An Act of Love

Brant got up and walked over to the sink. “Yeah. I have a few things to take care of and then I’ll come up.” Brant had dreaded the day when he’d have to give in to his father’s wishes and take over the responsibilities at the ranch. If only he could delay the inevitable. He excused himself and headed to the vestibule.

Brant had every intention of meeting Marley again this morning, and this time it wouldn’t be by accident. After opening his door, he picked up his tablet and a book, the former to read and the latter to keep the door ajar so he wouldn’t miss her. Then he sat in his foyer, facing the door.

“What are you doing?”

“Waiting to see my neighbor.”

Elaina laughed. “Why not ring her doorbell?”

“It’s awkward. We got engaged last night and—”

“You what?”

Brant held up his hand when he heard Marley’s door open and placed his finger against his lips. He stood, tossed the tablet onto the chair, pulled open his door, and kicked the chair with the tablet aside before entering the hall.

“Well, what have we got here?” In a Texas twang, another accent he’d perfected for the detective book he had to read for his next gig, Brant added, “My lovely fiancée. Aren’t you just the morning sunshine.”

That elicited a dirty look from Marley. Maybe he was being too obnoxious. “Sleep well?” She didn’t answer as he walked her to the elevator.

Reverting to his normal voice, he asked, “Care to join me for that cup of coffee?”

“No, thank you.” Finally a response. “I’m meeting someone.”

“It better not be a male acquaintance. I can be ferocious if another man shows my fiancée any attention.”

“I’m meeting my friend Dede to pick out a ring for my false engagement.”

“Well, then I have to come, too. How else would you know what I’d choose for you?”

As they got off the elevator, he put on his straw cowboy hat, hoping it would offer some concealment. He still hadn’t shaved, and his beard was starting to itch, but it did help hide his face.

For what felt like the hundredth time, he wished his face wasn’t plastered all over Phoenix.

* * *

SHE’D SPOTTED HER before the door closed. A woman in Brant’s condo. Brant the player, with beautiful women at his beck and call. No matter how much Marley tried to focus on something else, she couldn’t. An attractive woman had closed Brant’s door, and it wasn’t the maid. Marley had glimpsed chiffon and glitter, dressy for a Saturday morning.

What did she care? As a bachelor, Brant could have a dozen girlfriends. Since his return from Australia, Marley had noticed him with at least two.

Brant stayed right next to her every step of the way to meet Dede. Still unshaven, he wore another chambray shirt, this one with long sleeves rolled up to the elbow. The shirt had its breast pocket ripped off, the stitching visible around the square of unfaded blue. The jeans must have been new, though, since they didn’t have any observable holes. Marley herself was dressed in black pants and a white shirt for comfort on the plane.

Any thought of losing Brant disappeared when they reached the restaurant where she and Dede planned to meet.

“Hi, there,” Dede said to Brant. “I’m Dede Sanchez and you must be Marley’s fiancé.”

Brant stuck out his hand. “That I am. Glad to meet you, Dede. Shall we get some coffee before buying the ring?” He put his hand on Marley’s shoulder, aiming her toward the entrance of the restaurant.

She stopped. “We don’t have the time. Need to get that ring before I catch my plane.”

Brant pointed down the street. “There’s a great pawnshop a block from here with a large selection. I know the owner, and I’m sure he’ll give us a deal.”

Why did he include himself in everything as though they really had a relationship? Annoyed, Marley said, “I’m buying the ring, Brant. This engagement is fake, remember?”

“Precisely, love.” Again with that British accent. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Once inside the store, Brant shook hands with a man who was clearly the owner. “Gee,” the guy said, “I haven’t seen you since two seconds ago when you sailed down the street on that bus.” Amused at his own joke, he turned to Marley and Dede. “Going to introduce us?”

Brant placed an arm around each of them. “Gus, this is Dede and my fiancée, Marley.”

Marley shuddered. How can he do that, tell someone he obviously knows well that we’re engaged?

“We’re looking for rings. Have you got anything suitable?”

“Inexpensive,” Marley interjected.

“Isn’t she wonderful?” Brant removed his arm from Dede but continued to hold Marley. “Won’t let me spend a dime on her.”

“Over here.”

Marley managed to slip from Brant’s grasp as they followed Gus to a display case with jewelry. Brant leaned over and pointed to an elaborate ring. “What about that one?”

“Excellent taste.” Gus reached under the glass, took out the ring and placed it in Brant’s hand.

Brant eyed the tiny tag that dangled from the ring and his eyebrows went up before he reached for Marley’s hand. “Try it on for size, love.”

Marley grabbed the ring and put it on herself. It fit. And it was gorgeous. Something any potential bride would want. White gold, with a large diamond surrounded by several smaller ones. And a price of over five thousand dollars! Marley managed to pull it off and place it on the counter before it scalded her finger. “I want a ring as fake as our engagement.”

With a sigh, Brant turned to Dede. “You talk to her. I can’t deal with this constant change of heart. The engagement’s on—the engagement’s off.” He motioned to Gus. “I’ll let her decide what she wants. You have any new instruments to show me?”

Gus directed another salesclerk over to help Marley while he and Brant headed to where various musical instruments hung on the wall.

In a rush, Marley settled for a similar ring costing less than fifty dollars and was out of the store before Brant had a chance to involve himself again. Left with barely enough time to catch her plane, she shouted a thank-you to Dede and raced home.

Quickly, Marley slipped into sandals that would be easy to take off at airport security. Thank goodness she’d had the foresight to pack the night before.

How was she going to manage transporting everything? She left the guitar and pushed the two pieces of luggage into the hall, planning to return for it once she parked her gear at the front entrance. She was locking her door when Brant stepped off the elevator.

“Let me help you.”

“I can handle it,” she said as he reached for one of her suitcases.

“Darlin’.” He took off his battered cowboy hat and placed it against his chest. “I know you can, but my ancestors would rise from their graves if I permitted my fiancée to do any manual labor.”

While putting his hat back on, he placed his hand over hers, trapping her fingers around the handle. “I’m catching a plane, Brant. Let go of my hand.”

“Just protecting that gorgeous ring I gave you. So, may I help you with your luggage?”

Again Brant interfered with her thought process, jumbling her concentration. She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. Realizing he wasn’t about to let her alone, she yanked her hand free and said, “Take it.”

He grabbed her two bags and rolled them to the elevator, leaving her with a small carry-on and an extra-large purse. Afraid he might run off with her belongings, she decided to stay glued to him every step of the way.

“Why so much luggage? Dede said you were going for a week. I didn’t have this much when I spent three months in Australia.” Probably because he wore the same rags Marley saw him in every day.

The doors opened and he greeted a man leaving the elevator and finagled the luggage inside. “You got a dead body in here? This weighs a ton. Want me to come to the airport? I could fly out with you to...Where we going?”

Totally frustrated, Marley pressed her hand against her aching forehead. At some point, all the tension had turned into a headache. She said authoritatively, “I am flying—alone—to Pennsylvania.”

Brant leaned against the wall, studying her. “I see pain in those beautiful brown eyes. Headache?”

She nodded but didn’t go into detail.

When the elevator stopped on the fifth floor, he moved to give the woman entering some space. “You’re breaking my heart. You know that, right? How can I exist a whole week by myself?” He smiled at the newcomer and waved offhandedly at Marley. “We’re newly engaged, and she’s taking off without me. After I gave her that gorgeous ring.”

Marley compressed her lips and tried her best to ignore Brant. She would not talk to him. She would not acknowledge his remarks. The elevator stopped at the fourth floor and the woman got out. The doors were closing when he raised his voice and said, “She’ll probably hock it as soon as she gets to Transylvania.”

Marley finally shook her head and turned to stare at him directly. “You’re a real nutcase,” she said before the door opened on the first floor.

“So when are we going on a date? Engaged for twelve hours, and we haven’t even shared chopsticks.” The door started to close, and Brant pushed one of the suitcases forward to stop it. He rolled the other bag into the lobby, pushed both out the front door and down the ramp into the parking area.

“Where are you going with those?” Was he about to make off with her luggage? Marley gripped her purse and carry-on even tighter as she started after him. “I have a taxi coming.”

“I’ll drive you. I’ve got my truck parked right here.”

“Stop.” She grabbed one of his arms, accidentally whacking his chest with her purse. “I mean it, Brant.” She backed away to put some distance between them. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you.”

He leaned against the white truck, hooked one scuffed boot over the other and folded his arms across his chest. “May I have a serious word with you?”

“Are you capable of being serious?”

He stared her down. If she missed her plane...

“What do you want to say?”

“I’m between gigs right now.” He paused. “No work for maybe a couple of weeks.”

Defeated, she let out a sigh. Given the panhandler outfits he wore, he had to be broke. Probably hadn’t had work since they’d first met and wouldn’t get more till that convention, which was still weeks away. She wasn’t about to start lending him money. But...if he was desperate. “How much do you need? I don’t have a lot with me but...”

Brant frowned, lines puckering his forehead. “I don’t need money. Let me finish what I have to say, okay? I have work coming up later this month, and I’d like to get away from my picture posted on every free space in Phoenix while I wait for the assignment.” He looked away. “And I have personal reasons to disappear for a while.”

He put his index finger to his lips when she tried to interject a comment.

After another pause he said, “You need a fiancé, and it could be fun to act the part. My upcoming job is in New York, so if I stop off in Pennsylvania, I’ll be more than halfway there.”

Marley’s heart raced. No way could she ever have him show up in front of all her relatives and embarrass her. She held her breath and hoped the panic she felt wasn’t visible. “My turn?”

He tossed a hand in the air.

“I don’t want to hurt your feelings, Brant.” He straightened slightly. “But you’re not the type of person I want to present to my family as my fiancé.”

He edged away from the truck, and she backed off so he couldn’t get too close. Since last night when they’d become “engaged,” he had begun to take up too much of her space. And that casual touching of his when he got near her played havoc with her sense of well-being.

“As an actor, I can make myself into anything you want. A Texas billionaire?” he twanged. “How about an English count related to the royal family?” he asked, switching to a British inflection.

The accents rankled. Unable to think rationally, she attacked an obvious fact to distract him from the truth: that his very presence had begun to mess with her comfort level.

“You don’t have the wardrobe to carry it off. I doubt either the billionaire or the member of the royal family shops for clothes at the local Goodwill.” When he looked as though he might continue to argue, she said, “My taxi’s here,” and motioned to the yellow cab pulling to the curb nearby.

Brant shook his head, rolled the luggage to the cab and put the bags in the trunk once the cabbie had flipped the lid. When Brant opened the cab door for her, he said, “It’d be fun, and you’d be saving me from a week of boredom.”

“No way, mister.” She got into the cab, grabbed the door handle and shut the door. The last thing she wanted to do was provide him with entertainment.

“I have other clothes,” he shouted as the cab took off.

It was only when Marley was on board her plane for Pittsburgh that she realized she’d forgotten her guitar.

The one thing she could rely on to get her through this pending wedding.

CHAPTER THREE

MARLEY SAT BACK AND WATCHED the young women, relatives and friends, gathered for Lindy’s shower on Sunday. She had intended to remain nonchalant and not mention her engagement. And she managed it, right up until Chloe, the sister closest to Marley in age, noticed her ring.

“You’re engaged!” Chloe grabbed Marley’s hand and nearly pulled her arm out of the socket.

Questions flew at her from her other sisters. “What does he look like?” from Jen. “How long have you known him?” asked Morgan. “When do you plan to get married?” squealed Franny. “How come you never said anything before?” The last from Lindy, who looked very upset. Marley managed to answer questions by showing Brant’s picture on her cell phone. Her well-rehearsed lies seemed to satisfy everyone and eventually, when the spotlight returned to Lindy, Marley thought she could finally relax.

No such luck. Lindy took her hand and examined it. “Your nails are so...so stubby.” She looked up. “People will notice it, Marley, when they look at the ring.”

Marley glanced down at her left hand. Had Brant noticed her fingers when he’d held her hand a few nights ago? “I play the guitar, remember? I can’t have nails touching the strings.” Her hands never matched, the right one having longer nails because she used them as picks.

“Well, you’ll need to do something about them for my wedding. Maybe some fake nails.”

Once Lindy finished with the examination, her focus turned to the ring. “He must be very rich.”

The large cubic zirconia that served as Marley’s engagement ring overshadowed the half karat wrapped in a Tiffany setting on Lindy’s hand. Marley cringed from the comparison and slowly pulled her hand out of her sister’s grasp. If only she could soothe Lindy’s pride and tell her the obnoxious stone had no value compared with her genuine diamond.

Why had she created this bogus engagement? Why? She never meant to hurt Lindy. Marley tried to remain inconspicuous and concentrated on crafting a bouquet of all the ribbons from the gifts for the wedding rehearsal.

With Chloe’s help Marley took the many presents from the bridal shower and placed them in her rental car. Keeping the gifts dry had turned into a nightmare, thanks to the unending rain. It would have been welcomed back in Arizona, but since she had arrived in Pennsylvania the previous day, it had become nonstop depressing.

“Why have you been so secretive?” Chloe asked. She added another group of packages to the collection. “When did he ask you to marry him?” Chloe’s short blond hair had lost its stylishness and now hung limply because of all the rain, whereas Marley’s hair had begun to curl, a problem she always had in high humidity. Marley pulled her sister under the protection of her umbrella.

“It just happened.” Marley really wanted to avoid the subject, fearful she might not be able to keep her false story straight.

“Well, I expect a great deal more explanation.” Chloe dragged Marley into the open garage. “We talk, email, text nearly every day, and Brant’s name never came up.”

Marley crossed her fingers. “I don’t have secrets, honest.” She hoped this would end the discussion.

“Well, I do.” A warm glow brightened Chloe’s features. “I’m pregnant.” She clutched Marley’s arm. “Now, don’t go saying anything. We want to be sure before...” Chloe paused and a shadow crossed her face. Two years ago, into her second month, Chloe had lost her baby. Marley empathized, remembering the struggle her sister had gone through.

“A baby! That’s so exciting.” Marley drew her into a hug. “Does Al know?” A small part of Marley wished she was the one having a child. No chance of that when she’d had to create a fiancé and her biological clock was running out.

“Of course. I don’t show, yet, and Lindy will absolutely kill me if I can’t fit into that form fitting bridesmaid dress.” She paused. “But we haven’t mentioned it to Michelle. She’s been dying for a sister, so once I start to show, we’ll tell her.”

“When’s the baby due?”

“In seven months.” Chloe pressed her lips together. “And I have a favor to ask.”

“Sure, what?”

“Could you watch Michelle?” When Marley hesitated, Chloe added, “Not all the time. Just on those days I have morning sickness. Which has been a freaky misnomer this pregnancy. I spend more time with nausea at night. We end up exhausted, and Michelle tires us out even more during the day.”

“Of course. I’d love to.”

“Wonderful.” Chloe gave Marley a quick kiss on her cheek. “Michelle adores you. I’ll bring her over tomorrow and tell everyone...tell them you want a chance to...I don’t know, see what it’s like to have kids. Since you’re getting married and you want the practice.”

Great. Another lie. Only this one had some truth. She really would love to have children.

* * *

AFTER SEVERAL TRIPS carrying the shower presents through the living room of her family’s house, Marley met her grandfather. “You haven’t even given a decent hello to your poppy. When you plan on doing that?”

Marley smiled. “Soon as I get these gifts upstairs. Want to join me?”

“Can I help?” he asked, following her.

“Thanks, but this is the last of it and this one’s lightweight.”

Once she deposited the package on the stacks collected in the large playroom, she turned to her grandfather and threw open her arms. She welcomed his strong squeeze.

Although his thin white hair gave away his age, he still had the trim shape and posture of a much younger man. She grasped Poppy’s arm. “Come with me to my room.”

When they reached her old bedroom, Poppy glanced around. “Looks like this has turned into a storage area.” He pointed toward a collection of dressers piled on top of each other. Several other pieces of furniture, including her old desk and chair, stood stuffed in a corner. “And I don’t see your grandmother’s favorite rocker.”

“It’s my favorite now. I took that and the antique treasure chest to my place in Phoenix.” She paused. “And you know that because you helped me get them into my car.”

Poppy chuckled. “Sure wish you’d had room for some of this other stuff. But at least you left me some place to sit.” Poppy lowered himself into a wooden rocker, and Marley sat on the patchwork quilt that covered the double bed. He started rocking slowly.

“Honestly, when you and your sisters get together, it turns into a regular hen party, and us old roosters never get to see you.”

“What do you mean? I’ve been here for every wedding, baptism and special birthday.”

“It’s not enough. I’d rather have you close by so you could play the guitar for me.” He lifted a gnarled hand. “Since Mr. Arthur Ritus took over my hands, and you moved away, I gave the guitar to one of the great-grandkids. Don’t know as I’ll ever hear it again.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t bring mine. Too much luggage this time. I’d love to play a few songs for you.” She felt really down, not being able to give him that tiny pleasure. Darn Brant.

Poppy rocked several times, staring past her. “You’re not upset with me, are you?”

Leaning toward him, she asked, “Why would you say that?”

“You wanted to major in music, and I...I should have kept my mouth shut.” He looked away and pressed his lips together.

“Poppy. You didn’t steer me wrong. I asked for your opinion because I knew you’d give me good advice. I love mathematics, and it’s led to several excellent jobs.”

“You still teach math?”

“No longer in the high school. But I work as an adjunct, a part-time teacher, at a local community college in the evening.”

“Pay well?”

Marley chuckled. “No. I make my real money as an accountant. See, another reason math was a good choice. And I never gave up on my music. Play every day and often with some bright young men who live in my building. They’re forming a band.” Marley fluttered her fingers in front of him. “Lindy says I need to do something about my nails. Can you imagine me strumming away with false nails?”

Poppy shook his head and grew thoughtful. “So I hear you’re next in line...” Good, the rumor mill was already working. “...if your mother doesn’t beat you to it.” He chortled. “You going to show me that ring?”

Marley hesitated. If her mother didn’t beat her to it? Was her mother seeing someone? Maybe so. Marley hadn’t seen much of her since she arrived.

Marley kneeled in front of him, lifting her hand so that he could grasp it.

He nodded several times before releasing her hand. As she stood, he said, “Sure hope you found someone stable.”

Marley was momentarily unable to speak. She hated deceiving her grandfather. He had always been forthcoming and honest with her. Finally, she said, “I certainly hope so.”

“What’s he do? Heard he had a horse ranch. Those things cost a pretty penny. Sounds like you’ve found yourself someone with money.” Visions of Brant in his threadbare clothing momentarily clouded her thoughts. But then he did have a unit in her high-rise condo building, and those didn’t come cheap. Hers had cost every last penny of the inheritance from her grandmother.

“He manages.”

“Well, you bring him around here so I can check him out. I can tell if he’s a prowling alley cat.”

* * *

MICHELLE ARRIVED MONDAY before lunch, and after a busy day Marley and Michelle went to bed early. Sleep was a sometime thing with a four-year-old kicking and squirming through the night in Marley’s double bed. A crack-of-dawn riser, Michelle was already up, poking and pulling Marley’s hair to get her attention.

Marley dragged herself to a seated position, barely able to open her eyes. Since Chloe had dropped Michelle off the day before, Marley had spent every hour with the girl, playing games, puzzles, hopscotch and anything else she could think of. Again she cursed herself for forgetting her guitar. If Brant hadn’t distracted her...Marley playing the guitar had always worked at occupying her sisters’ attention.

“Let’s play hide-n-seek,” Michelle said and bounded for the bedroom door.

Didn’t Michelle ever tire? Marley wondered. “Wait. Wait till I’m up,” she told her niece. “Go down and see Granny and get breakfast. We’ll play when you come back.”

When Michelle took off, clunking down the stairs to the kitchen, Marley flopped back on the bed. At least she’d have a few minutes of undisturbed sleep...

She awoke to someone screaming in the hallway.

“I could kill you!” Lindy yelled.

When Marley made it to the hall, she found Lindy staring at Michelle, who was sitting crying on the floor in the spare bedroom. The room Lindy had her wedding dress in. A room that was usually locked.

Lindy turned on her in fury. “Aren’t you supposed to be watching her? She just ruined my wedding dress!” A bright red blotch ran down the back of the gown where the plastic covering had been ripped away. An empty pink child’s cup decorated with princesses lay on the floor.

Marley rushed in and picked up the child.