He’d sounded like he’d really meant it.
One thing she did know. He’d sought her companionship from the very first. As long as that never changed, she would nurse the hope that one day he’d show her he wanted more…
Terri’s family had given her a lovely nightgown and matching peignoir, but she couldn’t wear them around Ben. So it was back to the nightgown and robe she’d brought with her the first time. With a little rummaging, she found a certain video and stuffed it in her pocket.
In the kitchen Terri pulled a vase from the cupboard over the microwave. She filled it with water, then arranged the bluebonnets which had held up amazingly well.
After putting two pills in her other pocket, she headed for Ben’s bedroom with everything including a glass of water. Once she’d set the vase down on the table, she walked over to him. He’d gotten under the covers. “Here you go.”
While he swallowed his tablets, she noticed he was wearing a new pair of pajamas in a coffee shade. And here she’d thought navy was his best color…
Needing to stay busy and out of trouble, she made an adjustment to his sling. When he’d finished drinking, she took the glass and put it back on the table.
“When are you going to give me my surprise?”
Terri eyed him provocatively. “Captain Rogers was right about your impatient streak.” She pulled the video out of her pocket and put it in the machine. “This is Beth’s wedding present to us.”
The second The Invisible Man appeared on the screen, he chuckled.
“Can you believe she found it?”
“Come and watch it with me.” Like déjà vu, she watched him pat her side of the bed, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It would be ridiculous for her to sit on a chair now. She was his wife after all.
Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, she walked over to the bed and lay down with her head at the foot. It felt so good to relax, she let out a deep sigh and rested her cheek on her arms. The old Hollywood film was great, but after a few minutes her eyelids started to droop.
“Your idea for establishing a chamber of commerce was brilliant. But your mention of several oversights has got me curious.”
His comment brought her back to consciousness. She sat up. “You don’t want to watch the movie?”
“I did watch it. I loved it.”
“You mean it’s over?”
“I’m afraid you slept through the whole thing.”
“You’re kidding!” She glanced at her watch. Two hours had passed. He was right. “Did I snore?”
Ben burst into laughter, the kind that came from deep down inside. “I’ll never tell.”
“I did!”
“If that’s your only secret, you have no worries.”
Oh, yes, I do. What if she’d talked in her sleep? What if she called out his name in longing?
“Which oversight do you want to hear about first?” She half grumbled the question.
“Whichever one you deem the most important.”
“They’re all important.”
“Go on.”
She bit her lip. “Are you sure you want to talk about this right now?”
He eyed her frankly. “What better time?”
Right.
“Your brochure talked about family living. I didn’t see a veterinary hospital listed.”
“The board voted against having pets on the ship.”
“But most families have one. Why is the board against the idea?”
“Because there are a lot of rules and laws about animals. Quarantine procedures.”
“Are there women on your board? I didn’t meet any today.”
A long silence followed before he said no.
“Well, that explains it. The men didn’t want to be bothered. That’s one of the reasons you need a chamber of commerce to make certain all services are offered. I’ll look into the details and present a proposal at your next meeting. They probably didn’t want a day care center, either.”
“The subject never came up.”
“Does that mean you have an age limit for children?”
“They have to be in high school.”
“Really? I didn’t see that in the brochure.”
“A list of rules accompanies every brochure. I just don’t happen to have one on my desk at the moment.”
“Won’t there be a problem if one of the mothers finds herself pregnant after thinking she was through?”
“If that should arise, the condo will have to be sold.”
“Just supposing you and I were to have children. Would I have to live away from the ship?”
“Of course not.”
“So there’s one rule for the directors, but not for everyone else?”
“These directors have invested billions of dollars. That gives them rights.”
“Then I think your dream could be destined for failure down the road.”
“Would you care to explain that remark?” Though he’d asked the question in a civil enough way, she’d heard the underlying steel in his tone.
“This may be a floating city, but it needs babies and old people so it won’t feel like some governmental experiment in outer space.
“I noticed there was no nursing home listed. What will happen if someone is diagnosed with Alzheimers and needs round-the-clock care? Or is there a rule that at sixty-five you have to sell your condo?”
His face closed up. She’d made him angry.
“I’m sorry, Ben. I didn’t mean to get so carried away, but you did ask. I’m only giving my input from a woman’s point of view. Have you presold all the condos?”
“No.”
“Are sales up or down?”
“They’re coming along.”
“Maybe they would move faster if you didn’t have those limitations. I know if I had the kind of money it took to buy a condo on the Atlantis, I wouldn’t consider it if you couldn’t have babies and pets. Without them it would feel like a giant country club. One night out is fun, but not a steady diet.”
His eyelids lowered to half-mast. “Does this mean I can expect you to leave the ship for long periods of time?”
She got up from the bed. “No. Of course not. I’m your wife and agreed to be your working assistant. I’ll stand by you no matter what.”
Shadows darkened his face. “Meaning even if I lose my shirt on this venture?”
“No!” Terri groaned in pain. “That’s not what I said. You’re twisting my words. How can you even ask that?” she blurted in pain.
Devastated because her outspoken remarks had hurt him, she realized she’d ruined what had been the most beautiful day of her life. Somehow she had to make him understand it hadn’t been intentional.
“Only a few hours ago I vowed to stay with you for better or worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. If you think I made them lightly, then you don’t know me at all.”
Heavy tension crackled between them like a live wire.
“After we’re at sea I’ll call a board meeting,” he murmured. “You’ll be first on the agenda. Tell them what you’ve just told me.”
“I—I don’t want to alienate them right off.”
He made a strange sound. “You had them eating out of the palm of your hand a few hours ago. It ought to be an interesting experiment for everyone involved.”
“Ben—” Her voice trembled. “I’m afraid I’ve hurt you in a way you can’t forgive. Please believe me when I tell you I wasn’t attacking your dream. It’s so fabulous, I still can’t find the words.
“All I was trying to do is offer a few suggestions to make it so perfect, people will clamor to live here. I’m so proud of what you’ve achieved. To be honest, I’m in awe of you.”
He raked a hand through his dark hair. “If that was awe, you’ve redefined the definition for all time.”
Her eyes glistened with tears. “Tell me I haven’t ruined everything,” she begged. “I couldn’t bear it.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Terri. I knew what I was doing when I asked you to marry me. You’ve just reinforced it in an indelible way.”
She shook her head. “My father used to warn me I could get into trouble trying to fix everything for everybody.” By now tears were dripping off her chin. She wiped them away. “This is one time I wish I’d taken his advice.”
Terri had no idea how Ben made it to the bedroom door ahead of her but he did. His hard-muscled frame barred the exit.
“Mrs. Herrick? We’ve just weathered our first storm. I have to tell you I found it more exciting than anything I’ve experienced in years.” Before Terri could say a word, he cupped the side of her moist face with his free hand. “Don’t ever change, or you wouldn’t be you.”
In the next breath he pressed a tender kiss to her lips. It told her everything was going to be all right.
When he lifted his head, a moan of protest escaped her throat. He’d heard her. She couldn’t recall it. But this was a time for honesty.
Looking up into his eyes she whispered, “As long as you still want me for your wife, I swear I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy.”
“You already have.” He put his arm around her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s open our wedding presents. I know you’re dying to. By the time we’ve finished, dinner will be here.”
She put an arm around his waist. Together they walked to the foyer. “When did you order it?”
“That’s my secret. I told my favorite chef to surprise us.”
Terri decided she was glad there’d been a rough moment. In getting so much emotion out of her system, she felt more natural and relaxed around him. Maybe it was good it had happened. He seemed in better spirits, too.
Though he might not be on fire for her, they had an inexplicable camaraderie that brought her inner contentment. That was one of the important ingredients missing in her marriage to Richard.
Ben helped her bring the gifts into the living room. They worked out a system. She took off wrappings and undid lids, then handed the gifts to Ben to actually open with his free hand. It didn’t take long for the living room to look like a disaster area. At one point he was knee deep in paper and tissue. She ran for her camera and snapped some pictures.
They saved the family gifts until last. “Here’s one from Parker.” She handed it to him. “I think it’s a picture.”
“It’s probably an eight-by-ten photograph of himself so you won’t forget him. I guess I’d better read the card first.
“This little filly’s my favorite. She kind of reminds me of you.”
Before Terri could avert her eyes, Ben held her gaze. “Want to tell me what that’s all about?”
She smiled. “When he caught up with me in the hospital foyer, he said something about my running faster than a nervous filly being chased by a twister.”
“There’s nothing my little brother loves more than his horses. He’s just paid you the supreme compliment.” Ben lifted the framed photograph from the paper so she could see it, too.
“Oh, Ben! What a darling she is—I love it!”
“She’s a little beauty all right. As long as we’re on the subject, do you want to tell me why Parker gave Juanita Rosario money?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
TERRI would have answered his question, but just then the steward arrived from the kitchen with their wedding dinner.
Pears in champagne, tapas, spinach salad, stuffed shrimp, rack of lamb, yams in their jackets full of a buttery concoction of brown sugar and cinnamon followed by strawberry tarts laced with cordial and clotted cream.
Like happy children they ate in the middle of the mess and slowly opened the rest of their presents. Terri never wanted any of it to end.
Ben finished off the rest of the champagne in his goblet, then sat back on the couch. “I’ll have to tell Andre he outdid himself.”
“I want to meet him and thank him personally for this sumptuous feast. In fact I want to meet everyone who works on this ship. In time I hope to be able to call all of them by their first names.”
His eyes played over her features. “That’s an ambitious project, even for you.”
“But not impossible.”
“I doubt you’ve ever used that word.”
She smiled. “I was just going to say the same thing about you. Otherwise there wouldn’t be a floating city called the Spirit of Atlantis, and I wouldn’t be married to its creator.
“Do you know I once had my fortune read by a Gypsy who told me I’d be carried off by a tall dark handsome stranger? When I asked her where he would take me, she got all excited and lifted her hands. ‘You will go everywhere. You will see many sights.’ Later I found out she told that to all my girlfriends.”
He chuckled.
“I felt kind of sorry for her. It’s a hard way of life. Too bad I don’t know her address. I could send her a postcard from the ship and tell her that her prediction came true. Of course I would explain that she left out the part about his looking like a mummy first.”
“I really frightened you, didn’t I.”
“No. All I could think of was that you had to be suffering from claustrophobia. I felt like I needed your oxygen mask more than you did. Are you really okay now? I mean mentally, emotionally? If something like that had happened to me, I’d probably need counseling to get over it.”
“I did get therapy.”
“You mean the hospital provided it?”
“No. You did.”
She started to tremble. “I’m glad if I was able to help.”
“Everything you said and did brought me back to life. But none of it lasted long enough. That’s why I came after you.”
“You’ve got me now. Creighton’s ball and chain paperweight says it all.”
“That’s a private joke.”
“You mean because even you didn’t escape matrimony in the end?”
His lips twitched. “Something like that. Now where were we?”
Uh-oh. She scrambled to her feet and found a big plastic bag to start cleaning up the mess.
“Did the Rosario woman ask my brother for money?”
She paused. “No. He gave it to her out of the kindness of his heart.”
“Then I’ll reimburse him.”
“Do you think—” Terri caught herself before she said the rest. A spurt of adrenaline helped her get back to the business of straightening the room. The last thing she wanted to do was create any friction, not after the lovely evening they’d spent together.
“Do I think what?”
She should have known Ben wouldn’t let it go.
“Parker’s photograph gave me the idea to do a collection of family pictures and memorabilia somewhere in the condo.” In fact she’d just thought of something exciting for the master bedroom. “But we can talk about it another time.”
He got up from the couch. “Before today, this was simply a place for me to eat and sleep. Now that I have a wife, I want us to turn it into our home. I’m looking forward to seeing your things arrive from Lead. In the meantime, do whatever your heart desires and I’ll help.”
“You spoil me.” Her voice quivered.
“You’re so unmercenary, it makes me want to. Now, finish telling me what you were going to say about Parker.”
“That he’d probably be hurt if you tried to pay him back.”
“And?” he persisted.
Warmth crept up her neck and into her face.
“You and Creighton have always watched out for him. I just think that this one time he probably enjoyed being the benefactor.” Terri stared at her husband. “He adores you, but you’d be a hard act to follow.”
She felt his eyes on her as she collected the gifts and put them in on the dining table. Tomorrow she would write out thank-you notes. When she came back in the living room, Ben had pushed the cart out of the way and was waiting for her.
“Along with all your exceptional attributes, nature also gave you astounding insig
ht into human nature. I’ll leave it alone where Parker’s concerned.”
Thank you. “Since tomorrow’s the last day before we sail, what can I do to help you?”
He rubbed the back of his neck absently. “I have a checkup with Dr. Dominguez first thing in the morning. Afterward there’s a little business to be taken care of at the downtown office. How would you like to go with me?”
“I’d love it. The people at the hospital took such wonderful care of you. I want to thank them in person.”
He looked pleased. “Have you ever flown in a helicopter before?”
“Yes. Over Mount Rushmore.”
“Did you like it?”
“After I found my stomach.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he teased. “If we fly, it will cut down on the time we have to be gone from the ship. This place is going to be a madhouse tomorrow with everyone arriving.”
“You must be so excited, I don’t know how you’re going to sleep!”
His eyes passed over her face and body in swift appraisal. “Neither do I. How about a game of poker on my bed?”
Her heart thudded. He didn’t want their evening to be over yet. “What kind? Black Jack, or Spit In The Ocean?”
Ben shook his head. “Where did you come from?”
She flashed him an innocent smile. “There isn’t much else to do on long blizzardy nights in the hills of South Dakota.”
After a pregnant silence he said, “I think I’ve got a pack of cards in the top of my dresser. Let’s go see, shall we?”
The receptionist looked at Terri expectantly. “Can I get you a drink while you’re waiting for your husband, Mrs. Herrick?”
Ben had just disappeared into his inner office in downtown Guayaquil. He’d told Terri he’d be a half hour at the most.
“No, thank you, but I was wondering if I could use one of the phones in here?”
The other woman’s gaze flicked to an empty desk in the corner. “Maria hasn’t come in to work yet. You can use hers.”
“Does she have a phone directory?”
“In the bottom drawer.”
“Thank you.”
Terri hurried over to the desk in question and looked up the number of the Mirador Apartments. Juanita didn’t have a phone, but the manager would have one. After some searching she found it and pressed the buttons. When a man answered she said, “Do you speak English?”
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