Tell Me No Lies

by Branton, Rachel

  “Where to?” Gage asked.

  I gave him directions to Sadie’s, and he revved the engine, starting forward much more quickly than I expected. I clung to him. I could feel his muscles under the T-shirt. Plenty strong to have hurt someone. Did the ex-con rumor mention something about that? I couldn’t remember. Cold sweat broke over me. What was I thinking even being with him?

  No, I knew him well enough, and this trip was only to Sadie’s.

  I enjoyed the wind in my face, the way Gage leaned when he took the turns. Julian had a motorcycle, but he didn’t like wearing the helmet and usually picked me up in his green BMW. I didn’t mind because the places we went generally required clothing not suitable for motorcycle riding.

  “Turn here,” I shouted in Gage’s ear.

  We turned the corner, and I felt my breath leave as I saw Julian’s BMW sitting out front of the fourplex where Sadie shared an apartment with two roommates. My grip around Gage tightened. Why was Julian at Sadie’s? After this morning, I would have thought she would barely talk to him.

  I didn’t tell Gage to stop, and he drove to the end of the street before realizing something was wrong. He pulled over and twisted to look at my face. “Did I turn the wrong way?”

  “That’s Julian’s car.”

  He lifted his gaze. “Why, so it is. Are you going inside?”

  “No. Let’s go.”

  “Where?”

  “I don’t care. Please, just go.” If I spoke to Julian now, my chance for escape would be over. I wasn’t strong enough to withstand him. Not yet. Because I’d become exactly the type of society girl Lily and I despised—spineless, choiceless, weak.

  Gage nodded and took off, faster than necessary. I laid my head against his back and let the tears fall, knowing I wouldn’t be recognized with the helmet. As we passed Sadie’s, I saw Julian at the door with her, his blond hair gleaming in the sunlight that angled in despite the porch overhang. They seemed to be laughing.

  Laughing? I didn’t understand what I’d seen or why Julian had been there. Had Sadie called him over to confront him? Maybe he was there to convince her of his innocence. Or maybe Sadie hadn’t told me the whole truth. The idea hurt almost as much as Julian’s betrayal.

  No, she was my friend, of that I was certain. She loved me. We had history together that was stronger than Julian’s charm.

  Closing my eyes, I hung onto Gage. We drove and drove until my legs began to ache and my stomach protested with hunger. Had I eaten that morning? I couldn’t remember.

  As if hearing my unspoken thoughts, Gage turned off the freeway. The sign read Kingman. We’d come that far?

  After several turns, he pulled up in front of a quaint older building painted bright baby blue with dark pink trim. Even the picnic tables outside were pink. A big sign atop the building read Mr D’z Route 66 Diner.

  “Hungry?” he asked.

  I nodded. I’d heard of this place, but I’d never been here before. Not the sort of joint my parents frequented when I’d lived at home, and I hadn’t had much cause to be in the area.

  “The burgers aren’t all that great, but the onion rings and the root beer make up for it.”

  I didn’t think I could down a greasy burger anyway. Just thinking about it probably caused me to gain two pounds. My wedding dress would never fit.

  My stomach heaved.

  “You okay?” Gage asked. “You aren’t going to puke or anything, are you?”

  “No, I’m not.” I stalked toward the door.

  Inside the diner, blue and pink padded booths alternated along the walls. Stools at the bar were silver chrome with blue seats, the floor was black-and-white checks, and the walls were plastered with pictures and memorabilia of the past. “Interesting,” I murmured.

  “Garish.” He smiled, but again it was lost in the facial hair. His green eyes, however, were sparkling. “Because Oprah came here, everyone stops in. Rather annoying, but I’m sure it’s good for business.”

  We settled into a blue seat, and he ordered two cheese burgers, fries, and drinks.

  “Wait, I just want a salad,” I said.

  He arched a brow. “You need more than a salad. You need protein. You’re too thin. And you’re pale.”

  “I’m always pale.”

  “Well, even your freckles are pale today.”

  Great. He just had to bring up my freckles. I hated them.

  The waitress was hovering, waiting for the final word. Gage looked at her. “Bring a house salad, and all the rest as well—please.”

  I fumed. What right did he have to order for me? He was exactly like Julian, thinking he always knew what was best. I choked on the thought. No, he wasn’t Julian. Julian would never wear that faded T-shirt and those scruffy boots or appear in public looking like a mountain man.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” Gage asked.

  “I’m fine,” I said tightly. The pain inside was growing instead of diminishing. I was hurt, embarrassed, depressed, and desperate. Through all these emotions, I had only one thought: I had to show Julian and my parents that I didn’t need any of them, that I didn’t care. I would never let Julian know how much he’d hurt me.

  Taking my iPhone from my pocket, I brought up the address book. There had to be someone in it from my past who could help me. Either that or I really would marry a complete stranger, get my trust fund, pay him off, and be on my way to Lily’s. I’d send a picture of the wedding to Julian for good measure. That would show him.

  Tears bit at my eyes, and it was all I could do to keep them from falling. I couldn’t see the names on the screen.

  Gage’s hands covered mine. “Can I help? You’re shaking.”

  I jerked away. “No.” Then it occurred to me that he was only being nice, and I shouldn’t be so rude. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. You’ve had a rough morning.”

  I could see the names on the phone now, but as I scrolled down, I had the sinking feeling that none of them would solve my problem. I lifted my gaze to Gage. “Will you take me to Vegas? I’ll pay you for gas, and whatever more you feel is fair.” He must be missing work by now.

  “You want me to drive you to Vegas?”

  “Yes.”

  “To get married?”

  I nodded.

  “To a total stranger?”

  “Maybe.” Surely something better would come to me.

  He sighed. “Look, I’ll do it.”

  “Thank you. It’s only a few hours.”

  “No, I mean, I’ll marry you. For however long you need. If it’ll help you out.”

  Was he crazy? I wasn’t going to marry a scruffy-looking mountain man rumored to have spent time behind bars, however untrue the rumors were. Wait. I had to remember it wasn’t a real marriage. It was only to get around the trust fund issue and help Lily. Okay, and to get revenge on Julian.

  “At least you know me.”

  “Not really.”

  He frowned. Or at least I thought he’d frowned. I was really beginning to hate overgrown facial hair. “Well, Serenity knows me. She’ll vouch for me.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Serenity did like him. A lot. I suspected he gave her pieces of apples and carrots regularly because whenever I came home to visit her and Gage appeared, she always hurried to greet him.

  I pulled the pre-nuptial agreement from my pocket. It was rather worse for wear, but I could print more copies from the laptop stuffed in my backpack. “Fine. You’ll have to sign this, first. You get fifty thousand after the annulment, no more. Nonnegotiable.” Fifty thousand would hardly make a dent in my half million, but he didn’t know how much I’d get or about the additional monthly allotment of a thousand dollars for the rest of my life.

  His eyes narrowed and his lips tightened.

  “It’s all I can offer.” I tucked the paper back inside my pack. “Take it or leave it. Otherwise, I’ll have to find someone else.” I was hoping he’d take it because if I couldn’t entice him to do it for th
at amount, any alternative husband I’d find was likely to be a lot worse. As he’d said, at least I knew him. He had roots, a house, a job. He was a lot better than a complete stranger.

  “I’ll take it,” he growled.

  Well, excuse me. I didn’t know what I’d done to offend him. If he’s looking for more money, too bad for him.

  The food came, the salad made of leaf lettuce and surprisingly good. The root beer was nothing short of miraculous, and one bite of the onion rings forced all thoughts of calories from my mind. Without thinking, I started in on the hamburger, too. I love every wonderful bite, but then I probably hadn’t eaten one since high school.

  I felt Gage’s eyes on me. He’d settled back on the seat and was watching me with an amused smile on his lips. “What?” I said.

  “You have ketchup on your nose.”

  I reached for a napkin at the same time he did, our hands colliding. I laughed self-consciously as he dabbed at the spot with decided gentleness. Our eyes met, and for the first time I wondered who he really was. I knew he worked for a mining company, something to do with geology, field visits, and numerous reports, but that was about all I knew.

  “How’s Lily?” he asked, lowering his hand.

  “Really sick—with the baby and all. She’s had to quit school.”

  “Tough break. Maybe those girls she’s helping can pitch in for a change.”

  “Maybe.” If she could keep the house long enough. But I didn’t feel like talking about that.

  “Good thing she has Mario. He seems like a nice guy.”

  “So how come you know about my family?” I asked. “I can’t remember you saying anything about yours.”

  “Everyone knows about your family.”

  Maybe everyone who’d been in town a long time, the older, more established families. Not someone who was new to the city and living in tract housing.

  “I’ve been blabbing, haven’t I?” Perhaps Serenity wasn’t the only lonely one this past year. Yet I’d met Julian at Christmastime, so why would I have been lonely enough to spill my heart to a neighbor simply because he liked my horse?

  Gage’s smile widened. “You never blab. Serenity does. She tells all your secrets.”

  “Now I know you’re insane.”

  “Probably. After all, I never planned on getting married, and look at me now.”

  “I really appreciate it.”

  His eyes narrowed again. “Fifty thousand is more than enough thanks.”

  Of course, the money. I should never forget it. “At least tell me where you’re from.”

  “From here. Kingman.”

  That would explain his familiarity with the history of the diner.

  “Another hamburger?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “No, thanks. I’m full.”

  The waitress came to take our money, and Gage said to her, “Hey, we decided to get married. We’re heading to Las Vegas.”

  “Congratulations!” she gushed. “You are like the third couple coming through this week. I’m so happy for you. Let me take your picture. Do you have a camera?”

  Gage handed her my iPhone that was still on the table. He crawled into the seat next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. It was all I could do not to push him away.

  “Smile!” she sang.

  We smiled, my face a bit frozen. I was going to kill him.

  “Now a kiss.”

  “That’s okay,” I said.

  “Come on. It’s for posterity, darling.” Gage leaned over and planted a kiss on my mouth. His hair tickled my nostrils, but he smelled good. Clean. Not at all as I expected. His warm touch sent a shiver through me.

  I pushed him firmly away. “Thanks,” I told the waitress, not meaning it.

  Gage riffled in his wallet and dug out a twenty and five.

  “I can pay my share.” I patted the back pocket of my jeans before remembering I’d stuffed my wallet in the backpack.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll put it on your tab.”

  “Thanks.” This was going to be a long day.

  “No problem, darling.”

  When the waitress was gone, I glared at him. “Don’t do that again.”

  “You mean the pictures? I thought they might come in handy. You know, to prove to your family or your lawyer or whatever.”

  “Oh, right.” My grandfather’s trust fund did have an attorney as executor, and I would rather work through him than my parents. I had a feeling that if she could, my mother would find me and force me somehow to marry Julian, even though I was an adult. That was illegal in this day and age, wasn’t it?

  “Come on,” I said, “let’s get this over with.”

  “You do have ID with you, don’t you?”

  “Yes. Do you?”

  “Yep. I also have a friend who works at a hotel in Vegas, and they have a chapel there. I’ll give him a call and see exactly what’s required. Let him know we’re coming.” He took out his cell and pressed a few buttons. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable on the bike. I’ll be right there.”

  I don’t know how I could be comfortable on a bike that was tilted over on its kickstand, but I took the hint. I leaned up against the bike and watched him pace, the phone against his ear. If one overlooked the scruffiness of his facial hair, he didn’t cut too bad a figure. He was broad and well-proportioned, and his body hinted at coiled energy. Had he really been to prison? If so, what for? Too many speeding tickets? A land deal gone wrong? No, it was all simple-minded gossip.

  Of course, I’d imagined my response to him in the diner. I hadn’t really felt anything when he kissed me. Well, not like I did with Julian.

  It wasn’t too late. I could go home, talk to Julian, work it out. I could figure out how to forgive him. Couldn’t I?

  Inside I rebelled. I’d trusted him, and he’d betrayed me. Going back meant committing myself to a relationship that had no future, or a lifetime of living together without being one, like my parents. No. Better to marry Gage temporarily.

  Except first I had to know if he’d really gone to prison and why. If it was for embezzlement, well, I’d watch my funds carefully. If it was for drunk driving, I’d make sure to keep him from the booze if he was driving me anywhere. If it was for murder, well, I’d run for the hills.

  He was coming toward me with a bit a swagger I recognized as his usual gait. There was a spring in his step. “We’ll have to stop for a marriage license, but it’s easy enough. My friend will have everything ready for us at his hotel. Do you have something to wear?” His eyes went to the compartment that hid my backpack.

  “Uh, won’t this do?” I looked down at my jeans. “I didn’t pack a dress.”

  “Not if you want to convince anyone it’s for real. But they have some dresses for rent, and my friend is saving us a room so we can clean up first and stay the night. By the time we get this all taken care of, it’ll be too late to go elsewhere.”

  “We’ll need two rooms then.”

  He gave me that placid stare, and this time it sent heat to my face. “I booked two. Isn’t that what I said?” He climbed on the bike and started the engine.

  “Just one more thing.” I wished I could see his expression better. “People say, uh—did you really spend time in prison?”

  His jaw tightened, and his eyes searched mine. “Yes, I did. Six years.”

  “What for?”

  “That is none of your business.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Of course he was kidding—I could tell by the smirk on his lips. He’d heard the rumors and was getting me back for using him.

  “Is my record a problem?” he asked.

  “Well, uh, I . . .”

  “I did my time. I paid my debt. You are in no danger from me. I would never hurt you or anyone.”

  Of course you’d say that, especially if you had plans to hurt me, I thought. Wait a minute—what was I thinking? He was joking about serving time, and that was the end of it.

  Or was
it? He seemed awfully grim, and a six-year sentence would mean a serious crime.

  “Well?” he asked with a mocking smile. “Are we going?”

  I climbed on the back of the motorcycle without saying a word. Lily would kill me if she could see me now. She’d want me to be absolutely sure of the truth before I went another mile. Yet I’d known Gage for months, and he’d never given me any reason to fear him. Aside from Sadie, he was the nearest thing I had to a friend in Flagstaff—which was really sad if I stopped to think about it.

  Anyway, Serenity trusted him. She didn’t like my dad or even Lily, and she didn’t like Julian. Every time Julian came over with a mount from his father’s stable to ride with us, her ears would go forward, and she would skitter away from his hand. It had become so bad lately that I’d quit asking him to ride with me at all. On the other hand, she liked Gage. That had to mean something.

  I hoped.

  Besides, I couldn’t deny that there was something strangely exhilarating about being on the back of a motorcycle with Gage, rumors or no.

  The ride to Vegas went far too quickly, whether because Gage was driving fast or because of my fear, I couldn’t say. My dread grew with every mile. I couldn’t help feeling my whole life was about to change forever.

  Obtaining a marriage license at the county building was ridiculously easy. Afterward, we drove to a hotel several blocks off the main drag. I combed a hand through my seriously tangled hair as I took in the place. Nice, not too run down, and the chapel Gage had spoken of was advertised as being inside. Lover’s Lane Hotel and Chapel, the place was called, the gaudy neon sign over the door no doubt more visible by night. Great.

  We went inside, the bell over the door alerting the staff to our presence. The lobby wasn’t large, but everything was decorated in gold and reds that screamed romance. Before I had time to grow more uncomfortable, a short, balding man dressed in a silvery blue shirt and casual black slacks burst from a back room behind the reception desk. He was stocky without being fat, and I got the sense from the way he came around the counter that he was proud of his physique.

  “Welcome,” he boomed. “Nice to see you again, Gage!” He pumped Gage’s hand as his eyes ran over me. “So this is the beautiful woman. Why’s a nice girl like you interested in this scruffy old dog? You’re a lucky man, Gage, a lucky man. Are you sure you don’t want me to make this a—” He broke off as Gage gave a quick shake of his head. “Ah, never mind.”