The Groom Came C.o.d.

“By the way, Ms. Bertie, a moment ago you said you expected me to come back. How did you know I would change my mind?”

She answered his question with a question of her own. “You have come back, haven’t you?”

Ben took a deep swallow of coffee and studied his companion. Did the little park have some magical power that had worked on him? Had it been Bertie herself who had willed him back? He shook his head to clear it. No matter what she might believe about fate and destiny, he for one was living in a real world. He tried again.

“I have to tell you that when I found myself in the park across the street, the strangest feeling came over me, Ms. Bertie. Before I knew it, I found myself back at your door.” He shook his head in wonder. “I had the strongest feeling someone was sending me a message.”

She beamed at him as if he’d passed some kind of test. “I’m so pleased you feel this way. You see, when Melinda asked you to go along with the wedding, it was more than a matter of pride.” She slid the plate of cookies closer to him. “Here, have another cookie.”

“Thanks.” Years of Bertie’s famous cookies had turned him into a cookie addict. “Too bad you aren’t running a bakery instead of a bridal shop, Ms. Bertie.” He wouldn’t have been in such a mess. Bertie might be oblivious to the implications of Melinda’s wedding announcement, but it was his life they were talking about. “Go ahead.”

“The bridal shop is on the verge of bankruptcy,” Bertie began slowly, but he could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. Obviously, even guardian angels had human feelings. The knowledge that he might be adding to her unhappiness made him feel worse than ever.

“Melinda doesn’t think I know the financial status of the shop, but I do,” Bertie went on. “I couldn’t let on that I knew the truth. Not when she left a good position in San Francisco to come back to help me. Why,” she added proudly, “she’s even added a bridal referral service to make ends meet. It has been useful, but I’m afraid there aren’t enough interested brides in Ojai. Young women today aren’t interested in tradition. They go to a bigger city to shop.”

Ben stirred uncomfortably. “I’m truly sorry to hear that, Ms. Bertie. I remember my sisters telling me how helpful you were with their weddings.”

“Thank you, Benjamin, it’s kind of you to say so. The fact is that because of the state of my finances, Melinda is afraid any unusual or adverse publicity would hurt the little business I do have left. So you see, by asking you to go along with her, she was only trying to protect me.”

Now Ben really felt like a worm. If only Melinda’s make-believe wedding hadn’t involved him, he might even have thought the caper was amusing. Now, after hearing Bertie’s story, the picture was changing. The problem was more than Melinda’s pride—Bertie’s future was at stake. Damn!

As if sensing his mixed emotions, Bertie leaned over and patted his hand. “It’s not your fault Melinda’s fantasy went awry, dear boy. I believe that there’s another reason that prompted her to set her fantasy in motion.” Her blue eyes lightened as she gazed fondly at him. “I believe this is a moment to give you both a second chance to fulfill your destinies. Fate brought you two together.”

Ben felt shivers run up and down his spine. He was in between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t want to remarry, not yet. And certainly not after his earlier marriage had been such a sorry experience. There was also his uncle Joseph who was after him to marry and start a family. And women at the country club who seemed to be set on being his wife.

Maybe a make-believe marriage to Melinda Carey could be the answer.

Then, too, from what he understood, there was Bertie. She could lose everything she’d spent a lifetime working for.

He struggled for an answer, but one thing was clear. It was beginning to look as if he might be damned if he went through with the wedding and damned if he didn’t.

“Aunt Bertie! Ben! What’s going on?” Ben jumped to his feet as Melinda rushed into the room. Bertie calmly motioned him back to his seat. “I was just explaining the situation to Benjamin, dear.”

Melinda was horrified. To her, “situation” could mean only one thing. “Aunt Bertie, please tell me you didn’t!”

Her aunt’s guilty look was all the answer Melinda needed. She turned her gaze on the noncommittal look on Ben’s face. Her aunt not only knew the truth about her financial affairs, it looked as if she’d shared the information with him!

“What are you doing back here, Ben Howard? I’ve already agreed I would call Martha Ebbetts and retract my announcement, haven’t I? What more do you want?”

“Yes, well…” He seemed to struggle for an answer, but whatever he wanted to say wasn’t coming easily. “I was just about to say that maybe I was too hasty before. In fact, I’ve been thinking of changing my mind.”

Melinda stiffened her back. If this was a marriage proposal, she’d never heard a more reluctant one. “I can just imagine what my aunt told you. Well, let me set you straight. I don’t need your pity. My aunt and I have managed to get along until now, and we’ll get through this, too.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Ben rejoined. He eyed her in a way that made her hormones snap to attention. “But before I commit myself, I have a few thoughts of my own about this marriage you’ve dreamed up. Maybe we can settle it to our mutual satisfaction.”

Mutual satisfaction? The only way she would be satisfied was if Ben Howard took himself out of her sight before she died of embarrassment. “I’ve just told you it’s not necessary.”

“Maybe so, but I think you at least owe me the chance to discuss it.”

Bertie rose. “Why don’t you and Benjamin talk things over quietly, dear. I have an errand or two to take care of.” She waved goodbye and glided out of the kitchen.

Ben eyed Melinda warily. He was determined to find a way to at least discuss his crazy ideas with her—for both their sakes. Too bad she didn’t look as if she were the compromising type.

He plunged in before she could start up again. “I wanted to explain why the wedding announcement riled me. Okay?” She nodded reluctantly. “The truth is I was married once—in college.”

Melinda held up her hand to stop him. “I’ve heard all about it. What does it have to do with me?”

“Only that the marriage lasted long enough for Annie and me to realize we were too young to know what we really wanted. When I told her I wanted to go on to grad school and study law, she announced she wasn’t willing to wait that long to have a life. The divorce came though the day we graduated.” He shrugged. “You might say it was a graduation present.”

“I still don’t see what this has to do with me.”

“I was just trying to explain why I reacted the way I did after I read the newspaper this morning.” He grinned sheepishly. “I guess you could say I’m allergic to marriage.”

“Great!” Melinda grimaced. Another allergic bridegroom! “All the more reason to forget this whole thing.”

Ben bit his lower lip. Hell, she was the one who started the mess, why was she so upset? Forget it? Fat chance. “I’m trying to tell you there’s a good reason why a temporary marriage between us might be a good idea.”

“A good idea?” If Ben had said Mars was hurtling its way toward Earth and would arrive in Ojai tomorrow, she wouldn’t have been more surprised. “Are you trying to tell me you want to get married now?”

“Yes, no…that is, maybe.” Ben gazed thoughtfully at his prospective bride. If he’d been looking for another wife, Melinda would certainly fit the bill. She was honest and loyal. She wasn’t greedy, either, or she would have jumped at the chance to be the wife of one of Ojai’s first families.

Luckily, there was more to admire in Melinda than her character. Her silky legs turned him on. Her womanly curves were pleasing. And so were her expressive green eyes and tossed blond hair.

She wore beige linen slacks and a matching silk blouse, pearls around her throat and at her ears. Definitely a class act. But the shorts and the sleeveless white shirt that left her midriff bare and the lush line of breasts exposed earlier had been a lot more interesting. If she’d been as attractive in high school as she was now, how could he have managed not to notice her?

If he put the facts together and threw caution to the wind, marrying Melinda could make sense. All he had to do was control his testosterone and remember he was planning on a marriage of convenience followed by a quiet annulment.

“If you don’t mind,” he began again, “I’d like to tell you something. It’s not easy for me to say, but I shouldn’t have lost my temper.”

Seemingly speechless, Melinda continued to stare at him. He didn’t blame her. He didn’t recognize himself in all of this, either. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to apologize for the things I said earlier.”

Melinda nodded. Reluctantly, but he was relieved to see he had her grudging attention.

“So…maybe we ought to think about this marriage business.”

Melinda looked at him warily. “Wait a minute! Let me understand this. You’re suggesting we actually go through with a wedding ceremony?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“I can’t believe this!” She let loose. “Either you do or you don’t. First you blow your stack and then you come back here to tell me that you’ve changed your mind. Let’s get this straight—do you want to get married or don’t you?”

“Sort of,” he murmured, caught between a rock and a hard place. “Something changed my mind and brought me back here. I’m just not sure what it was.”

How could he tell her what had turned him back when he hadn’t had a logical answer to account for it?

He tried to concentrate on the happy smile on Bertie’s face. And the way she’d waved at him before she disappeared through the kitchen door. A blessing?

All the more reason he had to go on record about the conditions of the forthcoming wedding—provided they ultimately decided to go through with it.