The Husband She Can't Remember (Southwest Secrets Series Book 1)

by Tina Cambria

  “So, it was basically an acting job. Spend a week at a resort pretending to be your wife and get paid for it.”

  “You got it. Nothing funny going on in the bedroom. Put a wall of pillows down the middle of the king-sized bed, and nothing but sweet dreams every night.”

  Her face tightened. “This resort you were scoping out required a marriage certificate before they’d let us check in?”

  “Hell, no.” He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “What kind of hotel asks for that in this day and age? And in Vegas, of all places.”

  “Then why’d we actually get married? Couldn’t we just pretend? I am an actress, after all.”

  He shot her a grin. “Maybe that desert air does something to people’s thought processes. I don’t know. You were flipping through the resort brochure while we were driving, looked at a picture of their wedding chapel, and made a joking remark about us getting married so I could report back to my boss on how they handled marriage ceremonies.”

  “And you took it seriously?”

  “I guess we both got a little giddy. Something was happening that was kind of…special.”

  “That desert air sounds a little dangerous.”

  “Sometimes people find danger kind of exciting,” he said, locking eyes with Danielle.

  “Sometimes people regret things that felt exciting at the time…”

  He was tempted to point out that sometimes people regret never doing things that might have been exciting, but he checked himself. “People see things different ways.”

  Her voice took on the tone of a prosecuting attorney. “And how was I going to get paid for this charade?”

  Kyle fidgeted next to Danielle on the sofa. “Out of my pocket. I figured if I gathered enough good information on the competitor for my boss, I’d easily recoup the money in a bonus or a promotion.”

  “How much was my payment?”

  He locked eyes with her. “Five grand.”

  “Holy crap. That’s serious money.”

  “Damn serious. Which is why I was so surprised that you never cashed my check.”

  * * *

  Upstairs in the guest room a few minutes later, Danielle rooted through the top drawer of the dresser she’d been using while staying with Leslie.

  A check for five thousand dollars that she’d never cashed? And she’d obviously earned it. Boy, how she’d earned it. Placing a hand on her abdomen, she wondered if the five grand included the overtime she’d unquestionably put in.

  What would those Hollywood directors say about her acting abilities now? None of them could claim she hadn’t gone all out to completely immerse herself in the role of Kyle’s wife. Thing was, she’d probably immersed herself a bit too deep this time. Thinking about the possibility of your childhood pet getting hit by a car to help you cry on cue was one thing. But playing a wife and then actually getting pregnant was carrying her acting technique with the leading man way too far.

  At some point she must have ventured from classical acting into improvisational theater.

  Pulling a black purse from the dresser drawer, she unzipped the inside pocket and reached inside. Unless Kyle was some kind of Vegas magician who could make things appear through sleight of hand, he’d been telling the truth. Otherwise, how to explain a check from Kyle Williams made out to her in the amount of five thousand dollars?

  There was no denying now that she’d entered into some kind of business deal with Kyle. Entered it and completed it, judging from the sizable check in her hand. But the baby wasn’t part of the deal.

  At the top of the stairs, she glanced down to where Kyle was sprawled on the sofa, rubbing his hands on the jeans that covered his obviously-muscled thighs. Was he nervous about something? He’d been acting like the king of the castle since he’d shown up at Leslie’s door a few hours earlier. Maybe he had some acting skills of his own.

  He looked up as she started down the stairs. Danielle held the purse in one hand and the check in the other.

  “Found it.” She triumphantly waved the check in the air. “I haven’t used this purse since the accident. I didn’t even know this check was in here. So, that’s why it wasn’t cashed.”

  “Probably just as well you didn’t find it before I showed up. Without me being able to explain what it was for, you might have freaked out wondering how you got it.”

  “I’m still pretty freaked out, if you want to know the truth.”

  “About me, the baby, the money part of this thing—or all three?” Kyle’s eyes bored into her.

  “I admit I’ve always thought I’d eventually get married and have a baby. But it’s pretty shocking to find out I’m well on the way to all that, and I literally do not have a clue about what happened. I mean, it looks like I just did it for some quick cash.” She sagged onto the sofa next to Kyle.

  He pulled her close to him. “Don’t keep beating yourself up, Danielle. Yes, you needed some cash, and the promise of some fairly easy money was hard to resist. We were attracted to each other. And our wedding was a spur of the moment thing with a plan to annul it after the week was over.”

  Looking into his dark eyes, she could picture how a woman might be drawn into his spell. But her? And on a whim?

  “You’re not exactly making it sound like a classic love story, Kyle.”

  He pushed an errant lock of hair from her eyes, letting his hand linger on her cheek. “It didn’t start out in a typical way, but I guarantee you that it turned into a love story. We did fall in love. And by the end of the week, we weren’t so sure we wanted to sign any annulment papers.”

  Could she believe him?

  Did she want to believe him?

  “I-I just wish I could remember,” she stammered.

  Drawing her closer to his wide chest, he said, “I wish you could remember too. Because it’s a beautiful memory.”

  His mouth was close enough to hers that she was sure he would kiss her. She couldn’t control the acceleration of her breathing. Maybe if he kissed her like he did in Vegas—what? Did she expect all of her memories to come flooding back? Simply from a kiss?

  Or maybe it would take more.

  What was she thinking? Look what happened when she’d had sex with a stranger. A stranger she was married to, but still…

  Kyle pulled away from her, appearing to think better of acting on his instinctual urge. “I have a proposal for you. Another sort of business deal.”

  Her heart jumped. What more could he have in mind? She wasn’t doing such a great job with business deals. Getting pregnant, then not remembering to cash her paycheck—she’d probably be a lot better off if she refrained from any future business dealings with Kyle Williams.

  “What kind of business deal?” she ventured.

  “Continue our marriage—as a sort of marriage of convenience. At least until the baby is born.”

  “I don’t get it.” What kind of convenience was he talking about? The convenience for him of on-demand sex with her? She wasn’t buying it.

  “Look, I’ll lay it out, plain and simple.” He stood up and folded his arms across his chest. “You’ve been—excuse my language—sponging off your best friend Leslie for more than a month. You don’t have a job. You’re pregnant. With my baby.”

  She struggled to keep the indignation out of her voice. “What’s your point?”

  “So, you could use a place to stay. We’re legally married. And I’ll be starting a new job next week with full health insurance benefits.”

  “A new job?”

  “Yeah, I accepted a position as General Manager of a big resort in Cottonwood Ridge. It’s about a two-hour drive from here.”

  “What about the old job? The bonus, the promotion, and all that?”

  He shifted from one foot to the other. “Yeah, well, I’m not working there anymore. I realized I didn’t want to make a future at an organization that would expect me to shack up with a female co-worker to find out trade secrets.”

  She sniffed and wilted
back into the sofa cushions. “That’s very noble of you. But maybe I shouldn’t make my future by shacking up with a man, so I can have a roof over my head and get my doctor’s bills paid.”

  He sat beside her. “Let’s get on the same page as far as what ‘shacking-up’ means. I’m not saying sex has to be part of the deal. Only if you want it to be.”

  “And I guess you’re thinking that with our track record, you’ll convince me to want sex to be part of the deal pretty quickly.”

  He grinned. “To be completely honest, I wouldn’t mind that. But there are no strings attached. I got you into this…situation…and I want to make sure you’re okay. And we’re talking about my baby too. So, I want to make sure he or she gets the proper medical care.”

  “But it sounds kind of awkward. We scarcely know each other.”

  “Correction: we know each other very well.” He winked at her. “You just don’t remember it.”

  “I-I don’t know…”

  He gave her a heart-melting grin. “I’m telling you, you really do like me. And I’m not a bad guy.”

  Was this how he sucked her in the first time? That irresistible grin. Those dark eyes that beckoned her to…what? It wouldn’t be that hard to stop resisting and go along with his idea. He’d awakened a sensation of arousal that must have emerged during their honeymoon.

  She quickly pulled herself back to the present. Time to think rationally. She couldn’t let her feelings control an important decision the way they must have when she’d first met Kyle.

  He looked at her expectantly.

  “I need to talk to my grandmother about this,” she suddenly blurted out. “She’s the only family member I have that I can trust. Could you drop me off at her apartment on your way to check into the hotel?”

  “Sure thing,” he said. Then he sent her one of those winks that turned her sensible thoughts to mush. “Any chance you’ll join me at the hotel tonight?”

  “Just because Dr. Chartoff said we were free to have sex doesn’t give you carte blanche to pick up where you left off in Vegas.”

  “Well, you can’t blame a guy for asking,” Kyle said, flashing a mischievous grin.

  Taking in his playful expression, she couldn’t help feeling it wouldn’t be long before he led her down a familiar path.

  * * *

  About five minutes later, Kyle and Danielle pulled up in front of the Ponderosa Manor Apartments, a complex of mid-rise buildings for active adults older than fifty-five.

  “Look, there’s Nana Rose coming down the street right now,” Danielle said, spotting her grandmother on the sidewalk with several friends. “She’s the one with the blue jogging suit.”

  “Retirement sure isn’t what it used to be,” Kyle said. “Doesn’t look like any of these folks are spending their days in a rocking chair.”

  “Not around here. If it’s too cold or snowy to take a run or brisk walk outdoors, they’re on the treadmill in the gym or swimming laps in the indoor pool.” Watching her grandmother chat with friends, she filled with admiration for the silver-haired woman who was barely seventy. “When Nana takes a break and sits down, she’s either surfing the Web or making a schedule of volunteer activities for the residents at this complex.”

  “Cool.” His face turned serious. “You were lucky to have a fine woman like that to finish raising you after your mom passed away.”

  Danielle quickly turned to Kyle. “How did you know—?” She stopped mid-question. It had become apparent that she had revealed more than a few things about herself to him during their one-week honeymoon. What more did he know about her? And what did she know about him? Or what had she known before that accident wiped out her memories of the week they spent together?

  Danielle rolled down her window and waved as her grandmother approached the car. “Nana,” she called out. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  The other woman’s face beamed when she spotted Danielle. Nana hurried over to hug Danielle after she climbed out of the car, with Kyle sprinting around the front of the vehicle to her side.

  Kyle cleared his throat, and it reminded Danielle of the purpose of the impromptu visit. She gestured toward him and said, “Nana Rose, this is my friend, Kyle. He’s visiting here from…from—”

  “I live in California, but I’m moving to Colorado for a new job,” Kyle finished for her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Danielle’s told me so many good things about you.”

  Nana smiled and extended her hand to Kyle, her eyes sizing him up. “I could swear I hear a touch of Texas twang in your voice.”

  “You’ve got a good ear, ma’am. I grew up in the Austin area, but I’ve been living in Los Angeles the past few years.”

  “I grew up in Texas myself. Came here to Colorado as a young bride.” Nana nodded, and her smile grew bigger. “My late husband wanted to live near the mountains. I’ve never regretted moving here, even though Texas is a heavenly place too.”

  “But you’re not actually in the mountains,” Kyle said.

  “No, it’s flat here, but we’re only about an hour’s drive east of Rocky Mountain National Park.”

  “This seems like a nice little town.”

  “It is,” Nana agreed. “Only about ten thousand people here, so everyone knows most everybody else.”

  Kyle smiled. “Sounds perfect.”

  Danielle took in the exchange and felt perplexed. Why didn’t she know that Nana Rose had grown up in Texas? And somehow Nana had told Kyle about her background within a few minutes of meeting him. What kind of spell did that man have over women?

  “Nana, do you have a couple of minutes to talk to me? In your apartment, I mean.” She wanted to make sure her grandmother realized she wanted a private conversation. Not a good idea to discuss a whirlwind marriage, honeymoon, and pregnancy right on the sidewalk.

  “Of course, I do, dear.” Nana put her arm around her. “I always have time for you.”

  “Glad I finally got to meet you, ma’am,” Kyle said, heading back around to the driver side of his rental car. He turned to Danielle. “Should I pick you up after I check in at the hotel?”

  “Um, I guess so.” She hoped Nana hadn’t gotten the wrong impression from Kyle’s comment about checking in at the hotel. She certainly didn’t want her grandmother to think she’d be sharing a hotel room with him. Then Danielle reminded herself that the story she was about to tell Nana would be equally juicy. Actually, even more so.

  After they stepped out of the elevator, entered Nana’s third-floor apartment, and settled at the dining table with cold glasses of lemonade, an uncomfortable silence sucked the air out of the room.

  A moment passed, and then Nana said, “I suspect you want to talk to me about that young man I just met.”

  Propping her elbow on the table, Danielle rested her chin in her palm and nodded. How was she going to tell her grandmother about what she’d done in Las Vegas? Especially since she couldn’t even remember any of it? It was almost like she was repeating a tale of gossip she’d heard.

  “Was he your boyfriend while you were out in California?” Nana gently asked.

  Danielle shook her head. “I didn’t even have a boyfriend while I was out there. And even though Walter was my fiancé for almost two years, I told him he was free to see whoever he wanted before I left for California.”

  Nana snorted. “Puh-leeze. I don’t know how you ever called that man your fiancé.”

  Ignoring Nana’s impertinent remark about Walter, Danielle mumbled, “Well, he’s sure not my fiancé anymore.”

  “What are you trying to tell me?”

  “Oh, Nana.” Danielle couldn’t stop herself from sobbing. “I know you raised me better than this…”

  “Spill it, girl.”

  When her grandmother’s voice took on that no-nonsense tone, Danielle knew telling the truth was the only option. She had to tell Nana everything Kyle had told her from the time they’d met in a gas station parking lot in Barstow until he’d shown up at Leslie’s
door that morning.

  When Danielle got to the part about the picture on Kyle’s phone that showed them undressed in a hot tub, Nana gasped and said, “Oh…my.” Then she sighed, made a clucking sound, and continued, “I don’t know why young people always think their generation invented sex. How does everyone think they got here in the first place? Believe me, you can’t tell me anything that’s going to shock me. It’s all been done before.”

  “I can’t believe I did this, Nana.” Danielle met her grandmother’s eyes. “But unless Kyle is some big-time swindler, I’m married to him. And Dr. Chartoff confirmed I’m pregnant—exactly far enough along that it must have happened during that week I can’t remember.”

  A slow smile formed on Nana’s face. “It’s not the first time a woman can’t believe what she did with a good-looking man.” She patted her granddaughter’s hand. “And I don’t expect it will be the last time.”

  “I don’t know what to do. He wants me to come with him to his new job in Cottonwood Ridge. So he can make sure I’m taken care of until the baby’s born.”

  “And after that?”

  Danielle shrugged. “I guess that depends on whether I fall in love with him again.”

  Nana looked at her with a knowing expression. “I have a funny feeling that won’t be too hard for you to do.”

  “Nana, you only met him for a minute or two.”

  Her grandmother laughed. “I’m a pretty good judge of character. You’ve done a lot better than you would have with that Ferguson fellow.”

  “What are you saying?”

  Nana patted Danielle’s cheek. “I’m saying you may have hit the jackpot in Vegas. I think you should go with your new husband and make sure my little great-grandchild is born big and healthy. By the time the baby arrives, you’ll know whether you want to stay with Kyle or not.”

  Danielle couldn’t hide her shock. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected her grandmother to suggest. Consult an attorney? Tell Kyle he was on the hook for child support, but she’d take care of her own living arrangements, thank you very much?

  “But I barely know him,” she protested. “What if he’s some serial killer?”