Make-Believe Husband

Tall—a good half foot over six feet—with a shock of raven hair and a full, gray-streaked beard, the man was unforgettable to say the least. Dressed as he was today in camouflage from his Aussie-styled hat to custom-made hiking boots, August blended in beautifully with the woods. Next to him was his wife, Shari. A former model, she stood tall enough to be a perfect physical mate for August.

The truck lurched to a halt at the edge of the clearing where the man and woman worked. August immediately strode over to them, waiting until Gabe killed the engine and stepped out of the vehicle, then thrust out his right hand.

“How was your trip?”

“Great,” Gabe said, trying not to groan with pain from August’s bone-crushing handshake. He ducked to look back in the car.

“Out, ladies. I want you to meet the boss.”

Anna Kate tossed off her safety belt, scrambled across the leather seat and stood on the driver’s side, arms outstretched to Gabe. He assisted her to the ground via an overhead swing that made her squeal and laugh. By the time he set Anna Kate on her feet, all smiles and blush, Jessi had joined them.

Introductions were quick and casual. Since Jessi didn’t wince when August shook her hand, Gabe could only assume the man had a gentler touch where the fairer sex was concerned.

And Jessi, with her peachy skin and auburn hair, was certainly that.

At that moment, Shari joined them. Although tagged as a witch with a capital W by the tabloids and scoop television, she smiled with delight at Anna Kate, who smiled right back and struck up a conversation about her ash blond hair.

Watching how easily Shari related to Anna Kate and then to Jessi, Gabe guessed the woman had gotten a burnap from the media as had so many other celebrities in the past. No doubt jealousy was the motive. She was a beauty—statuesque, shapely, striking.

Most men’s fantasy.

Not his, however. Statuesque equated to too tall; shapely, to too thin; and striking, to too perfect. He preferred women who were shorter and fuller, like Jessi, who was nonetheless petite. As for Shari’s beauty...while he couldn’t deny her classic good looks, he found himself thinking that a light sprinkling of freckles across her nose would do wonders for her face.

Just look what they did for Jessi’s.

“We need to talk privately before you brief us on travel plans and daily routine,” August said.

“Sure.” Gabe followed his boss to his camper trailer. Larger of necessity than the RV Gabe and Jessi would inhabit, it boasted office space furnished to August’s specific needs. There was also a small darkroom for developing any photographs they might take. August, of course, intended to man the camera himself, and when he wanted to be in the shot, Gabe would. Since no one else was going on the search except the two women and Anna Kate, Gabe suspected each of them soon would discover hidden talents of their own.

When they stepped into the trailer, August motioned for Gabe to sit. Gabe chose the tiny couch and settled in, waiting to hear whatever August had to say. He wasn’t worried. So far, he and his boss seemed to be on the same wavelength, and he’d done everything required of him and more when planning this expedition.

“Shari thinks I owe you an apology.”

Gabe arched an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

August nodded and looked away. “She wasn’t very happy with me when she found out I insisted that you and Jessi get married. She told me I should mind my own business.”

“I see.”

“I guess I’m telling you this a little late. Elaina did fax the license Saturday night.”

“So she said.”

“I don’t want us to get started on the wrong foot. Normally, I’m not so...persistent or interfering. I, um, just thought it would be better for all concerned. Privacy will be minimal at times...but that wouldn’t have mattered, would it? You two have been living together for...how long?”

Gabe went blank. “Long enough to know Jessi’s the one for me,” he blurted, adding, “Don’t worry about the wedding. You just expedited the inevitable and probably did us both a big favor. It’s a commitment we might never have gotten around to.”

“I doubt that. Any fool could see that you two are devoted to each other. And if I’d met her earlier, I’d never have demanded a wedding.”

At once, Gabe wondered if now might not be the perfect time to tell August the truth. It seemed that the man might accept it. They could rent another motor home for Jessi and Anna Kate. Everyone would be happy...except, he abruptly realized, himself. Now that he’d gotten used to the idea of sharing a roof with Jessi and her daughter, he wasn’t particularly eager to let go of it. All that was missing was Ryder, who’d complete the picture of a perfect family.

“You just seemed a bit too footloose when we first talked,” August continued. “On the prowl, if you will.”

That’s because I was, Gabe thought.

“And I was worried that...well—” Abruptly, he ended the sentence with a shrug of apology, leaving Gabe to guess at his meaning.

“There’s nothing to worry about now. We’re good and married.” And would stay that way—at least for a while—since Gabe had no intentions of sharing the details of this little tête-à-tête with his new wife.

August nodded and stood, no doubt indicating an end to their talk. Gabe did the same and moved toward the door, where, on impulse, he paused and looked back.

“I probably shouldn’t say this....” Gabe hesitated, suddenly consumed by second thoughts about the wisdom of advising this man, or any other, on his love life. God knows, he was in no position.

“I prefer honesty.”

“I think you worry too much. Your wife seems very nice and very much in love with you.” August said nothing, and Gabe guessed he’d overstepped his bounds. Muttering “I’ll get the women together for our meeting,” Gabe quickly left the trailer.

A glance around the clearing revealed that Jessi, Anna Kate, and Shari were coming out of the trailer that would be the Dillard home for a while. Gabe perused Jessi’s expression, trying to decide how she felt about the place. She looked pleased, he thought, a sure indication that the three-room house on wheels would do. As for Anna Kate, she leapt from the bottom step to the dirt, landing flat-footed, then dashed to the Taylors’ motor home and entered it uninvited.

Clearly flustered, Jessi started after her, but stopped when Gabe waved her away. August might as well get used to having the kid around. Short of tying Anna Kate to a tree, Jessi wouldn’t be able to contain her daughter’s natural curiosity and four-year-old energy without making everyone miserable.

Almost immediately, August came out of the trailer, Anna Kate in his arms. She rubbed his bushy beard and laughed. Gabe could’ve sworn he saw a smile tugging at the corners of the man’s mouth and noted that Shari’s jaw dropped at the sight, leaving him to wonder if the couple knew each other at all. Clearly, Shari hadn’t expected August to like Anna Kate, though it was at her insistence, at least according to Elaina, that she was allowed to come along. Was there a hidden agenda? Life—or marriage—lessons to be learned?

Probably, Gabe decided, and August might not be the only student. These next weeks playing husband to Jessi and daddy to Anna Kate would undoubtedly be a learning experience for him, too—preparation for Ryder. And his impulsive decision to maintain his and Jessi’s deceit would be one he surely rued when all was said and done.

“Everyone ready to be briefed?” Gabe asked to get the attention of his companions.

Immediately, they gravitated in his direction and sat wherever they could—Gabe on the lowered tailgate of his truck, now accessible since the hatchback of the camper top had been raised; Anna Kate on a stump, and Shari and Jessi sharing a fallen log. August chose to lean against a tall pine tree.

“As you probably know, we’re going to cover a lot of ground in the next three to four weeks. August, here, has done his homework the past several months, researching countless north and southwest lost treasure legends. Based on the information he’s gathered, I’ve mapped out our expedition, and I can tell you that we’ve got ten locations to explore in a very short time, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Jessi and Shari exchanged a glance at that point, making Gabe wonder what they’d been talking about since they met. Belatedly, it occurred to him that Shari could have told Jessi that she’d scolded her husband for demanding a wedding. If so, Jessi might have spilled the truth—women were notorious for that in his opinion—a disconcerting possibility he’d somehow have to confirm or disprove without showing his own hand. How else would he know where he stood?

“Do these locations have names?” Jessi asked.

Gabe realized he had better concentrate on the matter at hand instead of worrying about what she might or might not know.

“Actually, most of them are nothing more than dots on a map, if that,” Gabe replied. “And most are in the middle of nowhere, just like this.”

“Will there be any dangerous wildlife to worry about?” Jessi stole a glance at her daughter, almost as if having second—or was it fourth by now?—thoughts.

“I’ll answer that one, Gabe,” August interjected as though reading those thoughts. “There’s always a risk of encountering wildlife, and some of it could be dangerous. Campsites have been carefully selected with safety in mind, however. I wouldn’t risk any of you ladies.”

“Any reason why we’re starting this treasure hunt here in these mountains?” Shari asked, confirming Gabe’s suspicion that she was just along for the ride and knew little about the actual game plan.

“Yes. My most promising lead comes from the journal of a gold miner, one Silas McHenry. His great-grandniece let me reprint passages of it for my book. I have one here I’d like to share.” August took a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket, unfolded it and read:

“ ‘November 13, 1849. John thinks someone is watching us from the mountains, waiting for the right moment to take advantage of our good luck. He won’t even close his eyes at night for fear we’ll be murdered in our beds. I told him that cave we found up on Panther Ridge would make a good hiding place for our treasures.’”

“Treasures?” Shari asked. “Plural?”

“That’s right,” August answered with a nod.

“Odd way to put it,” Jessi murmured.

Her expressive eyes, window to her thoughts, sparkled with speculation and curiosity. Gabe grinned, glad to note that her reservations about this little trip had apparently been forgotten... at least for the moment.

“Not if the men, who were certainly partners, split whatever gold they found each day.” August bent down and picked up a rock, examined it, then gave it a toss into the trees. “Silas McHenry, according to his great-grandniece and only living descendant, was a young journalist from Philadelphia. When he heard about the California gold rush, he decided to try his luck and filled up the pages of several journals in the process. Unfortunately, that luck ran out in these very mountains when whoever was watching him and his partner apparently decided to attack...or that’s the theory. No one knows exactly what happened, of course, but apparently all that was ever found of the two miners were these journals.”

“I can’t believe no one’s tried to find their gold before now,” Shari murmured. “Especially since you reprinted this in your book.”

“Who says they haven’t?” August retorted.

“You mean there’ve been other searches for this cave?”

“Lots, I expect,” August said with a nod. “At least two big ones that were documented, and both ended in disaster.”

Jessi frowned. “Exactly what kind of disaster?”

August hesitated a heartbeat before answering. “The men looking for the treasure never returned from the mountains.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Shari’s eyes were round as cupcakes.

August just shook his head. “Don’t you remember in my book?”

Shari thought for a moment, then her jaw dropped. “Oh, God...the one called The McHenry Curse’?”

“Yes, but there’s nothing to worry about,” August said. “If anything really happened to those other treasure hunters it’s because of bad planning and not any curse. I’ve hired the best guide in the country, and he’s got the situation well in hand.” August nodded to Gabe. “And on that note, I think I’ll turn the floor—er, ground—back over to him.”

Great, Gabe thought, highly aware of the accusing stares of the two women, now focused on him. “Thanks, boss. There are, um, just the four of us—well, five, counting Miss Priss, here.” Gabe managed a grin for Anna Kate, who promptly stuck out her tongue at him and lightened the moment for everyone. “Obviously we’re each going to have to be Jacks-and Jills-of-all-trades. Besides guiding, I’ll be in charge of maintaining supplies, keeping the vehicles fueled, and first aid, plus whatever else needs to be done to keep August free to do his thing. Jessi is in charge of cooking. Shari, I understand you’re going to act as August’s secretary...?” Somehow he couldn’t picture her at a keyboard, typing up her husband’s notes.

“B.A. in Business, UCLA,” she replied, as if on cue. She grinned, clearly enjoying the shock that must be as evident on his face as it was on Jessi’s. “I was discovered—” she drew quotation marks in the air with the first two fingers of both hands “—in a beauty pageant, my last year there.”

“Really?” Jessi murmured.

“Really,” Shari confirmed, adding, “And I’m going to do more than just type August’s notes. I intend to help Jessi around camp.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Jessi hastily interjected.

“Oh, I don’t mind. It’ll be fun-probably because I never get to do much at home. We have a live-in housekeeper.” She shot an accusing glance at her husband, who looked away.

Gabe wondered if they did not always agree on her role in the marriage.

Gabe noted Jessi’s thoughtful expression and wondered if she were thinking what he was thinking—clearly all was not well between Shari and August, exactly as Gabe and Jessi had already decided. But he wasn’t being paid to wonder about his boss’s personal life, just to do his bidding.

“What about me?” Anna Kate piped up just then. “What’s my job?”

“To keep us smiling,” Gabe told her, reaching over to tweak her uptilted nose.

Anna Kate pushed his hand away and pouted. “But I wanna really help.”

“You can be in charge of gathering wood for the campfire,” August told her.

The child’s eyes rounded with delight. “We’re gonna have a campfire?”

“Bingo! If you do your job.”

“Oh, I will. I will.” She hopped off her perch. “I’ll find the biggest, bestest wood ever...starting now!”

“Whoa!” Gabe exclaimed, capturing her by the suspenders. “There’s a rule you have to memorize before you start wandering. A rule everyone has to memorize.” He looked at each of the females in turn, ascertaining that he had their undivided attention. “Never go out of sight of the trailers unless I’m along. Never. We’re going to be camping in some pretty wild country. I don’t want to end up hunting for you instead of the treasure.” He focused his gaze on Anna Kate. “Now raise your left hand—no, honey, the other one—and repeat after me—I will never, ever leave camp without telling someone...”

Anna Kate rocked back on her heels and recited the words, solemn as he’d ever seen her or probably ever would again. “‘I will never, ever leave camp without telling someone...’”

Gabe nodded approval. “And I’ll never go so far that I can’t see the trailers.”

“‘And I’ll never’...‘I’ll never’...I forgot...”

“Go so far that I can’t see the trailers.”

“Go so I can’t see the trailers.”

“That’ll do.” He ruffled her curls, which felt silky soft to his work-roughened hand. “As for daily routine, I really can’t predict that beyond saying three meals a day would be nice, but may not always be necessary as August and I will most likely be away from camp during the day.” He scanned the faces of his audience. “Any questions?” Everyone shook their heads. “Well, that’s it I guess.” He turned to Anna Kate. “Why don’t I go with you to collect wood this first time so you’ll know what kind bums best?”

“I can do it myself.”

“Yeah, well there’s a cliff to the east and I don’t want you falling off it.”

Anna Kate rolled her eyes and sighed. “Okay, Daddy G,” she murmured, holding out her hand to him. Together, they walked into the trees immediately surrounding the clearing, where they began to search the leaf-strewn forest floor for fallen limbs.

“Cute kid,” Shari murmured to Jessi. “Wish I had one.”

“That should be easy enough to arrange,” Jessi teased, glancing at August, who ambled back to his motor home.

“Not as easy as you’d think.” Shari gave her a wan smile. “He thinks he’s too old.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“So I’ve told him. He doesn’t believe me. That’s the reason I pressed him to let your daughter come along, of course. I thought she’d be good for him. I hope you don’t mind the ulterior motive.”

“I’m just glad he agreed.”

There was a moment’s silence, then Shari stood. “Guess we’d better get started unloading those boxes. It’ll be dark soon.”

“I really don’t expect you to help,” Jessi said, standing. “I’m sure you have more important things to do.”

“Like what? Do my nails?” Shari shook her head. “I realize you’re being paid to cook and baby-sit me—” she smiled, clearly picking up on Jessi’s surprise at that blunt interpretation of their situation “—but I was really hoping we could be friends.”

“I’d like that a lot,” Jessi said, and meant it.

“Then let me do what any friend would do—help you. And in return, you can help me.”

“I’m afraid I’m not much of a typist.”

Shari laughed. “Oh, I didn’t mean that. I want to learn to cook something besides scrambled eggs and toast, which is my one and only specialty. Would you teach me?”

“Gladly,” Jessi told her, impulsively adding a hug to seal the bargain. When she released the slender beauty, she discovered that Shari’s eyes brimmed with tears. Dismayed, Jessi blurted, “What’s wrong?”

“Everything, but it’s going to get better. I just know it” She glanced off into the woods, where Gabe and Anna Kate still walked, arms now loaded with logs. “You’re so lucky, Jessi.”

Jessi followed her gaze and noted how very natural Anna Kate and Gabe looked together. She realized with a start that she must indeed seem lucky. Handsome husband. Darling daughter. From all appearances, she had it all.

But appearances could be deceiving, the reason her gut knotted with something very akin to regret. No handsome husband...at least not in the forever sense. She closed her eyes, for just a second letting her mind wander at will. Not surprisingly, visions of Gabe filled her head. She saw the twinkle in his eyes, those dashing dimples, that sexy smile. And there was more to her fantasy, more of him than that—characteristics, in truth, unseen; characteristics that her imagination supplied with shocking ease.

“Jessi?”

Broad bare shoulders and powerful arms. Great pecs. Narrow waist. Nicely rounded hips and muscled thighs. Her arms ached to pull him close. Her fingers itched to explore. She imagined herself in the double bed in their RV, felt the mattress dip as Gabe slipped between cool cotton sheets to stretch out beside her.

Had she ever felt such pure sexual excitement before? Jessi knew she hadn’t. Les, her ex-husband, was a selfish lover. It hadn’t helped that she’d been inexperienced in such matters. She knew the score now, however—knew that she had a right to receive as much pleasure as she gave.

“Oh, Jes-si....”

Gabe, she suspected, would be good in bed. A thoughtful lover who’d make sex the thrill it should be. Too bad she’d never get the chance to see if their reality could live up to her fantasy.

“Earth to Jessi! Please come in.”

With a start, Jessi realized that a laughing Shari was trying to get her attention.

“Oh, gosh, I’m sorry. I was a million miles away.”

“A million miles,” Shari teased. “Or—” she glanced at Gabe—“twenty yards?”

Blushing, flustered, Jessi dared not reply.

“It’s a shame you two didn’t have time for a honeymoon,” the blonde then murmured as if reading her companion’s X-rated thoughts. “There won’t be any privacy in that RV of yours.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Jessi quickly replied. “We don’t need privacy. We’ve been together for, um, years now. The newness has worn off.”

“I don’t believe it.”

Jessi’s heart stopped. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t believe the newness has worn off. Why, the looks that man gives you could melt steel.” She smiled. “And one of these nights in the not-so-distant future, I’m going to invite Anna Kate to a sleepover that will give the two of you the privacy you deserve.”

“Oh please don’t,” Jessi blurted, horrified at the thought of such temptation. “I mean, Anna Kate can be such a handful.”

“We’ll have a great time,” Shari assured her, smiling wickedly when she added, “And so, I’ll bet, will the two of you.”

Chapter Four

It wasn’t easy to put Shari’s prediction out of her head, but Jessi did exactly that for the rest of that Monday by focusing on her new job as cook. She chose to prepare her first meal on the stove inside the spacious RV she would call home for a while, even though there were other cooking choices, namely an open campfire and a portable barbecue rig. Jessi served dinner indoors that night, too, instead of in the camp dining room, which was really just a centrally located tent with netting sides to keep out insects.

Her hearty tomato-and-beef stew was a big hit with everyone, in particular the men, who helped themselves to seconds and then thirds, complimenting her with every bowl. After the meal, the five of them went outside and, since it was a beautiful night, sat around a campfire that resulted from Anna Kate’s meticulous wood gathering.

The child sat as close to Gabe as she could sit while they all relaxed and talked, but he didn’t seem to mind. Jessi herself sat clear across the campfire from the two of them, with August and Shari to her immediate left. She relished the absence of city noises and marveled at how many other sounds—foreign sounds—filled the air around them.

The buzzes, of course, could be credited to insects, Jessi decided, and the chirps to birds that hadn’t turned in for the night. The tree frogs and cicadas she recognized, too, but what was that weird-sounding yowl? A cat of some kind? A wolf?

Suddenly a little spooked—a feeling not alleviated when she realized Gabe actually had a hunting rifle within reach—Jessi wondered if Anna Kate were frightened by the wild sounds. The child was so young and had never been out of the city. At that moment Anna Kate crawled right into Gabe’s lap, a certain indication she might be a little nervous about their wilderness surroundings, too.

“Tell me a real scary story, Daddy G,” she demanded, grabbing a handful of his shirt and pulling him down so that the tip of his nose was barely an inch from hers.

Jessi wanted to laugh. So much for fear in the under-five set.

Gabe considered her request for a moment, his questioning gaze on Jessi, who shook her head slightly to discourage him. “Will you settle for a tall tale instead?” he finally asked, gently disentangling his shirt from Anna Kate’s grip.

The child nodded eagerly.

“Okay.” Gabe sat in silence for another half second, then nodded to himself as if he’d made a mental selection. “Actually,” he began, “the story I’m about to tell you is said to be true. Maybe it is, maybe not. I really don’t know, so we’ll call it a tall tale.”