by Sharon Sala
“Oh, great,” Marilee muttered.
As they stopped for a red light, Justin reached over and squeezed her hand.
“It won’t be so bad,” he said softly. “Just remember that I’m on your side. Stand your ground, darlin’. I know you can do it. If it doesn’t work out, they’ll be the ones leaving, not you, understand?”
I’m on your side. The words were still ringing in Marilee’s ears when Justin accelerated through the intersection. Within a few short minutes, he was turning off the main highway onto a blacktopped, two-lane road.
Marilee tensed. As the miles passed, she began to fidget.
“So...this is the way to the ranch?”
He looked at her and then smiled.
“Darlin’, we’ve been on the ranch ever since we turned off the highway.”
Her eyes widened. She turned around, looking back at where they’d been and then faced the windshield and the land beyond it. It seemed to go on forever without any sign of housing in sight. The longer she sat, the stiffer she got. Justin expected her to be nervous but wasn’t prepared for what appeared to be anger.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Her chin tilted, but she wouldn’t look at him.
“You didn’t tell me about this.”
He frowned. “About what?”
“All this,” she said, waving her hand toward the land through which they were passing. Then she turned to face him, her eyes blazing with fury. “You’re not just well-off, are you, Justin Wheeler? You’re stinking rich.”
He wanted to laugh, but knew it would probably get his face slapped. He’d never met a woman who was insulted by his money before.
“Well...sort of,” he said.
She rolled her eyes, her nostrils flaring in anger.
“Oh, perfect! That just takes the cake.”
“I don’t get it,” Justin said. “Why does this matter?”
“Your parents. They’re going to think I got pregnant on purpose, you dolt! They’re going to think I’m after your money.”
He frowned. She was right. They would think it. The odd thing was it had never occurred to him until she’d said it, and he didn’t know why. It should have. He’d had it drummed into his head from the time he’d started to date. He looked at her again. She had withdrawn from him even more and was sitting in silence, staring out the window. Hating that she was even more troubled than before, he reached for her hand.
“Honey?”
“What?” she muttered.
“I never thought it, and that’s all that should matter.”
Marilee exhaled on a sigh as she turned to look at Justin. He was big and gorgeous, and right now was wearing an expression that could only be called earnest.
“Really?”
He nodded.
She sat up a little straighter and managed a small smile. “Thank you, Justin. I think that’s about the nicest thing you’ve ever said.”
He grinned. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s get this over with. What do you say?”
She nodded.
He winked and then hit the accelerator. Minutes later a large, sprawling ranch house appeared on the horizon. The closer they came, the tighter the knot in Marilee’s belly grew. When he pulled into the yard and parked, she felt faint. There were at least a dozen cars parked in front of the house. She looked at Justin.
“I knew you should have called. They have company.”
He wasn’t in the mood to admit that Marilee was right. “Probably just one of Mother’s groups,” he said. “She’s on the board of several charities.”
“How absolutely perfect,” she muttered.
Justin grinned. “Now, darlin’, I know you can handle this. Where’s that spitfire who nailed my ass to the floor of the Roadrunner?”
She thought about it a minute and then sat up straight.
“I’m right here,” she muttered, and proceeded to get out of the vehicle before Justin could open the door for her. All he could do was follow.
“Leave the bags,” he said. “I’ll get them later. I want to get you inside and to our room so you can rest. I’ll get the cook to bring you a snack.”
Marilee almost stumbled. Cook? They have a cook? Lord...please don’t let there be a butler, too. I’m not cut out for this life.
But then Justin slid his arm around her shoulder to steady her, and gave her a quick, comforting hug. After that, everything settled into place. Whatever was going to happen would just have to happen. She’d married the man and it was too late to turn back.
A few moments later they entered the foyer. Marilee took one look at the wide hallway and the red Spanish tiles on the floor and tried not to roll her eyes in dismay. The hall was bigger than her kitchen back home. Then she sighed. That small frame house in Amarillo was no longer home, nor was it hers. This was going to be home, but it remained to be seen just how sweet it would be.
Up ahead, she could hear a murmur of voices. That must be where the women were gathered in their meeting. She glanced at Justin. He seemed oblivious to the tension she was feeling, but when he saw her looking at him, he gave her a wink and squeezed her hand. A little more of her nervousness faded. He didn’t love her, but he was certainly standing by his promises.
“Come on, honey. I’ll take you to my—our—bedroom so you can stretch out. We can do the tour of the place later after everyone leaves.”
“Okay, but—”
“Justin?”
They both turned. Marilee took one look at the cool questioning look on Judith Wheeler’s face and braced herself for the worst.
“Darling! I didn’t think you were ever coming home,” Judith said, gliding across the floor and then lifting her cheek for her son to kiss. She glanced at Marilee and then looked quickly away as she grasped Justin’s arms.
To the observer, it might appear that her actions were a form of an embrace, but to Marilee it looked more like an effort to control.
“Justin, darling, is there something I can help you with?” Judith asked while staring pointedly at Marilee. “Has this woman had car trouble? Is she ill? Have Maria call for a mechanic or a tow truck—whatever is needed. There’s no reason for you to bother yourself any further. I’m sure you’re exhausted from your trip.”
A muscle jerked along Justin’s jaw. His mother’s thinly veiled insult about not bothering himself with Marilee had not gone unnoticed.
“No thanks, Mother. Marilee is with me and we don’t need any help. As soon as your guests are gone, we’ll talk.”
Judith’s eyebrows arched and her mouth settled into a moue of disapproval.
“Do you really think that’s wise...? I mean...putting a stranger within our private quarters?”
“Mother, let it go for now.” Then he looked at Marilee, silently begging her for patience. “Come on, honey. You’re the one who’s exhausted. You’ll feel better once you’ve had some rest.”
It was the word honey that set Judith off.
“Justin! I want to know who this woman is, and I demand an explanation now!”
Marilee held her breath as Justin turned on his mother, his voice low and angry.
“Fine. Mother, I’d like you to meet my wife, Marilee.” Then he looked at Marilee. “Marilee...my mother, Judith Wheeler.”
Judith’s lips went slack as her cheeks turned red. The look she gave Marilee would have finished a lesser woman. But Marilee had lived through much worse things than an angry woman. She smiled and extended her hand.
“Mrs. Wheeler, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I can see where Justin gets his looks.”
Torn between vanity and hysterics, Judith was just vain enough to hesitate, giving Justin the opening he’d been waiting for.
“Marilee has had a long, tiring ride. As I’m sure you remember, Mother, at this point in a pregnancy a woman needs plenty of rest.”
The mention of the word pregnancy was all the nudge Judith needed. Lowering her voice so that her guests would not hear her, she pointed at Ma
rilee’s stomach as if it were something foul.
“This is disgraceful and you know it. I can’t believe you’ve done this to us! Marrying a—a—nothing like her. My God, Justin Wade! She’s a virtual stranger!”
Marilee was tired of being talked about as if she wasn’t even there. Her back was starting to ache and her feet were throbbing as she threw back her head and laughed.
Judith froze. Laughter was the last thing she’d expected to hear.
“You think this is funny?” she hissed, glaring at Marilee.
“Well...yes...a little. Especially the part about us being strangers.” She patted her stomach to emphasize her point. “We got to know each other pretty well after being snowed in together last year, and if you think an insult is going to make me turn tail and run, then you better rethink your options.”
Without looking to see if Justin was following, Marilee strode up the hall, hoping she was going the right way. Justin quickly caught up with her, slipping an arm around her shoulder and whispering a quiet “well done,” leaving Judith with no other option except to get back to her guests before they caught on to the unfolding drama. The news would spread soon enough unless she could think of a way to get rid of this woman.
* * *
Later that evening, Marilee found that meeting Justin’s father, Gavin, wasn’t nearly as traumatic. By the time they sat down to dinner, he’d obviously been briefed on the situation and was wise enough to hold his tongue. He was congenial, even charming at times, and she was beginning to think this wasn’t going to be so bad after all. Just as the meal was coming to an end, Justin got a call. Excusing himself from the table, he left them alone. Judith glared mutely at Marilee and then muttered something about a headache, leaving Marilee alone with her new father-in-law.
He stood with a smile. “Are you interested in first editions?” he asked. “I have some fine ones in my library if you’d care to look.”
Marilee got up, thankful for normal conversation. “I’d love to see them,” she said. “Reading is one of my favorite pastimes.”
“Oh, I don’t read these,” Gavin said as he cupped her elbow and led her into the library.
Marilee frowned. “Really? Why on earth not?”
Gavin smiled, although his gut was in knots. He didn’t want his son tied down to some nobody and was appalled that they were already married. If only Justin had come to him first, he could have advised him to deal with this differently.
“Because they’re worth a lot of money, you know, and some of them are very rare. Using them might damage them.”
But Marilee was still frowning. “Yes, of course, I understood that. But they aren’t like fine paintings, are they? One can admire a Degas or a Van Gogh without touching it, but what good is a book—rare or not—if it can’t be read?”
Gavin was stumped for an answer. As they entered the library, he glanced toward the shelves holding his prize collection. Row upon row of leather-bound books were there for all to see, but as he stared, it occurred to him that she had a point. From where he was standing, all there was to see were the spines of the books. It was what was inside them that mattered after all.
“Do you have a favorite?” Marilee asked.
Gavin blinked, suddenly remembering where he was, and then moved toward the shelves.
“It would be hard to pick a favorite, but I’ll show you the one I owned first.” He took down a copy of Huckleberry Finn and handed it to her. “My daddy gave this to me for my tenth birthday.”
When Marilee saw the title, she smiled and nodded as she gently ran her hands over the book.
“Samuel Clemens was an interesting man, don’t you think? And yet, in spite of his fame, his personal life was so tragic. It’s amazing that a man who suffered so badly from depression could be so creative.”
Amazed by her knowledge, Gavin did nothing but nod. To his surprise, Marilee kept talking.
“He and his wife had four children, didn’t they? Or was it three? No, four, because the son died early on, and then his favorite daughter, Susy, died when she was young. It nearly killed him. Soon after, I think his wife passed away and then another daughter sometime after that. I believe he had one daughter who survived him.” Marilee handed the book back to Gavin with a sigh and then unconsciously laid the flat of her hand across her belly. “I can’t think of anything sadder than for a parent to outlive his children.”
Gavin felt shame as he put the book back on the shelf. So he’d misjudged her education. That still didn’t mean she wasn’t a gold digger. Without giving himself time to rethink his options, he strode to his desk and took out another book, only this one was black and flat and contained a pad of blank checks. He opened the cover, making sure that Marilee saw what was inside, and then he picked up a pen.
“How much?” he asked.
She frowned. “I’m sorry?”
Her innocence seemed genuine, but he wouldn’t let himself be swayed. Judith was livid and he’d promised to fix this the same way he fixed everything that went wrong.
“Don’t play innocent with me, lady. I’ve been around too long. How much do you want to disappear from my son’s life?”
Marilee recoiled as if she’d been slapped. This had taken her by surprise, and try as she might, she knew her eyes were tearing. But she wasn’t going to cry—not in front of him. She lifted her chin, her eyes flashing.
“Oh...I don’t know,” she drawled. “Exactly how much do you think your grandchild’s life is worth?”
Gavin stifled a smile, convinced that he’d read her right after all.
“How does fifty thousand sound?” he asked.
“Like you don’t think much of your own bloodline,” she snapped, and then turned toward the door as Justin strolled through. “Justin! You’re just in time!”
He smiled. “In time for what?”
Gavin’s gut started to knot. This wasn’t going the way he’d planned.
“Your father has just offered me fifty thousand dollars to disappear with your child, and I would appreciate it if you would tell him that this whole marriage thing was your idea, not mine.” Then she turned toward Gavin and fixed him with a cold, angry stare. “As for you,” she muttered, “I don’t want your money any more than I want Justin’s, and if you so much as offer me change for a parking meter, I will personally kick your worthless butt all the way to Sunday.”
She stomped out of the library with her chin up and her eyes blazing. She made it all the way to her room before she started to cry, unaware that Justin was picking up where she’d left off.
* * *
Justin punched his forefinger against the second button of his father’s white shirt. “You son of a bitch! How dare you! I’m not some randy sixteen-year-old who needs his daddy to get him out of trouble. I’ve known Marilee for more than a year. I care for her deeply. She’s a good, honest woman and she’s going to have my child.”
“How can you be sure it’s yours?” Gavin asked.
This time Justin didn’t put his finger on his father’s shirt; he put it in his face.
“Because I am,” he said softly. “And if I ever hear you say otherwise again, you’ll be out of my life—permanently. Do I make myself clear?”
Gavin paled. “Justin, son, you don’t mean that. You’re our only child. You can’t possibly be choosing a stranger over us?”
“But that’s just it, Dad. She’s not a stranger to me and she’s going to have my baby, which leaves you with one choice. Shut up or get out.”
He pivoted angrily and strode out of the room, leaving Gavin Wheeler with the distinct impression that he’d just barely escaped intact. He frowned. Judith wasn’t going to like this one bit, which meant that his life was going to become even more complicated than before.
Justin found Marilee in tears on their bed. Gathering her into his arms, he rocked her where they sat.
“I’m so sorry that happened,” he said. “That was unforgivable, but I promise it won’t happen again.�
�
Marilee shuddered on a sob. “Just forget it.”
“Can you?”
She couldn’t answer and wouldn’t look at him, and it shamed him that she’d had to endure such an affront.
“How about an early night?” he asked. “I have a big assortment of movies. I’ll even let you pick.”
Knowing he was doing all he knew how to make her feel better, she nodded an okay.
“Great,” he said. “You get your nightgown on and I’ll turn on the TV. When you’re ready, the videos are all in that cabinet.”
“Okay.”
Justin watched her as she got up from the bed. The larger her belly grew, the more fragile she appeared. It was almost as if the baby was sapping all of her strength. The thought frightened him. What would happen to her when it came time to deliver? Would she be strong enough to withstand the rigors of childbirth, or—
He shuddered and then thrust away the notion, refusing to accept any but positive thoughts.
Marilee undressed in the bathroom and then slipped on her nightgown. When she turned to wash her face and brush her teeth, she refused to look at her own reflection, afraid that the fear in her heart would be evident on her face. This situation wasn’t good. All she could do was pray that it would eventually change. Living in this atmosphere wasn’t going to be healthy—for her or for her child.
When she came out of the bathroom, Justin was nowhere in sight. Nervously she glanced at the door, wondering what battles were being waged beyond, then moved toward the cabinet where the videos were stored. The selection of movies was broader than she had expected. After a few minutes of browsing, she chose one and carried it with her back to the bed. Crawling in between the sheets, she propped herself up with the pillows.
The room was quiet; the muted colors of beige and blue soothing. In spite of the drama of the earlier events, she found herself beginning to relax. As the tension in her muscles began to ease, her eyelids drooped. She was hovering near sleep when the sound of approaching footsteps brought her upright. Seconds later, Justin came in with a flourish, bearing a tray of goodies.
