The Wedding Bargain

by Lisette Belisle

  Olivia was good at keeping it light. Nevertheless, Drew felt her growing tension. After the meal, he helped with the dishes. Olivia put the food away, swept the floor, reset the table for breakfast, then asked if he wanted coffee and more dessert. Drew refused.

  The cat curled up on Ira’s chair and fell asleep.

  Olivia hid a small yawn.

  “Time for bed,” Drew said, amused by her attempts to delay the inevitable. He’d persuaded her to share the same living space. He was under her roof.

  The next move was up to Olivia.

  “Of course.” She glanced at his luggage piled by the door—as if seeing it for the first time. “Shall I show you to your room?”

  Hiding a grin, Drew stifled the urge to toss her over his shoulder and carry her off to bed.

  “Our room,” he corrected her gently.

  “Mmm.” She backed away—toward the front hall and the stairs. When he followed empty-handed, she said, “Aren’t you forgetting your luggage?”

  “I don’t need it tonight,” he said.

  True, she had yet to see any sign of pajamas in his wardrobe. She blushed at the reminder of his total lack of inhibition, while she still had a few shreds left. She’d discovered a surprisingly passionate side to her personality. Actually Drew had discovered it.

  But was she ready to surrender completely?

  “Don’t you think we should slow things down a bit?” she asked. The back of her heel struck the first step. What had seemed so simple to Olivia only a few short hours ago now seemed terribly complicated. Sharing a bed occasionally was one thing. He was asking for more than that.

  She could read the demand in his eyes when he taunted gently, “Slow things down—how?”

  One by one, he backed her up the stairs.

  They squeaked.

  Chapter Eleven

  At the top of the stairs, Olivia was out of breath. She waved him toward a door on the right.

  “I aired out Jared’s old room,” she said without quite meeting his eyes. “I thought you might prefer some privacy.”

  The ball was clearly in her court.

  The question was, was he prepared to let her get away with it? And was scoring points more important than ultimate victory?

  Weighing his decision against the possible negative consequences, which he couldn’t focus on at the moment, he said, “Where do you sleep?”

  She caught her breath. “You said you wouldn’t rush things.”

  He couldn’t force her to share his bed. “Are we back to square one? I know Jared doesn’t approve. Neither does Abby. If we’re going to let everyone else decide how we live our lives, then this entire situation is pointless.”

  She leaned back against the door. “What do you mean?”

  “I might as well go back to Oakridge, and we can be business partners and nothing more.”

  “Why can’t we compromise on this?”

  “I’ve already compromised my life away.” His mouth firmed. “This is where it stops. You have to choose.”

  She bravely met his hard gaze. “Then I choose you.”

  Drew searched her eyes for the truth and saw nothing but a clear, shining honesty. For now, she meant it. But he knew that outside opinion weighed heavily against him.

  Their marriage was bound to be rocky because his reputation left a lot to be desired. In any case, she’d passed the first test. No doubt, there would be more; but Drew was determined to live in the moment. And that fraction of time was filled with Olivia.

  Her bedroom was painted eggshell blue. Sheer ruffled curtains outlined the windows. And suddenly it seemed vital to make love on the big brass bed. The mattress was large, inviting. A colorful quilt lay at the foot.

  Like an old memory, the scent of violets clung to it.

  The following day dawned bright and clear. And cold. It was November now, a month of short days and long nights.

  Unconsciously seeking Drew’s presence in her bed, Olivia rolled over and landed softly against a hard-muscled body.

  For a moment, she lay there, absorbing the moment, the sense of belonging to someone. Surprisingly it didn’t alarm her. Perhaps marriage wasn’t so bad, after all.

  She’d let Drew share her bed and so much more. In the end, her decision had been easy. She’d married Drew to keep Stone’s End, but she’d discovered something special existed between them. She snuggled against him, feeling the angles and planes of his body cushioning her weight.

  She opened her eyes to find him watching her. For some reason, she blushed, recalling the night they’d shared.

  “Good morning.” He smoothed the fine silk of her hair from her brow, tangling his fingers in the curls with apparent pleasure.

  “Is it morning?” She smiled sleepily, wrapping her arm around his waist. “What time is it?”

  “About seven. The auction starts in a few hours.”

  She’d forgotten all about the auction! But apparently Drew hadn’t. For a moment she regretted their financial arrangement; then reality intruded.

  But for their wedding bargain, Drew would be gone, out of her life without a backward glance. She tightened her arms around him. He responded by taking her mouth in a long, luxurious kiss.

  He was classically handsome, with dark hair and sinfully irreverent dark-brown eyes. How could she resist?

  She didn’t even try. She sighed with pleasure when he bore her down against the pillows and enclosed her in a full embrace. Drew removed her nightgown, sliding his thigh between hers, pulling her close. Her skin felt hot wherever he touched. Her breasts felt tender, pressed against the crisp dark hairs on his chest. So many sensations…all leading to a pulsating moment of oneness.

  Later, when Drew went downstairs, his good mood took a dive. Rita Morales was there. Apparently working on a project, with small strips of colored wool neatly piled around her, she was sitting at a table in Olivia’s workroom.

  Her back was turned to the door.

  Drew hesitated in the doorway. He almost turned away. He knew that Rita worked with Olivia, but this was their first encounter since his return to Henderson.

  He greeted her politely. “Good morning.”

  When she didn’t respond, he tried again. “I’m sorry. I know I’m probably the last person you want to see. But I hope you can forgive me someday.”

  Only silence greeted his words.

  Before Olivia spoke, he became conscious of her presence. She touched his arm. “Drew, she can’t hear you.”

  “Why not?” He braced himself, but nothing could really have prepared him for what came next.

  “Rita lost most of her hearing in the explosion. She’s had surgery, but nothing helped. It’s deteriorated since then.”

  His words echoed his heavy heart. “I did this to her.”

  “You didn’t.” Olivia’s fingers tightened on his arm. “The explosion caused her hearing loss, not you.” She moved toward the table and touched Rita’s shoulder.

  The woman turned around, greeting Olivia with a warm smile. Rita’s expression changed, however, when she saw Drew. She was a small woman with dark hair and laugh lines around her mouth that crinkled when she smiled. She wasn’t smiling as she looked at Drew.

  “Tell her I’m sorry,” Drew said harshly. “Hell, tell her I’d give my right arm if this hadn’t happened to her!”

  “She’s deaf, not invisible. You can tell her yourself,” Olivia said. “She can read lips and sign language. Just speak clearly in a normal voice. Stand close where she can see your face.”

  Drew approached. He looked into the woman’s soft brown eyes and recalled her courage and her determination to save her son from the fire. “Can you forgive me?”

  Without hesitation, she nodded. “I have my life. My son has his. God has been kind to us. It is best to forgive, and forget the past.”

  Stunned by her generosity, Drew explained, “I tried to apologize after the fire, but your husband was too angry to let me see you.”

  “Sí,
Ramon is still angry. He couldn’t protect us, and that still hurts him. I pray every day that he will find it in his heart to forgive the past.”

  “I’m sorry.” With Olivia demonstrating, Drew signed the words. He circled his heart with a closed fist.

  The auction started at ten in the morning.

  The parking lot at the Grange Hall was nearly full when Drew and Olivia arrived. Drew found an empty space.

  They were late.

  Nevertheless, Drew stopped Olivia from entering the large gray-stone building. “Be prepared for a little notoriety.” His smile held a cynical edge.

  Olivia could see the tension in his eyes. “I think I can manage that.”

  “I should warn you. It’s the first time people will be seeing us together. They’re bound to be curious. Think you can act like one-half of a happily married couple?”

  Setting her misgivings aside, Olivia responded to Drew’s direct challenge with one of her own. “I can if you can.”

  With a soft laugh, he dropped a kiss on her mouth. “You’re on.”

  Olivia hid her concern. So much hinged on his being able to purchase the sawmill. If things didn’t work out, would he leave town as he’d first intended?

  A surprisingly large crowd had gathered at the Grange—a drafty high-ceilinged hall more typically used for social occasions.

  At a glance, Drew recognized the owner of a logging company located in another part of the state.

  Any competition meant a real possibility of failure.

  A few independent loggers sat in a small cluster at the far end of the room, apparently aware that they had a lot at stake in today’s outcome. So did Drew.

  One of the loggers—Reggie LaRoche—looked around and saw Drew. With a disapproving frown, he nudged the man beside him. Whispers spread. Heads turned.

  Ignoring them, Drew placed a protective hand on Olivia’s waist and nodded toward some empty seats in the rear of the room. His sister, Abby, was there—with Seth.

  When Drew made the introductions, Abby was cool.

  To his relief, Olivia pretended not to notice. “I’m pleased to meet you,” she said. “Drew’s told me all about you.”

  Abby’s eyes flashed. “Funny, he hardly mentioned you.”

  At the direct hit, Olivia drew in a breath. “I know this all seems a bit rushed, but I hope we can be friends.”

  “I want my brother to be happy,” Abby said, clearly not convinced his marriage could accomplish that.

  “Believe it or not,” Olivia said softly, “I want that, too.”

  Abby tightened her lips, but said nothing.

  At that point, Seth put in a few words. “We heard about the auction and decided you could use some moral support.”

  “Thanks,” Drew responded, grateful for his friend’s attempt to ease the situation, and even more thankful for Olivia’s tact.

  In time, he hoped she and Abby could be friends. They didn’t have a lot in common—except him. For the present, he deemed it wise to keep them apart.

  With that in mind, he took the empty seat between the two.

  The auction started with several bank-repossessed pieces of farm machinery. The backhoe went cheap. A parcel of land came up next. It sold fast. The Pierce properties were among the last on the list, which meant they had to wait.

  At noon, the sale was only at the midway point. Coffee and sandwiches were brought in. After lunch, the auction didn’t resume immediately. Olivia took the opportunity to examine some of the china and cookware.

  With Olivia occupied, Drew broke away to talk to some men clustered by the door. The auction had drawn a mixed crowd.

  People were polite but distant, which suited Drew. Above all, he wanted to avoid a direct confrontation.

  He braced himself when Reggie LaRoche greeted him with a curt nod. “I thought you weren’t planning to stay in town.”

  Aware of Reggie’s reputation as a ringleader, Drew shoved his hands into his pockets. With a shrug, he said, “I changed my mind.”

  That explanation clearly didn’t satisfy Reggie. “Heard some tall tale that you and Ira’s daughter got married. That can’t be right, can it?”

  “Actually the gossips got it right.”

  Reggie hid his surprise well. “Seems like an odd match.”

  Drew smiled. “Not to us.”

  Reggie took a moment to absorb that. “So what are you doing here? Come to watch the show?”

  Drew saw no point in hiding his intentions. “I’m interested in buying the sawmill. If it works out, I’ll need some loggers.”

  He let his glance drift over the other men, who had remained silent throughout the exchange. “I hope some of you will consider coming back to work.”

  Reggie said with some bitterness, “Your family left this town high and dry. It will take more than a few pretty words to get people to work for the Pierces again. Besides, I heard there’s another bidder.”

  Drew shrugged. “I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m going to give it a shot.”

  “Good luck,” Reggie said after a long moment.

  “Thanks.” Drew left it at that.

  When left on her own, Olivia wandered around. She’d never attended an auction before.

  Earlier she’d been surprised to discover it included an estate sale, some miscellaneous heavy equipment, as well as an impressive collection of antique glass.

  One piece, a bluebird, caught her eye. When she reached for it, someone else did at the same moment. Olivia withdrew. With a small laugh, she said, “I’m sorry,” and turned to find Drew’s sister standing there.

  Dressed in a gray wool pantsuit, her long hair simply clasped back, Abby looked casual yet sophisticated. Her clothes, hair, makeup, manicure—everything screamed class and privilege. Abby looked down, then held out the glass bluebird in her hand. “Were you interested in this?”

  Feeling distinctly underdressed in blue jeans and a thick cardigan sweater, Olivia slid her hands into her pockets. “The crystal is beautiful, but you found it first.”

  Abby read the label attached. With a whimsical smile, she said, “It’s the bluebird of happiness, guaranteed to bring the owner good fortune.”

  “What a lovely thought.” When their eyes met, Olivia smiled back. “Perhaps we started out on the wrong foot. I know Drew cares about you. We need to get along for his sake.”

  Abby’s fingers curled around the bird. “I suppose we should at least try.”

  “This marriage must seem awfully rushed to you,” Olivia said, trying to put the other woman at ease. “I understand how you must feel.”

  Abby shook her head. “I don’t think you do. How could you understand without knowing Drew any better than you do?”

  “Then please explain him to me.”

  “I love my brothers, all three of them.” Abby carefully set the bluebird down among the other pieces of glass and crystal on the display table. “I may be a few years younger, but I wasn’t very old when I began to realize how hard things were for Drew. Everything came easy to Evan. When Drew graduated from college with a degree in forestry, he wanted to get into the family logging business, but guess who got there first?”

  “Evan,” Olivia said. She glanced across the room, smiling ruefully when Drew happened to look up. Did he know they were discussing him? She held his glance for a long moment, until he turned away.

  Once released, Olivia took a deep breath. “But they were just kids. Surely none of that has anything to do with the present.”

  Abby insisted, “Oh, but it does. Dad put Drew to work managing the farming side of the business—which Drew hated. So he messed up. And he paid a terrible price!”

  “He’s determined to put all that behind him. I’d like to help him any way I can.”

  “You don’t understand. I’m not making excuses for Drew. He took risks and made mistakes. And people got hurt. Even in his personal life. But the mistakes weren’t completely on his side. No one ever believed Drew was innocent of fathering Laur
el’s child.”

  “Jared’s son.” It was a statement.

  Abby nodded. “I wasn’t sure if you knew about Laurel.”

  “Drew told me.”

  Obviously surprised, Abby continued, “He never talks about her. In any case, Laurel lied, and everyone believed her. It destroyed Drew’s reputation, what was left of it. At some point, he simply stopped caring what people thought of him.”

  Olivia smiled. “He still doesn’t.” Oddly enough, it was one of the things she liked most about him. He followed his instincts. Perhaps his heart?

  Abby interrupted that thought. “All my life, I’ve watched Drew lose or settle for second best. He married you for reasons even he can’t explain. Just once,” she said passionately, “I’d like to see him succeed.”

  “I want that for Drew just as much as you do.” Hoping to reassure Drew’s sister, she added, “I’m not going to do anything to hurt him.”

  Abby’s troubled eyes conveyed her lingering concern. “I don’t think you can help it.”

  The auction resumed.

  The collection of glassware soon came up. Olivia couldn’t resist a pitcher and bowl. A few pieces of depression-era glass were added to her pile. Abby paid far too much for the crystal bluebird.

  When the Pierce properties came on the block, the bidding started low. A murmur rose when Drew made his first offer.

  Someone quickly raised the stakes.

  Back and forth it went, until the bidding came down to Drew and one competitor, the operator of the large logging company from another part of the state.

  Seth leaned over. “Word’s out they want to close the Pierces down and eliminate the competition.”

  With a silent nod to the auctioneer, Drew raised his bid. One more round, and he was out of funds. “That’s as high as I can go.”

  Abby looked worried. “I have a little money.”

  “Thanks, but I can’t take it.”

  “But I’d like to invest in the mill. I came prepared to stay and help wherever I’m needed.”

  “You’d hate it.” Drew tried to let her down gently.

  With a shake of her head, she protested. “I won’t know that until I try.”