by Smith, Bobbi
Leaning back, bracing his long legs up on the desktop, he lifted his narrowed eyes to hers and froze her with an ice-cold glare. "The wedding will be tomorrow."
"All right." At least she was relieved to her that.
"You might as well go ahead and take charge of it," he directed with little interest. "I don't know if Lianne's in any condition to do it."
"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Becky asked sharply, ready to run to her friend's aid.
"Hell, no, I didn't hurt her!" he snapped, wondering how his sister who knew him so well could even think of such a thing. "She's fine. In fact, she's probably up there right now gloating over her success."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about her devious little scheme to hold onto Belle Arbor. You know how badly she wanted to keep this place. Well, when she couldn't buy it back, she decided to get it back another way," he sneered.
Becky was jarred to the depths by his allegation. She knew Lianne. She had seen her friend's very real distress. This had not been a planned occurrence.
"You're wrong about this, Adam. You don't know — "
"I know, Becky," he stated harshly. "I know."
His hate-filled conviction destroyed Becky's usually mild temperament. "Did you know that she made me promise not to tell you? Did you know that she only wanted me to loan her enough money so she could get away from Belle Arbor before you married Suzanne?"
"Lianne's cunning, Becky. She probably knew you'd run right to me with the news," he pointed out maddeningly, "and you did. It worked perfectly."
Becky gritted her teeth in frustration at his blindness. "Don't you realize how it must have affected Lianne to hear you announce your engagement to Suzanne while she was standing there pregnant with your baby?"
"I imagine my soon-to-be bride was quite delighted," he returned bitterly, still assured in his belief that Lianne had deliberately gotten herself with child.
"Why do you have such a low opinion of Lianne?" Becky challenged. "What has she ever done to you to make you feel this way about her?"
"I'll tell you what she's done!" he exploded as he slammed out of the chair. "She's just destroyed everything I've worked for, everything I've tried to do."
"She didn't get pregnant by herself, Adam!" Becky nearly shouted at him. She understood the rawness of his anger, but she knew he was also to blame for what had happened.
His expression turned murderous as he scowled at his sister. He cursed the wild desire he'd felt for Lianne that had led to this. "What the hell am I supposed to tell Suzanne? I can't let this opportunity slip away when I'm so damned close to nailing Shark!"
"Adam, you've admitted that the baby Lianne is carrying is yours. That's the important thing. That's what really matters. Does revenge against that damned pirate carry more importance to you than protecting your own flesh and blood?" Realizing that she'd pushed him as far as she was going to be able to, she moved to the door. "Think about it, Adam."
He did not watch her leave the room, but he heard the door close quietly behind her. He looked down at the bottle he still clutched in his hand and in disgust set it aside. He didn't need any more liquor tonight. He needed a clear head,
Sitting back down at the desk, Adam leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desktop and rest his head in his hands. He didn't want to think about it, but Becky's admonition to think of his child stayed with him. A baby . . . his own . . . The thought was rather awe-inspiring.
Adam's mouth twisted into the closest thing to a smile he could manage at the moment. He loved children. He got along wonderfully with Alex and imagined briefly having a son of his own. Yet as he was envisioning riding and sailing with a male offspring who looked suspiciously like himself, the image of a tiny emerald-eyed vixen stole into his thoughts.
His smile started to widen at the vision, and suddenly, seeing the direction of his own thoughts, he froze. Why had he felt such joy at the image of a little girl who so closely resembled Lianne? She had no hold on him. She meant nothing to him. She was only the mother of his child, nothing more. Still, even as he convinced himself that he didn't care for Lianne, something in the back of his mind reminded him of the overpowering attraction he felt for her and that tomorrow she would be his wife.
"I now pronounce you man and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder," intoned the priest as the small group stood gathered rather solemnly in the parlor early the next afternoon.
Lianne blanched when she heard his last declaration, and she trembled. The whole ceremony had been a travesty. They had pledged to love, honor, and obey, but it had all been a lie. Adam had already told her that he had no intention of parting with Suzanne. Obviously, he considered their marriage just a slight inconvenience, necessary because of the baby. It came to her that he might very well divorce her once the child was born, but the thought was so painful that she quickly put it from her mind. She would think only of the baby, and maybe that would help temper the desolation she felt over Adam's cruel accusations.
At his closing words, Adam turned to his bride and stared down at her with an enigmatic expression. His gaze was dark and unreadable as it raked over her upturned, pale face and then down to her left hand that now bore his ring. She was his. Knowing that it was expected, he took her in his arms and kissed her.
After the way they had parted the night before, Lianne had not expected any kind of display from him. The ceremony had been essentially sterile, and she expected the rest of her life to be that way, too. When his gaze met hers, she felt suddenly trapped, and when he crushed her to him, she started to protest. Before she could speak, though, his mouth swooped down to claim hers in a possessive, passionate exchange.
Lianne felt her knees threaten to give way as he ruthlessly plundered the sweetness of her mouth. It was almost as if he was trying to prove something to himself and somehow punish her at the same time. Shivering uncontrollably, she clung to the broad width of his shoulders, thankful for the support.
"Adam?" It was Beau who dared to speak up.
At the sound of his friend's voice, Adam's sanity returned. He broke off the embrace, releasing Lianne as abruptly as he'd taken her in his arms. With all the manner of a man unaffected by what had just transpired, he coolly turned to thank the priest for performing the wedding on such short notice.
When Adam finished speaking with the priest, Alex could no longer control his enthusiasm. With all the excitement that only a youngster can exude, he launched himself into Adam's arms and hugged him fiercely.
"Adam! I'm so glad you married Lianne! That means we're brothers now, huh?" He gazed up at Adam with open, youthful adoration.
"Yes, Alex. We're brothers now." For some reason, Alex's uncomplicated wonder and excitement touched Adam deeply, and he hugged him back with equal enthusiasm.
"Boy! You had me scared for a while there," Alex reported with a laugh.
"I did?" Adam looked down at him, his curiosity evident.
"Did you ever! I was really worried," he confided seriously. He remembered Mark and how his involvement with Suzanne had ended in tragedy. "I was afraid that you liked Suzanne better than Lianne!"
It was awkward for a moment as a stunned silence descended. No one had told Alex of all the intrigue that had occurred regarding the wedding. He just thought that marriages happened this way.
Having dealt with Alex's candid observations for many years now, Lianne recovered first. "He had to like me best, Alex, because I'm so much like you," she teased with a feigned lightheartedness.
"That's right," Adam agreed. Lianne looked up in surprise at his statement, but his eyes were flat, hard, and passionless as they met hers.
Announcing that there were refreshments there for all to enjoy in honor of the celebration, Becky led the way into the dining room. Alex darted happily ahead to sample of the tasty array of treats with the others following. Only Adam and Beau lingered behind.
"When are you going to see Suzanne?'' Beau asked.
"Today, as soon as I can get away," he answered curtly.
Beau nodded. "It won't be pretty."
Adam snorted in disgust, not at all looking forward to the encounter.
"What are you going to tell her about Lianne?"
"Whatever I think she'll believe," he said gravely. "Shark's got to return soon. It's been weeks since you saw him sail out. He's due back at any time now. I can't afford to lose the one sure connection we have to him!"
"I wish you luck."
"I'm going to need it. When are you planning on sailing again?"
"I'll be returning to the ship tomorrow."
"Good."
"Adam? Beau? Aren't you coming to join us?" Becky's invitation was a carefully veiled command.
Both men exchanged troubled glances and then went in to join the others in celebrating the marriage.
Chapter Twenty-one
Suzanne stared at Adam, her face as white as a sheet, her blue eyes burning wildly with explosive wrath. "You've what!"
"Lianne and I were married this afternoon, Suzanne," he repeated the news bluntly as he stood stiffly before her. He expected and was prepared to take whatever abuse she decided to heap upon him.
"I can't believe it. How could this have happened? Last night you pledged your love to me before all those people, and today you tell me that you've married another woman . . ." She was distraught at the thought of losing him, yet the humiliation she knew she was going to suffer when word of this spread took precedence over all else in her mind.
"It was necessary, Suzanne," Adam said flatly. "Lianne is carrying my child."
"She's what!" Suzanne cried, horrified.
"Lianne's pregnant. We married only to give my child a name."
"Your child? Your child!" she raged, her fear of embarrassment lost in a sea of roiling anger. "You tell me that you want to wait to make love to me until we're married, and all the while you're bedding Lianne!"
"It wasn't like that," Adam told her with as much calm as he could muster.
"And I'm supposed to believe you just because you say it's so?" She got up from the sofa where they'd been sitting and moved away from him when he would have held her.
"Suzanne, I didn't bed you, because I respected you and wanted to save our lovemaking for our wedding night." He hoped he sounded earnest in his explanation.
Suzanne believed what Adam was telling her. He was everything she'd ever wanted in a man, and she didn't want her dream of having him to end. Adam Trent was to be hers!
"This thing with Lianne just happened," Adam went on to explain.
Suzanne had always known Lianne was no good, and this just proved it. Not only was she as stupid as her brother had been, but she was a slut, too.
Obviously Adam's encounter with her had occurred some time ago for her to be able to announce a pregnancy now. Probably, Suzanne figured, Lianne had thrown herself at Adam. Red-blooded male that he was, he wouldn't turn down a willing female, especially since this happened before their own engagement. Suzanne's lips curled into a snarl as she imagined the great joy Lianne must have taken in announcing her impending motherhood to Adam after he'd already openly proclaimed his love for her.
"I want to believe that, Adam, but what am I supposed to do?" she asked, her fury giving way to calculated tears she hoped would affect him. "You're the only man I've ever loved, and now I've lost you."
This time when he tried to embrace her, she did not resist but melted in his arms. She hid her face against his chest, hiding her smile of triumph at his next declaration.
"You haven't lost me, darling," he promised as he bent to kiss her.
Suzanne's heart swelled at his unspoken promise of continued devotion, and she thrilled to the touch of his lips on hers. This was Adam, the man she loved. A stupid little chit like Lianne wouldn't be able to hold a man like him. He was hers!
Suzanne found the thought of taking Adam to her bed on the day he married another woman perversely exciting. What better way to get back at that Ducharme bitch! She pressed herself willingly against Adam, wanting him to know that she would offer him anything. She was his for the taking. She wanted him more than anything in the world. Yet as she tried to deepen the embrace, Adam drew away.
"I have to go, darling."
"I want you, Adam. I don't want you to leave. Stay with me. Love me, please," Suzanne invited without reservation. "There's no reason to deny ourselves any longer."
Adam gave her a quick, silencing kiss. "There is a reason to deny ourselves, darling. I don't want to risk your reputation. I've already paid the price for one mistake, and it's a price I can't pay more than once."
"Oh, Adam . . ." She sighed ecstatically as she realized that his true concern in not making love to her was protecting her. "What will I do without you?"
"You won't have to do without me, darling. That will never change."
"You mean we can still see each other?" Suzanne was filled with hope.
"Every chance I get," he vowed honestly. "Do you really think I could stay away from you?"
At his confession, Suzanne kissed him wildly. "I'll wait for you, my love. Forever, if I have to . . ."
Despite the traumatic events of the day, Adam felt some satisfaction at her words. Perhaps all had not been lost. . . .
It was late as Lianne sat in the parlor with Becky, Beau, and Alex. Dinner had already been served and the dishes cleared away, but still Adam had not returned. Though he had not told her where he was going, she had known. He'd gone to Suzanne's, and now he'd been away for hours.
The pain in her heart was excruciating, but Lianne didn't really understand why. She rationalized that it was the humiliation she was suffering at being abandoned here before the others that hurt her so badly. She certainly didn't love Adam, she reminded herself. She hated him. She had been forced to marry him because of the baby, nothing else. What did she care if he spent their wedding day with the one woman she despised above all others? Suzanne had cheated her of Mark, and now she would take Adam from her, too. Unconsciously, at the thought, Lianne's hands clinched tightly in her lap.
Looking for a way to escape and be alone with her thoughts, she finally decided to put Alex to bed. "Alex, sweetheart, it's time for you to go to bed now."
"Not yet, Lianne. I want to see Adam again before I go to bed," he argued.
"Well, you'll just have to wait until morning, young man," she answered with a smile.
"But when's he coming back, Lianne? He's been gone too long." Alex put plainly into words what everyone else had been thinking.
Lianne flushed, but managed to answer coolly enough. "He had some important business to tend to that couldn't wait, love. He'll be back soon, you'll see."
"Yeah, but you said it's my bedtime already, and I wanted to tell him good-night before I went to sleep," he went on. "I wanted to tell him again how glad I am that he's my brother! I like Adam, Lianne. I'm glad you married him."
"Well, I'm sure you'll see him at breakfast, Alex. Now, no more arguing, it's bedtime."
"Good night, Alex," Becky and Beau said in unison as they watched Lianne usher him from the room.
"Are you coming back down?" Becky asked.
"No, I think I'll go on to bed, Becky. It has been a long day, and I am rather tired."
"All right," she agreed, understanding her need for some time alone. "We'll see you in the morning."
"Good night." Lianne followed Alex from the room as calmly as she could, although her first instinct was to run madly from their sight. She couldn't bear their looks of sympathy any longer.
When she'd tucked Alex snugly in bed and kissed him soundly, she returned to her own room to get ready for bed. Sarah was there already waiting for her with a hot bath and fresh linens.
"Thanks, Sarah. How did you know?" Lianne asked wearily as she began to strip off her clothing.
"Miss Becky told me that you were going to bed, so I got your bath ready."
"You're going to spoil me," Liann
e said as she stepped into the steaming, perfumed water and sank down in its soothing comfort.
"You could use with a little spoiling," she retorted happily, not in the least bit distressed by her marriage to Adam Trent.
Lianne didn't answer as she closed her eyes against the bite of threatening tears. She didn't want to think right now. She just wanted to enjoy the scented bath and pretend for a little while that everything in her life was wonderful.
"I'll start moving your things into Mr. Adam's room first thing in the morning," Sarah told her as she tidied up after her.
Lianne's eyes snapped open at her statement. "You'll do no such thing, Sarah! My things will remain in here and so will I."
"What are you talking about, Miss Lianne?"
"I'll be remaining in my own room, Sarah. I'm sure Adam won't mind.
Sarah gave a snort of disbelief. "He married you, didn't he? I'm sure he's expecting you in his bed."
"And I'm equally sure that he's not!" Lianne shot back, embarrassed at having to reveal the nature of Adam's proposal. "Now, I don't want to hear another word about it, Sarah! Just do as you're told!"
Sarah didn't know exactly what had happened between Adam and Lianne, but she knew now it hadn't been the happy joining she'd thought it was going to be. In all her life, Lianne had never raised her voice to her or spoken to her in such a manner. For her to respond that way, something had to be terribly wrong.
"What is it, child? What's wrong?" She tried to coax her into talking about it, hoping it would help her.
But Lianne didn't want to share the humiliation of her "marriage in name only" with anyone, even though she knew that everyone would figure it out once they spend the first night apart.
"Nothing's wrong. Now, go on and leave me alone," she dismissed her. "I'll dress myself."
Adam rode slowly up the long drive to Bell Arbor. He had left Suzanne's long before sundown, but had not wanted to return home. The longer he stayed away from Lianne the better. He was not about to let her gloat over her masterful manipulations. She might be his wife, but his name was all she would ever have.
