A TEMPORARY MARRIAGE: PART ONE (AVALON BAY ROMANCE SERIES Book 1)

by Vicky Dean

  “Thanks,” Richard said, looking pleased at the compliment.

  Cassie reflected at how little she knew about this man. She had a lot to learn about her soon to be husband.

  Richard stopped the truck in front of her mom’s cottage and hopped out. “I’ll carry your bags up for you. Hopefully we can catch up soon, maybe tomorrow night. You look tired.”

  “I am tired,” she admitted.

  Richard carried the bags up to the front porch where her mom and aunt were eagerly waiting for her.

  “Richard, let me show you where Cassie’s room is,” Aunt Maggie said gesturing for Richard to follow her into the house. As Richard carried her bags up to her room, Cassie sat down on a wicker chair, suddenly overcome by exhaustion.

  “Are you okay, Cassie,” her mom said, unable to hide her concern.

  “I’m fine Mom, Just exhausted from the last few weeks and all the traveling today.”

  Then Richard was standing there with Aunt Maggie behind him.

  “How about a nice glass of chilled Chardonnay for everyone?” Maggie asked.

  “I’ll take a rain check, Maggie. Cassie is exhausted and I have a full day tomorrow and need to do accounts this evening,” Richard said in apology to her aunt.

  He then turned to Cassie and handed her an envelope from his back pocket. She took it from him, a puzzled expression creeping onto her face.

  “We obviously must have a honeymoon; otherwise people will find it odd. So this is what I have booked,” Richard said looking a trifle embarrassed. “Let me know your thoughts after you have looked through it.” Turning to her mother, he said, “Obviously, I have booked separate rooms for us both.”

  And before anyone had a chance to reply Richard had run down the steps to his truck. Cassie envied him for being able to run away like that. She was too tired to move a muscle.

  “I’ll get the wine, and then we can look and see what Richard has planned for your honeymoon,” Maggie said as she beamed at Cassie.

  Five minutes later, Cassie kept repeating, “France.” She stared at a glossy brochure with the title “Vive La France” on it.

  “That is exciting,” Maggie said.

  “Where in France?” asked her mother.

  Cassie scanned the brochure’s list of tour itineraries and saw that one had been circled in red. It was a fourteen day tour of Paris, Loire valley, Dordogne, Provence, and the French Riviera, filled with incredible adventures and really seeing all the things that people went to France to see.

  “This is absolutely mind-blowing, Mom. I can’t believe he’s done this. Here take a look,” she said as she handed her mother the brochure. As her mother took the information sheet Aunt Maggie moved up closer to her sister on the wicker sofa they were sitting on and scanned the circled itinerary together.

  “Cassie, this is a vacation of a lifetime!” her mother exclaimed.

  Cassie couldn’t help but be excited. “I’ve always wanted to go to Europe, especially France,” she said.

  “You should get plenty of inspiration for refurbishing your hotel after a trip like this,” said her aunt.

  “Do you suppose he’s booked it already? Or do you consider he’s waiting to see what I think?”

  “Ask,” her mother said.

  “Should I? I don’t want to bother him.”

  “Cassie, he’s going to be your husband, you’re going to have to be comfortable bothering him and you need time to pack for a trip like this. The wedding is a week away, which means that France is, too.” Her mother patted her leg.

  Cassie reached into her bag for her cell phone and called him.

  “Cassie,” Richard said. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, everything is fine. I’ve just looked at the brochure you gave me. Have you booked it already?”

  “Yes, is that alright? I should probably have consulted you first, but there has just been so much to arrange in such a short time. And the flights were filling up fast, so I had to make a rapid decision. Do you not like the idea of France?” he asked in a worried tone of voice.

  “Like it? I love it, love it, love it. It’s always been a dream of mine.”

  “That’s a relief. Your aunt mentioned that you had never been to Europe, neither have I. So, I thought this would be a new experience for us both and we might get ideas for renovating Primrose House.”

  “I’m so excited. I can’t believe I’m going to France. When do we leave?”

  “The day after the wedding. I’ve booked two rooms for us in San Francisco on the night of our wedding and then we fly to Paris the following afternoon.”

  “This is incredible, a lot to take in,” Cassie said.

  “I know how you feel,” he said and chuckled.

  Cassie sensed that they were both on the same page with this entire arrangement and each was trying to grow comfortable with it.

  “Well, Cassie, I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ll go to the ranch and you can check out your new home, then maybe we can have some steaks on the BBQ.”

  Richard and Cassie made their way out to the ranch and she mused at how many people waved at his familiar truck as it went through town. He waved back and they all peered, trying to get a closer look at Cassie. It made her feel strange. Unlike New York, she didn’t blend in here. She stood out because she was the one who took a bachelor off the market.

  “Here we are,” he said, jumping out of the truck.

  A Golden Labrador came running toward Richard, wagging its tail and looking so excited. Cassie got out of the truck and the dog came to her next, sitting right at her feet until she petted it.

  “Well, that’s a nice warm welcome,” Cassie said as she reached down to pet behind its ears.

  “That’s Aly, don’t you remember her? She seems to remember you.”

  “Is this Aly? Why, she must be, what fifteen, sixteen? I remember when you brought her home as a tiny puppy.”

  “Let’s go inside; I’ll give you a tour,” Richard said.

  Once in the house, Cassie was surprised by what she saw. “It’s changed so much from what I remember,” she said. She walked over to a picture window and stared out at the ocean below. The house was in the perfect position on that cliff, one that allowed someone an incredible view of everything.

  “Yes. I completely refurbished it. It was my first project after finishing college. My grandfather financed it.”

  As Cassie followed Richard around the house she noted that it had been beautifully decorated. She touched one of the curtains and sighed at the softness of the material.

  “I hired a local interior designer,” Richard said as he noticed her admiring the furnishings.

  “Well, whoever it was has done an excellent job.”

  “It was Philip’s sister, Melisa. Maybe we can get some advice from her for Primrose, if you like? I know it’s your project, but I get kind of excited about these things. Don’t want to step on your toes.”

  “That’s a great idea, and all advice is welcome. It is the largest endeavor I’ve ever undertaken, or maybe not,” Cassie said, referring to the wedding. That was likely to be the toughest, strangest thing she’d ever encountered—hard to top.

  Cassie’s mood changed as she thought about the wedding. She was beginning to be aware of increasing nervousness. The thought of all the wedding guests, most of whom she’d never met, terrified her. She sighed heavily, quite involuntarily.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “Are you having second thoughts?”

  “No, I’m honoring my commitment, but I do feel quite nervous.”

  “Well, every time you feel nervous just think of France,” he said with a smile.

  “An expensive plan to calm my nerves,” Cassie said, but she couldn’t help but smile back. He did make her feel relaxed despite all of this, which was rare and refreshing.

  “Do you want to see your bedroom?” he asked. “You’ll be able to change it up any way you like, of course.”

  Cassie walked into the room and saw a b
edroom that she would have created for herself. “This is perfect, actually.”

  “I thought it might be,” he said.

  She looked at him. “Aunt Maggie, right?”

  “You got it, Cassie.”

  She laughed, thinking of Aunt Maggie and how excited she was by the entire shenanigans of the situation.

  “Are you hungry yet? I can throw the steaks on the grill.”

  “I am actually,” she said.

  “Let’s go to the kitchen and get things set. Do you know how to cook?”

  “I cook well enough, but not as good as my mom and aunt,” Cassie confessed.

  “Darn—deal breaker,” Richard said, then laughed out loud. “Just kidding, of course, I’d eat burnt toast for a year without complaining out of gratitude to you.”

  “Well, we’ll make sure it doesn’t come down to that, then,” Cassie replied. She liked how comfortable their banter was. It was as good of a start as she could hope for.

  “Agreed,” Richard said.

  “Can I do anything to help?” Cassie offered, walking into a beautiful gourmet kitchen with granite counter tops.

  “Well, if you want to make the salad that would be great. And I’ll open a bottle of Cabernet if you’d like a glass.”

  “I would.”

  Cassie watched as Richard opened a door and walked in. Her jaw dropped, a wine cellar. It was amazing, and full.

  He came back out with a bottle of wine in hand and set it on the counter and then went to the fridge to get out the salad ingredients, then opened the wine and offered a glass.

  “This is your place now, too, so I want you to make yourself at home,” Richard said. “I mean that.”

  “Thanks, I’ll try,” Cassie said. Just business, just business, she thought.

  Out by the BBQ, Cassie and Richard talked while potatoes baked on the grill, waiting for the right time to put the beautiful t-bone steaks on.

  “So, how many cows do you have on the farm?”

  “About a thousand, mainly Holsteins and Jerseys.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “Holstein cows are black and white and Jersey cows are brown. Holstein’s produce more milk but the Jersey’s milk is higher in fat content. We also have about fifty bulls for natural breeding.”

  “Bulls scare me,” Cassie confessed. “I feel quite certain that if one was loose, I’d be the freak victim of it impaling me.”

  She watched Richard assess her to see if she was serious. He must have thought she was, but he laughed. “Bulls are surprisingly safe to be around as long as they are happy and surrounded by cows.”

  “And apart from milk, do you produce anything else?”

  “We maximize the ranch’s potential by producing and processing a full array of fresh branded and private label dairy products. Let’s see…we have milk, flavored milk, buttermilk, egg nog, half & half, whipping cream, cottage cheese, butter, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream and ice cream novelties.”

  “That takes a lot of work, and people,” Cassie said.

  “Indeed, which is why you are a savior, although no one aside from us will ever know it.”

  “I’m still in shock that your grandfather was prepared to take that risk.”

  “You and I both, but just like always, his risks seem to pay off,” Richard said.

  “I bet you’ve seen some things in your lifetime,” Cassie commented.

  “Indeed, but nothing quite like this,” Richard said. “To this, whatever it is.” He lifted his wine glass and they toasted.

  It made Cassie already feel better to know that they were in this entire thing together, and there was definitely relief that Richard was a nice guy. Regardless of the consequences, she never would have agreed to it if he wasn’t.

  Nearly three hours passed by and it was time for Cassie to head back home. There had been no awkward silent moments or anything other than pleasant conversation. And tension—the kind that made your mind drift off to intimate moments with someone you were attracted to.

  When Richard dropped Cassie off, he reached into the center console of his truck and handed her two sets of keys. “For the ranch, and Primrose House.”

  “Thanks, I guess I will need these, huh,” Cassie said.

  “You should go to Primrose and take a look tomorrow. See what you think,” Richard said.

  “Thanks, I’m really looking forward to looking it over. It’ll be so exciting.”

  “I’d take you myself, but with everything going on, I have too much work to do. Hopefully you understand,” Richard apologized.

  “I do, and don’t worry. I’m fairly independent,” Cassie said.

  He smiled and nodded, and she got out of the truck, shaking his hand because she didn’t know what else to do. If any nosy person was watching, they probably wondered what the heck was going on.

  “Call you tomorrow,” Richard said as she shut the door.

  She waved and walked up the steps slowly, surprised at what a good evening she’d had and how much she’d enjoyed Richard’s company. But she would also enjoy her bed and a good night’s sleep—one with dreams of Paris from an Eiffel Tower view.

  A WEDDING

  Cassie woke up feeling quite strange. She had nothing to do aside from whatever she wanted. This was something she wasn’t used to so she decided to dive into the Internet and explore the various places listed out in the brochure about France. As she checked things out, including the climate, she felt compelled to go shopping for some new clothes for the “honeymoon.” However, then she thought that it might be fun to buy clothes in France. How strange that it was her largest decision that morning—crazy, actually.

  She pulled out her phone and texted her mom to see if she wanted to meet for lunch, to which she replied with an enthusiastic, all capital lettered, yes.

  Waiting at the restaurant, Cassie wrote out her to-do list for the wedding. There was a lot to do. Tomorrow she was meeting with Philip to go over the contract. She felt like she could trust him and not have it reviewed by another attorney, but wondered if that was more emotionally vested than she should be. This was business, after all and she thought she should email it to Teri for her approval to be on the safe side. Her thoughts were scattered and she robotically drank her water, thinking about venturing to Primrose House after lunch. When she glanced at her clock, she saw that her mother was late. Not really a surprise, as she could imagine it would be difficult for her mother to get away from the café at lunchtime.

  At one of the tables her eyes became drawn to an extremely attractive woman about her own age with long loose dark brown curls and eyes so green they barely looked real. She was wearing a cream colored sweater dress that hugged her curves and flattered her olive complexion. She sat opposite a youngish couple and was showing them what looked like photos on her tablet which she held in long graceful hands with perfectly manicured red nails. How funny that she looked so big city when Cassie had always thought she was that big city girl.

  “Cassie, sorry I’m so late,” her mother said, rushing up to her and plopping down. “Maggie’s set to roll at the café, and I’m ready for our afternoon.”

  “No worries, Mom. Plenty to think about and sort through,” she said.

  “What are you going to have today?”

  “Something light, maybe a quiche and salad.”

  “Good choice. I’ll have the same.”

  As her mother gave the waitress their order, Cassie noticed that the green eyed woman was staring at her with a malevolent stare. As Cassie’s eyes met hers, the woman and her companions rose from their table. As they made their way through the restaurant, the woman nodded a greeting to her mother and with another contemptuous glance at Cassie exited the restaurant.

  “Who is that?”

  “That’s Victoria King, Richard’s ex-girlfriend.”

  “That would explain the looks.”

  “I can imagine she’s not too happy to hear he’s getting married.”

  “Were
they together long?” Cassie asked.

  “On and off for about a year, I guess. I don’t really follow that stuff, but Maggie does. She’s a real life information network about the irrelevant.” Her mother laughed. Maggie’s nosy nature was mostly endearing, but once in a while it was a bit much to take.

  “Well, perhaps they’ll get back together when this charade is over,” Cassie said.

  As Cassie drove up to Primrose House and went to open the gate, she was instantly enchanted by it. It was perfect, amazing and everything she could have ever hoped for to work with in creating a boutique hotel with her signature on it.

  “It’s going to make such a fantastic hotel, Mom. I can’t wait to get started on it.”

  “It will,” she agreed. “This dream would have come true regardless of Douglas Gallagher. I just know it.”

  “Well, we’ll never know for certain now, but that’s okay,” Cassie replied, smiling softly. “Besides, how do I know you didn’t talk him into it to get me to move back to Avalon Bay,” she teased.

  “That would be elaborate beyond my capacity,” her mother replied, shaking her head.

  By the time they left Primrose House, Cassie had pages of notes filled with ideas, observations, and questions that she had to ask people. She was so excited.

  Before she knew it, two days passed by and Teri was arriving from New York. She couldn’t wait to see her! The two were going shopping to Santa Maria to find some new clothes for France, and just going to hang out and enjoy the beautiful weather. It would be perfect.

  Hanging out with Teri was so fun and relaxing—just what Cassie needed. The only suspicious thing was that Richard still hadn’t met her, which had her in inquisition mode, something challenging for Cassie to handle. He was just so busy and Cassie understood that, but Teri, not so much.

  Sitting at Scarlett’s, a bar opposite the pier that often put on live entertainment, the two laughed and talked, enjoying the acoustic music of two guys on the guitar, playing songs from the seventies.