Читать книгу The Substitute Fiancée - Rebecca Russell, Rebecca Russell - Страница 10

Prologue

“It’s bad luck to see your fiancée in her dress before the wedding, Mr. McKenna,” advised the woman draped in pearls and armed with a clipboard and pen. She stood dead center in a hallway decorated with wedding portraits of several famous pro football players.

Too bad the skilled but overpaid athletes couldn’t hop out of the pictures and run some interference right now, Mac McKenna thought wryly. He settled for a glare instead.

But the petite, obviously stubborn woman blocking his path didn’t blink, let alone budge.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to wait out front?” the woman persisted.

Mac shook his head. He had no intention of spending one more minute than necessary in the main room of Brennan’s, the bridal boutique favored by the upper-crust of Dallas.

He’d never seen so many fussy, frilly things. Designer gowns tucked in clear plastic bags had taken over an entire wall. The satin shoes looked too pristine to wear, the intricate beading on the veils and gloves too delicate to actually use.

“Sir?”

“We’re not the superstitious type.” Besides, Jenna had asked him to come and give his opinion on the gown. For some reason, Jenna, usually independent and confident, had become a bundle of uncertainty since he’d proposed to her two months ago.

“Very well. Come with me. Ms. Taggert is in the first room.”

He followed the woman inside and stopped next to the couch; he wouldn’t be around long enough to sit. Jenna, wrapped in a swirl of cream-colored satin and lace, stood on a raised platform in front of a tri-fold mirror.

She looked stunning as always, her makeup perfect, every long blond hair in place. But instead of her trademark sexy smile, a pout marred her beautiful face.

“Are you sure this is the right dress for me, Mac?” She turned around slowly and studied the gown from every angle. “Maybe I should go with the Vera Wang. It has the beadwork I like.”

“It’s your call, Jenna, but this one looks fine to me.”

Jenna tossed her hair back and faced the mirror once again. “Fine? I don’t want a dress that’s just fine.” She sighed. “I’m marrying Dallas’s top trial lawyer. I need to impress. I guess I’ll just have to go through them all again.”

Mac checked his watch and fought a rising impatience. Jenna had given him the impression she had already made her decision and just wanted his approval. She of all people knew how his clients depended on him, how he committed one hundred and ten percent effort toward a win in the courtroom and didn’t have time to waste.

He caught the gaze of the consultant. “Can you give us a minute?”

She nodded and disappeared.

He approached his fiancée, who had always personified confidence but now seemed like some confused stranger. “I got to the number one spot because I’m tenacious about going after doctors and hospitals who are negligent.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “You have great taste. Just pick a dress, then meet me back at the office. We need to build an airtight case against the dirtbag of a doctor who almost cost the Carrolls their daughter’s life.”

“You’re right.” Jenna called for the consultant, who quickly reappeared. “Bring me the other five dresses that I narrowed it down to last week, and can you hurry?”

Jenna kissed his cheek. “You go on, and I’ll be there shortly. Promise.”

Mac made a quick exit, annoyed over the wasted trip and still perplexed by Jenna’s behavior. He had heard that wedding planning could cause stress, but he’d assumed she would handle it with the same confidence and focus she’d shown in her work since her first day of internship four years ago.

Three months earlier, when he’d offered her a partnership with the firm as a reward for such dedication, she’d quickly accepted, then surprised him with an offer of her own. “Why not take the partnership one step further?” she’d boldly suggested.

Both of them were smart, ambitious and competitive. Why not date, see if they were as perfect for each other outside the law firm as well? Where else would he find a woman who wouldn’t resent the long hours he devoted to ensuring doctors, hospitals and insurance companies were held accountable when they screwed up? Separately, he and Jenna could do great things, but together, they’d be unstoppable.

Mac couldn’t find any holes in her theory. Besides, at thirty-eight he was tired of living alone, but too dedicated to his practice to make the time to meet women outside of work.

So, after several dates he’d ascertained they were compatible on many levels, the most important being that she was just as consumed by her career as he was and had no interest in ever having children. He then did the logical thing and proposed marriage.

But he’d never anticipated that she’d have a meltdown.

Surely after the wedding the old Jenna would reappear. Unless…had he jinxed his marriage by seeing his fiancée in her wedding dress before the ceremony?

He shook his head and chuckled at the uncharacteristically whimsical notion. No way. Jenna was the perfect woman for him; she and the high-priced wedding consultant had all the wedding plans under control and would leave nothing to chance. No silly superstition could compete, let alone win out, over logic.