Newlywed Games (5 page)

If only he hadn’t had to rush off on that business trip, things could have been different for them. If only he had found her to explain. If only Charmaine hadn’t shown up, playing her petty little games. If only…if only…

With the traveling completed and things calm at the hotel, he’d hoped to finally make it up to her. She must think him such a cad. When he saw the look on her face at the airport, he hadn’t thought twice. He’d jumped in, wholeheartedly. She’d gotten herself into a fix, and he would do all he could to help out. It was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?

Really? The right thing to do? In whose eyes?

He pushed the thought away with a slight shake of his head. From what he’d picked up, Meg had told her little tale about them for a pretty good reason. The least he could do was go along with it. For now.

And if at the same time he could get to know her better, and she him, then that was even better. Who knew, by the end of her mother’s visit he might even manage to win Meghann over.

At least, he hoped so.

N
ORMALLY
, M
EGHANN LOOKED FORWARD TO ARRIVING
home. Two huge elm trees dwarfed her cozy one bedroom rental cottage, blanketing her yard with shade in the summer but offering very little shade now. The early signs of the new buds were beginning to show. In the fall when everyone else complained of all the leaves to rake, she relished it. From her two elms and even some of the neighbor’s leaves, she had plenty to make a pile big enough to jump in. Azalea and rhododendron bushes along with other higher bushes and shrubbery formed a fence, and she was able to imagine herself in the country except for the traffic noise. It was her mini-sanctuary.

Today was different. Today her mother and her make-believe husband were both coming home with her. Talk about having your worst nightmare come true.…

Meghann’s unease grew as she pulled into her gravel driveway. Now what? She parked the car and the trio stepped out.

“I’ll get the bags while you unlock the door.”

She nodded at Bruce’s seemingly casual words. The look in his eyes confirmed what she’d thought: He was trying to be as cautious and strategic about this as he could be. He didn’t want to give her away.

After unlocking the trunk, she went and opened the gate. Across the yard bounded a big black blur. Oh, no! How could she have forgotten about Lucky? The Labrador came to a halt, barked twice, then wagged her tail.

“Hello, girl.”

The happy canine wagged her way over to her owner. Meghann scratched her head, praying the dog wouldn’t give Bruce away. As friendly as Lucky was with people she knew, strangers sometimes made the Lab nervous.

“Say hello to Mom, Lucky,” she said, purposefully using the dog’s name for Bruce’s benefit. Lucky wiggled over to Mrs. Livingston and jumped up on the older woman.

“Off, Lucky.” Meghann tried to nudge her away with her knee. “Get off.”

“Off!” Bruce’s voice was stern and low. Obediently, the dog turned toward him.

Meghann had gotten Lucky to be sort of a sentry, but this was one time she didn’t want to be guarded. She was about to say something when Bruce’s next command came.

“Sit!”

Lucky instantly obeyed. Her tail continued to wag, brushing across the brittle winter grass.

The dog’s response amazed Meghann. All that time and money spent on obedience training and she had never gotten that quick of a reaction. Maybe if she had put more heart into it and kept up with it instead of letting it slide, Lucky would obey her as well. Meghann watched, fighting a surprising twinge of jealousy, as Lucky stared up at Bruce with wide, attentive eyes.

“She certainly knows who’s boss around here,” Meghann’s mother said.

A weak smile pulled at Meghann’s mouth.

Bruce lowered the suitcases to the ground. Lucky eased up but stopped with another firm word from Bruce. “Stay.”

The Lab wiggled in anticipation. When he had put his load down, Bruce knelt three feet in front of the smiling dog, who looked like she was going to jump out of her skin.

Bruce waited a moment longer, eye-to-eye with the canine, before releasing her. “Good girl,” he said in an even, calm tone. “Okay, come.”

The Labrador shot off her spot and bounded toward the man, knocking him over and licking his face.

Meghann was aghast. But Bruce just laughed and wrestled the happy, energetic dog for a minute. She couldn’t help smiling at the playful pair.

“That’s enough,” Bruce said. “Sit.”

Lucky sat, awaiting her next order.

Bruce rose and brushed the dog hair and dry grass off his expensive looking suit. Meghann hoped it wasn’t ruined. Of course, she’d pay to have it dry-cleaned, but
she fought a groan at the idea of having to pay for a new suit.

This little charade was turning costly. On many fronts.

“Your dog missed you,” Mom said. “I think she would like her
daddy
to be around more.”

“Mother!” Meghann spoke to her mother’s back as she hurried up the porch steps. Meghann felt the heat rush to her face.
Daddy?
Reluctantly, she turned to see Mr. Halloway’s reaction. His head was ducked down and she could swear the man was doing his best to hide a smile. Well, at least somebody could smile about all this. She was too mortified to comment and simply unlocked the door in silence.

“I like him,” her mother whispered so only Meghann could hear, then stepped over the threshold. “I couldn’t have chosen a better son-in-law myself.”

Meghann rolled her eyes. Good heavens. How on earth was she going to keep her mother from making such comments with Mr. Halloway around? She had to get rid of him before her mother totally embarrassed him. And her. He had been a good sport to go along with this charade so far, but she couldn’t expect him to do it indefinitely.

Not that you’d want him to…right?

Of course not! The last thing she needed was Bruce Halloway in her home, acting like he cared about her, smiling at her like she meant something to him.…

Liar. You love it.

Pressing her lips together, Meghann went inside. The small bedroom and dinky bathroom were off of the
cozy living room. From any one spot the whole interior could be viewed. The furnishings were by Goodwill, garage sales, and curbside rejects. With a little paint everything matched, more or less. Some red and yellow fabric to cover what couldn’t be painted finished off the cheerful decor.

Bruce came in behind them, hauling the luggage. “Where do you want these?”

“My mom’s suitcases go in the bedroom.” Meghann crossed the room and opened the bedroom door. Thankfully she had made her bed this morning. Bruce took the bags in and did a quick surveillance of the room.

“I can’t take your room, honey. Where will the two of you sleep?”

As far from each other as possible.

“I’ll be fine on the couch,” her mother finished.

“Mom, you will not sleep on the couch. It’s not very comfortable, and you need your rest. Doctor’s orders.” Besides, sharing a bedroom with Bruce Halloway was definitely out of the question! This little charade could only go so far, for heaven’s sake.

Her mom opened her mouth to protest but was stopped by Bruce’s voice directly behind Meghann. “We insist you take the bedroom. We won’t take no for an answer.” When Bruce said
we
the first time, he put his hands on her shoulders; with the second he had given her shoulders a gentle squeeze. His touch sent a little ripple through her.

As quickly as the dog had obeyed, so had her mother. Did he always get his way? She knew she
worked extra hard to complete any tasks he gave her, as many others at the hotel did. He had merely to suggest something needed to be done and people fell over each other to do it, some making real ninnies of themselves. He was just the kind of guy people wanted to please.

But how far would Meghann go to please him?

Later that evening, Meghann grew tired of her suppose-to-be protector lapping up every bit of attention Bruce Halloway gave her. “Come on, Lucky. It’s time for you to go outside for a while.” She patted her hip and headed for the door.

Lucky jumped up and trotted two feet toward the door, then turned back to Bruce and gave a little whine.

Oh, brother.
Now
her
dog was asking his permission!

Bruce looked up from where he sat in an overstuffed chair, his briefcase open on the floor before him. “Go on, Lucky,” he said, pointing toward the door.

Meghann went out with Lucky to check her food and water. Lucky raced around the yard, then stopped by her owner and nudged her hand.

Meghann knelt down and scratched the dog behind the ears with both hands. “Some watchdog you are. A stranger comes in the yard, and you beg for his attention. Are you trying to impress him? Flirting perhaps?” She sighed. “Or is it because you’ve heard me talk so much about Mr. Halloway that you feel like you already know him?”

She settled back on the grass, shaking her head. “I have really gotten myself into a pickle. Who would have
thought one little lie could become so complicated?”

“Your refuge looks strong, but since it is made of lies…the enemy will come like a flood to sweep it away.…”

The words struck home and Meghann blinked against sudden tears. What had she done? How could she have talked herself into this mess? Whatever made her think that lying could bring about any good?

Lord, I’m in so deep here. What can I do?

The Lab’s ears perked up as she looked past Meghann and bound away, sending her sprawling.

“Sit. Stay.” There was no mistaking the deep, lulling voice. And here she was in a dress, sitting in the grass. Bruce was at her side in a heartbeat. When he reached over to help, she noticed how strong and masculine his hand felt as it swallowed hers. Bruce pulled her to her feet, then walked her over to the towering elm tree in the middle of the still brown-yellow yard.

“How do you get her to obey so quickly?” This was good, a delay from a more serious matter they needed to discuss. She couldn’t put it off forever, but for now she would take the reprieve.

“When a dog jumps up most people say
down,
which is the command to get a dog to lie down. You said
off,
which is the correct command, so I assumed you had taken her to obedience school.”

“How come when I ask her to do something she ignores me?”

A smile tugged at his mouth. “Your answer, my dear, is in your question.”

Her heart quickened at his endearment, but she clamped down on the pleasure sweeping through her.
He probably calls lots of women ‘dear.’ It’s probably only a friendly, casual gesture that means nothing at all to him.
If she could only convince her pounding heart of that, maybe she could remember to breathe. “It is?”

“You
ask,
ever so sweetly, I might add. Lucky is not ignoring you; she is simply answering you with a definite no. Like a child, she must be told what to do, firm but kind.”

He gave the dog a few commands in demonstration, and then coached Meghann to do the same until Lucky obeyed her almost as quickly as him. “They say 80 percent of training a dog is training the owner.”

“How do you know so much? Do you have a dog too or something?” She realized how little she knew about this man.

“Or something.” He smiled and hesitated a moment. “I once dated a dog trainer. She wouldn’t go out with me until I learned the basics.”

“Oh.” She looked down, not meaning to pry, but wondered if he always got what he wanted. From what she had seen, he did.

“Hey, don’t look so bothered. It was a long time ago.” He stepped closer, taking her hand in his, their fingers laced together.

“W-what are you doing?” Emotions swept over her at the intimate connection, at the way their hands seemed to fit together so perfectly. Swallowing hard, struggling to get control of her jumping pulse, she backed away—right against the mighty elm trunk.

With an easy smile Bruce rested his forearm on a low branch beside her, boxing her in. Did he sense her
impulse to flee? “Meghann.” His voice was low, deep…and about as beguiling as anything she’d ever heard.

Oh, help!

He tugged on her hand gently. “We need to talk.”

She knew that. But for the life of her, she couldn’t respond. It wasn’t what she had to say that was unsettling her. As a matter of fact, she couldn’t really remember
what
they needed to talk about! No, it was how close they were—the warmth of his hand on hers, the sweetness of his breath fanning her cheek—that was sending her senses spinning.

She made a lame effort to free her hand. It was a token tug, just enough to show protest but not enough to succeed. How long she had waited and wished for this kind of interaction with him. But this was just all too strange—too sudden and unexpected. Besides, they weren’t alone. Her mother was here.

Her mother and Bruce. Under the same roof!

Jennifer, what have you gotten me into?

No, not Jennifer. Meg was honest enough to admit she’d done this to herself. But what she didn’t know was how one dealt with a situation like this. How did one cope? How could she calm her racing heart? She never planned to have her mother and a fake husband to deal with. Her mother was going to be hard enough. Actually she never planned any of this, it all sort of happened. First the nurse, then her mother and Jennifer, and now Bruce was tangled up in her deception. Where would it all end? It certainly couldn’t get any more complicated than this.