by Regina Duke
As they returned to their rental, Megan was very quiet.
“Everything okay?” asked Kevin, opening the door for her again.
“I was just wondering what kind of person you must think I am. How many girls would agree to marry someone just to eliminate a debt?”
“Probably more than you think,” said Kevin. “But we’re a perfect match. How many guys would agree to marry in order to control the family trust?”
“Thousands,” said Megan with a straight face. “Maybe millions.”
Kevin laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Here, let me help you up.”
He got behind the wheel. “Now that we’re legal, I want to celebrate. Have you ever been to Reno before?”
“No. I grew up mostly in Cloverdale, California, and my parents would never choose ‘sin city’ for a vacation.” She put finger quotes around it. “That’s what my dad calls Reno and Las Vegas.”
“What does he call the Indian reservations with casinos?”
Megan shrugged. “No idea.”
“Have you ever been to Tahoe?”
“Never.”
“Then that’s where we’ll have dinner.”
Kevin concentrated on driving and was quietly pleased that Megan did not chatter all the way up Mount Rose Highway. He noticed that she kept one hand in her purse, fingering the marriage document. Once again, he felt a flickering doubt about Megan. But even if he was right, he could relax. They were married, and he’d managed to find a wife days before his birthday. From what he’d seen of Megan so far, he was certain she would be acceptable to his mother. What his father thought did not matter. Nothing he did would ever please his father, so why try?
Half the battle was won. He would take her home to the ranch for the wedding his mother was organizing. Friday, the wedding. Saturday, his birthday. Monday, meet with the lawyers and take over the Trust. Almost there.
Hang on, Karla. Just a few more days and your future will be secure. Then I can get back to my own life.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. And find out who the spy is.
As the scenery changed from high desert to forest, Megan began to perk up. By the time they reached Incline Village and Crystal Bay, she was leaning forward, eager to soak in the sights.
“This is beautiful! Everything is nestled among the trees.”
Kevin smiled. “I thought you’d like it. Now for the big question. I had to wait until we were legally bound, because your answer could make or break this whole relationship.”
Megan grew serious.
Kevin turned away so she couldn’t see him fighting a smile. When he could talk, he said, “Do you want dinner in a fancy restaurant? Or a picnic on the beach?”
Megan laughed. “Picnic! Picnic!”
Kevin grinned. “Good choice.” He pulled into a steep driveway. It led to an elevated parking lot with a large grocery store and several little shops backed up to the forest.
“I didn’t even see this from the road,” said Megan. “It all feels hidden away. I half expect to see fairies dancing in the woods.”
“No comment,” said Kevin. “Let’s go get some food. They’ve got a deli, too.”
Kevin pushed the grocery cart and let Megan make the food choices. He found himself watching her with pride. As other men noticed her, he wished he’d thought of a ring sooner, but then, his original plan had not included a quick marriage in Reno.
Megan did a quick examination of the cart. “Chicken, Dr. Pepper, potato salad, enchiladas—” She paused to give Kevin a dubious eye. “—a veggie tray, napkins, paper plates, plastic cutlery, and plastic cups. All done!”
“Not quite.” Kevin rolled the cart to the liquor aisle and picked out a bottle of champagne. Then he moved to the in-store bakery and picked out two chocolate eclairs. “Now we’re done.”
By the time they got to the beach, long fingers of shade were stretching along the sand. A cool breeze came off the water. Families and young couples were playing next to the lake. Catamarans danced along the chop.
Kevin found a shady spot and they settled on the sand.
Megan said, “Everyone is dressed for swimming but no one’s in the water.”
“Go get your feet wet and you’ll find out why.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Are there crabs in the water or something?”
Kevin laughed. “No, not at all.” He took off his shoes and socks and rolled up his pant legs. “Come on, I’ll go with you.”
It was obvious she didn’t trust him on this, but she got barefoot as well.
Kevin took her hand and led her to the shore, past squealing toddlers and lolling teens. A group of friends was launching a canoe.
Kevin let go of her hand and strode into the clear water, bracing for the impact. He turned a smiling face to her and said, “See? No sharks. No crabs. Come on in.”
The boys around the canoe paused to watch.
Megan moved forward cautiously.
Kevin extended a hand. “Here, I’ll make sure you don’t slip.”
Megan took his hand.
Kevin tightened his grip and tugged her forward. Her feet hit the ice cold water and she squealed with surprise.
Kevin laughed out loud. “Mountain run-off, from the snow pack to the lake.”
“My feet are freezing!” Megan tried to pull her hand free, but Kevin was having too much fun.
In self defense, she reached down and splashed water at him. As the icy wave hit his tee shirt, he roared and let go of her hand. Megan lost her balance and fell back on her bottom.
The shock of the cold water made her squeal again.
Kevin took pity on her and lifted her by one arm. “Water’s fifty degrees.”
Megan stood shivering, her capris soaked from the waist down. “Th-th-thanks. I would have g-g-guessed thirty-five!”
A quick return to the SUV for dry clothes was in order. Megan slipped into the ladies’ room and came out in a pair of khaki bermudas. She lay her wet capris over a sun-soaked stone to dry as they ate their picnic.
“Sorry about the bath,” said Kevin. “I just couldn’t resist.”
Megan gave him a lopsided smile. “I’m sure I’m not the first girl to have that trick played on her.”
Kevin was pleased that she wasn’t angry. “Food tastes so much better outdoors.”
“I agree,” said Megan.
Kevin poured champagne. “I thought we should make a toast to us.”
“Great idea.” Megan touched her plastic cup to Kevin’s. “Here’s hoping we both get what we need.”
“And want,” added Kevin.
They drank.
“Another,” said Kevin. “Here’s to picnics on the beach.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
They drank.
“One more,” said Kevin, smacking his lips and pouring champagne. “Here’s to driving the old man crazy by ripping my mother’s family money out of his hands.”
Megan giggled.
They drank.
“I have to stop,” said Kevin. “Or we’ll be spending the night on this beach.”
“The sun is going down.”
“It can’t be! We just got here!”
“We landed at two, were married by three, got to Tahoe at four, bought food, found the beach, got wet and cold, lingered over our picnic and you’re surprised it’s almost eight o’clock?”
Kevin gathered the remnants of their feast and stuffed it into bags. “We’d better get down to Reno and find a room for the night.”
“You didn’t do that already?” Megan hiccupped.
“No, sorry. But it’s Reno. The place is full of hotels. We’ll find something.”
Megan stretched out on the sand. “We can’t stay here and sleep under the stars?”
“Believe me, it will get very cool as soon as the sun sets.” He eyed her carefully. “You never drink alcohol, do you?”
“No. How can you tell?” Megan held one finger aloft and began trac
ing the outlines of puffy white clouds.
Kevin rolled his eyes, but couldn’t keep from smiling. “Okay. Here we go. Up and at’em.”
“My capris!”
“I’ll get them. Can you stand up?”
Megan looked miffed. “I’m fine. It was just a little champagne.”
“That’s all it takes when you aren’t used to it.” He reached for the capris.
Megan pointed at a large outcropping of rock that jutted into the water. “Why is that man looking at us through binoculars?”
Kevin whirled around.
The man with binoculars dropped out of sight.
“Did you see him?” asked Megan, with just the hint of a slur.
“Yes,” said Kevin coldly. “I did.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Safely back in the rental car, Megan felt her buzz fading fast. She glanced over at Kevin. He looked completely sober and super focused.
“You win,” she said.
“Excuse me?” He kept his eyes on traffic.
“You win the father competition. Your dad sent that spy, didn’t he?
“I think so, yes. He has employees all over the country.” He snapped his fingers as a sudden realization hit him. “He must have traced activity on my credit card! Mother said she was worried about his ability to track her financial activity, too.”
Megan sighed. “My dad would never do that.” Then she shrugged and added lightly, “Probably because he’d consider it too much trouble. But you still win.”
Kevin snorted. “That’s a win? Great. Lucky me.”
“How did this father/son rift start, anyway?”
“He was trying to run my life all the way through high school. Telling me who I could be friends with. Forcing me into private schools. I wanted to see the real world, not the sheltered universe for the children of the mega rich. So I decided to go away to college. Far away. University of Washington.”
Megan waved her fingers in the air. “Ooooo, big rebel. Went to an out-of-state university. Skipped Harvard and Yale.”
Kevin snapped, “I thought you wanted to hear this story?”
“Sorry. For people in my bracket, a rebel joins a motorcycle gang or becomes a Buddhist monk in Nepal. Going to a school your father doesn’t approve of hardly counts.”
“It counted in my father’s circles. I was turning my back on all the contacts I should be meeting and elbow-rubbing I should be doing at Harvard.”
“I get it. Different standard for different classes.” She frowned. “Hey, Kevin, do you think your father’s spy saw us get married in Reno?”
“No.” His reply was immediate.
“That was fast. How can you be so sure?”
“Because we’re still in one piece and we actually came out of the building man and wife.”
“Yikes. How did his man know we were in Tahoe?”
“Who knows? He probably bribed someone. But we didn’t tell anyone we were going to the Lake. That was spur of the moment. And I haven’t used my phone.” He slapped the steering wheel. “I bet there’s a GPS locator on this rental car. If you’re not afraid to bend the rules, there are ways to track people.”
“No offense, but I don’t think I like your father very much.”
“It’s a big club. Lots of room for new members.”
Megan laughed. “That’s funny. At least you have a sense of humor about it. Are you club president?”
“Nope. That would be my mother.”
Megan didn’t know what to say about that, so they rode on silence.
Kevin found them a room at the Sparks Nugget.
Once they reached the room, Megan began to wonder what Kevin would expect of her on their so-called wedding night. She could feel the butterflies starting deep inside, but didn’t know if they were caused by nervousness or excitement. After all, he was very handsome. Much more handsome than any of the boys she’d met in college. She didn’t run with the popular crowd. She always wound up in the library at a table filled with engineering majors or chemistry study groups. Kevin was only a year older than she was, but he seemed so much more mature than her college acquaintances. It had to be the lumberjack muscles that made the difference. The thought of pressing herself against his bare chest sent the butterflies into a frenzy.
But Kevin did not seem ready to call it a night.
“If you’ve never been to Reno or Vegas or an Indian casino, you’re probably not a gambler, right?”
“Bingo,” said Megan. A moment later, “I mean, you’re correct. And I don’t play Bingo either.”
Kevin grinned. He waved her close. “Tonight, you get it all out of your system.”
“I don’t have it in my system.”
“Think of it as a kiddie arcade.”
Megan’s face lit up. “Do they have one of those?”
After an hour at the kiddie arcade, Kevin was impressed by Megan’s prowess with the shooting games.
“Where did you learn to do that?”
“One of the jobs I did to work my way through college was at an arcade. I used to be good at the dancing games, too,” she said. “But I don’t think I’m ready for those yet.” Her hand once again dropped to her thigh.
“Ready for the grownup games?”
Megan tensed. The butterflies made another appearance. She could imagine them waiting in the wings with her heart as the stage. But way too many of them were downstairs in her stomach wreaking havoc.
Kevin said, “I mean the slot machines.”
“Oh, those! Sure, why not.” Megan smiled nervously, and scooted ahead of Kevin so he couldn’t see the expression of relief on her face.
The slot machines were entertaining. Megan enjoyed the musical ones the most. Still, she couldn’t help but flinch every time Kevin slipped another twenty into the slot. At last she couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Let’s not waste our money here,” she said. “We could have bought wedding bands with what we’ve stuffed into these machines.”
“Good point. Besides, it’s getting late and we’ve got an early flight.”
Back in the room, Megan brushed her teeth, put on her pink pajamas, picked one of the beds and crawled under the covers. Kevin disappeared into the bathroom.
Megan leaned back on the pillows and reminded herself that she had walked into this situation with her eyes open and her goal clearly in mind. Part of her had felt nothing but relief since she and Kevin signed the papers at the Courthouse. But another part of her had become increasingly nervous about their first night together.
And there was still the question of where her mother had moved to. And her father as well, of course. Then she felt guilty for not being equally concerned about both of them. She rolled her eyes at herself. Lying here in bed, waiting for her husband, she had other things to think about besides her parents!
Maybe she should just close her eyes and rest for a moment. It had been an eventful day.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Kevin showered to get the casino smell off. He dried off and slipped into his pajama bottoms. He wondered if Megan was expecting something romantic this evening. After all, they were married.
But Kevin couldn’t shake the feeling that having his way with her would be no better than harassing an employee. After all, Megan considered this whole arrangement a job. And how could he make advances on her when she was worried sick about her mother? He could tell she was worried, because she didn’t talk his ear off all day. There were far too many long silences during their drive to Tahoe and back.
As he brushed his teeth, he couldn’t believe he was concerned about not being talked to death. The brief hours they had spent together at the Pike Place Market had shown him a side of Megan that he found genuinely attractive. He wanted his fun-loving tourist back. She had been nervous ever since they got to the hotel.
Or maybe it was because of the man with the binoculars. Maybe she was already regretting what she’d gotten into. He hoped fervently that his father wasn’t up
to anything violent. Would he go that far?
Yes.
The word came unbidden to his mind. He had suspected for quite some time that his father was more than capable of getting rid of competition or stomping on it so violently that at least one man had committed suicide.
He rifled through his clothes for his cell phone. He opened the bathroom door for a moment, heard the TV droning, and softly closed the door. He could talk safely inside the bath. With the TV on, Megan wouldn’t hear anything. He dialed the number of the ranch foreman.
“Zach? Any news?”
“All good. Found the information and made the arrangements. Any other chores for me?”
“No, thanks. That was the one I was worried about.”
“I can’t wait to meet your fiancée. Am I going to like her?”
Kevin thought for a moment. “Actually, I think you will. Is Karla around?”
“At this hour?”
Kevin realized it was almost one a.m. “Sorry, Zach. My timing stinks.”
“No matter. I was still awake. But the main house is dark.”
“It will have to wait, then. We fly into Denver at noon, so we should get to the ranch by two.”
Zach was silent for a moment. Then, “You? Flying?”
Kevin perched on the edge of the sink. “Yes, me, flying. I finally tried the medicated route, and it helps a lot.”
“Want me to pick you up at the airport?”
“Not necessary. I know you must be super busy with mother and the kids there.”
Zach grunted into the phone. “You might say that. By the way, I got to warn you. Your sister Karla is plenty upset about this wedding. She said you were her only friend and now you’ll shut her out because you’ll have a wife.”
“She’s talking?”
“Only to me.”
“As usual,” said Kevin. “The poor kid. Try to reassure her, okay? I’m doing this for her.”
“Anything else I can help you with?”
“Not at the moment. Any sign of the old man?”
“No, but there’s a lot of tension in the main house. And I had to drive into town and refill your mother’s prescription.”
Kevin made a face. “Not a good sign. How’s Keegan?”
“Growing like a weed. Krystal sent him outside to play today, and he sat on a hay bale in the shade with his electronic game. Never looked up. He’s angry because he’s missing computer camp in the city.”