The diner, closed now until the remodeling was completed, was empty of even the workers when he walked in. Only Kate was there, standing near the old counter, her face buried in her hands.
Immediately alarm kicked in. He circled her trembling shoulders with his arms. “Kate? Are you all right?”
After a week of avoiding him as much as possible, Kate leaned against him, letting him support her. He reveled in her body pressing against his, almost forgetting her distress.
“I’m fine. It’s just...I want to remodel and make everything a success, but...I hate to see it change. That doesn’t even make sense, does it?”
He turned her around, staring at that trembling bottom lip that always enticed him, the tears seeping from her hazel eyes. Using his knuckles to stroke away the moisture from her cheeks, he leaned down and gently rubbed her lips with his.
“Yeah, it makes sense. When Dad died, it was hard to get rid of his clothes. He’d never wear them again, but it meant I had to admit he wasn’t going to be there.”
She pressed her head against his shoulder. “Yes. I guess you do understand.”
He held her close, giving her time to recover. And tried to ignore his body’s response to her warmth.
“I have a proposal for you,” he finally muttered when he didn’t think he could hold her much longer without her becoming aware of his arousal.
She pushed back, more composed, and smiled at him. “You’ve already proposed once. Are you going to be a bigamist?”
“If it’s the same bride, I don’t think I can be a bigamist.” And he couldn’t imagine any other woman he’d want as his bride.
“Good point. Then, what’s the proposal?”
“That we marry Friday night.”
He pulled her back against him as her knees seemed to crumple beneath her.
“What—what did you say?”
“Let me explain. You’ll see it makes sense,” he assured her rather than repeat his idea. “Mother can’t arrange a wedding four weeks from Friday because the caterers and florists are all booked. This Friday works because there was a cancellation.”
“I don’t—you think you can change it from a party to a wedding?”
“Why not? We’ll surprise everyone. Halfway through the evening, you disappear and change into the wedding gown. I’ll step up and announce our wedding, the rental company can set out chairs, a minister will step forward and we’ll have a wedding. We already have flowers, food, guests. What more do we need?”
Guts would be nice.
Because Kate wasn’t sure she could handle Will’s surprise. Four days of living with him had made her question their engagement, much less their marriage. That chemical reaction she’d already experienced when they touched was making such proximity very difficult.
And now he wanted to marry her Friday night?
“We can’t. The dress won’t be ready.”
“Call them and offer a bonus. Tell them you need the dress early for the bridal portrait. They’ll accept that excuse easily.”
“But my family—”
“Will be there. Maggie and Susan are invited. And even your snobby aunt from Boston. Who else will you need? Tori will be there, too. You gave Mother a list, didn’t you?”
Yes, she had, and now she regretted it. “The—the license. We wouldn’t have time—”
“That’s why I’m here. We can go this afternoon.”
“Everyone will be shocked.”
He chuckled and lifted her chin so she had to look at him. “Don’t you remember? That was the real reason for the marriage in the first place. In fact, if we don’t do something odd, you’re going to become society’s newest darling and I’ll have to go to even more parties.”
He’d already accepted two invitations he’d insisted they had to attend. She would have been perfectly happy to ignore them, or at least refuse them politely.
“Haven’t you ever heard of the slogan, Just Say No?” she demanded in irritation.
“Honey, I’m no happier about these parties than you are, but I don’t want to insult anyone. It’s a tightrope walk, but I think our surprise marriage will help out.” He stroked her back as he spoke, sending tingles up and down her spine.
She pulled away. “This is crazy, Will. Maybe we should rethink—”
“What? Getting married?”
He sounded ferocious, glaring at her. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “Well, it’s—I’m not sure—”
“You were sure about spending my money,” he growled.
She had no comeback for his accusation. After all, he was right. She’d been writing checks right and left to pay for the work done on the diner. She had no choice.
Calmly, as if her heart weren’t beating impossibly fast, she said, “Yes, you’re right. I’ll call about my dress right now.”
Moving away from him helped her breathing. She found the number for the Bridal Shop at Hall’s and talked to the saleswoman. Though she protested, the woman finally agreed that the gown could be picked up Friday morning.
Kate turned around to discover Will staring at her, his arms crossed over his chest.
“That’s taken care of. Shall we go get a license?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice even. Perhaps her tone was a little high, but she did the best she could.
Will didn’t answer. He uncrossed his arms and waved for her to precede him. It was only after they were in the car and he was backing out of the parking lot that either of them spoke again.
“What did your mother say?”
In flat, even tones, he said, “I haven’t told her. Nor anyone else. This will be our little secret,” he ordered, “except for the minister. And the florist. You’ll need a bridal bouquet.”
“And a cake? If there’s no cake, people will—”
“And a cake!” He squared his jaw as if he were gritting his teeth. “Damn it! Half the town will know by Friday night.”
“Maggie, you are coming Friday night, aren’t you? You and Susan?”
Silence was the response, and Kate gripped the phone tightly. “Maggie?”
“Kate, I was going to call you. Susan and I talked about it and...well, we wouldn’t fit in with your guests, and neither of us has anything appropriate to wear. Would you mind terribly if we didn’t come?”
Kate’s eyes filled with tears. She didn’t think she could go through with the plan if her sister wasn’t with her. “Maggie, I—I need you there. Please.”
“Okay, I’ll be there,” Maggie immediately said. “I’ll find something to wear. But Susan—”
“Susan has to be there, too.”
“Kate, it’s not like this is your wedding. We’ll both be there for your wedding, but—”
“Yes, it is.” She wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, but if it meant the difference between her two sisters being there or not, she couldn’t keep the secret.
“What did you say?”
“We—we’re going to get married Friday night. But it’s a secret. You mustn’t tell anyone.”
“Why? Why the change? Are you sure you’re doing this of your own free will?” Maggie’s protective tones eased the tension in Kate’s heart.
She gave a watery chuckle. “Yes. I certainly wrote all those checks for the work on the diner of my own free will.”
“I have enough money to pay at least half of it back, if you’ve changed your mind. And I could probably get a loan for the rest of it.”
“Maggie, I love you so. But I can’t allow you to mortgage your future for something that you don’t believe in. You’ve always hated the diner.”
“Not hated, Kate. That’s too strong. It just wasn’t—I didn’t fit there. I’m not like you and Pop.”
Kate swallowed her tears. “Nope. You’re better. Look at how successful you are.”
Maggie broke the silence that followed. “Listen, we’ll be there to support you. Is there anything I need to do for you?”
“Pick up Aunt Lorraine at the airport.”
Maggie groaned. “Can’t I do something else, like drive spikes in my hands or walk on shards of glass?”
“I need you to meet her. Pick up Susan first, then Aunt Lorraine and all three of you come here to dress for the party.” The sooner she had her family around her, the better off she would be.
“Are you sure? We don’t want to intrude.”
“I need you.”
“We’ll be there,” Maggie assured her with no more hesitation.
Thank God for family.
Will spent the next three days making secret arrangements with the caterer for a cake, with party rental people for chairs, with the florist for a wedding bouquet. He even added bridesmaid bouquets for Maggie, Susan and Tori and corsages for his mother and Lorraine Feherty.
He was going to ask Charles to be his best man, but it occurred to him that Kate didn’t have anyone to give her away. Or at least escort her down the aisle.
A quiet consultation with Charles, a greatly shocked Charles, he might add, took care of that. He didn’t ask any friends to be groomsmen. He would recruit them when he announced the wedding. After all, they would be in attendance.
He was so busy, in fact, that he scarcely had time to think about the event he was planning. He’d thought he’d approach the wedding date with apprehension. After all, he’d never planned to marry.
Probably the reason he wasn’t shaking in his boots was that he knew the wedding wasn’t real. Kate couldn’t betray him. He had legal protection.
Besides, the danger in a marriage was giving one’s heart. And he had no intention of doing that.
Of course, according to the legal agreement, the real danger was in taking her to his bed. If that happened, then his heart didn’t matter. She could take half of everything he owned. Kate might not even realize how much she would gain, but his worth was over three hundred million.
And would be more when he took over the frozen foods company.
An entire year of not touching Kate.
His life was going to hell in a handbasket.
“William,” his mother said as soon as he answered the phone on Friday morning at the office.
“Good morning, Mother.”
“What are you doing at the office? I need you here.”
“Where are you, Mother?”
“At your house, and neither you nor Kate are present.”
“No, we’re both at work. Isn’t Betty there?”
“Of course she is, but she’s not the one getting engaged.”
He sighed. “What is the problem, Mother?”
“I thought you would be here to direct the party rental people. They’ve brought a lot of folding chairs. And the man was rude to me when I told him he’d made a mistake!”
Will realized he’d made a mistake if he thought he’d be able to get any work done this morning. “I’ll be right there, Mother. Get Betty to make you a soothing cup of tea and don’t talk to the rental people.”
“Of course not! I’ll just let him know that you are on your way and he’ll regret his hasty words!” She hung up the phone, satisfaction ringing in her voice.
It appeared the rental people would deserve a bonus by the time he got home.
Kate didn’t come back to Will’s house until three. She had trouble thinking of the house as anything but Will’s. She was only temporary, she reminded herself.
Since Maggie, Susan and Aunt Lorraine would arrive around four, she thought that would give her time for a leisurely bath. Plenty of time.
Too much time.
She didn’t want to think about what she was going to do that night. Her heart ached at the thought and she didn’t want to ask herself why.
Fortunately she had no time to think. Nor to take a leisurely bath. Both Will and Minam were waiting for her.
Will drew her aside as soon as she entered. “The bridal bouquet and three bridesmaid bouquets are in your room. I thought you would want Ton as well as your sisters to stand up with you.”
Bridesmaids? She hadn’t even thought of such a thing All she could do was nod.
“Did you pick up your gown?”
“It’s in the car. I was afraid to bring it in with your mother here.”
“Okay. Go let her show you what she’s done and I’ll sneak it up to your room.”
Kate followed his directions. She found Miriam surveying the backyard, ordering various men to do her bidding.
“No, I think the gazebo should be more centered. Move it forward two feet.”
After several glares directed toward Miriam, the four men shifted the small latticework structure.
“Miriam, everything looks lovely.” Fortunately Kate didn’t have to lie to compliment her. There were flowers woven through the latticework of the gazebo. Tables and chairs were scattered around the large yard, white tablecloths fluttering in the breeze. Each table had a hurricane lamp surrounded by a ring of greenery and gardenias.
“All right. You may lay the dance floor now,” Miriam ordered before turning back to Kate. “Good afternoon. I thought you were never coming home.”
“I’m sorry. Am I late?”
“Most ladies would spend their day having a massage, a manicure, a pedicure and having their hair done. You obviously have been working at that—that diner. I’m afraid you’ll embarrass my son in front of his friends.”
“I promise I’ll be ready on time,” Kate said coolly, not sounding very apologetic. She felt sorry for Miriam at times, but not always. Sometimes she understood exactly how Will felt.
“Well, you’d best get started getting ready. You only have four hours.”
A fairy godmother with a bad attitude.
Will got the wedding gown to Kate’s room without his mother noticing because she was fussing at Kate outside. The gown was enclosed in an opaque plastic bag, so he didn’t even have to threaten tradition by seeing the gown early.
He was smiling at his silly thought, as if this were a real wedding, when Kate met him on the stairs.
“Everything look okay?”
“Of course. Except for me, according to your mother. She thinks four hours won’t be enough to make me presentable.”
“I have faith in you,” he assured her, a teasing grin on his lips. He couldn’t resist pulling her against him and kissing her.
As her arms slid around his neck and she opened to him, he forgot the party, the wedding, everything but Kate. He wanted to take her straight to his bedroom, without passing Go.
The only thing that derailed his train of thought was the roar of a truck. Must be the catering truck. He almost shut off that thought, enjoying Kate a lot more than any thought of food, when a mental image of the wedding cake popped into his mind.
He pulled his lips from Kate’s, his eyes widening.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice slurred with passion.
“The cake. We’ve got to keep Mother from seeing the cake. Where can we hide it?”
Kate blinked several times, remaining in his arms. Both of them seemed paralyzed by his question.
Then she answered. “I’ll go tell your mother she needs to go home and get ready. You stall the caterers. They can unload everything else and make the cake the last thing.”
She pulled herself from his arms and hurried down the stairs. Her plan was a good one, but he hated having their embrace interrupted.
He followed her down and turned right to go out the front door. They had just opened the back of the van and were unloading a large piece of plywood covered with white plastic. On top sat a huge cake.
“No!” he ordered.
He shut his eyes as one of the deliverymen jumped in surprise and the plywood wobbled, then the cake. When he opened them a moment later, disaster had been avoided, but the catering staff wasn’t happy.
“Are you Mr. Hardison?” a stern-looking lady asked, her uniform embroidered with Trudi’s Catering.
“Yes, but you can’t unload the cake yet.”
“You almost caused
us to drop it!” she complained, still incensed.
“I apologize for that. But could you put it back in the truck?”
“No, it has to come out first. Now, if you’ll move out of the way—”
“But I don’t—Okay, we’ll put it in my study. Um, hurry.”
“Mr. Hardison, you can’t run a race with a cake this size. We’ll do the best we can.”
Will rushed into his study and swept the top of his desk clean. He should have planned for the cake’s arrival, but there had been so much to do.
Just as they were bringing the cake through the door and Will was breathing a little easier, his mother let out a scream.
Chapter Eleven
Miriam charged forward. “You nincompoops! Not a wedding cake. This is not a wedding! Can’t anyone do anything right?”
Kate grabbed her arm and held on, afraid she’d charge right into the two men carrying the cake. “Will?” she called, catching a glimpse of him over the men’s shoulders. “I think it’s time to let your mother in on the secret.”
Her words got Miriam’s attention, but the caterers were protesting her attack. The babble of voices increased as the front door, left open, was filled with Maggie, Susan and Aunt Lorraine.
Will stuck his head past the door of his study and looked at Kate, his lips quivering with laughter. “Are we having fun yet?”
Kate chuckled. His sense of humor pleased her so much. “Yes, Will, we’re having fun. Now, why don’t you explain things to your mother so the caterers can do their job? I’ll take my family upstairs.”
As seven o’clock drew near, Kate stared at herself in the mirror. Susan had swept her hair up into an elegant knot, leaving a few curls to frame her face. Maggie had given her a manicure. Aunt Lorraine had congratulated her on marrying into such a wealthy family.
“Will I do?”
Her shaky question was answered by all three, reassuring her. She turned to smile at her family. “Thank you for being here for me.”
“Well, this is certainly not proper etiquette, my dear, but I would never miss either of your weddings,” Aunt Lorraine assured her. “After all, I’m your family.”
Marry Me, Kate Page 11
