A Wife by Accident

by Victoria Ashe

  Gary stuffed several fries in his mouth and chewed, raising his eyebrows questioningly in response. “And?”

  “Mr. Bellmark says he and his wife are coming to town. Tonight,” Charlie stated with emphasis. “I haven’t seen them in so long,” he added with a wisp of nostalgia in his voice.

  “Tonight?”Hayely asked. She’d barely had time to consider breaking the controversial news of their marriage to her parents and now this? She’d have to work fast to get their guest bedroom ready. The rest of the place was looking respectable enough for visitors. She wouldn’t have time to cook, though. Maybe they could all go out to a restaurant. Being a pretend wife sure carried with it enough of the responsibilities of a real marriage.

  Gary downed the rest of his coffee and stood quickly. “I’ll see you tonight after I pick the Bellmarks up from the airport. We’ll have that discussion later.” He gave Hayely’s hand a squeeze on impulse before striding in long steps out of the house to his truck.

  “How big is your car, Charlie?” Hayely asked, her gaze following Gary out the door.

  “I’ve got one of the company trucks today. Why?”

  “Perfect. My car doesn’t have much in the way of a trunk, and I’m going to have to do some major shopping today to get the guest room ready. Actually, it’s the bathroom I’m worried about. Feel like a like a trip into the city?”

  Charlie’s eyes twinkled as he looked down toward her feet. “I’ll just pour myself a cup of coffee while you get ready.”

  “Thanks,” Hayely yelled out behind her as she ran for the stairs.

  In no time at all, Hayely and Charlie were on their way down the road. She remembered clearly how to find the boutique and directed Charlie that way. As the weeks went by, she found that she got lost in the city much less frequently and had even managed to accumulate some favorite stores.

  “I’ve got to pick up a couple outfits I ordered. Want to wait for me?”

  “Nah. I’ll come in. I hate to just sit and wait.”

  When Hayely walked into the shop, Carla recognized her immediately and ran to greet her. “I’ve already heard the buzz. You must have been awesome. Everyone in here’s been talking about you and Gary. They say he never takes his eyes off of you. Lucky girl.”

  Hayely smiled shyly. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to people around here. I’m not sure why my life is that fascinating.”

  “Sure. Nothing out of the ordinary at all,” Carla said sarcastically and made a lighthearted face. Then she looked up and grinned brilliantly as she noticed Charlie, her attention focusing completely away from Hayely. “I’m Carla.” She stuck out her hand daringly to grab his.

  Charlie turned crimson all the way down his fingertips. “I’m Charlie.” He shook her hand with a mix of awkwardness and sincerity that appeared to catch Carla by surprise.

  Hayely looked back and forth between the two of them, recognizing a spark when she saw it. “Carla,” she interrupted, “can I get my order?”

  Carla dropped Charlie’s hand with a giggle and walked to a back room. She emerged with a heavy garment bag in her hand.

  “We got in everything, made to fit. We have a couple ensembles that would work for entertaining at home in the evening, that other formal gown you picked out, and two casual daytime outfits. Oh, and in this other bag are the shoes and hat you liked.”

  “That’s exactly right,” Hayely confirmed. Her insides tightened as she mentally tallied the cost of her purchase. Her last month’s paycheck would cover some of it, and she was sure she could earn the rest later. She couldn’t think of a way to avoid the expense; she had nothing appropriate to wear in Gary Tarleton’s world. She signed the credit card slip with her new name, a name she was quickly becoming used to seeing everywhere she looked.

  Hayely thanked Carla and smiled when she saw the salesclerk hand Charlie a business card on the way out the door. Hayely was even more tickled when he dug out one of his own and traded Carla for it.

  Charlie shut the truck door after Hayely hopped inside and positioned himself behind the wheel. “Charlie and Carla. Nice ring to it.”

  Hayely punched him lightly on the shoulder. “If I’m right, she wrote her home phone number on the back. You ought to give her a call.”

  “That, I might.” He blushed scarlet again underneath his light smattering of freckles. His bright blue eyes with long curled lashes were definitely his most striking feature next to his richly hued hair, Hayely assessed. With his pleasant mouth and well-shaped face, she thought he just might have a chance with Carla.

  Hayely turned away from Charlie and tucked the receipt into her purse, making a noise of dread as she did. “I’ll have to let Gary know I’ll pay him back for the clothes.” She grimaced. “I shouldn’t have spent so much.”

  Charlie laughed oddly. “Very funny.”

  Then he looked at her expression and wondered if she had a dry sense of humor that he hadn’t noticed before. She certainly seemed serious, but Charlie shook the feeling aside. He didn’t have Gary’s knack for reading people he didn’t know well quickly. The idea that Gary would want Hayely to reimburse him for anything was laughable. If anything, the man who was his boss and best friend wished Hayely would accept more from him if that silver car were any indication.

  Hayely looked at Charlie as if he’d turned green, but decided not to say anything. She didn’t really know him well enough to understand what he’d meant by “very funny.” Of course she was responsible and would repay her debts. She wouldn’t be in the situation she was in if those morals weren’t ingrained in her nature in the first place.

  Hayely spent the next three hours running Charlie ragged—but he seemed to be such a willing victim that she decided to use it her own advantage. From one store to the next, she added bag after bag to Charlie’s arms until they finally had to return to the truck to toss it all inside.

  “I think I’ve about worn out the poor credit card. Good thing its use will expire in three months or we’d have to replace it,” Hayely joked.

  Charlie frowned and rubbed his aching, shopping-fatigued arms. She apparently didn’t know that Gary had asked him to request a new card for her, one that wouldn’t expire for at least the standard two years.

  “I’ll have to look into that,” he said in all earnestness. He wondered if Gary was finally coming to his senses.

  •

  Hayely barely had enough time to get everything done. She’d sent Charlie to set out everything they’d bought in the guest bathroom. From plush towels and bathmats to intricately carved guest soaps and ritzy shampoos, she’d asked him to line the marble countertops with these things and a smattering of flowers as if the room belonged to a five-star hotel.

  Charlie was even in charge of putting the luxurious new bedding on the bed. For good measure she added houseplants and candles around the bedroom to make it seem homier for the Bellmarks. Their visit couldn’t be more important to Gary, she reasoned.

  With Charlie occupied, Hayely immediately dove into her work in the kitchen. She had wine, soda, bottled water, juices—whatever she guessed the older couple might want. She dipped fresh strawberries in chocolate, stuffed a couple dozen big mushrooms, and set out some cheese and crackers. It certainly wasn’t a spread she’d call her best work, but it would have to do on such short notice.

  Still on the run, Hayely jumped in a steaming hot shower and stood there letting the water flow over her. Had she found a chance to relax even a little bit all day? At least she was earning her keep, she reasoned.

  Hayely dried off and walked into the dressing room between the master bedroom and bath to make sure everything looked all right. She’d decorated the area with only him in mind, and hoped he wouldn’t dislike the feminine touches she added. No one disliked fresh floral arrangements, did they?

  Hayely buttoned up one of the shirts she’d picked up from the boutique just that day. With sleeves that came down only to her elbows and a collar that stood up just a little in back, Carla had
tailored the mint green cotton exactly the way Hayely had envisioned.

  She tucked the shirt into her new dress pants made of simple, black material that came up into a high-waisted design. Small slits in the flowing legs of her pants near her ankles matched those at the ends of her sleeves. Comfortable for home, but not too casual, she concluded as she turned around full circle in the mirror.

  She almost ran into Gary as she left the dressing room. “I didn’t know you were back.” Her hand fluttered to her chest as her heart pounded a little faster with surprise—or something else.

  “They’re downstairs with Charlie,” Gary breathed out. “I wanted to come up and get you. Their room looks great.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at Hayely.

  “Charlie put in a lot of the labor.”

  Hayely was sure her insides went through a meltdown as she returned his gaze. Here was a man with one of the most naturally muscular physiques she’d ever seen, and he was looking up at her with something akin to childlike terror in his eyes. She sat down beside him and took his big hand reassuringly in her own.

  “The dream that drove me since childhood rides on this visit, Hayely. I have to make sure those kids get the same chance I was given.”

  “You’re a good man, Gary Tarleton. I just know that as soon as you tell the Bellmarks about your plans, they’ll let you buy it from them. I’m sure they don’t want to see it closed any more than you do. It’s been their whole lives’ work, hasn’t it?”

  Gary smiled, his teeth looking whiter than ever under his growing stubble. “That’s what I keep telling myself.” He twisted to the side and reached into the pocket of his khaki trousers. “I bought these for you. I saw the hairpins you used and thought—well, here.” He handed her a small black box.

  Hayely pulled the lid open and looked back up at Gary. “You don’t need to keep buying me things, Gary. I don’t expect that. I don’t need it.”

  “I know. And that’s exactly why I do it.” He plucked the intricately strung pearl earrings from their velvet case and let them dangle from between his finger and his thumb. “They’ll look good with what you have on.”

  Hayely put on the earrings and took his hand for him to lead her downstairs. She couldn’t help but think of all the ways he made her feel treasured. It was ironic that such a blessing could be designed so temporary.

  Seated on the cozy sofa Hayely had chosen were their first guests. She was relieved that Charlie had thought to build a fire in the fireplace. The blaze added an ambience that nothing artificial could duplicate.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Bellmark,” Gary said, “this is my beautiful bride, Hayely.” He almost made the charade sound sincere.

  Hayely liked them immediately, though the image she’d had of them was nothing close to reality. At nearly eighty years of age, Mrs. Bellmark wore her long white hair up in a ponytail and her clothes in a youthful fashion. Decked out jeans, a scarlet red sweatshirt, and trendy tennis shoes, she didn’t seem to have lost much of her vitality over the years. Hayely suddenly felt close to overdressed for the evening.

  Mr. Bellmark surprised her almost as much. He wore tan cowboy boots, jeans, and a black polo shirt. He was shorter and thinner than he appeared in the picture Gary had placed on the wall of his den—and much less stuffy.

  “Very nice to meet you both,” Hayely greeted.

  She tilted her head toward the kitchen so that Charlie would take the hint and run to get the trays of finger foods she’d thrown together. Already she saw they had full cups of hot tea on the coffee table in front of them. She couldn’t imagine Gary having made tea—Charlie must have come to the rescue again.

  Mrs. Bellmark rose to her feet and caught up both of Hayely’s hands in hers. “Well, you sweet thing. I can see why Gary chose you. But for the life of me—”

  “I can’t see what you saw in him,” Mr. Bellmark finished his wife’s sentence with a hearty laugh. “Relax, Gary. It was a joke,” he said before turning back to Hayely. “He always was too serious—even as a boy.”

  Charlie returned and plunked the hors d’oeuvres trays down on the coffee table. “I’ll bet you’re starved after such a long trip?” He sank into a plush gold-toned chair as the couple sat back down on the sofa, and Gary and Hayely found a place on the loveseat nearby.

  “Actually,” Mrs. Bellmark said, “we ate on the plane coming in. No need to worry about dinner just because of us.”

  “And no need to get down to business right off the bat, either,” Mr. Bellmark added. “We’ve got a couple days before we need to think about any of that.”

  Hayely nodded, “I agree. Do you have any plans for tomorrow? Or can we show you the sights? We have an amazing exercise room and swimming pool right here in the house. I haven’t spent much time there, but there are stables out back, too. We could go horseback riding?” she offered enthusiastically.

  Gary squeezed Hayely’s hand tighter and didn’t even seem to notice that he was toying with her wedding ring. “Is there anything you wanted to see in town? Somewhere we could take you?”

  “No, dear,” Mrs. Bellmark said. “I think we’d just enjoy sleeping in late, walking through that enormous garden I saw, and getting reacquainted. The horses sound nice. A little shopping couldn’t hurt either.” She gave Hayely a conspiratorial wink.

  “I’d like a tour of your company,” Mr. Bellmark added.

  So would I, Hayely thought. Why hadn’t she asked Gary to show her around his office before? She would have looked much more prepared that way, and it seemed as if she would need all her wits about her to help Gary through the next few days. He had grown so tense beside her that she could almost feel his nervous anxiety soaking through her skin.

  Charlie stood up slowly and stretched the kinks out of his back. “I hate to leave so soon, but I have to get up early for work tomorrow so that I can leave early.”

  Gary raised an eyebrow at his friend.

  Charlie grinned. “I’ve got a date.”

  Hayely stood and clapped her hands together. “She said yes? Way to go, Charlie!”

  Gary looked confused. “When did all this happen?”

  Hayely rested her hand on Gary’s arm. “Don’t worry. I’ll catch you up on everything.”

  Mr. Bellmark rose to his feet and helped his wife stand. “Better watch it,” he said to Gary. “If you’re lucky, she’ll be running circles around your life in no time.”

  Gary gazed with admiration at Hayely. “I hope so.”

  Hayely knew she looked startled and composed herself quickly. Sometimes he was too good of an actor and she couldn’t tell where make-believe ended and reality began.

  As Gary finished up some business with Charlie out in the driveway, Hayely escorted their tired guests upstairs and shut the bedroom door softly behind them for the night. She walked back to the room she would have to share with Gary and unbuttoned her shirt carefully. Too bad she’d wasted one outfit for an hour’s visit, she mused and arranged the mint green fabric carefully on its hanger.

  •

  Gary groaned when he walked into his bedroom and saw Hayely standing with her heavy bathrobe wrapped all the way around her up to the neck. He hadn’t considered their sleeping arrangements with the Bellmarks in the house. He’d been too busy feeling so proud to have her on his arm in front of his guests. She’d been nothing short of loving toward the older couple. He couldn’t wait to buy the boys’ home, and now he was even curious to meet her possibly furious parents.

  Hayely crossed her arms over her chest. “You should knock,” she whispered adamantly.

  “On my own bedroom door?” he whispered back huskily. His gaze shifted from Hayely to the bed and back again.

  When he didn’t take a step toward her, she asked, “You’re going somewhere, aren’t you?”

  “Do you want me to stay?” Gary tilted his head to the side and ran his hand along his scruffy chin.

  “I—” she stammered.

  “Don’t worry. But this is going
to make me look like a terrible husband in front of the Bellmarks. I’ve got to head back into the office for a few hours. Since I’m taking the next couple days off to be with our guests, I’ve got to take care of some things tonight. You and I still need to talk.”

  “When will you be home?”

  He didn’t know if she felt disappointment or relief in the realization that she’d probably be asleep long before he returned from the office.

  “Late. Much later than I’d like. You shouldn’t wait for me. I’m sorry. Time will be on our side soon enough.”

  •

  As Gary left the room, Hayely sank down into the heavy feather-filled comforter alone on the big bed. Time on their side? Did he think she’d agree to keep up the charade longer now that she was unemployed? No - from the way she saw their situation, time was definitely against them. With only a couple months of security stretching ahead of her, a sense of dread was creeping over her a little more each day. In a matter of weeks, she’d have to leave Gary and this temporary home. If he felt the same stirrings she was feeling for him, he would have made it clear. And he hadn’t.

  Hayely was utterly and completely miserable by the time she drifted off into sleep.

  •

  As soon as they were firmly seated in their saddles, Mr. and Mrs. Bellmark grabbed the reins and took off atop their horses at a gallop. The powerful animals were Quarterhorses, and much too high strung for an elderly couple to be riding in Gary’s opinion. Mrs. Bellmark’s white ponytail whipped out behind her, bouncing along as her husband laughed at the sight and tried to catch up to her.

  “Doesn’t look like they’re going to need any lessons,” Hayely said. “Think we’ll ever see them again? They’ll be in California by tonight at that rate.”

  He smiled. “We’re going to have to get more than two good riding horses,” Gary observed. “Might even trade those two in. Never seemed like a priority until now.”

  “There’s one more horse in the stables. At least I think I saw a big black one in one of the stalls this morning.”

  “The Friesian? I suppose we could ride him together if you felt like it.”