Fortune's Secret Husband

by Karen Rose Smith

  I’m wearing my wig, she told him in a return message. He sent her back the thumbs-up sign, and she smiled.

  She doubted he’d be wearing his mustache and sunglasses. If they ran into somebody he knew, he could introduce her as his new girlfriend or as a long-lost relative. She’d worn a lot more makeup than she usually did, outlined her lips a little more. Her wig and her clothes should throw anybody off her trail. She’d made sure she wasn’t followed to the auction house by taking a winding route.

  Lucie couldn’t believe how happy she was to see Chase when she spotted him. She found herself wanting to run to him, to be held in his arms. But she couldn’t do that. She considered what she could do. Could she have an affair with him during the time she had left in Texas?

  As he gazed down at her with one of those Chase smiles, she thought it was a definite possibility. Her head was telling her one thing—No, no, no—but her heart was telling her another—Yes, yes, yes.

  “Come on,” he said. “I really shouldn’t buy any horses today with everything in flux, but there’s one I’m going to bid on. She’s pregnant.”

  He looked absolutely excited by the idea. This really was his passion.

  He went right up to the barricade and gestured to a beautiful bay with an almost black mane. She was dusty and looked as if she needed more than one good meal.

  Chase obviously understood that, because he assured Lucie, “She’ll be a beauty when she’s taken care of.”

  Looking over the horses, Lucie wished she could bid on one or two herself. They all needed care and gentle hands and love.

  She touched Chase’s arm. “I could sign on the dotted line for you right now. You could get the loan and buy the ranch.”

  He shook his head. “Word would get out, you know it would. Our marriage would be public. We’d have to explain not only that, but the annulment, too. It would be a nightmare. But thank you for the thought.”

  He wasn’t even questioning that they were getting an annulment. She shouldn’t be either. Didn’t they both want to start over with a blank slate?

  But at some point in her life, she wished she could just throw up her hands and not care what anyone said or thought, not care about what was printed or recorded, not care about rumors and innuendos and the public peeking in behind closed blinds. Would that happen when she was fifty, sixty or seventy...eighty or ninety? Could it ever happen?

  She hadn’t been raised not to care, and that was the problem. She always thought about her family and how what she did would reflect on them. Obviously Chase cared about his family, too. He wouldn’t have stayed at the ranch after his dad’s stroke if he didn’t. He wouldn’t listen to his mother’s worries if he didn’t. That was why she wondered what would happen now that his father knew he wanted to leave not only the ranch, but Parker Oil.

  As they walked over to the bleachers to take a seat for the auction, they settled next to each other on the hard bench. Her leg fell beside his and she didn’t move away. Neither did he. Pictures played in her head—legs against legs, his chest against her breasts, his mouth on hers. When she cut him a glance, he was looking at her, and she knew he was remembering, too. So she talked about what had led to what happened between them.

  She’d leaned in close to him, and almost spoke into his ear. “Have you ironed out everything with your dad?”

  When Chase shook his head, she wanted to run her hand over the strong line of his jaw and ease the creases from around his eyes. But they were in public, and even though she wore a disguise, it would be a foolish thing to do.

  “I can’t talk to him, Lucie. I’m still so angry about what he did. And he’s made no move to talk to me. There’s a silent wall between us now. He went into work today and I didn’t. I gave Jeff instructions about everything that had to be done. He’s going to deal with Dad today, whether Dad likes it or not.”

  “But you could act as a buffer. You could ease the way for their relationship.”

  “That’s what I intended, and yes, I could. But do you think Dad’s going to let me? He’s going to bluster and yell until he has everyone in a tizzy. On Monday, I’ll go in and talk to Jeff and see what can be done about the whole situation. But I’m beginning to think that the sooner I leave, the better. The sooner I move out, the better.”

  And that meant, the faster the annulment happened, the faster Chase could get his life back on track.

  “Since you found an office for the Fortunes, what else are you going to be doing?” he asked her.

  “I’m supervising the setup. I’ve chosen the computers and they’re going to be delivered next week. Painters are coming in, too. Everything’s going to be a light robin’s-egg blue and yellow, both soothing and enlivening, don’t you think?”

  “So now you’re a decorator?” he asked with a grin.

  “I wear many hats,” she assured him. “I’m wearing my fundraiser hat this week. There’s a charity gala I’m going to tomorrow evening. The Museum of Plein Air Artists wants to fund a children’s wing. Art programs are being cut in schools and this could be a benefit for children’s education.”

  “Art and music aren’t just extra subjects that can be tossed by the wayside,” Chase agreed.

  “No, they can’t.”

  They were quiet for a few minutes as they watched all the activity, the bidders filing in and out of the bleachers, the horses milling about the pens, the desk where the winners of the auction could pay up.

  “Is this gala a black-tie-and-ball-gown type of occasion?” Chase asked, looking straight ahead as if he weren’t really interested in the conversation.

  “It is,” she said simply.

  “Are you going alone?”

  Was that the basis of his question in the first place? She hesitated a moment but then told him the truth. “No, I’m not going alone. Keaton Whitfield is taking me. He’s an architect I know from London. He’s in Austin now on family business. I needed an escort and he agreed to be it.”

  “How old is he?”

  “He’s in his thirties. Why?”

  “No reason.”

  But Lucie knew there was. She nudged his elbow. “Why are you asking?”

  “Maybe I’d hoped he was sixty and bald.”

  He hadn’t looked at her when he said it, and maybe she was supposed to take it as a joke. But she could take it another way, too. Maybe Chase was jealous.

  He said, “After the auction, I’ll be taking the horse home with me in the trailer. Do you want to come back to the ranch?”

  Could she have an affair with Chase? she asked herself again. Could she throw caution to the wind? The more they were together, the more likely it was someone would let something slip or someone would find out.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, on several levels. I don’t want to make things worse between you and your dad. My presence on his ranch would do that. You know it would.”

  “My mother would welcome you.”

  “She wants what’s best for your father, too. And, Chase, seeing each other again... It’s not a good idea, is it? I mean, even today is a risk. Yes, I’m disguised. But if someone looked really hard at me and then at you, they’d learn our secret.”

  The secret that she was falling in love with him again? Her secret that maybe she didn’t think an annulment was the best way to go?

  Possibly all of the above.

  “You’re right,” Chase said. “Maybe we are being foolish.”

  The bidding was about to start, and Lucie was glad of that. They couldn’t talk their way out of this situation. Discussing it every which way wasn’t going to help.

  She didn’t know what would. Because going their separate ways just seemed like a mistake.

  * * *

  Chase glanced at the news clip on the big-screen TV for the second time that ev
ening. It had run fifteen minutes earlier at the top of the program. The charity fundraiser at the museum with its glitz and glamour had been a good way to capture the interest of the audience. It had sure captured his, especially when he’d seen someone push a microphone in front of Lucie’s face. The thing was, it wasn’t only Lucie who had caught his attention. It was the man beside her, his arm linked in hers. This Keaton Whitfield she’d spoken of was tall with dark brown hair. He was a good-looking guy. When the camera zoomed in, Chase could see he had blue eyes any woman might go for.

  Lucie had looked beautiful in a black sequined gown, her hair shiny and sleek. She was so beautiful. She hadn’t seemed at all awkward with Whitfield, and they’d looked like a couple.

  Chase had been pacing for the past fifteen minutes with an idea bouncing around in his head. Probably not the best-framed idea he’d ever had, but one he was going to act on. Lucie wanted to be wise about seeing him. He could be wise about seeing her.

  Had Lucie gone home with Keaton Whitfield? Had the night been more than a convenient date?

  He dialed her cell.

  “Chase! Hi. I just got in.”

  “Is Mr. Whitfield there with you?”

  Maybe taken aback by the blunt question, she didn’t answer for a moment. But then she responded, “No. He walked me to my door and then he left. Why?”

  He wasn’t going to explain the thumping jealousy he’d felt. He wasn’t going to make excuses either.

  “I want to see you, and we don’t have to be foolish about it. It just takes a little planning. How about if I come over for a nightcap? I’ll use the parking garage and the service elevator. No one will notice me.”

  After a few seconds’ hesitation, she said, “I can make sure the security guard sends you right up. Are you hungry? I didn’t have much for supper and I’m ravenous. I was going to make an omelet.”

  “I never turn down food,” he said with a smile in his voice. “I’ll be there in a half hour.”

  “That’ll give me time to change into something more comfortable.” As if she realized what she’d said, she went on. “I mean, I don’t want to sit around in this sequined gown while we have omelets.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” he responded ambiguously, thinking about himself unzipping her gown, thinking about the garments she might be wearing underneath, thinking about Lucie naked.

  * * *

  Chase nodded to the guard at the elevator after he’d arrived at Lucie’s apartment and parked. Lucie must have given the guard his description, because he nodded, yet still asked for ID. After Chase flashed his driver’s license, the guard tipped the bill of his cap and said, “Have a good night, sir.”

  Chase didn’t know what this night was going to bring. He just knew he wanted to spend time with Lucie.

  He rang her doorbell and when she answered, she was dressed in a swirling multicolored garment with a scooped neck, winglike sleeves and a length that went to her ankles. It had all the colors of the rainbow. Her lipstick still looked fresh, her eyelashes long with mascara, her brown hair as silky as it had looked on TV. But she wasn’t on TV. She was right in front of him.

  He reached out and tapped the sparkling, dangling earring at her ear. “I saw you on TV. You looked beautiful tonight.”

  She put her hand to the earring. “Oops, I forgot to take these off. It’s fun to get all dressed up and act like a princess once in a while.”

  He followed her inside the apartment as she removed the earrings. “Go into the kitchen. I’ll be right in.”

  When she came back, he asked, “Those were diamonds?”

  “Yes, a gift from my father. I wear them whenever I can.”

  So she didn’t just like wearing jewels. She liked wearing jewels with memories, or maybe anything with memories. He was still learning facets of her personality.

  In a glance, he’d taken in the frying pan on the stove, the bowl with what looked like whipped eggs, the chopped pepper and tomatoes and onion.

  “How about ham pieces in with all the rest?” she asked, motioning toward the ingredients.

  “Are you telling me you know how to cook?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Haven’t you always had servants?”

  “We have, but they didn’t keep me out of the kitchen. After all, don’t you know I’m well-rounded?”

  As soon as she said the words, she blushed, and Chase couldn’t help taking advantage of the moment. He took off his Stetson and tossed it to the table. Then he closed in on her, his hands teasingly sweeping down her shoulders, down her arms to her waist and then over her hips. At her hips, he stopped, his hands moving the silky material of the caftan and slipping around the back.

  “Well-rounded, huh? Everything happened so fast the other night, I couldn’t even tell.”

  She stood perfectly still, and he wasn’t sure what she was going to do. Pull away? Push him away? Run? But maybe accepting the inevitability of what they had between them, she didn’t do any of those.

  All she said was “Chase” in a way that made his blood run hot and his sexual hunger for her increase. The sparkle in her eyes said she was ready for his kiss and whatever came after. After all, she wouldn’t have invited him to come over if she didn’t have the same thing in mind that he did.

  Still, he wanted to make sure. When he kissed her, he caressed her back and rocked her hips into his. It was obvious what he wanted. Did she want it, too?

  She pressed against him, chased his tongue into his mouth, and moaned deep in her throat.

  He wanted to yank her silky garment off her, but he wouldn’t resort to caveman tactics. No, he was a civilized man, right?

  His hand went to the zipper at her neckline. He slowly pulled it down, metal on metal, making a sound that was obvious in its purpose. When he reached her waist, she did push against him then, and he thought maybe the night was over.

  Smiling, she wiggled her arms and the fabric fell, leaving nothing to his imagination. She’d been naked under the gown and she wanted him to know it. He hadn’t been alone in what he wanted for tonight. Apparently she was with him all the way. He cupped her breasts and bent his head to one of them. She cried out when his tongue circled her nipple...when he teased it and then seriously kissed it. She hung on to him as if he was everything she’d ever desired.

  Scooping her up into his arms, he carried her through the living room into her bedroom.

  After he gently laid her on the bed, she looked at him and teased, “You’re overdressed.”

  While he shucked off his clothes, she pulled back the covers. Soon they were entwined on the high-thread-count sheets, kissing and touching, remembering and making new memories. Chase took it slower than he had done in the pickup truck. He wanted to give her as much pleasure as he could. From her sounds and her smiles and her kisses, he knew he did.

  He left her for only a few moments to reach into his pants pocket for the condom. She helped him roll it on, and he felt as if his whole universe was in her eyes. As he entered her, he was electrified, excited, consumed by passion. With Lucie he felt ten feet tall, strong, a master of the universe. She clung to him and he held on to her, never wanting the moment to end.

  Chapter Ten

  The sound of her doorbell woke Lucie and she had trouble orienting herself. She was wrapped in Chase’s arms! But she was in her bed.

  Why was the doorbell ringing without Irv buzzing her first? Or had he done so and she hadn’t heard?

  No, he wouldn’t have just sent someone up.

  Last night with Chase had been...exquisite. She couldn’t think about the repercussions from it now, not with someone at her door, and not with Chase still in her bed.

  “What do you want me to do?” Chase asked, his deep baritone in her ear. He was already alert and thinking about their
compromising situation.

  “Just stay here. Leave the door open a crack so you can hear who it is. I can’t imagine Irv wouldn’t have buzzed me first.”

  The doorbell rang again.

  She quickly extricated herself from Chase’s arms, grabbed her robe, slipped it on and belted it and then remembered she was wearing nothing underneath. That wouldn’t do.

  She quickly shucked it off, pulled on a nightgown from her closet, slipped her robe on top of that and belted it. So much for fashion. Nothing matched.

  When she went to the door and peered through the peephole, she gasped. It was her mother.

  She tossed a glance over her shoulder and called to Chase, “It’s my mum. There won’t be any hiding you, so you might as well get dressed and come out. I have to explain all this sometime anyway.”

  Then she threw open the door, happy to see her mother no matter what the circumstances.

  Josephine Fortune Chesterfield took one look at Lucie and her eyebrows arched. “Give me a hug before you explain to me what’s going on.”

  “How do you know something’s going on?” She hugged her mother and then pulled away, trying to fortify herself for this explanation.

  “Because you never come to the door looking like this!”

  Lucie sighed. No, she didn’t. She always made sure she looked properly royal first!

  Just then, Chase emerged from the bedroom. He didn’t hesitate to come forward and extend his hand. “Lady Fortune Chesterfield, I’m Chase Parker.”

  It only took a few seconds for Lucie’s mother, who had a memory that could rival any genius’s, to make a connection. “You couldn’t be the Chase Parker from ten years ago, the one who sullied my daughter’s reputation?”

  Again Chase didn’t hesitate. “Yes, I’m that one.”

  Josephine looked from her daughter to Chase and then back to Lucie again. “I think you’d better get dressed and make a pot of tea.”