The Groom Came C.o.d.

“The future of the ranch and the distillery.” His uncle’s thoughtful gaze rested on Ben.

Relieved at the change in subject, Ben pushed the newspaper aside. “Sure. The orchards are in fine shape; producing healthy fruit right on schedule. What we haven’t raised, we’ve imported. The distillery and its crew are doing great, too. In fact, the last batches of fruit brandies we bottled were perfect.”

His uncle steepled his hands and continued to study Ben. “As is the family reputation, my boy.”

Ben stirred uneasily. The message was clear; he was expected to keep that reputation intact. And he would—that is, if he could with Melinda and her fantasies. “The Howard legacy and reputation are just as dear to me as they are to you, Uncle Joseph.”

“Good. Then we understand each other. Simply put,” his uncle went on, “you might be interested to know I’ve been considering retiring soon. I’d planned on gifting you with the ranch the day you married. The distillery, too, if you wanted to keep it going.” His uncle paused to let the importance of his announcement sink in. “I was just about to give up on you and make other plans when I saw the wedding announcement in this morning’s paper.” He fixed Ben with a telling stare.

Ben tried a smile. He was afraid to ask just what his uncle had intended to do with the properties if Melinda hadn’t put her fantasy wedding into motion. His uncle’s announcement might have come as a surprise, but Ben was in no condition to inquire what alternative his uncle had had in mind. On the other hand, maybe the announcement was a ploy to move Ben in the direction his uncle wanted. Either way, it was sink or swim. “No problem, Uncle Joseph.”

A childless widower, his uncle had helped finance Ben’s education. After graduation from grad school, he’d invited him to return to Ojai to help manage the Howard ranch and fruit orchards. With the vast ranch practically running itself, Ben had suggested and started a new gourmet fruit brandy distillery as a sideline. Both the ranch and the distillery had prospered. So if it wasn’t money his uncle was referring to, maybe it was time to face up to what he owed to the family legacy.

Come hell or high water, he intended to keep that legacy proud and intact. But what he wanted most of all was his uncle’s respect. He didn’t have a choice, Melinda had made up his mind for him. His unexplainable decision to marry her would answer one of his uncle’s concerns—the family’s reputation. Married, the future of its real estate holdings would be taken care of rather than be sold to some stranger.

One thought led to another. After all, he and Melinda had a lot in common. Each of them had bonded with a close relative other than their parents. He didn’t know where Melinda’s folks were, but his had been lost forever on a holiday during an unexpected Caribbean hurricane. Whatever he was was due to his uncle’s devotion. He owed him more than money could repay. It was pay-up time.

As for Melinda…Whatever was the basis for her close relationship with her aunt, it was touching and real. The two appeared to be harmless romantics. At least, they had been until now. To make them the laughing stock of Ojai was out of the question.

Another reason he had to go through with the make-believe marriage.

“And the photograph on the Internet, Benjamin? You won’t forget to take care of that right away?”

Of course, the photograph on the Internet! Ben didn’t intend to give up until he found the culprit. If Melinda wasn’t behind it, someone was. And that someone was going to answer to him.

“Look, Uncle Joseph. I’ve told you that photograph has to be someone’s idea of a joke. I don’t want to sound like a conceited ass, but you know me well enough to know I don’t need to advertise to find a date!”

“True,” his uncle agreed with a faint smile. “You do have quite a reputation where the ladies are concerned. In fact, I’ve known about it for too long a time.” His smile faded. “All the more reason for you to settle down, accept your responsibilities. Starting the distillery is fine, but it’s time to get on with marrying again. Don’t forget, it’s up to you to carry on the Howard name.”

Children! Ben’s blood ran cold. Being tricked into marriage and going along with it for everyone else’s sake was bad enough, but kids? “Sorry, sir. I can’t promise you children, but at least I can provide you with a niece.”

“Good enough, for now.” His uncle winked. “We’ll let nature take its course.”

Ben mustered a feeble grin. If his uncle only knew the truth, that he’d agreed to go through a make-believe wedding, but that was as far as he intended to go. Children were out.

“Anything else on your mind, Uncle Joseph?”

“Not at the moment.” His uncle rose to leave. “I’m sure I’ve left you with enough to think about. Just make sure you’re on time for the wedding, my boy. I’ll see you there.”

Undecided if his uncle’s departing shot was a promise or a threat, Ben shook his uncle’s hand. Now, the next problem was to convince Melinda she wanted to marry him.

“MELINDA, DEAR, are you sure you feel well?”

Melinda tore her gaze from the window that looked out over the park. “Yes, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“You look as if you have something on your mind.” Her aunt gazed lovingly at her. “But then, I suppose all young women do when they’re in love and about to get married.”

Melinda noticed her aunt’s wistful smile. “Have you ever been in love, Aunt Bertie?”

“Yes, years ago, but I’m afraid it was one-sided. When it came down to getting married, it seemed I was the only one in love.”

Melinda threw her arms around her aunt. “I’m so sorry. Whoever the man was, he missed out on getting the best and the most generous woman in the world for a wife. You would have made a wonderful wife and an even more wonderful mother.”

Her aunt returned her hug. “Thank you, dear. But it wasn’t as bad as all that. When you lost your mother as a little girl and came to live with me, I couldn’t have asked for a more loving child than you. I’m afraid this might sound a bit selfish, but I’ve always thought of you as my own daughter.”

“Me, too,” Melinda confided with a kiss on her aunt’s cheek. But instead of being happy, she was filled with guilt.

Before her aunt had interrupted her musings a few moments ago, she’d come to the conclusion the right thing to do was to release Ben from his agreement. She didn’t want an “agreement,” or a life filled with regret. She didn’t want to burn any bridges behind her, either. Not when she still yearned for a real marriage with a man who loved her. And children while there was still time.

“And now your Benjamin will be part of my family, too,” her aunt went on happily as she turned away to right a lopsided veil on a mannequin. “And one day, if the good Lord wills, there will be your children to love.” She glanced back at Melinda. “I must be the luckiest woman in the world.”

Melinda watched her aunt flutter around the room, straightening a box here, a counter display there. If marrying Ben was the answer to keeping the smile on her aunt’s face, she couldn’t broadcast her uncertainty about going through with the wedding. Make-believe or not.

Could she break her aunt’s heart by backing out of the wedding now?

Melinda grabbed a light sweatshirt to cover her blue T-shirt and shorts, changed into running shoes and headed for the park across the street. A lengthy jog was just what she needed to clear her head.

She ran past the bench in front of the white lattice-wood gazebo where she’d spun countless dreams about her own wedding. Considering the disaster she’d managed to create, she should have been smart enough to confine her daydreaming to the park instead of the Internet.

The picturesque park and its story-book setting had always soothed her, but not today. The faint scent of pink climbing Cecile Brunner roses that wound their way through the gazebo’s latticework wasn’t working its magic. The mating calls of resident birds nesting in the trees didn’t help, either. Nor did the small boy “fishing” with a fallen tree twig in the bubbling brook that ran through the park.

She’d managed to hold up well enough, but it was the sound of the boy’s laughter that finally broke down her defenses. Tears came to her eyes.

She’d thought of children as she’d dreamed her wedding fantasy. Three, at the last count. Two little girls and an older brother to watch over them. The boy would have inherited his father’s chiseled good looks and his legendary athletic powers. The girls, his softer image. To ensure the children could live in the daunting millennium and still be able to laugh like the little fisherman, she’d mentally added her Aunt Bertie’s fey charm and her optimistic way of looking at life to the mental picture.

How could such a harmless fantasy have become the first steps on the road to disaster? she wondered as she stepped up her pace.

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t come close to marriage once before. But the “something” that had stopped her from making a final commitment had been the same “something” vibes that had brought her back to the small town of Ojai to check on her aunt.

Instead of finding her aunt despondent over her financial affairs, Melinda had discovered the once-thriving shop had become more than a mere business to Bertie. It hadn’t taken Melinda long to gather that her aunt’s apparent mission was to send countless brides happily into the future without financial hardship.

In retrospect, coming home to Ojai single and alone had been a good thing for both her and her aunt.

“Melinda! Hold up there!”

Ben Howard’s voice was the last voice she wanted to hear. She glanced over her shoulder to see him jogging after her. In casual khaki slacks and white knit shirt, he still resembled the boy she’d silently admired in high school. A little older and more mature, sure, but every bit a man who sent her hormones humming. Her heartbeat, already pounding from the exercise, pounded faster.

She picked up her pace.

She didn’t have a chance. Not when he ran beside her as if he could run forever. She took a deep breath and tried to get her second wind. “What’s up?”

He cleared his throat. “I was driving by and decided to join you.”

“You want to go jogging?” She didn’t believe it for a minute.

“Actually, I stopped by to see if you’ve taken my photograph off the dating Web site.”

She shook her head. “No time,” she puffed. “Can’t seem to get away from the telephone.”