EXPECTANT BRIDE-TO-BE

by Nikki Benjamin

  Listening to Jack launch into his plans, Abby experienced the tiniest shiver of disquiet. They were just pretending to be engaged. Really, they were. She would do well not only to remember it herself, but also to remind Jack of it as often as possible.

  She wasn't about to let the situation get out of hand. And she certainly wasn't going to start hoping and dreaming for the impossible. Jack Randall wasn't in love with her. He never had been, and he never would be. He was just being kind for the baby's sake, and only for the next two weeks.

  And she didn't dare let herself forget it, even for a minute.

  * * *

  Chapter 16

  « ^ »

  As he drove to Abby's mother's house on Saturday evening, Jack still couldn't quite believe that he had managed to talk Abby into agreeing to a pretend engagement. She had put up a good fight the night before—he had to give her credit for that. But in the end, she hadn't been able to make a liar out of him, even though she'd had every right to.

  Obviously, she hadn't hardened her heart to him completely. But Jack reminded himself yet again not to start feeling cocky. He didn't dare take for granted the good luck he'd had so far because he knew he had a very thin line to walk in the days ahead.

  Since Abby seemed bound and determined not to allow their engagement to turn into the real thing, he couldn't risk scaring her off by coming on too strong, too fast. If she scampered back to San Francisco sooner than she'd planned because he said or did something, even inadvertently, to make her feel pressured, he would find himself back at square one.

  But neither could he allow Abby to think, even for a moment, that there was anything pretend about his feelings for her.

  She didn't seem to have any trouble accepting the idea that he was too kind and decent to allow her to be hurt by idle gossip. Yet she stubbornly refused to consider the possibility that he loved her as truly, deeply and completely as any man could ever love a woman.

  Only by showing her how much he cared for her, in every little way he could in the days ahead, would he have any chance of winning her over.

  Jack hadn't wasted any time mapping out his campaign. Before he had left Abby on Friday night, he'd gotten her to agree, albeit reluctantly, to meet his parents Saturday evening. He had promised they would have a quiet dinner together, just the four of them. Unless Abby wanted to include her grandparents, which she hadn't.

  She would go through the formality of introducing Jack to them at brunch on Sunday, if he insisted, as he had. Though she hadn't thought it was necessary since they would, according to her, know the whole truth, start to finish.

  Jack had every intention of winning over Hank and Judith Summers the following day. Tonight, however, he would devote to winning over Abby, if only just the tiniest bit.

  Pulling into the driveway of Abby's mother's house, he was relieved to see that Constance Beckworth wasn't outside. He didn't want his good mood spoiled, even temporarily, by her caustic comments.

  Once she saw the announcement he'd sent to the Promise Daily News for the paper's Wednesday edition, and she received her invitation to Thursday night's cocktail party that his parents were hosting at the country club in his and Abby's honor, she should have mellowed enough toward Abby to end her gossiping. In the meantime, Jack would just as soon not have to speak to the woman.

  Abby had obviously been waiting for his arrival. She opened the door as soon as he rang the bell, dressed in the same pretty yellow dress she'd been wearing when he had first seen her at the real estate agency. She had coiled her hair in an elegant twist, but a few errant strands curled around her face, easing the style's severity. She wore pearl-and-gold-bead earrings and a matching pearl-and-gold-bead choker that enhanced her creamy complexion.

  She looked lovelier than ever to Jack. So lovely, in fact, that he wanted to scoop her into his arms, carry her into the house, kick the door shut, and completely forget about having dinner with his parents. But the way she clutched her purse in her white-knuckled fingers as she eyed him, grim-faced, put such a foolhardy notion immediately out of his mind.

  "I'm ready," she announced, tipping her chin up as if she were about to be escorted to the guillotine.

  "We're not actually expected for another hour," Jack admitted with a sheepish smile.

  "But you said you would pick me up at six-thirty. I assumed we were going to go straight to your parents' house." Standing her ground in the doorway, Abby frowned at him disapprovingly.

  "I thought we could have a drink first. Relax a little together before we join my parents."

  There was something else he planned to do before they went on to his parents' house, but he didn't want to tell her what it was while she could slam the door in his face. She already looked wound up enough.

  "Well, all right." Grudgingly, she stepped back and let him into the house.

  "Did you talk to your grandparents this morning?" he asked as he followed her into the living room and sat on the sofa.

  "Yes."

  Abby remained standing, her frown deepening as she lowered her gaze and fiddled with the clasp of her purse.

  "How did they react to the news of our engagement?"

  "They were thrilled," Abby said, still refusing to look at him. "Neither one of them seemed to believe for a minute that we were only pretending to protect my good name, no matter what I said." She hesitated, then glanced at him. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea, after all. They're just going to end up being hurt—"

  "Not necessarily," Jack hastened to assure her. Though he couldn't say as much to Abby, he was pleased by her grandparents' positive reaction. "You're being honest with them, and who knows how things will turn out two weeks from now."

  "I know," she shot back, meeting his gaze squarely. "What about your parents? What did they say when you told them you were not only engaged, but had a baby on the way?"

  "They were thrilled, too," Jack said, quite honestly. "They're very anxious to meet you. My father's grilling some of his Alaskan salmon just for you, and my mother's baking her top secret cinnamon chocolate cake. When I left there, she was looking for the recipe so she could write out a copy for you. That, alone, means she already considers you a welcome addition to the family."

  "Oh, Jack…" Abby sighed as she set her purse on the coffee table, then sank down next to him on the sofa. "I don't think I can go through with a pretend engagement, after all."

  "Of course you can." He put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug. "It's only for a couple of weeks, and no one will think the worse of you if we break it off. I'll make sure of it."

  "Not if, when. My decision is already made," she reminded him, stiffening her shoulders. "Now, about that drink you mentioned—what would you like to have? There's still some beer in the refrigerator."

  When she started to get up, Jack caught her by the hand.

  "I'm not really thirsty right now."

  "But you said you came early—"

  "Actually, I wanted to give you something before we go over to my parents' house," he cut in.

  Standing, he dug in his pants pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet box as Abby eyed him skeptically.

  "Jack, no," she began, her gaze locking on the box.

  Not giving her a chance to say more, he knelt in front of her, offered her his most charming grin, and flipped open the lid of the box with his thumb.

  "Marry me, Abby Summers. Marry me, please."

  She stared at the diamond ring nestled in the box in utter consternation as a blush tinted her cheeks a bright pink.

  "Don't be silly," she said breathlessly after a few moments. "We're only pretending to be engaged, and that certainly doesn't look like a pretend ring to me."

  "It's not," he said, taking the two-carat, emerald-cut diamond ring with square-cut baguette diamonds on either side from the box.

  "I can't accept it," she murmured, curling the fingers of her left hand into a fist. "I … I can't."

  "No one will believe we're engag
ed unless you do," Jack pointed out pragmatically. "Of course, if you don't like this particular ring, we can go to the jewelers on Monday and you can choose another one."

  "I like it … very much," Abby conceded. "But it's … it's too big and too beautiful for just pretend."

  "Not really, as long as you like it."

  Allowing himself only the slightest smile, Jack took Abby's left hand in his and eased the glittering ring onto the appropriate finger.

  The ring fit perfectly, and as he'd hoped, it looked as if it had been made for her slender, elegant hand.

  "Lovely," he murmured. Lifting her hand to his lips, he pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her wrist, then released her. As he stood again, he checked his watch. "Well, we'd better go. We don't want to be late when there's Alaskan salmon and cinnamon chocolate cake on the menu, do we?"

  Abby gazed up at him, a dazed look in her eyes that gave Jack's spirits another much needed lift. He had gambled on getting just such a response from her when he'd bought the ring that morning. She could have just as easily thrown him out on his ear.

  But she was off-balance now—no longer quite so sure where the line between fantasy and reality fell. And that was exactly where he wanted her.

  Once he got her to start feeling, even for a few moments at a time, that they were a couple, it wouldn't take that much more to actually make it so.

  He considered the ring a first step in that direction. As long as it stayed on her finger, where she could see it and feel it every day, he would be on her mind, as well.

  She would begin to realize, little by little, that some things, like his love for her, couldn't be feigned. Some things, like his love for her, were as real and lasting and true as the diamond he'd given her.

  Abby sat on the sofa a few seconds longer, staring at the ring on her finger. Then, with an apparent mental shake, she grabbed her purse and stood, too, her expression once again pensive.

  "What's wrong?" Jack asked as they started toward the door.

  "Just a little nervous about meeting your parents," Abby answered.

  "They're going to love you as much as I do," be said, his tone lighthearted.

  "If you say so." Sounding unconvinced as they stepped outside, she turned to lock the door.

  "You said I was one of the good guys, remember?" he prodded, taking her by the arm as they walked to his car.

  Glancing up at him, she nodded wordlessly.

  "Well, you don't think I'd have ended up that way if I'd been raised by jackals, do you?"

  "No," she admitted with the first real smile he'd seen on her face that evening.

  "Then relax, be yourself, and enjoy the evening, okay?"

  "Okay."

  Pausing at the car, with the door open, Jack bent and kissed Abby gently on the cheek.

  "Trust me, everything is going to be all right."

  "If you say so," she repeated, this time sounding as if she actually believed him.

  * * *

  Chapter 17

  « ^ »

  Abby had never in her life been involved in such a whirlwind of social activity as she had since the night Jack suggested that they embark on a pretend engagement.

  Saturday evening she and Jack had joined his parents for dinner at their lovely home in Promise's most exclusive neighborhood. Abby had dreaded meeting Elaine and J. B. Randall from the moment he suggested it, but there had been no way to avoid it sometime during the remaining two weeks she would be in Promise. They were the type of people who would want to get to know their only son's fiancée, and the sooner, the better.

  Abby had spent most of that Saturday bracing herself for the likely possibility that Jack's parents would welcome her into the family with less-than-open arms. She had told herself it wouldn't matter since she and Jack weren't really getting married. But still, the prospect of spending several hours trying to make polite conversation with two people who probably wanted someone better for their son had held absolutely no appeal.

  That the evening had turned out to be entirely different than Abby had anticipated had been a truly delightful surprise. So delightful, in fact, that she had found herself secretly wishing that she and Jack weren't just pretending, after all.

  First Jack had given her the most beautiful diamond engagement ring she'd ever seen, and he'd done so in a manner that would have had her believing he really did love her enough to marry her—if she hadn't already known better.

  For heaven's sake, he had gotten down on one knee, and though there had been a teasing glint in his eyes, his "marry me, please" had been spoken with such a ring of sincerity that she'd had to bite her lip to keep from saying "yes, yes, yes," in reply.

  With Jack's ring on her finger, Abby had been just off-balance enough that she hadn't had time to think about being nervous on the short drive to his parents' house. And once there, Jack's mother and father had drawn her into the Randall family circle with such warmth and openness that she had immediately realized her earlier fears had all been for naught.

  They were pleased that she had roots in Promise, believing as they did that the town's future prosperity depended on intelligent, well-educated young people like her and Jack who were willing not only to return, but also to contribute of their time and talents.

  They didn't seem to mind that there was a baby on the way, either. Jack's mother fairly glowed when she talked about the prospect of finally having a grandchild to spoil. Of course, Elaine had also wanted to know if they'd set a date for the wedding. Left on her own to explain, Abby had said that they were still in the process of deciding.

  There had also been the matter of Jack's house—a house Abby had to admit she hadn't yet seen. Elaine seemed incensed on her future daughter-in-law's behalf that Jack hadn't included her in such an important decision. Mentally cursing Jack, who had been out on the patio, helping his father grill the salmon, Abby had said that she was sure she would like the house just fine.

  Elaine had eyed her uncertainly, looking as if she were about to say something more on the subject, but the men came in with the platter of sizzling salmon steaks and she went off to toss the salad.

  On the drive back to her mother's house later that evening, Jack had asked how she'd enjoyed the evening. She'd had to admit to having a wonderful time with his parents. And she hadn't missed the smug smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as she did so.

  Abby saw the same smile on his face the next day when they took her grandparents to the café for Sunday brunch. Hank and Judith greeted Jack as if he really were engaged to their granddaughter, even though Abby had told them the truth about their relationship the previous day.

  They hadn't seemed to really believe her Saturday morning when she told them about their pretend engagement and the reasons for it. And with Jack playing the part of devoted suitor, they had seemed to believe her even less on Sunday morning.

  Jack had been utterly charming, of course, and her grandparents had gone along with him quite willingly. Twice, she had slipped in a comment about their temporary arrangement, and twice, all three of them looked at her as if she were a stubborn, spoiled child who needed to be humored.

  Finally, Abby had given up trying to make any of them face the facts. She didn't want Hank and Judith to be hurt when her short engagement ended, but she couldn't force them to believe something they didn't want to believe, either.

  After they had driven her grandparents back to their apartment, Abby had taken her frustration out on Jack, refusing to let him help with the sorting-out chores she'd set for herself Sunday afternoon. He had gone without argument, but he'd stopped by Monday after work with baked chicken and potato salad from the new deli on the square, seeming to know she'd be too hungry to turn him away.

  Tuesday night they had joined his associates at the clinic for dinner at Donald Brooks' house. Wednesday, the announcement of their engagement appeared in the local paper, and Jack had again stopped by after work, this time to celebrate with cartons of Chinese food. Again, Abby
hadn't been able to resist his boyish smile or the delectable aromas wafting from the bags he held in his hands.

  There was a saying about the way to a man's heart being through his stomach. Obviously, Jack had decided, and rightly so if her drooling response was any indication, that the same was true of the woman carrying his child.

  Much to Abby's chagrin, she had to admit that his campaign was beginning to work on her emotions. They had been together for several hours every day for almost a week now, and each time Jack left her with no more than a chaste kiss on the cheek, Abby was sorrier to see him go.

  Either Jack was a master at taking on whatever role he chose, or he honestly and truthfully cherished her the way a man should cherish the woman he was about to marry. For someone only out to protect her good name, he seemed to be going to an awful lot of trouble.

  Still, Abby tried to harden her heart to him, her need for self-preservation too great to ignore. No matter how good Jack was at pretending, the situation, as she saw it, remained the same. He had shown his true colors in December, and nothing he said or did now could change that.

  Or so Abby insisted on telling herself yet again on Thursday night as she stood beside Jack, waiting patiently while he ordered a glass of ginger ale for her at the bar set up in the grand ballroom of the Gladeway Country Club where his parents were hosting a massive engagement party for their son and future daughter-in-law.

  Looking at the milling crowd of people, she realized anybody who was anybody in Promise, Nevada—old-timers and newcomers alike—was there. Even Constance Beckworth had put in an appearance, pausing to tell Abby how lovely she looked before moving off to join friends.