Полная версия
His Band Of Gold
A perfect match.
Kelsey Armstrong Waters stared at her reflection in the three-way mirror and grinned. The vintage lace veil looked as if it had been woven specifically for the porcelain flower wreath she’d found in Paris. Any one of Kelsey’s brides would consider herself fortunate to wear the exquisite pieces.
She adjusted the veil slightly. Oh, my. Kelsey blinked. Once. Twice.
The unbelievable happened. She looked like a bride. An unexpected rush of emotion overtook her. But not even catching her cousin’s wedding bouquet or wearing this breathtaking headpiece would change what she already knew in her heart to be true. Marriage wasn’t for her. Not now, not ever.
The sound of a male voice sent a shiver down her spine. Standing in the doorway was a man dressed in khakis, a white shirt and a brown leather jacket.
This is the man I’m going to marry.
Dear Reader,
I’m dreaming of summer vacations—of sitting by the beach, dangling my feet in a lake, walking on a mountain or curling up in a hammock. And in each vision, I have a Silhouette Romance novel, and I’m happy. Why don’t you grab a couple and join me? And in each book take a look at our Silhouette Makes You a Star contest!
We’ve got some terrific titles in store for you this month. Longtime favorite author Cathie Linz has developed some delightful stories with U.S. Marine heroes and Stranded with the Sergeant is appealing and fun. Cara Colter has the second of her THE WEDDING LEGACY titles for you. The Heiress Takes a Husband features a rich young woman who’s struggling to prove herself—and the handsome attorney who lends a hand.
Arlene James has written over fifty titles for Silhouette Books, and her expertise shows. So Dear to My Heart is a tender, original story of a woman finding happiness again. And Karen Rose Smith—another popular veteran—brings us Doctor in Demand, about a wounded man who’s healed by the love of a woman and her child.
And two newer authors round out the list! Melissa McClone’s His Band of Gold is an emotional realization of the power of love, and Sue Swift debuts in Silhouette Romance with His Baby, Her Heart, in which a woman agrees to fulfill her late sister’s dream of children. It’s an unusual and powerful story that is part of our THE BABY’s SECRET series.
Enjoy these stories, and make time to appreciate yourselves in your hectic lives! Have a wonderful summer.
Happy reading!
Mary-Theresa Hussey
Senior Editor
His Band of Gold
Melissa McClone
To Louise Vernon and her Wednesday night group: Barbara, Jenny, Laurie, Linda and Shirley.
Books by Melissa McClone
Silhouette Romance
If the Ring Fits… #1431
The Wedding Lullaby #1485
His Band of Gold #1537
Yours Truly
Fiancé for the Night
MELISSA MCCLONE
With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, the last thing Melissa McClone ever thought she would be doing is writing romance novels, but analyzing engines for a major U.S. airline just couldn’t compete with her “happily-ever-afters.”
When she isn’t writing, caring for her two young children or doing laundry, Melissa loves to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea, her cats and a good book. She is also a big fan of The X-Files and enjoys watching home decorating shows to get ideas for her house—a 1939 cottage that is slowly being renovated.
Melissa lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon, with her own real-life hero husband, daughter, son, two lovable but oh-so-spoiled indoor cats and a no-longer-stray outdoor kitty who decided to call the garage home. Melissa loves to hear from readers. You can write to her at P.O. Box 63, Lake Oswego, OR 97034.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Prologue
“You know what this means, don’t you?” The beaming princess bride, Her Serene Highness Christina Armstrong de Thierry of San Montico, didn’t give Kelsey time to answer. “You’ll be the next one to get married.”
“No.” Kelsey Armstrong Waters stared at the breathtaking all-white royal bridal bouquet in her hands. The sweet scent of the roses tickled her nostrils as if the flowers got the joke. The last thing she’d intended to do was to catch the damn bouquet, but before she knew what was happening she had. Her first thought had been to let it fall to the ground, but as maid of honor—not to mention a wedding consultant herself—she couldn’t allow that to happen. Nor would she allow herself to buy into that silly myth. Not even for her favorite cousin. “I won’t be getting married.”
“You say that now.” Christina gazed longingly at her handsome husband, Prince Richard de Thierry, and her smile widened. “Just wait until you meet Mr. Right. Trust me, you’ll change your mind. Fast.”
Kelsey didn’t want to spoil her cousin’s perfect wedding day so she held her tongue. The institution of marriage might be perfect for Christina and many others, but it would never be for Kelsey. “Why don’t you toss it again so someone else can catch it and not ruin any…traditions?”
“You won’t be able to stop this tradition from coming true.” Christina was practically floating three feet off the ground in the crowded ballroom. Given her fairy-tale romance and royal wedding, no one could blame her, including Kelsey. It was hard for even the most cynical not to get caught up in the magical atmosphere. No doubt this was one couple who would live happily ever after. Christina sighed. “There’s something about the magical power of love…”
Magic was one thing, but love? Forget it. Kelsey knew firsthand that the majority of marriages failed. Her parents and many of her clients were nothing more than statistics. Marriage was as easy as saying “I do,” but divorce was even easier. All it took was an “I don’t.” A sad but true fact of life. And one she never wanted to be a part of. Ever. “I only caught the bouquet. I didn’t get the royal engagement ring stuck on my finger like you did.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
As Christina waved her left hand in the air, the enchanted ring that had brought her and her prince together acted as a prism, sending a colorful spectrum of light flashing. The sparkles landed on wedding guests as if the ring were spreading its magic on all it touched. Kelsey took a step back to avoid being hit, but the light still managed to flash on the bouquet in her hands. Better the flowers than her.
“You won’t have any choice,” Christina continued. “One day your own Prince Charming will enter your life and the next thing you know you’ll be married.”
That only happened in fairy tales. And for Christina. Kelsey couldn’t help but smile at her favorite cousin’s good fortune. But she was another story.
Kelsey might want a boyfriend, but a husband?
Forget it.
Too much hassle.
Too much trouble.
Too much heartache.
She tightened her grip on the bouquet. “Don’t forget, I’m never getting married.”
“Never say never.” Christina grinned. “Trust me on this one, okay?”
Chapter One
January 31
A perfect match.
Kelsey Armstrong Waters stared at her reflection in the three-way mirror and grinned. The vintage lace veil she’d purchased in London looked as if it had been woven specifically for the pearl, diamond and porcelain flower wreath she’d found in Paris. A satisfied feeling settled in the center of her chest. Any one of Kelsey’s brides would consider herself fortunate to wear the exquisite pieces.
She adjusted the veil slightly. Oh, my. Kelsey blinked. Once. Twice.
The unbelievable happened. She looked like a bride and felt like one, too. Glowing, radiant, you name it. Love, happily-ever-after, even magic seemed to fill the room. An unexpected rush of emotion overtook her. Kelsey sighed.
Was this how all those brides felt when they found “the” gown to wear? Was this what caused the tears to spike their lashes and their smiles to widen? Was this it?
She took a deep breath and smelled the sweet scent of roses, but that wasn’t possible. The only roses in her office were the dried blossoms from the royal wedding bouquet she’d caught, preserved and put on display for her clients to see. It was her one perk for catching the flowers—the pop culture value of having a piece of history from the royal wedding.
Thinking about the bouquet made her think of her cousin. No doubt Christina would have a good laugh if she saw Kelsey right now. On second thought, Christina would probably be thrilled and tell Kelsey what a lovely bride she’ll be when she finally walked down the aisle herself.
But that wasn’t about to happen. Not even catching the wedding bouquet or wearing this breathtaking headpiece would change what she already knew in her heart to be true. Marriage wasn’t for her. Not now, not ever.
Frowning, she stared at her reflection once again. Trying on the veil and wreath had been a stupid idea. “Why didn’t I just eat a two pound bag of peanut M&M’s instead?”
“I prefer plain myself.” The one-hundred-percent male voice sent a shiver down her spine.
Even though she was alone, she didn’t feel threatened. Having a suite of offices in one of the most exclusive buildings in Beverly Hills afforded her some security. Kelsey turned.
Standing in the doorway of the reception area was a man dressed in a pair of khakis, a white oxford shirt and a brown leather jacket. Casual yet classic. A man’s man kind of outfit. And that hair…His deep brown—almost-black—hair fell just above his jacket collar and was brushed back off his forehead as if it were a careless afterthought.
He was, in a word—spectacular. Considering her aptly earned title, “Wedding Consultant to the Stars,” that was saying something. He could have been a model except for the slightly crooked nose that gave his face personality. Lots of personality. Kelsey smiled. His chiseled cheekbones could have only been sculpted by a great artist. His full lips hinted of hot, slow kisses. And his eyes made her feel as if she were the most important woman in the world.
This is the man I’m going to marry.
The thought came from out of nowhere, and she tried to understand the motivating factor behind it. She’d been surrounded by gorgeous men most of her life and knew better than to be taken in by a pretty face. Still, his relaxed stance and easy smile appealed to her on a gut level.
He’d hardly said five words, but his charm reached across the expanse of her office. Too bad she hadn’t heard bells when she first saw him, then she’d know…
Know what? That she was acting like a teenager with her first crush? “May I help you?”
“I’m looking for Kelsey Waters.” He smiled, a charming smile that showed off straight white teeth, and her legs turned to linguini. Okay, she was a sucker for a great smile.
“I—I…” Hoping to quell the butterflies churning up her stomach, she breathed deeply and exhaled. Slowly. She couldn’t remember the last time a man—any man—had her so tongue-tied, and she didn’t like it. She was twenty-six years old, not thirteen. Time to get control. “I’m Kelsey Armstrong Waters.”
“So you’re the one I’ve been looking for.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Breathe, she ordered herself. Just breathe. “How can I help you?”
“I need help planning a wedding.”
Reality hit Kelsey, low and hard. The handsome stranger was a potential client—someone else’s groom.
Disappointment shot through her. Not that she personally wanted a groom. Maybe she could borrow him for a date or two. What was she thinking? Oh, boy, she needed a vacation more than she realized. Time away from nervous brides and jittery grooms and treasury-breaking weddings…Only a few more hours until her flight.
She forced a smile. “And you are…?”
“Will.” As he walked toward her, he grinned. The smile crinkled the corners of his green eyes and made him even more appealing. “Will Addison.”
Addison. The name sounded familiar, but she hadn’t met him before. She knew that for certain.
“Nice to meet you.” She forced the words from her drier-than-dry mouth and extended her right arm. As his hand touched hers, tingles shot up her arm and straight down to the tips of her leather pumps.
Ignore the tingles, Kelsey told herself. Concentrate on something else, anything else. Like his handshake. His handshake was solid, firm, as was the man in front of her. She was nearly five-nine, but she felt almost petite standing in front of his six-foot-plus frame. Realizing she’d allowed the handshake to last longer than was appropriate, she pulled her hand away.
“Nice veil,” Will said in that deep, warm voice of his. “You’ll make a lovely bride.”
A bride? Kelsey touched the top of her head. Great, she still had the headpiece on. She could only imagine how ridiculous she looked in the getup. The least he could have done was mention it earlier so she didn’t look like such a fool. Kelsey removed the wreath and veil and set them on a nearby table. “I’m not getting married. Just trying them on. I like to keep certain one-of-a-kind items in stock for my clients.”
“Whatever bride wears that veil will be one lucky lady.”
The compliment warmed her cheeks. What was happening to her? She wasn’t the blushing type.
“What can I do for you?” The words came out sounding husky, a way she hadn’t meant them to sound.
“My sister’s getting married and wants you to coordinate her wedding.”
His sister. Kelsey’s pulse picked up speed, racing faster than a car chase on the 101. The knowledge that Will Addison wasn’t the groom-to-be made her feel as though one of her weddings had been featured on “Weddings of a Lifetime.” She really did need a vacation if this was what a handsome stranger could do to her. Kelsey motioned him to the area where she consulted with clients. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
“Thanks.” Will sat in one of the overstuffed chintz-covered down chairs. “Nice place.”
“Thanks.” He should have looked out of place among all the feminine decor and bridal accessories, but he didn’t. Not one bit. And it annoyed Kelsey. This was her turf, her home field advantage, so to speak. Yet he didn’t seem uncomfortable among all the ruffles, ribbons and frills. “So when…”
As he picked up one of the bride magazines from the table and set it back down, Kelsey caught a flash of gold. She glanced at his left hand. At the ring finger of his left hand. At the gold wedding band on his ring finger.
Married. The man of her dreams was somebody else’s husband. No doubt another woman had realized he was a keeper. Yet he had flirted—well, maybe not flirted, but he’d—
Stop it.
This wasn’t like her. Not one bit. Will Addison was not the man of her dreams. Such a man didn’t exist. Kelsey of all people knew better than to engage in any sort of romantic fantasy. Not even for the briefest of moments. And definitely not with a married man. She straightened. “When is your sister’s big day, Mr. Addison?”
“Friends call me Will.”
“I’m sure they do.” Business demeanor back in place, Kelsey pulled out the five-year calendar planner from a nearby shelf and flipped it open. “So when does your sister want to get married?”
“February fourteenth.”
“I’m already booked for next year.”
“Not next year.” As he leaned toward her, she caught a whiff of him. Soap and water and something woodsy. Whatever cologne he wore, he smelled good, too good. Kelsey inched back in her chair until she could go no farther. She didn’t need a Ph.D. to know Will Addison was trouble. Big trouble. “This year.”
“But today’s the thirty-first of January. That’s only…”
“Two weeks away. It’s short notice, but—”
“Sorry, not possible.” With little regret, she closed the planner. It would be much better this way. Much better for her, that was.
“You have another wedding scheduled?”
Kelsey hesitated. This wasn’t her problem, her fault. Yet the intense look on his face… “I did, but it was canceled after the bride met someone else.”
The edges of his mouth turned up slightly. “So you can coordinate my sister’s wedding.”
She noticed he wasn’t asking her a question. “I can’t. Several clients offered to move their weddings up to Valentine’s Day, but I decided to take advantage of the cancellation and give my staff a well-deserved vacation. Everyone’s gone.”
Hope brightened his eyes, making them sparkle like emeralds. Not jewels, Kelsey told herself, but broccoli or AstroTurf or anything else that would be green and unromantic. Remember he’s married. And even if he wasn’t… “You’re here,” he said.
“Not for long. My flight leaves in three hours.” Kelsey reached for a nearby pad of paper and a pen. “I can give you some names of other wedding designers, but at this late date—”
“You don’t understand.” He brushed his hand through his hair, giving it an even more careless look than before. “It has to be you.”
“May I ask why?”
“Both my mother and my sister want it to be you.”
The desperation in Will’s voice almost made her believe it was true. He was a good actor, real good. “If it’s so important to them, why didn’t they come?”
His lips tightened, and he glanced at the pile of magazines. “It’s…complicated.”
It always was. “Mr. Addison, I’m about to leave the country for a much-needed vacation. I don’t have time for complications.”
He stared directly into her eyes, and Kelsey felt woozy. “My sister is Faith Starr.”
Of all the nerve…Kelsey’s blood pressure soared off the chart and perspiration wet the back of her neck. “Faith Starr?”
At least Kelsey now knew why Will Addison’s name sounded familiar—he was a blood relation, a brother no less, of the world’s worst client. It was all coming back to her. Will was the oldest of the siblings who traveled the globe running the family chain of Starr Properties—resorts, hotels and inns named for his mother—that catered to the rich, famous and not-so-famous. Just as Starr Addison’s husband, Bill, had used his wife’s name for the family’s real-estate venture, Faith had taken her mother’s name for her stage name. Not that it made a difference.
Nothing made a difference where Faith Starr was concerned.
Kelsey rose, barely able to contain the anger threatening to erupt worse than Mt. Vesuvius. She was an Armstrong and had been raised properly to follow etiquette and protocol, but one could only be polite for so long. “Get out of my office, Mr. Addison. Now.”
He stood. “I understand why you’re upset. Faith hasn’t been the most reliable—”
“Your sister is nothing more than a spoiled starlet, who strings fiancés along as if they were her personal puppets.” Faith Starr, actress extraordinaire and the world’s most famous runaway bride, had almost given Kelsey an ulcer—four times in the past three years. Faith was a perfectionist both in her craft and in planning her weddings. Never had Kelsey worked so hard with so little payoff in her life.
“I’ve already planned four weddings for her. Count them—four.” Kelsey raised four fingers. That was three too many. More business was one thing, but this… “I won’t be involved in number five.”
“Can’t we talk about this? Work something—”
“Out. I have nothing more to say on this matter so please leave.”
“If you only understood the circumstances—”
“Look,” Kelsey said, trying to keep her tone polite, yet firm. “I appreciate you came on behalf of your family. That’s very…noble of you considering my past with your sister. But nothing you say will change my mind.”
His assessing gaze made her self-conscious. It was all she could do not to smooth her skirt and check to see if a piece of spinach was caught between her teeth. “Are you always so stubborn?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.
“Out. Now.” At least the band of gold wasn’t the only negative thing about Will Addison. “Get out of my office before I call security and have you thrown out.”
Waiting for Kelsey to step out into the hallway was far from Will’s idea of a good time, but he wasn’t leaving until he had a chance to speak with her again.
The seconds turned into minutes; the minutes into an hour. How much longer before she left for the airport? He stared at the door to Kelsey’s office. No catchy name for her business, simply Kelsey Armstrong Waters, Wedding Consultant, in a script font. Too bad there was nothing simple about the woman herself.
He should have handled it better, but Kelsey had caught him off guard, and he wasn’t a man used to being caught off guard. He didn’t like the feeling one bit.
Damn Faith.
Will was going to kill her. He shouldn’t have promised to oversee her wedding planning while she finished filming her latest movie. Faith had said this would be easy. As easy as pushing an elephant into an elevator. And the wedding was the least of it.
Will was used to being around beautiful, wealthy, accomplished women and having them flirt, even pursue him. He was used to tolerating such women; he was an expert at fending off their advances unless he wanted a little company. But it never went further than that. No one intrigued him enough to make him want more.
Until today.
Something had happened when he’d seen Kelsey’s reflection in the mirror. He’d stood transfixed as if watching a piece of living art. Unguarded expressions had played on her face, and emotion clogged his throat. He’d felt as if he were trespassing, but he hadn’t been able to stop staring at her. Tall and willowy, with long chestnut hair that shone and sparkled as if each strand had been individually cleaned and polished, she looked so young, so soft, so sweet. The wistful smile on her face had touched his heart and he’d wanted to capture the moment. For the first time in a long while, he’d felt the racing of his pulse, the pounding of his heart. And he’d liked the way it felt. Liked it a lot.
When Kelsey had realized she wasn’t alone, the glowing bride-to-be had metamorphosed into the cool, distant professional. No flirting, no fawning. She’d even called him “Mr. Addison” and kept it strictly business.
Yet when she’d realized he was Faith Starr’s brother…Talk about passion boiling under a cool facade. Will couldn’t believe the change in the woman. Flames had danced within the violet depths of her eyes, raising his temperature enough to melt the ice in his veins. She’d shown restraint, yet her anger had been clear. No amount of charm would ever change her mind. Forget the sweet talk, even his never-fail smile hadn’t worked.
Will didn’t get it. He always got what he wanted from women. Even with Sara.
Sara.
Will’s gut tightened.
What the hell was he doing? Being attracted to Kelsey was one thing. He hadn’t spent the past eight years as a total hermit, but he had no right to be intrigued by her. She wasn’t simply a guest at one of his resorts; she was the woman he had to convince to plan his sister’s wedding. His family, most especially his mother, was counting on him to bring Kelsey to Lake Tahoe. He wouldn’t let his mother down. He couldn’t let her down.
