The Kidnapped Bride

Two

“Jack. this is crazy. You can’t just kidnap me from my wedding!”

“Sweetheart, I just did.”

“Well, you certainly won’t get away with it. As soon as Herbert finds out what’s happened, he’s going to come after me,” Lorelei advised him, wishing she were half as sure of that as she sounded. Knowing Herbert, he’d probably be too busy calming his mother to worry about coming after her for quite some time.

“I wouldn’t count on that if I were you. Somehow good old Herbert didn’t strike me as the type of guy who’s given to emotional reactions. If he were, he’d have decked me the minute he walked through the door of that bookstore and found me kissing you.”

Lorelei flushed at the memory of looking up from the stack of books she’d been putting on a display and seeing Jack again. Her heart had seemed to stop working right then and there- In the years since he had jilted her, she’d seen him countless times in her dreams wearing that reckless smile, with that adventurous gleam in his blue eyes. Jack in the flesh was far more arresting than any dream had ever been. His smile was just as wicked and daring as she remembered ; his eyes were just as blue. But there was a danger and a hardness in those eyes now that hadn’t been there ten years ago. The body at twenty-three that she had found so sexy when they’d strolled hand in hand along the Florida beaches was even sexier now at thirty-three. The muscles were more defined, the deep bronze of his skin more weathered. The handsome boy she had fallen in love with had grown into a dangerously attractive man. Before she could stop herself, she’d said his name aloud.

In the blink of an eye, he’d been across the shop and had her in his arms. She hadn’t been able to think or utter a reply of protest before his mouth was covering hers. The unexpected kiss had shattered her, so much so that she hadn’t even heard the chime on the shop’s door announcing someone’s entrance. She hadn’t heard anything at all until the sound of Herbert’s shocked “Lorelei” had finally penetrated her senses. Of course, Herbert had immediately accepted her explanation that she and Jack were old friends. And instead of breaking Jack in two, he had shaken his hand.

“Besides, even if good old Herbert were to decide you needed rescuing,” Jack continued, cutting into her thoughts, “my guess is that Desiree’s story will put him off the notion.”

Lorelei narrowed her eyes. “What story?”

“The one Desiree’s probably telling him and your parents right about now.”

“And just what exactly is it she’s telling them?”

“That you and I were desperately in love ten years ago, but we were forced to separate when your parents moved away with you and your sisters.”

“That is not the reason we split up, and you know it.”

Ignoring her statement, he continued, “And when we ran into each other a few weeks ago, we both realized we still had feelings for one another and you began having second thoughts about marrying Herbert.”

“I have not been having second thoughts about marrying Herbert,” Lorelei insisted.

He cut her a glance. “Haven’t you?”

“No. And Herbert will never believe that story. Neither will my parents. No one will.”

“Not even when Desiree explains that you and I were engaged? That we had planned to elope until fate stepped in and kept us from carrying out our plans?”

“Fate had nothing to do with it,” Lorelei argued. “And no one ever knew about our plans to elope. I never said a word about it to anyone—not even to my sisters.”

“They know about it now,” Jack replied. “I told Desiree the whole story a few days ago when I asked for her help. She was very sympathetic, I might add. Why do you think she agreed to help me?”

“Because Desiree’s a soft touch and far too gullible for her own good.” And she was going to murder her little sister the moment she got back to Mesa, Lorelei vowed silently. “Knowing your ability to spin tales, I have no doubt that you tricked her with all that talk about fate. She’s a sucker for that romantic nonsense. Otherwise, she would never have done anything as stupid as this. Not if she knew the truth about what happened...the way you jilted me.”

“I did not jilt you. I came, Lorelei,” he repeated, his voice growing harder, his eyes heating. “I was late and by the time I got there, you were already gone. It was a mistake in judgment on my part—one that, believe me, I’ve lived to regret more than you can ever imagine. I would have explained everything to you if you hadn’t been so stubborn and refused to take my phone calls.”

“I wasn’t interested in your explanations. If I had mattered to you, you would have been there.”

“I tried—”

“The least you could have done was tell me to my face why you didn’t show up.” A part of her had prayed for weeks that he would come and do just that, make everything all right. But he hadn’t.

“Don’t you think I would have come to you if I could? I couldn’t—at least not right away. The boat was leaving again that night. I planned to tell you and have you meet me later. By the time I got back and went to see you, to try to explain what had happened, it was too late. You were gone. Your family had packed up and moved somewhere on the West Coast.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “I almost went crazy when I found you gone. I was going to explain everything to you, to try—”

Lorelei looked away. She hardened her heart, refusing to let herself be moved by his words. “No explanation was needed, Jack. Your absence said it all. There’s certainly no need for excuses now.”

“Damn it, Lorelei. If you’d just let me explain—”

She whipped around in her seat. “Save it, Jack! Whatever your reasons were, they’re irrelevant now. You may have fooled Desiree with your lost-lovers story. But she’s easily fooled. I’m not And neither is Herbert. He won’t believe a word of that story when he hears it.”

“No?”

“No,” Lorelei replied, tipping up her chin.

“Don’t be so sure of that, sweetheart. A man is apt to do strange things when his pride’s on the line. I should know. If I were Herbert and you disappeared on our wedding day and then I learned that the man you’d disappeared with was a man you’d once been engaged to, had even planned to elope with, then I’d have to ask myself why you’d insisted on a two-year engagement for us. And I’d also start asking myself why was it that you had once been so eager to marry someone else, yet the only reason there was a wedding scheduled today was because I’d been the one who’d insisted on it. Not you. Doesn’t sound to me like you were all that anxious to marry the guy anyway.”

Steaming over how much Desiree had revealed to Jack, Lorelei bit back an urge to scream. “That’s the difference between you and Herbert. You have a suspicious, narrow mind. Herbert doesn’t. He knows I love him and he trusts me.”

“Does he?”

“Yes,” Lorelei informed him.

“Then he’s an even bigger fool than I thought he was.”

“Herbert is not a fool. And he isn’t going to believe a word of that story you have Desiree feeding everyone.”

“You’ve obviously forgotten what a good actress your baby sister is. Take my word for it, she’s very good.”

It was true and she knew it. Desiree was born to be onstage. She’d been the only one of the three who had inherited any of their parents’ theatrical talents.

“I caught her in a little dinner-theater number down in New Orleans not long ago. I went backstage to see her afterward. Did she happen to mention it to you?”

Desiree had told her about Jack’s visit and his inquiries about her, but she had refused to listen. Just hearing Jack’s name again had sent her into a tizzy of emotional confusion.

“She was very good in that play, and I imagine she’ll be even more convincing when she talks to Herbert—especially since she can say with all honesty that you haven’t been yourself at all lately. Certainly not the happy and eager bride-to-be.”

“I am happy. Or at least I was until you pulled this stunt. And I’ll have you know that I’ve been very much looking forward to marrying Herbert. I’m still looking forward to marrying him and I’m going to—just as soon as you take me back to Mesa.”

“Trust me, Lorelei. When I take you back to Mesa, it won’t be so you can marry Herbert.”

Lorelei’s pulse jumped at the possessive way he was looking at her. Chiding herself for her response, she looked out at the road ahead and forced herself to focus on her situation. Her thoughts immediately came back to her parents. “Regardless of what Desiree tells them, my parents are going to be worried.”

“From what your mother told me, she’s been worried over your lack of enthusiasm about marrying Herbert.”

“How would you know what my mother’s feeling?”

“Didn’t I mention that I had breakfast with her and your dad a few days ago?”

“No, you didn’t mention it.” And neither had her parents.

He shrugged. “I ran into them in the hotel dining room. Seeing how we’re old acquaintances, I thought asking them to join me was the polite thing to do. They really are a neat couple, you know. And of course, they insisted I come to the wedding.”