Stealing the Groom (4 page)

A plain wooden table with two ladder-back chairs—one paint-splattered—sat tucked in a corner near a window. A fat blue bowl of wildflowers with drooping blossoms took up space in the middle of the table. At the window beyond the table, faded red gingham curtains arched with every puff of wind, bringing some of the rain inside.

Amelia hurried over and closed the window, latching it once she had it down, wondering if she’d done the right thing by coming here. She shook off the doubt. She was saving Chad. Of course she’d done the right thing.

A colorful patchwork quilt topped the iron bed. It
would
be a cozy, romantic hideaway for a couple, which they weren’t and never would be.

As Chad had said, they weren’t kids anymore, and crushes and wishes of first kisses were their history, not their future.

He interrupted her musings when he called her name.

Holding up two cans of tomato soup, he waved them back and forth. “I found something that’ll hit the spot. Just what we need on a night like tonight. I’ll put this on. You see if you can dig up anything else we might be able to add to our feast, and then we can get out of these wet clothes.” He set the cans on the chipped counter and rifled through drawers in search of an opener.

Not finding one, he moved to the pantry.

“The pantry has a few other things in here so at least we won’t starve tonight. Found a can opener too. And, hey, I found marshmallows!” Chad held the bag aloft and grinned.

His grin reminded her of the camping trip they’d taken with her grandfather and his when she’d turned twelve. She and Chad had engaged in a marshmallow fight, then later that night sat snuggled together beneath a blanket while his grandfather told scary tales.

Thunder growled a warning, low and throaty in the distance.

Chad frowned. “Looks like we got here in the nick of time. Storm might be getting worse.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” she teased.

Chad quirked his eyebrows. “Ah, but my pretty, who’ll protect you from me?”

Amelia scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Right now, when it comes to virtue I’d be willing to bet I’m the safest woman on the planet.”

Chad emptied the soup into a pot and turned on the burner. “Yep. Safe as the wares of a snowball salesman in Alaska.”

“In other words, who would want me?” Amelia said, meaning to sound playful, but the tone didn’t come out right. She sounded as if she felt sorry for herself, and she hated that because she didn’t.

Other than this latest situation with Chad, she was deliriously happy with her life. No ties, no commitments, she could come and go as she pleased, just the way she liked it.

Chad tossed the empty soup cans into the trash and moved from the stove to close the distance between them. “You do know how beautiful, how amazing you are, don’t you?”

“You’re just saying that because you’re my friend.” This time she nailed the lightness she’d been going for a moment ago.

“Of course I’m your friend, so I know better than anyone how awesome you are. But seriously…” He lightly squeezed her hands. “Any guy would want to be with you.”

“Of course.” She fluttered her eyelashes, using humor to once again keep the emotions at bay. “I’ve got men in every port fighting one another for my hand. So step aside, sir, lest you be trampled by the rushing horde.”

“
That
I would believe.”

Silence stretched between them and the moment grew more intense. Amelia swallowed hard, unable to tear her gaze away from his. Her brain activity scrambled. She couldn’t string together a complete thought.

The way he was watching her…

After all these years was he going to kiss her? Surely not. This was wrong.

“Amelia…” His voice took on a husky quality and the friendly light in his eyes darkened, changing to confusion.

She lifted her hands to his arms, reveling in the feel of his biceps. Here was strength she knew she could trust. She should push away. She should. But curiosity had always been her undoing.

His hands went to her waist, urging her closer.

“Amelia, I…”

His head slowly lowered.

The room disappeared from view. There was only Chad and the sound of soup boiling over.

Boiling soup?

Amelia blinked.

Suddenly Chad released her and stepped back to turn and grab the pan from the burner. He set it in the sink and waved a dish towel around to dispel the odor. His laughter sounded strained. “Let’s try that again, shall we?”

For a split second, Amelia thought he was referring to the almost-kiss, then realized he was talking about the soup.

She was relieved.

She didn’t want anything more than friendship from Chad. That and she wanted him to be happy. She wanted his heart to be safe, and that wouldn’t happen if he followed his plan.

Because she didn’t care what Chad said about his agreement with Claire. Amelia didn’t believe that the Queen of Mean was going to walk away in six months with a settlement when she could stay with Chad and the full Walker family fortune.

Trying to occupy her mind with thoughts other than worries over Chad’s future, Amelia opened the cupboard and searched for some bowls.

“Why don’t you attempt to start another gourmet meal and I’ll set the table. Then maybe I can scrounge up something for us to wear.”

He quirked his brow at her. “I thought you said you didn’t bring any clothes for either of us. Did you forget you packed for my kidnapping?”

She laughed. “No, but I’m sure my grandfather has something around here that can pass for dry, wearable clothing.”

Lightning flashed, illuminating the cabin, and Amelia gave a squeak of surprise.

Seconds later, the lights went out.

Before she could ask Chad if he was all right, his voice reached her in the dark.

“Great,” Chad said. “We’re wet, hungry, and in the dark. What else could possibly go wrong?”

Nature lit up the room again for a split second before a deafening boom shook the cabin. A loud tearing sound followed by a heavy crash rent the air. Metal screeched on metal, the noise as irritating as fingernails raking down a chalkboard.

In the dark, Amelia groped her way to the window by the door and peered out. She took a step backward when another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, allowing her to see outside.
“You want the bad news or the good news first?” she asked.

“The bad,” Chad said, his tone wary.

“The bad news is lightning hit the tree by the driveway and it fell across the front of your family’s limousine. It’s pretty well flattened.”

“And the good news?” Chad’s voice was soft, as though he was battling for control.

“The good news is we weren’t in it.”

Chapter Three

“I suppose saying ‘I told you so’ doesn’t help, but don’t you think a plan would come in handy right about now?” Chad’s breath stirred her damp hair, causing Amelia to jerk. Because the wooden floor was covered with thick, hand-woven rugs, she hadn’t heard his approach.

She backed up so the warmth of his chest was against her back. “How could I have planned for the one-in-a-million possibility a tree would take up residence in the limousine? There’s no way to predict things like that,” she said.

“A good plan always has a backup, a plan B if you will,” he replied. “Plans need a built-in escape clause in case something goes wrong with the first plan.”

“I have a plan B.” Amelia crossed her arms and tried to see the extent of damage done to their ride home with the streaks of lightning flashing across the sky. From what she could tell, the large tree had landed directly across the driver’s side, folding the roof into a vee shape.

“May I ask what exactly your plan B is?”

“Stay dry and warm in the cabin tonight and leave on foot at first light. We can walk to civilization and arrange a ride to get a rental car. How’s that?”

“The leaving at first light? Not very appealing,” Chad grumbled. “And there’s no phone here? Seriously?”

“As a matter of fact, no, there isn’t a phone. Walking is our only way out unless you have a better idea?”

“I’ll see if the tree spared the phone inside the back of the limousine. If it did, I’ll call out and arrange for someone to pick us up. We could be soaking in a warm tub of water within a few hours, laughing about the events of the evening.”

Amelia considered his idea. “And if the phone doesn’t work?”

“Then of course we move on to commonly overused plan C.”

“Which would be…?”

“Panic.”

Lightning illuminated the room, giving everything a ghostly hue, and Amelia felt Chad’s body stiffen. His fingers gripped her elbow. “Amelia, the room is filling up with smoke.”

Amelia squinted, attempting to see her surroundings with each flash of lightning. The view was too foggy, but she could feel the air thickening, burning her throat. “What’s wrong?”

Chad moved toward the fireplace. “I think the chimney is clogged. I’ll have to put the fire out.”

Amelia’s eyes stung from the thick smoke and she fumbled to open the front door. When she got it open, the cooler temperature rushed at her and the world smelled fresh and clean, the way it always did in rain.

She took in a welcome lungful of air and turned around to call out for Chad when his hand closed around her waist. “Go! Now!”

With the momentum of his movement, he propelled her through the doorway. He kept going until he pulled her off the porch after him, until they were standing in the middle of the gravel road with the hard rain pouring over them.

“What happened?” Amelia shouted to be heard above the noise of the storm.

“Look.” Chad pointed to the living room.

Through the open doorway, Amelia could see flames dancing along the wall beside the fireplace. They raced upward to the ceiling and within seconds the window blew out, raining shards of glass onto the porch.

Frightened, Amelia gasped, unable to speak.

“We’ve set fire to your grandfather’s cabin,” Chad said in disbelief. “The fireplace wasn’t clogged. Something caught the roof on fire.”

Her grandfather was going to be so disappointed about his new cabin. She felt terrible for destroying his property with this crazy plan of hers. Once she made sure Chad was safely away from Claire, Amelia was going to have to get out of town again just to avoid her grandfather’s wrath.

“Well, look on the bright side…,” Amelia began slowly, her voice shaking.

“Yeah, I know. We aren’t in it. You and your optimism. Always seeing the good side of everything. Except my marriage, of course.”

“I was going to say the rain should keep the fire from spreading to the woods.” She shivered and sneezed, followed by a bout of coughing. The shorts and T-shirt that were perfect for the heat earlier today were no match for the rain and dropping temperatures here in the woods.

“Unbelievable. I should have known this getaway wouldn’t end well.” She could make out Chad glaring at her in the dim light while she coughed. “I swear, if I survive this, it’s the last time I let you talk me into anything.”

She snorted. “Ha! You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to be. You said so yourself in the limousine. You admitted you don’t really want to marry Claire.”

“We don’t have time to argue this. I’m going to see if I can get to the car phone.”

Amelia cringed when a bolt of lightning popped across the sky. She was uncomfortable in storms and knew how dangerous they could be.

Fortunately, Chad was back in seconds, shaking his head. “The tree damaged the limousine’s back doors too. They’re wedged and I can’t get them open. Come on, let’s get out of the weather. There’s nothing else we can do standing here. We’ll find a phone somewhere and notify the local fire department.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders when she coughed again.

“My throat’s a little irritated but I’m fine, I promise. We passed a cabin on the way in. Maybe it’s even Mrs. Foster’s place. She mentioned it would be easy for her to be the caretaker for my grandfather because she had a cabin not far from his.” Amelia struggled to keep her balance as they pushed forward on the slippery road in the dark. Her tennis shoe slid in a patch of mud and Chad steadied her.

“Well, it’s not as if we can get any wetter,” he said as he stepped in a mud puddle. Water covered his ankle, sloshing above the top of his sock. He grunted and shook his black leather shoe. “Nice. The situations I let you get me into…” His voice trailed off.

“The situations? As in plural? Name one that’s been as hectic as this one.”

“Parachuting with you two summers ago when my chute didn’t open,” he reminded her.

“Your reserve did.”

“I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”

“You didn’t, though.”

“Probably because my heart was in my throat the entire time. Don’t forget the near-death experience when we went on that white-water rafting trip.”

“I thought you were calm that whole time.”

“Before or after I had to jump in and rescue you?”

“Admit it. At least you’re never bored when you’re with me.”

“Hard to be bored when you’re busy praying to stay alive. How you and I have remained friends for all these years amazes me at times.”

“Blame our grandparents, who were best friends long before we were even born. We inherited each other. We’re practically family.” Amelia smiled up at him even though he couldn’t see it in the darkness.

“You and I are such complete opposites.”

“You know that old saying. Opposites attract,” Amelia quipped and wiped her soaked bangs away from her eyes. Water ran down her face and she blinked to clear her vision.

Lightning flashed and Amelia quickened her pace, drawing closer to Chad.

“Yeah, opposites attract,” he admitted, “but you and I operate with entirely different life views. That’s why I stopped going on all those so-called adventures you kept taking. You’re far too willing to take dangerous risks without ever stopping to consider the consequences.”

His words dissipated their lighthearted banter and her eyes narrowed. “Is that why you were suddenly busy every time I asked you to go places with me?”

“You know you take too many risks.”

“Maybe I do take risks, but you’re stuck in the same old rut. Always ready with a pen and paper trying to figure out what the worst possible outcome could be and then choosing the safest path.”

“Nothing wrong with being cautious,” Chad said, indicating their predicament with a pointed sweep of his hand.

His smugness irritated Amelia. “Except when being cautious equates to not really living at all. The only danger in your life right now is the risk of getting a paper cut.”

Chad stopped in the middle of the road, hands on his hips to glare at her, his mounting frustration evident. “Not really living? What the hell are you talking about?”

“You, Chad. I’m talking about the way you live or rather the way you
don’t
live. Thanks to your screwed-up childhood, you have a need for control and order. Not once in your life have you ever strayed from the path your grandfather oh-so-carefully mapped out for you,” Amelia blurted, losing her patience.

She probably shouldn’t say the words on the tip of her tongue but Amelia couldn’t help herself. Extreme situations called for extreme actions. “Forgetting your dreams of becoming a basketball coach in order to step into position as Vice President of Walker Industries straight from business school. Check that one off the list.”

“My grandfather needed me.”

“Uh-huh. Even if that were true, what about the rest of your life to-do list?” She went on in a rush, “Marry so you’ll get your full shares in order to hold on to a business and the millions of dollars that won’t make you happy in the end. Avoid love so you’ll never be hurt like your father. Got all those lined up just waiting to be checked off.
That’s
living?”

“Are you finished?” His voice was dangerously low.

“Oh, no. I’m just getting started. I should have told you this years ago.” She shoved her soggy bangs away from her eyes again. “You have never
once
done anything spontaneous in your entire life. Even on the adventures you’d go on with me, you made sure you did a risk assessment and had a power of attorney in place with your lawyer for the business in case you didn’t make it back.” Amelia poked him in the center of the chest.

“When are you going to live? Live with gusto? Live your dreams? Go after what you want and to hell with the consequences?”

“You’re saying that you think spontaneity equals living?”

“Yes. Chad, sometimes you have to stray from the same old routine. Break the rules. Stop centering your life around what you
should
do. Do something for absolutely no reason at all even if it doesn’t make any sense.”

“Something that doesn’t make sense?”

“Yes.”

“Break from the routine, you say?”

“Exactly,” Amelia said, pleased he seemed to finally get it, though she did wonder at the anger in his voice.

“Spontaneous and breaking from routine. Right. In that case, I can check both of those off the list right now,” Chad said, putting his hands on her waist. He swung her around into his arms to face him. Off balance, her body fell against his.

Before she could recover, he lowered his head and his lips claimed hers. Angry. Out to prove he thought she was wrong and he was right. His lips were…

Demanding.

Softening.

Coaxing.

Taking.

Giving.

All around them, the storm raged.

The kiss was unlike any Amelia had ever experienced. His hand splayed across her back, urging her against his body as he pulled her into a world she longed to stay in.

Their bodies fit as if they’d been poured from the same mold. Emotions pummeled her. They shouldn’t. It was wrong. But if felt right and oh so good. Then Amelia gave up trying to think and gave in to the feel of his lips on hers. She slid her arms up around his neck and pressed into him.

Chad abruptly pulled his head back, his breathing uneven. “Amelia…”

“I know…” She’d been about to say the kiss had rocked her too, but before she could, he destroyed the haze of desire surrounding her.

“That was a mistake,” he said in a flat voice.

She blinked and exhaled, not knowing what to say to that. How could he so quickly toss aside the kiss? Friends did not kiss friends that way.

“I don’t understand what just happened. One second we were arguing and I never meant to kiss you. I don’t…I mean…”

“Forget it,” she snapped, turning away from him. In the dim, rainy light, he couldn’t see her confusion, but she felt it down to the marrow in her bones. Everything was wrong now. She knew Chad. He’d want to sweep the kiss under the rug and pretend it hadn’t happened because kissing a best friend sure as hell wasn’t in any of his plans. No matter how much he’d seemed to enjoy it.

“We should go,” he said quietly, his tone not displaying any hint of how he felt.

Amazed her own voice sounded so normal, she pointed the direction they’d come from. “Looks like the rain has put the fire out. Do you want to go back?”

“No. We don’t need to risk inhaling any more smoke fumes and we don’t know if the cabin is structurally sound. The other cabin should be around the next bend. If not, we’re going to have to devise a way to find shelter in the woods. I’m getting too cold.”

Cold? How could he be cold? Amelia’s insides were still on fire from the kiss. Her lips tingled from the taste of his.

“I think I see something,” Chad said as the storm continued to quiet and the rain now fell in a soft drizzle.

Amelia peered into the short distance. She saw a cabin similar to the one her grandfather had purchased. This cabin had a longer porch and sported several large ferns hanging across the front.

She nodded. “That’s the place we drove past. I remember the plants.”

The rain started falling harder again. Hand in hand, they made a run for the cabin’s front porch, arriving breathless and shivering.

Chad pounded on the thick door with a closed fist. “Anyone home?” Wiping at a small window, he tried to peer through the dirty glass into the darkened cabin. “I don’t think there’s anyone here. I can’t see a light or any movement.” He shivered, his teeth beginning to click together.

“I should have grabbed jackets before leaving Sweet Creek. I didn’t expect the temperatures to be so much lower in the mountains. Not to mention, I thought we’d be inside, not outside in a monsoon,” she said, easing even closer to him. They needed to share body heat. “We’ll have to break in.”