The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride

by Kristen Painter

  He nodded, pulled out his phone and turned it around so she could see the screen. “Who’s D. James?”

  His caller ID had shown her real name when she’d called to be picked up. Fear dried out her mouth and turned her tongue to dust. “I can explain…” She could. If she didn’t lie. And she was so tired of lying.

  “I’m waiting.” The slightly scary gleam in his eyes strengthened her resolve

  She pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table. Just in case her nerves caused her knees to buckle. “I’m D. James. Delaney, actually.”

  She took a deep breath, but already the act of coming clean was easing her mind. Whatever the consequences, she’d face them. She explained everything—about the shooting, about stealing the file, about hiding out from her mobbed-up boss.

  Stanhill’s face remained virtually unchanged through her story. He was clearly angry. And protective of Hugh. When she was finished, he nodded. Then, after what felt like an hour but was probably four or five seconds, he said, “I see.”

  The two words sounded like a death sentence. She stood, unable to make eye contact. “I’ll go pack my things.”

  “Why?”

  She looked at him. “Aren’t you going to tell me to leave?”

  He shook his head slowly. “No.” He came over and sat at the table. “What you did, you did out of self-preservation, yes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can’t fault that.”

  She sat back down. “You can’t?”

  “Your boss sounds like a dangerous man.”

  “I had no idea until I saw him with that gun.”

  “And you’re not here to hurt Hugh in any way, are you?”

  Her brows pulled together. “Not at all. I swear it.”

  “What else do you know about him?”

  Was this a test? “He’s wealthy. Guarded. And a little secretive. But I guess a lot of wealthy people are like that.”

  Something worked through Stanhill’s brain. She could see it in his eyes. “Then I see no reason why you can’t stay.”

  Her mouth came open a bit. “Really?”

  Stanhill nodded. “Between us, for all Hugh’s blathering about this arrangement, I think he quite enjoys your company.”

  “I’m not sure he’ll still feel that way after he finds out I’ve been lying to him.” She traced the grain of the wood table. “I’ll tell him tonight at dinner. At least we’ll be in public. That should keep the scene-making to a minimum.”

  “Why don’t you hold off on filling him in?”

  She stared at Stanhill. “Do you think that’s the best idea?” She wasn’t sure what surprised her more—Stanhill’s willingness to collude with her or his desire to keep his employer in the dark.

  “I know Hugh very well. If he’s not in the right mood for this kind of news, it could go badly. And you don’t want to ruin your dinner. Or mine. I’ve got a date tonight myself.” Stanhill patted her hand. “When he’s in a good mood, we’ll tell him together.”

  She couldn’t argue that Stanhill knew Hugh better than she did. And she liked that he didn’t want to keep the news from Hugh indefinitely. “Why are you doing this for me?”

  He smiled. “I like you. You’re in a spot of trouble that’s not of your own doing, and you make Hugh happy. I’d surmise he makes you happy as well, yes?”

  She relaxed. “He’s not bad company. Not at all.”

  “I’d hate to see either of you miss out on a chance for something more all because of a little misunderstanding.”

  Lying about who she was seemed like more than a little misunderstanding. “I should go get dressed for dinner.” She stood but didn’t leave the kitchen. “You know I’m not here looking for a husband in any way, shape, or form.”

  “I know.” He got to his feet. “Funny what you find when you least expect it.”

  Hugh shut the door behind him harder than necessary as he entered the house. His conversation with Sebastian had done nothing to better his mood or help him make a decision. So far he had Stanhill for and Sebastian against. Talking to Julian and his grandmother would only add another check in each column. The decision about pursuing Annabelle was firmly in his court.

  Maybe he was worrying about nothing. Maybe they’d have a dreadful evening and that would be that. Or maybe his grandmother had filled Annabelle’s head with the kinds of promises and ideas that changed a woman’s mind and turned her into a marriage-hungry maniac. Hugh leaned against the door and closed his eyes.

  All he wanted to do was kiss Annabelle some more. But he also didn’t want to lead her on. Did that make him just like Julian? He groaned.

  “Something wrong?”

  Hugh opened his eyes. Stanhill stood at the entrance of the foyer. Hugh frowned. “I don’t know. What happened with Annabelle and Didi?”

  Stanhill shrugged. “Not much of anything that I’m aware of.”

  “Where is she?”

  “At her own estate, I’d imagine.”

  Hugh growled softly. The twinkle in Stanhill’s eyes said the man knew exactly what Hugh had meant. “Annabelle, not my grandmother.”

  “Take your mood out on someone else. I’m your rook, not your servant.” Stanhill frowned at him.

  “A decision I regret daily.” He could give as good as he got. “Did she come home from Didi’s talking marriage?”

  “No. More about how your grandmother seemed like a woman who enjoyed getting her way.”

  “That’s an accurate assessment.” Maybe Annabelle had kept her head about her. “Where did you say she is?”

  “I didn’t, but she’s upstairs. Getting ready for the dinner you promised her.”

  Hugh ground his back teeth for a second. “Blast it. I completely forgot about making reservations.” With the Panic Parade this weekend, the town was crowded. And it was Friday night. The restaurants, at least the good ones, might be tricky to get into. “Any chance you made some for me?”

  “No. And I’m off to the movies with Corette.” He waggled his brows. “Now there’s a fine woman.”

  “She’s got three girls. That’s a lot of responsibility.”

  Stanhill rolled his eyes. “Her daughters are twenty-eight, twenty-nine and thirty. It’s not like Corette’s trying to find them a new daddy.”

  “She’s also a witch. Literally. They all are. That doesn’t bother you?” He wasn’t especially fond of witches. Not with the way Alice Bishop plotted so willingly with Didi and her schemes.

  “I’m not the one beholden to a witch’s magic to keep me from crisping up in the sun’s light, so no, it doesn’t bother me. Corette is a fine, upstanding citizen. And an amply endowed one at that.”

  “I don’t need details.”

  Stanhill’s brow furrowed. “Have you and Annabelle had any discussion about who you really are?”

  “You mean that I’m a vampire? No.”

  Stanhill nodded. “I’d suggest you keep it that way. For now.”

  “Why?” He’d actually been waiting for Annabelle to broach the subject just to see how eager she was about the whole thing.

  Stanhill waved his hand as he walked away. “I don’t really have time to explain, I’ve got woo to pitch.”

  Hugh stifled a growl. Love ruined everything. He pulled out his cell phone and started dialing restaurants as he walked upstairs to his room. By the time he’d shut the door, his first two choices were out unless they wanted to eat either five minutes from now or three hours. Sometimes, being an Ellingham didn’t make that much of a difference.

  He sat in the big leather reading chair by the fireplace and dialed the third. They had a cancellation. Or they were making a spot for him. Either way, he took the reservation. It only gave them an hour to get there. Hopefully, that would be enough time for Annabelle to get ready. He got up and walked down the hall to her room to let her know.

  He paused at the sound of her voice coming through the closed door.

  “Who’s a good boy? Cappy is, that’s who.” />
  Hugh grinned. She was talking to her cat. There was something endearing about that. He knocked. “Annabelle? Our reservation is in less than an hour. Can you be ready in—”

  She opened the door. “I’m ready now.”

  She wore the same sundress she’d had on earlier, minus the cardigan, and her hair was twisted up, revealing the exquisite expanse of her bare neck and shoulders. The few tendrils that drifted around her face only added to her loveliness. He didn’t say anything for a moment, just enjoyed the view.

  She plucked at the sides of the dress, pulling the lavender cotton away from her body and drawing his attention down to her shapely legs. The hem skimmed her knees. “Unless this isn’t the right thing to wear. I can change.” She glanced back in the room. “Not that I have that many other options.”

  “No,” he said. “It’s perfect.” As was she. Not quite ready to break the moment, he gestured at the cat. The beast was sprawled on his back on the floor, legs akimbo, belly exposed. He looked like a fluffy throw rug. “How’s Captain doing?”

  She smiled. “He’s having an awful time adjusting. As you can see.”

  Hugh laughed. “Does he like catnip? We could stop by the pet store and pick some up for him after dinner.” Where had that come from? He couldn’t remember a time in his life he’d ever even used the word catnip, let alone thought about buying any.

  Her eyes lit up, setting them ablaze like emeralds in the sun. “There’s a pet store? That would be awesome!”

  “Then it’s a plan. You look lovely, by the way. I should go get ready. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Okay. I’m going to hang out with Captain until then.”

  “He doesn’t have to stay cooped up in this room, you know. He can have the run of the house. Unless you think he’s going to shred the drapes and do his business on the rugs.”

  She made a face. “Captain would never do that.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply—”

  “He’s fine in here.”

  So much for his attempt at nice. “How about tomorrow afternoon we take him outside and let him romp in the garden a bit? Before we go to the parade.”

  She smiled, her demeanor instantly softening. “That would be nice. Although don’t expect too much romping.”

  “Got it.” He gave her a nod. “Back as soon as I’m ready.”

  Which turned out to be sixteen minutes, twenty-nine seconds. He collected her, then drove them into town, but the only parking spot he could find was three blocks away.

  He helped her out of the car without staring too hard at her legs. “We have a little bit of a walk.” He pointed them in the right direction, and they set off.

  She kept pace with him, easily matching his long stride. “Where are we eating?”

  “The Poisoned Apple. Sort of a pub.”

  “You must feel right at home there.”

  “I can’t say I ever went to places like that when I lived in England.” Mostly because places like that didn’t exist in 1665. “But their beer selection isn’t bad.”

  “The town is even busier than it was last night.”

  “Wait until we come back for the parade.” She’d yet to link her arm through his as she’d done before. He couldn’t help but wonder why. He wanted to take her hand, but he wasn’t going to push things.

  When they reached the pub, he knew how lucky he’d been to get that cancellation. People stood around the door, pagers in hand as they waited for tables. He made a path to the door for them and got her inside. “I’ll let them know we’re here, but we’re a little early. You want to find us a spot at the bar?”

  She nodded. “What do you want to drink?”

  “Guinness.”

  “Of course you do.” With a smile, she headed deeper into the crowd as he went in the opposite direction to the hostess stand and gave his name.

  Once he’d checked in and gotten a pager, he worked his way to the bar to find her. He stopped a few feet away as soon as he saw who Annabelle was sitting next to.

  Piper.

  Getting a seat at the bar had been pure chance, a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Delaney focused on getting the bartender’s attention, finally snagging him so she could place her order: a Guinness for Hugh and a white wine for her. She knew from her restaurant days that Guinness wasn’t a quick pour, so she twisted in her seat to watch the crowd and put the back end of the bar behind her.

  The people who came to Nocturne Falls clearly loved the whole Halloween vibe. A few of them wore masks, just the little Zorro kind that covered their eyes. Some of the women had their faces painted. Actually, so did some of the guys. One of them wore an eye patch and a pirate hat. It was impossible not to grin surrounded by such festivity.

  She spotted Hugh on the other side of the pirate. She waved her hand. “Hugh,” she shouted above the din. “Over here.”

  He stood there, looking like he smelled a barrel of week-old fish. Finally, he moved forward, coming around to her side. “We should go wait by the door.”

  “Our drinks aren’t ready.”

  The woman behind Delaney leaned in. “Isn’t this cozy?”

  Delaney realized the barrel of week-old fish was the Barbie doll sitting next to her. And that Barbie doll was Piper. What a craptastic coincidence. Accompanying Piper was her friend Skipper, or whatever the other chick’s name was. Apparently, it was girls’ night out in Nocturne Falls.

  If this town got any smaller, it would be the social equivalent of wearing Spanx.

  Wine glazed Piper’s gaze. “I see he hasn’t broken up with you yet.”

  “Out with a friend?” Delaney’s attempt to steer the conversation in a new direction was ignored.

  “Piper, you made your point the first time we met. Enough.” Hugh positioned himself between Delaney and Piper.

  “Oh, you like telling women when stuff is over, don’t you?” Piper gestured with her wine glass at Delaney, almost sloshing the wine over the rim. “He will break up with you, you know. It’s only a matter of time.”

  “So you said, but your history isn’t my future,” Delaney answered quietly. “And you really need to stop blaming Hugh for you not being the right woman for him. The more you shriek about it, the more people are going to see his side of things.”

  Piper’s jaw dropped. She started to get off her bar stool, but her girlfriend grabbed her arm and whispered something in her ear.

  Having no desire to create more of a ruckus than they already had, Delaney slid off the bar stool and hooked her arm through Hugh’s. Through a miracle of the karma fairy, the bartender delivered their drinks and check at that exact moment.

  She turned to Hugh. “Take care of the bill, will you, sweetheart? I’d like to go somewhere else.”

  She smiled at Piper, who was still muttering, while Hugh gave a nod to the bartender and threw some bills down on the drinks they were abandoning. “You sure you want to go?”

  “Yes. Now.”

  “You got it.” Hugh grabbed her hand tight and started through the crowd.

  “Bye, Annabelle,” Piper called out over the crowd.

  When they were out the door, she dropped the smile and took a breath. “Your ex is a real winner. It took you five months to figure out she wasn’t the one?”

  “I knew well before then, but she was pleasant enough. To me. I’m sorry about all that back there.” Hugh’s mouth curved into an appreciative smile. “That was quite the performance, sweetheart.”

  “Did I overstep? I’m sorry if I—”

  “No, not at all.” His gaze grew thoughtful. Then he leaned in and, right there on the street, kissed her on the mouth.

  The kiss was over almost before it started, but it was still long enough to make her heart stutter in her chest. Wow, he smelled good. Masculine in a dark, earthy way. “What was that for?”

  “We’re supposed to be a couple, aren’t we?” He winked at her. “Plus, I don’t think I’ve ever had a woman stick up for me
like that. You’ve done it twice now.”

  Delaney hiked the strap of her purse higher on her shoulder. “Maybe women don’t stick up for you because what she said is true.”

  His smile dimmed a bit. “I realize that.”

  She inclined her head and smiled a little. “It might have been a tiny bit fun. I don’t go in for confrontation much, but something got into me.”

  A curious twinkle lit his eyes. “Maybe tea with my grandmother? That woman is enough to push anyone to their breaking point.”

  “Maybe.” That tea had given her a lot to think about. Like how close the dream of owning her own shop was, and how it was never going to happen. Because it couldn’t without her doing things she’d regret later, but it was fun to dream. Her stomach rumbled. “Okay, despite asking to leave, I am really hungry.”

  He glanced down the street. “Town is packed tonight. I’m not sure where else we can get in.”

  “Do we have to get in somewhere? Can’t we just grab a slice?”

  “Of pizza?” His brows rose. “That’s okay with you?”

  “All day long. Then the pet store.” Because while she was fine missing out on a snazzy dinner, she was not okay with Cappy being denied a new toy.

  With a laugh, he nodded. “You got it.” He offered her his arm.

  She took it, and they started walking. By the time they’d stuffed themselves on pizza, which was shockingly good despite not being made in New York, and bought one of every kind of catnip creation the pet store offered (which Hugh had insisted on paying for), she’d had a great evening even with the rocky start.

  Hugh was so easy to spend time with. Maybe once they got home, Stanhill would see how good a mood Hugh was in and she could finally confess her secret. The idea scared the cookies out of her, but he was too nice a guy to keep up the lying.

  Hugh drove them home, the banter between them non-stop until he pulled into the driveway and uttered a curse.

  An unfamiliar car was parked ahead of them, but it had Georgia plates so Delaney saw no immediate reason to panic. “Someone you know?”

  He nodded. “Someone we both know. Unfortunately. Piper.”