JakesWildBride

by Lisa Alder

  Jake sped along the highway back toward Bloomington.

  “Could you slow down please?” Lilah asked in a soft, nervous voice.

  One minute she was Miss Priss, the next she was a siren temptress. He couldn’t get a handle on this woman he was married to. He flinched in his seat. Damn, he did not want to be married.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why should I slow down?”

  “Because speeding is against the law.”

  He didn’t argue with her but he wanted to. She hadn’t minded last night. But today as they got closer and closer back to town, Lilah had become progressively quieter.

  He glanced over to her. She sat prissily straight in her seat, her neck at what had to be an uncomfortable angle.

  “Sure.” Jake slowed down.

  Lilah imperceptibly relaxed.

  But as they neared the town limits, she stiffened up again. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that her posture thrust her breasts forward in a most enticing manner. He was supposed to live with her for the next few weeks and not touch her? Right. It was going to be torture.

  “Where do you want to go first?” Bed was out of the question.

  He glanced back at her. Damn, he wished they’d taken time in the hotel room before they’d left New Orleans. He’d been tempted.

  After the steamy kiss in the carriage, he probably could have talked her into it. They’d gone back upstairs to collect their meager pile of stuff. And when Jake had seen the comforter balled up on the floor, he’d immediately thought of the wicked things they had done in bed, on the sofa, and on the stairs.

  Jake started to sweat. This was going to be the longest few weeks of his life.

  “My aunt’s house. I need to pick up my suitcases.”

  “Sure.” He swung onto the street, and pointed the car toward the place where it all began.

  “Oh my gosh.”

  She couldn’t help it but all Jake remembered when she said those words, was her astride him on the sofa, shattering in his arms. Damn, they turned him on.

  “What?” Jake looked away from Lilah and focused on the street.

  A police car, lights flashing, was parked crookedly in front of her aunt’s house.

  “Hurry,” Lilah said. “I hope Peggy is okay.”

  Jake jerked the Porsche to a halt just behind the police car. Lilah was already out the door and halfway up the walk when Jake slammed his car door.

  Peggy’s head snapped up at the noise. She stood next to old Sheriff Thompson, who had his notebook open and was scribbling away. When she saw Lilah, she took off at a fast waddle.

  Lilah rushed up to her friend and grabbed her arm. “Is everything okay? The baby? The kids?”

  “You’re here!” Peggy exclaimed. She ran her hands over Lilah’s hair as if reassuring herself that she was okay. “Thank God, you’re okay.”

  Peggy whipped around to the Sheriff.

  “He kidnapped my friend.” Peggy pointed straight at Jake. “Arrest him!”

  EIGHT

  Kidnapped? Oh my. Lilah had never called Peggy. She must have been worried sick. But kidnapped?

  “Thank God you’re okay. I’ve been so worried about you.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Everything is under control. I’ve got the dress out and all ready to go. Tom is on his way.” Peggy babbled.

  “Tom?” For a moment, Lilah was baffled. So much had happened since last night. Then, it hit her. Peggy didn’t know about Tom.

  “Tom. Your fiancé, who would like to know when his fiancée is kidnapped,” said Peggy.

  “Jake Forrest.” Sheriff Thompson narrowed his eyes and ambled toward Jake.

  “No!” Lilah flew over to stand in front of Jake, spreading her arms out wide. “He didn’t do anything.”

  “Technically, that’s not true,” Jake whispered in her ear. But she could hear the amusement in his voice. “Lilah are you protecting me?”

  “Are you protecting him?” Peggy’s face was aghast.

  “Yes. I am.”

  Lilah watched with horror as the sheriff extended his hand. Jake’s arm came out around her body, and he reached out to the sheriff.

  “Don’t—”

  “Shake hands?” There was outright laughter in Jake’s voice now as he clasped the older man’s hand with his. “Sheriff.”

  “Son.” The sheriff nodded. “Looks like you got yourself a pretty little protector there.”

  Jake released Sheriff Thompson’s hand. “Seems that way.”

  “Someone you might want to hang onto if you’re fixing to stay in town.”

  “No need to fish, Sheriff,” Jake said easily. “I’ll be in town a few weeks.”

  “Welcome home.” The sheriff nodded toward the three of them, then sauntered over to his car.

  “Wait a minute,” Peggy cried. “Aren’t you going to do…something.”

  “Peggy, calm down. This can’t be good for the baby,” Lilah said.

  The Sheriff sighed. “Miz Mason were you with Mr. Forrest of your own free will?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well then, there you have it. Case solved.”

  A car screeched to a halt next to the sheriff’s car. Tom jumped out and yelled, “Wait. Stop. I can explain.”

  “Christ, this is like the three stooges, all we need is—”

  Marion hopped out of the other side of the car. “It’s my fault.”

  The sheriff’s bushy eyebrows went up into the brim of his official looking hat.

  “Sheriff, I insist you take my statement,” Tom said desperately. “I asked Jake to take care of Lilah last night.”

  “Why would you ask him to take care of your fiancée?” Peggy shouted.

  “Calm down, Peggy,” Lilah said.

  “Because she isn’t his fiancée anymore,” Marion said.

  “You’re not getting married?” Peggy’s eyes were wild. Lilah thought Peggy might be more upset than she was. Which was funny in a strange sort of way.

  “What happened?” The sheriff asked, clearly intrigued.

  All eyes turned toward Lilah. This was what she’d been trying to avoid. The public scrutiny, the censure of doing the wrong thing, the wild thing. But she hadn’t done anything wrong. Tom had.

  Jake moved in closer to Lilah, his chest nearly pressed up against her back. The warmth from his body soothed her, and instinctively she reached down her hand to thread her fingers with his.

  Lilah thought about Tom’s standing in the community. “Tom and I decided not to get married.”

  “What?” Peggy screeched.

  Tom ignored Peggy. “Lilah, that’s not true.”

  “Oh, this is all my fault,” wailed Marion, waving the paper. The Times-Picayune if Lilah wasn’t mistaken.

  “It’s not your fault. It’s mine.” Tom turned toward Marion, and Lilah saw how he looked at her. He really was in love with her. It was the way his eyes touched on her. Not reverently and gently, like they had on Lilah. But with more heat, more intensity.

  And in that moment, Lilah knew she had to do the right thing. She might still be hurting from Tom’s actions, but he truly did love Marion. Lilah could see it.

  Peggy frowned, as if noticing Marion for the first time. “What do you—”

  Lilah knew she had to distract Peggy. Fast. “Do you believe in love at first sight, Peggy?”

  Peggy’s eyes widened, her gaze shot to where Lilah and Jake’s hands were entwined. “You’re holding hands with him. What did he do to you?”

  “Peggy, you’re blowing this all out of proportion. Jake was a perfect,” she started to say gentleman, but that wasn’t really the case. “Jake was perfect.”

  Jake’s hands cupped her shoulders and he squeezed gently.

  Tom snatched the paper out of Marion’s hands and shook it. “When I asked you to take care of her, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

  Neither Lilah or Jake spoke. But Lilah could feel the f
lush spread up her body. Sometimes being fair-skinned was a frightful curse.

  “Where did you take her?” Peggy asked.

  “We went to New Orleans.”

  “You, you,” Peggy couldn’t seem to speak. “But where did you stay?”

  “At a lovely hotel,” Lilah said gently.

  “You stayed in a hotel room with him?” Marion asked. She and Tom exchanged a significant look.

  “A suite actually,” Jake said.

  “I thought it was a mistake, but it’s true, isn’t it?” Tom tapped at the picture on the front page. And in that moment, Lilah felt just a tiny bit sorry for the shock on Tom’s face.

  “I knew Marion would get the Times-Picayune,” Lilah murmured.

  “Yes.” Jake peered over her shoulder and looked at their picture. She could see him grinning like an idiot. “You can’t see Elvis.”

  “Thank goodness for small miracles.” She smiled back at him, and for a moment, lost herself in the warmth of his smile.

  “What? What’s true?” Peggy wailed. “Why doesn’t anyone tell me anything?”

  “She’s not usually this, um,” Lilah hesitated, at a loss for words. “It must be the hormones.”

  “She thinks I’m the anti-Christ.” But Jake grinned as he said it.

  “What’s true?” Peggy said through gritted teeth.

  Sheriff Thompson leaned against the side of his car, obviously waiting for the answer. Even if he didn’t understand the question.

  This was it. Lilah had to make this good. It was the beginning of her campaign to get Jake the respect he deserved. She pasted on a brave smile and turned to look at Jake, trying to put as much love and admiration in her gaze as she could. It wasn’t as hard as it should have been.

  “Jake and I….” Lilah lost herself in the heat of his eyes. He had good eyes. Not wild like she’d thought he would have when she first saw him in the church. Her daddy had always said, a man’s grit is in his eyes.

  “Jake and you what?” Peggy demanded.

  Jake had grit and he deserved her help. “Jake and I got married last night,” Lilah announced.

  “Married?” Peggy screeched.

  Then she fainted dead away.

  ***

  Peggy reclined against a stack of pillows on the floral sofa, where Jake had put her after he’d caught her on the way down.

  The sheriff was gone. Jake had thought, if nothing else, he had one ally in town. But, after he found out about their marriage, the sheriff had aimed a significant look at Jake. Stay on the straight and narrow boy. Not exactly an inspiring show of support.

  “What were you thinking?” Peggy slung her hand over her eyes.

  She always had been melodramatic.

  Jake caught Peggy’s malevolent stare and his amusement faded.

  “Let’s worry about you and the baby right now.” Lilah fussed and fretted over Peggy like a mother hen. She patted Peggy’s stomach with a gentle hand. A strangely wistful expression crossed her face. “All this excitement can’t be good for her.”

  “You’re right. You’re right.” Peggy rubbed her giant belly in little circles.

  Tom paced behind the sofa. Marion sat quietly in a chair by the fireplace. And Jake stood off to the side. Not involved, just waiting patiently for this charade to end. After all he had nowhere to go but home.

  “Jake would you get Peggy a glass of water, please?”

  “Sure.” He was happy to leave the room and have something to do. He found the ancient kitchen with little difficulty.

  Tom followed him quickly. “Jake. What did you do?”

  “Why does everyone assume I’m the one who did something? Has it ever occurred to you that Lilah dragged me into a bar, forced me to enter a contest and begged to get married?”

  “No,” Tom said gently.

  Jake couldn’t resist the dig. He was tired of always being the bad guy. “Then maybe you don’t know Lilah as well as you thought.”

  Tom winced, but held firm. “Did you get her drunk?”

  “We’d both had a little to drink, but neither one of us was drunk when we got married.” Just thinking about the ceremony caused him to smile. He hoped the pictures turned out well. He definitely wanted one to remind him of an incredible night.

  “You didn’t take advantage of her, did you?”

  “None of your business, Tommy.”

  Tom got a funny look on his face. “Lilah wouldn’t….”

  Jake’s temper spiked. “Lilah wouldn’t what?”

  “Don’t hurt her, Jake.”

  With four short words, Tom had cut Jake to the bone. This was his best friend from high school. The man he’d come across the country for, back to a place where he thought he’d never be welcome again, to be in Tom’s wedding.

  He’d been right.

  With Tom’s warning, Jake felt a rage in him. “That’s rich, coming from you. You’re the one who dumped her the night before your wedding.”

  “I feel terrible about that.”

  “Obviously not too terrible.” Jake cast a glance toward the living room, where Marion sat quietly.

  Tom flinched. “Lilah’s vulnerable right now.”

  “She’s a grown woman.” Who could take care of herself.

  “Lilah has this innate goodness in her.” Tom hesitated. “I just don’t want….”

  “Yeah. For her to get hurt. I got that,” Jake said tiredly. He wondered if it had ever occurred to Tom that Lilah could hurt him. He wasn’t sure where that thought came from, but he knew it was true.

  Tom looked discomfited. “Sorry.”

  “It’s,” Jake exhaled on a sigh. Tom was trying to protect Lilah. He couldn’t fault him for that. “Fine.”

  “Jake.”

  “She saved your bacon you know,” Jake said conversationally.

  “I never intended—”

  ”You know what they say about roads and intentions, Tommy?”

  Tom flushed guiltily.

  Lilah was a really good person. A little prissy maybe. She certainly didn’t deserve what Tommy had done. “It was hard for her. Especially since she worries so much about what other people think.”

  “You’ve come to know her very well in a short time.”

  Jake glanced sharply at Tom, but there was no cynicism in his face. If anything, he looked surprised and guilty.

  “Why did you do that to her Tommy?”

  Tom flushed, again.

  Christ, this was none of his business. “Never mind. None of my business.”

  He’d planned to ask for Tom’s advice. Lilah shouldn’t stay with Jake. It would be worse for her reputation than only being married to him for a day. He’d planned to tell Tom about the fake marriage and maybe Tom would have a better idea. But not now. Lilah would stay with him.

  “No. You’re right.” Tom paced around the tiny, old-fashioned kitchen. “You deserve an answer.”

  “Wrong. Lilah deserves an answer.”

  ***

  “I believe I’ll go check on that glass of water.” Marion jumped up and fled the room.

  As Marion left the room, Peggy stared after her. Lilah could almost see the wheels turning. Then Peggy whispered, “Lilah. There’s something I have to tell you about Jake.”

  “Hush for a minute. You’re still all wound up.”

  “Are you really married?”

  “Yes.” A small glow of pleasure flowed through Lilah. She really was married. Not for long, but at least now she knew what her purpose was. Working to restore Jake’s reputation would also help quell her wildness. She could do this. Once she made a decision, nothing could sway her.

  “But, how?”

  “Actually, it’s sort of a funny story.” Lilah leaned closer, and told her how their wedding came about.

  Peggy relaxed imperceptibly. “So you aren’t really married.”

  Lilah blushed. She was about as married as she could get in eighteen hours. But she couldn’t tell Peggy about that. “Actually we are. It’
s all legal.”

  “You didn’t….”

  “Didn’t what?” But Lilah could feel her blush intensifying.

  “You had sex with him?” Peggy asked in a fierce whisper. “You haven’t had sex in six years.”

  “Yes, I know,” Lilah responded drily.

  “And you picked Jake to break your fast.” Peggy shook her head. “He won’t stay you know.”

  Lilah looked at the concern on her friend’s face. She couldn’t let Peggy go on worrying about her. “If I tell you a secret, you have to promise not to tell.”

  “Okay.” Peggy crossed her heart with her finger and then made a key turning in the lock motion at her lips.

  “We’re not staying married.”

  “Oh.” Peggy relaxed visibly.

  “Jake is helping me out. I’m worried about the repercussions at work.” Lilah didn’t mention that she didn’t want everyone to think badly of Jake. “It’s really nice of him.”

  Peggy snorted.

  “It wasn’t his fault.” Lilah defended hotly. “If anything it was my fault. I talked him into everything.”

  “You talked him into going into a bar and going up on stage with you.”

  “Yes.”

  Peggy just shook her head.

  “Can I tell you another secret?” Lilah shouldn’t admit this. Her friend had no idea about the wild thoughts and words that she suppressed. Lilah didn’t want Peggy to think badly of her.

  Peggy nodded.

  “It was fun. Really, really fun.” Lilah giggled, then clapped a hand over her mouth.

  Peggy’s eyes widened, like a magnolia bud ready to pop.

  “You don’t think badly of me, do you?”

  “To tell you the truth, Lilah, I think it’s great. You worry too much about what other people think.”

  Lilah frowned. “Poor Jake. I worry about what the town thinks of him.”

  “Whatever they think, it’s well deserved.”

  “Peggy!”

  “It is. Jake Forrest is a snake.”

  “No he isn’t.”

  “If you knew the things he’d done, you wouldn’t argue.”

  “What things?”

  Peggy pursed her lips. “You’re not staying married, right?”

  “No.”

  “Then it doesn’t matter.”

  But how could Lilah help his reputation, if she didn’t know what she was up against. She tried for a few more minutes but Peggy wouldn’t tell her.