Not What It Seems (Escape to Alaska Trilogy) (23 page)

When the minister asked Clayton if he took this woman to be his wife, he smiled and answered, “After the day I’ve had, you bet I do.” Everyone laughed, and the guests’ extended delay in the heat was forgotten.

While Clayton and Cassidy and their witnesses signed the marriage papers, a local singer crooned the beautiful Hawaiian Wedding Song. Three hula dancers appeared, wearing sleeveless white dresses, flowered headpieces, colorful leis, and greenery at their wrists and hips. The stunning young ladies interpreted the traditional message of love with graceful hand movements and sensual, swaying hips. The guests sat in silence, spellbound by the magical performance.

When the minister presented Clayton and Cassidy as Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, the guests cheered wildly. Clayton kissed the bride amidst raucous whistling from the groomsmen who quickly formed a line to kiss the bride, too.

Everyone escaped the heat, retiring to the air-conditioned banquet room and the wedding feast—no other term seemed as fitting. The guests groaned after the meal, relaxed in their chairs, and enjoyed humorous speeches by the groom, best man and father-of-the-bride.

Part way through the evening, Clayton and Cassidy slipped away to change their clothes and don more comfortable island party wear to dance the night away. Clayton kissed his bride during the elevator ride. When they reached the bridal suite, he swept her up in his arms and carried her across the threshold.

“I thought the groom carried the bride across the threshold of her new home? Are we moving in?” Cassidy laughed.

“Just practicing.” Clayton set her on her feet and kissed her again.

“As much as I love this dress, I can’t wait to shed it in favor of my sundress.” Cassidy turned toward Clayton. “Help me out of my dress, please.”

“We’ll discard this all right. Are you certain you immediately require that sundress?” Clayton grinned.

“Mr. Edwards, you randy character.” Cassidy revived her southern drawl. “Whatever will the old aunties think if we delay returning to our party?”

“To hell with the old aunties. We’ll leave it to the old uncles to explain it.” Clayton nibbled on her neck.

“You’ll have plenty of time for the honeymoon.” Cassidy hung the gown in the closet and pulled her white lace sundress off the hanger.

“Did I mention how beautiful you looked today?” Clayton wrestled out of his tux, hung it in the closet, and donned khaki trousers and a tan leaf-patterned Hawaiian shirt.

“Only a dozen times.” Cassidy slipped into a silky floral print sundress and white sandals, touched up her lipstick, and then carefully removed her veil. “I’m leaving the flowers in my hair. I love how Katie styled it.”

“You look spectacular in that dress, too.” Clayton slipped into his sandals.

Cassidy stood before Clayton, reached for his hands. “Okay. I’ve waited long enough. Please explain where you’ve been all day. And is that small scratch on your chin from shaving or were you actually in a car accident?”

“Come sit with me on the loveseat for a few minutes, and I’ll explain everything.” Clayton poured them each a glass of complimentary champagne chilling in the ice stand by the king-sized bed.

“Thank you,” said Cassidy, as her new husband handed the flute to her.

“To Mr. and Mrs. Edwards.” Clayton clinked glasses with her and sipped. “Delicious.”

“You’re stalling.”

Clayton flopped down beside his wife, wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “This story should start with ‘now don’t get mad’. However, I suppose it’s too late for that. I heard from Jeannie how devastated you were when you believed I’d left you at the altar.”

“Jeannie possesses a big mouth,” muttered Cassidy, blushing.

“I’m sorry, but you wouldn’t believe…”

“Quit stalling. Just tell me.” Cassidy smacked his arm. “I won’t be mad. I promise.”

“It all started when I realized I’d left your wedding band back home in Anchorage on the kitchen table at my log house.” Clayton grimaced.

“What!” shouted Cassidy, meeting his eyes.

“I know. I should have told you, but I’d hoped you’d never learn about this.” Clayton sipped his champagne. “I called the manager of Precious Gems and ordered him out to my acreage. I even divulged the five-digit security code to my house. See how much I love you?”

“You’d trust Gerald with you life. Don’t give me that baloney.”

“True. Anyway, Gerald retrieved the ring, packaged it up, and sent it UPS.” Clayton set his glass down and started playing with the gold wedding band on her hand. The package missed the first flight, so that delayed the ring’s arrival by a day. No problem, the shipment could still arrive this morning by ten a.m.”

“So what went wrong?”

“Nothing, with the flight. I picked the package up at the airport at 10:30 and flagged down a cab intending to return to the hotel. Then all hell broke loose.”

“Your accident involved the taxi?”

“A couple of teenagers ploughed into the driver’s side of the cab ten minutes after we left the airport.” Clayton winced. “The cab rolled at least three times. Thankfully, the driver and I were wearing our seatbelts, but I thought the cab driver was dead. I couldn’t open the back doors, so I climbed into the front seat. He was breathing weakly. So I called 9-1-1 on my cell and started CPR.”

“There wasn’t anyone else around.”

“Lots of people stopped, but no one could manage to open any of the doors.”

“Go on.” Cassidy finished her champagne.

Clayton retrieved the bottle of champagne and refilled their glasses. “The ambulance finally arrived, firemen pried open the doors, and they rushed us to the hospital. My little scratch required some antibiotic cream, but the driver’s spleen had ruptured and he required emergency surgery. His wife arrived, totally hysterical. I sat with her during the surgery, until the doctor announced the cabbie survived the procedure and remained in stable condition. I arranged for his wife’s brother to meet her at the hospital and drive her home.”

“You are such a Good Samaritan.” Cassidy kissed her hero’s cheek.

“Thank you. When I finally glanced at my watch, it was ten after two. So, I had the doctor start my heart again,” joked Clayton, grinning. “I raced outside. Already ten minutes late for my own wedding, I almost dragged a pregnant woman out of the cab when she arrived, and ordered the driver to break land speed records to the Hyatt Regency.”

“And during all this time, it never occurred to you to telephone someone at the hotel?”

“Actually, no.” Clayton finished his champagne. “Too preoccupied keeping a taxi driver alive and then calming his hysterical wife.”

“And Dad considered his story one for the grandkids.”

“Your father has a story, too?”

“Don’t ask.”

Epilogue

Cassidy could still hear the doctor’s words this afternoon.
Mrs. Edwards, fantastic news. You’re pregnant.

What a wonderful early Christmas present!

Undoubtedly, the sweetest words she’d ever heard. And that surprised her. If anyone had told her seven months ago that by December she would be happily married with a baby on the way, she would have had them committed.

Of course, they planned on being married at least a year before starting a family. Mother Nature had other plans, however. She conceived during their month-long European honeymoon.

Clayton had been beside himself with excitement when she’d returned home with the news. And her father would call a national holiday when he learned about his first grandchild’s pending arrival. Cassidy wanted a carbon copy of Clayton; she could not believe it was possible to love another human being so much. She couldn’t be happier.

“Aren’t you sleeping, honey?” Clayton turned on the bedside lamp and then propped himself up on one elbow.

“I can’t believe how happy I am. Within the past seven months, I’ve quit my career as a corporate attorney, moved half way across the country, met my Mr. Right, married him in the wedding of my dreams, and now I’m expecting our baby. So much for the corporate career life I believed meant the world to me.”

“I’ve no objection to you working.”

“Forget it. I’m going to enjoy every minute of this pregnancy and motherhood, and I have no intention of working. Unless you count decorating the nursery.”

“Don’t overdo it. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the child isn’t due for another seven months.”

“I’m leaning towards yellow. Very unisex.”

“Forget it, pink or blue. And as soon as we learn the baby’s sex, I can start buying the appropriate sports equipment.”

“You can start buying diapers and a crib and a stroller and a high chair and…”

“Let’s get some sleep first. Having babies is very tiring.”

“Are you complaining?”

“Not a bit. I’m extremely happy. But I’ve so much time to make up for. Do you realize how many years I spent distrusting people’s intentions? Until I’ve met you, I never noticed how many people do things for others with no ulterior motives involved.”

“Patricia and Sherry won’t think twice about helping to decorate the nursery, and Jeannie volunteered to ship the remainder of my things,” said Cassidy.

“Terry and Sherry did a wonderful job of running the bar while we honeymooned,” added Clayton. “And neither of them would accept extra pay for it. I’ve misjudged people so badly because of the actions of a couple of people in my past.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, sweetheart. Unfortunately, sometimes people are not what they seem. But more often than not, people are sincere and genuine. And certainly one’s friends, and occasionally even strangers, will surprise you with an unprecedented act of kindness and generosity, while expecting nothing in return.” Cassidy snuggled under the covers.

“You are so right.” Clayton turned out the light and wrapped his wife in his arms.

The End

Turn the page for an exciting excerpt of ALMOST DOESN’T COUNT, Book Two in the Escape to Alaska Trilogy, to be released September 1, 2012.

Escape to Alaska Trilogy

Excerpt from Book Two

ALMOST DOESN’T COUNT

Chapter 1

What sinful misdeed had she committed to deserve this?

Jeannie St. James gazed across the panoramic view of the bright lights of Chicago’s Old Town through her apartment’s picture window on this beautiful snowy March night. She turned and paced soundlessly across the carpeted living room floor.

When Brent Masters encountered her in the elevator at Donahue, Charles and Bennett Law Firm on their way home—they’d both worked well past seven o’clock—he suggested dinner. The impromptu date, if you could call it a date, culminated with a glass of wine at her place. And then he requested the use of her facilities before heading home.

She checked her watch. Quarter to twelve. Twenty minutes had passed, and her date still remained ensconced in her bathroom.

What’s taking him so long?

A tremor of unease raised goosebumps on her bare arms.

Brent passed the bar exam last year and practiced law at the firm where she worked as an administrative legal assistant to the junior partner, Mr. Bennett. Brent’s stunning good looks and crazy sense of humor placed him at the top of his female co-workers’ most eligible bachelors list.

“If he doesn’t soon vacate my bathroom, he’s slipping several notches down my list,” Jeannie muttered aloud. She waited another five minutes, pacing the whole time, and then threw up her hands and strode down the hallway.

“Thanks for dinner, Brent,” she called through the closed bathroom door. “Welcome change from my usual microwave entree and Sudoku puzzles. The evening’s been fun, but my boss requested a six a.m. start tomorrow. Are you going to be much longer?”

Her date mumbled something—Jeannie couldn’t distinguish the words—from behind the closed door.

“I didn’t catch that.” Jeannie paused in the hallway for another minute, anticipating his exit.

Had her co-worker contracted food poisoning or something, she wondered? She immediately ruled out that possibility; they’d both ordered the Veal Parmigiana at Armando’s. And Brent had mumbled something through the door, so he hadn’t passed out or suffered a heart attack.

She kicked off her shoes, pulled the pins out of her French twist, and then finger combed her long blonde hair. Everyone at work adored Brent. Her fun-loving co-worker seemed like an annoying big brother to her, but preparing for bed while he remained in her apartment felt totally inappropriate. Her bedtime routine would have to wait.

When he still remained entrenched in her bathroom, she knocked loudly on the door “Will you please hurry up? I insist you leave now!” she shouted.

Suddenly, Brent Masters whipped open the bathroom door sending it crashing against the inside wall. When he charged into the hallway, Jeannie just stood there too shocked to move. What the hell was wrong with him?

“How dare you shout orders at me?” Brent’s face contorted with rage, and he slapped her face with such force she fell back against the wall. He savagely grabbed her right arm and twisted it behind her back.

“What is the matter with you?” Jeannie’s eyes watered from his vicious slap. Brent’s sudden aggression stunned her. Jekyll had politely requested the use of her bathroom and Hyde had stormed out.

An instant later, Brent’s expression changed to a horrifying, insane grin. Jeannie attempted to yank her arm free, but he tightened his grip further until she was totally immobilized.

“We’re going to end the evening my way.” Brent tore her blouse open sending tiny pearl buttons flying in every direction and exposing her strapless black bra. Cursing loudly, he dragged her into the bedroom.

Before she could react, he threw her onto the bed, grabbed her skirt in both hands, and ripped the flimsy material off. Her lower body was barely covered in black panties and a short half slip. With superhuman strength, Brent painfully whipped her arms behind her back again and pushed her face down into the bedcovers. He fell on top of her and then fumbled with the zipper on his fly.