The Twenty-Four-Hour Bride

by Day Leclaire

  He hesitated for a telling moment before admitting, “No, I haven’t recovered them. And, yes. That’s why we’re in financial trouble.”

  “What did he do with the money? Why couldn’t you find it?” He turned away, and she frowned. There was more—and whatever it was, he didn’t want her to know. “Nick?”

  He ran a hand along the back of his neck. Finally he faced her. “The truth?”

  “It would make a pleasant change.”

  “I did find the money. I chose not to recover it.”

  She could scarcely believe it. “Why? For heaven’s sake, Nick! He must have taken millions.”

  “He did.”

  “Why didn’t you get it back?”

  “Sit down, Dani.”

  “No! I want an answer to my question.”

  “Sit down.” He waited until she’d reluctantly complied before continuing. “He gave the money to Kristy Valiens.”

  “His assistant? But—” Comprehension dawned. “He was leaving me for her. That’s where he was going when his car crashed.”

  “Yes.”

  “That still doesn’t explain—”

  “She was pregnant.”

  A wave of dizziness hit her. “No.”

  “She bore him a son. The two are currently living in Europe.”

  “No. She couldn’t have. He was sterile!”

  Nick’s mouth curved in a humorless smile. “Apparently not. Tests were run, Dani. And though the odds were astronomical, it’s true. The baby is Peter’s.”

  “She must be lying. She must have used some of the money to falsify the test results.”

  He shook his head. “Why do you think I was gone so long? I had to verify her claim.”

  “How did you find her?”

  “The papers you brought over on New Year’s Eve gave me all the information I needed to track her down.”

  “Why didn’t you have her arrested?”

  “To what end?” His lips compressed, and deep lines bracketed his mouth. “Should I have thrown her in jail, turned her baby over to social services? Stripped Peter’s child of his inheritance? Is that what you’d have done?”

  It didn’t take any thought. Slowly she shook her head. “The money was Peter’s. Half of SSI was his, as well. I was—” She fought to speak dispassionately. “I was just along for the ride.”

  “If he’d come to me and asked to be bought out, I’d have done it. I suspect he chose to embezzle because Kristy’s pregnancy caught them by surprise. They had to act fast or get trapped in endless litigation.”

  Dani bowed her head. “Even if he’d sold his share of the company to you, he’d still have left me.”

  “Yes, he’d still have left. And he’d have taken the proceeds with him before filing for divorce. You’d have had one hell of a time getting your hands on any of the money. He’d have seen to that.”

  “And I’d have been—” Broke. Financially destitute. Without a job or means of support. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth. “Oh, no.”

  Nick must have read her mind. He crouched beside her, catching her shoulders in his hands. “You’re my wife now, Dani.” He spoke urgently, stressing each word. “Nothing else matters. Peter doesn’t matter. The money doesn’t matter. We have our own life to live. We have Abigail. We can work through this.”

  “You’ve been supporting me all this time, haven’t you?”

  “I already told you. It doesn’t matter!”

  “Yes, it does.” She set her jaw, fighting tears. “It matters to me. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “For the same reason you didn’t tell me you were pregnant. I knew you’d do something foolish if you found out.” His mouth tilted. “Something noble and self-sacrificing. ”

  “Damn you, Nick!” She gained her feet and stalked to the windows. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she turned to confront him. “You’ve made decisions about my life. Decisions you had no right to make.”

  “You did the same. Or have you forgotten the reason for our marriage?” He allowed that to sink in before asking, “What would you have done if you’d known the truth?”

  “I... I’d have sold the house. That would have provided me with plenty of money while I looked for work.”

  “At the time of Peter’s death, it was mortgaged to the hilt.”

  Panic gripped her. “No. No, it wasn’t. We owned it free and clear.”

  Nick shook his head. “He mortgaged the house and took the assets along with the money from the firm. He actually had the nerve to have the monthly amount debited from an SSI account. It came through exactly three weeks after his death. That’s how I found out. I bought the loan from the bank after the first deduction. Don’t you get it? Peter didn’t give a damn about you, Dani. He intended to leave you penniless. He did everything in his power to hurt you.”

  The tears broke free. “Why? Why would he have done that to me? I was his wife. I loved him. And he...”

  Nick scooped her into his arms, enfolding her in a fierce embrace. “He did you a favor. Don’t you see? If he hadn’t left, you wouldn’t have Abigail.”

  “And if New Year’s Eve hadn’t happened? If I’d never become pregnant? Would you have kept pretending that I’m your partner?”

  “You are my partner.”

  She shook her head. “No. No, I’m not. Peter put an end to all that when he took the money.” Pride gave her the strength to meet his gaze. “Answer the question, Nick. How long were you planning to keep up the subterfuge?”

  “For as long as it took.”

  “Our agreement was for a one-year marriage. In ten more months you were supposed to buy me out. Only there’s nothing to buy out. Was that your plan? To announce at the end of the year that there wasn’t any money? That Peter had taken it?” She felt cold. So terribly cold. “Without funds, I couldn’t leave, couldn’t start my own business. I certainly couldn’t support Abbey. You’d have total control. You’d have us right where you wanted.”

  He’d drawn inward with every word, returning to the Ice man she’d known a lifetime ago. “Is that what you think?”

  “I don’t know what to think anymore! Our lives have been one big lie. How am I supposed to tell where the lies end and the truth begins?” She pulled free of his arms. “Why couldn’t you have told me the truth? The only thing I’ve. ever asked for was your honesty.”

  “You don’t want honesty. Because of Peter, you want a guarantee. You want the words, regardless of whether there’s any validity to them. And you want me to give what I don’t have. Where’s the honesty in that?”

  “You said I could trust you. Did last night mean nothing?”

  His jaw tightened. “If you want the truth, don’t ask me to lie.”

  It was all the answer she needed. “Fine. No more lies.” Dani curled her hands into fists. She wouldn’t break down. She refused to allow the emotions he despised free rein. “Is there anything else you haven’t told me? Any more information I should have?”

  “Just one last piece.”

  She wasn’t sure she could handle any more. “What is it?”

  “MR. COLTER?”

  “Not now, Gem.”

  “EMERGENCY ALERT AT SENIOR COLTER RESIDENCE.”

  “Relay message,” he snapped.

  “Nick? It’s your mother.” Tension threaded her voice. “There’s been an accident in the lab. We need your help.”

  “I’ll be right there. Gem, monitor this link and contact the police. I’ll meet them outside my parents’ house in ten minutes.” He looked at Dani. “Will you still be here when I get back?”

  “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

  “For better or worse, they’re my family. I have to go.”

  “I understand.”

  “This isn’t over. Dani. If you’re not here when I get back, I swear I’ll track you down.” And then he was gone.

  Dani spent the next several hours trying to decide what course of action she should take. It bothered
her horribly that Nick had lied, that he’d supported her financially for close to two years without telling her—and that he’d kept Peter’s duplicity a secret. What chance did love have without honesty? The impulse to flee gripped her even more strongly than when Nick had first arrived on her doorstep. She felt a desperate urge to sort through what he’d told her. Most of all, she was driven to take control of her life.

  She knew of only one place that could happen. She’d go to her parents and mull over her choices. They’d help her make sense of the situation, help her find a way through the tangle she’d made of her marriage.

  She went to her bedroom and dressed. Then she dug a suitcase from beneath the jumble of boxes cluttering the bottom of her closet. She lugged it into Abbey’s room and began throwing clothing into the cavernous depths.

  “REQUEST INFORMATION,” Gem interrupted.

  Dani lifted her head from the drawer she was emptying. “What information?”

  “CURRENT ACTIVITY NOT PART OF NORMAL ROUTINE. EXPLAIN ANOMALY.”

  “I’m packing.”

  “ONE MOMENT. ACCESSING.” A minute later the computer came back on-line. “EXPLAIN REASON FOR PACKING.”

  “It’s quite simple, Gem. Abbey and I are leaving.”

  “DESTINATION?”

  Nosy computer. “Anywhere but here.”

  “TIME OF RETURN?”

  “Never.” She knelt on the floor and shoved a pile of diapers into the suitcase, muttering, “Process that, you deviating piece of mother board.”

  “ERROR NUMBER ZERO-ZERO-TWO.”

  “Wow. That must be one heck of an error to rate such a low number.” Dani rocked on her heels. “What’s an error number zero-zero-two?”

  “EMERGENCY SITUATION IN PROGRESS.”

  She rose, planting her hands on her hips. “Now wait just one darn minute. What emergency is in progress?”

  “DEVIATION REPORTED.”

  “I did not report a deviation, you mechanical hunk of junk. I’m leaving, not deviating!”

  “ALL SYSTEMS RESPOND. FULL ALERT.”

  “Don’t you dare call Nick! Are you listening to me?”

  “COLTER OFF-LINE.”

  “Now. don’t do anything stupid, Gem. This isn’t the Toy Company, you know.”

  “PROCESSING. DEVIATION UNACCEPTABLE. FULL LOCK DOWN REQUIRED.”

  Panic stirred. “Stop it, Gem. There is no emergency in progress, and don’t you dare lock anything- down. Gem? Gem! Answer me, dammit! Abort lock down.”

  “REQUEST DENIED.”

  “I have level one security status. You can’t deny my request.”

  “DEVIATION OVERRIDES LEVEL ONE SECURITY STATUS.”

  “Since when?”

  “CORRECTION PROGRAMMED IN LAST TEN POINT FOUR SECONDS.”

  “Ten point—” Dani struggled to contain her fury. “You changed the rules ten point four seconds ago?”

  “CURRENTLY, EIGHTEEN POINT TWO.”

  She ran to the door. Sure enough, it was locked. Next she tried to get out through the adjoining bathroom. The door leading to the hallway wouldn’t budge, either. “You are one dead computer! Do you hear me, Gem?”

  The only response was a halfhearted beep.

  “Dani?” The house felt terminally empty, silent and depressing. Nick’s back teeth clamped together. Hard. So, she’d left. He suspected she would. “Gem, status report.”

  “SECURITY ALERT,” the computer whispered. “DEVIATION IN PROGRESS.”

  “Why the whisper mode, Gem?”

  Silence met his question.

  “Where’s Dani?”

  “MRS. COLTER WITH FEMALE OFFSPRING UNIT IN NURSERY.”

  She’d stayed? Relief hit like a body blow. He sprinted for Abigail’s room, ramming into the door when the knob refused to yield to his touch. “What the hell?”

  “Nick?”

  “Why’s the door locked, Dani?”

  “Ask your damn computer!”

  “Gem!”

  “SECURITY ALERT. DEVIATION IN PROGRESS. FULL LOCK DOWN REQUIRED.”

  “What? Who ordered a full lock down?” Another silence met his question. “Gem? Gem! Unlock the door.”

  “MRS. COLTER PACKING FOR UNKNOWN DESTINATION. RETURN DESIGNATION LISTED AS NEVER. THIS INFORMATION IS UNACCEPTABLE. FULL LOCK DOWN NECESSARY TO PREVENT OCCURRENCE CALLED LEAVING.”

  “Gem. You can’t keep what you don’t have. We can’t force Dani to stay if she doesn’t want to.”

  “LOCKED DOOR PREVENTS DEPARTURE.”

  He closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against the cool oak surface. “Unlock the door, Gem. Immediate compliance required.”

  Twenty full seconds passed before the lock was released. “COMPLIANCE GRANTED.”

  Dani opened the door. She held Abigail. Behind her he spotted a half-packed suitcase. “Hi, Nick.”

  “You’re leaving.” It wasn’t a question.

  “I’m trying.”

  “I didn’t program her to prevent you.”

  “I know. She managed that one all on her own. I don’t know how. But she did.”

  “She doesn’t want you to leave.” Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the room. He craved her, with every fiber of his being. He wanted to touch her, hold her, tie her up in so tight an embrace she’d never escape. But he couldn’t. Dani had to make the decision to remain all by herself, without his pushing her into it. But words... He could use words, if nothing else. At least, he could try. “She’s not the only one who wants you to stay. Don’t do this, sweetheart. We can work through our problems if you’d stick it out and give our marriage half a chance.”

  “I can’t,” she whispered. “It’s not that I’m not grateful. I am. I appreciate what you’ve tried to do. But I told you from the start that I can’t survive another empty relationship. Not again. I need love, Nick. And I need someone who’ll be honest. It won’t work otherwise.”

  He searched desperately for leverage, seizing on the first thought that came to mind. “You promised a year. You promised to keep Abigail close by.”

  “I know. I won’t go far.” She hesitated, cocking her head. “Abigail. ‘My father rejoices.’ Did you know what that meant when you named her?”

  Did she doubt it? Didn’t she understand the significance? “I knew.”

  “Is that why you chose it?”

  His hands collapsed into fists. “Do you have to ask?”

  He caught the flash of anger in her night-black eyes, and it threw him. “I’d like you to tell me for once, instead of having to guess all the time.” She paused. “But I suppose that’s expecting too much. Would you carry my suitcase to the car?”

  He ran a hand through his hair, swallowing his shout of refusal, forcing himself not to react, not to lose control. “Do I have any choice?”

  “If you won’t do it, I’ll simply haul it down there myself.”

  He turned his thoughts inward, tapping into the source of his strength. It came more easily now, chilling his distress, blanketing his mind. “Don’t bother. I’ll take it.”

  Five minutes later they stood in front of the house. Nick loaded Abigail in her car seat while Dani tossed her keys from hand to hand. “I’ll be at my parents’ if you need to get in touch.” she advised.

  He straightened. It took every ounce of self-possession not to upend her across his shoulder and carry her back where she belonged. “Is there anything I can say to change your mind?”

  She didn’t answer immediately, but regarded him with steady dark eyes. At long last, she shook her head. “I guess not. The words don’t seem to be in your vocabulary.”

  With that, Dani slid into the car. The engine roared to life and Nick turned. He refused to stand there like some poor lost soul and watch as his life drove away. He couldn’t do it. Instead, he walked to the house.

  He didn’t look back.

  Dani sat in the car and eyed Nick as he headed toward the front door. She released a pained sigh. Well, what did she expect? For him to suddenly
admit to feelings he’d kept buried for thirty-five ice-cold years?

  She thumped her fist against the steering wheel. Dammit! Why was the man so stubborn? Why couldn’t he open his eyes and admit to loving his daughter? If he’d said even that much, she’d have relented. But if he couldn’t admit to his feelings for one tiny baby, she didn’t have a hope in hell of gaining that love for herself.

  She threw the car into reverse, then hesitated. There was one question she’d like answered before she left. Earlier, she’d asked if he’d kept anything else from her. He’d said he had. She couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not until she’d uncovered that one final secret. She shut off the engine and climbed from the car.

  Nick walked into his office and stood in the middle of the room, not quite certain what to do next. It was an unpleasant experience. He’d never been at a loss before. There’d always been work. From the start, SSI had both captivated and driven him. But for some reason he’d lost that desire. It had vanished, along with Dani and Abigail.

  He lowered his head, his muscles so taut they spasmed in protest. Why had Dani left? Didn’t she realize how much a part of his life she and Abigail had become? Were the words that vital? Couldn’t she sense what he’d been unable to say? Hear the words locked within him? Couldn’t she see the yearning clawing for release?

  He longed to walk into the nursery and find his daughter asleep in her crib. He longed to walk into the spare bedroom and find his wife arguing with Gem as she sorted through boxes. But most of all, he longed to walk into his own room and find Dani curled on top of their wedding sheets, her dark curls spilling across the ivory silk, her dusky eyes blinking at him with a seductive mixture of laughter and desire.

  He heard a small sound behind him. A baby’s whimper. He gritted his teeth, steeling himself for disappointment. Slowly, he turned. Dani stood there, holding Abigail. He opened his mouth to speak. To his shock. the words wouldn’t come.

  She didn’t seem to notice. “I had to ask a question,” she said in a rush. “Actually, I have two questions. I forgot to ask how your parents were doing. Are they okay?”