Be My Warmth

by Shanade White

  Tani shot her a grateful look, a ride was just what she needed right then. “I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day. Not that I don’t appreciate all the help you’ve given me, but I do need some time alone.” She said, already feeling better. “You’ve given me a lot to think about. Will you tell Flynn not to follow me? I know he’ll try.”

  Tani had never been happier to step into the barn and a sense of calm came over her as she saddled Devil. When they got on the trail, some clarity began to come as well. She’d been so concerned that the past would repeat itself with Flynn, so afraid that she’d make a bad choice again, that she’d forgotten what it felt like to be in his arms. She’d nearly lost sight of how wonderful he always made her feel, how he’d held her while she talked about the worse night of her life and then understood how terrible it had all been for her.

  Most of all, she’d forgotten that he was willing to marry her so he could keep her safe in Egypt. The simple truth was that he could walk away from her now and no one would blame him, but instead he’d placed himself directly in the way of possible harm or even death. None of them could deny that the people who were after her would stop at nothing to get what they wanted, and that this dig would be full of danger, danger that could come from just about anywhere in a country like Egypt.

  She and Devil had reached her favorite spot, a little clearing by the stream that ran through the property. Dismounting she wrapped the reigns around Devil’s neck and let him go, there was plenty of grass in the clearing and he wandered off happily munching as he went. Sitting down on a rock by the stream, she listened to the water rushing over the rocks and closed her eyes. More than anything she wanted to find some peace with the death of her parents. It weighted heavily on her mind, leaving her unable to fully heal. But before long she found that her thoughts had strayed to Flynn, his blue eyes and dark wavy hair, the way his hands felt on her skin, and most of all the way he made her feel safe for the first time in a long time.

  As she sat there thinking of Flynn, she began to feel the peace she’d been seeking, it was as if her parents had reached her from some faraway place to tell her that this was the right thing to do. She waited for the feeling to pass, sure that it was a product of her imagination, but the longer she sat there the clearer the feeling became. Suddenly, she understood Sabrina’s words. If she kept comparing the past to the future it would get in the way of her happiness, it was time to let go and move forward.

  Life was about taking risks and Flynn was worth taking a risk, she’d look at this marriage like the real thing and hope with time Flynn would see it that way too. If she was braver, she’d ask him about his feelings but this was about more than just the two of them. It was about a small fortune in Egyptian treasures that needed to be found and treated with the respect they deserved, and like it or not she was the only person who knew how to find them.

  She also had to admit to herself that she wanted Flynn with her in Egypt; it was not going to be easy to face the memories of the past when she was there, and having him with her would help her remember that there was a future waiting for her. Feeling more at peace than she’d felt since the day she’d met David, she caught Devil and pushed him hard all the way home, eager to help with the wedding plans as well as the plans for Egypt because she had no intention of letting the boys plan without her.

  Tani stood in front of the mirror watching as Marissa fastened the long row of buttons on the back of her wedding dress, still amazed that she’d let herself be talked into the dress which was full of so many flounces and so much lace she was afraid the she be lost in it all. But when the last button was done and Marissa stepped back, she had to admit that the dress was anything but over the top. She looked like a princess in a fairy tale. The ivory gown, a perfect complement to her chocolate colored skin, was cut to accentuate her curves, the lace and flounces only added to the effect.

  “You look beautiful. Flynn’s a lucky man.” Marissa said, turning Tani so she could look at her.

  Fighting back tears, Tani said, “Thank you for all you’ve done.” Then turned to Sabrina and Leslie, “I wouldn’t have been able to get through the last week without you three.”

  “This was the easy part. The hardest part is still to come, but when you’re in Egypt and things seem bad remember this day.” Leslie advised, unable to help herself, they’d all been avoiding the fact that in less than a few days, she and Flynn would be going into a very dangerous situation.

  “I will.” Tani said, trying to avoid thinking about the plan that they would be putting into action in only a few days. “But I’m not thinking about that, this is my wedding day, we should be happy.”

  But as she stood waiting for the word that the ceremony was ready to begin, she couldn’t help think through the plan they’d worked out. It made her smile as it always did to think of the part that Flynn was going to play in the whole thing. Since Cooper wanted him to be their ace in the hole in case something went wrong, he was going to play the role of duped husband. Including ramping up his accent until at times none of them could understand what he was saying. It had taken days for Tani not to laugh when he went into full Australian mode.

  Cooper had arranged for security for her and the crew she’d put together. Only people he knew and trusted would be included and she herself had chosen the crew from people she trusted. It had taken a small miracle to pull everyone together on such short notice, but the generous budget they had helped to grease the wheels. Her petition to dig had been granted with a speed that amazed and frightened her, even knowing that the Terrell foundation had been partly responsible, it was clear that someone wanted her to find that tomb and soon.

  It meant that they’d be watching them closely, that everyone had to play their role perfectly, including Tani who was supposed to make a deal with the very people who were hunting her. She’d never been much of an actress and making them believe that she was only after the money to be made selling the artifacts would be difficult, but their entire plan hinged on her making them believe just that. She just hoped she was up to the performance, anything less than perfection could lead to someone’s death.

  The other difficulty they faced was making sure that the archeologists she’d chosen to go with them would have enough access to the tomb to document the find before the Minister of Antiquities discovered what they were doing. It was all a little too Indiana Jones for her, instead of helping at the dig, it was her job to distract the Minister with other things, like horseback riding and several lavish dinners, all paid for by the Terrell foundation as a kind of bribe.

  Luckily, she was well versed in the world of using bribes to get what you wanted in a country like Egypt. The practice hadn’t changed in hundreds of years, just the people you had to bribe. Even her father had at times paid a few bribes to get what he needed, but she’d never participated in anything this lavish or complicated. But they’d been over the plan many times and covered any weak points with safeguards; nothing could go wrong.

  A knock at the door startled her out of her thoughts of Egypt, “Five minutes.” A voice said through the door and she was suddenly more nervous than she’d ever been in her life.

  In a show of support, the women in the room surrounded her and gave her a hug one by one. Leslie was the last, “Just remember that life has a way of giving us exactly what we want if we’re patient. You and Flynn might be doing this backwards, but give the marriage a chance, you never know it might be the best thing that ever happened to you.” She said, then wrapped Tani in a hug that brought tears to her eyes. “And don’t forget how far you’ve come. After what you’ve been through, there isn’t much you can’t handle. You’re a very strong woman Tani, don’t ever forget that.”

  When she opened the door, Cooper was standing outside waiting for her. “Are you ready?” He asked, holding out his arm. She nodded her head and took his arm and together they went down the stairs and out the door, he led her across the yard to the big barn which had been decked ou
t for the ceremony. She could hear people talking softly as they approached the closed barn door and she suddenly had the urge to turn around and run.

  Pulling back on Cooper’s arm she stopped and took a deep breath. Cooper looked down at her and smiled, “Relax Tani, you can do this. I have some advice that might make you feel better.” He said, turning her to face him. “I’ve been married a long time and the one thing I’ve learned is that you have to take care of one another. If you take care of him and let him take care of you, the rest will all fall in line.”

  Tani smiled up at Cooper and said, “Thank you, I’ll remember that.” Then nodded at the men who were waiting to open the doors. “I think I’m ready.”

  “Good, let’s go get you married.” Cooper said, as the doors opened and all hundred pairs of eyes turned to her.

  There was a collective sigh when she stepped into the barn out of the sunlight, and for a moment Tani felt the need to run again. But then she saw Flynn standing at the end of the alter and all thoughts vanished but the overwhelming feeling of love that spread through her, warming her cold hands and feet. She must have gasped when the feeling overtook her, because Cooper laughed, “I think you two are going to be just fine.”

  On shaking legs, she walked down the aisle toward the man she was going to marry, telling herself the whole time that this was real, that they’d make this work. When Cooper officially handed her off to Flynn he kissed her on the cheek and whispered, “Just take care of him and everything will be fine.”

  Then he turned to Flynn and shook his hand, then time saying quite loudly, “Hurt her and I’ll see that you’re sorry you did for the rest of your life.” Then took his seat next to Marissa who shot him a dirty look, but had to laugh with the rest of the guests.

  Flynn took Tani’s hand, hardly able to breath, he’d been thinking about this day for months, and although he hadn’t pictured it like this he was as happy as he’d ever been. Tani looked more beautiful than ever and he knew he was a lucky man to have found her and the love they shared. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved her, he just hoped that she loved him too. Only time would tell, and he was more than looking forward to that time.

  When Tani’s eyes finally met his, he saw both fear and love in them. It was the love that gave him the most hope, seeing it there reassured him that what they were doing was the right thing. When he repeated his vows, it was with the surety that he’d always love Tani and that the life they’d have together would be as wonderful as he’d always imagined.

  Tani repeated her vows thinking about the words as she did, knowing that she’d just made a promise that would bind her to Flynn for the rest of her life. It was clear by the look in his eyes that he was taking this as seriously as she was, but there was still a little piece of her that remembered that he’d never said that he loved her, never really told her how he felt. Maybe she was expecting too much too soon, they’d only known each other for a short time and love needed time to grow, but they’d have that time now.

  When the minister pronounced them husband and wife, Flynn pulled her into his arms and whirled her around, if she hadn’t known better she would have thought that they’d actually planned this wedding. But when Flynn set her down, he said, “Okay, Mrs. Montgomery are you ready to take on Egypt?” Reminding her that this was still a wedding held only to get him to Egypt with her.

  But she stifled the little stab of sadness and smiled up at him. “You bet Mr. Montgomery, they won’t know what hit them.”

  Chapter 10

  Tani leaned back in the first-class seat Cooper had gotten them and sighed, Flynn was doing a perfect job of playing his role, talking to their nearest neighbor about raising sheep in Australia. She was doing her part as well and completely ignoring him, pretending to be embarrassed by his behavior but willing to put up with it. It was harder than she’d thought, she was exhausted already and only wanted to curl up in his arms and go to sleep for the entire flight, but that was impossible since she was supposed to have only married him for his money.

  They had spread the rumor themselves, making sure that all the right people knew that he’d married her to shock his brothers and she’d married him to get at his money to fund the dig. Further they’d spread the rumor that Terrell Industries had only become involved when Scott Terrell had been asked to help by his brothers. It was an elaborate story that might be hard to pull off, but so far people seemed to believe it. Even the America Ambassador to Egypt had snickered behind their backs when he’d met them in New York.

  The plane touched down as the sun began to rise. Flynn, who’d fallen asleep only a few hours after their flight had taken off, stretched and reached for Tani who was asleep as well. When she opened her eyes, he smiled down at her and said, “Welcome to Egypt, the sun is just beginning to rise. Are you ready for this?”

  Tani was so relieved to hear the old Flynn, she pulled his head down and kissed him, not caring who saw them. Flynn kissed her back, but then pulled away, “Keep kissing me like that and we’ll blow our cover for sure.”

  “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” She said, embarrassed.

  “Hey, I’m not complaining about the kiss. You can kiss me like that any time you want.” He said, afraid he’d upset her.

  “I’ll just have to save it for when we’re alone.” She said, sitting up in her chair.

  “And hopefully more?” Flynn asked, sliding his hand between her legs.

  Tani giggled, something she’d been doing a lot lately, and said, “That’s a promise.” The desire racing through her making her wish they could be the real couple they were in public, but knowing that they’d have to save it for when they were alone.

  When they got off the plane, there was a group of people waiting to welcome them, the Minister of Antiquities was among them and the kiss he put on the back of Tani’s hand made her want to cringe. But she managed to paste a smile on her face and greet him, flirting and fawning over him until he was so puffed up he barely noticed Flynn when she introduced him.

  As he escorted her to the car, he had a car waiting to take them to their hotel, he leaned in and whispered, “So that’s your sugar daddy. I guess if you had to pick one, he’s a good choice but I hope he’s not going to be in the way.”

  Tani batted her eyelashes at the Minister and said coyly, “Oh, Flynn, he’s easy to keep occupied. I’ll just give him some simple task on the dig and he’ll be happy. He envisions himself as an amateur archeologist now.”

  “And what about you? Are you going to be spending all your time at the dig? It seems like it would be a shame for you not to spend some time here in Cairo getting back in touch with your old friends.” The Minister said, placing his hand in the center of her back.

  Tani knew that he was well aware of the lavish entertaining she had planned and was hoping for an invitation. They’d intentionally left him off the guest list for every event, hoping that he’d come to her, the smile she gave him was real, the first part of their plan was working.

  “As a matter of fact, I do have a few things planned before I go out to the dig site, but I would have thought you’d have known that.” She said, appearing to be shocked that he didn’t know.

  The Minister helped her into the car, his hand brushing her breasts as he did. “Oh, Tani what would make you think that.” He said leaning over to talk to her, but sneaking a look at her breasts which were clearly visible in the shirt she was wearing. “It’s not my practice to spy on guests to our wonderful country.”

  “Oh, Sir that’s not what I meant. I just assumed you would have been included on the guest lists.” Tani said, reaching up and squeezing his arm.

  “I’m afraid I wasn’t included.” He said, looking ridiculously sad.

  “Well, I’ll have to speak to someone about that Minister, hopefully your schedule isn’t so full that you can’t make time to join me. I’ve got several wonderful gatherings planned and it wouldn’t be the same without you.” She said, running her hand up and down his
arm.

  The Minister visibly puffed up at her attention and said, “My dear Tani, I’m sure I can arrange to join you.” He said, then stood up clearly pleased with himself and shut her door. When he got into the back of the car with her, he said, “And I think you should call me Aman, Minister is much too formal a title. I can tell that we’re going to be good friends.”

  Tani was sure that he was going to kiss her, but thankfully Flynn chose that moment to open the door and shove himself into the car, practically knocking Tani into the Minister’s lap. “Oh, Flynn.” She exclaimed and leaned on the Minister just a second longer than was necessary. “Where have you been?”

  “Just chatting with some of the blokes.” Flynn said, affecting a strong Australian accent.

  Tani rolled her eyes at the Minister, then said, “Well, don’t make me wait for you again.”

  Flynn looked down in his lap and pretended to be upset, “I’m sorry love, I just like to talk to people.”

  By the time they got to the hotel, Tani was ready to scream, Flynn was driving her crazy and she was pressed up against Aman who was taking full advantage of the situation. She practically sprang out of the car when Flynn got out, giving him just a second to wink at her. Instantly, she felt better knowing that the old Flynn was still there. But just as quickly he was back in character, oohing and awing at the hotel, which looked like an ancient Egyptian tomb.

  Tani let Aman take her arm, suppressing a shutter when his hand slid across the side of her breast. “Let me escort you to your rooms.”

  “That would be wonderful since my husband has forgotten I exist.” She said, shooting Flynn a dirty look.

  “It’s the spell of Egypt, surely you remember what it feels like.” Aman said, as they climbed the steps to the entrance to the hotel.