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“They’ve stuck him back here in the storage room,” Saunders called over his shoulder. There were answering voices and then the door fully opened. Saunders entered, followed by Julian and Bob.
And Nikki.
Carter was unaccountably glad to see her. In spite of their turbulent history, they were friends and he valued that friendship—his only one with a woman.
“You had me worried, there.” Carter clasped Saunders on the shoulder. Everything would be fine now.
“We have to talk to you,” Nikki stated.
Carter nodded. Anything. “Let’s get this ceremony over with and I’ll slip away during the reception.” He pushed Saunders toward the door.
“Now,” Nikki ordered just as Saunders dug in his heels.
In surprise, Carter turned and saw that the others all wore grim expressions.
Clutching papers, Nikki walked toward him.
“Use the podium,” Saunders suggested, dragging one away from the wall.
“Julian—” Nikki nodded to him as she opened folders “—stand by the door.”
“Gotcha.” Julian opened it, and checked both directions before closing the door and leaning against it.
“What’s going on?” Carter demanded. They were starting to alarm him.
“Stock transactions,” Nikki told him.
“Not that again.” Carter felt his anger rise. All morning, they’d pestered him with their takeover theories.
“Look.” Bob, his chief accountant, adjusted his glasses and pointed to several columns of figures. “This is Belden Industries’ stock activity over the past two months compared with this same period last year.”
Carter glanced at the figures. “So? That doesn’t prove anything.” Carter looked at their unsmiling faces. Obviously, he’d have to study those figures at greater length. “Well, there’s certainly nothing there so startling that I’d have to postpone my wedding.”
“These are the buyers and sellers,” Bob continued as if Carter had said nothing.
“Your future father-in-law has bought a sizable chunk.” Nikki pointed to the entries under Karrenbrock Ventures.
Carter looked hard at her. “Again, so? I consider that a vote of confidence.”
Nikki exchanged a glance with Saunders.
“According to the prenuptial agreement, you promise to transfer ten percent of your holdings in Belden Industries to Dee Ann on condition of your marriage,” Saunders said.
He remembered that Saunders and Nikki had howled over that one. “You knew that long ago,” Carter said.
Nikki pointed to Bob’s figures. “Added to the Karrenbrock holdings, that ten percent would entitle them to a seat on the board of directors.”
Carter smiled. “I’m putting the stock in Dee Ann’s name. It’ll still be in the family.”
Nikki’s eyes widened and Carter felt a pang of guilt. Stressing Dee Ann’s new status was too harsh, he supposed, but they were interrupting his wedding, damn it.
Saunders cleared his throat. “It would be considered Dee Ann’s separate property—hers to do with as she pleases.”
“And there’s nothing to stop her from selling her share to her father,” Julian said from his post at the door. “Should he choose to exercise his rights, Karrenbrock would be in a position to seriously weaken Belden Industries.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Carter insisted.
“Or,” Nikki said, “her father could give her his holdings.”
Carter hadn’t considered that. “And I bet that’s exactly what he’s going to do!” he said. “A wedding gift. I’ve been trying to buy back some Belden stock.”
They looked unconvinced.
Carter spread his hands. “Look.” He forced a light laugh. His friends’ grim faces were more appropriate for a funeral than a wedding. “Dee Ann has no interest in business.” He directed his next remarks to Nikki. “She’s not like you.”
Nikki tilted her chin up. “So I’ve been told.”
Meeting her stare, it occurred to Carter that she wasn’t taking his marriage as well as he’d thought.
“Okay. I’ll concede that you all have legitimate concerns.” Relief flickered across their faces. “Let’s go have a wedding and we’ll discuss it later.”
“It’ll be too late then!” Saunders sounded panicked.
Ignoring him, Carter searched the pile of empty dry-cleaning bags and various wrappings on the ancient sofa, located the best man’s boutonniere and removed the plastic. The carnation was still fresh. “Hold this.” He handed the flower to Bob, unpinned his own and thrust it at Nikki. “Pin that on Saunders, would you?”
“But…you can’t still be going through with the wedding after what we’ve discovered?”
“Careful with that,” Carter advised himself as he pinned on the fresh carnation. Saunders should be doing this. Or Nikki.
“There’s something else,” Nikki added with an edge of desperation in her voice.
When Carter heard it, he felt a surge of pride. Their concern for his company went far beyond that of mere employees. They considered it their company, too.
However, he reminded himself abruptly, it wasn’t their company and this nonsense had to stop. “Later.”
“No!” Nikki gripped his arm on one side, Saunders on the other.
“Hey! You’ll wrinkle my jacket.”
“Carter.” Bob opened more folders. “Karrenbrock Ventures owns Lacefield Foods. Two weeks ago, Lacefield bought stock in Belden Industries.”
That caught his attention. “Let me see that.” Carter took the folder from his chief accountant and scanned the information. Sighing, he handed it back. “It isn’t much.”
“Not by itself,” Bob admitted. “But I suspect that more of the companies in these files are subsidiaries of Karrenbrock Ventures.”
“It’s a bad time to be signing away ten percent of your holdings,” Julian said.
Carter studied the faces of his trusted employees and friends. Julian, his executive vice president, the unflappable connoisseur of art and women. Bob, the balding accountant. The always-anxious Saunders, and Nikki…
She held her body stiffly and had a death grip on the files. There was something in her expression that went beyond concern for the welfare of Belden Industries. Carter stared at her the longest, compelled by the intensity of her gaze and the…panic? That didn’t make sense. It was as if she was willing him to postpone his wedding.
A smile of regret pulled at his lips. Our time has come and gone, kid. If they’d been alone, he would have said it aloud.
Addressing the group, he asked, “So, on the basis of one company’s buying an insignificant amount of stock, you want me to call off my wedding?”
Everyone looked at one another. Nikki spoke.
“Just postpone it until we can determine exactly how much stock Karrenbrock controls and through what companies.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
She shook her head. “He’ll make his move on Monday, while you’re on your honeymoon. By the time you figure out what’s happened, it’ll be too late to counter.”
“That’s absurd.” But he could tell the others agreed with her.
“No, it’s perfect,” she persisted. “Who’d suspect it?”
“He’s going to be my father-in-law!” Carter stared at them. Obviously, Nikki had managed to convince everyone to see things her way. “It doesn’t make sense. Why would he do that to me?”
Julian shrugged. “Probably because he can.”
“Karrenbrock is ruthless, but humiliate his daughter’s husband?” Carter shook his head. “Dee Ann would never forgive him.”
“She’s probably in on it,” Nikki retorted.
Carter felt like ripping their papers apart. Instead, he gripped the edge of the podium. “You’re angry because I’m giving her ten percent, aren’t you?”
“You’re still vulnerable, even without giving Dee Ann ten percent,” she replied.
“I did advise against selling stock to finance that oil drilling project,” Bob piped up in an I-told-you-so tone.
“And I relayed your concerns to Carter,” Nikki assured him, “along with my own.”
Bob addressed Carter. “Perhaps she didn’t emphasize—”
Carter glared him back into silence.
“The minister’s coming,” Julian said seconds before Reverend Royer sailed into the room.
“Mr. Belden…and best man?”
“Here!” Saunders stepped forward, holding the battered carnation.
“Saunders!” Nikki hissed.
“Let’s go.” Carter moved forward.
“Carter!” Nikki shrieked.
Everyone froze.
Nikki had gone white, and her freckles stood out like the cinnamon on Carter’s morning cappuccino. She hadn’t accepted that he was marrying Dee Ann. His heart twisted for her.
“Could we have a few more minutes?” he asked the minister.
“Young man.” Reverend Royer inhaled deeply. “Miss Karrenbrock is waiting in the vestibule with her bridesmaids. The organist has repeated “Sheep May Safely Graze” no less than five times. Miss Hicks is bemoaning a melting ice sculpture and the candles are beginning to drip. May I suggest you conduct your business at a later time?”
Carter gritted his teeth. “Why don’t you start without me, then?” He heard a strangled sound from Nikki’s direction and didn’t dare look at her.
“I’ll be praying for you in the antechamber.” Reverend Royer piously withdrew.
“Now look what you’ve done!” Carter rounded on Nikki. “I’ve insulted a man of God!”
“Nikki,” Saunders began, “just tell—”
She held up her hand. “If—if you’re determined to go through with this marriage—”
“I am.”
“Then I’d like to propose a toast,” she announced. Julian handed her a bottle of champagne. The cork had already been popped.
“You have all lost your minds,” Carter said in amazement.
Saunders solemnly produced paper cups and handed him one.
“You can’t seriously think I’d greet my bride with alcohol on my breath!” No one met his eyes. “It’s not even a good vintage.”
“Well, she didn’t want to ruin—ow!” Julian broke off.
“Sorry.” Nikki, the bottle shaking slightly, poured a little champagne into each cup. When she reached Carter, she filled his to the brim.
“So is this your new plan?” He tapped the cup. “Get me drunk and I won’t go through with the wedding?”
Everyone stared at his own cup.
They were so transparent, Carter thought. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Gazing at them defiantly, Carter held his cup aloft. “To Dee Ann Karrenbrock, may she prove you all wrong.” He drained his cup in a single gulp. The domestic champagne tasted even worse than he’d expected. It wasn’t like Julian to select something so inferior.
Didn’t Julian, one of his best friends, think Carter’s bride was worth a toast with the finest champagne?
Lowering the cup, Carter was immediately aware that no one had drunk with him. His face heated with anger at the insult.
His eyes narrowed. “Aren’t you going to propose a toast to my happiness, N-Nikki?” His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Nasty vile stuff. He thrust out his cup, anyway.
Nikki clutched the bottle so tightly, her knuckles were white.
“More,” he commanded.
Nikki filled his cup.
