laptop and slid it into my backpack. "You should be with your dad. We can do this another time."
She shook her head. "We're running out of time as it is. I want to get this over and done with."
The less I entrenched myself in her life, the better for the both of us, but curiosity took over.
"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"
Elizabeth gave a tired sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "He was found on the roadside with a head injury. He's been drifting in and out of consciousness since last night." Her lower lip wobbled, but she didn't break down.
"How bad is it?"
"The CT scan showed no swelling or bleeding, but he suffered a grade 3 concussion. They're waking him every three hours, so he doesn't fall into a coma. He has cuts and scrapes all over his body, and there's a deep laceration on his head. He won't be home for a few days."
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and ran a hand through my hair. "Have the police started an investigation?"
"The sheriff and his team combed the area. They can't find anything out of the ordinary. It was dark. He may have tripped and hit his head. But what he was doing on an unlit back road after dark, no one knows. He might not even remember."
"Surveillance cameras?" I asked.
She huffed out a laugh. "Not in Sundown Sands. We can't do much more until he wakes up."
I swore I wouldn't get involved in her life. Swore she was someone I would have a shallow relationship with. Someone to get me a green card. But the way her lower lip quivered and the way she wouldn't allow her tears to fall caught me off guard. Even if she made my dick throb, and heart beat a little bit faster, and even if every cell of my being wanted to protect her, I wouldn't fall for her.
This was a business deal and nothing more. And, acting like a bloody knight in shining armor-as she'd called me-wasn't part of the deal. I wasn't here to save her, or anyone else for that matter.
"I'll have my lawyers draw up the new contracts, and I'll have the money wired to your bank account by lunchtime." I held out my hand. "This is something you won't regret, Lizzie. I think we'll make a great team."
"It's Elizabeth."
She took my hand and when she did a bolt of lightning raced up my arm, and from the way her lips parted and from the way she jerked her hand away, she felt it too.
"We're not a team," she spat, dropping my hand. "We'll never be a team. If I had any other choice, we wouldn't even be business partners. If I had a choice, I would never have met you."
The accusation in her voice and the twisted worry on her face side-kicked my stomach.
"I'm sorry you think you had no other choice, but I'm the good guy here and believe me, I'll put this place on the map. I'll make the club everything you ever dreamed it could be. I've researched you too. Your Etsy store is impressive. Your Facebook page has thousands of followers. You can sell your skincare products from the spa. I can have my architect look at the plans. Maybe you'd like to grow herbs and organic ingredients."