He returned in a flash. While they worked he asked her about Juanita. When Terri told him what had happened he said, “Have you seen the baby yet?”
“No. But I will after I’m through here.”
He laughed. “What a wake-up call for the hospital!”
Terri could still see the shock on her husband’s face when he’d found out. “I’m sure it was…” Her voice trailed.
“Okay—what shall I do next?”
“Help me decide where to hang these.” She’d pulled out four poster-size framed photographs of the various tourist attractions in and around the Black Hills. She handed him the top one to hang over her desk.
“Hey, I’ve been to Mount Rushmore. It’s amazing.”
“It is.”
“A couple of my buddies visited it while we were in Sturges for the motorcycle confab.”
She flicked him a surprised glance. “You ride a Harley?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve got it on board. Whenever we get shore leave, I plan to ride it around.”
“Then you’re going to like this.” The next picture was a well-known photograph of motorcycle riders in their sunglasses, head scarves and leathers driving through Sturges. One of the Hell’s Angels had autographed it for her.
John went crazy over it. She knew enough about guys who were into cycles to know they had an intense love affair with their bikes.
“I once had a boyfriend who owned a Harley,” she confessed. “My parents never knew he let me take it for rides. There was this old track nobody used. I got good enough on it that I was thinking of buying one myself. He used to call me his Mama!”
“Yeah?” His eyes blazed with new interest. He finished tapping a nail into the wall over the love seat so he could hang it. When he was through, he stepped back, admiring it with satisfaction.
Then he looked at her. “Maybe you’d like to ride on the back of mine? I could take you places you’d never get to see by car.”
“That’s an interesting offer,” came a deep male voice from behind them.
They both whipped around at the same time.
“Ben—”
Her heart pounded with excitement every time her husband came near. In his ship whites, his looks were so appealing, there wasn’t a man anywhere to compare to him.
Unfortunately his expression revealed no emotion at all. He just stood there staring at the two of them through shuttered lids.
“Mr. Herrick,” John greeted him. “Congratulations on your marriage.”
“Thank you, Mr. Reagan.”
The negative tension coming from her husband made Terri uneasy. “John was kind enough to help me unpack and get situated.”
“It looks like he beat me to it.”
The younger man smiled. “I didn’t have anything else to do. May I say it’s a pleasure to have your wife on board.”
“I dare say you’ve seen more of my bride than I have.”
Uh-oh. If Terri didn’t know better, she would think her husband was jealous. But he couldn’t be!
Ben’s piercing gaze flicked to hers. “Since there’s nothing more to be done here, shall we check on the new baby before dinner, or did you both do that already?
“No,” she said in a quiet voice. He was angry.
John must have sensed it because he looked at his watch. “I had no idea of the time. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Herrick.”
“Don’t forget your toolbox.”
“I almost forgot.” He put his things away and shut it. “Thanks.” As he passed her husband, he nodded to him before disappearing out the door.
Ben stood there like a piece of impenetrable wood.
“What do you think?” she asked in the brightest voice she could muster.
“We have an office supplier on board who would have outfitted your new business to your specifications. I had no idea you intended to put your personal things in here.”
Why was he so upset?
“The condo wasn’t built with a study,” she explained. “Since all this was in mine at home, I thought I could save you a little money by placing my own things around in here. If they look too shabby or don’t convey the right image, we can have everything taken upstairs.”
“I’m not bordering on bankruptcy yet, but I appreciate your concern for our household finances. As for this office, you’ve created a haven of charm that expresses your personality. When the Garden Shop finishes decorating the top floor, I’ll tell them to talk to you about the kind of plants you’d like in here. Shall we go?”
Terri left with him, determined to get back in his good graces if it killed her. “Your worries were for naught,” she teased playfully as they headed for the hospital.
He made no comment, but that didn’t daunt her.
“Your dream ship has been sailing the high seas all day and hasn’t broken down once.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath. “That’s what they said about the Titanic.”
Terri burst into laughter and grasped his hand. To her joy his fingers tightened around hers. “That’s one movie we won’t ever watch. Yesterday I bought frozen pizza which I like to doctor up a certain way. What do you say we watch the Killer Tomatoes in bed and stuff ourselves.”
“You’re not seasick?” He pushed open the doors leading into the hospital.
“Not yet.”
“I’m surprised the pills didn’t make you sleepy.”
“I didn’t need them. Do you know it never occurred to me until right this second how terrible it would be if I were the kind who got deathly sick on the water? After all the trouble I’ve caused you, and then that, too…”
“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Herrick,” a female voice broke in before her husband had a chance to respond. It was the same triage nurse from before. She beamed at them.
“I wondered when we’d see the two of you in here. Heaven knows, everybody else on the ship has already been by to look at the baby through the nursery window.”
“How’s the mother?” Ben asked before Terri could.
“She’s been in a lot of pain and is sedated right now, but you’re welcome to peek at her little girl. I’ll call for one of the nurses to show you where to go.”
In a few minutes they were standing before the glass while another nurse wearing a mask in the newborn unit held up Juanita’s tiny baby for their inspection.
“Oh Ben—” Terri cried. “Isn’t she precious— Look at all that dark curly hair. Juanita’s so lucky. I hope when she’s feeling better, she’ll let me hold the baby.”
He let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulders. “I have no doubt of it. In the meantime your husband is salivating for that pizza you were talking about.”
By some miracle he didn’t sound upset anymore. Counting her blessings she said, “I’m hungry, too. Let’s go.”
So far Ben’s bed was her favorite place on earth. They ate, drank and played cards on it while they laughed at the absurd film. He made her promise to wait until the following evening when he would help her open all the other boxes from Lead spread around in the foyer and living room.
Halfway through a rousing game of Spit in the Ocean, she recalled something he’d said to her in the driveway of her mother’s house.
My interest in seeing your apartment stems from pure interest in getting to know you better. Suddenly she thought she understood what had gone on inside her husband.
“Ben— I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you to help me set up my office. I would have been pained if our positions had been reversed and I’d walked in on you sharing something from your past with a virtual stranger.
“I was just trying to get things done and out of the way so I could be of help to you. I didn’t stop to think how it would affect you. It’s probably too late to promise that I’ll never knowingly do anything that thoughtless again.”
“You owe me no apology, Terri. If I came off sounding surly, it’s because I couldn’t find you in the condo. Frankly I was disappointed becau
se I had to look for you. It was a purely selfish reaction on my part.”
Don’t ever get over it, her heart cried.
“Ben, there’s something else.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve been feeling the fool ever since I told all your colleagues that I was going to be the new head of the chamber of commerce. It was a perfectly ridiculous thing to say.
“The thing is, I don’t know how to be a secretary to anyone, let alone to someone like you. I feared I could never measure up, but I wanted you to be proud of me. So I clung to the only thing I knew how to do. However it isn’t what you need.
“What I’m trying to say is, if you’ll be patient with me, I’ll try to be a good secretary to you. But you’ll have to show me how.”
She started cleaning up the mess they’d made on the bed. “There’s no sign on the door of my new office yet. Let’s just leave it that way. I’ll report there for work every weekday morning.
“You can buzz me from your office and tell me what you’d like me to do. I’ll try to do it. In time, maybe I’ll get to the point where I’ll be able to function somewhat on my own.”
He picked up what she couldn’t carry and followed her to the kitchen.
“Let’s not make any snap decisions tonight. After breakfast in the morning when we’re both fresh, why don’t you come to my office with me and we’ll talk about everything.”
“I’ll be happy to.” She finished wiping off the counters. “You sound tired. How’s the pain in your shoulder?”
“It’s fine. I won’t need to take any pills tonight.”
“That’s because you’ve been wearing your sling.”
“With you around to remind me, I have no choice.”
“No. You don’t.”
She finally dared to look at him. “I haven’t told you what a remarkable speech you made today at the launching. You held everyone spellbound. In remembrance of it, I had a little gift made for you in Lead.”
Her mother had brought it with her. “It’s in my bedroom. I’ll be right back.” She dashed through the condo to get it, then returned to the kitchen. “Here.”
To some degree he was able to use the fingers of his other hand to help undo the paper. He lifted the lid.
It was a man’s gold ring with a black onyx face. The word Atlantis and today’s date had been artistically hammered into it with Black Hills gold. “I think the artisan did a lovely job considering the time constraints.”
There was a long period of silence. “Will you put it on for me?” he finally said in a thick-sounding voice.
She slid it on to the ring finger of his right hand. Before she could pull her hand away, he grasped it and brought it to his lips. “You’ve given me a wedding ring, and now this. Two treasures I’ll cherish forever.”
Her disappointment that he didn’t try to kiss her on the mouth devastated her. The opportunity had been there, but he’d chosen not to take advantage of it. When was she going to learn that you couldn’t force desire? It had to come from Ben of its own accord.
Averting her eyes, she eased away from him. It was time to get out of there before she fell apart.
“I don’t know about you, but the motion of the ship has made me sleepy. Good night, Ben. See you in the morning.”
She disappeared to her room. As soon as she could shut the door, she threw herself on the bed and buried her face in the pillow. It was sopping wet by the time oblivion took over.
When morning came, she was aware of the ship’s motion more strongly than the day before. They’d come into rougher seas. She sat up and peered out the window. It didn’t look that much different from yesterday, but there was definitely more wind.
One glance at her watch and she groaned. Ten after nine. She’d slept through her alarm. Why hadn’t Ben wakened her? She’d planned to get their breakfast.
What a great wife she was turning out to be!
She washed her hair and showered in record time. It didn’t take long to blow-dry it and put on lipstick. Then she donned a pair of tailored white pants and matching top over which she wore a navy blue cotton blazer.
After slipping into a pair of comfortable white cork wedgies, she dashed into the kitchen for a bite to eat before she reported to Ben’s office. To her surprise she found a note on the fridge.
Your breakfast is in the oven, sleepyhead. After so many gifts, it was the least I could do to show my appreciation. Come upstairs whenever you’re ready. Ben.
She quickly opened the oven door. He’d left a plate of sausage, scrambled eggs and cinnamon toast warming.
Ben— It was such a sweet thing to do.
Where he was concerned, she seemed to plumb a never ending well of tears. She fought to keep them from falling, but it was a losing battle.
Everything tasted delicious. She ate all of it and finished with a glass of orange juice. One more trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wipe her eyes. Now she felt ready to put on a bright face to hide her heartache from the husband she adored.
Their private elevator took her straight to the lobby opposite the board of directors’ conference room. She could hear voices. It sounded like they were in a meeting.
Ben had told her to come upstairs, but he’d probably assumed she would show up before this. Afraid to disturb, she walked around to his private office and peeked inside the door.
“Come all the way in.”
Her husband had spotted her. Now he was on his feet behind his large oak desk looking very much like the CEO in a pale blue silk suit. She felt his scrutiny as she made her way over to him.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” she began.
“Don’t apologize. You needed your sleep.”
“Thank you for the delicious breakfast. I loved it.”
“Good. It’s about time I did something considerate for my wife for a change.”
Her stunned blue gaze flew to his. “What are you talking about?” she cried. “I’m so spoiled now, it’s pathetic. You’ve treated me like a princess from the moment we met. It’s time I started my training. What would you like me to do first?”
His gaze had narrowed on her mouth, distracting her. “Come with me.” He walked around his desk and grasped her hand. When she realized where he was headed, she pulled back.
“If you want me to take notes of your meeting, I don’t know shorthand.”
“You have a very antiquated idea of what a secretary does these days. We already have a device that records everything and prints it.”
“Then I don’t understand why you want me to go in there.”
“Because I’m asking you,” he stated quietly. “Is that a good enough reason?”
His question made chaos of her emotions, but she had said she would try to be a good secretary. “Yes. Of course.”
“I’m glad that’s settled.”
He shifted his hand to her shoulder and ushered her into the boardroom. A sea of faces she recognized from the reception turned to look at her. One by one they smiled and nodded as Ben led her to the head of the table.
“Gentlemen? You’ve all met my new bride, Terri. If you recall at our reception, she gave a speech in which she alluded to some oversights having to do with the Atlantis.
“This morning I’ve asked her in her capacity as the head of our new chamber of commerce to give us her perspective on several issues she deems of vital importance.”
He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Take all the time you need.”
CHAPTER TEN
RARELY in her life had Terri been at a loss for words.
Thirty billionaires of every nationality who were the brains of megacorporations sat there politely waiting for her to speak.
When she’d found certain items lacking in the brochure and had voiced her opinion, she never realized just how deeply she’d hurt Ben. She assumed this was his way of letting her know she’d scarred him.
What better method of retribution than to throw her into the deep end among his colle
agues, then sit by and watch her try to save herself.
How horrible last night must have been for him. Under the circumstances it would have taken every bit of will-power to tolerate kissing her hand. To think she’d been waiting for him to crush her mouth in long suppressed passion.
A shudder racked her body.
There was only one thing to do. She would have to present her case in the most professional way possible. The last thing she would ever want to do is embarrass him.
But when she walked out of here, she would pack the few things she needed and arrange a flight to take her from the ship to the nearest airport on the mainland. From there she’d make arrangements to get home to Lead.
Ben was in too deep to divorce her, so she would do him the favor of leaving. No one had to know what was going on. At least not for a while. He could tell people she was seasick, or that her mother was ill.
Unfortunately the situation with Juanita was something he would have to take care of. The poor thing couldn’t be moved yet, and Terri couldn’t stay. If there was one thing to be thankful for, she hadn’t unpacked anything in the condo. Ben could send it all back where it came from.
“Good morning, gentlemen. I didn’t realize my husband would ask me to talk to you about something we discussed in private. That’s what comes from a whirlwind marriage.”
Everyone laughed.
“I can only liken this occasion to that moment when the president of the United States first takes possession of the White House. There’s a thirty-day honeymoon period where certain sins are forgiven. I hope you will extend me that same grace.”
To her relief they were still smiling. The only person whose face wasn’t visible was her husband’s. Because of that, she could go on.
“As you can imagine, we had so many other things on our minds, I never saw the brochure of Ben’s dream ship, as I like to call it, until a few days ago. Because I’m a new wife, my thoughts have been centered on raising a family, maybe having a dog to love.
“But I soon learned about the covenants that have been drawn up concerning the sale of the condos, for instance the no pets policy, and the restriction on children below high school age.
“When I realized this was a floating city that wasn’t interested in having babies and animals aboard, I guess I felt depressed. It was an emotional reaction on my part. But to me a true community is a cross section of life.
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