Читать книгу Colton's Convenient Bride - Jennifer Morey - Страница 10

Decker stood in the living room of the Colton Manor where his parents resided. A thirty-five-million-dollar, eighteen-thousand-square-foot mansion above the valley, it had seven bedrooms, eleven bathrooms, a wine cellar, an indoor pool and much, much more. Saying the place was nice didn’t do it justice, but this kind of excess wasn’t to Decker’s taste. Decorated quite modern, nothing personal filled the luxurious space.

He waited before the wall of windows with a view of a portion of the gondola that started at The Chateau in the valley and ended at The Lodge. Russ and Mara talked behind him on the sofa. They had an amenable but businesslike relationship in his opinion. Sometimes he wondered if they ever truly loved each other. They both worked all the time. This rare display of them conversing like a couple felt odd.

The front doorbell rang. Kendall and her parents had arrived.

He rarely got nervous but a flash of anxiousness arrested him for a moment. After all these years, he’d finally see Kendall again.

Russ and Mara’s butler led the Hadleys into the living room. Bernard came first, in a dark suit and tie. Adorned in a tasteful beige-and-black dress, Marion strolled in next beside her daughter. His breath hitching ever so slightly, Decker’s gaze drifted over Kendall as she walked in calf-high black boots with the grace of a ballet dancer. The short-sleeved black dress she wore was fitted to her bodice, waist and hips and the sweetheart neckline exposed some cleavage. She’d left her long wavy blond hair down and other than mascara, had applied a soft rosy gloss to her full lips. Her bright blue eyes zeroed in on him.

He could never have anticipated the strength of the punch in seeing her. She’d obviously matured, but oh. What a woman.

He swallowed—an involuntary reaction. Wow.

She seemed to spend a few seconds inspecting him, as well. Those stunning eyes—he didn’t remember them being so darn blue—ran up his body, went all over his chest and arms and finally landed on his face. He hadn’t worn a suit, just a nice long-sleeved ocean-blue shirt with gray pants and leather loafers. He had chosen a tie.

“Kendall.” He stepped forward. “It’s so good to see you again.” He took her hand and dipped his head to kiss it, seeing her face up close now. She had a few freckles but they somehow enhanced her beauty.

“Y-you too.”

By her stutter and slightly bewildered look, he suspected she hadn’t expected to like what she saw as much as she did, which matched his reaction. He caught his father’s approving gaze with a subtle, almost shrewd, grin.

Bernard and Marion went to Russ and Mara and started a conversation while a servant appeared with a tray of champagne flutes. Kendall took one and then Decker did also.

“Dad tells me you’ve been working for Hadley Forestry as a conservancy consultant.” Might as well start with the small stuff.

“Yes. I worked for a company in Fort Collins after college but my dad needed me here.”

“He needed you?” Decker didn’t know much about the forestry industry or her father for that matter.

“He’s getting older. He needs help running the company. I think someday he’d like to see me take over.”

“Is that what you want?”

She looked away as she thought. “I do love my degree and my work. Running Hadley Forestry would be right in line with that. I’m just not sure I want that level of executive responsibility. I’m an outdoor girl.”

“You could always hire a CEO.”

She smiled. “I’ve thought of that. My dad isn’t crazy about someone outside the family running his baby.”

Decker nodded with a grin. “My dad wouldn’t care. He’d only care that his baby made lots of money.”

She stopped smiling as she turned to look over at Russ as though a rumor or two had just been confirmed.

“Don’t worry,” Decker said, trying to keep things light—and hopefully putting her at ease. “I’m nothing like him.”

That pretty smile returned, as did her gaze. “Good to know.”

“At the risk of seeming ignorant, what, exactly, does a forestry company do, aside from chopping down trees and selling lumber?”

“There is a supply side and a conservation side,” she explained. “We do a lot of logging, milling and forestry management. We supply Douglas fir, western larch, ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine to the building industry and since I’ve started, we’re looking into partnering with the World Wildlife Fund.” She released a breath before continuing. “Also, one of the first things I did when I came on was to arrange for the company to start harvesting trees destroyed by mountain beetle. It’s proven to provide a great supply source for the company and clears out forested land.”

“Impressive.”

“Conservation is my specialty.” She smiled, revealing straight white teeth. “What about you? You run The Lodge? It’s a lot bigger than when I left for college.”

“Yes. The original ski lodge is now staff housing. The new lodge is much larger and glamorous. There are restaurants and, of course, hotel rooms.”

“Luxury hotel rooms?”

“Yes. We also built some cabins on the property.”

“Luxury.”

Did she not approve? “We do cater to the wealthy. You grew up that way, didn’t you?”

“Yes. My family is very wealthy. I just think average people should be able to enjoy places like The Lodge.”

“They can,” he countered. “The ski resort is open to everyone.”

“They just can’t stay the night there.”

She clearly didn’t like the segregation of classes. He both admired her for that and disagreed. “Some people need places to go to escape the public.”

“Then maybe you are more like your father than you think.”

“Do you not like my father?”

Again, she glanced over at Russ. “I guess he’s not much different than mine.”

“Using his kid to advance business?” He grinned.

She smiled back and then laughed softly. “Yes.”

After a long look that began to sizzle, she said neutrally, “I haven’t been to The Lodge since it was expanded.”

“I’ll have to take you on a tour sometime.” Maybe then she’d change her mind.

“I’d like that.”

He barely heard the announcement that dinner was ready, just followed Kendall into the formal dining area, a rectangular room with a polished wood table that could seat fourteen, white fireplace on one side and china cabinet on the other. Swooping curtains adorned tall windows and a crystal chandelier hung from a tray ceiling.

Russ finished bragging about his empire’s first quarter projections as he took a seat next to Mara, who appeared bored and didn’t say much. Decker sat beside Kendall when she took a seat next to her mother.

“As two of the most affluent families in Roaring Springs, I can’t think of a better alliance,” Russ said.

Bernard smiled. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Marion eyed her husband and then glanced across at Mara, who quietly observed her, evidently having noticed that Marion didn’t seem happy to be here. Decker’s mother valued the time she spent with her children and grandchildren but her devotion to The Chateau made that a challenge.

“I am curious, however,” Bernard said. “What made you think Decker and Kendall would make such a good match?”

“You’ve been getting a lot of good press with your move toward preserving the forest. World Wildlife Fund. Environmental financing. Very innovative revenue generation.”

Bernard puffed up in what Decker could only call pride. “That was my daughter’s idea.”

Decker watched his difficult-to-impress father bestow rarely offered respect upon Kendall and he could almost hear him thinking what a great addition she’d make to his Colton Empire.

“We’re ready, sir.”

Decker turned to see a servant standing at the entrance to the dining room.

“Ah,” Russ said. “Decker, I’ve taken the initiative to arrange for you and Kendall to have a more private dinner.” He chuckled briefly. “You’re too old to be having dinner with your parents on a first date. Charles here will take you to your table.”

Decker saw Kendal’s startled face and didn’t make a big deal over his own surprise. They followed the servant to the front side of the mansion, where a sunroom overlooked the picturesque valley. Decker suspected his mother had something to do with the round linen-covered table with a candle burning and soft piano music playing. Two chairs flanked the double French entry and plants lined the stone wall.

Decker pulled out a chair for Kendall and then sat across from her, looking out the arch-topped window beside them.

“This is awkward.”

He turned back to Kendall. “Our parents are determined to put us together.”

“Hm.” She lifted a glass of red wine and sipped. “Not my mother.”

“She’s against it?”

“She wants to see me marry for love. She only agreed because I wanted to have this dinner with you and decide for myself.”

“I’m not sure what my mother thinks,” Decker admitted. “She probably agrees with my father. She’s just as ambitious as he is when it comes to the success of the business.”

“No wonder he came up with this plan. He sounds like my father.” Kendall smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Business first.”

“Always. But he does have his redeeming qualities and I do know he loves me.”

“I feel the same about my father,” Decker said. “He’s forgotten how to show love, but it’s there. Maybe he never learned how to show it.” He sometimes resented that and wondered if the constant fight to win Russ Colton’s love had compelled him to do anything his father asked or expected. Sometimes he wished he would have followed his brother’s path. Wyatt dropped out of college to join the rodeo. Only when he inherited the Crooked C Ranch from their grandmother did he return to Roaring Springs.

“Well, now that they have us where they want us, what shall we talk about?” she murmured.

He leaned back as a servant delivered the first course. More interested in her, he ignored the artful display of sliced seared scallop topped with alaea red salt and lemon olive oil.

“What have you been up to since high school?” he asked.

“I went to college and got my masters. After that I went to work for the Forest Service. Then I returned to Roaring Springs when my father said he needed me home, to help with the company. He’s getting older and, as I mentioned earlier, thinking about retiring.”

“Is that all? What about relationships?”

She lifted her brow marginally, as though she hadn’t expected the question. “I’ve had boyfriends. Nothing worth talking about.”

“Those are usually the most important to talk about.”

“If that’s what you think, then tell me about your past girlfriends.” She sipped her wine and sent him a coy look with those incredible blue eyes.

Well, he’d stepped right into that one. “Nothing too serious. I thought I loved the girl I was with after high school but then I grew up.”

“The prom queen?”

He grunted because it all seemed so meaningless now. “Yeah.” Then he contemplated her a moment, such a beautiful woman and she’d never stepped out into the spotlight. “You kept a low profile in high school.”

“I was more into real friends.”

He had run across a lot of students who had befriended him because of his popularity. It hadn’t bothered him, though. He’d had his close group of companions.

“What about after the prom queen?” she asked.

She wouldn’t give up. “I dated someone in college.”

“All through college?”

“Yes, and then she didn’t want to move to Roaring Springs so she broke up with me.”

“Did that hurt?”

He’d be lying if he said the breakup didn’t. His first love had gone to college for business like he had. He thought they made a great team. She was someone his father approved of and she was pretty. Back then pleasing his dad had been priority number one.

“Yeah, but I graduated and went to work for my dad.” It struck him then that maybe part of the reason he had done that was to forget about that woman.

“No more time for love.”

He paused at her sarcasm because it felt truer than something to joke about. “What about you? Why haven’t you been snatched up by someone?”

“Oh, I was. A few times. I had a couple of year-long relationships that ended mutually, and then closer to graduation I met someone special and we moved in together. I imagined that was going to be it for me until I came home one day to him in our bed with another woman.” She sighed. “I never thought I’d be one of those women who so sorely misread a man. Walking in on your lover with someone else happened to other women and only in the movies.”

“Not to you?” He chuckled. “I didn’t walk in on one of my girlfriends, but she told me she had been with someone else. That was after college. I was working a lot and I guess she got sick of it.” He drank some wine as he remembered how much that had stung. The realization that he’d become his father had been difficult to swallow. That’s when he’d begun to think how different his life would be had he not listened to the great Russ Colton. He’d envied his brother Wyatt for defying their father and going off to the rodeo before inheriting the Crooked C.

“I’ve found that waiting for them to come to me works best, rather than actively looking for it,” Kendall confided.

He set down his glass as the servants brought in the next course, which was creamed pea-and-leek soup with croutons.

Decker didn’t miss how Kendall appreciated the presentation of the dishes. Although she was no stranger to fine dining, she didn’t bask in the elegance for the wrong reason, though. The way she took it all in, smelled the aromas, told Decker she loved the art and the tastes more than the privilege. She hadn’t lost her humble nature and took nothing for granted.

Like now, she lifted her spoon and smelled with her eyes closed before sampling the soup. When she finished she looked at him and said, “You know what I love most about dinners like this?”

He felt a shot of warmth as he observed her. “No, what?”

“I don’t have many meals like this, but when I do, they’re always special because they take time. It’s more than good food. It’s the entire experience, and the social aspect.”

He concurred, especially about the time. His curiosity of her grew and he needed to know more. “Is that why you agreed to this dinner?”

She stopped eating the soup. “No, of course not.”

It had to be more than him, or more aptly, their fathers coming to her. “Then why even consider marrying me?”

“Why did you even consider marrying me?” she volleyed back.

“I asked you first.”

Smiling, giving him another shot of warmth, she murmured, “I guess I haven’t really considered it yet. I wanted to meet you. See how it went.”

“And how is it going?”

“I’d say quite well.” Still looking at him with a soft smile, she asked, “Are you going to answer the question now?”

Decker wasn’t ready to let her off the hook yet. She hadn’t exactly answered his question. Why did she skirt it? “So you have no intention of marrying me? Why agree to dinner with me, knowing this is all for the purpose of the two of us getting married?”

She took a moment before responding. “Like I said, I wanted to meet you, meet the man and see how the high school boy turned out. Do I have to definitively say I’ll marry you yet?”

“I can give you until after dinner,” he half joked.

She smiled again, bigger this time. “What about you? Why did you consider marrying me?”

“I’m not sure I did. I worried that I’d do yet another thing my father expects of me,” he said.

Her smile faded and her brow lowered as though confused. “Then why...”

“I was curious, too. I remembered you from high school and I had to see you.”

“It was the same for me,” she confessed.

After a long stare, she lowered her eyes first and he forced himself to pay attention to the soup. His anticipation of continuing this courtship stimulated him more and more.

Minutes later, two servants returned with fresh plates.

“Sea bass served with celeriac purée, sorrel leaves and smoked sauce,” one of them said.

Kendall went about her usual delighted inspection before enjoying the first bite.

“What do you like to do in your spare time?” he asked as they shared the meal.

“I love being outside. I also read a lot. Flower garden. Go out for lunch with friends. Spend time with my parents. What about you?”

He chuckled. “I work a lot.”

“Surely you must do something other than that. Don’t you ever get outside?”

“I ski when I get the chance,” he replied.

“How thrilling.”

Her teasing didn’t offend him. “I read sometimes.”

“Hmm...something in common. What about friends?” she asked, no longer teasing.

“I didn’t keep in touch with anyone from school. My friends work for me or frequent The Lodge.”

“It sounds like you have a bland life.” She sounded as though she pitied him.

“Running The Lodge is not bland. I meet all kinds of interesting people.”

Kendall contemplated him and he could all but hear her thinking of the affluent people who came to The Lodge, famous or just wealthy and successful. He liked the challenge of running such an upscale establishment.

“What would you have done if you hadn’t followed your father’s footsteps?” she queried.

Caught off guard, he had to take a few seconds to think. “I would have still chosen business. Growing up, I was always fascinated with the resort and The Chateau. I used to love to ride the gondola and watch all the people. Then when I was older, I paid attention to how my dad made profits. Even before he started pressuring me to work and learn to take over the business, I was already headed for an MBA. But I’m not sure I’d have chosen my father’s business. I think I would have chosen to start my own.”

Kendall nodded as she absorbed his response. He really liked her genuine interest. It gave him a shot of heat and made him notice how beautiful she was. He had found her beautiful from the moment he saw her but now it had taken on a new intensity, more sexual. He wanted her every time he saw her.

“Would your dad have fired you if you didn’t run the business the way he wanted?” Kendall asked.

“Yes.” Russ could be a real hardhat when it came to that. “I want to be CEO. So far he isn’t convinced I’m the man for the job.”

“I suppose that’s a good thing. You wouldn’t want that role if it would set you up for failure.”

“It won’t set me up for failure. I’m the only one who can do it.” He wasn’t bragging like his father often did. He knew he was good enough for that job.

“Well, you certainly seem to work hard enough. And you’re in great shape so you must at least have time to take care of yourself.”

“I have a gym in my house and there is one at The Lodge. I also do get a lot of exercise just walking the property.”

The salad course arrived and Kendall rubbed her tummy. “I don’t want to get too full.”

There were more courses to come. “You don’t have to eat everything.”

She lifted her fork. “And miss all this deliciousness? I don’t think so.” She ate a bite.

“Tell me about your work,” he said. “Why forestry? Were you another victim of a father’s dreams and aspirations?”

She smiled, something she apparently did often. He noticed her again with more intensity, his reaction sort of taking him by surprise with its immediacy. She seemed like a happy, confident woman.

“Yes and no. I always knew I wanted to get into a career that involved the environment. My father encouraged me to go to school for forestry. I chose wildlife biology and took some forestry classes.”

“What do you love about what you do?”

She pushed the salad away and leaned her elbows on the table, blurring his view of her through the candle flame. “Being outside. Preserving the forest and the wildlife.”

Humble indeed. She cared about doing good in this world. She was driven like him. Smart, too. Decker experienced a jolt of excitement along with his increasing awareness of her, her sexy shape, her hair, her eyes, everything. He definitely wanted to see her again.

“I found a small pack of gray wolves,” she said. “They haven’t existed in the Colorado Rockies since the nineteen forties. Sightings are increasing, which means they are likely crossing the state line from Wyoming.”

“Fascinating.” He didn’t mean her sighting. He meant her.

* * *

Kendall hadn’t expected to enjoy this dinner as much as she did, and not just the food and the presentation of the courses. Decker surprised her. He was so honest, about his father and his work and himself. Gone were any traces of Mr. Popular in high school. He’d grown into a real man and truly fit the tall, dark and handsome cliché to the T. Decker dressed impeccably but not in an overstated way and she sensed his genuine humility and respect for others. That’s where he differed from Russ.

She stood from the table. Having finished the rest of the courses of filet mignon, cheese on a wooden board and a remarkably colorful and tasty dessert, she could literally roll out of the sunroom.

Just outside the room, Decker stopped and faced her. “I’m not ready for this to end. How about I show you my favorite part of this house?”

She could put off meeting her parents, who would surely expect a synopsis on how the dinner went. Besides, she was more than a little curious to see what Decker liked most about his parents’ gorgeous and ostentatious home.

“I would love that,” she said, arrested by his answering grin and how it made his dark eyes smolder.

He led her upstairs and down a hallway. At the end, there was a doorway. To her right she saw a narrow stairway.

“That’s for the staff. It leads to the prep kitchen and their quarters.”

Decker opened the door at the end of the hall. It was narrower than the others along the way.

He flipped on the light and Kendall found herself looking up another stairway.

The wooden stairs creaked as she stepped up. The space didn’t appear to be cared for regularly. The scratched and light-stained wood needed a polish to stand up to the rest of the grandeur of the house.

At the top, Decker entered what appeared to be an attic, or a space that hadn’t been finished. Boxes on one side and furniture on the other gave evidence to that end. There were toys on the floor there, along with an open antique trunk that must be worth a fortune. But everything was dusty.

She glanced at Decker, who seemed to be waiting for her reaction.

She had one. “This is your favorite room?” she asked incredulously.

“It’s the one with the most character.”

He definitely had a point there. The rest of the manor, except the sunroom where they had dinner, was rather cold. Now she was sure he had chosen that room for this very reason.

She felt her heart flutter with greater interest in the man she had only known from afar.

Wandering farther into the six-hundred or so square foot room, she loved the two dormer windows facing the back of the house and the open ceiling. The space had a rustic and unfinished charm.

“The room was too small according to my mother,” Decker said. “It turned into a storage area and the servants took it over. Their kids would come up here and play.”

“Every kid should have an attic to play in.” Kendall smiled. “As long as it’s not haunted.”

He chuckled. “The house isn’t old enough for that, although I’m sure there are plenty of distant Colton relatives who might have cause to haunt us.”

Kendall could not believe how much she enjoyed talking to him. He was so witty and had a lurking sense of humor. As she continued to softly smile, his demeanor changed. He watched her like a man who hadn’t just had a several-course meal. He watched her hungrily.

“Why do you like this room so much more than the rest of the house?” she asked again.

His gaze scanned the dusty, disheveled room before finding hers again. “It’s honest.”

“Honest?” She didn’t quite understand.

“I wouldn’t trade my success or my money for anything, nor would I live in any other kind of house than the one I own, but this—with all its imperfections—is a reminder that humility is important.”

She could relate. She respected the wilderness a little bit like that. She liked nice things, just as he did, but being outdoors and in nature, sharing the land with wild animals, was a much different environment. “Not everything has to be perfect and cost a lot.”

“I am going to ask the staff to clean the place up, though.” He grinned and once again she found herself rapt with fascination over the transformation and the light in his eyes.

“And I did have more of a motive to bring you here,” he continued. “Away from prying eyes, I can put to test something that’s got me curious.”

Hearing and seeing his playfulness, she went along with him. “Oh yeah? What is that?”

He put his hand on her lower back and pulled her gently toward him, until she was flush against him. “I only know of one way to see if we’re compatible.”

With her hands on his chest and staring up at his face, she did nothing as he lowered his head and kissed her.

Tingles spread from the point of contact. He kept the touch soft and light but the warmth quickly heated into something more passionate. He pressed slightly harder and moved his mouth as though he meant to take the kiss deeper. Instead, he withdrew, letting out a long breath with his eyes smoldering hotter than before.

Kendall let go her own breath, unexpectedly starved for air. He removed his hand and she stepped back.

“Well, that answers my question,” he quipped.

Flustered, she said, “W-we should get back. Our parents are probably waiting for us.” Decker walked with her through the mansion toward the formal living room, where a servant informed them coffee would be served. Kendall would venture to guess this was when Russ would want to talk about an arranged marriage.

Sure enough, the four parents chatted there, already sipping coffee.

“Ah, here they are.” Russ stood from a sofa that faced an identical one where Kendall’s parents sat.

She took a chair next to her mother and Decker sat on the one beside her. A beaming Russ sat back down.

“How did it go?” her mother asked.

Feeling like a teenager after a first kiss again, Kendall replied, “Wonderful.” She turned to Mara and Russ. “Please give your chef my compliments.”

“He is an outstanding executive chef,” Russ said. “He vets our chefs for The Lodge and The Chateau.”

“Very nice,” Kendall murmured.

“Well?” Russ turned to his son. “When shall we plan the wedding?”

Decker looked at Kendall. “That’s up to Kendall.”

She felt the blood drain from her head with shock. He already wanted to plan a wedding? She did like Decker, but she felt cornered and uncertain. Would she really jump into something like this just because her father had asked her to? Then again, she had not come to this dinner to satisfy her father; well, maybe a little, but being here had been her own choice. She had not agreed to a marriage, not yet. Although the idea definitely tantalized her, and only because she would be marrying Decker, a man who had always fascinated her.

“I’d like to sleep on it,” she said.

“No point in rushing anything,” her mother concurred.

“They hit it off,” her father said. “I can tell.”

How could he tell?

“Just set a date,” Russ insisted.

“You can call it off if you change your minds,” Bernard added.

Russ sent him a sharp glance. “They won’t call it off.”

“Dad,” Kendall protested.

“Just set a date,” Russ insisted. “That’s all we ask.”

“No harm in setting a date,” Marion said.

Kendall had to gape at her mother. She had reservations before tonight. What had happened to change her attitude? Mara smiled at that. “I see no harm in setting a date, either. There’s a lot of planning that will need to be done. If you both back out at the last minute, then we cancel everything.”

Her logic was something of a marvel. They’d plan an expensive wedding and if Kendall or Decker cancelled, oh well? They had a lot of money to burn but to Kendall that was an enormous waste.

How long would she be stuck here if she didn’t agree to something?

“It’s traditionally the bride’s family who pays for the wedding,” she said. “I’m not comfortable with making plans when I’m not certain this is going to work.”

Russ waved his hands in front of him. “Don’t worry about money. I’ll pay for everything.”

Mara eyed him in disagreement.

“The worst that will happen is we lose some deposits,” Russ said.

“I’ll select and pay for my own dress.” Kendall couldn’t believe she’d just said that. She felt sucked into a surreal situation where everything was happening way too fast.

Russ waved his hands again as if all of this amounted to nothing consequential. “We can talk details later. Just pick a date.”

Just pick a date.

“March thirty-first,” Decker said.

She gaped at him. That was the end of the month, little more than three weeks away. “Are you—”

“Fabulous,” Russ exclaimed.

“Wonderful,” her father said.

“This should be interesting,” Marion murmured.

And Mara just chuckled softly but wryly.