by Lisa Lace
Thank God.
"I understand perfectly, Mrs. Lynch. Give me the form." I looked at her with determination in my eyes. "I've made my decision."
* * *
"What?" Jeremy said, his fork poised halfway from his plate to his mouth, his bite forgotten in mid-air.
"You're leaving?" Marlin said, fear in his eyes.
"To get married?" Tim said, looking sad and anxious.
I kept on eating my salad, reminding myself that I was doing it for them, and it would be good for them to be a little more independent.
"It's only for a year," I said. "If I'm not happy by then, I can get a divorce."
They all frowned. "There's a time limit on being a mail-order bride," I told them.
"What are you thinking, Ashlyn? You always said you would only marry someone you truly loved," Tim said, looking aghast. "What would make you go for an arranged marriage?"
They weren't aware of Marlin's debt situation. The plan was not to tell them the whole story. They'd only try to talk me out of it.
"Well, I've changed my mind." I remembered what Mrs. Lynch had said. "I've got to think about security and compatibility, not true love. I don't think that exists. You boys will be okay. It's time for you to learn how to live on your own."
Marlin was looking at me with terror in his eyes.
"Don't worry, Marlin. I'll still take care of the mortgage and the bills. And anything extra that comes up," I said, emphasizing this last, so he would know what I meant.
"How?" he asked.
"The men who are allowed into this program need to meet certain financial qualifications."
"Are you marrying for money, Ashlyn?" Jeremy said. "Who are you, lady? And what have you done with my sister?"
He shook his head, clearly disappointed in me. But I couldn't tell them exactly what was going on. There was no way they would let me do this if they knew that I was being paid to marry the guy.
They might not help out around the house, but my brothers were very protective of me.
"It's me, Jer. You just have to trust me. It's going to be for the best for all of us."
Marlin was looking as guilty as hell, and I frowned at him a little. He got himself together.
"Ash is a grown woman, guys," he said. "If this is what she wants, then we shouldn't stand in her way. As much as we might want to," he said, looking at me. I knew he was feeling horrible.
"It's all arranged. I went there today, and I'm going to Vandwa. It's a water planet that is undergoing a crisis — their land is being flooded due to rising sea levels. Just like the Maldives, but their problem is planetwide. My groom is a scientist there. He's working on the problem." I smiled for real then. It was almost like my dream come true. Almost.
They stared at me.
"You've always wanted to go to the Maldives and help with the problems there," Jeremy said.
"Right. And look at these pictures of his house," I said, pulling out the portfolio. They oohed and ahhed over the images just like I had when Mrs. Lynch had shown me. It looked like an ocean resort.
Houses stood on piles sunk right into the ocean floor. Everything was beautiful. There were pictures of pristine beaches with palm trees and clear blue water.
"Well, it doesn't look too bad," Tim said. "But we'll sure miss you. When do you leave?"
"Two days from now," I said, feeling a little shaky at the thought.
"Two days?" Marlin asked.
"Time is of the essence, Mar. Now that I've decided to go, there's no point hanging around here. I've given Maura my notice. As soon as I get a job, I'll start sending money home. I've arranged for all of the bills to be paid automatically from my savings account until then. You don't have to worry."
"I'm not worried about the money, Ash, I'm worried about you," Marlin said, looking distraught. "You don't even know this guy. He could be a freak."
"They do background checks. They see his house. They make sure he doesn't have a criminal record. And they make unexpected visits to ensure that the reports are correct and that there's no trouble in paradise."
"You'll be so far away," Tim, my littlest brother said in a small voice.
"I know, Timmy. But you're all grown now. I think I've been babying you too much. Time without me will be good for the three of you. You can learn to stand on your own two feet."
"I guess you're right," Jeremy said in resignation.
"I'll be working with a scientist at my dream job. You guys know how much I've always wanted this. It's a little further away than I expected but…"
"Well, if you're sure, Ash," Marlin said, pain in his eyes. "You want to do this?"
"I'm sure, Mar. It's all going to be okay. You understand me? Everything's going to be fine."
He sighed deeply.
"I know. But is it worth the price?" he asked quietly.
"What was that, Mar?" Jeremy said.
"Nothing, Jer. We'll have to get by without Ashlyn. Time to start pulling our weight."
The other two nodded.
"And if you're worried about him, don't be. He's got a Ph.D. He's a scientist — known throughout the galaxies for his work on his planet."
"Yeah, and does he like long walks on the beach, too?" Tim teased.
"Never mind, Tiny Tim," I said, punching him. "Maybe he does."
"Who is this guy? What's his name?" Marlin said.
I looked around the table, knowing that it would be hard to leave my brothers and marry a man I didn't even know. When I looked at them, I knew I was making the right choice. I would save them. I would live out this year. And I would come back.
"His name is Nathaniel. Nathaniel Lachlan."
Chapter 6
NATHANIEL
We had sailed all day and night whenever there was even the hint of a breeze to do the impossible — to get to Dass Vasser in three days.
It had sounded easy in the beginning. Pick the perfect woman and get her shipped out. Just like ordering a Christmas gift, right? As it turns out, ordering a person was a little more complicated.
There was the application to fill out. The interview. The background check. The criminal record check. Thank goodness I hadn't been caught yet.
TerraMates investigated my house. I sent them a bank statement. I had to agree to all of their stipulations and sign a contract.
I told them I was in need of a bride right away and willing to pay to have a rush job. The woman in charge didn't even blink at my request and told me they could have her out here in three days. As long as nothing went wrong, that was enough time to get married and show Inspector Callaghan that I was telling the truth.
I only got a chance to look at the potential brides after I had jumped through all their hoops. I was given a pile of about twenty. They were all beautiful, intelligent, sexy, and accomplished. They were also boring, just like every other woman I had grown up with throughout my privileged life.
One woman caught my eye. She looked strangely familiar though I knew it was impossible that I could have ever met a human before. She was petite with a face like a fairy. She had a pointed chin and large eyes. Her long blonde hair fell past her shoulders in waves, giving her an angelic look. Her skin was fair with a hint of pink on the cheeks. She was lovely, and I wondered if she'd had her pictures retouched.
When I read her bio, I was surprised to say the least. She was working on her degree in environmental science. And her favorite thing to do was swim.
Perfect.
I only needed to make one selection. If I thought about it, it didn't matter if I was interested in her or not. I just needed to marry a woman and bring her to the police station with our marriage certificate.
She could live in my mansion and spend some money. She was probably a gold-digger, after all. Why else would a woman apply to be a mail-order bride?
At the end of the year, I could declare myself unhappy and get a divorce. It was perfect.
I picked up the phone to make the call.
ASHLYN
> I got off the shuttle and walked through a long hallway that led from the starship to the spaceport. My groom said that he was going to be late and to wait at the East exit. I grabbed my suitcase and pulled out the handle, trundling it behind me as I went.
This spaceport was like none I had ever seen on Earth. I had been to Mars once, and the spaceports were sterile, gray, boring places.
But this place? It looked like I was at a party. Like a carnival. I had never experienced anything like it before.
I only saw bright colors around me — reds, blues, greens. And there were booths. You could get a massage, find new clothes, or buy all different kinds of strange foods.
I walked along in a daze. I had been traveling for over thirty hours, and I was exhausted. But I had to smile when a juggler came out and tossed balls in the air and then made them fly around me like they were orbiting my head. By the time the woman approached me, I was tired and wanted to sit down. It seemed like the perfect excuse.
"Pretty lady," she said, beckoning to me. "Pretty lady with the yellow hair."
I looked at her. Was she talking to me?
"Come, come," she said. "Your feet are sore. You are tired. You must sit down."
I shrugged. Why not?
"While you rest, I'll tell your fortune."
I got up again immediately.
"I can't afford that," I said, and it was true. I wouldn't get any money until I married. I couldn't even access my bank account yet. I only had a few hundred credits left. Enough to buy me a nice enough dress to get married in, I hoped.
"No, sit, sit," she said, pressing her hand down repeatedly. "I tell it for free. It will be good practice for me."
I gave her a skeptical look.
"So doubtful," she said. I noticed that she had a bump about the size of my pinky and a quarter inch thick at the end of her left eyebrow. "Some of us from other planets have the capacity to see the future. It takes practice. It's not an act."
"Okay," I said, not believing her words but eager to rest. Who cared what some crazy lady at the spaceport said about my future?
She closed her eyes.
"I see water, a lot of water. You will be spending a lot of time in the water."
Was she kidding me? I had just landed on Vandwa, a water planet. From what I knew, there was nothing but water here.
"Not in the water. On the water. In a ship."
That couldn't be right. My future husband was a scientist, and he worked in the Southern Isles. He had a big beautiful house that we would be staying at, not a ship.
"You are crucial to this man. You will assist him and help people in need."
If he let him help with his work, maybe we could support the people of Vandwa. That was what I was hoping.
"There will be turmoil in your relationship over a certificate and money," she said, opening her eyes. "He will love you. More than you can imagine. More than your parents ever could have. And he won't leave you like they did. He won't leave you, Ashlyn."
I froze.
How did she know about my parents leaving? And I didn't remember having told her my name.
I stared at her.
"Who are you?"
"I have a skill," she said, smiling and gesturing gracefully with her hand. "Just like you can sew and solve equations and take care of your brothers. I can understand your patterns. Do not read too much into it. It's not magic, dearie."
"You mean, I shouldn't believe what you said. It was a joke, right? A wild guess?"
She stopped smiling.
"It was not a joke or a guess. Did I not just explain to you that it is a skill?"
"Oh, right. I'm sorry. I have to be going. I have to meet someone."
"Yes, give him a kiss for me."
I smiled tightly and began to walk away.
"One more thing," she called after me.
I turned halfway around to look back at her.
"You'll know him by the fish with the jewel in its mouth."
"I'll know who?" I said, confused.
"Your true love. Your soul mate. The one who'll never leave."
I stared at her a moment longer. A fish with a jewel in its mouth? She laughed then. More like a cackle. I turned away, shaking off the strange feeling from the woman's words.
What a bizarre encounter.
* * *
An hour later, I was still waiting at the East exit. I had talked to the boys, telling them I had arrived on Vandwa. I told them I would let them know when the marriage was complete. It seemed strange that I would be getting married tomorrow. The agency had said that they would arrange the wedding, and I imagined how it would be. A stereotypical Vegas wedding — cheesy and fake?
I wondered again where Nathaniel was. Had something happened to him? Why was he so late? When he had told me to wait, it seemed as though he would be here quite soon. Was there boat traffic here? Surely the groom wouldn't stand up the bride on the day before their wedding if he paid so much for the marriage.
I didn't know how much the TerraMates fee was exactly, but it was high. Much higher than I was getting paid - Mrs. Lynch had hinted that much.
How would we find each other? Did he look like his picture, or was he older and fatter? I hoped not. But it didn't matter to me what he looked like as long as he was nice, and I could stand to live with him for a year. Still, good looks wouldn't hurt. There must be one kind and good looking alien in the universe.
I gazed around at the spectacle that was the Dass Vasser spaceport. Suddenly I stopped, and my pulse sped up. My eyes were caught by a man that stared at me. He had just entered in the doors and had stopped dead, making the flow of people move around him.
He had short brown hair and strange eyes that I had never seen before. They were turquoise, like the pictures of the water on Vandwa that I had seen. He was tall and had a fantastic body. He was wearing a brown leather jacket, with a white T-shirt underneath and jeans. There was something about him that said bad boy, and I felt a thrill go through me.
But his eyes! It was his eyes that burned into my mind. I couldn't look away from them. He stared at me, and my breath was coming quickly. It occurred to me that if my fiance were to walk up and see me staring at some man, it wouldn't look good. But there was nothing I could do. I was mesmerized.
He broke the gaze first, and I let out my breath in a sigh. Now he would go, and I would never see him again. Shit. Of course this had to happen the day before my wedding.
He began walking, probably to his wife or girlfriend. Surely a man like that was taken, right? All the ones who looked like that were taken, or they were players. Neither kind usually spared a glance for a girl like me. I turned away. I didn't need to see which woman he was meeting. I didn't want to see them kiss. I had my fiance to think about, and I couldn't be dreaming about some other man.
My mind was occupied with these thoughts when I heard a rough voice behind me.
"Ashlyn O'Connor?"
I twisted back.
It was him.
"Yes?" I said, confused and disoriented. Why was this gorgeous guy with the eyes speaking to me? And how did he know my name? Was he friends with the psychic?
"How do you know what my name is?"
He laughed, and I liked how it lit up his turquoise eyes.
"I'm your fiance."
Chapter 7
NATHANIEL
Remember to be nice, I told myself. You want this woman to like you. She's doing you a favor by marrying you sight unseen, no matter how much money she gets. Be charming. Be considerate. You need her on your side.
I walked through the door and stopped. I recognized her immediately. I couldn't remember from where. I only knew that her face was as familiar to me as my own. Her photos certainly hadn't been retouched.
She was beautiful in a pale, ethereal sort of way. It looked like she would fly away if the wind blew too hard. She was even prettier than in her pictures. In person, there was something magical about her that defied description. She radiated
light and was like a vision.
Her eyes were a pale watery blue, exactly like the ocean in Amanzi Bay at sunrise. I couldn't stop staring at her. I knew she would think I was a weirdo, but I couldn't help it. She caught me like a fish in a net or a shark in a cage. Snared by the loveliness of those blue, blue eyes.
When someone shoved me, I realized that I was blocking the exit, and people had been going around me for quite some time. I snapped out of it and started to move. She turned away from me, and I felt a sense of loss. I needed her to look at me again.
I walked over and cleared my throat. Why was I so nervous? I paid for her to keep me out of jail, nothing more.
"Ashlyn O'Connor?" I said, and she turned back towards me, the picture of surprise.
"Yes?" she replied. Her voice was as sweet as her face. "How do you know my name?"
I laughed, unable to stop myself.
"Because I'm your fiance."
She looked down at the picture in her hand, back up at me, down at the picture again and shook her head.
"It's not the best picture of me," I said, grimacing a little.
"It's not even a picture of you, is it?" she asked, swallowing.
I laughed again, wondering how she made me laugh twice in two minutes when I had only smiled once in the past six months.
"Sure it is. Look." I mimicked the smile and posture in the picture. "Now picture me in one of those stiff suits."
She tilted her head, frowning, and then her eyes lit up.
"It is you. I have to say your picture certainly doesn't do you justice," she said, then looked down at the floor. She looked embarrassed to have blurted that out. Did that mean she thought I was good looking?
The contract said no sex unless both parties consented. Staring at her sweet body and pretty face, I sure hoped she'd consent. Why was I marrying her again?
She looked tired. I should get her back to the hotel. She would want to rest. I needed to be nice to her. I needed to remember my manners. I needed to remember how my mother raised me before I had been nothing more than a fucking pirate.
