Jilt Trip

Jilt Trip

Heather MacAllister

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

1

THE ORGAN PLAYED softly. Gardenias scented the air. The sunlight of a warm Galveston June day filtered through the stained-glass windows. Bridesmaids gathered in the vestibule of the church. Guests murmured in anticipation.

And the groom’s pager beeped. Again.

“Damn!” Carter Belden slapped the button in annoyance, then remembered the somber presence of the Reverend Royer waiting to lead him toward the altar. “I beg your pardon.”

Reverend Royer’s eyebrows knit together. “Perhaps you could, er, turn off the sound for the duration of the ceremony?”

“Of course,” Carter murmured. Glancing at the number on the pager’s display, he exhaled. “It’s my office. I’ll have to call in.”

“Mr. Belden!”

“My best man isn’t here yet,” he reminded the open-mouthed minister. “This could be from him.”

Reverend Royer shook back the sleeve of his robe and checked his watch. “He’d better hurry or he’ll miss the ceremony!”

“We’ve got a few more minutes, don’t we?”

“Y-yes, but—”

“Stall, if you have to.” Carter was already striding through the groom’s anteroom toward the church’s administration area.

Robe flapping, Reverend Royer hurried after him. “But what shall I tell the bride?”

His hand on the doorknob, Carter paused. “Tell Dee Ann it’s business. She’ll understand.”

Dee Ann might understand, but Carter didn’t. He’d always known he had a loyal and dedicated staff of fellow workaholics, but did they really expect him to conduct business moments before he took his place at the altar?

This had to be an emergency, but that’s what he’d thought the four other times they’d paged him this morning. He knew they weren’t thrilled about his marriage to the daughter of a business competitor, but they should come to the wedding anyway, damn it.

Saunders, at least, should be here. He was Carter’s lawyer, good friend and supposedly the best man.

Where was he?

Probably trying to persuade Nikki Morrison to come.

Slowing his pace, Carter visualized his petite dynamo of a comptroller, with her green eyes and the freckles that showed no matter how she tried to cover them up.

Ah, Nikki…Carter smiled. Well, maybe he could understand if Nikki didn’t want to come, though she’d seemed to accept his approaching nuptials with her usual calm professionalism.

Closing the glass door to the church reception area, Carter reached for the phone on the desk and quickly punched out the number. Through the intercom system, he could hear the organ music. It didn’t sound like the bridal march yet.

“Carter?”

It was Nikki’s voice, tense and breathless.

His collar suddenly felt tight. “What’s going on, Nikki? Where’s Saunders?”

“Are we too late?”

Carter exhaled through his teeth. “In three minutes, I’m supposed to be standing at the altar with Saunders. Where in the hell is he?” He winced and looked around to see if anyone had overheard. Apainting of an unknown saint stared at him reprovingly. Carter turned his back.

“Carter?” A different voice.

“Saunders? Where in the…world are you?”

“We’re in the car.” The lawyer sounded weary.

“Don’t start without us.” His chuckle fell flat.

At least Saunders hadn’t been in an accident. Yet. “It would serve you right if you did miss my wedding.”

“No!”

The chorus of no’s startled him. “Are Julian and Bob in the car with you?”

“Yes.” Nikki’s voice came through the wires again.

“But I saw Bob’s wife and kids here.” What was going on?

“Carter, wait for us. You’ve got to listen to what we’ve found.”

“This isn’t about your takeover—”

“Shh! We’re on the cellular.”

Carter clamped together his lips in frustration. Cellular phone conversations could be overheard by anyone with a radio and they all knew not to discuss business on one. It wasn’t like him to forget.

“Just wait until we get there,” Nikki pleaded. “I’ve got to talk with you before you marry Dee Ann.”

“She’s right,” Saunders broke in. “Don’t do anything before hearing us out.”

“This is unbelievable.”

Behind him, he heard a tapping sound on the glass windows. Turning, Carter saw Reverend Royer and Miss Hicks, the wedding coordinator. Both wore identical expressions of alarmed urgency.

Carter shrugged and pointed to the telephone. Miss Hicks opened the door. “Mr. Belden, we’re behind schedule.”

“Just a moment,” he murmured into the receiver. Mustering a soothing smile, Carter said to the coordinator, “Tell everyone I’ll pay for overtime.”

“Money isn’t the point, Mr. Belden. Time is.”

The corners of Carter’s smile drooped cynically. In his experience, money was usually the point. “Have the photographer take some more pictures of the blushing bride.” Dee Ann liked being photographed.

“He’s videotaping in the balcony.”

“He can’t be taping much without me, can he?”

Miss Hicks pursed her lips.

Carter tried another smile. “My best man is running late.”

“There are two weddings scheduled this afternoon after yours,” Reverend Royer informed him. “It is June, you know.”

“If you run late, they’ll run late,” Miss Hicks added.

Carter would have offered to pay for their overtime, as well, but he knew it wouldn’t matter. “Do you hear this, Nikki?” he asked into the phone.

“Tell them to start without you.”

“Very funny.”

“You’re doing a great job of stalling,” she said. “We’re just a few blocks away.”

“I’m hanging up the telephone now, Nikki. I’m turning off my pager. You’ve got ten minutes. No more.” He hung up the telephone.

“Ten minutes?” He smiled at the minister and the wedding consultant, who both looked at their watches, then at each other. They were starting to get on his nerves. It was his wedding, too. What were they going to do, hold the ceremony without him?

“I’ll inform the organist and Miss Karrenbrock.” Miss Hicks hurried into the bowels of the church.

Carter turned off his pager. Instantly, it beeped.

As he stared at it, Reverend Royer reached beneath his robe and smiled apologetically. “Mine this time, I’m afraid. As long as we’re waiting…?” He gestured toward the telephone and Carter stepped out of the way.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his gray morning suit, Carter strolled back to the groom’s anteroom.

DeeAnn would be furious, though she’d never show it. A cool blond Texas belle, Dee Ann understood perfectly the relationship between men, business and the money to pay for designer clothes and personal trainers. It had been bred into her. The epitome of a corporate wife, she would never interfere in his business affairs.

But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t expect compensation for her tolerance.

Carter didn’t mind. It amused him to watch her try to manipulate him and to allow her small victories now and then.

He could afford them.

Marrying Dee Ann was the best idea he’d had in a long time. She would make a fabulous wife and that’s what he wanted: an old-fashioned arrangement where she managed home and hearth, and he concentrated on making the money to pay for it. Although he enthusiastically supported women’s rights, he also recognized that he couldn’t be the type of husband a career woman needed.

He’d tried it once already with disastrous results. With both partners concentrating on their careers, nobody concentrated on the marriage.

Carter wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

It wasn’t fair to ask a woman to give up her career, but Dee Ann made no secret that she considered marriage and community service a career. Carter admired her for her honesty. He also knew that they wouldn’t need a second income like many families. Dee Ann would find fulfillment in her work on the boards of various charities, and he was willing to support her endeavors. It was the perfect blending of needs and wants.

Yes, they’d have a good life together.

That is, if Saunders and the others ever got here.

Carter paced in front of the window of the small anteroom and forced himself not to look at his watch. He wanted to sit down, but that would wrinkle his suit. Instead, he checked his appearance in the wall mirror.

His boutonniere was wilting. He had no idea how the rest of him appeared. Of course, if his best man were here, he could tell him how he looked, straighten his cravat, make certain his pants cuffs weren’t turned up, that sort of thing.

The organist was playing something Carter had heard already. Thank heaven it wasn’t the processional.

He patted his pocket, reassured by the lump Dee Ann’s wedding ring made. How fortunate he’d decided to hold on to it since clearly Saunders’s skills as a best man left much to be desired.

“Carter? You in here?” Aflushed Saunders peered inside the room.

“Glad you could make it,” Carter drawled, to hide his relief.

“What is this place?” Saunders grimaced as he took in the room and its “furnishings.”

“The groom’s dressing area,” Carter told him with a sweep of his hand.

“They’ve stuck him back here in the storage room,” Saunders called over his shoulder. There were answering voices and then the door fully opened. Saunders entered, followed by Julian and Bob.

And Nikki.

Carter was unaccountably glad to see her. In spite of their turbulent history, they were friends and he valued that friendship—his only one with a woman.

“You had me worried, there.” Carter clasped Saunders on the shoulder. Everything would be fine now.

“We have to talk to you,” Nikki stated.

Carter nodded. Anything. “Let’s get this ceremony over with and I’ll slip away during the reception.” He pushed Saunders toward the door.

“Now,” Nikki ordered just as Saunders dug in his heels.

In surprise, Carter turned and saw that the others all wore grim expressions.

Clutching papers, Nikki walked toward him.

“Use the podium,” Saunders suggested, dragging one away from the wall.

“Julian—” Nikki nodded to him as she opened folders “—stand by the door.”

“Gotcha.” Julian opened it, and checked both directions before closing the door and leaning against it.

“What’s going on?” Carter demanded. They were starting to alarm him.

“Stock transactions,” Nikki told him.

“Not that again.” Carter felt his anger rise. All morning, they’d pestered him with their takeover theories.

“Look.” Bob, his chief accountant, adjusted his glasses and pointed to several columns of figures. “This is Belden Industries’ stock activity over the past two months compared with this same period last year.”

Carter glanced at the figures. “So? That doesn’t prove anything.” Carter looked at their unsmiling faces. Obviously, he’d have to study those figures at greater length. “Well, there’s certainly nothing there so startling that I’d have to postpone my wedding.”

“These are the buyers and sellers,” Bob continued as if Carter had said nothing.

“Your future father-in-law has bought a sizable chunk.” Nikki pointed to the entries under Karrenbrock Ventures.

Carter looked hard at her. “Again, so? I consider that a vote of confidence.”

Nikki exchanged a glance with Saunders.

“According to the prenuptial agreement, you promise to transfer ten percent of your holdings in Belden Industries to Dee Ann on condition of your marriage,” Saunders said.

He remembered that Saunders and Nikki had howled over that one. “You knew that long ago,” Carter said.

Nikki pointed to Bob’s figures. “Added to the Karrenbrock holdings, that ten percent would entitle them to a seat on the board of directors.”

Carter smiled. “I’m putting the stock in Dee Ann’s name. It’ll still be in the family.”

Nikki’s eyes widened and Carter felt a pang of guilt. Stressing Dee Ann’s new status was too harsh, he supposed, but they were interrupting his wedding, damn it.

Saunders cleared his throat. “It would be considered Dee Ann’s separate property—hers to do with as she pleases.”

“And there’s nothing to stop her from selling her share to her father,” Julian said from his post at the door. “Should he choose to exercise his rights, Karrenbrock would be in a position to seriously weaken Belden Industries.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Carter insisted.

“Or,” Nikki said, “her father could give her his holdings.”

Carter hadn’t considered that. “And I bet that’s exactly what he’s going to do!” he said. “A wedding gift. I’ve been trying to buy back some Belden stock.”

They looked unconvinced.

Carter spread his hands. “Look.” He forced a light laugh. His friends’ grim faces were more appropriate for a funeral than a wedding. “Dee Ann has no interest in business.” He directed his next remarks to Nikki. “She’s not like you.”

Nikki tilted her chin up. “So I’ve been told.”

Meeting her stare, it occurred to Carter that she wasn’t taking his marriage as well as he’d thought.

“Okay. I’ll concede that you all have legitimate concerns.” Relief flickered across their faces. “Let’s go have a wedding and we’ll discuss it later.”

“It’ll be too late then!” Saunders sounded panicked.

Ignoring him, Carter searched the pile of empty dry-cleaning bags and various wrappings on the ancient sofa, located the best man’s boutonniere and removed the plastic. The carnation was still fresh. “Hold this.” He handed the flower to Bob, unpinned his own and thrust it at Nikki. “Pin that on Saunders, would you?”

“But…you can’t still be going through with the wedding after what we’ve discovered?”

“Careful with that,” Carter advised himself as he pinned on the fresh carnation. Saunders should be doing this. Or Nikki.

“There’s something else,” Nikki added with an edge of desperation in her voice.

When Carter heard it, he felt a surge of pride. Their concern for his company went far beyond that of mere employees. They considered it their company, too.

However, he reminded himself abruptly, it wasn’t their company and this nonsense had to stop. “Later.”

“No!” Nikki gripped his arm on one side, Saunders on the other.

“Hey! You’ll wrinkle my jacket.”

“Carter.” Bob opened more folders. “Karrenbrock Ventures owns Lacefield Foods. Two weeks ago, Lacefield bought stock in Belden Industries.”

That caught his attention. “Let me see that.” Carter took the folder from his chief accountant and scanned the information. Sighing, he handed it back. “It isn’t much.”

“Not by itself,” Bob admitted. “But I suspect that more of the companies in these files are subsidiaries of Karrenbrock Ventures.”

“It’s a bad time to be signing away ten percent of your holdings,” Julian said.

Carter studied the faces of his trusted employees and friends. Julian, his executive vice president, the unflappable connoisseur of art and women. Bob, the balding accountant. The always-anxious Saunders, and Nikki…

She held her body stiffly and had a death grip on the files. There was something in her expression that went beyond concern for the welfare of Belden Industries. Carter stared at her the longest, compelled by the intensity of her gaze and the…panic? That didn’t make sense. It was as if she was willing him to postpone his wedding.

A smile of regret pulled at his lips. Our time has come and gone, kid. If they’d been alone, he would have said it aloud.

Addressing the group, he asked, “So, on the basis of one company’s buying an insignificant amount of stock, you want me to call off my wedding?”

Everyone looked at one another. Nikki spoke.

“Just postpone it until we can determine exactly how much stock Karrenbrock controls and through what companies.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

She shook her head. “He’ll make his move on Monday, while you’re on your honeymoon. By the time you figure out what’s happened, it’ll be too late to counter.”

“That’s absurd.” But he could tell the others agreed with her.

“No, it’s perfect,” she persisted. “Who’d suspect it?”

“He’s going to be my father-in-law!” Carter stared at them. Obviously, Nikki had managed to convince everyone to see things her way. “It doesn’t make sense. Why would he do that to me?”

Julian shrugged. “Probably because he can.”

“Karrenbrock is ruthless, but humiliate his daughter’s husband?” Carter shook his head. “Dee Ann would never forgive him.”

“She’s probably in on it,” Nikki retorted.

Carter felt like ripping their papers apart. Instead, he gripped the edge of the podium. “You’re angry because I’m giving her ten percent, aren’t you?”

“You’re still vulnerable, even without giving Dee Ann ten percent,” she replied.

“I did advise against selling stock to finance that oil drilling project,” Bob piped up in an I-told-you-so tone.

“And I relayed your concerns to Carter,” Nikki assured him, “along with my own.”

Bob addressed Carter. “Perhaps she didn’t emphasize—”

Carter glared him back into silence.

“The minister’s coming,” Julian said seconds before Reverend Royer sailed into the room.

“Mr. Belden…and best man?”

“Here!” Saunders stepped forward, holding the battered carnation.

“Saunders!” Nikki hissed.

“Let’s go.” Carter moved forward.

“Carter!” Nikki shrieked.

Everyone froze.

Nikki had gone white, and her freckles stood out like the cinnamon on Carter’s morning cappuccino. She hadn’t accepted that he was marrying Dee Ann. His heart twisted for her.

“Could we have a few more minutes?” he asked the minister.

“Young man.” Reverend Royer inhaled deeply. “Miss Karrenbrock is waiting in the vestibule with her bridesmaids. The organist has repeated “Sheep May Safely Graze” no less than five times. Miss Hicks is bemoaning a melting ice sculpture and the candles are beginning to drip. May I suggest you conduct your business at a later time?”

Carter gritted his teeth. “Why don’t you start without me, then?” He heard a strangled sound from Nikki’s direction and didn’t dare look at her.

“I’ll be praying for you in the antechamber.” Reverend Royer piously withdrew.

“Now look what you’ve done!” Carter rounded on Nikki. “I’ve insulted a man of God!”

“Nikki,” Saunders began, “just tell—”

She held up her hand. “If—if you’re determined to go through with this marriage—”

“I am.”

“Then I’d like to propose a toast,” she announced. Julian handed her a bottle of champagne. The cork had already been popped.

“You have all lost your minds,” Carter said in amazement.

Saunders solemnly produced paper cups and handed him one.

“You can’t seriously think I’d greet my bride with alcohol on my breath!” No one met his eyes. “It’s not even a good vintage.”

“Well, she didn’t want to ruin—ow!” Julian broke off.

“Sorry.” Nikki, the bottle shaking slightly, poured a little champagne into each cup. When she reached Carter, she filled his to the brim.

“So is this your new plan?” He tapped the cup. “Get me drunk and I won’t go through with the wedding?”

Everyone stared at his own cup.

They were so transparent, Carter thought. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Gazing at them defiantly, Carter held his cup aloft. “To Dee Ann Karrenbrock, may she prove you all wrong.” He drained his cup in a single gulp. The domestic champagne tasted even worse than he’d expected. It wasn’t like Julian to select something so inferior.

Didn’t Julian, one of his best friends, think Carter’s bride was worth a toast with the finest champagne?

Lowering the cup, Carter was immediately aware that no one had drunk with him. His face heated with anger at the insult.

His eyes narrowed. “Aren’t you going to propose a toast to my happiness, N-Nikki?” His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Nasty vile stuff. He thrust out his cup, anyway.

Nikki clutched the bottle so tightly, her knuckles were white.

“More,” he commanded.

Nikki filled his cup.

No one said anything.

“I’m waiting.”

“May you find happiness in spite of yourself,” she said, her eyes mocking him as he quaffed his drink.

The second cup went straight to his head. Carter clutched the podium as the room wobbled. Damn cheap champagne.

“Carter?” Two Nikkis spoke to him. He closed his eyes. One Nikki was more than enough.

“’S hot.” He tried to loosen his collar, but the pearl stickpin got in the way.

Saunders took his arm. “Do you want to sit down?”

Irritated, Carter shook off his lawyer’s hand. “Wrinkle my panths.” Oh, great. His tongue was swollen. How could he recite his vows? Maybe if he practiced.

“I, Cawtuh, take thee, Dee Ann, do be mah lawfoolly weddud wahf…”

“What’s he saying?”

“Shh.”

Water. He needed water. Cold water would shrink his tongue and cool his burning face. He took a step backward and the room tilted, then began a slow spin.

Drunk?

Dee Ann would be livid.

“Not dunk,” he muttered. Not on two paper cups of champagne.

“Carter, sit down.” Saunders urged him in the other direction.

“No.” He closed his eyes against the spinning room and concentrated on putting one foot directly in front of the other. He would stand in front of that altar. He would marry Dee Ann…

“Carter! Carter…Car-ter…Caaaaarterrrr…”

The sound came from all around him. He took another step and missed the floor.

Clawing at air, he landed on his knee, then fell prone.

His boutonniere would be completely crushed. Trying to save it, he rolled over and opened his eyes. Four anxious faces peered down at him. Four anxious and guilty faces.

He was the only one on the floor.

Black ringed his vision as the faces receded down a tunnel.

Realization struck. “Dug! You…dug me.” He tried to point, but his arm was too heavy to lift.

A cool hand touched his forehead. Huge green eyes filled his vision. From a distance, he heard, “Trust me.”

Through sheer force of will, Carter managed a reply as darkness overtook him. “Fahd! Yoo awl fahd!”

2

“FIRED? Fired? I heard him say fired.” Saunders shredded what was left of the carnation. “He fired us, didn’t he?”

Nikki sat back on her heels. “Sure sounded like it.”

“Oh, no, oh, no,” Bob, the chief accountant, groaned. “I’m refinancing my mortgage. I can’t refinance if I’m out of work. And I’ve got to lock in my rates!” He grabbed Julian’s arm. “This might cost me as much as one and a half percentage points!”

Julian clamped a hand on the accountant’s shoulder. “Carter’s drunk. The man can’t make valid business decisions when he’s drunk.”