The Counterfeit Bride

  Grammie’s admonishments to always keep her head high moved her chin up another notch. Name calling did hurt as much as sticks and stones, you just didn’t have exterior scars to show. Grammie was right when she said, Don’t let the bastards see how much they hurt you. It’ll just draw a bigger target on you. “Sir, I will repeat this one last time. I do not want Dolmides money. I do not want Christofides money. I do not want the tabloids money, although, I could have a lot of fun with the rag sheets. You can marry Julia anytime you choose. You just have to do it under her name. Not under mine!”

  “Why do you persist in claiming to be Cassiopeia? It is obvious the other girl is Kelley’s true daughter. They have the same purple eyes.”

  Cassidy opened her eyes wide. “As do I. However, in my case the color is real, not changed from pale grey as in Julia’s case.”

  “They both have red hair.”

  Cassidy picked up a fistful of curls “What do you call this?”

  “Rippling flame,” he breathed. “It is alive with gold, copper, and flame, all mixed together.” He cleared his throat and shifted his weight. “They are both Titian. The color of your hair is unique. It belongs to only you.”

  Cassidy felt the blush in her cheeks melt the permafrost. “Are those all the differences you can come up with?”

  “There is the matter of their height and fashion model slim figures.”

  “Of course, how could I be so obtuse? They look like stick figures with expensive materials covering their giant bodies, while I am short and dumpy. Have you looked at Costas lately? He is definitely height challenged. Kelley probably has to get everything off the high shelves for him. And I’m willing to bet the women in his family all have curvy chests and behinds with a little bit of jiggle. I did inherit my genetics from both sides, you know.” The permafrost was almost completely gone. Cassidy felt volcanic steam rising. At any minute she expected it to shoot out her ears and nostrils, like in an old cartoon.

  “There is no way Kelley would ever burst into a church and create the kind of scene you did.”

  “Kelley! The perfect mistress,” Cassidy gave an unladylike snort. “The woman gave up her child in order to keep her place in a rich man’s bed. Yes, let’s use Kelley as the arbiter of good taste and proper manners.” Cassidy shivered at the prickly feel of her hair springing away from her head. “That little scene at the church wouldn’t have happened if someone had taken my calls, or at least had the common decency to return one of them.”

  “Calls? There were no telephone calls?”

  Cassidy puffed out a breath in frustration. “I called all of you. Costas, Kelley, even you. I tried both your home and office numbers. Unfortunately I wasn’t able find your cell number in time.”

  His jaw tightened. The muscle in his cheek twitched spasmodically. Cassidy was fascinated, but tried not to stare. She didn’t want him to know he had a tell. He was broadcasting his emotions to her as clearly as a two year old in full tantrum mode. Clearly he was a man who normally played his cards close to his chest. “None of those numbers are available for public access. If you made the calls, as you claim, how did you obtain them?”

  The hot Texas sun blazed in the smile she tossed Theron’s way. “Why sir, surely you don’t expect me to give you confidential information. My Grammie always told me that it was very important for a woman to be mysterious.”

  “There were no such telephone calls.”

  “You are choosing to believe I am lying. It is easy enough to check with your secretary, PA, housekeeper, or just look over the phone logs. Now, can we please put this all aside. Arguing with you is beginning to tire me. What day would they like to reschedule the tests for?”

  “The Dolmides do not intend to reschedule the tests. However, as we speak they are already rescheduling their daughter’s wedding. It will be so much easier if you withdraw your scurrilous claims. You will be handsomely paid for it.”

  “You can marry Cousin Julia anytime you want, but the marriage will have to be between you and Julia Jenkins.” Theron Christofides was so handsome. She hated to toss him back to the lions. She wanted to eat him up herself. There was something about him that called to Cassidy. It caused her a twinge of pain to say those words so callously. “Cassiopeia Flynn is unavailable for marriage at this time.” Cassidy stood up and walked towards him.

  Theron also stood and met her half way. “Cassiopeia Dolmides and I will be wed by the end of the week.” He leaned towards her.

  There was a burning in her belly. “There is no such person as Cassiopeia Dolmides, check out the birth certificate.” No more than six inches separated their noses. Cassidy could smell the minty freshness of his breath. Cassidy lowered her voice so that only Theron could hear her. “Don’t you find it strange that a simple DNA test could resolve everything quickly and yet I am the only one who wants to have it performed?”

  “This marriage is to cement a very important merger between the two families and the two companies. If there is no marriage we will all lose.” His voice was pitched for her ears only. “Delay is costly.”

  “Ah, so it is all for monetary gain. Making the rich richer!” She couldn’t believe the disappointment she felt. At least when she thought he might have gotten Julia pregnant she could pretend he cared for something more than money. She couldn’t disguise the look of disgust in her eyes.

  Theron grabbed her by the arms. She heard a rustle and knew that Moose was getting ready to pounce, so she shook her bottom, a sign they had developed years ago to let the boys know that this was a situation Cassidy wanted to handle herself. “It is about more than money. It is about jobs. Thousands of jobs.” He lowered his mouth to hers. His tongue followed the route she had teased him with a few minutes earlier. She felt her body curving into his. Just as her tongue started to duel with his he shoved her away from him “The Dolmides/Christofides wedding will take place before the end of the month.”

  Cassidy wanted to scrub his kiss away, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he had affected her. She had never felt such a prickling sensation all over her skin before. Her nipples had puckered before he pushed her away.

  “The wedding can take place anytime you want.” Cassidy took a step back, hoping it didn’t look like retreat.

  “It will expedite matters if you sign an affidavit to renounce your claim.” His black eyes glittered coldly.

  “Bless your heart! I’m not gonna sign anything. You can marry anytime you want, as long as the bride’s name is not Cassiopeia Flynn or Dolmides.” Cassidy reached a hand out in back of her, her purple eyes never leaving his black ones. Moose stepped forward and put a thick legal document on her palm. She wrapped her fingers around it and handed it to Theron. “These are for you.”

  She headed for the door. Theron opened the document. “An injunction?”

  “A petition has been filed in the Federal District Court in Texas. Simultaneously one was also filed here in Athens. Until this identity crisis is settled to the satisfaction of the courts. Anyone presenting themselves as Cassiopeia Flynn or Dolmides, daughter of Kelley Flynn and Costas Dolmides cannot be legally married in either the United States or Greece. Should you try to get married in another country, the marriage, for all intents and purposes will not be recognized as valid in either country.”

  She stepped close to Theron once more and placed her hand on his neck. She drew his ear down to her mouth. “Let’s pretend you’re the good guy here, entering into this marriage for the greater good. Now, let’s say you believe I am who I say I am. Why would Costas and Kelley refuse to find out the truth? What do they have to gain if you marry an imposter? And what will the situation do to your precious deal? Who could win big? Who could lose even bigger?”

  She released him. She wanted another kiss before she left, but with the greatest restraint Cassidy resisted the primal urge. She twirled towards the door, the skirt once again lifting above her knees. She hoped he enjoyed the sight of her legs, but Cassidy w
alked through the door without ever looking back to see if he did. She head held high.

  Grammie would have been proud.

  Chapter 5

  “Stand still and stop your squirming. Really, Cassie, sometimes you are worse than a five year old with chiggers down his britches.” Lynda yanked the rope of red hair she was weaving into a French braid. “I can’t get this dang thing to hang straight.”

  “Lynda, you are such a hoot when you go all Mississippi on me,” Cassidy chuckled. “Just make sure the bangs are tucked in tight. I don’t want to be flicking them out of my eyes all night.”

  “I don’t understand why you want to scrape all your hair back. It looks beautiful when you use a sparkly barrette to hold it out of your face.”

  “There’s going to be trouble tonight. It’s easier to break up the fights when I don’t have to worry about some drunk trying to pull my hair out.” They both knew it had happened many times in the past.

  “I heard you doubled the bouncers for the weekend. Is that why you asked me to watch Z for the night? You’ve got Mountain Man working there?”

  Cassidy rubbed the back of her neck. It had been an extraordinarily long week with half of it spent in Greece. The beer distributors had taken advantage of her absence by convincing her bartender to double the orders. Mountain Man, her ranch foreman, farrier, and nanny, had received an urgent call from clients in New Mexico needing him immediately. Plus Z had started teething, making it impossible to run a bar with a baby crying in the office.

  “M had business to take care of over the border. He left before all the excitement began.”

  “For crying out loud, Cassidy, get to the point!” Lynda tugged on the braid as she wrapped an elastic around the bottom. “Don’t keep me in suspense. Why do you expect more trouble than usual?”

  “It’s a Friday night with a full moon.”

  “Is that all?” Lynda pouted.

  “No, that’s not all,” Cassidy mimicked her friend with crossed eyes. “Around midnight, last night, Jane Bowen went out to her husband’s pick-up to get her cell phone. As she approached the truck she saw a full moon.”

  “Big deal,” Lynda said.

  “The full moon she saw wasn’t in the sky. The full moon she saw was in the bed of her husband’s pickup truck. It was heaving up and down. She plucked a green stick from my forsythia hedges and approached the truck. Jane slammed that stick across the bare naked butt as hard as she could. Only as it turned out, the butt didn’t belong to her husband. It belonged to Jack Franklin, her best friend’s husband. To make matters worse, he was doing the bare naked mambo with Annie May Cox.”

  “Billy Cox’s wife?”

  “Billy Cox’s pregnant wife,” Cassidy said with a grimace.

  “The Billy Cox who just came home from Afghanistan and caught Annie May doing the nasty with Walt “Little Wiggly” Wyman? I thought Billy was going to divorce Annie May?” Linda clucked.

  “He was until Annie May got down on her knees and swore to be faithful. She swore she had always been faithful. It wasn’t what it looked like. Wee Wiggly had gotten her drunk and drugged her.” In drama queen fashion Cassidy placed her hand over her forehead. “He took vile advantage of her.”

  Cassidy picked Z out of the porta-crib and kissed him nosily on the neck.

  “The same Annie May who tried to press rape charges against Wee Wiggly?” Lynda seemed to have a hard grasping the situation.

  Cassidy’s grin said it all. “The same.” She watched Lynda dance around the living room.

  “It’s gonna be a hot time at the Scorpion’s Tail tonight. Someone is going to feel the stinger,” Lynda cackled. “You’re gonna need more back-up. Give me half an hour to call around. I’ll find a babysitter for Z, throw on my glad rags, and meet you there. It’ll be like the old days, only now I’m on the side of the angels. All we need is a good plan so the bar doesn’t get too torn up.”

  “Lyn. . .”

  “I remember when you and Rico first opened the Scorpion. All new furniture, everything to make a cozy little club for the locals. First night, first fight, no more furniture. I was sure you two would have to build a cage to keep the band safe, just like every other Lone Star road house. But did you two do that?” Lynda shook her head as she continued searching drawers. “No, you go to yard sales for more furniture, call in a few markers from your old biker buddies, and here you are with a respectable business,” Lynda turned a watery smile on Cassidy. “Have I ever told you how proud I am of you?”

  Cassidy had to remove the baby’s fingers from her mouth before she could answer her friend. “I have always known how you feel, mamacita. If not for you and Papa Moose, Rico and I would have been road kill soon after we had left that hell hole we used to call home. Aunt Patsy destroyed my home when she moved into Grammie’s house.” Cassidy tried hard, but she couldn’t control the shudder that shook her delicate frame. She thought she had moved past the awful memories, but seeing the Jenkins in Greece had brought the nightmares back.

  Tears spurted from Lynda’s eyes as she wrapped her arms around Cassidy and Baby Z. “You are the child I never had. The child of my heart. Of course, Moose and I had to take you under our wings. You two were such innocent babies and yet so fierce. When you walked into that diner in Kentucky and those truckers tried to take you away from Rico, we thought for sure you guys were goners. But you both fought hard enough to take down a grizzly. The two of you probably would have taken the eight of them down without any help, but we couldn’t resist a good fight. We didn’t realize at the time what a little tiger you are.”

  The two women pressed their foreheads together while the chubby baby between them chortled and pinched their tear slick cheeks.

  Lynda pushed Cassidy away. “Give me that baby and get to the Scorpion. You’ll want to get the troops in position before everyone arrives. I should be there in about half an hour.”

  “I’m sorry, Lynda, but you will have to stay home with Enzio. There isn’t a babysitter to be had anywhere from here to Needmore. As soon as word got out every baby sitter in a fifty mile radius was already spoken for. I heard most of them were spoken for before the Scorpion’s doors were locked last night. This morning I received calls from Needmore, Lakeview, and Brownfield wanting to reserve tables. I’m surprised you hadn’t already heard.”

  “I had customers that rode in from Arizona.” Lynda was a Master of the tattoo arts, people came from all over for her work. “I sure hope you are up to date on your insurance payments,” Lynda, the ever practical, said. “This could be the type of brawl that can put you out of business.”

  “That’s the beauty of it. There isn’t going to be any brawl. There are going to be two Rangers parked right outside the door. As soon as anybody tries to start anything, me and my trusty Louisville Slugger will escort them right into the waiting arms of Texas’s best.” Cassidy poofed her baby’s belly.

  “You’re gonna have a lot of disappointed Texans on your hands.”

  Cassidy hugged Enzio tightly to her and kissed him heartily before handing him over to Lynda. “I don’t think anyone who comes for the show will be too disappointed. They’ll get to see people arguing with me and the business end of my baseball bat. If those morons really want a fight they can take it outside. The Rangers will be more than happy to turn a blind eye, or maybe even come inside for a while. I will not allow my place of business, the source of income for myself and my son, to be jeopardized by a bunch of adulterous morons.”

  “You know, Cassie, if things get too tough, you can always contact that Greek God you were suppose to marry. He really had the hots for you.” Lynda’s face took on a playful leer.

  “Lynda, all he cared about was getting his hands on my old man’s money, the company, and Cousin Julia’s scrawny body. He certainly wasn’t interested in me personally.” Cassidy fought an inner battle to keep a blush away.

  “Cassidy, I really don’t know how you can reach the ripe old age of twenty-five and still be so
innocent!” Lynda put the baby down in the portable crib. She raised her arms up in the air; Lynda loved to talk with her hands. “I watched the man. He thought he was so smooth buttoning his suit jacket when you walked into the room, but I could see he was trying to hide just how glad he was to see you.”

  “Lynda!” Cassidy gasped. This time she was not successful at hiding the ugly blush that flooded her cheeks.

  “I’m just saying. . .”

  “Lynda.” Cassidy drew in a deep breath and changed the subject. “I have a dozen kids staying in my bunkhouse this weekend. Cooter and Angela are overseeing their care, but if you wouldn’t mind. . .”

  Lynda wrapped an arm around Cassidy. “Why don’t I keep Z overnight and I’ll bring him out to the ranch and help with story time and the barbeque tomorrow?”

  “As much as I appreciate the offer, I need Enzio with me when I get home. I know I’m being selfish, but I missed him so much while we were gone.”

  “Honey, we were not gone that long?”

  “I know, but it was the first time we were separated since Rico died,” Cassidy felt tears flood her eyes as she remembered the man who had been her best friend. “It was torture to be without my son for so long.”

  Cassidy knew Lynda was trying to help, but she had a really bad feeling. She wanted her son with her tonight. He was the most important thing in her life and she had to protect him at all costs.

  Chapter 6

  “Costas, time is running out for the people on Evadne. You need to sign the papers today.” Theron kept his tone reasonable, though his hands were tightly fisted in his pants pockets. “We have an agreement.”

  “You have not honored our agreement, Christofides. Until you have fulfilled your end of our bargain, we will maintain the status quo,” Costas Dolmides leaned back in his desk chair and drew on his thick cigar.