The Marriage Mishap

“We don’t have to call off the marriage right this minute,” he whispered against her ear. “Another hour or two wouldn’t make any difference. How about it?”

Adam lifted his head and looked down to find Haley staring at him. Her lips were wet and swollen with his kiss, and her body was nearly limp in his arms. But her eyes, deep blue eyes, were wide with fright.

They’d made love all night, done wonderful things with each other, and he didn’t understand her reaction. He wanted to be mad, but couldn’t. Instead, he stepped away and pulled in a deep breath.

“Well, at least let me walk my wife down to get a cab.”

Befuddled, Haley stepped aside as he opened the door and walked with him down the carpeted corridor. The air was cooler here, and it helped clear her mind—enough for her to worry that they would be seen in the hotel together.

At the head of the grand staircase that descended to the lobby, Haley stopped. “I’d rather go down alone.”

Adam peered down the stairs. The double doors at the main entrance were only a short walk across the lobby. Several men sat on the settees and others stood near the front desk. Haley in her evening gown— modest as it was—certainly would catch their attention. And suddenly he didn’t like the idea of those men ogling her.

He shook his head. “I’ll see you to the cab.”

Haley started to protest, but he closed his hand over her elbow and led her down the stairs. She took heart in the strength that radiated up her arm.

Crossing the lobby, Haley kept her head down, though she could feel the stares of everyone there. At least she was new in town and almost no one knew her, the chances that she’d be recognized were slim.

She lifted her gaze for an instant, calculating the distance to the doorway. Only a few more feet and she’d be safely out of the Madison Hotel, safely away from the man clinging to her elbow, safely on the path to salvaging her reputation, not to mention getting her plans back on track. Her spirits lifted. No one would ever know.

Aunt Harriet stepped into the doorway.

Haley dug in her heels and pulled back. What was her aunt doing here at the Madison on a Sunday afternoon? Her first instinct was to run, but the man at her elbow anchored her in place. She pulled against him.

He held tight and looked down at her. “What the devil is the matter with you?”

Her breath came in quick puffs as her aunt’s gaze fell on her. She watched in horror as the older woman’s expression turned from surprise to anger.

Suddenly Aunt Harriet was surrounded by three other women. Haley’s knees trembled. They were her aunt’s friends, the cream of Sacramento’s society. How could she explain away what was so painfully obvious? Her gaze swept the lobby as she looked for an escape route, a place to hide—anything.

Adam looked at the women, then down to see the terror on Haley’s face. “I take it you know that woman,” he whispered.

She worked her mouth, but no words came out.

The three women spotted her, and recognition bulged their eyes. They bent their heads together, whispering, then craned their necks at Aunt Harriet.

Haley clamped her hand around Adam’s arm. “She’s my aunt. And those old hens are her dearest friends.”

Adam looked at the women, then back at Haley. “She’s your aunt? Harriet Covington is your aunt?”

She bobbed her head quickly and gazed up at him, desperate. “What are we going to tell them?”

Adam couldn’t hold in the grin that pulled at his lips. He slid one arm around her waist and bent until his mouth brushed her ear. “We could always try the truth.”

Haley wanted to slug him. “I told you, I don’t want anyone to know about this—this mess.”

“Would you rather tell them we simply spent the night together?”

Aunt Harriet advanced on them, her wrinkled cheeks pink with anger, her body rigid with well-practiced containment of her emotions. Behind her, the three other ladies stared, wide-eyed.

Her gaze raked them both. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Mrs. Covington, it’s good to see you again. Haley tells me you’re her aunt.” Adam smiled smoothly.

She looked up at him for the first time, and recognition drew her mouth into a tight bow and bobbed her brows to her hairline. “But—I—You—Well, Mr. Harrington?”

“We were just on our way to see you, Mrs. Covington, weren’t we, dear?” Adam gave Haley a squeeze, and a squeak slipped through her lips.

Aunt Harriet glanced back at her three friends who were hovering within earshot. She pulled herself up straighter. “Mr. Harrington, I must ask for an explanation.”

“Believe me, Mrs. Covington, the whole thing came as quite a surprise to us all. Isn’t that right, dear?” Adam looked down at Haley, a gracious smile in place. “Go on, tell your aunt.”

Haley would have collapsed onto the floor long ago, had it not been for Adam’s strong arms around her. She felt the hot glare of her aunt, the nosy exchange of her friends, who must be dying to spread this juicy piece of gossip unfolding before them. But which was the worst scandal? Marrying a stranger in a drunken stupor, or getting caught sleeping with one?

Haley lifted her chin, collecting her pride as best she could. “Aunt Harriet, Mr. Harrington and I got…married last night.”

Aunt Harriet gasped in a most unladylike fashion. Her three friends circled her, whispering and offering congratulations. Several moments passed before Haley realized they were all pleased with the news.

“Well, well.” Aunt Harriet’s cheeks had pinkened. “This is quite exciting, Mr. Harrington. Quite exciting.”

Haley didn’t understand it, but at least no one was mad at her or would spread unsavory gossip. She didn’t want to linger, though, to hear the questions about the wedding details that were sure to follow.

“I’ll see you later, Aunt Harriet, and we’ll talk more then.”

“Certainly, dear, of course.” She gave her a proud smile. “And Mr. Harrington, we’ll want to have you over for supper very soon—your father, as well, of course. We should all get to know one another better, now that we’re related.”

Adam nodded cordially. “Good afternoon, ladies.”

Arm anchored around Haley, he crossed the lobby, leaving the women to stare after them. He looked down at Haley. “See? I told you not everyone considered marriage to me a horrible prospect.”

She would have slapped that smug grin from his face, had she not been certain Aunt Harriet and her friends were still watching. Haley clamped her mouth shut and went out onto the street in front of the hotel, the bright sun stabbing her eyes. Adam hailed a hansom cab. The driver jumped down and opened the door for her.

“Well, Mr. Harrington, it was nice…meeting you.”

He closed his hand around her elbow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I told you already.” She eased her arm from his grasp and sighed heavily. “Surely you’re not thinking we should stay married?”

He shrugged. “Now that your aunt knows the truth, what else can we do? The news will be all over the city by nightfall.”

That much was true. Haley pressed her lips together. “But I don’t know a thing about you.”

Adam stood a little straighter and tugged at his waistcoat. “Adam Oren Harrington. I own a business, which, I’m proud to say, is quite profitable. I’m thirty-four years old, in good health, have few vices, and all my teeth.” He stretched out his lips, displaying two rows of even white teeth. A little grin tugged at his mouth. “Well? Does that meet your expectations for a husband?”

He looked so comical, Haley couldn’t help giggling. “On the surface, yes.”

“And what else would the lady like to know?”

Haley studied him for a moment. “You don’t know a thing about me.”

Adam took her hand in his. Slowly he brushed his thumb over her palm and captured her gaze. “I’ll be at your aunt’s after supper tonight. We’ll discuss everything then.”

Ripples of warmth radiated up her arm. She ignored them and pulled her hand away. “I’ve already told you, Mr. Harrington, I have plans that do not include you. Plans that—” Could cause a worse scandal? Haley held her tongue.

Adam folded his arms across his chest and watched as her bustle disappeared into the cab. He passed money to the driver, and the cab pulled out into the street.

One thing he’d learned long ago was to keep his options open. Snap decisions were often regrettable decisions. Uninformed decisions were disasters. True, he knew nothing about his new wife now. But by the time he arrived at her aunt’s home tonight, he’d know everything he needed to know about Miss Haley Carissa Caufield.

“Oh, thank God it’s you.”

Haley plopped down on her aunt’s mauve settee and touched her hand to her forehead.

Seated across the marble-topped coffee table from her, Jay Caufield settled deeper into the wing-backed chair. “Who were you expecting? Your new husband, maybe?”

Her gaze came up quickly. “How did you find out so soon?” She’d left her aunt at the Madison only hours ago.

“Good news travels fast,” he said, though his tone indicated that he considered it anything but.

“Please, Jay, don’t play games with me.” She’d taken a bath and tried to nap, but she hadn’t been able to sleep, images of her mother, her aunt and her new husband tormenting her.

“It’s all over town. Your aunt was at the Madison for one of those ladies’ club luncheons, spewing the news like a champagne bottle just uncorked.” Jay rose, his slender frame rigid. He threaded his fingers through the pale blond hair at his temple. “How could you have done this? Look, cousin, don’t you realize who Adam Harrington is?”

Haley offered him a weak smile. “Aunt Harriet and her friends were quite pleased by the news.”

He laughed bitterly. “I’m sure they were. But she’s your aunt on your mother’s side. Social position is what they live for. I’m your real relative, Haley. Our fathers were brothers. You should have discussed it with me before you up and married a Harrington.”

“Well, where were you last night, anyway?” Haley sat up straighter. “Maybe none of this would have happened if you’d been with me.”

He shifted and looked contrite. “I had to leave. Elizabeth was getting all goo-goo-eyed, talking about bridesmaids and gowns, jockeying to catch the bouquet. I had to get her out of there.”

“You coward. Elizabeth is a wonderful girl. You should marry her.”

Jay held up his palms. “We’re not discussing me. We’re discussing you and your fiasco.”

“My latest fiasco, don’t you mean?”

Jay just stared at her. Aside from Aunt Harriet, only Jay knew the reasons behind the Farnsworth incident. Though her mother had taken her from Sacramento when she was only thirteen, Haley and Jay had corresponded regularly. He was three years older than she, and they’d been fast friends growing up together. Jay was as close as a brother would have been, had her mother tolerated her father long enough to produce other siblings.

Jay sank into the chair again. “I didn’t think you even knew the Harringtons.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know them. I just…woke up with one.”

Stunned, Jay’s eyes bulged. “You mean, you two got married—” he snapped his fingers “—just like that?”

She nodded. “I don’t even remember the ceremony. Neither does he.”

“But…how?”

She sighed resolutely. “Something to do with the punch, I think.”

He chuckled lightly, then laughed, and laughed harder, until he grabbed his belly and threw back his head. “This is too much, Haley, too much!”

She sat forward on the settee. “What’s so funny?”

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hands. “When old Martin Harrington finds out what his son has done, he’ll hit the roof. I tell you, it’s almost worth it to have you married to that family.”

Haley flung out her hands. “What’s wrong with the Harringtons, anyway?”

Jay sniffed and got himself under control. “Nothing. Unless you’re trying to compete with their construction company for work in this town.”

She gasped. “The Harringtons own a construction company? But you and I—”

“Exactly. You don’t remember, since you were so young, but our fathers had a devil of a time holding their business together in the face of the Harringtons’ stiff competition—every construction firm in the area had a tough go of it. The Harringtons finally rolled over most everybody. Only a few firms, like ours, remain.”

“So what you’re saying is…” Haley shuddered. She didn’t even want to consider the possibility.

Jay nodded. “In a way, the Harrington Construction Company was responsible for your father’s…demise.”

“His drinking, you mean.”

“Well, yes.”

And that had led to business problems that compounded the marital problems, and eventually landed Haley at her grandparents’ home in San Francisco, with her mother estranged from her father.

Jay shrugged. “Maybe, if things had been different, your parents—”

“It wouldn’t have mattered.” Haley rose from the chair. “She’d married beneath herself. I heard it a thousand times.”

“He worked like a dog to make himself worthy of her.”

Haley walked to the mantel, sadness sagging her shoulders. Her father had died young, leaving his brother—then Jay—to run the business. “It was never enough, was it?”

“No,” Jay admitted. “He never stood a chance.”

She turned and faced him again, drawing in a fresh breath. “So, you and I are left as the sole owners of the Sacramento Building Company.”

Jay rose slowly from the chair. “We are. For now. I guess you got my letter.”

“I did. And that’s what brought me here to Sacramento in the first place.” Haley shook her head sadly. “Jay, you can’t mean it. You can’t close the Sacramento Building Company.”

“I’ve been beating a dead horse for years now. It’s no use, Haley, I simply can’t go on. Harrington Construction has work locked up in this town. I haven’t sent you any profits from the business for some time now, but I suppose the amount was hardly noticeable, compared to the money your doting grandfather Hasting heaps on you.”

Haley smiled. “You’ve done a wonderful job with the company. Your father would have been proud.”

“I do the best I can. Outbidding Harrington for jobs in this city is tough. We’re small potatoes compared to them. Come down to the office, sometime, I’ll show you around…while there is an office, that is.”

Haley threaded her fingers together. “No, Jay, I’m not going to let this happen. I’m a partner in the business, and I have a say in what happens to it. Closing Sacramento Building is the last thing our fathers would have wanted. We’ll find a way to keep it going.”

“Well, not tonight, I’m afraid. I’ve got to run.” Jay clasped her elbow and kissed her cheek as the mahogany mantel clock chimed the hour. He rolled his eyes. “Dinner at Elizabeth’s parents tonight—this is getting out of hand.”

“But—”

He was gone, and she was left standing alone in Aunt Harriet’s parlor, still contemplating the mission that had brought her to Sacramento.

But before she could do it, she’d have to find a way to get rid of Adam Harrington.

Chapter Three

He’d actually shown up. Haley was surprised, and a little annoyed.

She paused at the bottom of the staircase. From the parlor, she heard his deep voice, then Aunt Harriet’s high-pitched laughter; her aunt, it seemed, was quite taken with her new husband.

She crossed the foyer and entered the parlor. Adam was on the settee, his long legs crossed behind the marble-topped coffee table. Aunt Harriet sat in the damask wing-backed chair across from him, hanging on his every word.

He seemed too big for the room, too strong, too muscular, out of place amid the lace, ruffles and delicate furnishings. Though he wore a dapper navy suit, there was a ruggedness about him. His face and hands were tanned, a stark contrast to the crisp white shirt he wore.

Adam stopped in midsentence and came to his feet when she walked in. His gaze riveted her. “Good evening.”

Clean-shaven now, he looked different from the way she remembered from this morning. His black hair was combed carefully into place, not tousled and unruly. But those deep green eyes hadn’t changed at all. They riveted her now as they had this morning, and made her feel as if she were once again wearing his shirt, instead of a proper gown.

Aunt Harriet smiled up at Haley. “Come in, dear, we were just having a lovely chat.”

Haley stopped beside her aunt’s chair, in no mood for a lovely chat. “If you don’t mind, Aunt Harriet, I’d like to speak with Mr. Harrington alone.”

Aunt Harriet wagged her finger. “No, no, dear, not so fast. I want to hear all the details.”

“Details?” Haley felt Adam’s gaze on her, bringing a flush to her cheeks. “What sort of details?”

“Everyone is asking. What was it that brought you two together so quickly, so unexpectedly?” Aunt Harriet clasped her hands together and gazed up at her.

Haley shifted uncomfortably, her mind working feverishly. She didn’t think her aunt wanted to know the exact flavor of the punch, the thing truly responsible for bringing them together. But for the life of her, Haley couldn’t figure out what Aunt Harriet was asking.

“Now, now, dear. No need to be shy. You either, Mr. Harrington.” Aunt Harriet looked back and forth between them, then smiled sweetly. “It was love at first sight, wasn’t it.”

“Oh, love.” Relieved, Haley touched her hand to her chest.

Aunt Harriet clasped her hands together. “Was that it, Mr. Harrington? Love at first sight?”

He cleared his throat. “Yes, of course.”

“Good.” Aunt Harriet settled back in the chair. “Tell me all about it.”

Adam’s eyes widened. “Tell you about it?”

“Yes. I want to hear the whole romantic story.” Aunt Harriet pursed her lips slightly. “I don’t have to remind you that a marriage of this nature, so sudden, is just the sort of thing some people might misinterpret. We must make certain there are no misunderstandings. I want to assure everyone that nothing short of a deep, abiding love sparked between the two of you at the very first moment you laid eyes on each other.”

Haley gazed at Adam. He seemed as startled as she. Then a little grin pulled at her lips. “Go ahead, Mr. Harrington. Tell her.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Well, Mr. Harrington?” Aunt Harriet asked.

Adam straightened and tugged down on his jacket. “It was just as you said, Mrs. Covington. As soon as I saw your niece there was a spark, as you put it. And immediately I felt a—a…”

“A deep and abiding love?” Aunt Harriet prompted.

“Yes. Exactly.” Adam gazed across at Haley. “Without a doubt your niece is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I knew my life would never be complete without her.”

A spasm of warmth waffled through Haley. Adam seemed so sincere that for a moment she’d almost believed him herself.

“And you, Haley?” Aunt Harriet asked. “Were you surprised when you found yourself married to Mr. Harrington?”

The vision of Adam naked, propped up in the bed at the Madison Hotel, looking at her with those deep green eyes of his flashed through her mind.

“Surprised? Yes, Aunt Harriet, I was surprised.”

“And in love?”

Haley pinched the bridge of her nose. She couldn’t stand another word of this conversation.

“If you don’t mind, Aunt Harriet, Mr. Harrington and I have a few things to discuss.”

“Oh, of course. And don’t worry. I’ll be certain everyone knows the true circumstances of your marriage.”

Harriet made a quick exit, closing the double parlor doors behind her.

The room seemed to shrink, the sudden quiet making the walls close around her. Haley finally lifted her gaze to meet Adam’s. She wished she could read his thoughts.

She was beautiful. He’d known this morning that she was pretty, though admittedly his first impressions of his new wife had not been formed by the features he noticed now—the delicate arch of her brows, her red lips, the deep blue of her eyes and the sooty lashes fluttering against her porcelain skin. The creamcolored dress she wore, with its leg-of-mutton sleeves, emphasized her tiny waist, yet was not able to minimize the fullness of the breasts he remembered so well. Recollections flooded his mind, causing the rest of him to react. Slow heat coiled deep inside him. Adam shifted away and stepped behind the wing-backed chair.

“Have you thought of a way for us to get out of this, Mr. Harrington?”

“No. But, truthfully, I didn’t try.”

“Why not?” Anger flushed her skin—or was it his gaze? “Are you suggesting we remain married?”

He shrugged. “Why shouldn’t we?”

She planted her hand on her hip. “Has it occurred to you, Mr. Harrington, that we don’t love each other?”

He uttered a cynical laugh. “Did you think you’d marry for love?”

Obviously, he hadn’t. But she had, despite what everyone had told her; she’d proved it, too.

“Who’s to say we won’t grow fond of each other?”

“Grow fond of each other? Frankly, Mr. Harrington, I had something more in mind.”

His innards flamed. He dug his fingers into the back of the chair. God, he wanted this woman. “We are already married. We can’t just ignore it.”

He sounded so reasonable, Haley wanted to hit him.

He shrugged. “There’s no reason why marriage should interfere with anything we’re already doing.”

Her back stiffened. “Interfere?”

“Yes. I’ll continue on with my business, and you’ll continue on with whatever it is women do all day. Only you’ll do it from my home instead of your aunt’s. What’s so wrong with that?”

“What’s wrong with it, Mr. Harrington, is that it sounds like a business arrangement, instead of a marriage. I won’t be a party to this sham.”

“We took vows, legally and morally.” Surely they had; he’d have felt better if he could remember some of it.

“Legal, moral…Words, Mr. Harrington, nothing more. I want a divorce, and that’s final.”

Haley whipped around and headed for the door.

“Miss Caufield.”

The stern tone of his voice stopped her. She turned on him. His face was set in firm lines, tight with controlled anger. But he didn’t frighten her. He only caused her own anger to grow.

He stepped from behind the chair. “I won’t put my family through the shame of divorce. And you, I’d think, would not want a scandal.” His eyes narrowed. “Again.”

She felt as if he’d slapped her face. He knew. Somehow he’d learned of her debacle in San Francisco. Damn him…

Whatever had happened to her in San Francisco must have been the scandal of scandals, Adam realized as he watched the color drain from her cheeks. He wished he’d had more time to find out exactly what it was. He’d taken the private detective’s word that it wasn’t serious. Maybe he’d have Oscar check into it further, just for the hell of it. Regardless, the Harrington name would shield her from whatever infraction of the rules of etiquette she’d committed in the past.

Haley drew in a deep breath. The look of smug superiority on his face rankled her. He was getting his way, and he knew it. But the part she hated most was that he was right, and there was nothing she could do about it.

“I don’t seem to have a choice, do I?” Haley’s chin went up a notch as she clung to her pride.

Adam pulled his watch from the pocket of his waistcoat and flipped it open. “I have to be home in one hour. I’ll send for your things in the morning. Pack what you’ll need for tonight.”

“Tonight?”

He tucked his watch away and looked across the room at her. “I want my wife in my home tonight.”

“You sound as if you intend to install me there, like a piece of furniture. Should I plan to stand stationary, so that you can hang a picture over my head?”

What a spitfire. Adam’s belly warmed again, just when he’d gotten himself under control. He couldn’t wait to get her home.