The Wedding Bargain

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“Not anymore. How about your family?”

Drew looked away. “They’re scattered around. We don’t stay in touch.” He knew it was the perfect opening. He should tell her about his situation.

Part of him wished she knew about his past, and part of him dreaded her finding out, especially from someone else. He should tell her. When he didn’t add any details, she turned toward the house.

“Well, I should do something about a meal,” she said. And suddenly he wanted to call her back.

But the moment passed.

After breakfast, Drew felt restless, confined. He decided to go for a walk, just because he could.

When informed of his plan, Olivia tilted her head. “That sounds like fun. Mind if I join you?”

Drew hid his irritation. “Sure.” He didn’t know how to stop her—short of locking her in the cabin—or telling her she couldn’t come. And somehow he couldn’t do either.

He grabbed his denim jacket, then waited while she took a jacket from her case. She pulled it on, tugging at the sleeve. The jacket was a tapestry of richly colored floral embroidery.

He recognized her unique touch. “Did you make that?”

She nodded, “Mmm.” Obviously a girl of many talents.

Outside, a breeze caught her hair. Bright leaves fell all around, carpeting the ground in colors of red, gold and russet. The crunch of dry leaves under Drew’s feet felt familiar. As a youth, he’d felt a special affinity for the woods. As he grew older, he’d forgotten that—just one of the things he’d taken for granted and ignored when it was his for the taking. Perhaps in his arrogance, a man could only appreciate the things that were hard-won. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of pine and woods.

They followed a path down to the crystal-clear lake. With Olivia tagging along, Drew soon realized that a silent communion with nature wasn’t in the cards. She was full of information.

Her chatter irritated him at first; but then the gentle rhythm of feminine tones soothed a loneliness he’d never acknowledged. A deep well that had never been filled. The realization startled him. He’d never thought of a woman as a companion. A soul mate. Perhaps if he had, he might have had better luck finding one.

She sighed, drawing his attention back. She was a feast for the eyes—eyes that had only seen drab concrete walls for so long. Like spun gold, yellow birch leaves fluttered down around her. “I was hoping to see some wildlife,” she said.

He chuckled. “Hush, you’re scaring them all away.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, then turned her toward the water’s edge. “Just wait a few minutes, then you’ll see.”

She leaned back slightly, and Drew caught his breath at the brush of her skirt against his thigh.

As predicted, before long, a doe with her fawn appeared, taking dainty steps out of the woods. They stopped by the water, dipping their heads to drink. Under his hands, Olivia stood absolutely still—until the doe prodded her offspring back up the steep bank and into the woods.

“How absolutely beautiful,” she whispered.

She turned, standing close. Her breasts were a tantalizing inch from his chest. All it took was one deep breath. At the physical contact, her lips parted on a small gasp.

“Olivia,” he murmured her name. Like a starving man, he wanted to drag her close and kiss her—taste her—but he knew he wouldn’t stop there.

Slowly releasing her, he stepped back.

Revealing her confusion, her hand shook as she brushed her hair back from her face. “Drew?”

He shook his head, saying harshly, “Nothing. Forget it.”

Without further word, he turned and walked away.

Even if tempted, he had nothing to offer a woman like Olivia. Except himself. And that was never enough for the women he’d known in the past.

They had nowhere to go but back to the cabin. Once fully aroused, he dreaded spending another night alone with Olivia.

Before meeting her, he’d had a plan—go to Henderson, pick up his car, cash out a small trust fund and pick up some clothes. He planned to grab his possessions and go somewhere—he didn’t know where. A woman, no matter how tempting, was no reason to change his plan.

After a moment, Olivia caught up with him. She was silent—now that she’d succeeded in twisting him in knots.

A winding lakeside path took them to the road. About a mile downhill from the camp, they passed a farmer’s market and stopped to buy fresh eggs and milk. Fresh poultry. Some tomatoes. Apples. Drew took out his wallet to pay.

Olivia kept adding items.

Finally she walked toward him with a bouquet of flowers, ruffled hollyhocks in pink, red and purple mixed with lacy-edged white and yellow mums, clutched in her hand.

At the sight of her, Drew felt his chest squeeze. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. There hadn’t been many flowers in his life lately. And maybe that was what was missing.

Along with a few other things.

With a knowing smile, the farmer’s wife accepted his money and commented, “Your girl is very sweet.”

Your girl.

Olivia reached him. “I couldn’t resist the flowers. You don’t mind, do you?”

Mind?

No, in fact, he loved it. At the admission, Drew felt his heart twist like a leaf in the wind…falling. If only their situations were different. If only life would give him a second chance. If only he hadn’t messed up every good thing in his life.

Her face animated with pleasure, Olivia lifted the brilliantly colored flowers to her dainty nose. “They smell delicious.”

“Yes, they do.” Drew smiled back. She’d spent his last dollar on a bunch of flowers. He was down to an uncashed check from his sister and he didn’t care!

Hell!

He must be going soft, getting all sentimental about a woman he’d known less than twenty-four hours—a woman with laughter in her voice, sunshine in her eyes, pale flyaway hair and a come-hither smile that beckoned him to discover her secrets.

Chapter Four

D rew’s smile grew ironic. Oh, he knew he was susceptible, feeling deprived and vulnerable to anything in a skirt. He’d vowed not to seduce the first woman he came across, not even the second or the third.

With one bewitching smile, Olivia made it hard to remember exactly why he’d made such a stupid, impractical vow. She was there to tempt, to tease, to test him. Women had always come so easily, perhaps too easily. No matter how he tried to deny it, he couldn’t help but wonder—would she?

They were going to be alone for another night. He had no idea how he was going to keep his hands off her. He laughed without humor. The gods must be having a field day.

It was payback time for every indiscretion he’d ever committed—and there was a long string of them. Drew could only assume Olivia was going to drive him crazy for the next twenty-four hours, if he held out that long.

“Let’s head back.” He wished he had an alternative choice, some place to go, but he didn’t.

She checked the items she’d purchased. “I think we’ve got everything.” She waved to the farmer’s wife, who insisted on giving Olivia some fresh cream from the dairy.

“You’ll need some to top off that apple cobbler,” the woman insisted.

Apparently Olivia planned to do some baking. Drew marveled at her easy adaptability.

Olivia waved farewell to her new friend—she obviously had a knack for collecting them—and fell into step beside him. She was so small, reaching only up to his shirt collar. Her step was light, graceful.

All the way back to the cabin, Olivia stuck close to his side—less than a foot away. He felt dizzy from the scent of flowers. More than once, he regretted teasing her about hungry bears. Now he had to endure her nearness.

Then there was her soft voice, the bounce in her step, the gleam in her smile, the soft accidental brush of her hand against his—all guaranteed to wear down his resistance.

Was it all innocent?

Or was it only wishful thinking on his part?

They walked back to the cabin along the same track they’d found the day before. The woods were thick, endless, stretching in every direction. It would be easy to get lost in them.

The cabin greeted them like an old friend.

Built of roughhewn logs, weathered and burnished to a soft gray, it glowed in the midday sun. The sunny glen seemed far from the immediate past.

And the future.

He had today. All anyone had really. Who knew what tomorrow would bring? He smiled wryly, admitting that Olivia’s optimism was beginning to rub off on him.

She made lunch.

Either he was starving, or it was the best tuna casserole he’d ever eaten. Chin in hand, with her elbow leaning against the edge of the table, Olivia inched the serving dish closer.

“There’s more,” she offered.

Recognizing that enticing feminine note, Drew pushed away from the table and stood. “No, thank you.”

It would take more than a combination of canned tuna, condensed mushroom soup and noodles to seduce him.

He grabbed for an escape hatch. “The farmer’s wife took quite a shine to you. I’m sure she’d let you stay the night.”

At the suggestion, Olivia shook her head. “But I don’t know her. I can’t just intrude. Besides, I’m comfortable here.”

Drew had only known Olivia for one day—it felt longer—but he recognized that stubborn tilt to her chin. Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, he persisted. “Hasn’t it occurred to you by now that you shouldn’t trust me?”

She smiled at him. “But I do trust you. If you intended me any harm, you’d have done something about it by now.”

“Not necessarily.”

“Well, you’ve left behind a trail of witnesses, starting back at the diner. Then there’s Walt, and the farmer’s wife.”

“Spoken like a true cop’s daughter,” he said with an edge, frustrated at his inability to simply walk away from her.

Shrugging off his bad humor, Olivia started to gather the dishes. “So what are we going to do with the rest of the day?”

We?

Drew raised an eyebrow. “Not bored already, are you?”

“Not exactly, but I like to keep busy. I wish I’d brought some needlework with me. I never expected this kind of delay.”

She looked around. “This place could use a good cleaning.”

“Why bother?” As usual, the feminine mind was a mystery.

“I could start on the windows—after the dishes, of course.”

With a smooth move, she shoved a stack of plates, cups and saucers at him. “What’s this?” he asked.

“Dishes. You wash and I’ll dry,” she said.

“Right.” He looked down at the messy collection. He’d never washed a dish in his life!

At his hesitation, Olivia frowned. “That is, unless you’d rather dry?”