His Convenient Virgin Bride

Ten

Stephanie wished she’d had at least five minutes alone with Alec before the meeting convened around the dining room table at the main ranch house. She’s been on the road for days, arriving home last night with Blanchard’s Run. Her cell phone conversations with Alec had been sporadic and brief during the long stretches of isolated highway. And there’d been little privacy for evening conversations, since she was sharing motel rooms with the female groom.

She missed him. And she was beginning to doubt her memories. She’d tried to cling to the intimacy they’d shared in Kentucky, but as the days rolled by, she began to fear she’d imagined it.

She’d wanted to talk to him alone before the meeting, but his plane had been late. It was raining hard. And her truck got stuck in the mud on the way down the hill from her place in a pocket where there was no cell signal.

She was the last to arrive. She was wet through to her underwear. Her hair was stringy, and mud caked her boots. Her shower had been a waste of time, and the makeup she’d applied after lunch was long gone. So much for hoping Alec might find her attractive.

“There you are,” said Royce as she kicked off her boots in the front hallway.

“Got stuck on Moss Hill,” she explained, swiping her hands over her riotous hair, hoping against hope she didn’t have mascara running down her cheeks.

“Just got here myself,” McQuestin put in, in an obvious attempt to make her feel better.

Stephanie’s gaze skipped around the long, rectangular table, Jared, Melissa, Royce, Amber, McQuestin, ah, finally, Alec at one end. The last time she’d seen him here was their wedding. And she couldn’t quite contain her smile. He looked so good, immaculate suit, fresh shave, trimmed hair.

He smiled back and gave her a nod, but something about him seemed reserved.

She quickly schooled her features, taking an empty chair halfway down one side.

“Are we ready?” asked Jared where he was positioned at the other end of the table.

There were several nods.

“Then let me start by thanking Alec for his hard work. We know this won’t be easy. And we understand we’re not going to like everything you have to recommend. But I’d like to say on behalf of my family, that we’ll take a serious look at all of your suggestions.”

Alec nodded his head in acknowledgment. “I appreciate that, Jared.” He shuffled a stack of papers in front of him. “Perhaps I’ll start with the ranch.” He looked to McQuestin. “The cattle operation has lost money for several years in a row.”

McQuestin screwed up his weathered face, narrowing his eyes.

“However,” Alec continued. “Beef prices are on the rise. While land values are at a low. So selling doesn’t make sense-”

“’Course it doesn’t,” said McQuestin.

“With some streamlining to management,” Alec continued, “the ranch ought to be able to break even.”

“Streamlining?” McQuestin challenged.

“You’ve stopped paying the blackmail, for starters,” said Alec. “And best practices have come a long way in the past thirty years. I’d suggest hiring an agricultural studies grad and-”

“An academic?” McQuestin spat.

“McQuestin,” Jared warned. “We said we’d listen.”

But Alec was smiling. “Unless you’d like to enroll in college yourself.”

McQuestin’s bushy brows went up, while everyone else tittered with laughter.

“The details are in my report.” Alec flipped a page. “On to the real estate division. As I’m sure you’re all aware, it’s had the highest profitability for the past few years. But that’s about to be challenged. Rental rates are on a downward trend in Chicago, and vacancies are expected to rise.”

Stephanie glanced at Jared, but his expression gave away nothing.

“You have a couple of choices there,” said Alec. “Ride it out, or sell off either or both of the Maple Street and industrial properties. I’d absolutely recommend keeping everything you’ve got in the downtown core. When the market recovers, that will go up first.”

Jared nodded, but didn’t venture an opinion.

“Windy City Bizz magazine,” said Alec. “Sell that puppy just as fast as you can.”

Royce sat up straight. “No. That’s Amber’s-”

“No, Royce.” Amber put her hand on his shoulder. “You should sell it.”

“There’s no saving print publications,” said Alec. “Particularly periodicals.”

Stephanie drew a sigh, gauging Amber’s expression. She looked sad, but not hugely upset. Stephanie, on the other hand, was getting more uncomfortable by the minute.

Ryder International had been a strong and growing company for as long as she could remember. Jared was an amazing entrepreneur, and Royce seemed to excel at acquisitions. She couldn’t quite believe they were in this much trouble.

“What about the jet?” asked Royce, tension evident around his mouth.

“You’re going to need it,” said Alec. “I know it feels like an indulgence, but you’ve got interests in half a dozen states. You need to be mobile.”

Amber gave Royce’s arm a squeeze.

“On the legal issues with your father’s will.” Alec’s gaze flicked to Stephanie for a split second. “I’d recommend vesting Stephanie with nonvoting shares.”

Stephanie was sure she couldn’t have heard right.

“She doesn’t have time to pay attention to the corporate issues-”

“Wait a minute,” Stephanie blurted out. She glanced from Jared to Royce, and then to Alec. “You don’t want me to vote?”

“I don’t want you to have to vote. There are a myriad of things that you-”

“How is that different?” What was the matter with him? How could he have blindsided her like that?

He directed his next words to Jared. “You and Royce should have an equal partnership. Frame up a dispute resolution process if necessary, but don’t make Stephanie the swing vote.”

“Wait a minute,” Stephanie shouted.

Jared shot her a look. “We’ll give it some thought.”

“How can you-”

“Stephanie,” Jared warned. “We can discuss it later.”

She compressed her lips then turned her cold glare from Jared to Alec. “It’s a stupid idea.”

“Steph,” Royce put in kindly. “You can convince us of that later.”

“Fine,” she huffed. Her brothers would never go for it anyway. She might only be a half sister, but they loved her. They wouldn’t strip away her power for no reason. What was wrong with Alec? What could have changed between the time he bought her Blanchard’s Run and now?

“High tech is the future,” said Alec. “I wouldn’t recommend selling, but you might want to look at some international licensing deals. You can maximize your sales without growing the division to an unwieldy size.”

Nobody answered to that.

“On sports and culture.” Alec flipped a page in front of him. “I’d suggest standing pat.”

Stephanie blew out a sigh. It wasn’t relief. It was, well, okay, it was relief.

“Except for the jumping stable.”

She stilled, feeling all gazes land on her.

“It’s a cash drain, and there’s no end in sight.” He looked up, taking Stephanie in along with everyone else, pausing no longer, no shorter on her stunned expression than on any of the others. “You need to sell off the entire operation. The sooner the better.”

Stephanie found her voice. “Wait just a-”

“May I please finish?” he cut in.

“No, you may not finish. You’ve just recommended selling something that I spent half my life-”

“Stephanie-”

“-building!” She came to her feet.

“I don’t expect you to-”

“How could you do this?”

“Will you have a little faith?”

“No. I will not.” She rapped her knuckles down on the polished tabletop. “Is there any part of my life you’re not planning to destroy?”

Alec’s lips compressed, eyes darkening to pinpoints.

Stephanie turned on Jared. “Since I have no voting privileges, I guess you two can do whatever you want. But I’m not going to sit around and listen to this guy pick over our family like a vulture.”

“Stephanie,” Royce tried.

“No!” She turned on her second brother, backing up, scraping her chair legs against the wood floor as she pushed it out of the way. Then she pivoted on her stocking feet and stalked for the door, grabbing her muddy boots on the way out.

“Excuse me,” Alec’s voice intoned to the group behind her as she slammed the door.

She quickly stuffed her foot into the first boot. Then hopped in place on the porch as she struggled with the other.

The door opened and Alec stepped out. “What the hell is the matter with you?”

“With me? With me?” She rammed her foot down to the sole, straightening and flipping her hair over her shoulder. “You’re the one out to destroy my life.”

He folded his arms over his chest. “You are rushing to preposterous conclusions.”

She leaned in. “Tell me one thing, Alec. Why did you buy me Blanchard’s Run?”

“Why do you think I bought you Blanchard’s Run?”

She gave the only plausible answer she’d come up with. “Because you felt guilty.”

“It was not guilt.”

“Why then?” she rattled on. “So I’d sleep with you?”

He sputtered out a cold laugh. “Yeah, right.”

She forced a note of contempt into her voice. “Well, congratulations, Alec. It worked. I slept with you because you bought me a horse.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Oh, yes, I did.” She glared straight at him, and his eyes flickered with uncertainty.

“What?” she asked sarcastically. “Did you think I’d fallen for your good looks, wit and charm? Think again, Alec. I wanted the horse. You got me the horse. I figured I owed you. And since we’d done it once already-”

“Stop it.”

“Truth hurts?”

“Lies hurt, Stephanie.”

“Yeah. They do. And we’ve been a lie from minute one. I’m sorry I forgot about that.”

She nodded toward the door behind Alec. “Better get back to your job. My brothers can let me know what they decide.” Then she turned, searching for every scrap of dignity she could muster as she paced down the stairs.

As Alec reentered the house, the faces staring at him from the dining room table alternated between condemnation and frank curiosity.

“We stopped them from going after her,” Amber informed him.

“I’m sure you did.” Alec could well have imagined Jared and Royce’s first reaction was to rush outside and save their sister from him. “Thank you,” he finished, including both Amber and Melissa in his gratitude.

“We’re not selling the jumping stable,” Royce informed him, clearly ticked off.

Alec shook his head in disgust. When he’d planned his little speech, he’d planned it all the way to the end, where he revealed his master plan and became Stephanie’s hero. He hadn’t counted on her being so dogged in her interruptions. And he sure hadn’t counted on hearing such a painful truth about her feelings for him.

He’d been looking forward to getting back to Montana from the minute he left Stephanie at Brighton. Now all he wanted to was get the hell out of the state.

He dropped back into his chair. “I want you to sell the jumping stable to me.”

They all blinked at him in silence.

He threw up his hands, spelling it out in detail. “I’m married to Stephanie. It’ll be half hers. This way, Ryder International won’t be stuck with the financial liability, but she’ll still-”

“Did you tell that to Stephanie?” Amber asked.

He glared at her but didn’t answer the question. “I can afford the cash drain. I’ll be a silent partner.”

Jared snorted. “That’s why you don’t want her to have voting shares in Ryder International.”

“She’s going to be a little busy with other interests,” said Alec. That, and he’d selfishly assumed she might want a little time left over for him.

“You need to tell her,” said Melissa.

“So she’ll be grateful?” His voice was sharper than he intended, and Jared frowned at him.

“Sorry,” Alec apologized. “You all know my marriage to Stephanie is a sham-”

“Say what?” McQuestin seemed to come back to life.

“She’s pregnant,” said Alec, not willing to keep any more secrets.

“And you did the right thing?” asked McQuestin, lined face screwing up as he narrowed his eyes, sizing up Alec as if he was debating getting his shotgun. A little late for that.

“I did the right thing,” Alec confirmed. “I’ll live up to my responsibility, including providing for her and my child by buying and financing the Ryder Equestrian Center. But there’s nothing more than that between us.”

“Are you sure?” asked Amber.

“Positive,” said Alec.

Royce looked to Jared. “Yeah. Except that he’ll shoot any man who touches her.”

Jared’s eyebrows shot up, and he turned his attention to Alec. “You poor bastard.”

“What?” asked Melissa.

“It’s a joke,” said Royce. “A bad joke.”

“Explain,” demanded Amber.

Alec gathered his paperwork. Jared and Royce’s pity was the final straw. If a man had to have his heart broken, he could at least do it in private. “I’ll leave a copy of my recommendations for your review. You are, of course, welcome to use or discard anything.”

“Explain,” Melissa echoed.

Jared gave in. “You know, when Dad murdered Frank Stanton-”

McQuestin rocked forward. “What?”

Royce jumped in. “It’s a barometer of how much you love your wife.”

“Alec’s in love with Stephanie?” asked Melissa.

“Alec is saying goodbye,” said Alec, turning for the door.

McQuestin jumped into the fray. “Your father didn’t murder Frank Stanton.”

Everybody went silent and stared at McQuestin. Even Alec froze then turned back.

“It was self-defense,” said the old man. “Your mother had changed her mind. She refused to leave with Stanton. Stanton got mad and shot at your dad. He hit your mother by accident in the shoulder, and your father shot back. Your father was rushing her to the hospital when the truck went into the river.”

“Then why did Gramps hide the gun?” asked Jared.

“Make it look like a robbery.” McQuestin gave him a stern look. “Trials are unpredictable.”

And the affair would have been public knowledge. Alec didn’t agree with the action, but he thought he understood the motivation. Still, it didn’t change anything for him. His hope of a future with Stephanie was over. The sooner he got back to Chicago, the better.

The room went silent as everyone digested the revelation.

“I’ve got a plane to catch,” Alec put in. He didn’t exactly have a ticket, since he’d been hoping to stay here with Stephanie. But nobody needed to know that.

“If you leave,” Amber ventured, cocking her head sideways. “How are you going to shoot any man who touches her?”

“Nobody’s shooting anyone,” he returned. And Stephanie didn’t want or need his protection.

Royce came to his feet. “You’re just going to abandon her?”

“What part of marriage of convenience don’t you understand?”

“The part where you fell in love with my sister.”

Alec opened his mouth to deny it, but he found he couldn’t lie. There was no point in even attempting to salvage his pride. “She doesn’t love me.”

“Are you sure?” asked Amber.

Alec gave a sharp nod.

“Then change her mind,” Jared put in mildly. “Melissa didn’t start off loving me.”

Royce grinned. “And Amber took some convincing.”

Amber socked him in the arm. “I loved you, dummy. I just didn’t tell you about it.”

It was painful for Alec to watch the interplay. “It’s better if I just leave.”

“You sure?” McQuestin put in gruffly, his pale gaze boring into Alec. “Because if you’re wrong, and you break that little girl’s heart. I’m the one who’ll be shooting at you.”

Two miles from the main ranch, Stephanie jerked her car to the side of the muddy road and brought it to an abrupt halt.

Her hands were shaking. Her stomach ached. And she couldn’t seem to muster up enough strength in her leg to push the clutch and gear down for the hill.

What was she going to do?

She’d come home with such high hopes. But the days and nights at Brighton now seemed like a cruel dream. She’d fallen fast and hard for her husband, and it had seemed like he was falling for her. She’d even dared to hope it was love.

But he didn’t love her. He didn’t even like or respect her. Why else would he have stripped away her business?

There had to have been other options.

Why was it her who had to sacrifice everything?

She gripped the steering wheel, her anger reviving, blocking out her heartache.

But then she remembered Windy City Bizz. Amber loved that magazine. Yet, she’d quickly agreed to sell it. And Royce had offered up the jet. And Jared had spent years building up their Chicago property inventory. He had huge plans for construction in the next decade, yet he was looking at selling.

Stephanie swallowed, a horrible thought creeping into her mind. Had she just let her brothers down? Was this why they kept secrets from her? Did they think she couldn’t handle the hard truths?

She sat back, shoulders drooping, considering for the first time in her life that she might have some responsibility to turn a financial profit, not just to provide theoretical PR and goodwill. She had an obligation to her family. And she had an obligation to Alec.

Another ranch truck rocked to a halt beside her. But she didn’t even look up.

Moments later, Amber banged on the window.

“Stephanie!”

Stephanie blinked blankly at Amber. Her pride was in tatters and her heart was broken to bits.

She loved Alec.

She realized he wasn’t trying to hurt her. He was trying to treat her like an adult, a functioning partner. He’d done her the courtesy of telling her the hard truth about her stable, instead of trying to sugarcoat it so she wouldn’t get hurt.

She loved him, and he respected her. And she’d just destroyed any chance they might have had at building a future together.

“Will you open-” Amber grabbed the door handle and yanked the driver’s door wide. “You have to come back.”

Stephanie shook her head. She couldn’t go back. She was mortified by her behavior, and she needed to go home and bury her head.

“He’s leaving,” Amber rushed on. “He’s leaving now. McQuestin threatened to shoot him, but he’s still leaving.”

“What?” Stephanie managed to say, completely confused by Amber’s agitation.

“Stephanie.” Amber took a breath. “Listen to me. Alec wanted to sell the stable-”

“He was right,” Stephanie nodded, swallowing her pain.

“-to himself.”

Stephanie struggled to make sense of the words.

“He was going to buy it. You were going to run it. Hell, you were going to own half of it, since you’re his wife.”

Stephanie felt the blood drain from her face, while the roar of a hurricane pounded in her ears.

Amber grabbed her hand, tugging on it. “You have to come back. Now.”

Stephanie fumbled with her seat belt catch. “I don’t understand.”

“He loves you.”

“Who loves me?” Stephanie pushed off the seat, landing on the muddy road.

“Alec. He loves you.”

Stephanie didn’t believe that for a minute. And even if he had, he didn’t anymore. Still a little part of her heart couldn’t help holding out hope. “He said that?” she dared ask as Amber bundled her into the passenger seat of the other truck.

“He said he’d shoot any man who touched you.” Amber swung into the driver’s side and put the truck in gear.

“That’s not exactly the same thing,” Stephanie pointed out.

“It’s some kind of a joke. But Royce says it means he loves you. But he’s convinced you don’t love him. And he’s heading for the airport. From there, with his job, who knows where he’ll end up.” Amber glanced across the seat, voice lowering. “So, if you love him, Stephanie…”

Stephanie stared back. She slowly nodded.

“You need to tell him. And you need to do it right now.”

“I’m sorry,” Stephanie mumbled. “I wasn’t thinking. You gave up the magazine. Royce offered the jet. Of course I’ll give up the stable. I didn’t mean to sound so spoiled and selfish back there.”

Amber unexpectedly smiled. “Me giving up the magazine is nothing compared to you giving up the stable. Your brothers were never going to let that happen. Of course, as it turns out, that wasn’t what Alec meant anyway.”

“He wants to buy the stable?” Stephanie turned the revelation over in her mind.

“And he made it clear you’d be half owner. And he’d be a silent partner. And he was doing it to provide for his wife and his child.”

“Oh, no.” Acute regret slid through Stephanie’s stomach.

“But it’s good news.”

Stephanie blew out a sigh. “I said some things. To Alec. When I thought he was out to get me.”

“What things?”

Stephanie groaned. “He must hate me.”

“What things?”

“That I only slept with him the second time-”

“You slept with him a second time?”

“And a third and a fourth and a fifth. Maybe more. I kind of lost count.”

Amber laughed. “Well, that sounds promising.”

“No.” Stephanie shook her head. “I just finished telling him I’d only done it because he bought Blanchard’s Run. It was gratitude sex, and I didn’t find him either handsome, funny or charming. I may have said I didn’t like him. I definitely implied he should get lost.”

“Do you think he believed you?”

“I was pretty convincing.”

“But you’re in love with him?”

Stephanie moaned, bending forward around her stomachache. “Yes.”

“Maybe try telling him that.” The truck rocked to a halt. Stephanie looked up to see Jared, Melissa, Royce and McQuestin standing in the front driveway.

She glanced frantically around for Alec, opening the door, stepping out.

“He’s gone,” said Jared.

“How long?” asked Amber.

“Twenty minutes, at least.” Royce shook his head.

“I’m going after him,” Stephanie decided. Amber was right. While Stephanie had been dead wrong. She owed him an apology, and she was going to suck up her pride and tell him she loved him.

She was sure it would be nothing but a lesson in abject humiliation, because no man was going to love a woman who’d behaved the way she did. And despite his joke to Royce, she was sure Alec would be happy to put as much distance as possible between himself and her.

She looked to Amber. “Give me the keys.”

“You’ll never catch him,” said Melissa. “And it’s dangerous to try.”

“Take the Cessna,” McQuestin put in.

Royce looked at the old man, then grinned. “We’ll take the Cessna.” He grabbed the keys from Amber and headed to the truck at a trot. “Come on,” he called to Stephanie.

She sprinted after him.

It was a five-minute drive to the ranch airstrip. Royce sped through his pre-flight checklist. Stephanie slapped on the earphones and strapped into the seat and braced herself for takeoff.

In no time, they were skimming a thousand feet above the ranch road. The road met the main road, and they banked east. There’d be little traffic before the Interstate, so Alec’s black car should be easy to spot.

After they found him? Well, things were definitely going to get tough. She tried to come up with a speech in her mind, something, anything that might help him forgive her. But she was drawing a blank.

“Painful, isn’t it?” asked Royce through the radio.

“I was so stupid.”

He laughed. “We all are. I told Amber she should marry her former fiancé. I could have lost her right then and there.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No, I didn’t.”

Stephanie peered out the small windshield, scanning the length of road in front of them. Range land whizzed by, with the occasional barn or stream. “We don’t know how this one’s going to turn out.”

“He loves you, Steph.”

“I may have killed that.”

“You can’t kill it. Believe me, you can’t kill it.”

Stephanie drew a breath, desperately trying to convince herself that Royce knew what he was talking about. But the fact was, he didn’t. His and Amber’s relationship was unique and special. It wasn’t representative of every other relationship in the world.

“There he is,” said Royce, pointing to the road. And Stephanie’s heart went into overdrive.

Royce overflew the car, checked for traffic, then turned the Cessna in a tight circle, bringing it down on the pavement of the road. They coasted to a stop, and he shut off the engine.

Stephanie removed her headphones, unclipped the harness then clambered out of the small seat, stepping on the wing strut before dropping down to the pavement.

“Go get ’em, tiger,” Royce called with an encouraging grin.

Stephanie couldn’t muster up a smile in return. Her palms were sweating and her knees were weak. She took a few trembling steps along the centerline, watching for Alec’s car to come into view. She didn’t have long to wait.

The black car coasted to a stop, but Alec didn’t get out.

Squinting, at the tinted windshield, Stephanie forced herself to walk toward it.

Finally the door opened, and Alec stepped out, frowning. “What the hell?”

“I’m sorry, Alec.”

He looked at the plane, then back to her. “What the hell?”

“It’s Royce. We were afraid you’d beat us to the airport and get on a plane, and I wouldn’t be able to find you.”

“So you landed on the highway? Have you lost your mind?”

“I came to apologize.”

He was still frowning. His eyes were squinted down in anger. “It never occurred to me in a million years that I’d have to make this rule. But don’t you ever, ever take my baby up in an airplane and land on a public roadway.”

“It’s perfectly safe. We checked for traffic.”

“Stephanie.”

“Okay. Okay. I won’t.” She paused. “But don’t you want to know why I’m here?”

“To say you’re sorry?”

She screwed up her courage. “To say I love you.”

His expression never flinched. “They told you about me buying the stable?”

She nodded.

“And you’re grateful for that?”

“It’s not about gratitude.”

His look turned skeptical. “Really?”

“It was never about gratitude for Blanchard’s Run.”

“That’s not what you said an hour ago.”

“I lied an hour ago.”

“But you’re not lying now?”

“No.”

He took a step forward, jaw clenched, expression grim. “Explain to me, Stephanie. How exactly am I supposed to tell the difference?”

It was a fair question. She moved closer to him. “I guess you can’t.”

His expression softened ever so slightly. “So, when you tell me that you love me? Which, by the way, I desperately want to believe-”

“But you need proof?” she ventured.

“And it can’t be sex.”

“Too bad.” Her voice dropped low. “I’ve been thinking about sex all week.”

Something twitched in his expression.

“I missed you so much,” she told him. “I thought about you all morning. I imagined you pulling me back into your arms, holding me tight, and telling me everything was going to work out for us.”

“And instead I threatened to sell your home out from under you.”

“I should have listened longer. And it shouldn’t have mattered. I should have been able to handle the hard truth.”

“I should have started with the punch line.”

“I love you, Alec. I don’t know how to prove that to you, but I’m willing to do anything you say.”

A grin twitched the corners of his mouth. “Marry me?”

“I already did.”

He reached out and took her hands in his. “Have my baby? No. Wait. You’re already doing that.”

She couldn’t help but smile.

“And since we’re already having amazing sex…” He drew her in closer. “I can’t come up with a single thing that would definitively prove you love me.”

“I could shoot somebody,” Stephanie ventured.

His hand slipped to the back of her neck, fingers burrowing into her hairline. “What are you talking about?”

“Amber said it was some kind of a joke. It meant you loved me.”

“I do love you,” he admitted, and a heavy weight lifted from Stephanie’s chest. “But there’ll be no shooting involved.”

“Okay by me. Hey, I have an idea.”

“Shoot.”

She rolled her eyes. “What if we live happily ever after? We pull that off, you can be sure that I love you.”

Alec smiled as he leaned in. “Deal.” Then his lips came down on hers, and he drew her tightly into the circle of his strong arms.

She pressed her body against him, clinging to him, loving him with ever fiber of her being.