by Rena McKay
She forced herself to down toast and coffee for breakfast. She spent the morning having her hair done at Caverna Bay's lone beauty shop. She took her wedding gown over to the little room off the main church, where she would dress. She was surprised to find the florists already there decorating the church with what appeared to be at least a truckload of flowers. She couldn't manage lunch. It simply would not go down.
At one o'clock Larry came by to pick her up and take her to the church. He was already dressed for his part in the ceremony. He had an odd look on his face as he reached over to squeeze her hand. "I hope you'll be happy. I really do," he said huskily.
"Thank you, Larry. You've been so good to me. I don't know what I'd have done without you." Impulsively she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
"I always wanted to go through a marriage ceremony with you, but I never pictured it being quite like this. I guess sometimes our dreams come true, but in the wrong way." Then he gave her a funny little crooked grin and apologized. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be upsetting you by saying things like this. If you're happy— well, that's the important thing."
She smiled her thanks, tears glistening on her lashes.
"Ready to tell me your plans yet?" Larry inquired lightly. When she didn't answer, he smiled again. "Okay, I get the picture. I suppose Trev is trying to avoid publicity. But I can't help feeling— Do you love the guy?" he asked suddenly with a blunt directness she could not ignore. "Really love him?"
Robyn paused with her hand on the door handle. There it was, she thought, the question she had not dared ask herself. She had skirted it by contemptuously berating herself for her susceptibility to Trev's physical charms. She had told herself the very idea of being in love with him was totally unthinkable, unworthy of serious consideration. But now she couldn't avoid the question any longer. Larry wouldn't let her.
She took a deep breath. "Yes. Yes, I really love him." She intended the words to come out firm but she could hear the tremble in her own voice.
Larry heard something more. "You don't sound very happy about it," he observed.
What was it Larry had said just a few moments ago? "Sometimes our dreams come true, but in the wrong way." Yes, here it was, her dream come true. She was deeply, desperately in love. She was marrying the man she loved. And yet it was all terribly, hopelessly wrong, like some misshapen distortion in a trick mirror. She pressed her trembling lips together, struggling for control.
"I'm h—happy," she finally managed to falter. "Just bridal jitters. You know."
Larry looked as if he was about to dispute that, but just then Beth Hylder stuck her head out the rear door of the church. "You'd better get dressed," she called. "The bridegroom is threatening to start the ceremony without you."
Robyn's heart flip-flopped. Trev was already here. And already issuing orders and ultimatums too, she thought resentfully. Larry gave her hand another encouraging squeeze and then she slipped out of the car. There was no time for second thoughts now.
Robyn dressed swiftly. The ivory satin felt cool and rich against her skin. The fitted bodice molded her slim waist and breasts, and the flowing skirt swirled around her legs. Beth fluttered around her, adjusting a seam here, a bit of lace there.
The tight knot in Robyn's stomach was a churning sea of nausea now. One part of her was protesting that she couldn't go through with this travesty; another part was reminding her that for Mrs. Barrone's sake she had to go through with it. Beth kept dashing back and forth, peeking out the window to see who was arriving. Suddenly she announced the arrival of a photographer.
"From Beckley's Studio in Eureka," she added, sounding impressed. "They cost a fortune." Photographer? Surely Beth must be mistaken, Robyn thought. She hadn't arranged for any photographs. Why would Trev want any record of this day?
Robyn slipped on the white satin shoes. She hadn't bothered fulfilling the "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" tradition, and suddenly Beth noticed, horrified, that there was nothing blue. Hastily she ran out to see what she could find.
Robyn was standing in front of the mirror trying to arrange her hair around the tiara of seed pearls holding the lace and net veil when there was a tap on the door.
"Who is it?" she called.
"Trev."
Robyn's hands suddenly froze on the tiara. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes stared back, unnaturally large and dark, her skin pale in spite of carefully applied makeup. Her lower lip trembled and she reached up a shaky hand to touch it, suddenly thinking irrelevantly that in a few minutes Trev would kiss those trembling lips. She swallowed convulsively.
"Robyn? Are you all right?" The voice was sharper now. "I'd like to talk to you for a minute."
Resolutely she walked over and pulled the door open. "Yes? What is it you want?" She managed to keep her voice crisp and businesslike.
He stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind him. His eyes swept over her. Approval? Indifference? She could not tell. Strange emotions ricocheted through Robyn. She looked away and fingered the pointed tip of her fitted satin sleeve. His intense, blue gaze unnerved her, and she struggled to regain her composure. She forced herself to inspect him coolly, trying not to be swayed by his dark good looks.
"Does that searching gaze mean that I pass muster, or are you thinking that the bridegroom isn't supposed to see the bride before the ceremony?" he asked.
"Under the circumstances I don't think that really matters," Robyn returned evenly. But she still could not meet his look. She knew the devastating effect those smouldering eyes had on her. She turned back to the mirror and fussed nervously with the tiara.
"You said you wanted to talk to me," she prompted. "There isn't much time."
"Maybe I just wanted to make sure you were going through with this. That I wasn't going to be left standing at the altar with a ring in my hand and a foolish expression on my face," he said.
"I'm sure you know I wouldn't do anything to hurt Mrs. Barrone," Robyn said aloofly.
In the mirror, Robyn saw the lift of a dark eyebrow. "But what if she were not even involved?"
"If she wasn't involved, we wouldn't be in this mess," Robyn pointed out. Suddenly her composure broke and she turned away from his reflection in the mirror. "Trev, what we're doing is a farce! A travesty! All those decent people out there and we're making fools out of them. And we're the biggest fools of all!" she cried.
He looked at her a moment longer and then shrugged. He pulled a packet of papers out of a breast pocket. "I'd like you to read this. My lawyer drew it up."
The stiff pages crackled as Robyn unfolded them slowly. "What is it?"
"A prenuptial agreement. It says if we come to a—ah—parting of the ways that we each retain whatever property or possessions we brought to the marriage and make no claim on the other person's properties."
Robyn glanced up, surprised and angry. "Did you really think I might try to benefit from this sorry mess?" she asked bitterly.
"It protects you as well as me," he pointed out. "You don't have to worry that I might try to claim an interest in your gift shop."
"How considerate of you," she returned sarcastically.
He held out a pen and she scratched her signature on the document.
"Don't you want to read the agreement?"
"I'm sure your lawyer is thoroughly competent," she snapped. "Now, if you'll leave me alone, I'd like to finish dressing." She turned her back on him again and fumbled with the veil, determinedly ignoring him.
After a moment she heard the door open and watched in the mirror as he walked out.
She closed the door with shaking hands and leaned against it. She felt dizzy. Prenuptial agreements… Beth earnestly borrowing something blue for her to fulfill the old wedding tradition… the awful agony of finally admitting to herself she was in love with Trev. It was all such a confused jumble. Her head throbbed. She could not go through with this. She simply could not do it.
Suppose she just
ran out the back way and disappeared, she thought wildly. It wouldn't be the first time a bride had changed her mind at the last minute.
Then, as she was peering out the window, a car pulled up. Dr. Helgeson and a nurse and Mrs. Barrone arriving. Little Mrs. Barrone was sitting up very straight. She had made it! She was going to see her beloved grandson married to a "nice, sensible young lady," as she had always hoped.
Robyn turned away from the window. Nice, sensible young ladies did not run out on their responsibilities and commitments. She shuddered to think of the consequences to Mrs. Barrone if she gave in to such a wild impulse. As she had told Trev, she couldn't do anything to hurt Mrs. Barrone. And neither, she thought with a sense of wonder, could he. In spite of her accusation about his inability to feel love, she knew it wasn't true. He was as trapped as Robyn by his feelings for that sweet old lady.
Trapped, but not so blind that he wasn't looking ahead and making careful plans for the future, Robyn reminded herself with distaste. He did not intend to be caught unprepared when all this finally came to an end.
That was what she must concentrate on too, she thought determinedly. All she had to do today was get through this afternoon. The ceremony and reception together couldn't possibly last more than a couple of hours. If she could just hold herself together that long, the worst would be over. Mrs. Barrone would go back to her hospital room. Trev would go to his motel. And she could go back to her own safe little apartment behind the gift shop. And then it was just a matter of time. In spite of Mrs. Barrone's determined progress, none of the doctors held out much hope for a permanent recovery.
And that was where Robyn's thoughts and emotions became confused between hope and guilt. She desperately wanted all this to be over and yet she didn't want Mrs. Barrone to die, and one couldn't happen without the other. The throbbing pain was back in Robyn's head again. If only she hadn't fallen in love with Trev, she thought dully. That was what complicated everything, made her mind and body go all soft and helpless when he touched her, made her ache with pain when she thought of the hopelessness of her feelings for him. If she could only look at all this as he did, a nuisance and a bother, but justified for Mrs. Barrone's sake…
A tap on the door. "Robyn?" Beth said tentatively. "Everything is ready."
"I'm coming."
Robyn took another quick look in the mirror. Veil in place, troubled eyes safely concealed. Dress falling in perfect, elegant folds to the floor. Engagement ring gleaming on her right hand, left hand bare to receive the wedding band. She realized she was still clutching the blue lace handkerchief Beth had given her. Shakily she tucked it inside the bodice of her gown. She picked up her bouquet of cream colored roses, and opened the door to face the strange torment of marrying the man she loved.
After that everything was a blur oddly punctuated by sharp moments of startling clarity, like a film run at high speed stopping occasionally for a still. The blur of a church filled with masses of flowers and a small sea of unidentifiable faces. The blur of music. Larry supporting heron his arm. Heady fragrance of flowers. Finally, a still, clear shot of Mrs. Barrone in a wheelchair at the edge of the front pew, her face radiant with happiness.
Then Trev and Robyn were standing before the altar.
The minister spoke. Robyn and Trev repeated the words as he had told them to do. Trev slipped the ring on her finger. More words from the minister. To Robyn, they sounded dim and far away. Was all this really happening to her?
Someone lifted the veil from her face and she looked up to meet Trev's deep, unfathomable eyes.
Moving toward her, he swept her into his arms. He lifted his hand to touch her cheek and throat with wondering gentleness before sliding it caressingly down her smooth, satin back now arching willingly toward him. As in slow motion, she saw his face move down to meet hers as she parted her lips to accept his kiss. For the first time she found out what it was like to be kissed by Trevor Barrone. Not the brush of lips on cheek or temple, but a passionate kiss. The kiss of a man who desired a woman and was going to make sure that she knew it.
Finally he let her go. Her mouth felt seared and bruised. Waves of heat coursed through her body. She felt nude—exposed—it was unseemly in front of everyone. And yet—and yet—she yearned with all her heart and soul to be in Trevor Barrone's arms again.
She was still trembling when the organist began the strains of the triumphal march. Trevor tucked her arm in his. Beneath the satin of her long sleeve she could feel her flesh respond to his possessive grip. They marched down the aisle amid a sea of faces. A flash bulb popped. Mr. and Mrs. Trevor Barrone had been recorded for posterity.
The reception was held in a separate wing of the church. Mrs. Barrone's elderly friends turned out to be surprisingly energetic, and everything was bright and festive. Trev and Robyn joined hands to cut the three-tiered cake with the little bride and groom figures on top. More photographs, several with Mrs. Barrone beaming proudly. Robyn realized now why Trev had hired a photographer. For Mrs. Barrone, of course. She would wear the photographs ragged enjoying them herself and showing them off.
Trev was at his best, treating Mrs. Barrone and all her friends gallantly, making a display of attentive affection toward Robyn. But for Robyn it was more difficult. She had to open the wedding gifts. It didn't seem right to her that so many had taken of their limited resources to buy gifts for a wedding couple who were total frauds. Robyn tried to make up for her guilt by oohing and aahing enthusiastically over each item, from handmade potholders to lovely crocheted tablecloths.
By now her mouth ached from smiling so widely. The satin shoes hurt her feet. She couldn't hang on much longer. And, she realized, Mrs. Barrone was tiring fast. Robyn shot an appealing glance at Trev. Couldn't they get this over with?
He raised a hand. "Before everyone leaves—"
Nicely put, Robyn thought wryly. A gentle hint to say the least.
"Before everyone leaves, I have an announcement to make."
Robyn was standing beside Mrs. Barrone's wheelchair. She felt a sudden twinge of uneasiness as Trev threw her an odd, almost challenging glance. Announcement about what?
"I'm sure you've all been wondering about our plans, and I apologize for being so secretive. It's just that I wanted to surprise everyone, including my lovely bride." He flashed a brilliant smile in Robyn's direction. "As some of you may know, I had planned to move my grandmother down to the southern part of the state with me. She was not, to say the least, wildly enthusiastic about the idea."
A small wave of laughter tittered through the attentive crowd. Robyn felt a wave of apprehension. What in the world was he getting at?
"So I decided to change my plans," Trevor continued. "I have bought a house in Caverna Bay where I spent so many summers with my grandmother and where I met my beautiful bride."
Trevor smiled lovingly at Robyn who was too bewildered to smile back.
"Some of you probably know the house—it's the new, modern one overlooking the bay."
Robyn gasped audibly. It was the house on Rocky Point. The one she had thought belonged to a television personality.
Trevor walked over to Robyn and took her hand. "My grandmother already knew about this; we had to make the arrangements but, by the look on her face, I would say that this came as a complete surprise to my bride, wouldn't you?"
Everyone crowded around Trev and Robyn. Robyn answered questions and congratulations alike with the same automatic smile. But inside, she was shaking. She had been trapped again! Her ordeal was not yet over. Not only would she have to continue this ridiculous deception, but she would have to live in the same house with the man who had been responsible for it. And who knew where that would lead? She stole a look at Trevor but he seemed to be completely absorbed in conversation with his guests.
Chapter Seven
They left the church in a flurry of rice and flashbulbs. A procession of honking cars followed. Robyn leaned back against the seat, eyes closed, angry with Trev for the "surprise"
he had pulled on her but too drained at the moment to protest. Now was when it should have been all over. But it wasn't—it wasn't! The worst was only beginning. Being around Trev all the time, living a 24-hour-a-day pretense. How could he do this to her? How dare he do it without even consulting her, springing it on her at a time when he knew she couldn't protest?
She had wondered several times why Mrs. Barrone never questioned them about their plans for after the wedding. But now she knew the reason. Mrs. Barrone already knew the plans. Only Robyn had been in the dark.
Robyn opened her eyes and glanced over at Trev. Once away from the church the flashing smile had disappeared. He looked at Robyn, then back at the winding road that led around the south side of the bay.
"Most brides would be delighted to be surprised with a beautiful new home on their wedding day," he said mockingly.
Robyn opened her mouth to make a withering retort and then compressed her lips angrily. This was neither the time nor place for all she had to say. The honking cars made speech practically impossible.
Trev turned off the main road at a pair of high, gracefully peaked, wrought iron gates. They followed the driveway through a forest of towering redwoods. The house was awe inspiring, a huge structure of angled rooftops, decks, massive stone and wide expanses of glass. The landscaping was an elegant blend of trees and shrubs and artfully placed rocks designed to blend with the natural setting. Trev braked in front of the recessed entryway. Robyn reluctantly slid out. She was still in her wedding gown. Trev was looking at her with an oddly expectant expression.
"It's lovely," Robyn murmured almost unwillingly. "I'm sure your grandmother will love it."
In the distance she could still hear the tooting horns as the cars circled back toward town. Robyn turned to look through the massive tree trunks at the little town across the bay. Suddenly she was swept off her feet into Trev's strong arms. She looked up into his blue eyes with astonishment. "What are you doing?" she gasped.
