Lauren woke to Seth’s side of the bed empty and her heart sank; he’d gotten up and left without even waking her, not a good sign. Now she’d have to face him later, knowing that what they’d done last night hadn’t been as wonderful for him as it had been for her. If it had been, he’d still be here. But then the door flew open and Seth came stomping back in, a single sheet of paper in his hand. He sat down heavily on one of the chairs and she could hear it groan under his weight. She was sure that something was wrong, so she jumped out of bed, wrapped a sheet around her, and went to his side.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, thinking that something had happened with the lease.
Seth just shook his head and kept repeating, “I don’t believe it.”
Lauren was getting frustrated. “Seth, what’s wrong?” she asked again, this time putting her hand on his arm.
He pulled away from her and held the paper in front of her face so close she couldn’t see what it said. “This is what’s wrong. Do you know what this is?”
“No, because I can’t see it,” she said, ripping the page from his hand.
“Well, take a good look because apparently we got married last night,” Seth said, jumping up from his chair to begin pacing the room.
“That’s impossible, I was there, I think I would have remembered that,” she said, shaking her head.
“Read it,” Seth said, then turned and looked at her, his face a mask of fury.
She skimmed over the document down to the bottom where she found both of their signatures, then read it again more carefully, horrified to discover that it was indeed a marriage certificate and it was signed by them both as well as Grandfather. She sat down heavily on the bed, her head swimming, her breath coming out in short gasps. Last night was only supposed to be about discovering passion and nothing else.
“But when? How? I don’t remember getting married.” Lauren couldn’t quite believe that what she was seeing was true. “This just isn’t possible. You can’t get married and not know it.”
“Well, I’ve got news for you, it looks like we did,” Seth said sarcastically, shooting Lauren a dirty look.
“It’s not like I planned it, don’t take it out on me. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not that excited about being married to you either,” Lauren said, hoping her words would sting a little bit and they did.
Seth stopped pacing abruptly to look at her, surprised when a wave of desire washed over him. She was sitting on the bed wrapped in a sheet and all he could think about was what was underneath it. He wanted to curse, wanted to hit something, wanted to take her in his arms, but instead he walked across the room and sat down next to her on the bed.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this. There has to be some way out,” he said, and took her hand. He opened his mouth to say more, but there was a knock on the door and Marci’s cheerful voice rang out in the morning air.
“Good morning, you two. I’ve brought you some clean clothes,” she called through the door.
Lauren scrambled off the bed and found the dress she’d been wearing the night before, barely managing to get it on before Seth opened the door. The minute Marci’s face appeared, he asked, “What the hell happened last night?”
Marci tried to look innocent but was having a difficult time of it. “What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean. How did Lauren and I end up married? That was not part of the deal,” he said, the scowl on his face making it all too clear that he wasn’t the least bit happy.
Marci had the grace to look sorry, but all she said was, “It’s only for a year.”
Lauren had been watching the entire exchange, shocked that her friend would have done something so devious to her. But she finally spoke up, “What do you mean it’s only for a year?”
“At the end of a year, if you don’t want to be married anymore, then the marriage is voided,” Marci said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
“That makes no sense, that’s not the way marriage works,” Lauren said, more confused than ever.
“It does for the Yup’ik. Marriage is a big commitment, spending so much time with another person and all that,” Marci patiently explained. “We’ve just found that a trial period is a good thing.”
“But if it’s a Yup’ik marriage then it’s not valid anywhere else. Right?” Lauren was sure she’d found a way out.
Seth snorted. “I’m afraid not, native marriages are legally binding in Alaska. You just became a very rich woman, Lauren,” Seth said, shooting Marci anther dirty look.
Lauren stared at him shocked. “Is that all you can think about, your money?” It was the last thing she’d expected him to say and small part of her was hoping that he’d be just a little bit happy, but he was anything but happy and it hurt. “And just in case you were wondering, I don’t care about your money, that’s the last thing on my mind.”
Seth knew that it had been a stupid thing to say, Lauren had never been impressed with his money. But he was so angry and confused that he had to get some of it out of his system. He wanted to yell at Marci, but he didn’t dare, if word got out that he had, he’d be in big trouble. Instead he looked at both women and started for the door.
When he got there, he was tempted to just walk out and slam it, but he couldn’t do that to Lauren, she was just as innocent in this as he was. “I need some time to think. I’ll see you later.” Then he walked out, shutting the door as loudly as he dared.
Lauren sat down on the bed again and let silence settle over the cabin, too confused to speak, wondering how her life had gotten so out of control in only a few weeks. Her carefully planned out life had suddenly disappeared, replaced with something she’d neither asked for nor planned on.
Marci sat in silence waiting for Lauren to say something; she was feeling a little bit bad suddenly about what she’d done, but deep down she was still sure that it was going to work out perfectly. Finally, Lauren stood up and went to look out the window, needing some distraction to calm her racing thoughts.
Watching the village go about its business as if the world hadn’t just come crashing down, she realized that life seemed to be going on just as it had the day before. It helped to sort through her emotions, and the first that emerged was hurt that Marci had tricked her into marrying Seth, and there was no doubt in her mind that she’d done exactly that.
“I don’t understand why you did this,” she said, turning from the window to face Marci.
Marci took a deep breath, thinking carefully about what she wanted to say. “I’ll answer that if you’ll answer a question for me first,” she finally said, knowing that she had to make Lauren understand that she and Seth belonged together.
“I don’t know why I should,” Lauren shot at her, getting more and more frustrated with Marci who was supposed to be her friend.
“Because I want you to see what’s so obvious to me,” Marci said, then asked, “How do you feel when you’re with Seth?”
Lauren thought about Marci’s question and knew that answer was simple, but the situation wasn’t. “That’s not fair, Marci. Just because we’re attracted to each other doesn’t mean we should get married. I never wanted to get married and neither did he. I could lose my job for this.”
Marci was unfazed. “That job isn’t your future, it’s only a stepping stone,” Marci said, shrugging her shoulders.
“That’s what I used to think too,” Lauren said, her future completely unclear to her for the first time since she was just a small child.
Chapter 10
Seth was packing gear onto the trailer attached to his four-wheeler when Thomas found him the next day. He’d been avoiding everyone, not just Lauren, since the morning before when he found out that the one thing he’d sworn he’d never do he’d done. What made it worse was that he’d spent the best night of his life with the woman he’d just married. Most men would have been overjoyed, but Seth had never planned such a conventional life and couldn’t quite come to grips with
the fact that it had suddenly been thrust upon him.
After a long discussion with Grandfather, who had verified that the marriage was real and binding, pointing out that he and Lauren had been dressed in the ceremonial clothes, had signed the marriage license in front of the entire village, then spent the night together. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t make it go away,” he’d said, then added, “But when the year is up, if you still feel this way I’ll do what’s necessary to end the marriage. That’s the best I can do for you, son.”
Seth wanted to ask him why he’d participated in the ceremony in the first place, but it would be unbelievably rude to challenge him, so he left quietly trying to figure out what he was going to do with his new wife. Intentionally or not, he’d made a commitment to Lauren, a promise, and he never broke his promises. Most alarming was the little part of him that was thrilled with the fact that Lauren belonged to him, and the little part that wondered what it might be like to wake up with her in his arms every morning.
He’d been pushing those thoughts from his mind when Thomas walked up, “Looks like you’re about ready to leave,” he said, testing the waters to see just how mad Seth was.
“Now that the lease is signed, I have a ton of things that need to be done before winter sets in,” Seth said, tightly. He was still mad at Thomas who had played a role in the mess he was in.
Thomas couldn’t let him leave with things the way there were so he tried to explain, “You know I had to do it, don’t you?” he tried, but Seth only shot him a dirty look and kept packing. “Look, I know guys don’t usually talk about stuff like this, but I’ve seen you with Lauren and take it from someone who loves his wife very deeply, she’s the perfect woman for you.”
“That’s for me to decide. You know how I feel about marriage,” Seth said, finally really looking at his friend for despite what Thomas had done, he knew that he was his friend.
“For what it’s worth, I didn’t agree with Marci, but I was outvoted as usual,” he said, with a silly grin, remembering how Marci had convinced him. “But whether you like it or not, you and Lauren are married for the next year, give it a chance, you might be surprised what you discover.”
Seth looked at him skeptically. “And if she doesn’t want to? What then?” Seth asked, knowing that he was voicing his biggest fear.
Thomas laughed. “You really don’t know how this works, do you? You chase her, do whatever you can to convince her to give it a shot. But do you really think you’ll have to?”
Seth thought about that and really didn’t know the answer. “I honestly don’t know.”
Seth and Lauren had been on the trail for two days, carefully circling around one another. Seth pushed them hard so by the time they stopped for the night, they were both too exhausted to do more than set up camp, feed themselves, and go to sleep. Neither had mentioned the fact that they were married; it seemed to Lauren that they were going to handle the situation by ignoring it, which was fine with her.
She was still in a state of shock and a little bit hurt that Seth had just disappeared that day, only to show up two days later to report that they were leaving the next morning. Since then the only words they’d exchanged had been those necessary to keep them functioning on the trail. Each day that passed made Lauren more and more sure that she’d only been a diversion for Seth, that what they’d shared was a one-time thing, and her cheeks burned to think how easy she’d made it for him.
Seth was thinking very different thoughts, thoughts that were so foreign to him he couldn’t quite get his head around them. He’d been keeping his distance, trying to sort through his confusion, but each night when he crawled into his tent all he could think about was Lauren sleeping just a few feet away. There had never been a woman who affected him the way Lauren did and he had no idea how to handle those feelings, so he buried them, only letting them out at night when he crawled into his sleeping bag alone.
When they finally reached his house after an especially long day on the trail, Lauren immediately began dragging her gear over to her little car. But Seth stopped her. “You can’t go home tonight, it’s too late,” he said, taking her bag from her and heading to the house.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve driven at night before, you know,” she said sarcastically, fed up with Seth’s silence.
“Not after spending three days on the trail. I know you’re tired, I am,” he said, the concern in his voice softening his words.
Lauren sighed. She wanted to get home, get away from Seth, but she was exhausted, the last few miles had been especially hard. When he felt that he was beginning to sway her, he added, “A hot shower and some real food might be nice too. I might even have a bottle of wine somewhere.”
It sounded so good, and Seth looked so hopeful, she agreed and followed Seth into the house. She followed him up the stairs to a room that faced the ocean. “My room is next door, this is a big house and I only keep a few bedrooms open. There’s a connecting door, but it locks from both sides,” he said, putting her bag down on the bed.
After he left, Lauren stripped off her clothes and climbed into the big shower, thinking that she could get used to this, then chiding herself for her thoughts. None of this was hers, and never would be; in a year they’d dissolve the marriage and she’d walk away no richer than when she’d begun, but certainly a little wiser.
She found him in the kitchen. He’d obviously showered as well, his dark curly hair was still gleaming with moisture. There was a fire lit in the fireplace and a wonderful smell coming from a pot on the stove. “Something smells wonderful,” Lauren said, her stomach growling so loud she was sure Seth could hear it.
“Just a quick sauce and some pasta,” he said, giving her a brilliant smile, thinking that she looked nice in his kitchen. Then quickly pushed the thought away.
“Can I help?” she asked, coming farther into the room.
“No, everything is ready,” he said, dishing up the pasta into two bowls and taking them to the little table he’d set next to the fire. In a move that surprised even him, he held her chair for her while she sat down.
He returned to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of wine and a basket of bread. Lauren took one look at the wine and promised herself she’d only have one glass tonight; no way was she going to let her guard down. The pasta smelled wonderful, the first real meal she’d had in days, so she took a bite and moaned when the flavors hit her tongue.
“Seth, this is wonderful,” she said, scooping another bit into her mouth.
“Well, I have time on my hands in the winter and I like to eat,” he said, pleased with her praise.
Lauren was surprised that he was talking to her, he’d been so distant on the trail that she’d begun to think that he was never going to talk to her again. “So now that the lease is signed, what’s the next step?”
“Well, I need to work on the logistics more, but I’ll have the entire winter to do that. As soon as the first snow flies, I’ll be heading for my cabin,” Seth said, not even realizing that what he did affected Lauren now too as if he’d truly forgotten that they’d gotten married.
Well, she decided in that instant, if that was the way they were going to play this, then that was fine with her. When the year was up, they’d meet at the village, do what had to be done to end things, and move on with their lives. “Oh, I thought we’d get started right away,” she said, to cover her hurt feelings.
“In Alaska as soon as the snow flies, everything shuts down until spring, I’ll be lucky to get all the supplies in before then. Even if we wanted to start construction, the weather wouldn’t let us,” Seth explained patiently, thinking that it was going to be a very long winter for Lauren.
They finished their dinner in silence, then cleaned up the kitchen together, their habits from the trail surfacing naturally. Seth wanted to take Lauren in his arms and kiss her but sensed that it wouldn’t be welcome. Lauren couldn’t stop thinking about the night they’d spent together and wondered if it would be as good
a second time or if it had just been the alcohol. The tension in the room continued to grow, each of them acutely aware of the other as they stood side by side at the sink.
When the dishes were finished, Lauren knew that she couldn’t face another minute with Seth, so she yawned hugely, and said, “I’ll think I’ll go to bed.”
Seth was disappointed but couldn’t see any way to keep her there with him. “Okay, goodnight.” Again, he was tempted to kiss her but instead let her walk out of the room, knowing that it was the smartest thing to do.
Lauren hoped that Seth would stop her, would come after her, but he didn’t. By the time she got to her room, she wished that she’d risked it on the road; late and tired or not, it would have been easier than Seth’s rejection. As she got ready for bed, she swore that she would never put herself in this position again, never let Seth reject her again, it just hurt too much.
He'd laid his plans out quite clearly, and she didn’t figure in them at all. Stifling the hurt that washed over her, she climbed into bed. Maybe it was a good thing that Seth had been so clear about his plans, at least now there wouldn’t be a question about where their relationship was going. She’d always striven for clarity in her life, and although it hurt, she had clarity now. Tomorrow, she’d head home and live her life as she’d planned; that thought should have made her feel good, but all it did was make her more upset.
It took Lauren hours to fall asleep, but when she did, it was a deep sleep. One that was full of dreams of Seth, of him holding her in his arms, of the wonderful way he made her feel. But those dreams were interrupted by a loud crash of thunder deep in the middle of the night, which had her jumping out of bed, confused and disoriented. She went to the window and pulled the blinds to see a churning sea and lightning flashing over the water.
Weak For You: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 15) Page 10
