The Runaway Bride

by Noelle Marchand

  “In the wilderness, alone for a few days, you say?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The man looked as if he’d aged a few years since entering the office, but he nodded. “I see. Continue.”

  “Well, that’s it.”

  “What do you mean ‘that’s it’?”

  Sean shrugged. “There’s nothing more to tell.”

  Lorelei pinned her father with her blue gaze and a raised eyebrow. “Were you expecting more, Papa?”

  “Don’t be smart with me, young lady,” he said even as his skin appeared to flush a bit.

  “In defense of my honor as a gentleman and Lorelei’s as a lady, I would like you to know our behavior was circumspect on the trip home. She slept on one side of the campfire and I slept on the other.” He met Richard’s gaze. “I mean this as no insult to your daughter’s sensibilities, but I want you to know I never touched her.”

  “All right, I get the point and I appreciate you making it.” Richard shook his head. Rising to his feet again, he began to pace. He turned to face them. “I understand what happened wasn’t your fault, and I believe you when you say you began the trip with a chaperone. I do, but I’m afraid that Mrs. Drake’s account…”

  “It’s embellished, to say the least,” Sean said.

  “Perhaps so.” He agreed. “That isn’t the only thing that concerns me. This letter was hand-delivered to me by Mrs. Greene. She is aware of the contents and was quite adamant that I do something to fix the predicament.”

  “No wonder she glared at me in the bank,” Lorelei muttered.

  Sean grimaced. Mrs. Greene and his family didn’t have the best history. After his parents’ death, she’d taken it upon herself to guide their orphaned family on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, that somehow translated into her being rather harsh and overly critical in her judgment of them. She was hardest on Ellie but wasn’t particularly fond of Sean, either. He cleared his throat. “Surely you can just explain to her that there has been a mistake.”

  Richard shook his head. “I suggested that idea in my office, but she stood by her niece’s account and painted a picture of the incident that whipped me into a fury. Sorry about that, Sean.”

  “It’s understandable, sir. I reckon I’d act the same way if I had a daughter.”

  He stopped pacing to face them. “Even if we could prove your chaperone abandoned you, the fact remains that you traveled alone for days in the wilderness.”

  “It wasn’t our fault,” Lorelei insisted.

  “No, but can you imagine the scandal? It could easily be construed that you two had some sort of affair only days after you were supposed you marry another man. If word gets around about this…” He shook his head and sat back down.

  “Knowing Mrs. Greene,” Sean interjected, “she may have already told everyone.”

  “I asked her to let me deal with this my own way first. She promised she’d keep quiet until I speak to her again but vowed that if I didn’t hold you accountable she’d make sure the town would.”

  Sean clenched his fist. “What does that mean exactly?”

  “We don’t want to find out.” Richard turned to Lorelei. “I need to talk to your mother about this. We’ll decide together what to do.”

  “But, Papa—”

  He shook his head. “I think its best that you go on home. I’ll be there shortly.”

  Lorelei watched her father for a long moment, then left without a glance Sean’s way.

  Richard turned to him. “Come to our house for supper this evening. I’ll know what to tell you then.”

  Without waiting for a response, the man left. Sean stared at the door for a long moment, then sighed. There was nothing left for him to do but straighten the chairs and prepare himself for that evening. Waiting—his least favorite thing to do. He needed something to occupy his time. He glanced around, his gaze landing on the Bible at his desk, and suddenly the choice seemed obvious. He’d read his Bible and maybe even say a little prayer. He could only hope it would help.

  * * *

  “I know we are all anxious to address the issue foremost on all of our minds,” Richard Wilkins began, then glanced at her and Sean as if to be sure they were listening before he continued. “I won’t keep the two of you in suspense any longer.”

  Lorelei glanced at Sean to gauge his reaction. His gaze was intent on her father’s face as if it might give some hint to the outcome of her parents’ decision. Certain she wouldn’t be able to swallow another bite of her blueberry pie, Lorelei placed her plate on the small table that rested between Sean’s chair and where she sat on the settee. Her mother and father sat side by side in chairs across the room, letting Lorelei know that they were unanimous on whatever decision they had reached.

  As if reading her thoughts, Richard said, “My wife and I spent quite a bit of time in thought and prayer about this matter. We ask that you both refrain from commenting on what we say until you have heard us out completely. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” Sean agreed.

  Lorelei nodded. Settling back in the settee, she clasped her hands nervously in her lap.

  “You both have good reputations and I think you know that in a town of this size reputation is everything.” Leaning forward, he looked at them intently. “It affects everything from who speaks to you on Sunday to who will do business with you. It’s a precious commodity.”

  Her mother nodded gravely. “I know this will be difficult to hear since the two of you did nothing wrong, but I’m afraid there will be no way to avoid a scandal should any of this come to light. It’s in your best interest to try to head that off if possible.”

  Richard smiled wryly. “I’m afraid I’m not giving either of you much of a choice. I’ll not have my daughter’s name bandied about as a common trollop. We’ve already seen with Mrs. Drake that people will turn the facts into whatever sordid scenarios their imaginations lead them to believe. What’s worse is that the story would grow with each telling, and, believe me, people would tell.”

  Lorelei’s stomach clenched as her father’s gaze narrowed onto Sean. “I’m giving you six weeks.”

  “Six weeks, sir?”

  “Yes.” Richard straightened, his jaw firmed. “You have six weeks to court my daughter. At the end of those six weeks, I will expect a proposal.”

  Chapter Six

  Lorelei gasped in shock at her father’s ridiculous statement. He couldn’t mean it. He just couldn’t. “You cannot be serious.”

  Caroline sent her a warning look. “We certainly are.”

  Sean leaned forward in his chair. “What about Mrs. Greene?”

  Her father shot a glance at his wife. “I think we may have figured out how to handle her. My plan is to try to get the woman on our side in this. We’ll thank her for bringing this to our attention, assure her of our intentions to see you two married and ask her to help.”

  “I think she’s done quite enough to help,” Lorelei scoffed, feeling her shock give way to anger at the situation. “What else could Mrs. Greene do?”

  “Amelia has been a friend of mine for ten years,” Caroline said. “I think if I appeal to her sense of decency, she’ll help us preserve your reputations by staunching any negative gossip and correcting it with our own messages. From what Richard has told me of his confrontation with her, I believe her concern is to see that the proper thing is done. If the two of you marry, that should satisfy her.”

  Sean shook his head. “Good luck with that. She doesn’t exactly love the O’Briens.”

  “I think she’ll do this favor for me.”

  “So you want him to propose in six weeks if Mrs. Greene is merciful. I suppose you expect us to fall in love in six weeks, as well.” Lorelei shook her head at the hopelessness of their predicament.

  “I expect you to try,” her father replied. “Whether you do or not should be between you and only you. I want the town to think this is a perfectly normal romance. There will be fewer questions that way.” He
glanced at Sean. “Do I have your word on that?”

  “Before I agree to anything, I have a few questions of my own.” Sean shot to his feet and began to pace. “How could people think our courtship is normal when Lorelei was supposed to marry my best friend less than two weeks ago? People might think we’d been carrying on behind his back.”

  “Your dislike for each other has been rather apparent the past few years. I doubt anyone would believe that.”

  Sean crossed his arms. “Then why would they believe these silly rumors?”

  “They aren’t rumors,” Caroline answered gently. “We’re looking at the facts here. Y’all did spend days alone together in the wilderness.”

  Mr. Wilkins picked up where his wife left off. “Sean, the two of you could let all of this come to light. If you’re right and no one believes the allegation, your reputations might weather the storm. If people do believe it, you’ll still end up married because the town would see to that. The only difference is that you’d also be publicly disgraced. My wife and I would like to spare you that, but it means you’ll have to cooperate. Will you let us help you?”

  Sean met Lorelei’s gaze for a long moment. She watched his emotions battle in his eyes until defeat won out. He gave a short nod. Lorelei’s fingers bit into her palms. “You’re really agreeing to this?”

  “I don’t want this any more than you do, but it looks like there is no choice.”

  For him to be that…fatalistic about even the thought of marrying her hurt more than she’d ever admit. She shook her head. “With a proposal like that, how can I say no?”

  He sank onto the settee beside her. “I didn’t mean for it to sound that way, Lorelei. It’s just that this is so much bigger than us. It isn’t only my reputation I have to consider—any gossip that’s spread about me would reflect badly on my family, too. I can’t do that to Ellie or Kate, not when it’s my fault for letting this situation occur. I knew the moment Miss Elmira went missing that this had the potential to blow up in our faces. I’d like to control the explosion however I can.”

  She forced herself to calm her rapid breathing as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Sean was agreeing to marry her. For so many years, she’d longed for a moment like this between them—now she deplored it. It didn’t mean that he loved her. It simply meant that he was doing his duty. Logically, it was the best option. Emotionally—it just felt plain awful. At least she didn’t love him anymore. That would have sealed the hopelessness of her fate.

  A wry smile touched his lips. “You look like you’ve been assigned a fate worse than death.”

  She nodded slowly. He seemed to think so. Why shouldn’t she? “Maybe I have.”

  His jaw clenched, and he stared at her for a long minute, then stood. “I think I’d better go. Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Wilkins.”

  “You’re quite welcome.”

  “Goodbye, Lorelei.” He couldn’t even seem to make himself look at her before he turned away to search for his hat.

  Once the door closed behind him and Caroline rejoined them in the parlor, Lorelei let the silence close in thick around them. Both of her parents were waiting for her reaction. It took a few moments to gather her thoughts. “Maybe I should go to California after all. If I leave, this might all blow over.”

  “And leave Sean to deal with this alone?” her mother questioned with obvious disapproval.

  Richard sat down on the settee beside her and took her hand in both of his. “Running away is what got you into this problem in the first place. It won’t solve anything. Besides, didn’t you just tell me this morning that you wanted to prove the town wrong about you? This is your chance.”

  “No, there has to be a way out,” she muttered desperately. “We could hire a detective. We could find Miss Elmira.”

  “To prove that she left you to travel for several days alone?” Caroline shook her head sorrowfully. “Darling, there is no other way.”

  “No other way,” Lorelei breathed, then glanced at the door Sean had walked out of moments before. “He’ll hate me for sure now. If not now, then in ten or twenty years.”

  Richard frowned. “Why would he hate you?”

  “I’ve taken his every chance at happiness, just as he’s taken mine. Oh, how will we bear it?” Her parents protested, but she tuned them out with a quick shake of her head and fled to her room. Her desperate gaze flew to her large window. Opening it, a warm breeze washed over her along with the scent of the wild roses that she only bothered to tame when the mood struck her.

  She knelt before the window and stared down into the garden. It would be so easy to climb down the trellis, slip into the night and leave her troubles behind—but she’d tried that before. Her father was right. It hadn’t worked. In fact, it had only made her problems worse. No, this time she would have to take responsibility for what she had done instead of trying to run from it. Marrying Sean, a man who could never love her, was a high price to pay for her impulsive mistake, but what choice did she have?

  She’d show Sean and the whole town. She’d see the courtship and the marriage through to the bitter end, but she wouldn’t be foolish about it. She’d keep her wits about her. She wouldn’t let any remnants of her childish feelings make her silly enough to love a man who would never love her back. She’d end up chasing after something she’d never be able to catch. The only way to keep her heart safe would be to keep even the slightest fragment of love from taking root. That’s exactly what she planned to do.

  * * *

  Sean closed the Wilkinses’ gate behind him with a decided thud, then stuffed his hat on his head and clenched his jaw. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that after all this time he was actually going to court Lorelei Wilkins. If this was some sort of divine joke, he didn’t find it funny. He shook his head. “This is not part of the plan.”

  He’d planned to settle down in the next few years but not like this. Not to her. He’d wanted to find a stable, mature, sensible wife he’d be able to count on. Lorelei was flighty, impetuous and a dozen other things he’d wanted to avoid in a life partner. She was the one woman in the world he was sure he could never trust. The woman who’d trampled on his heart and his best friend’s. She’d single-handedly managed to take his stable, carefully thought-out life and turn it into complete upheaval. His hands slipped into clenched fists. His heart began to race.

  “Sean, where’s the fire?”

  He stopped short, then whirled toward his friend’s voice, feeling a mixture of dread and relief. “Lawson.”

  Lawson tipped back his Stetson to look at him. “Where have you been? My parents have been out on a doctor’s call all day. I got tired of my own company so I went to the café. I was going to rope you into going with me, but I couldn’t find you.”

  “Sorry,” he mumbled. Glancing away to survey the town’s quiet streets, he debated whether or not to tell Lawson what had happened. How could he not? Lawson had a right to know as his best friend and Lorelei’s former fiancé. He swallowed, realizing he might have just gained a wife and lost a best friend. He cleared his throat. “I hope you didn’t wait for me. I had dinner with the Wilkins family.”

  Lawson’s mouth dropped open. “You don’t say? Well, no wonder you were running like you saw a skunk and looked like you swallowed a porcupine.”

  Sean shook his head. “Where do you get those sayings?”

  “I don’t know. They just pop into my head. Are you going to tell me what happened at the Wilkinses’ or am I going to have to guess?”

  Sean shook his head. “You couldn’t guess this. I’ll tell you, but I think you’d better sit down.”

  Lawson frowned curiously then lifted his chin in the direction of the Williamses’ house. “Well, come on then. Ma made a pitcher of sweet tea and there are a couple of glasses left. We can sit on the porch.”

  A few minutes later, Sean clutched the sweating glass of sweet tea tensely as a heavy silence settled between him and his best friend. He’d done
his best to explain the circumstances of his predicament and the events that were about to take place. Lawson had listened intently, but his expression remained inscrutably thoughtful. Finally, when he thought Sean couldn’t bear the silence another minute, a wry smile pulled at Lawson’s lips. “I think your mischievous youth has come back to haunt you.”

  The glass nearly slipped from Sean’s hand. “Is that all you have to say?”

  “What did you expect me to say?”

  “I had no idea.” He set his drink on the table next to him, then slumped in the wicker chair in a strange mixture of relief and confusion. “I thought you might yell at me.”

  Lawson was the picture of nonchalance as he propped his arm on the back of the wicker bench. “Why would I yell at you?”

  Sean sat up in disbelief. “She was your fiancée!”

  “Right. She was my fiancée.”

  “If you’d hit me, I would have called it fair. I almost wish you would. I’d hit myself if it were me.”

  Lawson’s smile spread. “Now that would be something to see.”

  Sean rested his forearms against his knees. “Listen, stop being glib about this. I thought you loved her.”

  “I thought I did, too…for a while.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Now I think I just loved the idea of being loved by a girl like that. You know what I mean?”

  “No,” he said dryly.

  “Let’s just say that when she left me at the altar a little part of me was relieved. I wasn’t happy at the time because it was mighty embarrassing for both of us, but if we’d gone through with it…” He shook his head at some imagined outcome, then met Sean’s gaze again. “How is Lorelei reacting to all of this?”