A Case for Calamity (Twelve Brides of Christmas Book 8)

by Mackenzie Crowne

  Chapter Nine

  Jane rubbed a fingertip over the simple neckline of her wedding dress. Spotting the wispy creation in the window of her favorite second-hand boutique, her mind had filled with images of Audrey Hepburn and old black-and-white romance classics. She’d gone inside, thinking the vintage cocktail dress in cream lace would be perfect for the random holiday party.

  Little did she know she’d be donning it for her Christmas Day wedding less than a month later.

  Surrounded by the treasures of her childhood, she followed Shae’s restless movements. Her friend paced the room where they’d shared girlish joys and dreams and lamented occasional disappointments.

  “Would you please settle somewhere? You’re making me nervous.”

  “I can’t help it.” Shae flopped to the edge of the bed. “My best friend is marrying a man she doesn’t know, and it’s my fault.”

  “Yeah, some best friend you are, forcing me to go up to Gabe’s hotel room and take off my clothes.”

  Shae’s blue eyes narrowed to slits, but guilt broadcasted in her throaty groan. “I don’t know how you can be so calm.”

  “I don’t have a choice, remember?”

  “I remember. I just don’t believe it. Dad says Gabe is a tough businessman, but he’s an honorable man.”

  Residual hurt colored Jane’s sharp sigh. “An honorable man who threatened to sue me for custody of the baby I’m carrying unless I agreed to marry him.”

  “Maybe he was bluffing.”

  Snatching up her favorite lipstick tube, she turned to face the mirror. A deep breath helped rid her face of the sadness wrinkling her brow. She leaned close and slashed color across her lips. “If you’d seen his face when he made the threat, you’d know he wasn’t.”

  “Okay, but why the rush? You have months before the baby is born. Why not take some time to get to know one another first?”

  Jane rubbed her lips together, capping the tube of deep red lipstick before shrugging. She’d agreed to Gabe’s demand they marry. Whatever happened after today happened. “Who knows? He doesn’t trust me. Considering how we met, can you blame him? Maybe he thinks if I have the time to think, I’ll come up with some other solution. Or maybe he wants me close so he can keep an eye on me. Mother made it sound like I was working myself into an early grave. He’s concerned for the health of the baby.”

  She replaced the tube of lipstick on the vanity and spun around on the stool. “Whatever his reasons, marrying him gives me an ace in the hole. After today, I’ll have access to grandmother’s inheritance. I’ll have the funds to fight him.” Sadness washed through her and she pressed a hand to her belly above where their baby grew. Maybe it was just a case of the power of suggestion, but over the past week she’d begun to consider the possibilities he suggested. Could they recapture the passion and friendship they’d discovered that night in Paris? Could they build on the overwhelming pleasure they found in each other’s company that night and form a lasting relationship? The happiness of their child demanded she try.

  If they couldn’t, Gabe would become her enemy in truth. The possibility sent a lash of pain through her heart.

  “You make it sound so clinical, but I know you better than that. You’re a romantic who believes in possibilities. What happens to your happily-ever-after in a few minutes, when you marry a man you don’t love?”

  She shook off the gloom of her thoughts and rested her other hand on her still-flat belly. “My happily-ever-after is growing inside me as we speak.” Shae’s guilty groan made her smile. “Seriously. It’s not that bad. As strange as it sounds, I went to Gabe’s room that night because I’d fallen halfway in love with him as we walked the streets of Paris. By the time I left his hotel the next morning, I’d slipped the rest of the way.”

  “Oh, Jane.” Shae’s eyes shimmered with moisture.

  Tears stung the back of Jane’s throat. She blinked them away. “You’re right. I am a romantic. I’m marrying a gorgeous guy who obviously finds me attractive. Attraction can grow to caring, and caring to love.”

  And if she was fooling herself, if Gabe’s reasons for marrying her were simply a ruse designed to gain him his victory? Her heart vehemently denied that outcome. If all he was after was the baby, with the side benefit of convenient sex, she’d have to learn to live with a broken heart.

  She sighed and pasted on what she hoped was a bright smile. “Besides, it’s Christmas. It’s a day for miracles. All I have to do is remain open to the possibility.”

  Shae leaned forward and squeezed her hand. “Are you sure?”

  She squeezed back, picked up her bouquet of blood red amaryllis blooms accented with sprigs of holly, and stood. “Of course not, but I’m doing it anyway.”

  ****

  Jane waited for her father in the foyer while Shae slipped into the living room where the service would be held. Eyeing the front door, nerves urged her to make a run for it while no one was around, but those possibilities she’d mentioned kept her where she was.

  Her right palm tingled at the memory of the kiss Gabe left there yesterday. Sitting across from her in the swanky Manhattan office where they’d met to sign the prenuptial agreements, his eyebrows shot to his hairline upon learning of the terms of her grandmother’s bequest, but instead of being angry at what had to be a surprising development, he’d actually seemed pleased.

  A satisfied smile curved his lips as he signed the papers and watched her do the same. When he dropped her back at her apartment, his eyes had simmered with the sensual heat she hadn’t seen since Paris. He’d brushed his lips over her palm before telling her he’d see her in the morning.

  She had no idea what to expect after this morning’s short ceremony. Considering the angry words they’d shared of late, she didn’t expect him to sweep her away to a romantic location this evening, but then, there was that kiss and the sensual intensity in his eyes yesterday…

  What did they mean?

  Her belly fluttered when her father joined her.

  “You look beautiful.” He kissed her cheek.

  “Thanks, Dad.” She adjusted the knot of his tie, an unnecessary move, as he was impeccably dressed, as usual, in his dark, double-breasted suit. “So do you.”

  “Ready?” He lifted his brow as though unsure of her response.

  He needn’t worry. She’d made her decision and wouldn’t be changing her mind. She slipped her arm through his. “Ready.”

  Father Martin waited in front of the large fireplace mantel. To his left, her mother smiled brightly. Beside her, Keith grinned a bit hesitantly. He held Shae’s hand, while on the right, a sober-faced Melanie Archer stood at Gabe’s side.

  Jane suppressed a nervous shiver and switched her focus to her groom, studying him from beneath lowered lashes. Physically, she couldn’t have chosen better. Minus the usual Stetson, his shock of thick black hair was combed into submission. Splendid in black on black, his tailored suit rode his wide shoulders perfectly, defining his broad chest, trim waist, and long, muscled legs. His tie, a crisp slash of seasonal red, the exact shade of the flowers Jane carried, was the only touch of color in a sea of black. Had he worn the tie with her bouquet in mind, or was his choice a mere coincidence?

  His eyes, those mesmerizing moss-green orbs, found hers. Sober, studying, they followed her as a predator would his prey. A shiver of awareness started at her toes, climbing up her body and leaving gooseflesh behind.

  Her father brought her to a halt and brushed his lips over the curve of her cheek. “Your mother and I are proud of you.”

  Jerked from the sensual pull sucking her into the bottomless depths of Gabe’s eyes, she pulled away to stare up at her father. Tears stung and misted her vision. For years, she’d done everything she could to win her parents’ approval, without success. This morning, as she took a step she wasn’t completely sure would end in happiness, they were finally proud? She glanced to her mother, whose calculating gaze was otherwise occupied studying Gabe, or possibly Melanie. Ja
ne couldn’t be sure which, not that it mattered.

  Her gaze met Keith’s. He winked, but his hesitant smile had gone sad.

  She pivoted her head and found Gabe watching her. His brows furrowed in silent question. She’d spent her whole life trying to please two people she would never understand. Was she marrying another?

  The ceremony passed in a blur. She couldn’t recall a word she said, but when Father Martin pronounced them husband and wife, she figured she’d given the proper responses.

  “You may kiss the bride.”

  The words brought awareness slamming back into sharp focus. She caught and held her breath as Gabe lowered his head to hers, but instead of his devastating flavor exploding in her mouth, as it had each time he kissed her that night in Paris, she barely got the taste of him. His lips brushed hers in a featherlight caress before he lifted his head, straightening to thank Father Martin and shake his hand.

  Her new husband kept her close to his side as she accepted congratulatory hugs from both her parents and from Keith and Shae, then turned to re-introduce her to his grandmother.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Archer. Thank you for attending. I know your presence means a lot to Gabe.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed it, and you have no need to thank me. We’re family now.”

  Jane wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Have you met everyone? My parents and brother and”—she lifted a hand in her best friend’s direction—“my maid of honor, Shae Austin?”

  “I had the pleasure of meeting everyone while waiting for you to appear in that absolutely stunning dress. Wherever did you find it?”

  Admitting to one of the wealthiest women in North America that she’d found her wedding dress in a used clothing store made Jane’s palms sweat. Instead of answering, she smiled. “I knew the moment I saw it, I had to have it.”

  “A secret, eh? Well, no matter. I’ll find out eventually, and I can see why such a dress caught your eye. It’s a wise woman who knows the value of combining quality with style.” A knowing smile creased her face. “My grandson can’t keep his eyes off you.”

  Jane glanced up at Gabe to find Melanie spoke the truth. He watched her with hooded green eyes.

  “I have a wedding gift for you both.”

  She turned back to Melanie as her mother broke from her conversation with Father Martin to move closer, not bothering to hide her interest.

  Jane shifted uncomfortably. “That isn’t necessary.”

  Melanie waved a hand. “Gabe says you were reluctant to accept his proposal because you’re distrustful of the reasons behind his request for your hand.”

  Heat bloomed on her face. Unsure what to say, she kept silent.

  Melanie sent Gabe a warm smile. He nodded, and she pulled an envelope from her clutch bag. She handed it to Jane.

  With all eyes on her, Jane slid a finger along the seam and pulled out a check. She nearly choked at the amount. Her mother leaned closer and gasped.

  “He also told me about your grandmother’s bequest and how you believe you’ll one day need to use your inheritance to fight him for custody of my great-grandchild.”

  The heat in Jane’s cheeks flared, and her guilty gaze flew to Gabe. He watched her with an intensity that melted her insides and made her legs weak.

  His grandmother recaptured her attention by tapping a finger to the five-million-dollar note in her hand, made out to Jane alone. “I think that should more than cover any court cases, don’t you?”

  Stunned, Jane could only nod her head.

  Melanie smiled keenly. “You must understand. I couldn’t let Gabe gut the business he’s worked so hard to build—on his own, mind you, without my help.”

  Jane’s gaze jerked back to Gabe. “Gut your business? I don’t understand.”

  He brought his hand up to palm her cheek. “I’d planned to write that check myself.”

  She shook her head helplessly. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because today marks a new beginning for us. Letting my wife stress for even one minute, believing I’ve married her to get my hands on our child, would have been a…calamity.”

  Calamity? She blinked. “How…?”

  His handsome face softened with his smile. “When a man falls in love, he needs all the help he can get.” He winked over her shoulder. She followed his gaze and rolled her eyes at her brother’s grin.

  Wait…when a man falls in love? Wonder shimmered in her heart, and she whipped her head back around to meet Gabe’s smiling gaze. “You didn’t marry me just to get your hands on the baby?”

  “Nope.” He slid his arms around her waist.

  Relief made her dizzy. She bit her bottom lip while gazing up into his twinkling eyes. “And you’re not upset you’ve tied yourself to a woman with the nickname of Calamity Jane? A very deserving nickname, I might add.”

  His secret-weapon dimples flashed in a quickfire grin. Tightening his hold on her, he tucked her closer. “To the contrary. You could say I have a case for calamity.”

  Surrounded by his strong arms, joy, warm and full, bloomed in her heart and soul. She lowered her gaze to stare at his throat. “You love me?”

  He dipped his knees and cocked his head to gaze into her eyes. “I’ve been searching for you since the morning you disappeared from my bed without so much as a kiss goodbye. What do you think?”

  Her gaze skittered away, skipping over the parents who had found only fault with her for as long as she could remember, to land on Melanie. Gabe’s grandmother smiled softly and nodded as if giving her blessing. Then she winked.

  Happiness bubbled up from the deepest corners of Jane’s soul until she couldn’t contain her delight. She dropped her forehead to Gabe’s chest and started to laugh.

  He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her face. Love gleamed in his smiling eyes. “Jane?”

  Her giddy smile started in her heart and quickly spread to her face. “Since this is a new beginning, can we start again?”

  He grinned and pressed a kiss to her nose. “Works for me. Hello, darlin’. My name is Gabe Sutton.”

  Wriggling until he loosened his hold, she looped her arms around his neck and held on tight. “Hello back.” She grinned. “My name is Jane Sutton, and oh, by the way. I love you, too.”

  A word about the author...

  Raised in the Boston area, Mac and her husband now live in Phoenix where they raised two rambunctious little boys into wonderful men.

  Dirt bikes and ESPN are the order around their house, and life at the “Testosterone Ranch” more closely resembles one of today’s wacky reality shows than yesterday’s “Leave It To Beaver.”

  The grandmother of two, Mac’s love of the romance genre has been a lifelong affair.

  A bout with breast cancer strengthened her resolve to see her stories shared with others. As of today, Mac is a six-year survivor, living her dream.

  Visit her at:

  http://mackenziecrowne.com

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