A Convenient Texas Wedding

by Sheri WhiteFeather

  But love was a good thing, a beautiful thing, and she refused to regret that it had happened to her. She needed to be hopeful, to work toward keeping the man she loved instead of dwelling on the idea of losing him.

  But even with her newfound confidence, she was still afraid, doubt and worry creeping in. He’d told her countless times he couldn’t be tamed. That he was the same man he’d always been. Yet now that she’d fallen in love with him, she wanted to believe otherwise. With as wonderful a husband as he was—how could she not think that he’d changed?

  Before her brain got too befuddled, she pointed to the final hill they had to cross. “We’re almost there. It’s just beyond that ridge.”

  “So what exactly is this hideaway of yours?”

  “It’s just some lovely old ruins.” She didn’t want to give him too much detail, not until he saw it for himself. “When I was a girl, I used to think of it as my fort. And when I was a teenager, it’s where I used to come to write poems to my fantasy husband.”

  The wind rustled his hair. “Ah, yes, those secret poems. It’s too bad you didn’t keep them.”

  It wouldn’t matter if she still had them. She already knew that Rand Gibson had emerged from her fantasies, becoming the man of her heart.

  After they trudged over the final hill and he spotted her hideaway, an awed expression appeared on his handsome face. Allison felt that way every time she saw it, particularly at this time of year when it was surrounded by wildflowers.

  He said, “I would have used this as my fort, too. It’s incredible.”

  “It’s called a beehive hut because of the rounded way it’s shaped. No windows, nothing but an opening that serves as a door. But you can see how small the opening is, so it can easily be covered with one larger stone.” She explained further, “It’s a prehistoric home, a single-family dwelling of sorts. There’s a little community of these in another part of Kerry County, where the huts were once attached to each other through interlocking doorways. But on our land, there’s just this one.”

  Rand approached the structure and glided his hands along the exterior. “Look at the way each stone is stacked and how they’re angled outward. Was that so the rain could run off it?”

  Allison nodded. “Do you want to duck inside?”

  “Definitely.” He gestured for her to go first. “I’ll follow you in.”

  She warned him by saying, “It’s going to be dark in there, except for the bit of light that comes through the opening. But with as small as the hut is, there isn’t much to explore inside. Still, I used to carry a battery-operated lantern with me when I came here.”

  He smiled. “So you could sit and write your poems by the lantern light? I can just see you doing that, all alone in your make-believe world.”

  Was she tumbling into a make-believe world now, imagining happily-ever-after with him? Focusing on her task, she crawled into the hut.

  He joined her, and they sat near the opening. He said, “I can’t fathom living in one of these. But it’s a perfect hideaway.”

  She peered out at the flowers scattered in the grass. “It served me well.”

  “It’s serving us well, too.”

  He leaned over to kiss her, and she sighed. The child in her had grown up, but the starry-eyed teenager she used to be had never gone away.

  “Can I touch you?” he asked.

  She knew he meant in a sexual way, doing more than a soft, sweet kiss. “Yes,” she breathed. As far as she was concerned, he could touch her for the rest of their lives.

  “I’ll just use my hands.” He lifted her onto his lap, with her sitting with her back to his front. He nuzzled the side of her face and unzipped her jeans.

  She closed her eyes, and he worked his right hand past the waistband of her knickers. With his left hand, he unbuttoned the front of her rugged plaid blouse.

  He cast an erotic spell, making her nipples peak, causing dampness to pool between her thighs. She leaned back against him, the long-ago poems she’d written twirling in her mind. She’d found her fantasy husband. He’d become real.

  He whispered, “I’m never going to forget you, Allison.”

  She opened her eyes and gazed into a darkened corner of the hut. He sounded as if he were saying goodbye. “We’re still together, Rand.”

  “I know. But I just wanted to tell you how special you are for when we’re not together anymore.”

  She refused to accept his words. “We still have lots of time.” Time, she prayed, for her to keep him.

  He didn’t reply. Instead, he went farther into her knickers.

  She grabbed ahold of his blue-jeaned thighs, scratching her nails along the denim. He seemed hell-bent on making her come. But what choice did she have?

  She lifted her hips and pressed against his fingers, the sensation of being seduced by him igniting its way to her lovelorn heart. The more he aroused her, the more she wanted, the more she needed. Allison climaxed hard and quick, wrapped in her husband’s arms.

  * * *

  Both Allison and Rand slept on the plane, and the next day they were back in Texas and returning to work. She noticed that he seemed pensive, far quieter than his usual self. He was dressed for the office, sipping coffee and gazing out the patio doors.

  She stood behind him, with her laptop on the table. She had her articles to write.

  He finally turned toward her and said, “We have our green card interview tomorrow.”

  She staggered as if she’d been shot. “Tomorrow? How is that even possible? It’s too soon. It must be a mistake.”

  “No, it’s not. I contacted my friend at the USCIS to see how things were going and if he could push things along even more than he already had.”

  Allison knew that Rand’s friend had gotten her security clearance processed faster and was working toward getting their interview date moved up. But she hadn’t envisioned anything this quick. “I figured we were at least a month off.” Even that would have been quicker than the usual expected wait time. “How did he manage it?”

  “Mostly it was timing and luck. When he checked the books, he discovered that another couple had canceled, so he moved us up the line and arranged for us to take their slot. He faxed me the notification this morning. He sent the original, too, overnight, so it’ll arrive first thing in tomorrow’s mail.”

  To her, this was the worst thing that could’ve happened. Getting her green card sooner meant their marriage would end sooner. How could she try to hold on to Rand if they weren’t married anymore? “We can’t take that appointment. We’re not ready.”

  “I disagree. I think we’re totally ready. With everything we’ve been through, we know each other exceptionally well.”

  She argued her case. “I think we need more time to prepare.”

  “Our marriage seems real, Allison. We’ve fooled everyone around us, and we’re going to fool the officer who interviews us, too. We’ve got nothing to worry about.”

  “I’m scared.” Of living the rest of her life without him, she thought, of losing him.

  “It’ll be okay.” He set his coffee on the table and came over to her. Behind him, the rising sun seeped through the glass doors, casting a graceful gold glow. “We can do this.”

  She blew out a shaky breath. She was a bundle of nerves. “What time is the appointment tomorrow?”

  “Ten o’clock. If the officer approves us, he or she will stamp your passport. The stamp acts as a green card and will last thirty days, until your actual green card arrives in the mail.”

  “You just said if the officer approves us.”

  “I was just repeating what the notification said,” he told her. “But even if they don’t approve us on the spot, they probably wouldn’t deny us outright, either. They’d take more time to review our case, and if they still aren’t satisfied, they’d schedule us for another inter
view with their fraud unit.”

  “That sounds daunting.”

  “Mostly they’ll be looking for inconsistencies in our stories. But we can work up some makeshift questions tonight and test each other. It might help you relax.”

  “Thank you. I’d like that.” The outcome of the interview was out of their control. They could only do their best. But either way, she still loved Rand the way a wife should. In her heart, their marriage was genuine. She just needed to convince him that they should stay together.

  He said, “It helps that we speak the same language, are around the same age and share the same spiritual beliefs. We have all of that in our favor. Our chemistry should help us, too, how obvious our attraction to each other is.”

  She nodded. “You’re right. No one could deny that.”

  “Are you less scared now?”

  Of the interview, yes. Of their marriage ending, no. But she said, “I’m feeling better about it.”

  “Good.” He smoothed a strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear.

  She noticed that his tie was skewed, so she reached out to straighten it for him. Then she realized how easily they did those types of things for each other, how natural it was for them.

  She lifted her gaze. “Will you kiss me?” He always kissed her before he left for work, but she wanted to be extra certain that he did it this morning.

  “Of course.” He slipped his arms around her waist, brought her body next to his and slanted his mouth over hers.

  She savored the warmth between them and returned his kiss, as deeply and romantically as the situation would allow. She couldn’t lure him off to bed. With their trip to Ireland, he’d already missed too much work as it was.

  After they separated, she said, “Thank you again for helping me through my family crisis.”

  “I’m glad I got to meet them in person. They’re such wonderful people. I hate that we’re deceiving them, though. It’s even worse now that I got so close to them. I hate how we’re deceiving my grandmother, too. But at least my brother can say ‘I told you so’ to me after you and I part ways.”

  “I don’t want to talk about that. It’s not a good thing to think about so close to our interview.” Nor did she feel guilty about their deception anymore. Now that her love for him had turned real, she wasn’t lying to anyone.

  Except for Rand, she thought miserably. Sooner or later she would have to tell him the truth. She would have to admit that she loved him. But for now, she kept quiet.

  Keeping her heart all bottled up.

  * * *

  The following morning, Allison and Rand arrived at the local USCIS office thirty minutes early and waited in a small lobby for their names to be called. He was in business attire, and she wore a conservatively stylish skirt ensemble. She’d done her hair and makeup with an elegant touch, befitting a woman of her new social standing. Rand was a well-known millionaire. She couldn’t come to the interview looking like a farm girl. But she wished that a casual top and blue jeans would have been acceptable. Being so stiff and formal was making her antsy.

  They brought a packet of required documents with them, along with anything else they could think of that helped prove the validity of their marriage and the closeness of their relationship. Rand was prepared to show the interviewer his social media accounts, as well as the gossip blogs that had featured AliRan. By now, Rand was being referred to as a former playboy and no one was suggesting anymore that Allison should run from him. She couldn’t agree more.

  Last night they’d spent hours quizzing each other with probable questions. They’d scored 100 percent on their makeshift tests and could only hope they did as well in the real interview.

  Rand’s USCIS friend wouldn’t be present. Nor had he advised them in any way. All he’d done was help speed up the process. As it turned out, he didn’t even work in this office. When Allison asked Rand more about him this morning, she discovered that he was an executive at the main location in Washington, DC, and was an old fraternity brother of Rand’s.

  Allison hadn’t even gone to university. Would their interviewer think that was a red flag?

  She dismissed the thought. Their levels of education didn’t make them an unsuitable match. Nothing did, in her opinion. She wanted to be Rand’s wife forever.

  Finally, their names were called and they were directed to a windowless room down the hall, where the interview began.

  The immigrant official, a middle-aged woman named Maria Martinez, interviewed them together and separately. She didn’t take her position lightly. She videotaped each session and asked scores of questions. As intense as it was, Allison could tell the interview was based on more than just questions and answers. Officer Martinez analyzed their body language, too.

  When it was over, she stamped Allison’s passport. Their marriage was deemed bona fide, their application approved.

  Once they were free to leave, they left the building and proceeded to Rand’s Porsche.

  He said, “I’d never been so nervous in all my life. That was way harder than I thought it was going to be, especially when she separated us.”

  “That part concerned me, too.” But they’d obviously done everything right.

  He opened her car door. “Do you want to stop for a celebratory lunch? Maybe the Tex-Mex and margaritas we never got from before?”

  Allison shook her head. “I’d rather just go home. I’m not very hungry right now.” She still had to figure out how to stop the divorce.

  “Then I can wait, too.” He got behind the wheel.

  She glanced over at him. “We’re still going to need to be careful over these next thirty days.”

  He fired up the engine. “What do you mean?”

  “We can’t do anything to raise suspicion. We’re going to have to keep living together.”

  “I wasn’t planning on doing anything drastic.”

  She relaxed a little. That gave her thirty days to win him over. Thirty days of doing what? she asked herself. Of living the same lie, of pretending nothing had changed?

  No, she thought. No. If she was going win Rand over, then she had to tell to him how she felt. She had to admit that she loved him. She didn’t want the next thirty days to be based on anything except the truth.

  Allison made up her mind to do it today, just as soon as they got home. She couldn’t embark on an important discussion while they were riding in the car. She needed to be in a soothing environment, where there wouldn’t be any distractions.

  “Do you want to change into some comfy clothes and sit on the patio when we get home?” she asked. “I could use some fresh air.”

  “Sure. That sounds nice. Then we can go to lunch later.”

  She nodded, even if food was the last thing on her mind. For now, all Alison could think about was exposing her heart.

  To the man who’d become her everything.

  Twelve

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Rand asked Allison, as they settled onto the patio. Now that they were outside, she was behaving strangely.

  She stammered, “I just...there’s just...something I need to tell you.”

  He prodded her to say whatever was on her mind. “What is it? What’s going on?”

  “I love you, Rand.” Her voice went horribly, terribly scratchy. “I fell in love with you.”

  Good God, he thought. His worst fear had just come true, and he couldn’t seem to respond. He couldn’t do anything but sit there, white knuckling the arms of his chair.

  “I’m sorry if this is freaking you out,” she said.

  Oh, yeah. He was freaked out, all right. He glanced past her and caught sight of her fairy gardens on the other side of the patio. If he could ask the fairies to undo the spell she was under, he would. But he knew that wouldn’t work.

  Rand returned his gaze to hers. He neede
d to convince her of the mistake she was making by loving him, persuading her to see him for who he really was. “When we were in Ireland, I sensed that you were getting too attached to me. I even started comparing myself to Rich, wondering if I was as bad as he was for preying on your feelings.”

  She moved her chair closer to his. “You’re nothing like him. You’re kind and decent and heroic.”

  “I’m far from heroic.” And he didn’t feel very kind and decent, either. “I’m not the guy in the book you’re going to write. You can’t turn me into him.”

  “But what if you’re already becoming him on your own?”

  “You’re just being idealistic.” He was the wrong man for her, the wrong husband, and he knew better than to prolong the agony.

  “I tried not to fall for you.” She fidgeted with the hem of her buttery-yellow T-shirt, pulling at a loose thread. “So help me I did. I’ve been fighting my feelings for you since the night you told me about your grandfather.”

  “The same night you tried to rewrite my grandparents’ story and give them a happy ending? Real life doesn’t work that way, Allison. You can’t erase the past for them, and you can’t conjure up a future for you and me, either.” He revealed his truth to her. “When we were in the church in Ireland, I had a wavering moment of wondering what staying with you would be like, of renewing our vows there. But I knew it wasn’t meant to be. I knew you’d be better off without me.”

  “So you’re making this big noble sacrifice by letting me go? Wouldn’t it be easier to just try to make it work?”

  “I don’t know how to do that. I wasn’t raised like you. I wasn’t taught how to be a loving, caring partner. I didn’t have a family who set that sort of example. My mother loved my father and look what happened to her. He divorced her and two years later, she got sick and died.”

  She blew out a sigh. “We’re not your parents, Rand.”

  “All right, then what about my grandparents? At least Lottie was smart enough to walk away from Eduardo. She knew that loving a playboy like him was a mistake. And you should know the same thing about me.”