Bride Wanted

  Lesley had spent the morning listing Chase’s many fine qualities to her mother. By the time she’d finished, it sounded as if he were a candidate for sainthood.

  Fat chance of that after the way he’d barged into their hotel room. He couldn’t have shown himself in a worse light had he tried.

  After Chase left, her mother was strangely silent. They sat on their beds, staring straight ahead. Every time Lesley thought of something to say, she changed her mind. Her mother would see through her efforts to make small talk in a second.

  “He isn’t always like this,” she finally murmured.

  “I certainly hope not.”

  “Chase is honest and hardworking.”

  “That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?” her mother asked stiffly.

  “You don’t like him, do you?”

  June paused. “I don’t have much reason to, do I? I’m afraid you’ve been blinded, Lesley. How can you possibly love this man? You don’t really know him… You couldn’t. Tony said Chase disguised the truth.”

  “You can’t trust Tony!”

  “Why not? At least he called us when my own daughter hadn’t bothered to let me know she was getting married. Now that I’ve met your husband, I can appreciate Tony’s concern.”

  “Mother…”

  “Hear me out, please. I’ve bitten my tongue for the last hour, trying not to say what I should have earlier and didn’t. You have nothing in common with Chase. You might have convinced yourself that you’re happy now, and that you’re going to make this ridiculous marriage work, but it isn’t necessary.”

  “Mom, please, don’t.” It hurt that her mother thought her marriage ridiculous. Lesley was angry with Chase all over again for having put her in this impossible situation.

  “I have to speak my piece or I’ll regret it the rest of my life. I made the same mistake with your father.” Her voice faltered slightly. “I knew the marriage wasn’t going to work, almost from the first, but I was too stubborn to admit it. I convinced myself that I was deeply in love with him. I worked hard at making the best of the situation, giving more and more of myself until there wasn’t anything left to give.

  “After all that, after everything I did to hold that marriage together, he walked out. To see you repeat my mistakes would be the most tragic thing that could happen to me.”

  Lesley felt as if she was going to break into tears. “It isn’t like that with Chase and me.”

  “I don’t believe that, not after talking to Tony and meeting Chase for myself. He isn’t right for you. Anyone with a brain can see that.”

  “Mom…”

  “Are you pregnant?”

  “No.”

  Her mother sighed as though relieved. “Come back to Montana with me,” June pleaded. “If you want to start over, do it there. There’s always a need for good teachers. Don’t make the mistakes I did, Lesley. Leave Chase now—before it’s too late—and come back with me.”

  Lesley was so intent on listening to her mother that she didn’t hear the door open. But she felt Chase’s presence before she heard his words. He was studying her without emotion, without revealing a hint of his thoughts.

  “Well?” he said. “Make up your mind, Lesley. What do you want to do?”

  Thirteen

  Lesley’s mother was staring at her, too, pleading with her to cut her losses now.

  “I…I thought we’d already decided to return to Twin Creeks,” Lesley stammered.

  June’s shoulders sagged with dismay. Chase hurriedly reached for their suitcases, as though he expected Lesley to change her mind. That irritated her, too. Her mother was about to burst into tears and Chase was ignoring June completely.

  The flight into Twin Creeks seemed to take twice as long as before. Chase flew the four-seater, concentrating as hard as if he were flying an F-14 under siege. Lesley made several attempts to carry the conversation, but it became painfully obvious that neither her mother nor Chase was interested in small talk.

  When they landed at the tiny airfield, Pete and Jim were there to greet them. She knew Chase had let Jim know he’d be flying them home. But she didn’t understand what was going on between Pete and her husband. The minute Pete saw her, he grinned broadly and gave Chase a thumbs-up. Chase, however, didn’t seem to share his friend’s enthusiasm.

  “This is where you live?” June asked, scowling, staring at the tundra that surrounded the town. “Why, it’s…it’s like stepping back a hundred years.” The words were more accusation than comment. Lesley saw Chase’s jaw tense, but he didn’t say anything, which was just as well. Lesley doubted her mother would be receptive, anyway.

  When they arrived at the cabin, Lesley waited curiously for her mother’s reaction. June asked several questions, nodding now and then as Chase told her about his and Lesley’s life in Twin Creeks. Lesley was pleased with his honest responses. She added what little information she could.

  “The guest room is down the hall,” Chase explained, leading them into the house. There seemed to be a détente between him and her mother, much to Lesley’s relief.

  June paused in the living room, staring curiously at the fireplace and the bookshelves and the desk in much the same way Lesley had earlier. Before leaving, Lesley had added several feminine touches to the house. A homemade quilt that had been her grandmother’s was draped across the back of the rocking chair. A picture of her mother and Ken rested on the television and a small figurine of a harbor seal made of ash from the 1980 Mount Saint Helens eruption was propped against a Sue Grafton mystery in one of the built-in bookcases.

  “This has a homey feel to it,” June said grudgingly before following Chase down the narrow hallway.

  Lesley bit her tongue and trailed after her mother. Already she could see that this was going to be the longest five days of her life.

  Chase was forced to wait until after dinner before he had a chance to speak to his mother-in-law privately. While Lesley was busy with the dinner dishes, Chase casually suggested a drive into town.

  June hesitated, but it appeared she had things she wanted to say to him, too, and she agreed with a nod of her head.

  Chase walked into the kitchen. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve slipped his arms around Lesley’s waist. But these weren’t normal conditions. He was afraid of touching her for fear of being charged with not behaving in a circumspect fashion. He swore his mother-in-law had the eyes of an eagle and the temperament of a polar bear.

  “Your mother and I are going for a drive,” he said as casually as he could, hoping Lesley would leave it at that. He should’ve known better.

  She hurriedly finished rinsing the pan she’d used to bake biscuits and reached for a hand towel. “I’ll come with you.”

  “Don’t be offended, but we’d both rather you didn’t.”

  Lesley blinked and leaned against the sink. “I don’t know if talking to my mother when she’s in this frame of mind is a good idea.”

  “We either clear the air here and now, or all three of us are going to spend a miserable five days.”

  “But, Chase…”

  “Honey, listen.” He paused and glanced over his shoulder. June had gone for a sweater, but would return at any moment. “You and I need to talk, too. I’m sorry about starting off on the wrong foot with your mother. I promise I’ll do my best to make things right. I owe you that much—and a whole lot more.”

  Lesley lowered her gaze.

  “I realize June’s not the only one I offended,” he said gruffly, walking toward her. If he didn’t kiss her soon, he was going to go stark raving mad. Lesley must have felt the same way because she moved toward him, her steps as eager as his own. His heart reacted immediately, gladdened that she wanted to end this terrible tension between them.

  He clasped his hands about her waist and caught her, drawing her into the shelter of his arms.

  The sound of June clearing her throat behind him was like a bucket of cold water tossed over his head. He released Lesley and
stepped away from her.

  “We won’t be long,” he said, as evenly as he could.

  June was fussing with her sweater when he turned around, smoothing out the sleeves. Her back was straight with unspoken disapproval. She looked prim and proper and determined to save her daughter from his nasty clutches. Chase sighed inwardly and prayed for patience.

  Lesley followed them out to the front porch and watched as Chase opened the passenger door and held out his hand to help June inside. His mother-in-law ignored him and hoisted herself into the front seat.

  So that was how it was going to be.

  Knowing what to expect, Chase threw a look over his shoulder at Lesley and shrugged. He’d do his best, but he wasn’t a miracle worker. He couldn’t force Lesley’s mother to accept him as her son-in-law, nor could he demand she give her approval to their marriage.

  He climbed into the seat beside her, and started the engine. “I don’t know if Lesley had a chance to tell you, but Twin Creeks is a small town,” he said, as he pulled onto the dirt and gravel road. “The population is around forty.”

  “Forty,” June repeated, sounding shocked. “Did Lesley tell you she was born and raised in Seattle?”

  “Yes.”

  “There were almost that many students in her kindergarten class. What makes you think a woman who’s lived in a large populated area all her life will adjust to a place like this?”

  Chase was ready for this one. “Lesley knew Twin Creeks was small when she agreed to marry me.” True, she hadn’t known how small, but she’d had the general idea.

  “You haven’t answered my question,” June said primly, her hands tightly clasped.

  “I’m hoping love will do that,” he said simply.

  “Aren’t you asking a good deal of a woman you’ve only known a few weeks?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “It seems to me,” Lesley’s mother interrupted, “that neither of you has given the matter much thought. Lesley won’t last a month in this primitive lifestyle.”

  Chase was fast losing his patience. “It seems to me that you don’t know your daughter as well as you think you do.”

  “I beg your pardon,” she snapped. “Do you suppose I don’t realize what you did? You seduced my daughter, convinced her to marry you and then practically kidnapped her to get her to move north with you.”

  Chase pulled over to the side of the road. He couldn’t concentrate on driving and hold on to his temper at the same time.

  “Lesley mentioned that you’d spoken to Tony. I gather you’re repeating what he said. Unfortunately you and I don’t know each other well enough to be good judges of the other’s character. You see me as some psychopath who’s tricked your daughter into marriage.”

  “You can’t blame me for that, after you charged into our hotel room, acting like a lunatic.”

  Chase closed his eyes with mounting frustration. When he collected himself, he continued in a calm, clear voice. “Arguing isn’t going to settle anything. You believe what you must and I’ll do my best to stay out of your way.” He started the engine, intent on turning the vehicle around and heading back to the house. He’d tried, but hadn’t lasted five minutes with June hurling accusations at him.

  “Listen here, young man—”

  “The last person who called me ‘young man’ was my junior high teacher,” Chase retorted. “I’m a long way from junior high, so I suggest you either call me by name or keep quiet.”

  She gasped indignantly, and Chase wondered how it was possible to love Lesley so much, yet feel so negative toward her mother.

  “What you fail to understand,” he said, after a lengthy pause, “is that we have something in common.”

  “I sincerely doubt that.”

  “We both love Lesley.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “There aren’t any qualifiers as far as I can see,” he interrupted. “She’s your daughter, the woman you’ve raised and nurtured and loved all these years. I don’t have the same history with Lesley, but I love her. Right now those may be only words to you, but I’d rather die than hurt her. If your main concern is that she won’t adjust to life here in Alaska, then let me assure you, we’ll move.”

  “This all sounds very convenient. You’re telling me what I want to hear.”

  “I’m telling you the truth.” His anger flared briefly, then died down just as quickly. “We were wrong not to make more of an effort to contact you about the wedding. If you want to blame someone for that, then I’ll accept the guilt. I was in a hurry—”

  “You rushed her into making a decision.”

  Chase had another argument poised and ready, but he’d recognized early on that there was nothing he could say that would alter June’s opinion of him.

  “I don’t think we’re going to be able to talk this out,” he said, not bothering to disguise his disappointment. “I’d never keep Lesley here against her will, that much I promise you. You’ve raised a wonderful woman and I love her more than my own life. I can’t offer you any greater reassurance than that.”

  His words were greeted with silence.

  “You and your husband will always be welcome here, especially after we start our family.”

  She turned and glared at him as if he’d said something offensive, but Chase was tired of trying to decipher this woman’s thoughts.

  “If Lesley wants to visit you and your husband in Montana, she can go with my blessing,” he added. It went without saying that he wouldn’t be welcome. “I apologize for making an idiot of myself earlier. I don’t blame you for thinking ill of me, but I’d hoped we’d be able to put that behind us and start again. Perhaps before you leave, we’ll be able to do that.” He switched gears, turned the vehicle around and drove back to the house.

  Lesley was knitting in the rocking chair when he walked inside. She glanced up anxiously, but must have read the defeat in his eyes, and the disdain in her mother’s, because she sagged against the back of the chair.

  “What are you knitting?” June asked, revealing some enthusiasm for the first time in hours.

  “A sweater for Chase. One of the ladies in town sells yarn, so while I was there I picked up a pattern and everything else I was going to need.”

  “You met Thelma?” Chase asked, claiming the recliner next to his wife.

  “I had tea with all the ladies,” Lesley informed him. She was trying not to smile. Her mouth quivered and the need to kiss her felt nearly overwhelming.

  So she’d gone into town on her own. Chase should’ve realized she was too anxious to meet the others to wait for him to introduce her.

  “It’s stuffy in here,” June announced.

  “There’s a chair on the porch,” Chase suggested. If his curmudgeon of a mother-in-law wasn’t standing guard over them, he might be able to steal a few minutes alone with his wife.

  “I think I’ll sit out there for a while.”

  “Good idea,” Chase said with just a smidgen of glee. To his credit, he didn’t lock the door behind her.

  “What happened?” Lesley asked in a breathy whisper the instant her mother was out the door.

  “She thinks I seduced you into moving up here with me.”

  Lesley batted her long lashes at him. “You did, didn’t you?”

  “I’d certainly like the opportunity to do so again,” he said, waggling his brows suggestively. “I’m not going to last another five days without making love to you. Maybe not even another five minutes—”

  “Chase!” Lesley whispered, as he moved toward her. “My mother’s right outside.”

  “She already thinks I’m a sex fiend as it is.”

  “You are!”

  Chase chuckled, but his humor was cut short by a piercing scream from the front porch. Never in his life had Chase moved faster. Lesley reacted just as quickly. Her knitting needles and yarn flew toward the ceiling as they both raced out the front door.

  June was backed against the front of the house, her hands flatte
ned over her heart. Even from several feet away, Chase could see she was trembling.

  “What happened?” he demanded.

  June closed her eyes and shook her head. Luckily Lesley was there to comfort her. She wrapped her arms around her mother and gently guided her toward the door.

  “Something must have frightened her,” Chase said. He debated going for his hunting rifle, then decided against it. Whatever the danger had been, it’d passed.

  “It was…huge.” The words were strangled-sounding.

  “A bear, Mom. Did you see a bear?” Lesley’s eyes widened with fear, but her mother shook her head.

  “It must’ve been a moose,” Chase speculated. He recalled the first time he’d come nose to nose with one. It was an experience he’d rather not repeat.

  “No.” June shook her head again.

  “A wolf?” Lesley pressed.

  “No,” his mother-in-law moaned. Lesley led her into the house and urged her down in the rocker while Chase went for a glass of water.

  “It was a…a spider,” June said, gripping the glass with both hands. “A black one with long legs. I…I’ve never liked spiders.”

  Judging by June’s reaction, that was an understatement.

  “A spider?” Chase whispered. The woman had sounded as though she’d barely escaped with her life.

  His wife shrugged and rolled her eyes.

  “Suggest she go to bed and rest,” he said in hushed tones.

  Lesley’s lips quivered with the effort it took to suppress a smile.

  “Maybe you’d better lie down,” Lesley said in a soothing voice.

  “You’re right,” June murmured, clearly shaken by the encounter. “I don’t usually overreact like this. It’s just that this spider was so big. I didn’t expect there to be spiders here in Alaska, of all places.”

  “We all have a tendency to overreact under certain circumstances,” Chase said, using the opportunity to defend his own behavior earlier in the day. “Later we realize how foolish we must have looked to everyone else. People generally understand and forgive that sort of thing.” As far as sermons went, he felt he’d done well. He was no TV evangelist, but he figured he’d got his point across. He only hoped June had picked up on his message.