“All right, I guess if you’re both agreeable, we’ll get started then,” the minister indicated, sounding more than a little doubtful as he opened his book of wedding vows. “We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in the bonds of—”
Staring at Luke, she heard very little of the blessedly brief ceremony and was surprised when the minister asked, “Do you have a wedding ring for your bride, son?”
Luke frowned. “No.”
“It’s really not that important anyway,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t reflect her disillusionment.
She didn’t know if Luke had forgotten about a ring for her or if he purposely hadn’t bought one. But either way, it was one more detail about her wedding day that she’d just as soon forget.
The man raised one bushy gray eyebrow, then shaking his head turned to the groom. “Luke, do you take Haley to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”
There wasn’t even the slightest hesitation in his rich baritone when Luke gazed into her eyes and answered, “I do.”
The minister nodded, then turned to her. “And Haley, do you take Luke to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?”
“I…uh…yes. Yes, I do.” Knowing their marriage was only a temporary arrangement, she hated making a vow she knew for certain wouldn’t be kept.
As if he couldn’t quite believe what he was about to say, the minister shook his head as he announced, “Then by the power vested in me by Sevier County and the great state of Tennessee, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He gave Luke a questioning look. “Son, if you want to kiss your bride, now would be the time to give it a try.”
For the briefest of moments, as she watched Luke lower his head, she thought he was going to brush her lips with his and that would be the end of it. But the light of challenge she detected in his intense gaze a split second before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, warned her that the kiss was going to be anything but casual or brief.
Haley caught her breath and when his mouth settled over hers, every cell in her body seemed to zing to life. At first, his firm, warm lips moved over hers with such tender care, such thoughtfulness, she felt as if she might just melt into a puddle right there on the chapel floor. But when he tightened his arms and pressed her even closer, her heart began an erratic cadence and a current of electrified heat coursed from the top of her head all the way to the tips of her toes.
The feel of his solid body against her much softer one as he coaxed her mouth to open for him caused an interesting little swirl in the most feminine part of her and Haley didn’t have the presence of mind to put up so much as a token protest. Allowing him access, she leaned into him as he stroked and teased. But when he engaged her tongue in a game of advance and retreat, she felt as if her knees had turned to rubber and she wrapped her arms around his trim waist to keep from falling in an undignified heap at his feet.
She’d been kissed many times before, but never like this, never with such tenderness and purpose. Not even their first kiss had affected her as profoundly, and by the time Luke eased away from the caress, Haley felt completely and irrevocably claimed.
She silently stood by Luke’s side as the chapel’s photographer snapped several pictures, then handed him the disk of still shots and a DVD of the ceremony, along with their newly signed marriage certificate.
“Thank you,” Haley murmured as Luke took her hand in his and led her up the aisle and out of the chapel door to their waiting limo.
“I’ve got to hurry to make the meeting with the Laurel employees on time,” he said, helping her into the backseat of the long black car. When he slid in beside her on the plush leather seat, he checked his watch, then tapped on the window separating them from the driver. “Take me directly to the Laurel Enterprises office in Gatlinburg, then drive Ms. Rollins up to the Mountain Crest Lodge.”
“You don’t want me to attend the meeting with you?” Since she was his executive assistant, she’d been included in several employee meetings in the past and she’d assumed that would be the case this time.
He shook his head. “Besides meeting with the office staff, I’ll be touring a couple of job sites and talking to the work crews. But I plan to be back in time for dinner this evening.”
“Will I need to go shopping for food?” At least buying a few groceries and preparing a meal would give her something to fill the empty hours of the long day ahead.
“No. I’ve arranged for a caterer to make dinner for us. And the housekeeper will oversee the clean-up in the kitchen before she leaves for the evening.”
After college, Haley had done her own cooking and cleaning and she liked it that way. Having someone perform those duties for her again was going to take some getting used to.
It took a moment for her to realize that the car had stopped in the parking lot of Laurel Enterprises on the outskirts of Gatlinburg. As with most of the other buildings in the area, it was a log structure that complimented the surrounding environment, instead of detracting from it.
“What am I supposed to do for the rest of the day?” Being abandoned by her new husband right after they exchanged vows, then sequestered in a mountaintop lodge with nothing to do wasn’t exactly the way she’d dreamed her wedding day would unfold.
“It’s a nice spring day. You could sit on one of the decks and enjoy the view of Mount LeConte,” he said, waiting for their driver to open his door. “Or you could spend the afternoon relaxing in the hot tub.” He started to get out of the car, then turned back. “But whatever else you decide to do, make sure that you get plenty of rest.” Giving her a quick kiss and a smile that spoke volumes, he winked. “If you’ll remember, we’re going to start making a baby tonight.”
All the way up the mountain to the lodge where they would be staying, Haley tried to remind herself that her marriage to Luke was one of convenience. He viewed their union as the means to an end—a way to get the heir he wanted.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t help but resent the fact that he wasn’t even willing to take their wedding day off from work. Nor could she stop a keen sense of sadness from filling her. She’d always envisioned having a baby with a man who loved her and was as devoted to her and their child as she intended to be.
And although she’d known and accepted that theirs was a one-sided relationship, that knowledge did very little to help her stifle an almost uncontrollable urge to let the flood gates open and have herself a good cleansing cry. Nor did it keep her from wanting to tell the driver to turn around and take her back to Nashville and the safe haven of her comfortable little apartment.
Long after the limousine driver let him out in front of the Mountain Crest Lodge and drove back down the mountain, Luke stood staring at the dark windows of the huge three-story log structure. Haley hadn’t bothered leaving a light on for him and he couldn’t say that he blamed her. Hurrying off immediately after the wedding ceremony to meet with the Laurel people, he’d left her to fend for herself on their wedding day. That was probably more than enough to get him nominated for jerk of the year.
He checked his watch. It was well past midnight and he’d missed most of his own wedding night as well. He didn’t pretend to be an expert on the subject by any means, but even he knew that kind of behavior fell short of what was expected of a newly married man. And especially one who had wed for the sole purpose of making his partner pregnant. But the truth of the matter was, he hadn’t expected the intensity of his reaction to Haley when he’d watched her walk down the aisle toward him or the emotions that he’d experienced during the ceremony. Wearing a simple, sleeveless white dress and with her hair in that curly style he’d liked the day he stopped by her apartment, she had been absolutely stunning. And he still had a hard time