“No.” Lesley refused to be anything but honest with her friends. When she’d told her mother and Ken she’d stretched the truth, subtly of course, but she’d never be able to fool her friends. Her mother was another story; she believed Lesley was in love because that was what she wanted to believe.
Lori’s jaw fell open. “You don’t even love him.”
“I’ve only known the man for a little more than one week. It’s a bit difficult to develop a deep, emotional attachment in that length of time.”
“You’re willing to marry him anyway,” Jo Ann murmured thoughtfully. “That tells me a lot. He’s obviously got something going for him.”
“He’s good with kids, and he’s kind. And brave,” she said, remembering his pursuit of her mugger. Those were only three of Chase’s character traits that appealed to her. Honesty was another.
“What’s he look like?” Lori was eager to know.
“Kind of like you’d expect someone from Alaska to look. He’s tall and muscular and his eyes are a lovely deep brown. He’s a comfortable sort of person to be with, entertaining and funny. When he laughs it comes from his belly.”
“You’re marrying a man because of the way he laughs?”
It sounded absurd, but in part she was. Chase had a wonderful sense of humor and Lesley found that quality important in any relationship, but vital in a marriage.
“You really like this guy, don’t you?”
Lesley nodded. It surprised her how much she did.
“Would you guys have time to shop with me this afternoon?” Lesley asked, ending her introspection. She hadn’t said a word about the way Chase kissed. He should win awards for his style. She’d never known a man could arouse such a heated reaction with a few kisses.
“You’re going through with this, aren’t you?” Even now Lori didn’t quite seem to believe it.
“Yes, I am.” She turned to Jo Ann, expecting an argument, unsought advice or words of caution.
“I almost envy you,” Jo Ann remarked instead. “This is going to be an incredible adventure. You’ll email us and let us know what happens, won’t you?”
Lesley laughed, astonished when she felt tears gather in her eyes. Through all the pain and difficulties of the past year, she’d been blessed with truly good friends.
“I wonder what Alaska will be like,” Lori said dreamily. “Do you think Twin Creeks will have a friendly moose wandering through town like in the opening of that old TV show?”
* * *
“Hi,” Lesley said, letting herself into the house. Chase had spent the afternoon at her rented home, supervising the packers so her personal things would be ready for shipping.
He tossed aside the magazine he was reading and smiled up at her with that roguish gleam in his eyes. Her heart reacted with a surprising surge of warmth.
“How’d your meeting with your friends go?” Chase asked.
“Really well.” It was ridiculous to be shy with him now.
“They didn’t try to talk you out of the wedding?”
Lesley grinned as she sat down on the sofa that would soon belong to Daisy and her boys. “I’ll admit they were shocked, but once I told them what a fabulous kisser you are, they were green with envy.”
“You aren’t going to change your mind, are you?”
Lori and Jo Ann had asked her that question, too, and she gave him the same answer. “No. Are you worried?”
“Yes.” His voice was gruff and he reached for her, kissing her hungrily.
Lesley could find no will to resist him. He’d only kissed her once since she’d agreed to be his wife and she needed his touch, longed for it. She leaned forward and braced her hand against his chest. The strong, even feel of his pulse reassured her that he enjoyed their kisses as much as she did. At least she wasn’t alone in this.
Chase took hold of her waist and pulled her closer. His kiss was slow, deep and thorough. And not nearly enough.
Chase started to pull away and she protested. “No…”
His mouth came back to hers once more. By the time Chase pulled away from her, she was weak and dizzy and breathless.
“Lesley, listen,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers.
“No,” she whispered back. “Just hold me for a few minutes. Please.” She didn’t want to talk, not then, nor was she interested in thinking because if she analyzed what she was doing, she might change her mind, after all.
All Lesley wanted was to feel. When she was in Chase’s arms she could feel again. For months she’d been trapped in a kind of numbness. Sometimes the pain surged up to inundate her but most of the time she’d felt nothing. No laughter. No tears. Just a lethargy that sapped away her energy and destroyed her dreams.
Then she’d met Chase and suddenly she was laughing again, dreaming again. Whenever he kissed her, a cascade of feelings flooded her body—and her heart. She needed to experience that excitement, those emotions.
For reasons of his own, Chase needed her, too. She would reciprocate generously and without reserve because she wanted him as badly as he wanted her.
As she luxuriated in the shelter of his arms, he buried his face in her neck, his breathing heavy.
Then, without warning, he broke away from her, leaving her breathless. Stunned. Before she could analyze what was happening, he was on his feet and moving toward the door. “I have to go.”
“Go? But why?”
He paused, his back to her. “Because if I stay we’re going to end up in bed.”
“You…you don’t want to be with me?”
Chase didn’t answer. Although Lesley thought she knew why he’d resisted the temptation to make love to her, she still felt hurt. She suspected that he feared she might not go through with the marriage. His lack of trust offended her, and his rejection was more than insulting, it was painful in a way that echoed past anguish. She’d lowered her guard, offered him everything she had to give and he was walking away from her. The six-year-old child whose father had abandoned her was back, chanting her fears.
“Go, then,” she said furiously, trying to silence the sounds of grief only she could hear.
He paused at the front door, his shoulders slumped forward. “I can’t leave you now.”
“Sure you can.”
He turned back and walked over to the sofa, sitting down next to her. He pulled her into his arms, disregarding her token objections, and held her. She let him, although the little girl in her wanted to push him away, hurt him for hurting her. But the womanly part of her needed his comfort.
As Chase kissed the crown of her head, she sighed and nestled in his arms.
“You tempt me, Lesley Campbell, more than any woman I’ve ever known,” he whispered.
“You tempt me, too.”
She felt his smile and was glad he was there with her.
“Becky Bright, the reporter who did that interview with me, phoned earlier this afternoon,” he told her.
“How come?”
“She wants to do an interview with the two of us right after the wedding. Do you mind?”
“I suppose not. Do you?”
“I do, but it’s the only way I can think of to stop the phone calls. According to the answering service, they’re still coming in.”
“Still?”
“I had the billboard taken down and asked Sandra to cancel all the remaining appointments, but there are more women phoning now than ever. I’m sure some called before and were discouraged when they didn’t hear back right away. Several were phoning to see if I’d made a decision and others wanted to know it if was too late.”
“It’s certainly been an…interesting experiment, hasn’t it?” she said.
“Yes, but it isn’t one I care to repeat.”
Lesley jabbed him with her elbow. “I should hope not!”
Chase laughed, slid his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “I’m going to have my hands full with one wife.”
“What about the applicants you’ve al
ready seen?”
“I had Sandra write up a form letter and send it out to everyone, including them.”
“To eight hundred women.”
Lesley felt his smile against her skin. “Not exactly.”
“What do you mean?”
“I got eight hundred calls, yes—well, maybe a thousand in total if we add the recent ones—but not all of them were from women who wanted to be my wife. I found that at least a hundred were from mothers planning to introduce me to their daughters.”
Lesley stared at him. “I hope you’re joking.”
“I’m not. And there were more crank calls than I care to mention.”
“So,” Lesley said, feeling a bit cocky. “When you come right down to it, exactly how many serious applications did you receive?”
“One.”
“One? But you said… I heard on the news—”
“Yours was the only one I took seriously.”
His words were sweet and soft and precisely what she needed. She rewarded him by throwing her arms around his neck and directing his mouth to hers. Their kisses were slow and lazy and pleasurable.
Chase wasn’t ready to leave for another hour. He needed to finish up some last-minute details with the answering service and the billboard company. After that, she lingered with him on the front porch for ten minutes, neither of them eager to separate even for a few hours.
“I’ll be back soon,” he promised. “Where would you like to have dinner?”
Lesley smiled. “Are you in the mood for another hamburger and a rematch at the golf course?”
“You’re on.”
Lesley stood on the porch until his car was out of sight. She glanced at her watch and realized that in twenty-four hours they’d be married.
The house felt empty without Chase. In fact, not just her house but her whole life felt different now that she was marrying him.
She showered and changed clothes, and was packing her suitcase when the doorbell chimed. Her steps were eager as she ran across the living room. Chase could come in without the formality of waiting for her to answer the door. She should have said as much.
Her smile bright, she opened the door.
“Hello, Lesley.”
Her heart, which had seemed light only seconds before, plummeted like a deadweight to the pit of her stomach.
“Hello, Tony.”
Eight
“Lesley, oh, Lesley.” Tony’s hands reached for hers, gripping them tightly. “You don’t have any idea how good it is to see you again. I’ve been desperate to talk to you. Why didn’t you return my calls?”
The immediate attraction was there, the way it had always been. That shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did. Lesley had hoped that when she saw Tony again, she wouldn’t experience this terrible need.
She jerked her hands free.
“Lesley.” Tony’s eyes widened with hurt disbelief.
“I didn’t return your calls for a reason. We don’t have anything to discuss.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Lesley, my love—”
“I’m not your love.”
“But you are,” he said in a hurt-little-boy manner. “You’ll always be my love…you always have been.”
“You’re married to April.” He obviously needed to be reminded of that, and so did she. The strength of her love for him, despite his marital status, was nearly over-whelming. All the feelings she’d struggled to vanquish threatened her now.
“I know…I know.” He sounded sad and uncertain, a combination that never failed to touch her heart. Part of her longed to invite him into her home and listen to his troubles, but she dared not and knew it.
“I’m making a new life for myself,” she insisted, steeling herself against the pleading in his eyes. “I’ve given notice to the school and to my landlord.”
“A new life? One without me?”
“Yes. Please, Tony, just leave.” She stepped back, intending to close the door, but he placed his foot over the threshold, blocking her attempt.
“I can’t,” he said. “Not until I’ve talked to you.”
“Tony, please.” This was so much harder than she’d imagined it would be. He must have sensed that because he edged closer.
“Tony.” Her voice shook with the force of her desperation. “We have nothing to say to each other.”
“Lesley.”
Chase’s voice sounded like an angel’s harp. She was so grateful he’d arrived that she nearly burst into tears.
“Chase,” she said, breaking away from Tony and rushing forward. She must have appeared desperate, but she didn’t care. Chase was her one link to sanity and she held on to him with both hands.
“What’s going on here?” Tony demanded. “Who is this man?”
“Actually, I was about to ask you the same thing,” Chase said stiffly.
“I’m Tony Field.”
Lesley felt Chase stiffen as soon as he recognized the name. He reacted by placing his arm possessively around Lesley’s shoulders and pulling her closer to his side.
“Who is this man?” Tony asked again.
Lesley opened her mouth to explain, but before she could utter a single word, Chase spoke.
“Lesley and I are going to be married.”
“Married?” Tony laughed as if he’d just heard a good joke. “You can’t be serious.”
“We’re dead serious,” Chase responded.
“Lesley?” Tony looked at her, clearly expecting her to deny it.
“It’s true,” she said with as much conviction as she could manage.
“That’s ridiculous. You’ve never mentioned anyone named Chase and I know for a fact that you weren’t dating him before school was out. Isn’t this rather sudden?”
“Not in the least,” Chase said as if they’d been involved for years.
“Lesley?”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about my fiancée,” Chase said, smiling down at her.
It was all Lesley could do not to tell them both to stop playing these ridiculous games. Tony regarded her with a tormented expression, as though he was the loyal one and she’d betrayed him. Chase wasn’t any better. The full plumage of his male pride was fanned out in opulent display.
“You can’t possibly be marrying this man,” Tony said, ignoring Chase and concentrating on her instead.
“I already said I was.” She hated the way her voice quavered. Chase didn’t seem pleased with the lack of enthusiasm in her trembling response, but that couldn’t be helped.
“The ceremony’s tomorrow evening,” Chase added.
“Lesley, you don’t love this man,” Tony continued, his gaze burning into hers.
“You don’t know that,” Chase challenged.
“I do know it. Lesley loves me. Tell him, sweetheart. You’d be doing us both a grave disservice if you didn’t tell him the truth.”
Lesley could see no reason to confess the obvious. “I’m marrying Chase.”
“But you love me,” Tony insisted, his voice agitated. She noticed that he clenched his fists at his sides as if his temper was about to explode. He’d fight for her if necessary, he seemed to be saying.
“You’re already married,” Chase told Tony with evident delight.
Tony turned to Lesley once more, ignoring Chase. “Marrying April was a mistake. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. If only you’d returned my calls… I love you, Lesley. I have for years. I don’t know what came over me.… I can see now that April and I were never right for each other. I’ve been miserable without you.”
“You don’t need to listen to this,” Chase hissed in her ear. He tried to steer her past Tony and toward the front door, but she was rooted to the spot and unable to move.
“You’ve got to listen,” Tony pleaded, “before you ruin both our lives.”
“Where’s April now?” Chase asked.
“She left me.”
“You’re lying.” Chase’s voice was tight with barely re
strained anger. “You said she was visiting her mother for a week.”
“She phoned and told me she’s not coming back. She knows I love Lesley and she can’t live with that anymore. It’s a blessing to us all.”
“If you believe him,” Chase said to Lesley, “there’s a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in buying.”
“I’m telling you the truth,” Tony insisted. “I should never have married April. It was a mistake on both our parts. April knows how I feel about you. She’s always known. I can’t go on pretending anymore. April can’t, either. That’s why she went to visit her mother and why she’s decided not to come back.”
“I’m marrying Chase.” Her voice wavered, but not her certainty. She couldn’t trust Tony, couldn’t believe him. Chase was right about that. He’d lied to her before, and the experience had taught her painful but valuable lessons.
“Lesley, don’t,” Tony cried. “I’m pleading with you. Don’t do something you’ll regret the rest of our lives. I made a terrible mistake. Don’t compound it by making another.”
“She doesn’t believe you any more than I do,” Chase said calmly.
“The least you can do is have the decency to give us some privacy,” Tony shouted, frustrated and short-tempered.
“Not on your life.”
“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” Tony shouted. “Because Lesley loves me and you know it. You think if you can keep her from listening to me, she’ll go through with the wedding, but you’re wrong. She doesn’t need you, not when she’s got me.”
“But she hasn’t got you. In case you’ve forgotten, I’ll remind you again—you’re married.”
As he was talking, Tony stepped closer to Chase, his stance challenging.
Chase dropped his arm from Lesley’s shoulders and moved toward Tony. The two men were practically chest to chest. It wouldn’t take much for the situation to erupt into a brawl.
“Stop it, both of you!” Lesley yelled. She was surprised none of the neighbors were out yet to watch the show. “This is ridiculous.”
“You love me,” Tony said. “You can’t marry this…this barbarian.”
“Just watch her,” Chase returned with a wide smile.