The Wedding Guest: 5-hour read. Billionaire romance, marriage of convenience, sweet clean contemporary romance. (Colorado Billionaires)

by Regina Duke

  “Okay. I’ll give you the grand tour of Eagle’s Toe.”

  “I want to see everything,” Kirby murmured. “I want to know where you went to school, and what your favorite songs are, and where you like to eat lunch. Everything.”

  “Okay. I’ll tell you every detail about me. It shouldn’t take long. My life has been pretty ordinary.”

  Once again his voice sounded like a love song. “That’s only because your beauty and your personality are so outstanding. You have to keep one leg of the tripod on the ground.”

  “Mmmm, that’s so sweet.”

  “You’re getting sleepy again.”

  “I still can’t remember what it was I wanted to ask you.” She made a sound like a whining child and cuddled her pillow.

  “You’ll remember in the morning.”

  “Okay.”

  “See you at eight, love.”

  But Madlyn didn’t answer. She was fast asleep.

  ******

  Kirby couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. It was stuck there, and nothing he did would erase it. It didn’t interfere with brushing his teeth, but it gave him away completely when he called Brewster at three a.m.

  “Mmm, hullo?”

  Kirby did a quick mental calculation. It was five a.m. in New York. “It’s me. Sorry, I keep thinking it’s a three-hour difference instead of a two-hour difference. Want me to call later?”

  Brewster made a strange sound, then mumbled, “No, no, quite all right. Let me sit up.”

  Kirby’s grin grew wider.

  Brewster made some more noises, then a gargling sound, then a cough.

  “You all right?” But Kirby knew precisely what Brew was doing.

  “Washing out the dust and bird feathers.”

  “That’s what I thought. As soon as your brain is functioning, there’s something we have to discuss.”

  “Oh dear, you’re not in trouble are you?”

  “Of course not! When have I ever—” Kirby broke off in mid-sentence. “Never mind. Did you have the secretary block Vanessa’s number?”

  “Why, yes. Yes, I did.”

  “Good.”

  Silence.

  “Brew? What are you trying not to say out loud.”

  “Nothing. It’s early. I’m fine. Everything is fine.”

  Not even that wiped the smile off Kirby’s face. He chuckled. “I have a job for our secretary. Is it still okay to call her that? It sounds so old fashioned.”

  “She said your uncle always made it sound like such a high office that she didn’t mind.”

  “Good. I need her to research some real estate in Eagle’s Toe. Got a pen?”

  “If you’d taken your computer, you could have emailed it to me.”

  “Only if I had a signal. You know how slow hotel wi-fi can be. Add that to the list of things to have her do for us. We need portable wi-fi. By the way, bring my computer, okay?”

  “It’s already packed.”

  “Cool.”

  “Oh! You can send it from your phone.”

  “Brew?”

  “Yes, Kirby?”

  “Get a pen.”

  “Quite. Very well. I’m ready.”

  Kirby pulled out his notepad and started dictating. By the time he was done, Brewster was wide awake.

  “I take it this means you’ve explained your financial status to your young lady.”

  “Umm, not completely.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning she thinks it’s swell that you are wealthy. She even likes you.”

  “Oh lovely. That was certainly weighing on my mind.”

  “Don’t be snarky.” Yep, that smile was still stuck on.

  “What are you so happy about? I can hear you smiling over the phone.”

  “I’m in love.”

  “Yes. Well, you’d better explain to the very middle-class target of your affections that Brewster is not the only one to come into a great deal of money.”

  “I will. First thing. I’m meeting her at eight. I can’t wait for you to get to Eagle’s Toe so you can start adoring her, too.”

  Brewster laughed softly. “Of course I adore her, silly man. You’re going to marry her. I’d better like her a lot if I want to hang around.” His tone sobered. “And I do, you know.”

  “I’m glad. You and Madz are now the two closest friends I have. I don’t want to lose either one of you. I’ll see you when you get here.”

  He hung up and checked the bathroom mirror once more. Yes, the smile was still there. He pressed his fingertips to the both sides of his top lip and pulled downward. After a few seconds, he let go. The corners of his mouth tilted upward again.

  “Amazing.”

  He set his phone to wake him at seven fifteen and fell asleep, still smiling.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Friday, 7:52 a.m.

  Madlyn had been ready for twenty minutes. She checked the time again. Her phone wasn’t working. That had to be it. For the last five minutes, it had said seven fifty-two. She looked again. Seven fifty-three.

  Oh. Time was dragging because she wanted to see Kirby so much. She took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh.

  “I need to do something besides watch the time.” She went into the kitchen and looked for something to do. She’d already put everything away. She’d even mopped the floor. She ran her fingers along the back of the chair that Kirby had occupied the evening before. With him and Mina having dinner, the house had been filled with laughter.

  It occurred to her that she missed her parents dreadfully. Every corner of the house reminded her of times when there was fun and joy in the house. She wondered how long they planned on staying abroad. Well, she’d put an end to that. If she and Kirby got married, they’d have to come home for the wedding.

  The memory of Kirby’s words rushed back to her and she squealed. “That was what I couldn’t remember!” She closed her eyes and re-ran the moment in the theater of her mind.

  We both believe in marriage, and it’s going to be worth every second of the wait.

  Her knees turned to jelly and she sank onto a kitchen chair. What a romantic thing to say!

  The doorbell rang. She ran to answer it. She pulled the door open and threw her arms around Kirby’s neck. “I thought you’d never get here!”

  Kirby hugged her back. He let his hands smooth her red mane. Then he tipped her head back so he could kiss her softly on the lips. After a few moments, he ended the kiss and nudged her backward into the living room.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t be giving the neighbors a show.” He gave the door a shove with one foot and kissed her again.

  When they came up for air, Madlyn rushed into an explanation. “I remembered! Last night. What you said. So beautiful.”

  Kirby kissed her again.

  When breathing demanded a break, Madlyn eyed him suspiciously. “You don’t remember what you said, do you?”

  Kirby gave an elaborate shrug and made an innocent boyish face. “If it’s something I said to you, then it must be true.”

  “You said we both believe in marriage and that it would be worth the wait.” Madlyn frowned. “Only when you said it, it sounded like a proposal.” She looked uncertain.

  Kirby smoothed one hand over her cheek. “I meant every word,” he said. “But there is one thing we need to clear up before I can propose.”

  Madlyn’s eyes filled with stars. “Okay. I’m waiting.”

  Kirby shuffled from one foot to the other.

  Madlyn glanced at his attire. “Weren’t you wearing this yesterday?”

  “I was in a hurry to get to you,” he said. “Brewster is flying in later today. He’s bringing my suitcase.”

  “Very nice of him. Does he have business in Colorado?”

  “Oh, yes. Definitely. Look, Madlyn, when I overheard you telling Vicky that you had no use for rich people, I—” Kirby’s phone rang. “Sorry. Just a second.” He answered. “Oh, Ray. Hi. How’s the honeymoon going?”


  Madlyn collected her purse and made sure her phone was in it. As Kirby talked, she counted her cash. At last, he hung up.

  “That was Ray.” He seemed surprised by the call. “He’s visiting his new cousins-in-law right here in Eagle’s Toe. He wants us to come to their house for lunch.”

  “Okay,” said Madlyn.

  “Do you know the way?”

  She laughed. “Of course. Ever since I was a little girl. My mother used to work there. She was on the staff and helped take care of Jason’s grandmother, Dolores Darby. When my folks retired, they started traveling and haven’t stopped since.”

  “Oh. So you do know something about rich people after all.” He wagged his brows at her.

  Madlyn bumped him sideways with her hip. “Smartypants.”

  “You don’t mind going over for lunch?”

  “No, that’s great. I want to show you off.”

  Kirby chuckled. “Well, Ray won’t be impressed.”

  “He’s not the one I’m showing you off to,” said Madlyn coyly. “How long are they staying? I mean, if it were my honeymoon, I’m not sure I’d want to be visiting relatives.”

  “Oh, I see what you mean,” said Kirby, feigning a lightbulb moment. “But what no one explained at the wedding was that Ray and Maria actually got married in a church in Spain. The Spanish clergy aren’t keen on circus tent weddings in a horse pasture. So their true honeymoon took place before the party at the Manse.”

  “Clever!” Madlyn nodded. “I see. I wondered about some of that cultural stuff.”

  Kirby slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Fortunately, you and I grew up in the same culture.”

  “So what were you going to tell me?”

  “Oh. Er, well—” Kirby’s phone rang again. He checked it and held up a finger. “Yes, Brew? Good. Great. Fantastic. Right. Bye.”

  Madlyn crossed her arms and tapped a foot. “Are you expecting any more calls?”

  Kirby shoved the phone in his jacket pocket. “Let’s go have breakfast. I saw a little coffee shop in the hotel. Pam and Eggs?”

  “Oh, I love that place!” And they were off.

  Madlyn kept trying to get Kirby back to the piece of information that stood in the way of him proposing to her, but he had a way of entertaining her that made it extremely difficult to keep track of the conversation. And he kept asking her questions.

  “Are your parents nice people? Or will I have mother-in-law nightmares?”

  Madlyn dunked her toast into her over-easy eggs. “I think they’ll be thrilled. I was just thinking this morning that a wedding might actually bring them back to the States. Of course, they saved their whole lives so they could travel after retiring, and dropping everything for an unscheduled flight home….” She shrugged and put on a brave face. “It doesn’t matter. We’re just pretending about the wedding, right?” She tilted her head to one side and peeked at him out of the corner of one eye. “No one has proposed yet.”

  Kirby struggled to keep from smiling. “All in good time,” he finally managed. “But overall, you think they would be in favor of you marrying someone from New York State?”

  “Let’s put it this way,” said Madz. “Before they left for Europe, my mother said to me, ‘I might as well go with your father, because there aren’t any grandchildren for me to stay home for.’ I’m embarrassed to admit that when they first left, I was relieved.”

  “But now you miss them like crazy.”

  “Yes! What’s up with that?”

  “I take it they’ve been gone quite a while.”

  “They came home after four months away and immediately began planning the next trip. They said the first one was just experimental. The second trip, they were gone for a year. Well, they were away from Colorado for a year. They flew from London to New York, spent a couple of weeks going to Broadway shows, made sure they hadn’t violated any visa laws, and headed back out.”

  Kirby buttered his toast. “Where are they now?”

  “They’ve rented an apartment in Florence. They have potted plants on their terrace and they send me pictures of the food they eat at different restaurants. Last week was all about lobster linguine.”

  “You don’t sound thrilled about all this.” Kirby tilted his head so he could meet Madlyn’s downcast gaze.

  “Oh, I’m glad they’re living their dream. And I don’t mind taking care of the house while they’re gone. It lets me put a little money in my savings account.”

  “But you miss them.”

  Madlyn nodded. “They’re getting older. And they just traipse all over the world as if they’re going to live forever.”

  Kirby lifted his shoulders an inch. “Traipsing has its appeal.”

  “I’ve never traipsed.”

  “Maybe we could traipse on our honeymoon?”

  Madlyn blushed. “We could, if someone would actually propose.”

  Kirby caught the waitress’s attention. “All in good time, my dear. All in good time.”

  Madlyn narrowed her gaze and eyed him suspiciously. “Are you planning something I should know about?”

  Kirby lifted both hands in the air in surrender. “Please don’t grill me because it’s taking every ounce of my self-control not to fall on my knees in front of you right this very minute.”

  Madlyn looked very pleased. “The floor looks clean.”

  Kirby wagged a finger. “Not yet.” He checked his phone. “Time to go. We have an appointment before we head for the Darby residence.”

  Once in the rental car, Kirby’s index finger hovered over the GPS. At last he said, “Okay, we’re going to Mina’s Boutique. How do I get there?”

  Madlyn laughed. “You really can’t keep a secret, can you? Pull out of the parking lot and turn right. Then take the second left and drive two blocks.”

  Kirby followed her instructions, and a few minutes later he parked the rental in front of Mina’s Boutique. “Seems to be doing a lot of business.”

  Madlyn beamed. “We’ve staggered some great sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and our plans are working. So why are we here?”

  “Two reasons. One, we’re meeting that chubby fellow over there, sitting on the bench.”

  Madlyn’s brow furrowed. “Okay.” She didn’t sound too sure about it all.

  “Stay here in the car, and I’ll leave the heater running. Do you think it’s going to snow?”

  Madz shook her head. “No. Not today.”

  Kirby smiled. “Okay. Be right back.” He got out and went over to the chubby man, shook hands, and kept his back to the car while he talked.

  Madlyn waited patiently. When Kirby returned, the chubby man began walking slowly around the block, peering up and down at the building.

  “Okay, now we can go in.” Kirby turned off the car and jogged around to get the door for Madlyn.

  “We have an appointment with Mina?”

  Kirby could hardly contain himself. “Remember when you said you liked Pearl but you’d really rather have a different kind of pet?”

  Madlyn shot her gaze left, then right. “Have you two been plotting behind my back?”

  Kirby took her hand and led her inside.

  Mina spotted them right away. “Come on in! They’re in the back.”

  Madlyn let herself be escorted through the shop as if she didn’t spend most of her waking hours there. The shop girls were tittering and whispering as she passed. Madlyn felt a glow of pride. She knew they were staring at Kirby. Probably wondering how she’d lucked out.

  Mina pulled the curtain aside and waved them into the tailoring shop at the back of the store. “Here they are.”

  Madlyn gasped with delight. “Mina!” She shook her head slowly to and fro. “Am I just oblivious or is everyone keeping secrets from me?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Mina pressed a hand to her bosom. “Secrets? Me? Nonsense.” She ushered Madlyn closer. “Aren’t they adorable?”

  The objects of her adoration were four tiny kittens.
Their mother, a regal seal point Siamese, curled herself around them and glared at the humans for daring to approach.

  “But…but…” Madlyn glanced around and sagged with relief when she spotted Mina’s Siamese family spread over a tall cat tree in the corner. “I knew yours weren’t pregnant. Where did this little mama come from?”

  “Sunny brought them over. You met Sunny, remember? The dog trainer with the cute little papillon? She’s a pet sitter as well,” Mina said, explaining to Kirby now. “I had her over to meet my cats in case I ever need to go out of town. Well, she called me a couple days ago and asked if I could foster a pregnant Siamese.”

  Madlyn kept her voice down and stayed a respectful three feet from the mama cat and her babies, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away. “I didn’t know Sunny was doing rescue now.”

  “Oh, she’s been getting more and more involved, and when she told me about this sweet cat, I couldn’t say no. After all, it’s not everyone who can understand a Siamese.”

  Kirby said softly, “When Mina told me last night she had kittens, I asked if she thought you’d like to adopt a couple.”

  “Two?” Madlyn drew back and cast a questioning glance at Kirby.

  He nodded. “One for you, and maybe one for me. And they’ll keep each other company.”

  Madlyn exchanged a look with Mina. “Just what all did you two talk about last night? And when? You didn’t talk cats at the kitchen table. I saw you get in your car and drive off.”

  Mina scrambled for an explanation. “Oh, he followed me to the Cattleman’s Inn, remember? And we might have chatted for a few minutes before I headed home.”

  Madz squinted accusingly at Kirby. “No wonder you called me so late. What else did you two talk about?”

  Kirby lifted a shoulder in an innocent gesture.

  But Mina was rattled. “Oh, nothing much. We just talked about the building, and you know, how the decorations are coming for tonight’s ‘Christmas in Old Town’ festival.”

  Kirby broke in, “How long before the kittens are ready for adoption, Mina?”

  Madlyn could have sworn there was a warning tone to his words. She turned to look at him and caught him with his hands in the air. Her brow furrowed. She turned back to Mina, who was nodding now, but stopped when she noticed that Madlyn was watching her. Madlyn’s lips curled into a knowing smile. These two were up to something. She pretended not to notice. “Yes, Mina, how long? And will they look like their mother? They’re all white right now.”