Gwen wasn’t at all numb, and her involuntary reactions to Zane were making her nervous. The second they were outside the tent, she moved her arm just enough to discretely get rid of his hand.
She could see that the mingling had begun again. People were milling, talking and laughing. “Come on,” Zane said. “You have to meet the bride and groom.”
“Of course,” she murmured, and once again he took her elbow, this time to steer her toward the newlyweds. After introductions, Gwen offered congratulations and best wishes. Since others were waiting to do the same, she and Zane didn’t linger. But she’d sensed something from Parker Malone that she’d felt with no one else today.
“Does your friend know I’m a paid date?” she asked sharply.
Zane was startled. “Absolutely not! No one knows, and I’d just as soon keep it that way. What made you think Parker knew about our arrangement?”
Gwen felt a little foolish. “Obviously I misunderstood his, uh, scrutiny.”
“He’s curious, Gwen, same as everyone else. He might be even more curious than most because we’re good friends and I never mentioned you to him. Which I couldn’t do, of course, since you and I only met yesterday.”
“You sound angry. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
“I’m not angry. Look, we’ll be eating soon. Maybe you’d like to go to your bedroom and freshen up.”
Gwen eagerly grasped at the opportunity to be alone for a few minutes. “Yes, I would. How do I find it?”
“There are people in the house directing traffic. Most of the family will be staying overnight. Just tell anyone your name and someone will show you to your room. I’ll go over and talk to Dad and Lily while you’re gone.”
Grateful for his thoughtfulness, Gwen laid a hand on Zane’s arm. “Thank you.”
Zane grinned. “Maybe I’m not as bad as you thought, huh?”
Gwen flushed. “If I gave you that impression, I apologize. See you later.”
Zane walked over to Ryan and Lily. “Great wedding, Lily,” he said. “Hannah is very good at her craft.”
“Yes, she is,” Lily agreed, obviously proud of the career Hannah had built around planning weddings and other special events.
“Zane,” Ryan said with a broad, approving smile, “your companion is a lovely girl. Is it serious this time?”
The one person Zane didn’t want to lie to was his dad. Lily, with her usual tact, saved him from doing so. “Ryan, darling, why don’t we just wait and see?” She smiled at Zane. “We’re all very glad you brought Gwen with you today.”
“Thanks, Lily. So, when’s the big day for the two of you?”
“Shortly after Christmas,” Lily replied. “The invitations should be going out in a week or so. Oh, there’s Cole and Annie. Cole! Annie!” she called.
In a few minutes there was a small crowd around Ryan and Lily, and Zane slipped away. He peeked into the second large tent and saw the many tables set up for the wedding feast, which he could see was going to be buffet-style. Waiters in white jackets scurried to get everything ready. The long tables of food were already laden, and more was being brought in as Zane watched. There was also a small stage where musicians were preparing to entertain the guests. Zane took note of the cases of champagne, scotch and bourbon stacked behind two different bars as bartenders readied glasses, napkins and cocktail mixes.
Grinning, Zane shook his head. Obviously a Texas-style party was in the making. A Fortune-style party, he amended. Sensing someone behind him, he turned to find his sister Vanessa, whom he greeted with a hug.
“How are you, Zane?” Vanessa asked.
“Couldn’t be better,” he said breezily.
“Your lady friend took everyone by surprise.”
“Did she really?”
“I like her, Zane. She seems to fit you.”
“You mean that Gwen and I look like a couple?” Zane asked teasingly.
“The two of you strike me that way, yes, but you seem amused by the idea.” Vanessa sighed. “Is Gwen just another short-term girlfriend? She appears to be so much more.”
Zane braced himself for an out-and-out lie. “She means a lot to me, Vanessa.” But then he saw the sudden hope on his sister’s face and quickly added, “Of course, who knows how long that will last? Personal relationships are such damnably unpredictable things.”
Vanessa looked disappointed. “Your relationships have been very predictable, Zane, which I find terribly sad.”
“Sad! Sis, there’s nothing sad about my life-style.”
“Since I’m on the outside looking in, I’ll have to take your word for it. But, Zane, when you finally fall in love—I mean really fall in love—then you’ll realize what you’ve been missing by flitting from woman to woman.”
Zane laughed with genuine relish. “I guarantee that I haven’t been missing much, old girl.”
Vanessa couldn’t help laughing too. “Don’t you ‘old girl’ me, Zane Fortune! You’re four years older than I am, and don’t you forget it.”
While Zane and Vanessa teased each other and laughed together, Gwen enjoyed the silence of the lovely bedroom to which she’d been shown. As Zane had predicted, her suitcase had been brought up, and she unpacked her things. The room had a private bathroom, and the two rooms were decorated in a delicate lemony color.
Gwen wished she could stay in that lovely suite for the rest of the day, but of course that wasn’t an option. She had to earn that two-thousand dollars; Zane certainly wouldn’t pay her that sum if she hid in her bedroom. Dinner was still to come, then dancing and partying until a supper was served at midnight. The best Gwen could hope for was that Zane would call it a day long before the midnight meal.
Sighing, she washed her hands at the sink and took stock of her face in the mirror above it. Her hairdo was still in place and her makeup was fine, except for her lipstick which took about five seconds to refresh.
She brushed small specks from her stylish black suit and was glad she’d worn it. She’d noticed quite a few women wearing black today, and had, in fact, received several compliments on her outfit.
Thus far, she felt that she had fielded questions about Zane and herself quite well. There’d been a lot more curious looks than outright questions, she realized, and if that pattern continued she wouldn’t have to relate any detailed stories about how they’d met and how long they had known each other.
Of course, right now she didn’t know which was worse—lying or telling the truth. If she was honest with herself, she could not deny that she was exceptionally attracted to Zane—and becoming more so with every minute they pretended to be a couple. But she didn’t try to kid herself about how he might feel about her. Their arrangement was business and nothing more. Tomorrow he would pay her, and other than the off-chance of running into each other when she went to his house to bathe Alamo or to take care of other chores, they would never see each other again.
The thing that seemed so unfair about it all was that she had not been even slightly attracted to another man since her widowhood. Why her hormones should suddenly come to life over Zane Fortune, a man she could never have, was an annoying mystery. He was a Fortune, and she was…well, what was she, other than a woman alone who struggled daily to feed and clothe her children? Yes, she could dress herself up as she’d done today and put on a pretty good show of sophistication, but down deep she wasn’t a bit sophisticated. She was ordinary—very, very ordinary—and Zane Fortune was anything but.
It was time she returned to the party, and Gwen left the bedroom. She said a pleasant hello to everyone she saw as she made her way through Ryan’s fabulous home to reach the same door through which she’d entered the mansion.
A short plump woman with a lovely silver streak in her black hair approached her. “Hello. You’re Zane’s friend, Gwen Hutton. I’m Rosita Perez. You probably met my daughter Maggie. She’s married to Dallas.”
“Why yes, I did meet Maggie.” Gwen offered her hand for a handshake, and Rosita Perez
took it in both of hers, startling Gwen into a stammer. “It’s, uh, very nice meeting you, Mrs. Perez.”
“Call me Rosita,” she said as she turned Gwen’s hand over and peered at her palm. “Ah, yes, just as I suspected.”
“You suspected what?” Gwen said cautiously. Was this woman a little light in the upper story, or what?
“You’re in love,” Rosita said calmly. “And you will be married right after the new year. What’s this I see? Children! How wonderful! You and Zane will have four children.”
Gwen yanked her hand back. “Mrs. Perez, everything you think you saw in my hand is as far from the truth as it could get. Now, if you’ll excuse me?”
“You’re quite wrong, my dear,” Rosita called out cheerfully as Gwen hastened away.
Outside, Gwen tried to calm her shaken system with breaths of fresh air. Without a doubt Rosita Perez was the strangest person she’d met here today. Zane’s relatives might be curious about his latest girlfriend, but at least they were polite about it.
Latest girlfriend? Gwen’s spirits dropped another notch. She was a hired girlfriend, and she had better not forget it for even a moment!
In the next heartbeat she saw Zane walking toward her. Apparently he’d been watching for her. How was she going to get through the rest of today and then tomorrow morning with him being so consistently attentive, when she couldn’t seem to rid herself of feelings for the man that just kept going deeper?
Well, she had to do it, that was all there was to it. She had to smile and talk and act as though he wasn’t the most incredible guy she’d ever met. Inwardly she groaned. Why was this happening to her?
Zane walked up to her and smiled. “Is your room satisfactory?”
“It’s a lovely room. Zane, I met the strangest woman in the house. She’s Maggie’s mother, Rosita, and when I offered to shake her hand, she took mine and read my palm.”
Zane let out a whoop of laughter. “So you met our local oracle.”
Gwen’s jaw dropped. “Are you saying she’s a genuine soothsayer?”
“I’m only saying this, Gwen. Rosita Perez has accurately predicted many an event, and folks around here have come to respect her predictions.”
“You don’t mean it,” Gwen said weakly.
“What did she see in your palm?”
“Uh, I’d rather not say. I don’t believe in that foolishness, anyhow, so it doesn’t matter what she told me.”
“Really,” Zane said with a small chuckle. “Know what I think? I think Rosita told you something that shook your underpinnings, and you wish she hadn’t. Come on, be a sport and tell me what she said.”
“Think what you want. I’m still not telling you what she said to me.” Gwen noticed people filing into the second tent. “Shall we join the others?”
Zane nodded amiably, but he would have given almost anything to know what Rosita had told Gwen. Maybe he could pry it out of Rosita, but he’d much rather hear it from Gwen.
As they strolled toward the dinner tent, he realized how much he was enjoying the day. And his enjoyment was mostly thanks to Gwen. That was food for thought—some very pleasant thought, he discovered.
Throughout the meal people kept rising and offering toasts to the newlyweds. Gwen’s—and everyone else’s—champagne glass was filled again and again. Gwen became more mellow and relaxed with each swallow she took of the most delicious champagne she’d ever tasted. She realized, if a bit fuzzily, that she was truly enjoying herself. It was becoming much easier to smile at Zane, and even to flirt with him. It was, in fact, almost possible to forget that she was being paid to flirt with him for the benefit of his female relatives, and to pretend that this was a real date.
When he laid his arm across the back of her chair, she smiled and leaned his way. He whispered in her ear, “This is great. I’d bet anything that a good half of my family is wondering when our wedding is going to take place.”
“Right after the new year,” Gwen murmured dreamily.
“Pardon? I didn’t catch that.”
Gwen felt heat in her face. “Uh, it was nothing.” How could she have repeated Rosita’s prediction so carelessly? It certainly was not going to come true, for pity’s sake. Watch yourself, Gwen Hutton!
The bride and groom got up to dance the first dance, and soon others were dancing as well. Zane talked quietly, for Gwen’s ears alone. “I should dance with you first, then do a little circulating.”
“Whatever you say.”
A few minutes later she was on the dance floor with Zane, and he was holding her as a lover held a woman. It had been a long time since Gwen had done any dancing, especially this kind of dancing, and she unconsciously stroked the back of Zane’s neck as they floated around the dance floor, all but glued together.
The intimate caress startled Zane for a moment, but then he told himself that Gwen was merely putting on a good act. Rationalizing didn’t stop his body from responding, however, and he brought her closer still and deliberately inhaled her arousing scent. However this whole thing had started out with Gwen, business deal or not, he knew now that he wanted her. She hadn’t only impressed his family and friends today, she had impressed him.
“You’re very beautiful,” he whispered.
“Thank you, kind sir. You’re beautiful too, you know,” she said teasingly.
“You think I’m still pretending, Gwen, but I’m not. You really are beautiful.”
The hoarseness in his voice jolted Gwen a bit, but she could only think that if he wasn’t pretending at this moment, then he was handing her a line.
“I know all about your reputation with women,” she whispered, “so please don’t insult me with false flattery just because we both drank too much champagne.”
For a few seconds Zane was at a loss. He certainly hadn’t expected that sort of reply, and it hurt that she would bring up his reputation at a time like this.
“Don’t you recognize a sincere compliment when you hear one?” he finally asked.
“Yes, I believe I do.”
“Meaning you don’t believe in my sincerity.”
“That sounds about right.” The music had stopped and they had stopped dancing, but Zane kept holding her. She tilted her head back to see his face and was rather surprised by his frowning expression. “Right now you are getting exactly what you wanted from today. People are watching,” she said, adding, “A lot of people. You really should erase that frown or they’ll think we just had a disagreement.”
“Right now I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks,” Zane growled. “Except for you.”
“Why would it matter to you what I thought about anything?”
“That’s a damn good question and maybe it’s something we should both think about.” Releasing his hold on her, he took her hand and led her back to their table. When she was seated, he leaned over and said, “I’m going to dance with Lily and my sisters. Will you be all right?”
“Of course I’ll be all right,” she stated confidently, but after he’d gone she sucked in the breath she needed very badly and told her racing pulse to calm down. Without question Zane had come on to her. She’d imagined all sorts of things happening today and this evening, but not that. And the turmoil in her system because of a few words of phony flattery scared the daylights out of her.
What scared her even more, though, were her own reactions to Zane Fortune. Whatever had made her think that she would be impervious to the famous Fortune charm?
Four
Gwen left the tent to avoid having to dance with someone else while Zane was away. Instead of going to the house and to her bedroom, as she would have liked to do, Gwen sat just outside the tent on a lawn chair. The sounds of music, merry laughter and a hundred conversations caused Gwen to heave a sigh. The disparity in the life-styles of the very rich and people like herself suddenly seemed more conspicuous than it had all day. Obviously she’d been so caught up in pretense that she’d believed her own charade. And it had been fun for a while being
all dressed up and socializing with the upper crust. Yes, she’d had moments of genuine enjoyment today.
But then reality—her reality—had returned. Zane Fortune making a pass—or rather, handing her a line—had brought her back to earth.
Gwen wished he hadn’t done that. Other than a few strained moments, they had gotten along quite well all day, and now she felt as though she was no more than the most current entry on his list of ‘Possible Conquests.’ She was not going to advance to the ‘Conquest’ list, no matter how handsome, charming and downright sexy he was. And Zane was those things and more, she thought miserably. Why couldn’t she find a man of her own class who could knock her dead with a smile and then bring her back to life by simply breathing in her ear?
There’s no such person, you romantic fool! Even Zane Fortune isn’t Prince Charming.
“But he’s close,” Gwen mumbled under her breath.
“There you are.” Zane pulled a lawn chair over to the one Gwen was using and sat next to her. “I saw you leave, but I thought you only wanted a breath of cool air and would come back in a minute or so. Are you tired, Gwen? Would you like to call it a day?”
Would I ever! “I am tired, Zane,” she said evenly. “Would leaving before the party is over insult anyone?”
Zane chuckled. “That party could go on until dawn. Oh, you didn’t get to see Parker and Hannah’s departure. She threw her bouquet directly at her mother. Lily couldn’t have missed catching it if she’d tried.”
“Well, apparently she’s going to be the next bride in the family, so it was sweet of Hannah to toss Lily her bouquet.” After a pause, Gwen added, “Hannah and Parker seem perfect together.”
“They do now, but they went through a lot to reach this stage.”
“I guess true love rarely runs smoothly. Isn’t that what the poets say?”
Hired Bride Page 4