“You can say that again.” Zack chuckled as he watched Rowan’s cheeks turn pink. The marriage might be a fake, but Rowan was genuinely one in a million.
“The question,” Maggie continued with a twinkle in her eye, “is why she would agree to marry you. I’m guessing you whisked her off to Vegas before she could figure out what a hermit you really are.”
“Hey, I’m not a hermit. I just don’t like public speaking.” He couldn’t let Maggie know the real reason they’d married so quickly. If anyone let it slip that they’d married only to increase his chances of custody, it could backfire big-time. He adopted a teasing smile, “And, yes, I figured I’d get a ring on her finger before she could realize she’s out of my league.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. Highly educated medical professional. Founder of a successful nonprofit. Master Go Fish player.” Rowan’s ring winked in the light when she reached for his hand. “I think I’m the one who came out ahead on this deal.”
“Hmm,” Maggie hedged. “Zack’s a pretty good guy, but not everyone could rope in a world-famous photographer to take publicity photos.”
“That wasn’t my doing, it was my grandmother’s friend.” Rowan clarified. She turned to Zack. “By the way, Maggie is going to show him around later this week. Is it okay to give him your cell in case he has questions for you?”
“Absolutely.”
“Great. So anyway, that’s why I wanted to spruce up a little. Any other chores you can think of I should do before he comes?”
“I think you’re doing more than enough already. Maggie’s right. You are a miracle worker.”
Becca ran over. “Puddin likes strawberries even more than she likes carrots.”
“I’ll bet.”
“I’m on my way out,” Maggie said, “but I wanted to tell you that you might want to take a look at that beaver you worked on yesterday. The incision looks a little irritated to me.”
“I’ll check it.” Maggie seemed to have a sixth sense about which animals were doing well and which were not. She’d have made a heck of a vet.
“Other than that, everything is done. All fed, watered and cleaned.”
“Thanks, Maggie. Have a great evening.”
“Can we see the beaver?” Becca asked Zack.
“Sure, but let me grab some medicine from the clinic before we go.”
“When did the beaver come in?” Rowan asked Zack when he returned, and they were walking along the trail.
“Yesterday. There was some internal bleeding,” he said, “but fortunately, the bicycle rider who hit him brought him right in. If Maggie’s correct about the infection, I’ll mix antibiotic into his feed.”
“What do you feed baby beavers anyway?”
Zack laughed. “They do pretty well on rodent chow.”
“Rodent chow is a thing? How did I not know that?” She followed Zack and Becca inside a blind overlooking the beaver’s pen.
“There he is,” Becca whispered, pointing to where the little beaver huddled in the corner.
“He’s tiny,” Rowan whispered back. “You don’t have to bottle feed him?”
“This one is about two months old. Beavers wean at just a few weeks,” Zack told her. “Once he’s better, we’ll return him to the lake where his family lives.” He picked up binoculars and zeroed in on the incision. Maggie was right. It was showing early signs of infection. “Yeah, looks like he’s going to need extra antibiotics.”
“I hope he feels better soon.” Rowan stepped out of the blind and the three of them walked a little way down the trail. “Well, I left chicken potpie cooking in the slow cooker.”
“I have a slow cooker?” Zack asked.
“You do now. I need to make a salad, but there’s no hurry for dinner. The potpie just needs fifteen minutes in the oven to brown the cheddar biscuit crust, so text me when you’re ready to come home. Becca, are you coming with me or staying here with Zack?” Becca looked wide-eyed between them, frozen in her dilemma. Gently, Rowan told her, “Whatever you want to do is fine. You won’t hurt my feelings or Zack’s.”
“I’ll stay with Zack,” Becca said, watching Rowan carefully. Zack had seen that look on Becca’s face too many times when she watched her mother, alert for any clues to her mood. Eager to please, desperate not to offend.
Rowan smiled. “Great! Have fun.” She gave Becca’s shoulders a casual squeeze and started to walk away.
“You forgot the kiss,” Becca reminded them.
Rowan grinned. “Can’t have that.” She came back to brush her lips against Zack’s for a regrettably short time. “See you soon.”
Only a few days, and Rowan had already changed their lives from controlled chaos to joyful calm. If only—Zack caught himself. They’d agreed to a year, no more, and he’d do well to remember that. He tweaked Becca’s braid. “You want to help me mix this medicine into the beaver’s food so he can get better and go home to his family?”
“Yes!”
* * *
EVERYTHING WENT SMOOTHLY that evening until Becca’s bedtime, when Zuma turned up missing. “When did you last see him?” Rowan asked.
“This morning, I guess, when I woke up.”
Zack selected a stuffed penguin from the shelf. “How about if you sleep with Peppy tonight and we’ll look for Zuma tomorrow?”
“But what if he’s lost? What if I never find him?” Becca was getting close to tears.
“I’m sure he’s here,” Rowan said in that reassuring voice. “Let’s go through the steps. You got up from bed, and went to the bathroom, right?” Rowan took her hand and led her to the bathroom. “Do you think you had Zuma with you then?” she asked as she checked behind the shower curtain and in the linen closet.
“I think so.”
“Okay, then where?”
“I got dressed.”
“Okay.” Rowan led her back to the bedroom and opened the closet door. “You picked out a top and some jeans.” Rowan pretended to pull out the clothes.
“And socks.”
“Ah, socks.” Rowan tried to open the second drawer of the chest, but it was stuck. She pulled harder and it opened with a jerk. “Well, look who we have here.” She handed the toy to Becca.
“Zuma! Thank you!”
“You’re welcome, sweetie. Now, better pop into bed. Zuma’s already in his pajamas.”
“Tonight, I’ll just read the story,” Zack said. Becca’s eyes were shut before he’d finished the last page. He closed the book and watched her for a moment, peacefully hugging her stuffed puma. Her eyelashes fanned out against her round cheeks.
Fluff opened one eye and regarded him before closing it again. Rowan touched Zack’s shoulder and slipped out into the hallway. He picked up a stray sock, dropped it into the hamper and followed.
“Nice work finding Zuma,” he whispered, once he’d closed the door behind him.
“Nice work on the bedtime story.” She held up a hand and he slapped a quiet high five. “We make a good team.”
“Yeah.”
Downstairs, Zack took out the kitchen trash while Rowan started the dishwasher. When he returned from the shed, she was sitting outside on the bench. “May I join you?” he asked.
“Sure.” She scooted over to make room and looked at her watch. “Alaskan summers still amaze me. It’s almost ten, and we’ve still got another two hours before sunset.”
“I love the way the grass and trees almost seem to glow when the sun is low in the northwest like this.”
“Beautiful.” Together, they watched as a Steller’s jay flew in with a peanut from some feeder and hid it under the forest duff.
“Should I be at the meeting tomorrow?” Rowan asked, still looking toward the forest.
“You don’t have to be.” Legal meetings were never much fun.
“I would like to b
e there, but if you don’t want me—”
“I want you.” As the words came out of his mouth, he realized it was true. He wanted her. At the meeting. In his life. By his side. Forever. He touched her face, and she turned to look at him, those gentle eyes of hers meeting his without hesitation. He leaned closer, heard her intake of breath as she realized his intentions. But she didn’t draw away. This time, when their lips met, it wasn’t for show. This time, it was just for them.
Her hand came up to caress his cheek and then slid behind his neck, pulling him closer. He deepened the kiss, tasted the sweetness that was Rowan. She let out a tiny moan of pleasure, and his heart thumped in response. The jangle of tags gave a second’s warning before a canine body launched itself onto the bench and tried to squeeze between them.
Rowan laughed. “Really, Ripley?”
Zack pushed the dog off their laps, but at his wagging tail, Zack gave in and scratched his ears. Maybe Ripley had done him a favor by interrupting. Maybe having Rowan around all the time was giving Zack illusions of permanence, but that wasn’t the deal. This was a temporary marriage. Once he and Rowan had both gotten their lives in order, she would be moving on. That’s all Rowan had promised, and all he had the right to ask for.
“Well, big day tomorrow.” He leaned over for another kiss, but he landed this one on Rowan’s forehead. “Guess I’d better turn in.”
Was it his imagination, or did she look a little disappointed? But all she said was, “Good night, Zack. See you in the morning.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE CONFERENCE ROOM at the law office in Anchorage seemed to have too little air for the number of people jammed around the table. Or maybe it was the unfamiliar tie that was cutting off the oxygen to Zack’s brain. He tugged at his collar. Under the table, Rowan reached for his free hand and gave it a squeeze. Instantly he felt calmer.
Clarissa had greeted him cordially enough when they arrived at the same time to the reception area, but now she sat across the table, carefully avoiding looking at him. He was struck as always with how young she seemed. She was thirty, only five years younger than him, but in her orange sundress, with her hair falling in blond corkscrews past tanned shoulders, she could have passed for a college student on spring break. Those twenty-four-carat facials must work.
Zack didn’t know Clarissa’s background, but from a few hints his dad had dropped, he gathered Clarissa’s growing-up years hadn’t been all birthday cake and sorority parties. Now she seemed to be making up for lost opportunities. Zack didn’t begrudge her a period of carefree living, but Becca shouldn’t have to suffer for it. It was in both their best interests for Zack to get custody. Could he make her see it?
The attorney beside her was shuffling through a stack of papers while they waited for Teagarden. Rowan had been in the bathroom when Clarissa arrived, so Zack hadn’t introduced her yet. Clarissa probably thought Rowan was one of the legal team. She looked it today, wearing a conservative navy dress, with her hair pulled back in a silver clasp.
The estate attorney swept in and took a seat at the head of the table. “Apologies for keeping you waiting. A phone call ran long. I’m Teagarden Jones. Now, before we get down to business, I understand congratulations are in order. Zack, would you like to introduce us to your wife?”
“Your wife?” Clarissa leaned forward.
Zack reached for Rowan’s hand and held it where everyone could see. “Yes, this is Rowan. We were just married this past week.”
Clarissa mumbled something that could have been congratulations.
Teagarden smiled at Rowan. “Welcome, Rowan.” He cleared his throat. “Now, I know you’ve all come for an accounting of the estate, so let’s get started.” He handed a stapled stack of papers to Clarissa’s lawyer and an identical one to Zack. A rental cabin in Girdwood was first on the list. “I’ll go over the properties, one by one. Please hold your questions for the end.”
Clarissa appeared to listen closely while Teagarden explained the first two properties, their appraisal reports and the repair and refurbishing recommended in order to get top dollar, but about ten minutes into the monologue, she was looking down at her lap, probably checking messages on her phone. Zack had to wonder why she’d bothered to fly all the way to Alaska when she could have easily sent her attorney to handle this alone.
“...located an expert from Vermont who will be flying in tomorrow to appraise Thomas’s collection of vintage fishing lures and equipment.” Half an hour from when he’d started, Teagarden tapped his papers together on the table. “So, as you can see, while we have made considerable progress in settling the estate, there is still much to be done. Now, what questions do you have for me?”
Clarissa’s attorney asked a few clarifying questions, but Zack got the feeling he knew the answers before he asked. Maybe he felt like he needed to say something in order to justify his fee. It seemed to be simply an update, until he pulled something from his briefcase. “Since you anticipate more delays in settling the estate, Mrs. Vogel will need an advance on her share.” He handed the paper to Teagarden.
Another advance? What was she doing with all that cash? Zack looked at Clarissa to see if she would offer an explanation, but her eyes didn’t leave her phone.
“I’m sure that won’t be a problem,” Teagarden answered as he accepted the paper.
“She is also requesting a release of an advance from her daughter’s portion of the estate.”
Teagarden looked up from the paper he’d been skimming. “Why would she need an advance for Becca, when Becca is living with Zack?”
“In order to prepare for her daughter’s arrival, Mrs. Vogel will need funds to rent a villa more suitable to family life than the resort at which she’s staying now, as well as to procure the services of a nanny and arrange for a suitable school.”
“What? When—?” Zack couldn’t seem to form a coherent question.
Teagarden interrupted. “I’m not sure a judge would agree. I’d need to look into it.”
“Please do. We can schedule a hearing if necessary.” Judging by the smug expression on the attorney’s face, he was satisfied with the response.
Clarissa met Zack’s eyes briefly, but he couldn’t get a read on her before she looked away.
“Any other issues we should discuss?” Teagarden asked.
“Not at this time. We’ll be in touch.” Everyone stood and Clarissa’s lawyer opened his briefcase on the table and began packing it.
“How long will you be in town?” Zack asked Clarissa.
“I’m flying to Belize in the morning.” At a nudge from her lawyer, she added. “Give Becca my love.”
He had been about to ask if she’d like to at least see her daughter before she left town again, but why bother. It would only inconvenience Clarissa and upset Becca’s routine. As if reading his mind, Clarissa added, “I wish I could take her out to dinner tonight, but I promised to attend an engagement party while I’m here. Someone I know from the golf club.”
“I see.”
Clarissa glanced at her phone. “You know, the party isn’t until seven. Maybe you could bring her by my hotel room in Anchorage for a little while before that?”
It was a forty-five-minute drive from the law office in downtown Anchorage to pick up Becca in Palmer. That meant an extra hour and a half of driving for him so that Becca and Clarissa could spend a few minutes together. He considered making an excuse, but Rowan nudged him with her knee and gave an almost undetectable nod. “I can do that.”
Clarissa smiled. “I’m at the Captain Cook. Say, six thirty?”
“That’s fine.” If the party was at seven, that probably meant fifteen minutes with her daughter. Did she really intend to have Becca move to be with her in Belize? A thought occurred. “Becca can’t leave the country. She doesn’t have a passport.”
“She doesn’t?” Clarissa’s lawyer looke
d up.
“Not that I’m aware of, anyway. She’s always stayed with me when Dad and Clarissa traveled outside the country.”
“You’ll need to do that,” Clarissa’s lawyer told her. “You have to apply for a passport in person with her birth certificate and her father’s death certificate. It can take a month or more to get it processed.”
Clarissa checked her watch. It was already late afternoon. “I won’t have time before I go. Can’t you handle that?” she asked Zack.
“I don’t think he can,” Teagarden said. “I’d have to check if there are any exceptions, but I believe only the parents or legal guardians can apply for a child’s passport.”
Clarissa huffed out a breath of annoyance. “I’ll do it next time I come up. Zack, do you know where I can find her birth certificate?”
“Not offhand.” Most likely it was in his dad’s office safe where the will and other papers should have been. No use antagonizing Clarissa. “I’ll look for it.”
“Thank you.”
“It was nice meeting you, Clarissa.” Rowan offered a hand, and Clarissa shook it. Rowan’s smile looked genuine, but Zack knew her well enough to know it lacked her usual warmth.
“Yeah, you, too.” Clarissa looked from Rowan to Zack. “How long have you—”
“We’ve known each other since we were teenagers.” Rowan leaned closer to Zack and slipped an arm around his waist.
“Huh. Okay. See you later.” Clarissa followed her lawyer from the room.
Once they were out of sight, Teagarden shut the door, and everyone sat down again. Zack started. “An advance on Becca’s funds?”
“More than likely, it’s an empty threat,” Teagarden asserted. “Just a legal maneuver. They’re hoping that if she threatens to take Becca, you’ll speed up the distribution of funds.”
Zack massaged his temples, trying to rub away the headache forming there.
“We should call their bluff,” Teagarden continued.
Harlequin Heartwarming June 2021 Box Set Page 40
