An Arranged Marriage

by Susan Fox

  Once he showered and came out, he went straight to his side of the big bed to ease between the sheets. Allison was already in bed, and maybe had been asleep for hours. She didn’t make a sound or a move when he settled beside her.

  It had taken him all this time to come to grips with her gifts. The tiny box from the night before had been safely squirreled away in the top drawer of his armoire. He’d opened it last night while Allison had been in the shower.

  He’d not had many gifts in his life, so when she’d given him that one—a special one with sentiment attached—it felt as if she’d handed him a live rattler.

  The whole subject had hit him like a mule kick to the chest. He hadn’t been prepared for his feelings about such a thing. It had made him think of all the other times—birthdays, Christmases, special occasions—when he’d felt as if he was the only kid in the world who had no one who cared enough to remember him with a gift.

  It hadn’t seemed to matter that he was now a grown man and had long ago forgotten about such things. Seeing that festive-looking little present with its curly gold ribbon wrapped up just for him had brought it all back. He was a man, but he’d suddenly relived the hurt of a lonely kid, the shame of being the only one Santa forgot.

  The cuff links were handsome, but the mare was one of the finest horses he’d ever laid eyes on. He was unworthy of either gift. And never more than when he recalled the stark pain in Allison’s lovely blue eyes both times when his own emotions had struck him dumb.

  And now, he couldn’t remember a time in his life when he’d felt more ashamed of himself. Leaving Allison with the impression that he didn’t like or want either of her gifts was one shame he’d brought on himself.

  How could he tell her how her thoughtfulness had made him feel? He never spoke of his feelings, never put them into words. The whole idea of telling her about the story behind his bad reaction struck terror in his heart.

  Because he was truly sorry, and because he craved her tenderness and secretly prayed for her forgiveness, he rolled toward her. He touched the silken skin of her arm, then dropped his hand to her waist and slid it around her to ease her back against him.

  She made a small sound and murmured something he didn’t catch. Because he was certain she was asleep, he pressed a tender kiss to her ear then turned his face to rest his rough cheek against the sweet smoothness of hers.

  He didn’t want to love her. He couldn’t, no matter how much he thought of her, no matter how privileged he felt to lie beside her and touch her.

  A few moments later, the craving he’d had all day made him ease away and gently roll her onto her back. She stirred then, just as he leaned down to kiss her. When her hand came up sleepily to his cheek, he deepened the kiss. She didn’t resist him at all, and somehow, sex that night became something much more than he had in mind.

  “Oh, Allison, we’ve missed you!”

  Lizabeth Morgan hurried to Allison and threw her arms around her for a quick hug. “How’s the new bride?”

  Allison blushed and Liz laughed. “I don’t blame you, girl! If I was lucky enough to catch a man like Blue Sumner, I’d not only blush, I’d keep him in bed for a month!”

  Liz’s naughty comment made Allison giggle and shush her. “Hardly the topic for the front steps of a church before Sunday service,” she admonished, but her eyes were twinkling with the first lightheartedness she’d felt in what seemed like weeks.

  “So,” Liz chattered on as they walked up the last steps to the church door, “where’s that handsome sinner you married a week ago yesterday?”

  Liz had been her maid of honor, but Allison had managed to confide little of her true relationship with Blue. As if she’d seen right through Allison’s reticence, Liz had loyally not asked many probing questions, though she’d pestered her with a frequent litany along the lines of, “Are you sure about marrying him? Are you sure he’s the one? What’s the rush?”

  Allison treasured her friend for her honesty, common sense and her entertaining bluntness. Liz was not Charles’s favorite person and Liz felt exactly the same about him. To Aunt Pet, Liz was the happy, boisterous best friend of the niece she loved, so she’d accepted Liz long ago and seemed to enjoy her company. Allison didn’t know what Blue would make of her friend once he was around her a while, but despite the problems in their marriage, she hoped he would be tolerant.

  Liz leaned close to confide, “Aunt Pet came in a bit ago. I don’t want to worry you, but her eyes were a little puffy and she looked tired. Charles stayed home, as usual.”

  Liz followed as Allison made her way to the pew her aunt sat in. Both sat down next to Pet, who greeted them quietly, but with obvious relief.

  The service started then with a nice blend of traditional hymns and contemporary worship music. The pastor preached on patience which, he said, usually went hand in hand with trying to understand others, especially people who could sometimes be difficult to get along with. The message seemed quite appropriate for her situation with Blue and gave Allison food for thought.

  After church, Liz insisted the three of them go to one of the nicer restaurants in town. Though Pet was initially reserved, Liz managed to make her laugh a time or two, and soon the three of them were relaxed and had a good time. Liz was the first one to leave once they finished eating and talking. Allison and Pet lingered over a last cup of coffee.

  “I understand Blue will be coming in to the bank tomorrow morning,” Pet began. “Charles seems to have calmed somewhat after their talk the other night.”

  Allison shook her head. “Blue didn’t say a lot about how things had gone. I got the impression that he’d not made a firm agreement.”

  “That’s understandable,” Pet commented, but the hint of worry about her indicated she didn’t understand at all. “He has a right to make decisions about his own money. As you pointed out to Charles more than once, there is no written agreement between the two of them.”

  Pet couldn’t look her in the eye those next few moments. Not even Allison’s soft, “You seem very worried,” encouraged her to do so.

  Aunt Pet stirred her creamed coffee and appeared to be laboring to control her emotions. Allison waited in suspense for her to speak.

  “Charles hasn’t been himself for some time, Allison. I was thinking his upset was due solely to the problems the bank’s having, but I’m afraid he might also be having another affair.”

  Ironically Allison felt a bit better. Charles had never been faithful to Pet, so the information was nothing new or worse than usual. Though they lived in the same house, Petula and Charles had separate bedrooms and virtually separate lives, and had for as long as Allison could remember. Charles lived for the bank, and Pet lived for her charities. Charles kept his dalliances discreet, and Pet rarely let on that she knew, though Allison suspected her aunt truly did know about each one.

  “Is there something different about this woman?” It was a bold question for Allison to ask, but she sensed Pet wanted to talk. It had only been in the past two years or so that Pet had begun to confide in her about such things.

  Pet kept her eyes firmly fixed on the tabletop, though she held her head as regally as always. “This one has borne him a child.”

  Allison stared at her aunt, stunned at the news. “What makes you think so?”

  “I was at the bank not long after a sheriff’s deputy walked out of Charles’s office. I happened to be there waiting for Marjorie to finish with some paperwork so we could go for lunch, and apparently Charles wasn’t aware I was close by. A few minutes after the deputy left, Charles threw open his office door and marched through the bank. He appeared to be furious.

  “That’s when I decided to see what was going on. Because Meg, his secretary, appeared to be more surprised that he’d rushed out of the bank than the fact that I’d stopped by to say hello, she told me I could wait for him in his private office.”

  Petula paused, then glanced up at her at last. “I’m not one for snooping around in the things
of others, but I was in Charles’s office and Meg closed the door so I could have privacy. That’s when I noticed a wad of papers on the floor next to Charles’s trash can and walked over to pick them up.”

  “What were they?”

  Pet took a steadying breath. “A court summons advising him of a paternity suit, filed by a woman with a name I didn’t recognize. Her home address is outside the county, so she doesn’t live nearby.”

  Allison felt sympathy for her aunt and reached across the table to grip Pet’s hand. “I’m sorry, Aunt Pet. That can’t have been easy for you to discover.”

  “It wasn’t easy, but I’m glad I know. If it ever comes out…” she said, then shivered. “It will be quite a scandal, but at least now I have some warning.”

  “What will you do?”

  “I have no idea. Other than hold my head up and continue doing good things for people who need someone, I have no idea what I can do. Unless I try to contact this woman myself to see if she can be persuaded to drop her suit and keep silent. Of course, the child will need suitable financial support, but that can be easily arranged without a formal hearing.”

  Allison added, “Unless he’s not the child’s father.”

  Aunt Pet nodded. “I’d thought of that, too, but surely the woman wouldn’t dare begin a lawsuit, where there’d be a demand for blood tests to determine paternity, if she wasn’t completely certain who the child’s father is.”

  They both went silent for a while. Pet sipped her coffee, but her hand trembled.

  “Is there anything I can do?” Allison hated that it seemed such an empty offer, in view of the fact that there probably was nothing to be done, but she felt as if she had to do something.

  Pet shook her head. “No, dear, there’s nothing. Sometimes life doesn’t run smoothly. This isn’t the first time in the history of bad marriages that such a thing has happened. It won’t be the last, though I hope to manage my part in this little drama with some grace.”

  “I’m so sorry, Auntie,” Allison said sincerely.

  “I’m sorry also, but perhaps it’s time I made a few decisions. Past time, in fact. I’ll be doing a lot of thinking in the next few weeks.”

  Allison sensed the direction Pet’s thoughts might take. “Are you thinking of…divorcing?”

  The question made Petula give her a searching look. “I don’t know why, when I’ve tolerated things as they’ve been for so long, but—” she paused “—I’d be a complete fool if I didn’t consider it now.” She gave a delicate shrug. “It’s entirely possible that Charles might believe he’s in love with this woman and want this baby. I’d always found it odd that Charles never seemed to want a child of his own, but perhaps he just didn’t want that deep a tie to me. If I stepped out of the picture, perhaps it would be to the child’s benefit.”

  Allison reached across the table with both hands. Pet reached for her at the same instant and they gripped each other’s fingers.

  “Whatever you decide to do, I’ll support you in any way I possibly can, you know that,” she said.

  Pet’s eyes were teary, but the smile she gave was strong and reassuring. “I know that, my dear. You’ve always been a good child, perfect in every way, and the most profound joy of my life.”

  Now Allison was teary and bit her lip to keep from crying. When she was in control again, she asked, “Why don’t you come to the ranch for the afternoon? We could be daring and change into something sturdy and perhaps Blue would give us a tour of everything. Either him or one of his men. It would be completely different from what you’re used to, and might be a wonderful distraction. I know you’ve always loved horses. Blue owns quite a few. If you’d like to go riding, I’m certain he’ll let us. You haven’t ridden in so long.”

  Petula nodded and smiled a little, apparently grateful for the invitation. “And I do so miss riding. I lost interest in it after my sweet little Maria passed away. Afterward, I simply became too busy to find her replacement. By the way, I didn’t ask but, how did Blue like the mare?”

  Allison should have realized her aunt would ask, and she scrambled to think of something to say that wouldn’t make Blue look like an ogre.

  “I think I managed to surprise him.”

  It was the truth, though far from the complete truth. But after the pastor’s sermon that morning, she’d decided to set aside her hurt feelings and find out why Blue had reacted to her gifts as he had. Blue had so many fine qualities and had treated her well enough that she was coming to the conclusion that his rejection hadn’t been motivated by cruelty.

  Thinking of him triggered the memory of their lovemaking the night before. He’d been so tender with her. She’d finally managed to go to sleep, but he’d awakened her when he’d come to bed. She should have resisted him, but all he’d had to do was touch her and any thought of withdrawing from him scattered. He’d been gentle, taking his time, making certain she was fully awake and willing before he aroused her to a fever pitch. This time, he’d used endearments.

  Precious and sweet darlin’. The memory of the fervor and strain in his deep, husky voice when he’d said the words still had the power to send a flash of heat and weakness through her. This morning, she’d been disappointed to again wake up alone.

  “Oh, my, I don’t know whether I should go riding,” Aunt Pet fretted aloud, breaking into her thoughts. “It’s been at least three years since I was on a horse.”

  Though Pet was shaking her head, Allison could tell from the spark of excitement in her aunt’s eyes that the idea strongly appealed to her.

  “Then let’s do it,” she urged. “Please, Auntie, it would be so good for you.”

  Petula suddenly smiled as if she were an excited child. “But you should call Blue first and make certain it’s all right with him. It wouldn’t be good form for me to just show up.” Her enthusiastic smile dimmed a bit. “I’m still very sorry about bursting in on the two of you the other night.”

  “We both know it was Charles’s idea, Aunt. Please forget about it.” Allison released Pet’s fingers and hurriedly gathered up her purse. “I’ll go use a pay phone and let Blue know we’re on our way.” She got out her wallet and tossed two large bills on the table to pay the check, making certain enough was included to give the waitress a respectable tip, before she rose to go off in search of the pay phone.

  Blue wasn’t at the house. She learned from her call to the foreman’s office, located at the end of one of the barns, that Blue was on the range checking the stock. Because he had a cell phone with him, the foreman gave her the number and she finally reached him.

  “Do you mind if I bring Aunt Pet out for the afternoon? We were hoping for a small tour of the ranch buildings and to see a bit of the ranch, but Aunt Pet would especially enjoy being able to ride one of your horses. She’s a competent equestrian.”

  The silence on the line crackled with a bit of static, and went on for several moments. Either Blue hadn’t heard everything she’d said or his silence was a prelude to refusing her.

  Worried he might say no and that Pet’s feelings would be hurt, she added a soft, “Please, Blue. It would mean a lot to me to be able to bring my aunt out for a visit. And for her to be able to go riding.”

  “Have the two of you got clothes that’ll keep you from being fried alive?”

  His gruff question relieved her. “We can both wear the jeans and long-sleeved shirts I bought to wear around the ranch. I have two pairs of boots, so all we’ll need are a couple of hats. We could buy those at the Wal-Mart on our way out.”

  “Edward bought a few to have on hand for guests. Jim can show you around and get you a couple of horses.” And then the line went dead.

  Jim can show you around and get you a couple of horses. The words crushed her enthusiasm. She’d hoped Blue would show them around. But now, after two days of waking up alone and being alone all day the day before, she couldn’t help getting the clear impression that he was deliberately keeping her at a distance.

  Unt
il that moment, she hadn’t realized the depth of her growing feelings for Blue. The pain of being brushed off helped her find it.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ALLISON and Petula arrived back at the ranch and went quickly upstairs to change into riding clothes. Because they were virtually the same size, Allison’s jeans and blouses fit Pet as well as her own clothing did. Pet’s feet were a half size smaller, but Allison’s boots were a reasonable fit.

  Once downstairs, Edward brought them a selection of hats from the coatroom off the kitchen. Either the hats were too tight or too large. Opting for the larger hats, they put them on, then glanced over at each other and promptly burst into laughter.

  “I’m sorry, Aunt Pet,” Allison said when she was able to stop. “Our hats are a bit oversized.”

  Pet rolled her eyes and the adolescent gesture made her seem younger. “No doubt we look cartoonish. These hats must have been made for giants.”

  Impulsively Pet turned to Edward, who looked on dutifully. “What do you think, Edward? Do we look like a pair of clean-shaven Yosemite Sams?”

  “Hardly, madam,” he said tactfully, his British accent betraying a cheerful lilt that Allison hadn’t heard before, “More like two very lovely ladies wearing garden hats—Texas style garden hats, of course.”

  Petula’s light brows rose so high they disappeared beneath her hat. “My, what a sweet remark, Edward. Suddenly I feel like hatching a plot to steal you away from my niece.”

  A hint of pleasure flashed through his dark eyes and a faint flush seeped into his stern cheeks. “Thank you very much, madam. I’m flattered.”

  As if he were suddenly embarrassed, Edward abruptly glanced from Pet to Allison. “Mr. Sumner phoned just as the two of you were coming downstairs. He’s requested that I take you on a tour of the headquarters. I was recently granted that same tour, and I have quite a good memory for details. If this is agreeable to you, madam, I shall require a few minutes to change into outdoor gear.”