A Bride for the Runaway Groom

He waved his finger at her. ‘Oh, no, you don’t.’

‘Don’t what?’

‘Try and get out of this.’ He pointed to his forehead. ‘You did this to me, Rose. It’s your job to hang around to make sure I’m okay.’

He was so smooth. A mixture of treacle and syrup.

‘Oh, stop it, Will. I’m not your typical girl. I’m not going to fall at your feet and expect a ring. And if you keep going the way you are I’ll hit you again with the next vase I find. I’ve got things to do. I can’t hang around Hawksley Castle.’

He smiled and opened the car door. ‘Who said we were spending the next twenty-four hours at Hawksley Castle?’

She started as he climbed in. She pulled open the car door and slid in. ‘What on earth do you mean? Of course we’re going back to Hawksley Castle.’

He shook his head. ‘I think both of us have overstayed our welcome. You’ve damaged one of Seb’s precious heirlooms and I’ve probably put immovable stains on an ancient carpet and wall. I suggest we regroup and go somewhere else.’

She started the engine. ‘Like where?’

‘Like Gideon Hall.’

Gideon Hall. Will Carter’s millionaire mansion. At least at Hawksley Castle she’d be surrounded by family and friends. There was safety in numbers. Being alone with Will Carter wasn’t something she wanted to risk.

‘Oh, no. I need to work, Will.’

‘I can give you access to a phone and computer. What else do you need?’

‘My jewellery equipment, my soldering iron, my casting machine. My yellow, white and rose gold. My precious stones. Do you have any of those at Gideon Hall?’

The confident grin fell from his face. ‘You’re serious about making the jewellery?’

His question annoyed her. ‘Of course I am. Working for my dad is the day job. Working to make wedding jewellery? That’s the job I actually want to do. I spend most of my nights working on jewellery for upcoming weddings. I have an order to make wedding rings for a bride and groom. I can’t afford to take any time off.’

It was nice to see his unwavering confidence start to fail. It seemed Mr Charming hadn’t thought of everything.

She sighed. ‘If need be, we can collect our things from Seb’s, then go back to my parents’ place. If you’ve hung around with Violet long enough you must be familiar with it.’

He settled back in the chair. ‘Do you have your equipment at your parents’ house?’

She nodded. ‘I have one set in New York, and one set here.’

‘That’s fine. We can move it to my house in the next hour. I’ll get someone to help us.’

He pulled his phone from his pocket and started dialling. ‘What? No. What on earth is wrong with you? I’ve said I’ll hang around you for the next twenty-four hours. Isn’t that enough?’

He turned to face her. ‘Actually, no, it’s not. I’ve got a meeting later on today with a potential investor for the homeless charity. It’s taken for ever to set up and I don’t want to miss it.’

‘Can’t you just change the venue?’

Will let out a long, slow puff of air and named a footballer her father had had a spat with a few months ago. ‘How would your dad feel about him being in his house?’

She gulped. ‘Wow. No. He’d probably blow a gasket. He hates the guy.’ She frowned. ‘Are you sure he’s the right kind of guy to help your charity?’ She was racking her brains. Her dad was a good judge of character. He could spot a fake at twenty paces and didn’t hesitate to tell them. She was sure there was a good reason he didn’t like this footballer—she just couldn’t remember what it was.

Will still couldn’t frown properly. It was kind of cute. ‘I’ve no idea. I’ve never met him before. But he’s well known and popular with sports fans. It’s not so much about the money. It’s the publicity I need help with. We need to get the homeless agenda on people’s radars. They need to understand the reason people end up on the streets. It’s not just because they’re drunks, or drug addicts or can’t hold down a job.’

She turned back into the grounds of Hawksley Castle. ‘You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?’

‘Of course I am. Why would you think I’m not?’

She bit her lip. ‘What’s in it for you? Why is a homeless charity your thing?’

It took him a few seconds to answer. ‘I had a friend at university who ended up on the streets. I didn’t know. He didn’t ask anyone for help because he didn’t want anyone to know the kind of trouble he was in. I found out later when someone tried to rob him and stabbed him in the process. The police found my details amongst his things.’

She pulled the car to a halt and turned to face him. ‘Was he dead?’

Will shook his head. It was the first time she’d really seen complete sincerity on his face. No charm, no dimple, no killer smile. In a way, it made him all the more handsome even though she tried to push that thought from her brain.

‘No. But Arral needed help. And there’s a lot more people out there who need help, too.’

‘So, you really want good PR to raise awareness and you think this footballer will give you it?’

He folded his arms across his chest. ‘Is that scepticism I hear in your voice, Rose?’

She gave him a smile as she opened the door and took the key from the ignition. ‘I just don’t know if he’s your best choice.’

Will climbed out next to her. ‘Neither do I, but, right now, he’s my only option. How long will it take you to grab your stuff?’

She shrugged. ‘My clothes? Five minutes. What about my equipment?’

‘I’ll arrange for someone to go your parents’ and pick it up. Do you want to drop by first?’

She nodded. ‘It won’t take long. Let me get my clothes and I’ll meet you back here.’

* * *

Will was true to his word. There was a man with a van waiting outside her parents’ house when they arrived. She took him around to her workshop and collected the things she’d need to start work later that night.

As she was collecting a few other items her father appeared. ‘Oh, hi, Dad. I didn’t expect you to be back yet. I thought you’d still be at Hawksley Castle.’

He smiled. ‘Your mother and I came back an hour ago. We had a few things we wanted to discuss.’

Her mother appeared at her father’s side, his arm slipping around her waist and resting on her hip. Sherry Huntingdon still had her model-girl looks and figure even though she was in her fifties.

Rose’s father’s face was a little more lived-in. Rock and roll did that to you. His hair was still longer than normal—he still loved the shaggy rock-star look.

Rose’s stomach started to do little flip-flops. Her father’s words were a bit ominous. He had a tendency to spring things on her. And it looked as if nothing was about to change.

Rick crossed the room and put his hand out towards Will. ‘Will, aren’t you hanging around with the wrong daughter?’ There was an amused tone in his voice. ‘And what happened to your head? Did one of those brides finally get you?’ He threw back his head and let out a hearty laugh.

Rose cringed. How many times was Will going to hear those words?

But Will seemed unperturbed. ‘Ask Rose—she was the one that socked me with a vase.’

‘She what?’ Rose’s mother seemed shocked.

Rose waved her hand quickly. ‘It was a misunderstanding. That’s all. What did you come back to talk about, Dad?’ She wanted to distract them before they asked too many questions.

Her mother and father turned and smiled at each other. There it was. That sappy look that they got sometimes. In a way it was nice. Still romantic. It was obvious to the world that they still loved each other.

It was just a tad embarrassing when it was your parents.

‘Your mother and I have made a decision.’

‘What kind of decision?’ She had a bad feeling about this.

Both of them couldn’t stop smiling and it was making her toes curl. She just knew this was going to be something big.

‘After all the preparations for Daisy’s wedding—and the fact everything went so beautifully—your mother and I have decided to renew our wedding vows.’

‘You have?’ It was so not what she expected to hear.

Her mother put her hand on her father’s chest. She was in that far-off place she went to when ideas started to float around her head. ‘You know we never had a big wedding.’ She turned to acknowledge Will. ‘We ran away to Vegas and got married after only knowing each other for a weekend. I never really had the fancy dress, flowers or meal like Daisy had. So, we’ve decided to do it all again.’

Rick shrugged and smiled at Will. ‘It might seem hasty, but believe me—’ he smiled at his wife ‘—when you know, you just know.’

A thousand little centipedes had started to crawl over Rose’s skin. She had a horrid feeling she knew exactly where this was going.

‘It’s a lovely idea. When were you thinking? Next year—after the tour is over?’

‘Oh, no.’ Rose’s mother laughed. ‘In a few weeks.’

‘A few weeks!’ She couldn’t help but raise her voice. Will shot her a look, obviously trying to calm her. But he had no idea what was coming next. Rose did.

Sherry stepped forward. ‘What’s the problem? We have the perfect venue.’ She spun around. ‘Here. We just need a marquee for the grounds. And a caterer. And some flowers. And some dresses.’ She turned to Rick and laughed. ‘And a band!’

Rick stepped forward. ‘It shouldn’t be a problem. You can arrange all that in a few weeks, can’t you, Rose? You do everything so perfectly. And you’re just so organised. We couldn’t possibly trust anyone else with something so important.’ Her father stepped over and gave her a hug and dropped a kiss on her cheek. It was clear he was floating on the same love-swept cloud that her mother was.

‘Me?’ Her voice came out in a squeak as Will’s eyes widened in shock.

Oh, now he understood. This was what she got for doing such a good job. She was the official PA for her father’s band and her mother’s career. With all the tour preparations she barely had time to sleep right now. But she loved her parents dearly so she let them think it was all effortless. Her parents had been so strong and so supportive when she’d needed them—even though she secretly felt she’d disappointed them. Their love and support was the only thing that had got her through. All she wanted to do was make them proud. If they were trusting her with something like this? It made her anxious to please them, to let them be confident in her choices, even if this was the last thing she needed.

Her father’s voice was steady. ‘You know just how hard your mother’s been working recently. And what with planning Daisy’s wedding, she’s just exhausted. If you could do all this it would be a whole weight off our minds.’

The dopey smiles on her parents’ faces were enough to melt her heart—even though it was fluttering frantically in her chest and her brain was going into overdrive.

Will seemed to pick up on her overwhelming sense of panic. He stepped forward. ‘What a fantastic idea. But these things normally take a while to plan—don’t you want to wait a while and get everything just right?’

It was a valiant attempt. But Rose knew exactly how this would go. Once her parents got an idea in their heads there was no changing their minds.

Rick gave a wave of his hand. ‘Nonsense. It didn’t take long to sort out Daisy’s wedding, did it?’ He gave Rose that look. The one he always did when she knew he meant business. Rick Cross had invented the word determined.

‘I’m not sure, Dad. There’s a lot to do, what with the tour and the charity concert and everything.’

His hand rested on her arm and he glanced in his wife’s direction. ‘Now, Rose. Let’s give your mother the wedding she always deserved.’

The truth was he wasn’t picking up her cues. He was too busy concentrating on the rapt expression on his wife’s face. Anxiety was building in her stomach. If she could do this, maybe she could repay her parents for everything they’d done for her. When she’d been splashed over the press when her friend had died she couldn’t have asked for better advocates or supporters. Family was everything.

She started to murmur out loud. ‘But I know nothing about weddings. Receptions, marquees, dinners, dresses...’

Her mother smiled. ‘Oh, honey. Leave the dress to me. I’m going to get the one I always wanted.’ Her gaze locked with Rick’s and it was clear they were lost in their own little world.

Rick waved his hand. ‘Ask Daisy. She knows all about it.’ He let out a little laugh. ‘Or ask your friend. He’s had his fair share of organising weddings.’

Her parents turned and drifted back out of the room, lost in conversation with each other. That was it. Decision made. And everything left to Rose.

Rose turned to face Will. Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. She’d kill for a cosmopolitan right now. Her mouth was so dry she couldn’t even begin to form words. She’d been blindsided. By her parents.

Will was looking just as pale.

She lifted her hands. ‘I... I...’ But the words wouldn’t come out. The only sound that did come out was a sob. All this work. Organising a wedding in a few weeks might be okay for some people. But some people weren’t Rick Cross and Sherry Huntingdon. They’d have a spectacular guest list—who’d all come with their list of demands. Where on earth would she find the kind of caterer she’d need at short notice? Her parents were very picky about food.

And what was worse—already she wanted it to be perfect for them.

Her heart was thudding in her chest. The more she thought, the more she panicked. Her chest was tight. The air couldn’t get in. It couldn’t circulate. Tears sprang to her eyes.

Will stepped straight in front of her. ‘Rose? Sit down. You’re a terrible colour.’ He pulled a chair over and pushed her down onto it, kneeling beside her. ‘In fact, no. Put your head between your legs.’

The inside of his palm connected with the back of her head and pushed down. She didn’t even have time to object.

The thudding started to slow. She wasn’t quite so panicky. After a few seconds she finally managed to pull in a breath.

This was a nightmare. A big nightmare. She didn’t have enough hours in the day to do what her parents wanted. But how on earth could she say no?

She lifted her head a little and a tear snaked down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly.

Will looked worried. ‘There must be someone else who can organise this for them? What about your sisters? They can help? Or can’t you hire someone?’

‘To organise my own parents’ renewal of vows? How, exactly, would that look?’ She waved her hand. ‘And Daisy might just have done it all but she’s off on her honeymoon to Italy for the next two weeks. Violet knows as much about weddings as I do.’ Her voice cracked as their gazes collided.

And something in her head went ping.

‘Will, you have to help me.’

A furrow creased his brow. The anaesthetic had finally started to wear off. ‘But isn’t it supposed to be the other way? I wanted you to give me some advice about PR for my homeless charity.’

She straightened her shoulders and drew in a deep breath. Things were starting to clear in her head. She wasn’t dumb. Only an hour ago Will Carter hadn’t been above trying to blackmail her. Head injury or not—it was time for her to use the same tactics.

‘Dad was right. You have the perfect skill set to help me out here. Help us out.’

Realisation started to dawn on him and he shook his head. ‘Oh, no. Your dad wasn’t being serious.’ It was his turn to start to look panicked.

She smiled. This was starting to feel good. ‘Oh, I think he was.’

She placed her hands on her hips as she stood up. Will was still kneeling by her chair. It was the first time she’d been head and shoulders above him. There was something empowering about this. She held out her hand towards him. This might be the only way out of this mess.

‘Will Carter? If you want my help, then I want yours.’ She could feel herself start to gain momentum.

‘You can’t be serious.’

‘Oh, but I am. I help you and you help me.’

He stood up. ‘Do what exactly?’

There was something good about the way he mirrored the same panicked expression she’d had a few minutes earlier.

She stretched her hand a little further. ‘I help you with your PR. You help me with this crazy wedding renewal.’

He shook his head. ‘I think you’ve got this all wrong. I only ever made it to one wedding. The rest never got anything like that far. Sure, I helped with some of the planning but that doesn’t make me an expert. The label in the press—Runaway Groom—it doesn’t really mean that. I’ve never even been a groom.’ He was blustering, trying anything to get out of this. ‘I don’t even like weddings!’ was his last try.

She pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing out loud. She liked seeing him floundering around. Will Carter liked to be in control. Liked to be charming. She could almost feel the weight lift from her shoulders. This might even be the tiniest bit fun.

She smiled at him. ‘Will Carter? I think you’re about to be my new best friend.’

The Runaway Groom was starting to look a whole lot more interesting.

CHAPTER THREE

WILL WAS STARTING to freak.

What had started as a bit of flirting and curiosity was turning into something closely related to the things he normally fled from.

It didn’t matter that this was someone else’s wedding. Weddings were the last thing he wanted to get involved in.

Except, he’d said that before. Four times exactly.

And he always meant it. Right up until he met the next girl—the next love of his life—and things went spectacularly. The romance, the love, the inevitable engagement, the press and then the plans started.

Everything always started swimmingly. Beautiful, fairy-tale venues. Wonderful menus. Great bands.

Then, things started to get uncomfortable. Fights about meaningless crap. Colours, ties or cravats, kilts or suits. Sisters and mothers-in-law interfering in he didn’t even know what.

Arguments about wedding vows, dresses—spectacular scenes about dresses having to be ordered eighteen months in advance and not arriving in time. Ridiculous costs for ‘favours’—things that no one even cared about and everyone left lying on the dinner tables anyway.

Tantrums over cakes. Tantrums over cars.

And love dying somewhere along the process. But it wasn’t the wedding process that really did it for him. It was that feeling of for ever. That idea of being with one person for the rest of your life. Whenever his bride-to-be had started talking about wedding vows Will always felt an overwhelming sense of panic. And all of a sudden he wasn’t so sure.

It didn’t help that he knew his friend Arral’s wife had walked out and left Arral when he’d lost his job. It had all contributed to Arral sinking into depression and ending up homeless. For better or worse. Someone to grow old with. The theory was great. But what if when the chips were down his potential bride-to-be decided she didn’t want for ever any more?

He didn’t really understand why, but as the wedding date drew nearer Will always had a massive case of cold feet. Actually, it wasn’t cold feet. More like being encompassed by the iceberg that had sunk the Titanic.

The trouble with being a nice guy was that it was hard to realise when exactly to back out. Once, he’d got right to the main event, but had backed out in spectacular fashion, earning him the nickname the Runaway Groom.

Even now he winced and closed his eyes. His bride-to-be had sensed his doubts and made veiled threats about what she might do if he didn’t turn up.

So, he’d turned up. And made sure when he left she was surrounded by family and friends—even if all the family and friends were about to do him a permanent injury.

Violet had a theory on all this. She said that he hadn’t met the right girl yet. Once he had? Everything would fall into place. Everything would click and he wouldn’t have any of these doubts and fears. But what did Violet know about all this?

‘I’m not the guy for this,’ he said quickly.

Rose seemed capable. From what Violet had told him Rose ran her life like clockwork. She never missed a deadline and made sure all those around her never missed one, too. He would only get in the way of someone like that.

Rose was standing in front of him. Her pale blue eyes fixed on his. ‘Oh, yes, you are.’ There was an edge to her voice. A determination he hadn’t heard before.

But he recognised the trait. She was obviously her father’s daughter.

‘Oh, no, I’m not.’

Rose folded her arms across her chest. It was very unfortunate. All it did was emphasise her breasts in her pale yellow sundress. He could hardly tear his eyes away.

‘Will Carter, you are not going to leave me in this mess.’

It felt as if the room were crowding around him. The walls, slowly but surely pushing forward. Sort of the way he normally felt when he knew he had to run from a wedding. None of this was his making. None of this was his responsibility.

‘This isn’t anything to do with me, Rose. It’s bad enough that you cracked me over the head and scarred me for life with some vase. Now, you’re trying to force me to help with your parents’ wedding plans. This is nothing to do with me. Nothing at all. I’m far too busy for this. I’ve got a hundred other things to do to get publicity for my homeless charity. That’s where I need to focus my efforts right now. Not on some celebrity wedding.’ He flicked his hand, and she narrowed her gaze.

She was mad. And not just a little.

‘Don’t you give me any of your crap.’ She poked her finger into his chest. ‘You slunk your way into my bed uninvited. You’ve forced me to be around you for the next twenty-four hours when I should be working. I’m good at my job, Will. I manage my commitments. But this? On top of everything else I’ve got to do? I know nothing about weddings. Nothing. Ask me to design the jewellery—fine. Ask me to do anything else? I don’t have a clue.’ She poked his chest again. ‘Which is where you come in.’

She lifted her chin and gave him a smug smile. ‘You want publicity for your homeless charity? Oh, I can get you publicity. I can get you publicity in ways you might never even have imagined. But it comes at a price.’

Boy, she could look fierce when she wanted to. He wondered whatever happened to any guy that crossed her. He could barely begin to imagine.

‘Weddings give me cold sweats,’ he said quickly.

‘Weddings have you running for the hills,’ she countered.

There was no way she was going to back down. He was beginning to regret virtually blackmailing her into coming back to his house for twenty-four hours. Somehow him doing the blackmailing didn’t seem quite so bad as her doing it back.

That would teach him.

But something happened. Rose seemed to change tack. A smile appeared on her face and she reached over and rubbed his arm. ‘This one won’t require you to break out in a cold sweat, Will. You’re safe. This is someone else’s wedding you’re organising—not your own.’ The smile stayed fixed on her face. He had a sneaking suspicion she was used to getting her own way.

But something was burning away underneath. It didn’t matter that the face was identical to his best friend’s. The personality and actions were totally different. She even smelled different. And her scent was currently winding its way around his senses. Something fruity. Something raspberry.

She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and he got another waft. Shampoo. It must be her shampoo. Rose Huntingdon-Cross was a knockout. And he was in danger of being bitten by her quirky charm. Her words had already captured his attention but the image in front of him and that enticing scent were in danger of doing much more.

He tried to focus. He needed PR for the homeless charity, he needed the rest of the world to understand why people ended up that way and help put in place things to prevent it.