Читать книгу The Last Bachelor - Judy Christenberry, Judy Christenberry - Страница 11

“Did you plan on marrying this man?” Fisher asked Ginger.

Joe held his breath. Would she understand what he was offering? Could she play the role of an adoring fiancée?

“Yes. But I felt ashamed to come to him without my citizenship. I thought it would be better to wait,” she said, her cheeks inflamed. “I didn’t want him to be ashamed of me.”

Apparently her response had the right tone because the two agents looked at each other and then stood. Fisher said, “Excuse me a minute. My partner and I have to talk.”

Knowing the men were watching them even as they moved to the door to confer, Joe leaned over to Ginger and brushed his lips over hers. “Don’t worry,” he whispered.

Ginger stared at him, questions in her gaze, but he couldn’t say anything now.

The two men came back to them. Fisher, obviously the senior partner, said, “Here’s the deal. We’ll give you a week. If you appear at our office with a legitimate marriage certificate, we will give you a temporary green card, Ms. Waltek. Then, sometime in the next three months, you’ll be called in for an interview. If you pass the interview, you’ll receive your permanent green card.”

“Perfect,” Joe agreed, a big smile on his face. He noticed that Ginger simply stared at them.

Fisher looked directly at Joe. “But if she disappears,” he warned, his tone serious, “we will file charges against you, Mr. Turner, for helping her escape.” He turned to Ginger. “Do you understand, Ms. Waltek? Your friend will go to jail if you run away.”

In a whisper, she said, “Yes, I understand.”

Five minutes later, Ginger and Joe were alone.

“We lied!” Ginger whispered, as if she thought the two men might be standing on the other side of her door, waiting for them to emerge.

“But it was for a good cause,” Joe assured her. “Why don’t you find something to change into, and I’ll call Harvey and get you a couple of days off. Or I can give him your notice if you want.”

“My notice?” she asked.

“You know, let him know that you’re going to quit your job.”

Her eyes grew even larger and panic filled her face. “No! No, I must have a job. Please don’t!”

“But, Ginger, we’ll be married. You won’t need to work.” He squeezed her hand again, and realized he liked touching her. “I know you’ve been taking night classes. Now you can go to school full-time.”

“No! I must continue to work. I must pay for myself. I can’t shift my difficulties onto you. I won’t run away, so you won’t get in trouble, but I may have to go back to Estonia soon if we don’t—I have another week. I must work all I can.”

Joe gave her a strange look. What was wrong? She had promised not to disappear.

“You have to take a couple of days off so we can go to Vegas.”

“Vegas?”

“I mean Las Vegas, the place where people go to get married quickly. We can leave tomorrow morning and be married before evening. Then we’ll come back the next day. After that, you’ll have at least three months. You can earn more money.”

“I can’t allow you to make such a sacrifice. It will shame you, and your family.”

“No, it won’t. Actually, it will help me.”

She frowned. “How can that be?”

“Because I’m the only guy not married in my family. Everyone’s been setting me up with blind dates and insisting I bring a woman to family occasions. They’re driving me crazy. Now I can take you, and everyone will be happy.”

Ginger stared at him. Why was he not married? He was a handsome man, educated, not like that beast her mother wanted her to marry. How could Joe have no lady in his life? She stared at him.

“Don’t worry, Ginger. I know I’m too old for you. I’ll let you go after the year when your citizenship is official. It’s just so you get your green card.”

“You would do that?”

“Of course.”

She dropped her head again, trying to think. The panic still lingered, making it difficult to think clearly. “I must call Daisy.”

“Why?” Joe asked.

“She—she’s my friend. We tell each other things.”

“Does she know about your being from Estonia?” he asked, sounding like he might be jealous if Daisy knew her story.

“No. I didn’t tell her everything. I didn’t want her to get in trouble.”

“Then don’t tell her until we return.”

“But—”

“I’d like to invite her to come with us as your maid-of-honor, but Harvey would kill me if I took his two most popular waitresses away at the same time. Now, you start packing. Pick something comfortable to wear on the plane, jeans or something, and pack your fanciest dress for the wedding ceremony. I’ll call Harvey.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Joe stood there, watching Ginger as she crossed the room and opened one of two doors. It was a small closet, but there wasn’t a lot in there. She pulled out a small cloth bag, then a simple blue dress and some sandals.

She hesitated, looking at him, and he hurriedly picked up the phone. He didn’t want to make her self-conscious by staring at her.

He was amazed, however, at how right saving Ginger seemed. He’d always picked up strays as a boy, bringing them home to feed and care for. His mother had believed he’d grow up to be a doctor, but he’d turned to architecture to satisfy his artistic side. He’d once considered becoming a starving artist, though his fiancée had protested his choice and had eventually left him for a man with more money. Joe had concentrated on his career as an architect to show her she’d made a mistake.

He’d avoided women for a while, but then he became the ultimate bachelor. He enjoyed the companionship of many women, but he planned no future with any of them. Ginger, he reminded himself, was too young for any real interest. He was rescuing her, that was all.

“Let me speak to Harvey Small,” he said to the club receptionist when she answered the phone. When Harvey picked up, Joe launched into the reason for his call. “Harvey, this is Joe Turner. I need to borrow Ginger for a couple of days. Is that a problem?”

Harvey didn’t take the request calmly. He poured out demands and questions that Joe had no intention of answering. “I’ll explain later,” he said.

That response didn’t satisfy Harvey.

“Two days, Harvey. That’s all I’m asking.” Joe pulled out the heavy artillery. “Would you prefer her to quit?”

“No! But I don’t see—”

“Harvey, slavery was abolished a long time ago. Ginger has some rights. Now, she’ll be back at work on Monday, and that should be enough to satisfy you.”

With that, he hung up the phone. He didn’t even worry that Harvey might fire Ginger. Joe didn’t want her to work, anyway. However temporary their marriage, she would be his wife. And he would take very good care of her. For a little while, at least, Ginger would not be alone.

Ginger stared out the window of the plane, her brow furrowed. “Are we still in the United States?”

“Of course, honey. Why would you think we weren’t?”

“When we flew to America, it was a long flight. Is America really this big?”

“It’s a lot bigger. Didn’t you fly to Texas when you ran away?”

“No. I—hitchhiked,” she said carefully.

“Lord have mercy, that’s dangerous. You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“No, the people were very nice.”

“Don’t ever do that again. There are some evil people out there.”

“No, Joe, they were very kind.”

“I’m glad, honey, but you’re my responsibility now. I don’t ever want you doing that again.”

“But we are not really—”

Joe covered her mouth with his hand to stop her from finishing her sentence. He leaned closer and whispered, “We don’t ever tell anyone, even strangers, that our marriage isn’t, uh, normal. Okay?”

Her eyes big over his hand, she nodded.

He released her and sat back, drawing a deep breath.

After a moment, Ginger leaned closer to Joe. She whispered, “Won’t everyone think it strange that we came to this place to marry? They will wonder why, won’t they?”

He took her hand in his, realizing he had a lot of questions to answer. Clearly, Ginger had concentrated on her work and her classes at the junior college, but knew very little about American culture. “You’ll see when we get there. A lot of people go to Vegas to marry. No one will think anything about it.”

He believed that, as long as she didn’t say the wrong thing. But he’d be on his guard. Maybe if she said something inappropriate, he’d stop her by kissing her. That would make everyone believe they were newlyweds.

His heart rate tripled just thinking about kissing Ginger. She was so beautiful, so naive and unprotected. He loved the idea of protecting her. He’d never seen himself in the hero role, but it was enticing, especially when he saw that emotion in her gaze. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her smooth skin.

When she jumped in surprise, he leaned closer. “People will expect me to touch you, Ginger. Try not to act so surprised. In private I’ll leave you alone.”

She frowned. “You will?”

“Yes, of course. I promise.”

“But I will be your wife.”

His heart beat faster. “Yes, but not—” He stopped himself. Great. Now he was the one having problems with their secret. “We’ll talk later.”

The pilot spoke over the loudspeaker. “We’re now approaching Las Vegas airport, so please be seated and fasten your seat belts. Thank you for flying with us today.”

Joe leaned over and snapped her seat belt.

“I can do it,” she protested gently.

“I know, but I like to help you. In a few minutes we’ll be on the ground. Are you excited?”

She met his gaze briefly, then looked away. “Of course.” She thought that was the answer he wanted. But she hated the idea that she was trapping him into marriage.

Joe was a kind man, offering her his protection. She must try not to take advantage of him. Some of the men at the club, especially when they were in the Men’s Grill temporary facilities, where their wives never appeared, were eager to take advantage of her, not to protect her. But she’d always turned them down. She’d never had to turn Joe down. He had never seemed interested in her in that way.

She sent up a small prayer that she would never shame Joe, that she would repay his kindness with loyalty and patience.

The pilot set the plane down smoothly, and when they were parked at the gate, Joe stood in the aisle to gather their luggage from the overhead bin.

Her cloth bag looked shabby beside his sleek leather one, but he showed no concern about what people might think. “Come on, Ginger. Time for us to go.”

She slipped out of her seat and stood beside Joe, ready to go where he led her.

Much to Ginger’s surprise, they didn’t take a taxi when they exited the airport. A man was standing on the sidewalk with a sign with Joe’s name on it.

“Does he know you?” she whispered to Joe as he waved to the man.

“No, honey, I hired him to meet us.”

“Oh.”

The man opened the back door to his limo and waved for her to enter. She slipped onto the seat and stared, then scooted over as Joe followed. “Joe, there’s room for many more people,” she whispered as the car began to move.

“Yeah, but it will just be the two of us. So we can have privacy.”

“But everyone is staring.”

“Don’t worry, they can’t see us. Now, we’re going to go to fill out papers and then find a marriage chapel. They’ll have a room where you can change. Is that all right? You have your dress ready?”

“Yes.” Her dress was a simple sheath in pale blue that her mother had made her for her own marriage to Harold, Ginger’s stepfather.

Something in her voice must have worried Joe. “Should we go shopping first and buy you a new wedding gown?”

“No! It would cost a lot of money. It’s not necessary.”

He gave her a strange look. “I have plenty of money, Ginger. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“The bride is supposed to pay for the wedding.”

“No, you have that wrong. The bride’s family is supposed to pay. And since you don’t have a family, I’ll take care of everything.”

She said nothing else, but she determined to keep down the cost of their wedding. After all, he was doing her a favor.

By the end of the evening, Joe was frustrated. All he’d bought her was a small bouquet of flowers. But he had to admit Ginger looked beautiful in her simple dress. The pale blue color complemented her auburn hair and blue eyes. And the ceremony, although brief, achieved their goal.

Afterward Ginger was ready to get back on a plane and return to Texas.

“No, honey, I made us a reservation. We have the honeymoon suite at the Bellagio.”

“What is that?”

“It’s one of the hotels on the strip.”

When she discovered the suite consisted of a huge space with a tub big enough to hold half a dozen people and several bedrooms and a living area, she told him they should ask for a smaller place so they could save money.

He refused. He needed plenty of room so he could handle the desire to put his arms around her. Especially as the sun went down.

“Will we leave in the morning?” she asked anxiously.

“Our flight’s around noon.”

She frowned and said nothing.

“We’re going to dinner in ten minutes. Okay?”

“Why don’t we eat here? Look at all this fruit.” She gestured to the delicious-looking fruit basket on the cocktail table. “That would be enough for dinner.”

“Not for me. Besides, a wedding dinner is traditional.”

She kept frowning.

After dinner, Joe took her to the casino. He changed dollar bills into coins and handed her some, explaining she should put one in a slot machine. She slipped the coin in. He told her to pull the handle.

She did so and waited.

With a kiss on her smooth cheek, he said, “Sorry, you didn’t win. Here’s another one.”

She stared at the coin he held out and then at him. “Why?”

“To try again. To see if you win.”

“But I didn’t.”

“So you try again.”

“No! I will not give your money away.”

“But it’s supposed to be fun.” He waved his arm. “All these people are playing the slot machines. Don’t you want to?”

“No. A good wife does not give her husband’s money away,” she assured him, a determined look on her face.

He sighed. “Okay, we’ll try again later. Do you want to see a show?”

“What kind of show?”

He tried to explain what was available. The only thing she showed interest in were the famous white Bengal tigers, but that show was sold out.

Finally, he had an idea. “How about art? The Bellagio has an art gallery with famous paintings. Would you like to see them?”

Her eyes glowed. “Oh, I would love that. One day in New York I got to go to a museum. The paintings were beautiful.”

Joe shook his head in amazement and took his bride to the art gallery. Slowly they looked at the paintings. In college, Joe had studied art, along with architecture and in his spare time did some sketching. But he enjoyed the evening more than he had thought he would, mostly because Ginger liked looking at the paintings, too.

But he didn’t think anyone else would believe him. A night in Vegas with no gambling, no alcohol and no sex. He’d ordered a bottle of champagne for their wedding supper, but Ginger had preferred Coca-Cola. No bright lights, big stars or crowds of people. Just art, whispered comments and privacy.

After the gallery, Ginger was ready to turn in. “Do you mind?” she asked. “I’m tired. So much has happened in two days.”

He put his arm around her shoulder and led her to the elevator. “You’re right, honey. Will you be okay if I come back down for a while?”

“You like to gamble?” she asked, surprised.

“Sometimes.” Like when I have to leave you alone, he said to himself. Otherwise you couldn’t keep me from your side.

With a cautious smile, she told him good-night once they were in the suite. He kissed her cheek and turned away. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

She nodded and disappeared into the big bedroom.

Wearily, he turned away. He didn’t want to gamble. But he’d go put in an hour on the slot machines, or maybe blackjack, to pass the time. Then maybe he could go to sleep without thinking about Ginger in the massive bed in the next room. Or, maybe more accurately, about joining her in the big bed.

He hadn’t realized resisting temptation would be so difficult.

When Joe awoke the next morning, about nine, he showered and shaved, then dressed before discovering Ginger poring over a book in the living room.

“What are you reading?” he asked.

Ginger looked up in surprise. “Oh! I didn’t know you were awake. I’m studying history. I have a test Tuesday night.”

He shook his head. That wasn’t something he’d brag about: his wife studying while on her honeymoon. “Ready for some breakfast?”

She agreed, though she said she’d eaten some fruit when she got up at seven.

“I thought you’d sleep late.”

“No, I usually get up at seven. Do you sleep late every morning?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I guess I just stayed up too late last night.” Actually, he’d stayed downstairs until the early morning, trying to tire himself out.

“Did you lose a lot of money?” she asked, that frown already in place.

“No, in fact I won.”

The frown disappeared, but she didn’t show any greedy elation.

“So come on,” he urged her. “Let’s get some breakfast. I can pay for it with my winnings.”

“I can pay for myself. I didn’t pay my share for dinner last night.”

Joe huffed. “I’m the husband. I’ll pay for our meals.”

“But that’s not fair. You’re helping me. You shouldn’t have to pay.”

He studied her clear eyes, her earnest expression. Crossing to her side, he took her shoulders in his hands. “Ginger, if we’re going to convince people that we are truly married, we’re going to have to act like it. I’ll pay for our living expenses. You’ll take care of cooking occasionally, cleaning a little. That’s how it works.”

“But—”

“No arguments.” With a sigh, he said firmly, “Honey, I’m an architect. I make a lot more money than you. I can afford to take care of you.” He turned her around to face the door. “Now, I want no more arguments about who’s going to pay. Let’s go get breakfast.”

By the time they’d had breakfast, packed up and got on the plane, Joe had a lot better picture of what he faced when he got his bride back to Mission Creek.

Heaven help him.