Читать книгу Hired Husband - Rebecca Brandewyne - Страница 15

C aroline simply couldn’t believe the conversation taking place in her grandmother’s luxurious penthouse office at Fortune Cosmetics. She thought she must be imagining the fact that she was sitting here listening to Kate calmly explaining Nick Valkov’s troubles with the INS, as well as what seemed to all to be the only practical solution—all, that was, except for Caroline.

She thought with dismay that her grandmother must finally have slipped into senility, must surely have taken leave of her senses. The idea that she, Caroline Fortune, should marry Nick Valkov was absolutely ludicrous. She was astonished and mortified that her grandmother had even suggested it. That Kate’s expression and tone clearly indicated that she expected her to comply with the proposed plan filled her with panic.

From beneath her long, thick black lashes, Caroline stole a surreptitious glance at Nick. Much to her surprise and relief, she saw that at least he wasn’t sitting there grinning mockingly at her, as he had yesterday morning. Today, in fact, he actually looked as uncomfortable as she herself felt at this moment.

Caroline didn’t know whether to empathize with him or to be indignant at the realization that he obviously wasn’t too enthused at the prospect of becoming her husband. Despite the fact that she certainly did not want to become his wife, she was piqued by the realization that he didn’t want to marry her—although, as an incentive to agree to the scheme, her father had offered to up Nick’s salary handsomely, as well as to pay him a six-figure bonus on the wedding day.

The wedding day, Caroline thought a trifle bitterly. The wedding deal was more like it. Because that’s exactly what this arrangement was: a business deal, pure and simple. Her grandmother and father were paying Nick Valkov to marry her, so he wouldn’t get involved in a protracted legal battle with the INS and wind up being deported, unable to complete the secret youth formula of such vital importance to Fortune Cosmetics.

Why, it was worse, somehow, than if she had married Paul Andersen! Caroline told herself hotly. At least Paul had had some feelings for her, had cared about her as much as he was capable, even if it had been her money he had loved more than her.

“Caroline…you’ve barely said anything at all,” Kate observed, not without a note of caring and compassion.

She knew it must be hard for her granddaughter to be placed in such a difficult, seemingly unpalatable position. Nevertheless, Kate intended to continue to apply pressure upon her to accept the proposed marriage. It had not escaped the older woman’s keen notice how her granddaughter had withdrawn socially after her broken engagement with Paul Andersen, how she had, with a fierce, determined vengeance, thrown herself into her work, cutting herself off from all men.

Caroline was twenty-nine now—and not getting any younger, Kate thought wryly, both anxious and exasperated at the idea that her granddaughter was missing out on all life had to offer. It was not that the older woman wanted to meddle in the younger’s business, but she felt that Caroline could use a push in the right direction—as could Nick Valkov, for that matter. He was in his prime and ought to be thinking about a wife and children.

Kate wanted everyone around her to be as happy as she was—and in her book, happiness included having a partner with whom to share all of life’s ups and downs. “Caroline?” she said again, expectantly.

“Forgive me Grandmother.” Caroline started nervously from her reverie. She wished she could speak to her mother, but Erika Fortune was out of town for the rest of the week. “I guess I haven’t said very much because, quite frankly, I’m at a complete loss as to know what to say. I’m sorry for Nick’s difficulties with the INS, of course. But I just can’t believe there isn’t some other solution to his problem.”

“The trouble is that there really isn’t, Caroline.” Her father, Jake, spoke soberly. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone along with this marriage notion of Mother’s and Sterling’s, because it’s as wild an idea as any I’ve ever heard. But surely you can see how Nick’s being deported would affect Fortune Cosmetics at this point in time, Caro. We’ve invested both years and millions of dollars in the research and development of the secret youth formula. To lose Nick now, when we’re so close to completion of the product, would be a devastating blow. And of course, we’re talking about a marriage in name only. Once enough time has passed and the INS has lost interest in Nick, you and he can quietly divorce, and that will be the end of it.”

Not for the first time, as she felt the red creeping into her cheeks, Caroline silently cursed the fact that she blushed so easily. Her father’s words about her marriage to Nick being in name only had inadvertently conjured up images of the exact opposite in her mind. She had pictured her and Nick together, naked and making love. She hoped he couldn’t see into her brain. But from the sudden, speculative gleam in his eyes, she suspected that he knew what she had thought. Worse, she suspected that he had thought it, too.

Because now, as though he had, indeed, read her mind, Nick asked, “Well, Ms. Fortune, what do you say? Are you going to be responsible for my being packed off to Russia or not? All I need is a simple answer. Will you marry me? Yes or no? And then we can all get back to work—which, since I may not have as much time remaining as I had thought to finish Fabulous Face, would seem expedient under the circumstances.”

Caroline swallowed hard, her heart racing, her palms sweating. Plainly, everyone expected her to agree to wed Nick. “Sterling, isn’t there really any other way?” she inquired tentatively, unconsciously licking her dry lips to moisten them.

“No, not that I can see,” the attorney replied, shaking his head sympathetically, his eyes understanding.

“Well, then, I suppose that given what’s at stake, I don’t have any choice but to say yes to this crazy scheme,” Caroline said slowly. “I know how much the secret youth formula means to you and Dad both, Grandmother, and to Fortune Cosmetics. I certainly don’t want to see all your hard work wasted. And after all, it’s not as though it’ll be a real marriage…I mean, not in any true sense of the word….” Her voice trailed away awkwardly.

“Thank you so much, Caroline. I knew I could count on you.” Kate smiled and hugged her granddaughter warmly before turning to the others in the room. “Sterling, Jake, why don’t the three of us go someplace else to discuss all the necessary arrangements?” she suggested tactfully. “Give Caroline and Nick some time alone together. I know they must have things they want to talk over between themselves at the moment.” She glanced thoughtfully at the now officially engaged couple. “We’ll see the two of you later.”

Shortly afterward, Caroline and Nick were alone in the office, she fidgeting nervously with her skirt, unable to meet his eyes, unable even now to believe this was all happening, that it was actually real.

This man was going to become her husband. She thought she must be mad to have consented to such a plan. Unbidden, visions of her wedding night suddenly rose in her mind, and doubt gnawed at her. After all, what did she really know about Nick Valkov, other than that he was a brilliant chemist?

Even though Fortune Cosmetics ran extensive background checks on its executive personnel, what if the IRS were right and he truly were a former KGB agent? What if once he got his ring on her finger and his bonus money in his bank account, he decided not to keep his part of the bargain, decided he wanted to exercise his husbandly rights?

Caroline’s imagination ran wild, wreaking havoc on her emotions and senses.

“I…ah…know this can’t be easy for you, Ms. Fortune.” Nick spoke at last, breaking the silence that lay heavily between them. “And I want to take this opportunity to thank you so much for agreeing to help me out of my difficulties this way.”

“Caroline…my name is Caroline,” she reminded him softly. “If we’re going to be married, you can’t keep on calling me Ms. Fortune. Otherwise, the INS will know something is wrong, that our marriage is a sham—and then it will all be for nothing, won’t it?”

“Yes, of course, you’re absolutely right. Caroline it is, then. And I’m Nick.” He paused for a moment, as though gathering his thoughts. Then he continued. “Look, let’s be perfectly honest with each other. This is not what either of us might have wished for and a very awkward situation for us both. But there are things we can do to make it easier.”

“Such as?”

“Well, for one, we can spend a little time getting to know each other better. We’re going to be husband and wife, and although we’re not lovers, I’d like to think we can at least be friends during the duration of our marriage. Second, there are some matters we’ll have to attend to right away. I’d like us to be wed sometime this week, as for obvious reasons, I’m in a hurry and so can’t really afford to wait around while we plan a huge wedding that will be publicized in all the newspapers and will wind up attracting the INS’s notice, besides. I’m sure a quick trip to the courthouse wasn’t what you imagined for your wedding day, but under the circumstances, I know you’ll agree it’s for the best. We also need to figure out where we’re going to live, whether you should move in with me or I should move in with you.”

“This has all been so sudden, so unexpected and unsettling that I—I really hadn’t given any of that any thought,” Caroline confessed, abruptly rising from her chair and striding to the bank of windows that overlooked the city below. She stared out of them blindly, still beset by a sense of unreality. “Of course I think we should at least try to be friends, and yes, the courthouse and this—this weekend will be…fine, I guess. I hadn’t—I hadn’t realized we’d be married so soon, but I suppose it’s for the best to secure your position against the INS. As for—for living together, I have an apartment in the city, not far from Fortune Cosmetics. It’s not large, but it is convenient.”

“For your sake, I think we should consider privacy as opposed to proximity. So I suggest you move into my house instead,” Nick replied, standing and moving to join her at the windows. “It’s got plenty of room, so we won’t be on top of each other. Besides which, if the INS decides to investigate our marriage, it would probably be more believable for us to say that we retained your apartment because we both often work late hours at Fortune Cosmetics and needed someplace to stay overnight in the city on those occasions, than it would be for us to say that we kept my house as a weekend retreat.”

“All right.” Caroline finally worked up courage enough to turn and face him. “Dr. Valkov…Nick, I have to apologize to you. I’ve been so busy thinking about myself that I’ve only just this moment realized this can’t be any easier for you than it is for me. Yet you’ve tried to put me at ease, and I appreciate that. I want you to know that I’ll try not to disrupt your life any more than necessary, and I hope you’ll do the same for me.”

“Agreed.” He smiled down at her—a smile that did not quite reach his dark eyes, which, to her surprise, she saw were shadowed with concern for her. “However, in order to fool the INS, we will need to present a solid front and to concoct some story about our having fallen in love here on the job and eloped. Thank heavens you’re such a sensible, prudent, reserved woman, Caroline. We can perhaps suggest that you didn’t want the fuss of and attention attracted by a big society wedding, so that’s why we chose to go the courthouse route.”

Unexpectedly, she felt a sense of pique at Nick’s characterization of her personality. She tried to tell herself it didn’t matter what he thought about her. But somehow, that didn’t help.

Sensible. Prudent. Reserved. Was that really how he saw her? Was that how everybody saw her? Caroline asked herself, distressed. Of course it was. She knew that behind her back, Fortune Cosmetics’ employees referred to her as the Ice Queen.

Not for the first time, she thought it certainly didn’t make her sound as though she were any fun, the kind of woman a man would want to be with. Before, she hadn’t cared; she hadn’t wanted a man in her life. But now, like it or not, she was going to be Nick’s wife.

“I—I suppose I’m not at all the sort of woman to whom you’re usually attracted.”

“Actually, I find you very attractive, Caroline,” Nick declared quietly. “I just think you’re a little up-tight, that’s all. However, I’m sure it’s nothing I can’t live with, that we can’t deal with together. After all, we’re both adults—and as I said earlier, my house is plenty big enough for the both of us. Why don’t we plan on driving out there later today? That way, you can take a look around, decide what bedroom you think would suit you best. Then we can start getting your things moved in.”

“This is really happening, isn’t it? We’re actually going to get married, aren’t we?” Caroline smiled falteringly, trying to make light of the matter. “Somehow, I keep expecting to wake up and find out it’s all just a dream.”

“I know. I feel the same way,” Nick admitted, running one hand raggedly through his hair. “But, yes, it’s real, and together we’ll just have to try and make the best of it. And we will, Caroline. I promise you that.” He paused, taking a deep breath, before he smiled down at her again—this time a roguish grin that, despite herself, managed somehow to set her pulse racing. “And now, I suppose we’d better get to work. I’ve got a ton of things to do in the lab if I’m going to bring your grandmother’s secret youth formula to fruition.”

“If you don’t mind, Nick, I think I’d like to be alone for a little while to try to come to grips with our situation, to get some perspective on it. So you go on. And when you’re ready to take that drive out to your house, why don’t you buzz my office? I’ll have my secretary clear my calendar for the remainder of the day, so I’ll be at your disposal.”

“Well, in spite of everything, I have to admit I like the sound of that,” he drawled insolently, grinning wickedly at her once more, impervious to her sudden scowl and flush of embarrassment. “Oh, hell. Lighten up, Caro. After all, it isn’t every day that a person gets engaged. Besides, it could be worse. It could be Otto the INS is attempting to deport!” Otto Mueller was his stolid, heavyset assistant in the laboratory. Then, before Caroline realized what Nick intended, he bent his head to brush her lips quickly with his own. “Sorry. I just couldn’t resist. I simply had to know whether or not you’d taste like a sweet roll!” he insisted before grabbing his attaché and heading from Kate’s office.

Caroline stood there staring after him, nonplussed, biting her tongue to hold back the question that had involuntarily sprung to it: Well, do I? Unwittingly, her hand flew to her mouth. Somehow, her lips felt warm from his kiss. At that realization, she shook her head resolutely, as though to clear it.

What was she thinking? Really, the man was impossible! Any concern and empathy she had thought he might have felt for her earlier had obviously been an attempt on his part to conceal his true self from her, in order that she would say yes to marrying him.

How could she go through with their wedding? Caroline asked herself, torn. Because how could she not go through with it? Her grandmother, father and Fortune Cosmetics were all counting on her. She couldn’t let them down, couldn’t turn her back on them and prove a disappointment to them, as her brother, Adam, had done.

No, like it or not, she had no choice but to wed Nick Valkov. She sighed heavily. This was not the marriage of her dreams, what she had envisioned since she was a little girl. She had hoped for a loving husband, children.

Her eyes strayed to the elegant marble pedestal that stood in one corner of her grandmother’s office. From the column, a small, slender alabaster arm rose. Wrapped around its wrist was a sterling-silver heir-loom baby bracelet composed of tiny beads and a delicate heart. It was quite valuable, as it was believed to have belonged to one of history’s great queens. But that was not the reason why Caroline had always loved it. It was because, to her, it somehow symbolized all that life should be, the making of the proverbial happy home and hearth, the passing of the torch from one generation to the next.

She was twenty-nine years old—and she could hear her biological clock ticking away. How much time would she lose by marrying Nick Valkov, time she might have spent looking for a true husband who loved her and would give her children? How much time had she already wasted herself, burying herself in her work and cutting herself from all men? She had been a fool, Caroline realized now. But it was too late to go back; she could not relive the past.

She must, as her father had, set aside her own dreams for the good of the family. Thus resolved, she squared her shoulders determinedly and strode from her grandmother’s office.