April Fool Bride (6 page)

"I'm going for a sandwich," he announced. "Do
you want anything?"

Maddie looked as if she wanted to tell him
not to go. He figured she could tell by the expression on his face
that she'd better remain silent because she only shook her
head.

When he got outside, Jake took a deep breath.
The day was gorgeous. Crisp and sunny with a bit of breeze carrying
the fragrance of roses on the air. He found himself unwinding as he
walked pass the perfectly manicured grounds with dozens of pink
rose bushes.

The last two days had been difficult. He'd
learned that Maddie had a townhome, but she wanted to stay at the
hotel where they were registered under Amy's name. Maybe she just
wanted the hotel suite because it had two bedrooms. They'd taken
their meals in the suite, and they'd settled into an overly polite
relationship that put his teeth on edge.

Seeing her all the time without touching her
was driving him crazy. Each night, promptly at eight o'clock, she'd
bid him goodnight and gone to the bedroom she'd designated as hers.
He hadn't even had an opening to seduce her. Last night, when he'd
heard the quiet click of her bedroom door lock, he'd been
hard-pressed not to yell that if he wanted in her room, a stupid
lock wouldn't keep him out. Instead, he'd taken a cold shower and
gone to bed feeling as frustrated as a horny teenager.

Jake noticed the man loitering at the flower
stand across the street. His lips curled in disgust. The idiot
wasn't even trying to hide the camera hanging from a strap around
his neck. Jake was surprised it had taken this long for the
tabloids to come sniffing around. He ignored the photographer and
walked on, enjoying the many shades of green offered by the lush
landscape. A block later, he stopped at a cafe that bragged about
their New Orleans-style Po Boy sandwiches and ordered a fried
shrimp Po Boy and a large Coke. He sat at a booth away from the
other diners and started making calls on his cell. First was Laura.
He'd told her of his marriage. True to her sweet nature, Danny's
widow hopped on the happiness train, thinking that he'd married for
love.

"Charly and I want to know when we get to
meet the new Mrs. Becker?"

Jake laughed uncomfortably. He didn't want
Maddie to become a part of Laura and Charly's world because they'd
be hurt if he and Maddie divorced. Jake paused. He'd meant when
they divorced. Hadn't he? "Things are a little peculiar right now.
Later, okay?"

Laura sounded puzzled and a bit hurt by his
response. "Sure. Just don't wait too long. You know how Charly is.
She'll want to make sure this Maddie is good enough for you since
she'd planned to marry you when she grew up."

That got a laugh from him. Laura changed the
subject to business and updated him on what was happening at the
office. He wasn't surprised that the office was running fine
without him. That was the only reason he'd planned to take several
months off and get away from the city.

"Are you taking your wife on that trip to
Europe as your honeymoon?"

"No, I don't think she'd be much for
backpacking and roughing it. Everything happened so fast that we
didn't even talk about a honeymoon."

"Wow. You must have overwhelmed her with your
sense of romance. And in case you don't recognize it, that's
sarcasm."

Jake laughed. "Yep. That's me. Mr.
Romance."

"So when are you coming home?"

"I am home here in Houston. If you're talking
about New York, it may be a while. We're going to stay here
indefinitely. Just call me if anything comes up. If there's an
emergency, if you or Charly need anything and can't reach me on my
cell, you've got my mother's number."

Laura laughed softly. "Jake, try to relax and
enjoy your new wife. Charly and I are fine. In case you haven't
noticed, we're standing on our own two feet and walking and
talking, and we have been for quite some time now. We're not going
to fall apart. Charly has adjusted well, and I have too. In fact,
I…well, I'm seeing someone."

Jake grinned. "Really? That's great news.
What does Charly think about him?"

Laura laughed. "Hold on. You're leaping too
far ahead. I haven't introduced him to her yet. I thought I'd wait
and see how things went. Actually, I'd planned to introduce him to
you first as a trial run, but you ran away and got married."

"Sorry, Laura. Is it serious?"

Her voice softened. "Let's just say it's
going really well."

They talked about a piece of property they'd
received an offer on. He approved the offer and said he'd call
Vincent and Steve to get their approval too.

That was the next call Jake made. He endured
a boatload of their good-natured ribbing about his sudden wedding
then they talked about the offer on the property.

When his order was brought to the table, he
ended the call and turned his attention to the food. He bit into
the Po Boy. The baguette was soft and fresh; the shrimp were
perfectly fried, and the remoulade sauce had the perfect kick of
garlic and Cajun spices. After a few bites, he called the limo
company and canceled their services. Then he called his cousin who
had a Chevy dealership and made arrangements for Octavio to bring
him the Camaro ZL1 that he'd bought the day after Maddie had
"proposed" to him. He'd wanted one of the cars since they'd first
come out, but keeping a car in New York was such a hassle. Since he
planned to be in Houston for a while, buying the car made perfect
sense to him. Plus, he just wanted one. He grinned. Maybe it would
impress Maddie.

In less than thirty minutes, Octavio pulled
into the parking lot in a metallic red Camaro that made Jake's
pulse quicken almost as much as it did when he looked at Maddie.
Grinning, he greeted his cousin--one of many cousins on his
mother's side--with a bear hug rather than a restrained fist bump.
He hadn't seen enough of his extended family over the years, and
he'd missed them. Damn, but it was good to be back home in
Texas.

Octavio tossed him the keys. "Let's talk
while you take me back to my office. I want to know all about this
wife that you suddenly have."

Jake got in the car and adjusted the power
seat to fit his longer legs and fiddled with the gadgets, all the
while giving his cousin the "for public consumption" highlights of
his marriage.

"I'm not buying it," Octavio said. "Hey,
you're talking to me. Outside of your mom, I'm probably the only
one in the family who knows why you gave up your scholarship and
joined the army. I know who caused that whole ruckus.
Remember?"

"I know, but I'd be pleased if you'd keep
that to yourself." Jake turned the key in the ignition and listened
to the five hundred eighty horsepower engine purr. He grinned.
"Buckle up, dude."

Octavio did, and Jake shoved the car into
gear and punched the accelerator just a little. The car shot out of
the parking lot. In a nano second they were up on the six-ten loop.
On the way, his cousin talked Jake into bringing Maddie to a
Saturday night dinner with the family.

Jake left his cousin at the dealership and
headed back to the hotel. He called Maddie on the way and told her
he'd borrowed a car to get them around Houston. After all, he
couldn't tell her he'd bought a car that would have set him back
about a hundred grand without making her wonder where he got that
kind of money since only the signing bonus had been transferred
into his bank account. He made a mental note to have Laura write a
check for that amount and donate it to Wounded Warriors.

He could almost hear his mother quoting, "Oh,
what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." The
lies were piling up, but he couldn't do anything about the
situation. Not until he had wooed Maddie so she would be agreeable
and understanding when he explained that he really wasn't
unemployed. He knew he should have told Maddie that he didn't need
her money, but she'd have wondered why he agreed to marry her.
Since he didn't have a clear understanding of his motive, how could
he explain it to her? He just knew that he didn't regret binding
her to him even if it was for a whole year.

That evening, Maddie and Jake left the hotel,
again using a service entrance in back. Maddie was nervous. She'd
already had a tense conversation with Constance in which her
stepmother had reminded her that the terms of the trust required
her to be married for a year before it would be paid. Maddie knew
that was true, but she also knew there was a clause that gave the
trustee the discretionary power to set aside the waiting period.
She didn't know how, but she hoped she could convince Constance to
do that.

Maddie was so nervous that she didn't even
ask questions about the red Camaro even though Jake's story of
having borrowed the expensive car from a friend sounded fishy. She
could only fight one battle at a time.

The car waited near the loading dock, thanks
to a parking valet who'd been happy to take Jake's contribution to
his college fund in exchange for taking care of the car and having
it ready when they needed it. Jake had even had the nerve to tell
her he'd submit a receipt for reimbursement on his expense account.
She was just about tapped out after paying his signing bonus, and
she wouldn't get her monthly stipend from Constance until the
middle of the month. Her allowance might cover her townhome payment
and the rest of her bills, but there probably wouldn't be much left
for the shelter.

Maddie pulled the visor down and checked her
face. Everything was getting complicated, and she had butterflies
doing a ballet in her stomach over this dinner party tonight.

"You look great," Jake said.

Maddie glanced over at him. "Really? I
probably shouldn't have worn satin but this was the dress Amy
brought for me. Satin shows perspiration too easily, and there's
nothing like wet rings under your armpits to let the enemy know
you're afraid."

Jake grinned. "Your dress is perfect. Not a
sweat ring in sight, but you're going to wear out the visor before
we get there. You've flipped it down to check your makeup and hair
once for every mile we've driven from the hotel."

"No I haven't." When he snorted with
laughter, she shrugged. "Okay, maybe once every five miles." She
flipped the visor back into place. "Constance brings out all my
insecurities."

Jake maneuvered around a slow-moving pickup.
"What have you got to be insecure about?"

Maddie gave a bitter laugh. "What haven't I
got to be insecure about?"

"I don't know. You're young, healthy,
beautiful, and rich. And you'll be even richer now that you're
married even if you do have to wait a year to collect."

He didn't understand, and Maddie didn't plan
on explaining. She lived by the cardinal rule: never let anyone see
your pain. "Right," she said lightly.

Jake exited onto Kirby. Maddie's anxiety
increased. She dreaded the party Constance had arranged. She didn't
know why her stepmother was making such a big production of
this.

When he pulled up next to the call box at the
wrought iron gates, Maddie told him the security code. He entered
it on the keypad, and the gate swung open. The graceful curving
driveway was bordered by hundreds of Formosa azaleas and lit by
landscape lights that revealed their deep fuschia blooms. He'd
spent most of his childhood and teen years here in the quarters
over the garage. Nine years ago, he'd walked out the back door, and
he hadn't returned. Until now. Tonight, he'd be entering through
the front door. He had to admit that gave him a blast of
satisfaction.

Jake followed the lane that separated the
main house from the garages and parked next to a caterer's
truck.

"I'm sorry, but my car is parked in the
garage, and the remote is in my car. Otherwise, you could park your
friend's car inside," Maddie said.

"It's okay. I doubt anyone will vandalize it
or put a door ding in it." He cut the engine and helped her out.
They walked back down the lane to the front of the house and up the
dozen steps to the double doors. Both doors opened. A tall
impressive man in a severe black suit and snow white shirt bowed
slightly. "Good evening, Miss Madeline. Mr. Becker."

"Hello, Strack. I see you are well-informed
as usual." Maddie smiled and took Jake's arm. "Darling, this is
Strack, our honest to goodness English butler."

Jake grinned. "I'll try to work the phrase,
'the butler did it' into the conversation at some point. Good to
meet you, Strack."

"Indeed, Mr. Becker. After a year in Texas,
I'm almost accustomed to such informal introductions."

Maddie laughed. "Sorry, Strack. We just
aren't much for class distinction here in Texas."

"So it would seem. May I offer my
felicitations?"

"Thank you. Did my stepmother inform you
about my marriage?"

"No, madam. It's almost impossible to open a
web browser without seeing the news accompanied by a
slideshow."

Maddie's smile turned to a grimace. "Ah, yes.
All those wonderful old photographs. After all, what I do is so
much more important than silly things like economic summits,
earthquakes, and nuclear posturing by other countries."

Jake chuckled softly and squeezed the hand
that clasped his arm. "How nice to know I married a mover and a
shaker."

"This way please." Strack crossed the marble
floor with long regal strides.

Jake and Maddie followed. He whispered where
only she could hear."Don't worry. Some reality star will do
something outrageous and take the limelight. The paparazzi will
grow bored and move on. And I'll make sure old Connie keeps her
claws sheathed."

Her fingers were like ice, but the heat of
his hand over hers helped. His touch comforted her, and his concern
surprised her. She could have told him that she'd learned to hold
her own with Constance. The woman no longer ran over her like a
bulldozer crushing everything beneath its treads. But she kept
silent.