Semiautomatic Marriage

BACK 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.

WHEN 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.

“The first thing you’ll want to do is buy yourself a car, a good one.”

“I suppose so. Before I told Rosie about my inheritance, her brother called me and told me to junk my old one. He wanted me to look at a couple of used models he had for sale that were in better shape. I told him I’d think about it.”

“That’s all?” He raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t tell him you were in a position to buy the latest, most expensive model on the road?”

She shook her head. “I wanted Rosie to know first.”

He nodded. “I can understand that, but you need to feel free to spend the money that is rightfully yours, Carolyn. I imagine that you’ll be needing a whole new wardrobe, won’t you?”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.