by Michele Hauf
“Hello, Cleo.” His voice, like warm brandy, slid over her.
She swallowed the lump in her throat that was probably her heart. He was every bit as gorgeous as she remembered. His hair was longer, more sun-bleached, and his tan deeper. He needed a shave, but that might just be part of his new rakish look. There were shadows under his eyes—those were new—but if he was burning the candle at both ends like the tabloids implied, hardly surprising. Longing for what couldn’t be filled her.
“Sam. Sorry for the strange welcome. I wasn’t expecting you.” That was an understatement. “How was Wales?”
“Cold, wet, lonely.”
Her cheeks heated. Was this what they’d become? Polite strangers discussing the weather? Hell, that was nothing new. They’d always been strangers. Sam looked down at his feet and ran his hand through his hair. He was definitely out of his element, unsure of himself.
Did he expect her to have a hissy fit of some sort? Surely fainting at his feet was enough.
“I thought it might be better if we talked alone.” Sam indicated her room, the only one furnished upstairs. “Can we talk in here?”
The last place she wanted him was in her bedroom, but she also didn’t want Charlie listening when she told him about their baby.
“Of course.” She indicated the reading area at one end of the room, where she sat to read and make comments on Mitch’s books. Moving the manuscript off the chair, she sat in the rocker and waited for him to take the chair next to it.
“How’s your dad doing without you?” he asked.
“Well. If you found me, you probably already know he’s an archaeology professor. He’s back to normal—more or less—and on a yearlong dig in Peru.” She licked her lips. Small talk was better than arguing. “While I was in Vegas, he went to a bereavement counseling camp, and it helped him put things in perspective like I never could. He isn’t over Mom’s death—I doubt he ever will be—but he’s starting to live again.”
“That’s great. I know you were worried about him. I’ve heard they run those bereavement camps for children, too.”
“They do. That’s where Uncle Stu got the idea for his. How did you find me?” The longer he stayed here like this, the more likely she was to break down.
“You didn’t make it easy. Eventually, Charlie found out that Mitch had a mailing address in Reno. He put a detective on it a few weeks ago. When she went and collected her mail, he followed her. Once he knew who she was, he was able to find you. If I hadn’t been so distraught, I might have realized that scribble on the copy of our marriage license was your real name, and we could have had this conversation weeks ago. Why did you run away, Cleo? Why didn’t you talk to me? Mitch knows who I am by now, so you must know, too.”
She tried to keep her eyes from tearing up, but it was like trying to put the toothpaste back into the tube.
“There wasn’t anything to talk about then … well, there was but … I panicked,” she admitted, fighting to keep her voice even. “I thought you were a stripper. Then I thought it might be a blackmail thing—I actually checked the room for cameras. Look at me. I’m an elementary school teacher. I couldn’t tell you who I was or where I lived. I was paranoid someone would take my picture, our picture, and post it online. Teachers live under a moral double standard. It doesn’t matter that whatever we do is legal, what matters is that someone else thinks it’s morally wrong. We know it’s there when we go into teaching. It’s not fair, and it does affect our lives. Guilt by association is enough to get my license to teach revoked. I was afraid I would lose my job, a job I love. I knew Dad would be upset, too. Sam, try to understand. I was still half-drunk, hung over, and scared to death with no memory of what had happened. I needed time to think. Running away seemed like the only thing to do. Then, when I found out who you really were, I figured the license was fake, a Vegas souvenir, like the cheap ring that turned my finger green. When I discovered it was real and legal, I figured it was too late for us. You’d gone on with your life without me.” She swallowed and licked her lips. “Why did you lie to me like that?”
“It was a stupid reason. I told you about my ex-fiancée. She was one in a long line of women who were more interested in my wallet than me. Hiding my identity seemed to be a way around that. I hadn’t planned to do it, but then Mitch jumped to the conclusion we were Chippendales. Once I got to know you, I realized my wealth might actually be a roadblock, so I put off telling you again. I was going to tell you Sunday afternoon, but you’d gone.”
She sighed. “It doesn’t matter now. We’re from different worlds. It can never work, and I’m not proud of being a one-night stand.”
He stood and walked over to the wall where she’d mounted the pictures she’d taken of the canyon. She watched him examine each one carefully before he turned back to her.
Despite his tan, he was pale. His eyes shone with unshed tears. His forehead was creased as if he was in pain, and his lips were pressed tightly together. His face mirrored her own anguish. What she wouldn’t give to turn back the clock, but that was an impossible dream.
“Cleo, I have a lot of sins in my past, but you were never a one-night stand. Right from the beginning, I wanted more—the weekend to start with. That day we spent together was the most amazing day of my life. I’ll never be able to apologize for lying to you the way I did, but I would like you to give me a chance to make it up to you.”
“That was the most incredible day of my life, and I don’t regret a single moment of it. You made me feel as if I were the most important person in the world. I understand the marriage was an accident, a moment of drunken exuberance that went too far. But I’m fine, really I am. My job pays well, and the house is mine, free and clear. I’m not going to sue you for breach of promise or go after you for alimony. It’s not my style. I hope we can be friends though. It’ll make things easier.”
She watched the color drain from his face, and it was like a blow. He didn’t even want to be friends. The tears that brimmed her eyes started to fall and she turned away, hoping to hide them from him.
“You want a divorce, even after you know the truth about me?” His voice was hoarse.
“Don’t I already have one?” She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.
“No. Not unless you filed for one.”
“At first I was going to, but I figured your lawyers would see to it, and since you didn’t know where to find me…” She tried to hide how close she was to breaking down completely.
His hands touched her shoulders. Heat ran from his palms through her skin and pooled low in her belly. He stood so close behind her, if she turned she would be in his arms, the place she wanted to be.
“You’re still my wife, Cleo. I know I don’t deserve another chance, but I’m asking you to give me one. I promise I’ll never lie to you again, and I’ll do everything in my power to make this up to you.”
Cleo turned and stepped back to look at him. She couldn’t think with his hands on her. “Why?”
“Why?” The word, filled with frustration, exploded from him, and she jumped back surprised by the passion in it.
“Because I love you, you crazy, wonderful, foolish, stubborn woman. Because you make me feel alive as no one else ever has. You make me a better person, and I can’t imagine another minute of my life without you. I haven’t been able to do anything since you left me. Look at this.” He opened his jacket and handed her a piece of paper.
Cleo unfolded the drawing and gasped. It was a sketch of her, but the woman in the picture was far lovelier than she was certain she was. She stared at the sketch, trying to understand what it meant.
“You’re on my mind all the time. I’ve drawn dozens of pictures like that, but I haven’t managed to finish a single design. We both had a lot to drink that night, but I didn’t marry you because I was drunk. I knew exactly what I was doing, and if you’d stayed around, I would have told you so. You really don’t remember any of it?”
Cleo looked up from
the drawing in her hand. She felt a tear slip down her cheek. She shook her head, unable to speak.
“I remember every single minute of that night. After we made love, I realized I couldn’t walk away from you on Monday. I wanted you in my life, and I was struggling with how to convince you to give me a chance. I had to go to Wales, and I was going to ask you to come with me. I knew you had a passport. We’d gone casino hopping and had wandered onto Freemont Street. There were six newlywed couples there. We toasted their happiness and when you caught the bouquet, those silk roses in the picture, I saw it as an omen. I decided to ask you to marry me and figure out the rest of it later.”
As Sam spoke, he moved closer to her, his eyes intent on hers as if he could somehow force her mind to recollect the events. Bits and pieces of what he said seemed vaguely familiar.
“Do you remember any of it? I asked you to marry me, and you said you would only marry for love. I told you I loved you, and you didn’t believe me. You told me not to tease you. I asked you again, and you asked me about all the women who threw themselves at me. I almost told you the truth then, but coward that I was, I said I loved you again and that I wasn’t complete without you.”
In that case … the words echoed in her mind.
The tears in his eyes spilled down his cheeks, “You finally said yes, and I kissed you in front of everyone. Our picture went up on the Vista screen for everyone in the area to see. Once you’d agreed, you didn’t care where we got married, but I wanted to make sure it was real and legal. I had Roy scrambling to find a real church-ordained minister, not a tacky wedding chapel with an Elvis lookalike in a bad toupee. It took almost an hour, but he found one. I was terrified you would change your mind. He got the minster and his wife out of bed, and when you said, “I do,” you made me the happiest man alive.”
He ran his hand through his hair, and Cleo’s fingers itched to do the same. She looked down at the sketch. Was that really the way he’d seen her that night? Hope bloomed inside her.
“We went back to the room and celebrated with more champagne and made love into the early morning hours. When my wrist alarm went off, I had to leave you to make some business arrangements. That’s the only mistake I made. I should have stayed in bed with you. I married you because I wanted to. I loved you then, Cleo, and I love you now. You may not love me, but give me a chance to prove myself …” With every word he spoke, the ice that had been her heart thawed, and love filled her. Before he could finish what he was saying, Cleo flung herself into his arms.
“Oh, Sam, I do love you, and I’ve been so miserable.” Tears ran down her cheeks.
He pulled her close and captured her mouth with a desperation he couldn’t hide. She felt all the longing and love he was trying to convey, the love that had been there that night had she understood, had she been sober enough to recall it. She opened to him and poured her own emotions and pain into her response. When he picked her up and carried her over to the bed, she didn’t object.
Their coming together was cathartic, a hungry needy cleansing of all the pain from the past two and a half months, and a promise of a tomorrow together. When Sam buried himself in her, all the pain, agony, and despair vanished. Their bodies renewed the pledge they’d made weeks ago.
Sated, exhausted from weeks of poor sleep, they lay in one another’s arms and slumbered.
Sam awoke disoriented. Where was he? The memories of Cleo and their reunion came crashing back, and he smiled. He looked over at her side of the bed. She was gone. He was about to go look for her when the door opened, and she entered carrying a tray, the funny little dog keeping pace with her. She placed the tray on the nightstand and smiled at him, the aroma of fresh coffee tickling his senses.
“You’re awake. Charlie said you’d flown all night to get back.”
He sat up and moved up against the pillows and the headboard. “Come here, please? I need to touch you to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
She smiled and sat on the bed beside him. She looked so much better now than she had when he’d seen her earlier. Her eyes shone with happiness, and her face glowed.
He reached for her, kissed her softly, and felt bereft when she pulled away.
“I’m very real, Sam, and I’m not going anywhere this time. Thank you for the roses—all of them. You must’ve bought out the flower shop that day, but believe me, a dozen at a time is fine. The scent was a little overwhelming to say the least, and I really wasn’t myself. Like champagne, I’ve learned it’s much better in moderation.”
He chuckled. “Maybe. I’ve got something for you.” He got up, not caring that he was naked, walked over to the chair where she’d placed his folded pants, the little dog following his every step, and removed the red velvet box from the pocket. “I’d planned to give you this on our wedding day before I told you the truth about who I was. I’ve been carrying them around ever since.”
Cleo opened the box and her eyes grew large. “Oh Sam, they’re gorgeous. The emerald is the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”
“I knew it was the only ring for you the moment I saw it.”
“I kept the other one, but I couldn’t wear it—it turned my finger green.” She made a face.
“I know. Mine, too.” He held up his hand. She hadn’t noticed the simple gold band he wore. “I replaced mine with this when I got that.”
“But all those stories in the tabloids...”
“Were lies. Cleo, I haven’t been interested in another woman since I laid eyes on you.” He reached for her hand, slid first the wedding band and then the emerald in place, and kissed them. “That proves that green is our color. I love you, Cleo, or C.C. or Catherine, whatever name you use. I don’t want to spend another second of my life without you.”
“Cleo is fine. It’s what my friends and family call me. Mom was Catherine. I use C. C. for work because it gives rise to fewer questions.”
He reached for her and kissed her, but before he could take things one step further, Cleo moved away.
“We’re alone now,” she said quietly. “I asked Charlie and Mitch to leave earlier. Roy drove them back to the city. She only left that day because of me. She really liked Charlie, but since I was terrified ... Mitch is a good friend as is Charlie. He made me promise to get you back to Vegas when you’re ready to leave. I still owe you dinner—burgers, as I recall. There’s a place in town that makes the best fries, but first we still have things to talk about.”
His brow furrowed. What more could they have to discuss? Suddenly, it dawned on him.
“You’re not coming back to Vegas to stay, are you?” he asked, his voice low.
“I can’t, Sam. I have a job here. I’m a teacher. I have a contract to honor.”
“Charlie could get you out of it if you wanted them to,” he stated, the acid chewing at his gut again.
She stood, moved away from the bed, and picked up the dog, rubbing its head.
“I’m sure he could, but I don’t want him to.” The stubborn set of her features told him this wasn’t an argument he would win, so he wouldn’t bother.
“Then, I’m not going either. You’re my wife, and I’m staying with you. In fact I’m staying right here in this bed. I’m sure it’s in the Bible—wherever you go, I go, too.” He folded his arms across his chest. He wasn’t going anywhere without her ever again.
Cleo laughed, that crisp, clean laugh he’d missed.
“You have to go, silly. You have an enterprise to run. People depend on you.”
“Someone else can do it. I want to stay with you. Don’t you want to give our marriage a chance?”
It would kill him if she said no. He held his breath waiting for her answer.
“Of course I do. I love you, Samuel James Mason the third, but I will honor my obligations just as you will take care of your responsibilities. Charlie says you have all kinds of projects in Europe, and there’s a subdivision in Carson City waiting for your go-ahead. You’ve got the solar farm to take care of, and apparently
you’re also responsible for the green fields just beyond my back yard.” She set the dog down again.
He nodded, not happy with her matter-of-fact reasoning, but glad she was willing to give them a second chance.
“My contract here runs until the end of March. After that, I’ll go wherever you want to take me, but until then, I’ll keep my word. Can you let me be my own person, Sam? I’m not a gold digger and it’ll be hard to accept your life, but…”
He reached for her and pulled her into his arms and onto the bed with him. He kissed her hard, trying to show her how much she meant to him. He wanted to make love to her again, but this had to be settled between them first. He released her mouth and cradled her.
“I never thought you were a gold digger. I don’t know why I didn’t tell you who I was. We’ll do it your way. Vegas is within commuting distance, a puddle jump in the chopper. Believe me, I can run my so-called empire from anywhere, even right from this bed, if I want to. We’ll stay here as long as you want. Come April, I’ll show you the world.”
She moved away from him, got up, and went to the tray.
“We might have to wait a few months to travel.”
She fanned her hand and in it were six white plastic sticks. It only took a second for the information to sink in.
“We’re going to have a baby?” He was stunned by the news. Had she planned to keep this from him?
“Yes. I just found out last week. I’ve never been too regular.”
He watched the color suffuse her face. “That’s why Mitch finally answered Charlie’s email. That’s why you wanted to see me.”
“Yes. I was sure once I’d proven it was your child, you would want it. I was prepared to share him or her with you. I’d hoped we could be friends. I was right, wasn’t I?”
He watched a wicked little smile twist her mouth as she peeled off the robe she was wearing, revealing her nakedness beneath it.