“You mean you built this place yourself?” Claire looked around the room. The walls were hewn logs and every nook and cranny was utilized. It was obvious a lot of planning had gone into this cabin
The fireplace was made of large stones of varying sizes and a mixture of dark and light colors.
“Yep, with my own two hands.”
“Talented hands.”
“That’s not the only talent they have,” Jack replied flashing Claire with another of his sexy impish grins.
Claire felt her sex grow warm. She squirmed ever so slightly in the chair. Stop it, Claire Marie Jones, stop feeling like this. It’s just not right.
“I’ll bet you tell that to all the women you bring up here and get snowbound with.”
“Don’t bring women up here. The ones I meet aren’t much into the outdoorsy stuff.” Jack stood up and held his hands out over the fire to warm them.
“So Priscilla doesn’t like roughing it in a well-equipped cabin.”
“Priscilla’s not the roughing it type.”
“What type is she?”
“She’s more of the entourage type. Needs an entourage of people to help her do everything.” Jack turned his backside to the fire.
“Sounds like a very, ah, a very …”
Jack watched Claire with an amused twinkle in his eyes as she struggled to find the right description.
“She’s okay in her own way. You’d have to get to know her.”
Claire giggled nervously. “Well someday maybe I can meet her and you can meet Ralph and we can all look back at this little mishap and laugh about it.”
“You think Ralph would laugh about this?”
“No, I think Ralph is going to blow his top when I tell him. He has this thing about having a bride that’s -” A blush crept up Claire’s face as she realized what she had almost revealed.
“That’s what?”
“Never mind. Ralph is just going to be extremely upset.”
Jack stood there for a moment trying to figure out what Claire was talking about.
“Bloody hell,” Jack could feel his eyes widening to the size of cantaloupes, “you’re a virgin!”
CHAPTER FOUR
“You don’t have to say it that way.” And I’m hoping that after last night I still am.
“You mean to tell me that ol’ Ralphie boy has never …” Jack raised his eyebrows.
“Absolutely not!” Claire gasped. “Ralph would never consider, uh, would never, uh, not before marriage.” She lowered her eyes hoping her face wasn’t as red as it felt. “I told you, he’s a preacher. And stop calling him Ralphie. He’s not a child.”
“Well, bloody hell.” Jack said incredulously as he watched Claire’s face. There was something strange behind those beautiful eyes of hers. Something he couldn’t quite read, but it was there.
“It’s getting dark out, and I don’t know about you but I could use some more food. That sandwich at lunch didn’t last long with all the work we did carrying wood,” said Jack changing the subject to ease Claire’s discomfort.
“Well, you cooked breakfast, and we both made the sandwiches, so how about if I do dinner?” Claire unfolded herself from the armchair.
“Ah, a gal that can carry wood in from the woodpile and cook, too. Can you plow the back forty with the old mule out in the barn?”
“Why, suh, I can milk the cows, feed them chickens, skin that thar barr you kilt and use its hide to sew my own clothes while I plow that thar back forty. And that’s on a slow day.” She stood there with her hands on her hips.
“Well, woman, I guess you better get to them thar chores then. And take my clothes down by the crick and git ‘em washed while you’re at it, and clean that ol’ mule’s stall, too.”
“A woman’s work is never done.” She laughed as she walked toward the kitchen.
Jack watched her derriere. A very fine derriere it was, too.
Claire rummaged through the kitchen cabinets and found some canned apples, a little flour and other ingredients. She began to put together an apple pie for dessert later. She loved to cook and making stuff from scratch was her best cooking talent. The aroma of cinnamon and apples filled the air.
Growing up in the South, she’d learned to cook a lot of things that Northern people just weren’t privy to. Taking a steak from the freezer, she threw a little butter into a frying pan, placed the steak in it and turned the burner on low. It would have to steam for a bit to thaw. She would have loved to let it thaw slowly and marinate in her favorite sauce but under the circumstances she’d just have to do it this way. She continued to busy herself with dinner preparations while Jack poured himself a glass of wine.
“Can you drink wine, or does this alcohol allergy thing cover all types of alcohol?”
“I can have one, maybe two glasses of wine. It’s hard liquor that seems to do the trick.”
Claire began to wash the vegetables for a salad.
“So, what’s the total effect it has on you?” he said as he poured a second glass and handed it to Claire.
“Well, I can remember the room beginning to spin but then I guess it’s like being a black out drinker. I don’t remember the rest of the night. One of the girls must’ve thought I was just kidding and probably poured a tad bit of vodka in the orange juice I was drinking.” She took a sip of the wine, and placed the glass on the counter.
“So you don’t remember us getting married at all?”
“No, do you?”
“I do remember bits and pieces. I remember you standing at the bar. I think you were just talking to the bartender, something about getting married. I remember saying something about getting married, too, and the next thing some guy was pronouncing us man and wife right there in the bar.”
Claire stopped her washing process. “You mean this whole thing isn’t real. We aren’t really married?” Delight lit up her face.
“Well, I don’t know. I took another look at that license, and it was the license for my marriage to Priscilla. I signed it okay and you signed it. But it was Priscilla’s name that was typed where you signed. So I don’t know if it’s really legal or not. And I’m not sure the guy who did the ceremony was legit either.”
“Well, if we can find him, maybe the whole thing is just a joke or something.”
The aroma of apple pie began to fill the kitchen.
“Could be, but I don’t know where to find this guy, and if the license has been recorded down at the Clerk’s office, finding him may not do any good anyway if the thing’s legit.”
“We’ve just got to do something. Ralph is going to be furious when he finds out I married you three days before our wedding.” Oh Lord, what have I done? What am I gonna do? Invitations are already out. My God, it’s only three days away!
“Oh, yeah. He wouldn’t want a tainted virgin now would he?” Jack grinned.
Claire felt a tingle run down her spine and her sexual center grew warm again. What was it about this man and that darned smile of his that had her feeling things she hadn’t felt before? And for that matter, why hadn’t she felt them before? That thought kept nagging at her at the most inopportune moments.
“Really, Ralph is not like that. He’s a good man. He’s just really busy. Has a whole congregation of people and has to attend to their needs. You’d be surprised at all the ladies of the church with marital problems and they need constant counseling.” She lowered her gaze. “And Ralph is always the one they call on. He’s a good man. He never says no. Counsels each and every one of them. He gives tirelessly of himself. Day and night.”
“What about you? Does he have time to tend to you, too?” said Jack as he took another swallow of wine.
“Oh, sometimes, I feel a little left out. But that’s what being a preacher’s wife is all about. A preacher has to serve others first.”
“I see. And you’re happy with that?”
Claire’s eyelashes closed slightly, just enough to cover the forbidden thoughts hidden there.
/> “I make do.” She finished with her biscuits and popped them in the oven. She set place settings for herself and Jack on the breakfast bar.
“Tell me about Jack. Have you been married before or is Priscilla your first love?”
“I was married once.”
“What happened?”
“She liked my best friend more.”
“Ouch! That had to hurt.”
“I left work early one day and found ‘em in bed when I got home. So I turned around, walked out of the house and never looked back. I got over it.” No skin off my nose if she wanted that loser, and I’ll not be making that love-marriage mistake again.
“And now you have Priscilla.”
“Yes, I have Priscilla.” Priscilla and her family. “So, how do you feel about becoming a preacher’s wife?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, there’s a certain lifestyle, I would think, that goes with the position. I mean, you’ll be expected to be dedicated to the church and all.”
“Ralph and I have talked about that. I’m not exactly the typical type of person to be marrying a preacher. But Ralph and I are different. I’ll just stay out of the limelight and nobody will even notice me. Besides, it’s Ralph they want, not me.”
“And you’re okay with not having a life of your own?”
“I have a life. I’m a teacher and a darn good one at that, I might add.”
Claire dished up the steak and gravy and a tossed salad and sat them on the bar. Carefully she took the golden brown biscuits out of the oven, put them on a serving platter and set them on the bar also.
“Dinner’s served,” she said.
“Wow, this looks great!”
“Thanks.”
“Forgive my manners,” said Jack as he dug into the steak and gravy, “but I’m starving and you’ve made me smell all these great aromas for an hour now and …”
Claire laughed. “I like a man who likes to eat. Dig in! And manners be damned for tonight. Like Bogie and Bacall, it’s just you and me, kid.”
Jack ate his fill before uttering another word. “You cook like this all the time?”
“I love to cook.”
“That was wonderful. I haven’t eaten like that since, since, well, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything that good.”
“Well, I’m certainly glad you enjoyed it. Are you ready for some dessert?”
Jack smiled a sly grin. “You mean I get sex, too?”
Claire’s breath caught. “Absolutely not. Get your mind off sex and back on food.” Her face flushed.
“That’s tough with you sitting next to me.” Again, Jack wriggled his eyebrows.
Claire rolled her eyes at Jack. “Pie, apple pie!” she exclaimed pointing furiously at the pie as it sat cooling on the countertop. “Would you like a slice now or would you rather wait a bit?”
“How about if I throw the rest of these dishes in the dishwasher. You refill the wine glasses and we can sit in front of the fire and just enjoy each other’s company for a bit while all this wonderful food settles. Then we can have sex, uh, I mean pie, later.”
“I’ll ignore that last slip of the tongue but the rest sounds like a great plan to me.”
Claire jumped down from the stool she was sitting on and started pouring another glass of the wine. Jack finished the dishes and joined her sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. The logs crackled with the heat and Claire watched as the fire danced around them. Here and there a spark flew. And deep inside Claire, a spark ignited.
“Now this is the life,” said Jack as he stretched out on the bear skin rug before the fire. “A good meal, a warm fire, a glass of wine and pleasant company.”
“I agree,” said Claire as she stretched out beside him. A little voice inside Claire’s head piped in with the old familiar television show phrase, “Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!” She pushed the thought aside. She was in charge.
Lying beside Jack, Claire felt a sense of comfort and protection. She felt safe. But at the same time, she also felt an element of danger. That same little voice kept telling her to run. But something else kept her wanting more. This feeling didn’t come with Ralph.
Ralph was different. He put her on a pedestal. Something you looked at but never touched for fear of getting it dirty.
But she needed Ralph. Ralph was respectable. Ralph was a good man, loved by his congregation. He made her feel clean. When she was with Ralph, she felt respectable. All those childhood fears slipped to the back of her memory when she was with him.
But Jack made her come alive. Colors were more vibrant. Smells were more pungent. She’d never felt this way before and it felt good. She wanted to experience those wonderful sensations she felt with Jack.
But Ralph had always been there. Ralph kept her safe. She had liked that. She was his Princess. No other boys ever tried to get close to her. Maybe that’s why these feelings had never awakened before.
School had been a difficult experience for her. Oh her grades had been fine, but the kids had been horrible. Kids can be cruel. They taunted her unmercifully because she’d been adopted. They’d made her feel unaccepted, as though she were something to be thrown out with the trash. After all, that’s where she’d been found. Her biological mother had simply placed her in a large dumpster behind a school. Apparently, her mother had been a kid herself or at least that’s the way it looked. Nobody knew for sure. Claire had spent her entire life trying to wipe the trashy feeling off her body so she could feel respectable. Then Ralph had moved in next door. He made her feel so special from that first day. He made her feel that respectability and that acceptance. When he was around none of the kids dared tease or taunt her.
The fire was warm, the wine was smooth and Claire’s mood mellowed. She’d had such fun with Jack today. Throwing snow balls and later building a snowman and then, not wanting the snowman to be lonely, they had built him a snow lady to keep him company. They’d laughed at the sight of the pair. Claire couldn’t remember when she had so much fun.
Ralph was never like this. There was never fun with Ralph. Just seriousness. She knew Ralph. He was stable. He was her rock. He was no threat. He was safety.
Jack was different. Jack was exciting. Jack was dangerous. Oh, she had worried about Ralph and her wedding alright, but Jack kept interrupting those thoughts all day long.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Jack said as he caught fleeting glimpses of smiles as they curled the corners of Claire’s lips.
“I was just thinking about today. I really did have fun.”
“Good. I had fun, too.”
Claire felt the warmness of Jack’s body as he lay on his side facing her, only mere inches away from her own body.
“Here’s to our wedding, legal or not,” Jack said as he held his glass up to Claire’s.
“I’m not at all sure I want to toast to that.”
“Let’s enjoy the moment anyway. We’ll have it annulled as soon as we can get to town. So just relax until then. Stop your worrying. It’ll all work out in the end.”
“I guess you’re right. There’s not a thing we can do about it until we get back to town anyway. So,” Claire said as she tipped her glass to Jack’s, “here’s looking at you, kid!”
A log popped in the fire and for several long moments Jack stared at ocean green eyes speckled with gold. All he was aware of was the woman lying beside him. There was a warmth about her. A feeling he couldn’t quite put his thoughts around. And strawberries and almonds filled his senses.
Outside the snow fell while wolves howled in the distance.
“So tell me about Claire Jones.”
“That’s Claire Marie Jones, and now Wakefield, III.”
“Well, Claire Marie Jones now Wakefield, III, it’s my pleasure to meet you,” Jack said as he extended his hand.
“Oh, thank you, kind suh!” Claire reached to take his hand in hers but quickly jerked it back as she felt a spark of electricity jump between them. “Ouch!”
>
“Must be static electricity in here – or else my magnetic personality.” Jack grinned. “So tell me about yourself. What’s it like to be you?”
“Before last night’s fiasco, it wasn’t too bad. I teach at Ridgemont Elementary. And this little adventure could cost me my job if it gets out.” Claire felt her respectability slip another notch. Her halo was already hanging on by a thread as it was.
“What? They’d fire you for being on your honeymoon with your handsome new husband?” Jack grinned from ear to ear.
She liked Jack. She could get used to Jack being around.
“Stop teasing me. School teachers are responsible for children. We have to set a good example. We have to be respectable people. Getting wasted and married to some strange guy is not exactly in the book of morals. And you don’t know the principal of the school very well.”
“Okay, so your halo slipped a bit. We can fix that and nobody will ever know.” Jack took another swallow of wine.
”My halo slipped a lot! I certainly hope we can fix this mess. Ralph is going to be furious, that’s for sure.”
“You mean I shouldn’t have sent him that telegram?”
For just a moment Claire’s breath caught and panic began to set in before she realized Jack was again toying with her.
“Yeah, and that was right after the one I sent to Priscilla.”
“Think I could get some of that pie now?” asked Jack.
“Sounds good to me.”
Jack grabbed two saucers from the cabinet while Claire cut into the freshly-baked pie and placed the slices onto them. Sitting at the breakfast bar Claire watched as Jack took his first bite.
“Woman I’ve died and gone to heaven! You’re definitely in the wrong business. You should own a bakery!”
“You know, I’ve often thought about it. But Ralph always thought being a teacher was more, oh, I don’t know, more respectable I guess.” She took a sip of wine.
“Did you ever think of doing what you wanted to do instead of what Ralph wanted you to do?”
Jack could see the look of realization cross her face. Something held this woman in its tight grip. So tight, she had never even considered thinking for herself. She was a spit-fire but yet as docile as a lamb. He was intrigued in more ways than one.
The Wrong Wedding Page 4