by L. J. Wilson
For the next few hours, Aaron had no choice but to comply. Breaking Stefan’s neck before he’d figured out what was going on seemed counterintuitive. Ruby would only end up mourning her never-to-be-husband. Actually, Aaron thought that scenario wasn’t entirely without merit. At least Stefan would be out of the picture. He’d wandered aimlessly, derelict in every Abstract Enchantment task he attempted. The only thing he’d responded to was Shauna, after literally running into her in the lobby. She wanted to firm up their plans for that evening. He considered saying he couldn’t keep the date because—well, wouldn’t you know—he was still hopelessly in love with the boss’s fiancée. But that seemed like a rough out, so he agreed, saying he’d pick her up at seven.
Aaron went on, feeling like a caged animal on the sweeping grounds of Abstract Enchantment—forced to reflect in a place he wanted to tear apart. He’d taken his lunch break, with no food, sitting on the far side of the gazebo, staring through the thicket of reeds. How could something so beautiful and perfect have turned into this? It was beginning to make prison feel like a country club. He put the question to Alec, who’d stopped by to make sure… Well, to make sure Aaron hadn’t acted on any of his reflective thoughts.
“I made some phone calls, did some checking,” Alec said. “This Stefan is either exactly what he appears, or he’s one of the slickest customers I’ve ever come across. His bio reads like the Gentleman’s Guide to Better Living—born in Europe… Germany. Made his way to the states at seventeen, full scholarship to Yale, masters from Wharton. It looked like he was into some entrepreneurial stuff that maybe didn’t make him the millions he wanted. Then he came to work for Windamere about six years ago, shot up the corporate ranks fast.”
Aaron nodded. “I was afraid you might say that. Did you know he helped Ruby and Tandy reconnect?”
“Yeah. You said that.” Alec stared. “Look, Aaron, as much as I hate to say it… well, things might just be what they seem.”
Aaron stood, shouting, “No! There’s no way this is real… This can’t be what Ruby wants.”
“Let me ask you a question. Is there anything… anyone Ruby could want that would be okay with you?”
He had a point. Aaron entertained the idea for a moment, running altruistic types through his head—doctors, firemen, and other doers of good deeds. None of them would be easy to accept, but at least they wouldn’t be Stefan Gerard in his custom-tailored suits and manicured man hands—less one notable scar. “I don’t know,” he said, answering honestly as he turned away from Alec.
His brother’s deep voice drilled from behind. “Aaron, hard as it might be, you may have to acknowledge what is.”
Aaron turned back, his face somber as a funeral procession.
“Okay. I get it. That might not be doable. But if it’s too much, maybe you ought to think about walking away. The law said you had to serve time. There was no ruling on masochism. You don’t have to hang around here and torture yourself. And another thing, even more important, you cannot afford to lose it on this guy. Do you get that, Aaron? There can’t be any kind of trouble. All he has to do is make one phone call—”
“You think I give a shit about that?”
“I think you will if he’s here with Ruby and your ass is sitting back on cell block nine.”
Aaron shook his head. “I can’t. I can’t just walk away from her.” His hand thrust toward the lake. “It was bad enough when Stefan said he was marrying a stranger on that beach. But now…” He couldn’t even say it, the idea that Ruby would marry Stefan Gerard on the piece of earth… The idea that she’d be willing… It was inconceivable. “I told you—more or less—where it was headed between Ruby and me in that room. Fuck it, Alec, if she’d slammed the door on my balls after slapping my face, then I’d say you have a point.” He looked hard at his brother. “But that’s not what happened. Not even close.”
“I’m just playing devil’s advocate here—looking out for you because clearly you’re not going to do that. We all know how much that girl loved you.” Alec came closer. “She was very young, Aaron. I remember you telling me back then, it concerned you—how innocent Ruby was… Girls… women, they’re different. And what went down back then, that’s some tough shit to get over, the way it all ended.”
Aaron’s hands clasped behind his head. “Nothing about this feels like it’s ended.”
“Okay, then consider this. Maybe what happened in that suite was residual.”
“Meaning?” Aaron said, his hands dropping to his waist.
“Residual in that Ruby did momentarily give into old feelings… or…” Alec hesitated before moving on to his next thought. “Or—and don’t take a swing at me—but it could be that Ruby was going for payback… a cerebral, even more painful kick in the balls. I could see where lots of women would go straight for the groin. Ruby was smarter than that. She’d aim for what would really hurt,” Alec said, patting his heart.
“When did you become an expert on how women think—somewhere between Hazel and Heidi?”
“Point taken. But even a guy dedicated to in-passing relationships has to be able to choose wisely.”
“I suppose it explains your romantic longevity—shortsighted as it is.” Aaron kept his cool, keeping his eyes on the thick grassy reeds. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “Ruby wasn’t fucking with me. I know she wasn’t.”
“All right, even if she wasn’t, where does it leave you? Ruby didn’t say that her choices were a mistake and you’re who she wants.”
It was quiet. Aaron wanted to object, but he was out of reasonable arguments.
“Aar… Know that I hate saying this to you. But there’s too much at stake. You can’t lose sight of what will happen if you make an issue out of this, publically or privately. Think about it. You left that room—alone. Ruby stayed there… with the man she’s going to marry.”
“Ruby, are you sure you’re all right?”
She’d barely moved since closing the door on Aaron, just to the sofa where she busied herself with a cup of tea. But Ruby abandoned even that simple distraction, her hands shaking so much Stefan would surely notice. Clearly, he was catching the vibe in the air. “I’m fine,” she insisted, still adjusting the robe.
“Is there… is there something you want to talk about?”
“Talk about?” Her gaze averted his, focused on the courtyard view.
“I’m wondering… Well, something makes me want to ask how well you knew Aaron all those years ago?”
Ruby closed her eyes. Lying to Stefan after all he’d done was grossly unfair. On the other hand, she couldn’t think of one good thing to come out of the truth. At the very least, Stefan would fire him. She didn’t want to consider the very most. But isn’t that what I should want… to see Aaron back in jail? It was all so conflicting and confusing. “I told you,” she said, going for a middle of the road response. “Everyone knows the Clairmonts. The Tribe of Five, that’s how all of Nickel Springs refers to them. Their parents died when Alec, the oldest, was in his early twenties. Sebastian and Evie, they were killed in a plane crash—South America, somewhere remote. They never found the charter plane they were on.”
“How terrible.”
“It was. After that, Alec was allowed to take a leave from the military. He did his best to keep them all together. Troy was so young. Jake and Honor… they’re twins,” she said, tossing in generic tidbits. “They weren’t much older.”
“Jake Clairmont,” he said, tapping his chin. “Like the movie actor?”
“That’s right,” Ruby said, relieved by the veer in conversation. “Jake took off from here when he was eighteen. He’s turned into Nickel Springs’ claim to fame.”
“I’d have to agree. Even I know of him, and you know I don’t follow celebrity nonsense.” His head tipped at Ruby. “But that doesn’t answer my question. How well did you know Aaron?”
He never missed a beat. “Better than I knew Jake,” she said truthfully. “Aaron, he worked for the town a
t one point.”
“I see. He mentioned that when we first met.” Stefan’s stare was examining. “Clearly, Aaron Clairmont hasn’t had his brother’s luck in life. I hired him knowing he’d just been released from prison. I didn’t ask the details because I didn’t want to know. I thought if I were to do something benevolent, it should be based on the idea of a fresh start. But now…”
“I think you’re right, Stefan.” Ruby spoke quickly, sitting up straight. He was far too close to asking a question she’d have to answer. “It was generous of you to give Aaron a second chance. I don’t know that he would have found employment otherwise—not in Nickel Springs.”
He leaned into the sofa, his fingers tucking Ruby’s hair behind her ear. “And he’s done a fine job so far. You just seem so… startled by his presence.”
“Of course I was startled. Last I’d heard Aaron was serving a lengthy prison sentence.” Again, it qualified as the truth.
“Still,” he said, inching back. “I should look further into his background. I’m being cavalier with your safety. If he’s dangerous…”
“No, not dangerous… not like that. Not Aaron.” Ruby pursed her lips at the contradiction. She looked at Stefan, her fingers trailing the finely sculpted muscle of his arm. “Besides, we have so much to do. I mean, there’s the corporate luncheon. Then our wedding is only a month away.”
Stefan’s face was contemplative, but his lips brushed wistfully over hers. “You’re right, my love. Heaven help me, you’re always right. And we’re busier than you know. There’s something I need to confess. I may have made a terrible mistake.”
Stefan didn’t make mistakes.
His golden-brown eyes glinted. Stefan was a sophisticated kind of handsome that girls grew into. At least this had been Tandy’s take upon meeting him. Stefan Gerard—brilliant and upscale handsome.
“Yes, a mistake.” From his breast pocket, Stefan produced an envelope. “Of course, I hope it’s not a mistake, but…”
She saw the concern on his face. It wasn’t like Stefan.
“It seems I’ve gotten carried away.”
“Carried away?
“A bit… perhaps. You know we decided that our wedding would be intimate—being as your father is so ill and my parents… well, they’re both gone many years.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve invited all of Nickel Springs,” Ruby said. She was stunned by the joking possibility. But she knew that wasn’t the case. The wedding would take place in California—away from the insane surreal reality all of this.
“It’s not quite that bad. Although, we can invite them all if you like.”
“Fly an entire plane full of people to Palm Springs? A lovely thought,” she said, managing to laugh. “But not terribly practical.”
“The idea is more practical than you think.” He slid a piece of paper from the envelope. Ruby blinked at the formal looking document. “It’s a marriage license. I’ve moved the entire wedding to here.”
“What?”
Stefan put the paper aside and clasped her hands. “I wanted to surprise you. I know we have California plans, but once I arrived in Nickel Springs, I… Well, I couldn’t resist. I mean, the entire location for Abstract Enchantment was at your suggestion, so naturally I assume you must have loved it here. That and you’re so disinterested in allowing me to buy a proper wedding gift—”
“Stefan, real estate in Dubai is a little over the top.”
“But the sapphire and diamond necklace wasn’t, and you couldn’t have appeared less interested in that either.”
“You know I’m not a flashy gift kind of girl,” Ruby said, twisting the large diamond he’d insisted on. “The necklace was too much. Where would I even wear it?”
“While on my arm, I was thinking.” He kissed her cheek. “Nevertheless, it’s an endearing quality. You’re so unimpressed by… possessions. That’s why I thought you’d love this idea—it’s more gesture oriented.” His brow knotted. “Like a homemade card or something equally modest. Marrying in your hometown was… well, it seemed like simple genius. Naturally I assumed you wouldn’t mind moving up the date.”
“To when?” she said, making certain her voice held no inflection.
“Next weekend.”
“Next—”
“Weekend,” he repeated. “Please tell me you’re not angry. I did think it was such a wonderful notion. It was only after you arrived, this funk you seem to have been in since yesterday that I began to rethink the whole thing.”
“Stefan, it’s not that. It’s just that we have plans for California.”
“So what? The wedding was elegant but small—what you wanted. I’ve just made it portable.”
“But Tandy, she’s in California. She’s not—”
“She’s already here.”
“Here?” Ruby said, pointing to the floor.
“I believe she’s staying wherever she grew up. I wanted to put her up at Abstract Enchantment, but it didn’t bode well for our secret plotting.”
“Secret plotting,” Ruby parroted.
“As I said, I wanted to surprise you. I knew you wouldn’t see it as complete without Tandy. I’ve made the most intimate wedding arrangements. Shauna has all the details. It’s going to take place on the waterfront.”
Ruby’s breath caught, a sharp gasp pulling in. “The waterfront… Butterfield Lake,” she said weakly.
“Well, I don’t mean the fountain installed in the courtyard,” he said, perplexed. “Is there something wrong with the beach? It’s quite beautiful. If you like, we can take a walk down there together. I’d love to show you how I envision the entire ceremony.”
Ruby lightly touched his arm, perhaps to remind herself of reality. “No… I’ve, um… I recall the setting.” Outwardly, she stayed steady—a skill that came with working many a shift in the ER. Inside her heart rattled and her pulse thrummed in her ears. It was such a wrong feeling, especially after the way Stefan treated her—like something so rare and special. “It’s just like you, to go to such lengths in an effort to please me, even when you’re so busy.”
“Ruby, we’ve talked about this. I’m an intense businessman. But I draw the line when it comes to you… and us—I always will.” His fingers wove thickly through her hair. “Though, to be honest, I admit to being a selfish conniver here. I couldn’t wait another month to marry you. Have you any idea how much you’ve changed my life? I never… I never imagined I could feel for anyone what I feel for you… from the second I saw you. You understand that—you see it, don’t you, Ruby?” he said, his hands holding tight around her head.
She only smiled at the question. Since meeting Stefan, Ruby had thought of their relationship as the other way around. Months ago, when he’d turned up in her ER with a blood-soaked palm, Ruby thought they’d only be sewing up his hand. Stefan ended up stitching up her life. She’d felt at such an impassable end, unable to muster one more grand effort to restart her life. Sure, Ruby had found a solid job in California. But it had become her whole existence—a single thing keeping her alive. Working nights, sleeping days. It had allowed for excuses not to date, or even to socialize.
From the start, Stefan’s sole focus was to change all of that. It began the day after he visited the ER, leaving with nine neat stiches in his hand. Two-dozen roses arrived, thanking the skilled nurse who’d tended so thoroughly to his pain and his wound. From there it was a breakfast invitation after her shift, then a phone call asking if she was free that weekend. Stefan was fine with a three a.m. date if it suited her sleep schedule. At first, she’d resisted. But pressure from her colleagues and an ache of loneliness Ruby could no longer bear said she was crazy not to accept. “Uh, Ruby, how often does a guy like that waltz into our ER… never mind your life?” The other ER nurses had a point. It was hard to give in, but ultimately harder to resist.
Sitting on the sofa, a tremulous shiver slipped from Ruby. If he knew what an unfaithful, ungrateful bitch she’d been only a short while ago. Ruby t
ouched the fine bone structure of Stefan’s face. It was its own version of movie-star handsome, not brawny like a Clairmont, but refined, debonair, like a well-trained Shakespearian actor.
Stefan leapt straight into the romantic scene and reached for the sash on Ruby’s robe. With a thundering will, she pushed Aaron from her head. Stefan slid the robe off until she was sitting all but naked before him. Ruby focused on his face. Despite her best effort, she was fearful Stefan would read her deepest thoughts. They were intimate breathless thoughts that didn’t include him. She responded as he would expect, loosening his tie, a fine silky knot. His hands moved lithely down her body, like an eraser. It obliterated the still-present feel of Aaron’s touch. Stefan kissed her hard, but even as her lips responded they ached for someone else. Ruby wanted to make an excuse, to put this off—at least do something to put time between Aaron and this moment. She needed to take a shower or a new vow, washing all of Aaron away.
But Ruby recognized Stefan’s determination. He was unbuttoning his own shirt, aggressively discarding it. Then his hands were on her, one sliding between her legs where it brushed heavily against the damp fabric of silky champagne-colored panties. He stopped. Stefan looked truly confused. Then he smiled mischievously. “What have we here? This is a surprise. Ready and waiting, aren’t you?” He leaned in. “Excuse the crass remark, but if you’d like to offer me a homemade wedding gift…” he said, his mouth grazing the same cheek Aaron had touched, “this kind of desire would work splendidly.”
A gasp that could be interpreted as passion shuddered from Ruby, who lied boldly in his ear because… Well, because what the hell else was she going to do? “Yes, of course... I’ll work on that.”
Sex was the one thing Ruby hadn’t been able to get right between them—though Stefan had never complained. In fact, the remark was the first time he’d ever alluded to anything less than satisfaction. She’d thought perhaps he saw it differently. That or he was just a busy man, so consumed by his work that his sexual needs were not demanding. It didn’t seem to go with Stefan’s intense personality, but he’d never hinted at anything different. Ruby tried. She truly did, and she held out hope that lackluster lovemaking would improve. But Stefan’s touch couldn’t move her beyond gratitude, a desire to give back something when he’d so chivalrously helped Ruby reclaim her life.