Colorado Billionaires Boxed Set (The Wedding Wager, The Wedding Hazard, The Wedding Venture)

by Regina Duke

  “I’ll help you. I promised I’d pay them, and we’re married. I’m your husband, and I’ll find a way. You won’t have to worry alone.”

  At last their lips found each other and speech was impossible. Megan surrendered to Kevin’s arms. With one hand, Kevin reached out and closed the curtains over the cabin’s single window.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  Friday, June 29

  Megan lay back on the sheets and sighed with pleasure.

  “You all right?” Kevin lay beside her and traced one finger along her collar bone.

  “I am so relaxed, I can hardly talk.”

  “What’s that? You’re mumbling,” teased Kevin.

  Megan grinned. “Call me Mrs. Wake.”

  “Yep, we’re finally man and wife for real.”

  Megan thumped him gently with her hand. “I mean, literally. Say it out loud for me.”

  “Oh.” Kevin tried to wipe the afterglow off long enough say formally, “Mrs. Wake.”

  “Now say, Announcing Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Fineman Wake.”

  He brushed his lips against her bare shoulder and murmured, “Announcing Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Fineman Wake.”

  Megan giggled.

  “Now say, You’re so hot I could die.”

  Kevin laughed.

  “Hey, that’s not funny,” said Megan, forcing a pout. “Don’t you think I’m hot?”

  “Of course I do. I just think it’s funny that your first official act as my wedded and bedded wife is to put words in my mouth like a ventriloquist.”

  “Not like a ventriloquist,” objected Megan. “My lips are moving.” She pushed her lips toward him and move them from side to side.

  Kevin rolled onto his back and laughed again.

  Megan smiled. “Laughing is good. Not very romantic, but good.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Kevin. “It will get romantic again very soon.” This time when he laughed, it was a deep sexy rumble.

  Megan giggled. “I’m just so relaxed. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this mellow in my life.” She sighed and threw one arm over her head. The sheets on the bed were very expensive, and that meant high thread count, and that meant slippery. Megan had no idea she was so close to the edge of the bed. The momentum of her arm started a slide that neither of them realized would take her off the edge until she landed, thump! on the cabin floor.

  Kevin rushed to her aid. “Are you okay?”

  Megan came up stark naked and laughing.

  When it was clear she was okay, Kevin began laughing, too.

  At last, Megan crawled back up on the bed. “What time is it? Heck, what day is it?”

  They looked at each other and gasped.

  “Our wedding day!” they chorused.

  Kevin put a hand on her arm to keep her from bolting out of bed. “It’s only a ceremony.”

  “I know, but your mother! Your little brother! He’s wearing a suit for us, Kevin. That is huge.”

  Kevin looked miserable. “I was thinking more along the lines of my father.”

  Megan made a face. “I’m sure he’ll think of some way to ruin the day.”

  “Well, he won’t have that chance if we don’t show up, and think how pissed he’ll be about that.” Mischief gleamed in Kevin’s eyes.

  “No way, Mister Wake. Missus Wake,” she pointed at herself, “wants this wedding. I know it’s your mother’s party, and I didn’t care one way or another when we first met. But now, there’s Zach and Keegan and Karla, not to mention Cookie’s buffet! I’m hungry.”

  “Okay, okay, I guess we’re going to our wedding.” Kevin sounded resigned.

  Megan picked up a pillow and bopped him with it.

  They were laughing again, but Megan cut the pillow fight off. “There will be time for that tonight. We have to go! Your mother will be frantic.”

  “And imagine the look on good old dad’s face when we actually show up together.” The anticipation goaded him into action. “Okay, let’s go. Shower, clothes, and coffee. Then we’ll head back. Hey, let me check the car. Maybe Jeff left some food in it.” He grabbed his keys, pulled his boots on and scampered naked to the Ford.

  Alone for a moment, Megan sighed and clasped a pillow to her bare bosom. She buried her face in it. It smelled like Kevin. It smelled like love.

  A small twinge of regret threatened to mar the day. As a girl she daydreamed about sharing her wedding day with her mother. Six days ago she wasn’t even sure she wanted to tell her mother what she was doing. Now she wished she’d wired that first thousand dollars to Guatemala with instructions and a map of Colorado. Of course, she’d had no idea then that Kevin would turn out to be the man of her dreams. The course of their romance was anything but ordinary. Even so, it hurt to know her mom wouldn’t be there. But she would make it up to her somehow. And if her father even cared, she’d make it up to him, too.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  After a quick shower, they dressed in a hurry, then took a decadent half hour to sip their coffee on the porch swing, watching the morning come alive. By eight o’clock they were on their way.

  In half an hour, they were within sight of the house. Kevin spotted Zach emerging from the stable and gave a whistle.

  Zach turned. When he spotted them, even from that distance they could see his smile. Zach lifted an arm in greeting, then headed back into the stable.

  A few moments later, Keegan emerged, spotted them, and began to run toward them. On his heels were Chunky and Creamy, barking and frolicking.

  “They’re here! They’re here!”

  Megan slid out of the Ford and ran to greet Keegan and the pups. She hugged Keegan tight.

  “I missed you, Megan” he said. “I was so afraid you were never coming back.” His eyes teared up.

  “Hey, hey, no tears today! It’s my wedding day. We’re going to have fun, okay?”

  “Okay.” He wiped his eyes and grinned. “Did you have breakfast?”

  “No, and I’m starving!”

  “Pancakes with peanut butter!”

  Megan let him go and he ran for the big house.

  Kevin slipped an arm around her. “You have the magic touch with Keegan.” He kissed her temple. “I love that about you.”

  “I’d better go let your mother know I’m still here.”

  “Go on in. I’ll join you soon. I’m starving.”

  Zach was leaning against the side of the stable. “You two look good together.” He pulled his hat down a half inch in front, a cowboy’s salute.

  Megan rushed back for a moment, long enough to plant a kiss on Zach’s cheek. “Remember our plan,” she whispered.

  Zach said, “Yes, ma’am.”

  She trotted off toward the house.

  “What plan?” asked Kevin. “Are you keeping secrets with my wife?”

  Zach winked at him. “I’m giving her away.”

  “Thanks, Zach.” Kevin paused and stared down at his feet. “For everything.”

  “I’ll see you up at the house. If you want breakfast, you’d better get a move on. It’s going on nine o’clock.”

  Cookie was pouring batter on a big griddle. “Pancakes coming up. What about you, Kevin? You want pancakes? You’re going to need your strength.” Her rosy cheeks crinkled in a smile and she winked at him.

  “Everyone seems to have something in their eyes today,” said Kevin. He joined Keegan at the table where the boy was pushing toy cars along the red-checked tablecloth. The Labs were tussling in the corner. “Where’s Megan?”

  Keegan bounced back and forth in his chair. “She went to tell Krystal she’s come back to walk down the plank.”

  “Down the aisle,” Cookie corrected. “Walk down the aisle, Keegan.”

  Keegan shrugged.

  Kevin said, “What do you think, Cookie? Should I go look for her?”

  “I told her we’d give her ten minutes before we call the search and rescue team.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  Megan knocked softly on Krysta
l Wake’s door. This wing of the house filled her with nostalgia for a past that was never hers. It was so lovely here, with old wooden floors and thick woven rugs, and white lace curtains blowing softly in the morning breeze from the window at the end of the hall. The walls were decorated with family photos and faded tintypes, stern faces in costumes from another century, but the long narrow table beneath the photos was festooned with fresh cut flowers from Cookie’s garden. The effect was one of continuation and the passing on of a legacy. She didn’t hear the door open. Krystal’s soft voice startled her.

  “You’ve come back.”

  “Oh! Yes, I wanted to let you know everything is fine. Kevin and I are going to have breakfast and then dress for the ceremony.”

  “Come in.” Krystal stepped aside to let Megan enter.

  The bedroom was bright and airy. The bed had already been made, and it was covered with a faded quilt. An overstuffed chair in the corner looked even more inviting with a book open face down on the arm. The window was flanked by book cases, and a window seat spanned the space between them. A large pine armoire stood against the opposite wall with a tidy row of suitcases stored beside it.

  “Won’t you sit?”

  Megan perched on the window seat. “After I left so suddenly yesterday, I thought I owed you an apology. I didn’t go far. I just needed to think things over.”

  “I know. Zach told me.”

  Megan was mildly surprised. “Zach?”

  Krystal smiled like the Mona Lisa. “He tells me everything,” she said softly. “You went to the cabin. And later, he sent Kevin after you.”

  Megan’s eyes grew wide. “Yes, that’s right. And Kevin explained everything. And, well, we made up.”

  “I’m so glad.” Krystal moved slowly to the overstuffed chair and sank into it. “I realize that most brides are more involved in planning their wedding day, but under the circumstances, I hope you don’t mind too much.”

  “No, not at all.”

  Krystal made a questioning sound. “You mean, as long as you could make some changes.”

  Megan was puzzled for a moment, then understood. “Oh, you mean Karla.”

  “You know, we all have to learn how to behave at some point in life. I’m not sure you’re doing her any favors.” Krystal’s criticism was tempered by her gentle tone.

  “I know. But I’m an invader, joining the family on very short notice. I want Karla to remember this day as a time when she got to be herself, even if it makes for amusing wedding photos. I don’t want her to resent my arrival as the day she had to put on a costume and parade around like someone’s extra in a movie.” Megan’s memories colored her speech more than she realized.

  “Sounds like you have a few resentments of your own,” Krystal said softly.

  “Don’t we all?” Megan shook off the past of her own family and admired the bedroom. “This is a beautiful room, and a lovely house. How can you bear to leave it for New York?”

  Krystal shrugged. “New York has its charms as well. But I am delighted that you admire the house so much.” She caught her bottom lip with her teeth, choosing her words carefully. “I need to ask a question, and I’m not sure how to go about it.” She sent her eyes right, then left, and whispered, “Walls can have ears in this high tech age we live in.”

  Megan nodded her understanding. “No need to worry, Mrs. Wake. I love Kevin very much, and I am so looking forward to sharing my life with him here in this very house. I hope we have your blessing, to continue on here at the ranch. If I had to leave it now, I don’t know what I’d do. And someone has to care for Chunky when Keegan goes back to school.”

  “Now there is another matter,” said Krystal, relaxing into her chair, “that we must discuss after the ceremony. Keegan is quite taken with you. And frankly, after seeing him outdoors in the sunshine, running and playing, instead of cooped up with his Wii and his iPad, I am quite taken with you myself.”

  Megan smiled. Those were the kindest words Krystal had spoken to her since she’d arrived. “He’s a wonderful boy. He needs a playmate, and after growing up an only child, I am taking full advantage of the opportunity to be around him.”

  “So you really do enjoy having children around?”

  Megan spread her hands. “Isn’t it obvious?”

  Krystal nodded. “Yes, more and more so. You are very much an open book, Megan. And I am so glad that Kevin has found someone to love. You know that his father is against this marriage?”

  Megan made a face. “He made that very clear. That’s what sent me running for the hills. But,” she said, straightening her spine, “I’m not going to let some stuffed shirt candidate for Grinch of the Year scare me away from the man I love. My life has not been a bed of roses, you know. Kevin was a surprise. A wonderful, glorious surprise. I love him, and he loves me back, and I’m never letting go of that.”

  Krystal rested her head on the back of the chair and let a genuine smile lift ten years off her face. “Oh, Megan, my dear, I’m so thrilled to hear that! At last, the chain of fatherly curses has been lifted.” She sat forward and levered herself up from the chair. She held her hand out to Megan who rose also. Krystal faced her and held both her young hands in perfectly manicured but somewhat chilly fingers as she spoke.

  “When I was a young lady, I fell in love.” Her gray eyes darkened toward wet stone. “And he loved me back. But we were from different worlds. My father was furious. He forbade it! He said if I married against his wishes, he would leave me penniless.”

  “But you married your love anyway,” said Megan, thinking of Mr. Wake.

  “No,” said Krystal sadly. “I did not. I married Kevin’s father instead. He was the man who had my father’s seal of approval. Zach was my love. But I was weak. I gave in to my father’s wishes. And I have paid for that decision every day since.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

  Krystal pulled herself together and managed another tiny smile. “You are very sweet. And you are stronger than I was. More importantly,” she added, “Kevin is stronger than I was. Whatever happens, do not let his father ruin your lives together. I’m so happy for the two of you.”

  She pulled Megan’s hands to her lips and planted a kiss on her knuckles.

  “Welcome to the family, Megan.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  By the time Megan returned to the kitchen, she barely had time for half a bagel before Cookie raised her hands in alarm and said, “Oh, my goodness, honey, you have to get dressed! It’s ten o’clock! And you, too, Kevin. And what about Keegan? Who’s helping you get dressed?”

  “I’m a big boy. I can dress myself.”

  Kevin patted Keegan on the back. “These are special duds, brother. We both need help. I’ll tell you what. You help me and I’ll help you. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  “Grab your trucks. We better get moving.” He tipped Megan’s chin up and planted a warm kiss on her lips. “See you very soon, lovely lady.”

  Megan beamed. “My mouf is foo of bagow,” she mumbled. “Sowwy.”

  Kevin laughed. “This is going to be fun.” He kissed her again. “Go get dressed.” He headed off with Keegan who had evidently allowed his trucks to transform into flying machines.

  Megan swallowed. “I’ll check on Karla!”

  She took the other half bagel with her and headed for Karla’s room.

  “Knock, knock! Are you ready, Karla?”

  “No! Go away!”

  “Uh-oh,” said Megan. She tried the knob. It was unlocked, so she entered carefully. “Karla? What’s wrong? I thought we had this all planned.”

  Karla sat glumly on the edge of her unmade bed. Her suitcases were strewn about the room, unzipped and open. She was still in her black jammies. Her baby smooth feet looked incongruous with black toenail polish. Yesterday’s mascara was rubbed across her cheeks.

  Megan sat down next to her on the bed. “Hey, partner in crime. Where’s your outfit? Your dog collar?”

  “My father ca
me by last night and said he’d kill me if I wore black to your wedding. So I’m not going.”

  Megan flashed fire. “Oh, for the love of—” She bit off the words she was about to launch in anger. She took a breath. “Listen to me, Karla. I want you at my wedding. I don’t care what your father thinks. He’s not getting married, I am! You are Kevin’s only sister. It’s time your father learned that other people have their own wants and desires.” She covered her mouth. “You didn’t hear that from me. But it’s true. You hurry and get dressed. I want you in all your vampire glory. We are going to have awesome family wedding photos! Wear that cool dog collar, the one with tags, okay? And don’t forget your wrist bling!”

  Karla was almost afraid to believe her ears. “Really? You want me to wear my studs, too?”

  “Totally! This is my party, right? I want all my important people there, looking and feeling like themselves! Now you get ready, because I have to go do my hair, my makeup and get my dress on in forty-nine minutes. Yikes!”

  Just then, the sweetest voice Megan ever heard floated from the doorway. “Need some help, sweetie?”

  “Mom? Mom! What!? How!? When!?”

  Glenda Mully chuckled. “Oh, my little girl is getting married! You think I’d miss that?” She and Megan hugged until they had to break for air. “Oh, honey, don’t cry!”

  “But I’m so happy!”

  Karla watched from her bed.

  Megan turned. “Karla, this is my mother. Mom, this is Kevin’s sister Karla. She’s so cool! Wait until you see her all dressed for the wedding.”

  Karla’s glum features broke into a grin. “I better shower fast,” she said.

  “Come on, mom, I’m so happy you’re here. I really need your help, too.” She chattered all the way to the bedroom where the wedding dress was draped over a seamstress’s form. “How did you get here?” Megan stopped and glanced up and down the hall. “Did dad come?”