The Texas Millionaire's Runaway Wife

by Mary Malcolm

  Alfred stuttered. “B-but, don’t you want to know what you’ll be signing?”

  “No, not really. Like I said, it doesn’t matter to me.” Trying to play up the act, she stood and walked around the desk to Stephen. “All that matters is that I love my husband. I don’t care about anything else. So, if we could move this along?”

  A crease formed across Stephen’s brow but he said nothing.

  Alfred held up a pen. “Well, I suppose if that is what you wish, there’s really no reason to delay.”

  “No, no reason at all.”

  Stephen asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to read this first, Cassie?”

  She looked at him. She knew exactly what it said and suspected what he was trying to accomplish. The only problem was that she suddenly didn’t want that. The post-nuptial most likely excluded her from any and all of the Sands fortune. None of which she felt entitled to, to begin with. “I’m fine, Stephen. I’m certain you were more than fair with me.”

  With that, she took the pen and signed.

  ****

  After what happened in his office just the day before, Stephen had been certain Cassie would want to hear what she had coming. Not a lot, but he’d been certain she would be taken care of. Her attitude perplexed him. It would do no good for his image to exclude her from everything; still, he didn’t want to give away a large chunk of his fortune to a woman he didn’t trust. A woman who’d left him without ever turning back.

  But he hadn’t expected her to not be interested at all.

  The confusion he felt was mirrored on the worried expression on the face of his attorney. He’d hired Alfred Bell especially for this because he wanted there to be no question about his fairness. Hiring outside of the family legal team, in Stephen’s mind, had been the best way to assure there would be no grounds for argument when the time came.

  Still, she hadn’t cared.

  It didn’t sit well with Stephen. As he waited for them to finish initialing and signing he turned toward the window. “NBC 5 and WFAA just drove up. Vans from Fox, NBC, CBS, even TMZ and Telemundo are down there.” He turned away from the window and took a seat at his desk.

  Cassie looked up from the documents. “Who called them?”

  “I did.”

  She bit her lip. “Why?”

  “Because we don’t want to hide this. The best way to keep the rumors under wraps is to be the source. If we feed them all the information, there will be no question. No need for rumors.”

  Her mouth fell open. “Wait. You don’t think they think I’m pregnant then, do you?”

  He grinned. The prospect was appealing. Cassie had a beautiful figure, and after spending the afternoon with Handley he wouldn’t mind having a child. Still, he reminded himself, this arrangement was temporary. He’d have to try to get it over as quickly as possible, though. His feelings for Cassie were evolving faster than he liked and it would do well to remind himself, over and over again if he had to, that she wasn’t the woman for him. “No, I don’t think they think that.”

  She nodded, but he could tell by the way she chewed her lip she wasn’t entirely convinced.

  “We’re finished here,” Mr. Bell said. “I’ll have these filed by the end of the day and I’ll let you know if anything else comes up.”

  Stephen nodded and shook the man’s hand. “Thank you for your assistance on this matter. Have a good day.”

  With that, the man left.

  The room felt more crowded with him gone. Tighter, less oxygen. Cassie’s lips still looked well-kissed. It made his groin shoot to attention and he had to stay in his seat to avoid an embarrassing scene. “Dinner tonight is at eight, will you be ready?”

  She glanced at her watch. “It’s only four now, so I should have plenty of time.”

  He laughed. “Tatiana wouldn’t have.” Damn, he hadn’t meant to allow that to slip.

  “Who’s Tatiana?”

  He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and leaned forward at the desk. “My ex-girlfriend. She would have needed all day to prepare.”

  What looked like uncertainty passed over Cassie’s eyes, then faded away. “Well, I’m not her. I won’t take long at all.”

  “Cassie, why didn’t you look at the agreement, you should always look at legal documents before signing.”

  She shrugged and stood. “Would it have mattered? It isn’t as if I’d be able to fight it. Besides, I’m only in this for Liz and Annie. As long as you keep your end of the bargain, I don’t need anything else.”

  The money. She wasn’t worried about what was in the contract because she’d already gotten what she needed from him. His chest tightened in an anger that he pushed back down as he thought about the little girl. She looked so much like Cassie. With some help she’d have a happier life.

  Cassie’s own childhood hadn’t been great; he knew that from what she’d told him while they dated. She’d grown up poor, moving from house to house. Her dad believed he was some sort of great businessman and would sink all of the family’s money into one failed venture or another. It was a morbid thought, but her parent’s dying was about the only gift they’d ever given her. Tangible, at least.

  She always told him there was more to life than money, that she’d been fine with how her life had been, but he couldn’t imagine it. And he knew from how hard she struggled for stability now; she didn’t believe it in her heart, either.

  A niggling worm of guilt crawled around the back of his mind. She’d found her roots, her stability before him and he’d done little more than uproot her and take it all away. Clearing his throat and pushing the guilt back, he stood and walked around the desk. “We should get going. Is there anywhere you need to go other than the bakery?”

  She shook her head. “Stephen, I wanted to apologize again. I’m not normally like this. I’ve never tried to blackmail anyone in my life. I, just...”

  He couldn’t let her say it. Couldn’t stand the thought of her apologizing again for trying to help her family. He’d been angry only moments before, he knew, but now his chest tightened and he wanted to gather her into his lap and kiss away the sadness he saw in her eyes. He just wished she’d talked to him rather than come at it the way she did. Gently, he tilted her chin up and caressed her lips. Their tongues met briefly, then the moment passed.

  Stephen turned and stepped through the door. “Gayle, please cancel the car, we’re going to talk to them.”

  Gayle nodded and picked up the phone.

  Out of habit, and because he didn’t want to be so close to Cassie in the elevator again, Stephen headed for the stairs.

  “Stephen,” she called.

  “I’ll see you in the lobby.”

  His groin tightened as he remembered the sweet soft curve of her leg in the elevator. Cassie was a passionate woman. Whether she realized or not, she had a fire deep inside that any man would fight to burn himself on. Her green eyes glowed with passion, with need and want. Even outside of the bedroom she had a certain sizzle that most women didn’t possess.

  Stephen’s phone rang. Tatiana’s name flashed across the screen. She wanted money. She’d promised to keep quiet about the true nature of his and Cassie’s relationship if he gave her money.

  It made Stephen sick.

  He wanted to tell her to screw herself. Damn the media and the scandal, he’d take what came. But a bigger part of him wanted to protect Cassie. God how had he gotten to the point of caring for her again so quickly?

  ****

  “So what happened to no scandal?” Cassie asked as he joined her in the front lobby.

  Stephen took a second to wash Tatiana’s bitterness from his brain before smiling at her. “This isn’t scandal. This is promotion at its finest. My brother Andrew set this up. He’s a—”

  “He’s in Public Relations.”

  “Yeah, how’d you know?”

  Cassie blushed and looked away. “After I left you, after I found out who you were, I wanted to know everythi
ng. It’s embarrassing. I didn’t care about the money, I just wanted to know who you really were.”

  Stephen felt taken aback, but not completely unpleased at the news. Actually, it made him grin. “Yeah? Couldn’t stay away, could you.”

  This time she looked at him. And laughed. “Think much of yourself?”

  He straightened his collar and said, “Shouldn’t I?”

  She appraised him. “You’re okay. A little rough around the edges. You’ve got a certain swagger that some might find attractive.”

  “And you?”

  Her eyes settled on his. “I think it’s overdone. I liked who I thought you were before. This person pales in comparison.”

  At that statement his anger flared, then burned itself out. Was she right? Was he so different now that his secret was out? Money had a way of changing people, but he’d grown up with it. Was he really so different when he didn’t have it?

  No. No, he decided. She wanted to taunt him. He replaced his uncertainty with determination. “I’m a powerful and respected member of this community,” he assured as he steered her toward the front door. “So if I’m not acting like the doe-eyed innocent kid I was when I first met you, that’s a good thing.”

  Her brows cinched together as she pursed her lips. “It isn’t bad,” she said as she straightened her spine. “I only wonder what happened to that guy. I kind of liked him. You’re great, I’m sure you are. Maybe not the nicest person in the world, but I’m sure you have plenty of power and a lot of respect. How could you not? But do you have friends? Outside of your family, Stephen, who are you close to?”

  The door opened and the sunlight temporarily caught him off guard. Or maybe it wasn’t the sunlight.

  He didn’t answer her accusatory question. No need. He knew who he was. He knew where he was going and what he wanted to accomplish with his life.

  So why did her words leave such a gnawing feeling in his stomach?

  The reporters swarmed the front stairs and he plastered on a smile. He didn’t see them, though.

  In the sunlight Cassie shone like a goddess. The gold and reds in her hair dripped with light and warmth. Her skin smoothed under the intense afternoon rays and as her hand tightened on his he felt an intense need to protect her.

  To bed her. To hold her captive as his alone. He looked around. He didn’t want to share her with the world.

  Andrew thought the PR from their wedding would make for good press as he took over Giles’ business, but Stephen suddenly felt the need to protect Cassie. It felt as if introducing her to the press in this way he’d be exploiting her.

  “Mr. Sands, Anna Peppado from WFAA, can I ask you a few questions?”

  Stephen leaned in. “Cassie, do you want to do this?”

  He said it low, low enough that she alone would hear. Then he leaned in for her answer, shielding her face from the flash of cameras and the shining lights. The mob of press closed in and he held his hand out to steel them. “Cassandra?”

  Her face said it all. Panic, fear, uncertainty. She didn’t want to be here. Didn’t want to introduce her relationship to the world on the stairs of his office building. They’d had a whirlwind romance to begin with, then he’d married her in Vegas in a little chapel where they’d both been slightly too drunk to remember everything that happened.

  And now, for the first time possibly, he wanted to protect Cassie. “Cassie?” he asked again.

  She tried to smile. “If it has to be done.”

  “That’s not what I’m asking. Do you want to do this?”

  His eyes searched hers. He knew the answer. She didn’t need to speak what her vulnerable and terrified face shone without question.

  Uncertainty filled her eyes as she seemed to question whether he truly wanted to protect her. He squeezed her hand tighter and nodded, hoping she’d speak freely.

  A slight shake of her head followed. “No,” she whispered fiercely. “Not like this. Not here, like this.”

  He nodded. “Okay.”

  “Sorry folks.” He turned to the mob. “I know we set this up for this afternoon, but we’ve got some urgent family business we have to attend to and will have to schedule this for another time. If you’ll excuse us, we must be going.”

  “Mr. Sands! Mrs. Sands!” The rush of voices filled the air and echoed back from the building as Stephen pushed through. He held tightly to Cassie’s hand as they made it to his car, the reporters and journalists tight on his heels.

  Cassie leaned close and asked, “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  They got in his car and started it, slowly backing out.

  The crowd didn’t want to move, but did as they saw he wouldn’t back down. Camera flashes blinded him, but he did his best to shield them both as he put his car into gear and pressed forward. “Ready, Cass?”

  She smiled, radiantly. “Yes.”

  “Let’s go!”

  He pressed the accelerator and his Mercedes SL-Class shot ahead and out of the parking lot before anyone else had a chance to step in front of it.

  “Where to?”

  “Anywhere,” she said, laughing as she kissed his hand.

  Chapter Ten

  They skidded to a stop in front of Just Desserts and Stephen turned off the car. “I thought you might like to check on things before we go to dinner. I mean, I know I told you earlier that you could come here, but I wanted you to know I really mean it. It wasn’t right for me to ask you not to.”

  Cassie felt stunned by the change of events. This afternoon he’d been all for showing her off to the world. For cementing their relationship across television and print. Now, he parked his beautiful car in front of her Cooper Street bakery and seemed to be offering her a chance to still be a part of her dream. “Thank you,” she said, finally.

  In the late afternoon sun, Stephen looked more like his old self. Not the guy she’d first met at the wedding, cocky and flirty, more the one she’d gotten to know over the past year. She could see it in his eyes. For the first time since she’d seen him again, Stephen’s eyes shone with a bright, curious intensity. They slid over her face and rounded across her shoulders, settled onto her breasts. Her nipples tightened in response.

  His perusal, the memories of their past year made her want to fall into bed with him. Feel his arms wrapped around her again. Her skin ached with the memory of his touch. They fit perfectly together, her nestled into the cradle of his arm, their thighs intertwined.

  She’d sworn they wouldn’t make love, that he’d have a lonely few years if he stayed married to her. And while Cassie didn’t make a habit of breaking her promises, she wanted more than anything to break that one.

  Clearing her throat brought his eyes back up to hers. “I won’t be long. I won’t make us late for tonight.”

  “Take your time, we’ve still got several hours.”

  Cassie unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over to kiss him. She reached her hand down and stroked his thigh as their kiss intensified. Stephen groaned and his hands settled into her curls.

  In a low, sultry voice he said, “If you keep that up, we might not make it to dinner.”

  She clasped his face and let her thumbs stroke the sandpapery stubble of his jaw line. Catching his eye, she nibbled his lip before saying, “Are you sure you don’t want dessert first?”

  His hand cupped the back of her neck and he nipped her ear before whispering, “I thought we weren’t having sex.”

  It was the cold water she needed. Him speaking aloud the thing she wanted so much to ignore. With that, she opened the car door and stepped out. Leaning into the now open window she assured, “I’ll be back soon.”

  ****

  Milo, the college kid who worked the front part time greeted Cassie when she walked in the door, but with a line formed, Cassie didn’t stop to talk. She headed back to her kitchen.

  Hard at work, Graciella piped the final rosettes onto a beautiful quinceañera cake. It was lilac and white, delicate, looked nothing
like the girl it was intended for. She’d obviously been humoring her abuela when the woman ordered the cake. The night was supposed to be about the girl, Mariana, but Cassie wondered if the grandmother even remembered that.

  That’s why Cassie wanted to make Mariana something special. While they’d talked, she’d noticed a ring the girl wore. Nothing exceptional, but obviously important to her. Mariana touched it off and on during their entire conversation. As they left the shop, Cassie asked.

  “It was my mother’s,” Mariana told her. And her mother wasn’t around.

  Cassie got to work. She drew out the design, two knots locked together, a single ruby in the center and decided to make Mariana her own personal cake.

  “Graciella, when you finish that one, will you work on this please?” It was going to be a four-inch round black forest cake with thin sponge layers, brandied tart cherries and a thick dark chocolate ganache surrounding the entire cake. The design would be hand painted gold and a ruby made entirely of hand molded and etched sugar. It wasn’t a huge job, but also not one she’d trust with just anyone.

  Her long time assistant and friend looked at it. “Sure, not a problem.”

  “Just have it ready to go with the quinceañera cake. A tag on it for Mariana.”

  That’s what Cassie loved about Graciella. It didn’t matter what she asked, she knew Graciella would take care of it.

  “Can I ask you something?” Graciella asked as she moved over a workstation to start Mariana’s cake.

  “Always.” Cassie pulled up a stool and peeled the paper away from one of the rejected cupcakes.

  “Are you happy?”

  Cassie didn’t need clarification; she had been with Graciella too long to not know exactly what her friend was thinking. “He’s a good man.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  Thoughts of Annie finally having help came to mind. “Yes. I am happy.”

  Looking up from the dry mixture she’d begun sifting together, Graciella examined her for a moment, then went back to work. “I know you’re taking time off from the bakery, and this is your home. Was that your decision?”