Semiautomatic Marriage (6 page)

“I’m not sure I’m up to playing out this charade,” she said defensively. Not only were her own
emotions getting in the way, but the likelihood of her causing him embarrassment seemed too great. She had an unpleasant childhood memory of the time some rich woman had invited a bunch of orphans to her house for a party. Carolyn had been so nervous she’d turned the whole plate of ice cream and cake over in her lap. Even now, she shuddered at the recollection. Just making the lifestyle transition she faced would be difficult enough, but having him privy to every word and mishap made it even worse.

“I want to make this as easy on you as possible, Carolyn. I’ll do my best to arrange things so you don’t feel threatened in any way. I promise to make no demands that aren’t vital to the success of my investigation.” He paused. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

She knew then that he was aware of the attraction that had flared between them. She nodded. “All of this is just part of a business arrangement. Nothing more.” She realized she was addressing herself as much as him.

“Right. As for getting married, there’s no need for anything but a civil service, one we’ll have as quickly and quietly as possible. We can dispense with everything else.”

Everything else? All the dreams? All expectations of someday being a bride in white lace and satin? To love and to cherish? She had always thought that someday she’d hear those poignant words, and she’d never feel lonely again. Getting married would be a beginning of a new life and the ending of an old one.

“All we need are the official credentials of Mr.
and Mrs. Adam Lawrence,” he assured her. “And you’ll need to go by Carolyn Lawrence until this is over. For your protection, Mr. Bancroft will go over any legal matters that might come up while the investigation is going on.”

Investigation, he had said, not marriage. Just a business arrangement. Of course, that was all it was. No reason for her to get sentimental about taking vows that meant nothing. In a way that was what her life had been up till now. Pragmatic. Realistic. No reason for her to view a wedding ring on her finger as anything but a cold circle of metal.

“How soon should we do this?” she asked, putting her hands in her lap and clasping them tightly.

“Bancroft will make arrangements for you to move into the house and will finalize all the business arrangements. Just a matter of a few days, I think.”

“So soon?” She forced a light laugh. “You really know how to rush a girl off her feet.”

“The sooner we get into position, the better.”

Get into position.
That’s the way he was viewing this whole marriage arrangement. Professional. Unemotional. Nonpersonal. The moment had come when she was either going to believe him or walk away.

“I’ll check my wardrobe and see if I have something decent to wear to a pretend wedding.”

They went back to making idle conversation, and as soon as they’d finished their coffee and apple cobbler, they left the restaurant.

The silence between them on the ride back to her apartment was like a thick curtain as Carolyn’s sensible nature began to question everything Adam Lawrence had said. Was this so-called investigation
of Horizon just an elaborate scheme to swindle a naive heiress? Bancroft was the only one vouching for Adam Lawrence, and what did she really know about the lawyer? Had she bought into some sophisticated hoax?

“How would I go about verifying everything you’ve told me?” she asked as Adam walked her up the stairs to her back door. In the dim light of the back-door bulb, she could see his eyes widen in surprise. It was obvious he was taken aback by her question.

“You could decide to initiate a background check on Adam Lawrence.”

With sudden insight she said, “That’s not even your real name, is it.”

“For the moment it’s the only legal name I have.”

She wanted to laugh, but the mirth caught in her chest. She turned away and went in the house without even responding to his, “Good night. I’ll call you in the morning.”

B
ACK IN HIS HOTEL ROOM
, Adam called his supervisor, Angelica Rivers, a woman whose crisp, businesslike voice matched her appearance. Adam guessed that at this early hour, she was probably still wearing her tailored white blouse and the straight linen skirt with its matching long jacket. Angelica had been with the agency since she was twenty, and now in her forties, she brooked no nonsense from agents, male or female.

“It’s a go,” Adam told her.

“Carolyn Leigh agreed?”

“Yes,” he answered, and mentally crossed his
fingers that the arrangement with Carolyn was still a go.

“What kind of woman is she?”

Adam knew he had to be careful. Angelica would weigh everything he said and probably read between the lines. “We can trust her. She’s ready to cooperate fully.”

“I repeat, what kind of woman is she? Are you afraid to offer a personal evaluation, Adam?”

“No, not really,” he lied. His personal evaluation of Carolyn Leigh demanded honesty about how attractive he found her—in more aspects than he was willing to admit to his boss.

“You don’t like this woman who is going to pretend to be your wife?” Before he could answer, she added with knowing perception, “Or is it, as I suspect, just the opposite?”

“That’s what I like about you, Angel,” he said, using her nickname. “Nobody can accuse you of holding back. Why don’t you just ask me if she turns me on?”

“Well, does she? You know darn well you can’t get emotionally involved when you’re on a case—especially this one. Maybe I should send someone else in right now. You could get yourself killed if you let things get out of hand.”

“I’m not going to let anything get out of hand. That’s a promise. And you don’t need to worry about Carolyn not sticking to the cover.” He told Angelica about the Mexican couple and their baby. “She’s a dedicated humanitarian, and she convinced herself that she wanted to cooperate.”
Unless she’s changed her mind.

“What’s the plan?”

“We’ll arrange a civil marriage ceremony as soon as the lawyer has all the legal ends tied up in a few days. Then we’ll move into the Stanford mansion and meet some of the players.”

“So the curtain goes up.”

“Yes.” Adam drew in a deep breath, and as confidently as he could, said, “And the drama begins!”

Chapter Four

Carolyn spent the next three days verifying every fact she could about her inheritance, and she satisfied herself that she could trust Mr. Bancroft. The lawyer’s personal reputation and that of his firm was without blemish. As promised, he had arranged for a substantial amount of money to be deposited in her bank account and had given her the assurance that it was only a fraction of the assets that would follow. She requested that he draw up a prenuptial agreement to protect her inheritance, and when she expressed her concerns about Adam’s plan to use her to expedite his investigation, the lawyer was quick to assure her that it was important for her to know the truth about possible criminal activities at Horizon as soon as possible.

“The suspicions about Horizon need to be proved or laid to rest.”

Carolyn decided that his advice was valid, and only five days after her life had been turned upside down, she sat stiffly beside Adam as he drove through the upscale neighborhood where the Stanford mansion was located. As she looked at the million-dollar homes they were passing, Carolyn
thought that Alice must have felt like this when she fell down the rabbit hole. Nervously she moistened her lips and smoothed the folds of her pink linen dress.

The marriage ceremony that morning had gone very much as Adam had predicted. Mr. Bancroft had arranged for a friend of his, a justice of the peace, to read the service in the lawyer’s office. It only took ten minutes, and they could have been applying for a driver’s license for all the emotion that was displayed.

Carolyn viewed the ring that Adam slipped on her finger with a feeling of detachment, and he seemed to receive his with the same indifference. The only time she’d been jerked back to reality was when Bancroft addressed her after the ceremony as Mrs. Lawrence.

“I’ve alerted Jasper Stanford that all legalities have been taken care of, Mrs. Lawrence,” the lawyer explained. “And I’ve answered all of his questions about the inheritance and your marriage plans. He knows you will be arriving with your husband sometime today. I wish you both well.” Then he added with obvious double meaning, “And success.”

Adam thanked him as he shook the man’s hand. “I appreciate your help.”

The ceremony had gone better than Adam had anticipated. He’d been ready to deal with Carolyn’s last-minute trepidations, but she had maintained her composure throughout and handled herself beautifully.

He couldn’t have found a better woman to play out the dangerous undercover investigation ahead of
them. Nor a more attractive one, he thought as she stood beside him, wearing a simple summer dress that hugged her slender lines and curves. He was aware of every breath she drew. Her honey-tinted hair drifted softly on her shoulders, and a simple strand of imitation pearls was her only accessory. She had flatly rejected any flowers, making it clear that they would be out of place in this husband-and-wife impersonation.

Her eyes had widened in surprise when he lightly brushed her lips in the traditional wedding kiss, and he was startled by his own desire to deepen the contact and taste the tantalizing sweetness of her mouth. He felt her stiffen and wondered if his desire had been reflected in his eyes. Great, just great, he thought. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to take a woman in his arms. Such feelings in this situation spelled disaster, and he didn’t doubt for a minute that she’d withdraw her cooperation if he moved out of line.

W
HEN THEY LEFT THE
lawyer’s office in Adam’s car, an uncomfortable silence fell between them. He gave his attention to his driving, and as Carolyn cast him a sidelong glance, she saw a handsome stranger in a tailored dark suit, white shirt and silk tie. And he was her legal husband. That fact alone was beyond comprehension. As she stared at the beautiful diamond ring on her finger, she kept reminding herself that none of this was for real.

The past few days had been a whirlwind, and her emotions had taken a beating. As her life swiftly moved into a completely foreign dimension, she
wasn’t certain she could cope with all the demands and changes.

She’d finally gotten up the courage to tell Rosie that she was leaving the clinic and why. They’d been sitting on a park bench, eating hot dogs for lunch, and Rosie just laughed with a dismissive wave of her hand when Carolyn tried to tell her what had happened.

“Sure, somebody died and left you a bundle, sure. And I’m related to the Queen of England. Who are you kidding? You don’t have to spin a tale for me if you’re about to run off with that handsome hunk. More power to you, I say.”

Carolyn took a deep breath. “It’s true. I don’t even know how much money I’ve inherited.”

Rosie’s dark eyes grew wider as Carolyn explained about her grandfather’s will and the fact that he’d been financing her college education. When she’d finished, Rosie put down her hot dog and stared at Carolyn as if she expected her to laugh and say, “Gotcha.”

Carolyn couldn’t blame her friend for expecting a joke. The two of them had spun tales of marrying a rich man someday or winning the lottery, but none of their fantasies had come close to the story Carolyn was telling.

“It’s really true, Rosie,” Carolyn quietly insisted. “I’ve arranged for someone to take my place at the clinic.” She didn’t add that she’d obligated herself to pay the replacement doctor for his services. Adam had warned her not to say anything about their getting married until they’d moved into the mansion. He didn’t want anyone involved in the ceremony.

“As soon as I get settled,” she’d gone on to her
friend, “you can come and let me show you around.”

Carolyn could tell by the way Rosie reacted that their friendship was already threatened. A gulf was starting to widen between them, and Carolyn knew that until Adam’s investigation was over, it would be better to try to pretend that everything was romantically “wine and roses” in her marriage. Rosie would be aghast at the truth.

Carolyn returned to the present. There was no doubt in her mind that the Stanford mansion would be as large and intimidating as any of the homes they were passing. What were the people like who lived in them? She took a deep breath and asked Adam point-blank what to expect when they got to the Stanford mansion.

“It’s bound to be a little tense and uncomfortable at first,” he told her. “We’ll just have to take it as it comes.” His own thoughts had been following the same kind of speculation, and to be perfectly honest, he didn’t know what the situation might be. People were unpredictable at best. He had no idea how Carolyn’s uncle was going to receive her, or how the Jasper’s live-in significant other would, either. From all accounts, Della Denison had grandfather’s approval as an executive at Horizon, and the woman wasn’t likely to accept Carolyn’s presence in the company with open arms.

Adam was also concerned about the way Lisa and Buddy Denison were going to treat Carolyn. He considered them self-centered and spoiled. They could make life hell for her in a thousand different ways.

“I wish I’d had more time to get ready for this,” Carolyn said honestly. But would she ever be ready?
She glanced at the man sitting beside her. What did she really know about him? She couldn’t believe that she had put herself in his hands—in more ways than one.

“Just stick to the script we worked out. Don’t try to embellish any of the details. Remember, don’t supply extra information when you’re pushed into a corner. Everyone’s going to be curious about you, about us, but you don’t have to satisfy their curiosity. You’re in the driver’s seat in this situation. You have the power and the money.”

“Power and money.” She wanted to laugh at the irony of it. When on earth had she ever possessed either one of them? A few pieces of paper couldn’t change her basic perception of herself.