Fortune's Unexpected Groom

by Nancy Robards Thompson

  Plus, he didn’t want to force himself on Jordana by presuming she would want to share a bed. Not that he didn’t want her. He did in the worst way. But he wanted her to come to him as spontaneously as she had that night of the storm. The night that had brought them to this juncture in the road.

  “It will be a small ceremony,” Virginia said. “My husband and I will probably be the only witnesses since all of Jordana’s siblings are in Red Rock, and it’s such short notice. Well, and we just want this to be a nice, quiet affair. You understand, don’t you? Once word gets out in Atlanta, then everyone will know.”

  She sighed, but not long enough for Tanner to get a word in.

  “The ceremony will be followed by a family dinner,” she said. “Oh! And, of course, you’re more than welcome to fly in your folks if you’d like.”

  His folks? His mother, sister and brother. He wondered if the Fortunes would think he was quite so acceptable for their daughter if they knew the circumstances under which he’d grown up.

  The suggestion to invite his family was clearly an afterthought, but everything had been moving so fast, he hadn’t even had a chance to think about telling his family that he was getting married and would soon be a father.

  “With all due respect, Mrs. Fortune, how do you think your daughter will take this…this surprise wedding? Don’t women usually plan for months and have very specific things in mind for their day?” He wanted to say, You know her better than I do. But at that particular moment, he wondered if that was true.

  For a moment, Virginia Fortune didn’t answer him and he wondered if he’d offended her. “Given your circumstances, you don’t have the luxury of taking months to plan a wedding.”

  He sat down on the edge of the bed.

  “As much as I appreciate your help with this, I have to tell you up front, I’m not going to force Jordana into anything she doesn’t want. If she feels ambushed or needs a little time or has a different vision for our wedding, I’ll have to honor her wishes.”

  Virginia laughed. “Well, you know how she is. She might not like it at first, but honey, there’s a reason she’s twenty-nine and still single. She gets cold feet awfully easily. Sometimes, she just needs a little nudge to help her make up her mind. Oh, wait just a minute. My husband wants to say something to you.”

  Tanner raked his free hand through his hair. Couldn’t they sense what he sensed? That there was probably a reason Jordana ran away from relationships. Tanner had a sneaking suspicion that somewhere along the line she’d been hurt badly. What else would make her so gun shy? Maybe her stubborn streak developed as she tried to live her own life—free from her parents’ control. Either way, Tanner’s gut was telling him that backing her into a corner wasn’t going to help build her trust.

  “Son, let me offer you a valuable piece of advice that’s going to come in handy in the years ahead.” John Michael was back on the line. “Sometimes you’re going to have to help Jordana realize what she wants and what she needs may be two very different things. I would suggest you start with this particular situation and take the upper hand from the get-go. Otherwise, she’s going to lead you on a merry chase. Her mother and I want this wedding to happen quickly and quietly. You’re going to get married at Château Enchantée. Then we will be there to help celebrate the wedding with you. Then you and Jordana will go to Red Rock to live and have the baby. Do you understand me?”

  Fortune didn’t give Tanner a chance to respond before he’d hung up the phone, leaving the rhetorical question hanging in the air.

  * * *

  Later that night, Tanner waited for Jordana to join him for dinner at Tyler’s on the Twenty-Seventh, a restaurant on the top floor of one of the downtown Atlanta high-rises. He’d wanted to pick her up, but she insisted on meeting him there because she had to work late.

  Their intimate table for two was next to a large window and he stared out at the impressionistic rendering of the skyline at sunset. The evening was beginning its amber, salmon and turquoise light show. It was a picture-perfect backdrop to set the stage for what he hoped would be a perfect night.

  Or at least as perfect as it could be given what he was about to do. He fingered the jeweler’s box in his right jacket pocket, reassuring himself he was doing the right thing.

  He wasn’t questioning the proposal, which would happen at dessert. After their entrée was served, Tanner would excuse himself from the table and give the waiter the ring. The waiter would put the ring on a platter and “serve it” for dessert.

  He had no doubt that he wanted to marry Jordana. He would do right by his child. His concern lay in the matter of whether he was doing the right thing by tipping her off to her parents’ grand surprise.

  It was black-and-white that he wouldn’t let them dictate how and when he proposed. That was a no-brainer. The matter of them barging in and taking over the wedding, however, was another story.

  In business, John Michael Fortune had a reputation for getting what he wanted. But this wasn’t business. This was his and Jordana’s life. His instincts told him that he’d better set the tone now or his in-laws would expect they could play puppeteer in his and Jordana’s marriage. Since he fully intended to honor his ’til death do us part vow, he had no intention of letting someone else run their lives…for the rest of their lives.

  Granted, he was still getting to know his bride-to-be, but he had a gut feeling that she would feel ambushed by this controlling surprise. That was no way to begin a life together.

  So, tonight he would propose and then he would carefully present the option of getting married at Château Enchantée. If she was game for this impromptu wedding, he was, too. He’d driven out there today to check it out. There was no denying the place was classy with its marble floors, high, arched ceilings with columns and gigantic fresh flower arrangements everywhere. Of course it was classy. Virginia wouldn’t let her daughter settle for anything less. And from the looks of things it was probably very expensive, too. Especially given that Virginia and the staff at Château Enchantée would be able to pull everything together in two days. They’d even arranged for Jordana to sign the marriage license right before the ceremony—but since he was telling her, they could go to the courthouse and get it themselves. They’d covered every minute detail, and he hoped if it wasn’t what Jordana wanted, the Fortunes could stop this monster snowball and get a refund. If she wasn’t into it, he’d be the one to deal with her parents. Hell, he’d even reimburse them any expenses they’d incurred. All he wanted was for her to be happy.

  Tanner sensed Jordana before he saw her. Her presence pulled him out of his dark thoughts. Their gazes snared and she smiled at him as she closed the space between them in the restaurant. She looked beautiful with her blond hair curled loosely around her shoulders. Her blue dress with its low-cut neckline showcasing her assets to their best advantages. He wondered if she’d changed clothes before dinner or if she’d worn that sexy dress to work.

  Damn, she was gorgeous. He was one lucky guy.

  His thoughts raced to their one night together and it gave him a rush that zapped him straight in the gut and ignited into a smoldering burn before it traveled south. He gave his head a quick shake to make the erotic thoughts scatter.

  Jordana was carrying his child. She was going to be his wife.

  His wife.

  They would be a family.

  He needed to treat her with due respect. That was enough to pull him back into line.

  One last time, he fingered the jeweler’s box in his pocket, as if confirming it was still there. The bulk of it reassured him as he stood to greet her.

  “You look beautiful.” He smiled and took her hand, dusting it with a light kiss.

  “You clean up pretty well yourself,” she said as she lowered herself onto the chair he’d pulled out for her.

&nb
sp; After he sat down, he gazed at Jordana across the table. The soft light cascading in through the windows bathed her clear skin and her fine features in a soft pink glow. He took a moment to drink in her beauty.

  This woman had grown up with the best. It was a daunting fact, but Tanner resolved right there at that moment that he wouldn’t disappoint her.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  “Actually, I am. I’ve been running nonstop all day.”

  There was an easy flow of conversation between them as they talked about how they’d spent their days. She’d been in meetings all day. “I won’t bore you with the details. What did you do?”

  Now wasn’t the time to get into that because it would inevitably lead to a conversation about what her parents had in store and he wanted to save that for later, after she’d accepted the ring.

  “I did some sightseeing.” It sounded thin and the way she looked at him confirmed as much.

  “Really? I didn’t take you for the sightseeing type.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know…” She shrugged. “I guess you seem sort of business focused. Like the sort that wouldn’t take time away from work to see the sights even though your business is in Texas and you’re here.”

  So that was how she saw him. Actually, she had him pegged.

  “I know how to have fun,” he countered. “I can balance work and my personal life.”

  “When was the last time you had a date?”

  The question threw him. Here he was with a two-carat ring in his pocket, ready to ask the woman to spend the rest of her life with him, and she was asking about his dating life.

  “Not since you were in Red Rock.”

  She squinted at him, looking as if she were trying to figure out whether he was trying to play her or not.

  “You didn’t take me out on a date when I was in Red Rock. We danced at my sister’s wedding and then we…”

  She looked down at her hands as her voice trailed off. A flush of pink colored her cheeks.

  “Well, then here’s to first dates.” He reached for his wine goblet. “We need something to drink. We can’t toast with empty glasses.”

  He motioned the waiter over. He and Jordana argued a little when Tanner refused the wine list and ordered a bottle of French sparkling water and two champagne glasses.

  “Just because I’m not drinking doesn’t mean you have to abstain.”

  “There’s nothing worse than watching another person get sloppy when you’re completely sober.”

  “I’m not suggesting you drink an entire bottle. But please go ahead if you’d like to have a glass with dinner.”

  The woman knew her own mind and wasn’t afraid to speak it. It was one of the many things he loved about her—

  Loved?

  His mouth went dry and suddenly it was way too warm in the room. As he removed his jacket, it occurred to him that he’d never used the word loved in the same sentence when he was talking about qualities he admired in a woman—then again, he’d never proposed to a woman before.

  * * *

  Tanner seemed a little subdued tonight, Jordana thought as the waiter refilled their water glasses and cleared their place settings. Maybe he was having second thoughts?

  As he excused himself from the table, an odd twinge of emotion constricted her heart. She couldn’t quite put her finger on the feeling. Was it disappointment or…what?

  It certainly wasn’t relief. She didn’t want him to have second thoughts. She wanted him to fall in love with her.

  The realization was so ridiculous that she immediately swept it from her mind. It was too late for romance. He’d never spoken of love or passion or even wanting to see what they could be together. Their situation was closer to a business merger than it was a romantic union of the souls. The quicker she got that through her head, the better off she’d be.

  She traced the rim of her water glass, hating the uncertainty. One minute, she was sure that marrying him was the right thing to do—the right thing for the baby. But when she sensed a shift in Tanner’s mood, in the span of a heartbeat, she questioned everything.

  He was back sooner than she thought he would be, and she smiled so he wouldn’t see her anxiety.

  “How about some coffee?” he asked.

  “Decaf tea would be nice.”

  He raised his hand to signal the waiter, who appeared with a tray that was covered by a silver dome.

  “The dessert you ordered, sir.” The server set the covered plate in front of Jordana.

  She looked at Tanner. “Oh, no, thank you. Nothing else for me. I couldn’t eat another bite.”

  He smiled. “I think you’ll like this.”

  Something in the way he was looking at her made her stomach swoop in a figure eight that made her hopeful again.

  Tanner nodded and the waiter pulled away the dome with a flourish. On a plate where the pastry should’ve been was a small light blue box.

  A Tiffany box—

  Jordana opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Her voice was stopped up by several dozen conflicting emotions knotted together and lodged in her throat.

  She shouldn’t have been surprised by this. She knew it was coming, but she hadn’t really expected it tonight. But why not tonight?

  Because the whole situation still seemed completely unreal.

  Then, Tanner was down on one knee in front of her with the ring box in his hand.

  “Jordana, will you marry me?”

  Chapter Seven

  Maybe there was hope for the two of them after all, Jordana thought as she strapped herself into Tanner’s plane. They were flying to Red Rock today—just two days after she’d accepted his proposal. Everyone in the restaurant had broken into applause after she’d said yes and Tanner had pulled her up into a hug, planting a kiss on her lips and spinning her around so that her feet actually lifted off the ground.

  To the uninformed, they probably appeared to be very much in love—the beautiful two-carat traditional round diamond, which was so brilliant it was blinding, made a believable prop. So much so that she’d actually convinced herself that maybe, just maybe all the effort he’d put into making the proposal special and telling her parents that as much as they appreciated their kindness, the two of them wanted to wait until they got back to Red Rock and she got settled in before they rushed through a wedding ceremony.

  Even though she knew she wouldn’t have the wedding she’d always dreamed about—the one that was detailed in her scrapbook—she wanted to do things as right as possible. Because despite the fact that the circumstance dictated that she let go of a lot of her ideals, she was entering into this marriage with the firm hope that she would get married one time and stay married to the father of her child.

  That meant she would have one wedding. She wanted to make it as close to perfect as possible. She loved her mother, but she didn’t want to walk down the aisle to her mother’s version of good enough.

  Her father was not happy. But Tanner had handled him. Really, for the first time in her life she realized if she went against her father’s wishes, there really wasn’t a whole lot he could do.

  So she and Tanner had left. He, with a confident swagger; she, with a leave of absence from her job at Fortune South and a heavy heart, but also with a seed of hope in her core.

  Of course everything would be for naught if this oversize tin can crashed between Atlanta and Red Rock.

  No! Stop thinking about that.

  She blinked away the morbid thoughts, and trained her gaze on Tanner, who was doing a final instrument check before they took off. She studied his handsome profile and refocused on all the blessings in her life.

  She had the Rock of
Gibraltar on her left ring finger, given to her by a man who she could love…really, she could…there was hope for that…and she was pregnant with his child.

  A lot of blessings. A lot to be grateful for. Those happy thoughts were a good distraction from how much she hated to fly.

  Tanner caught her staring and smiled. “You ready to go?”

  She nodded, probably a little unconvincingly, because he asked, “Are you okay?”

  “No, I am. I’m fine. I just hate to fly.”

  “Why do you hate to fly? Don’t be scared. It’s safer than traveling by car.”

  She shrugged and her hand found its way to her belly, a protective gesture that had become second nature lately.

  “I get airsick,” she said.

  “I know you can’t take anything for the motion sickness right now, but do you usually take something to take the edge off?”

  “Usually not. Dramamine makes me loopy and I hate that feeling almost as much as feeling sick. But even though I don’t like to fly, I do realize it’s the most logical way to travel—especially for business. So, I suck it up.”

  “Never fear,” he said. “You’re in good hands here. It should be a smooth flight because we have good weather today.”

  She was in good hands, she reminded herself as Tanner steered the plane down the runway. In more ways than one her entire future depended on him. She had no choice but to trust that her entire future as Mrs. Tanner Redmond wouldn’t be as bleak as she’d first feared.

  As the plane lifted off the ground, for the first time in her life she wasn’t praying for the aircraft to remain airborne. Instead, her heart was hoping that this marriage of convenience would take root and grow into something steadfast and strong.