An Arranged Marriage

In that moment she glimpsed his utter determination to marry her, by whatever means. He wasn’t touching her, he didn’t even try, but she felt his possession as surely as if he’d swept her into his arms.

Some bit of self-preservation—and selfishness—prompted her to tell him, “This isn’t the marriage I’d hoped to have.”

“It’s the one I want.”

The simple statement should have made her angry. After all, it was a blunt reminder of their inequality—of the fact that they weren’t equals, that he had all the money and all the choices. And that she had none.

But Allison sensed another meaning behind the words. A man from Blue’s background, who didn’t believe in love, might not want to get a wife any other way. And, she realized, a man with social limitations might not know how.

The perception kept her from taking offense.

“Do you have a date in mind for the wedding?”

The date he named was only a bit more than a month away. Allison couldn’t help the panic she felt.

“Th-then you prefer we see a justice of the peace?”

Blue shook his head. “I want it big, in your church, with your preacher, and grand enough that it makes the big city papers. If your uncle can’t spring for everything, send the bills to me.”

Allison couldn’t conceal her reluctance to have the huge, very public wedding he wanted. “A wedding like that could cost a lot of money.”

“How much?” His bluntness continued to take her aback.

“Why, a wedding such as the one you describe could cost upwards of twenty thousand dollars.”

“I’m good for it.”

She glanced away, not able to withstand the directness of his gaze. Or the embarrassment she felt at his offer to pay for an expensive wedding. She determined then that if it took every penny of her trust fund, she’d pay for her own wedding.

“That won’t be necessary, Mr. S—”

“Blue.” The soft drawl carried a faint demand that brought her gaze back to his. “A wife oughtta call her husband by his first name.”

“Then you really want to go through with this.” It was a statement she made so she couldn’t possibly mistake things—or keep a reserve of hope.

That seemed to be the signal for him to stand. He straightened to his full height and swung his chair out of the way. With his blue gaze fixed purposely on hers, he stepped nearer and reached for her hand to pull her to her feet.

Flustered and excited by the strong, yet gentle grip of his callused fingers around hers, she couldn’t break contact with the fiery gleam in his gaze.

“Just so there’s no mistake about what I want. And to help you remember there’s no point in calling me Mr. Sumner…”

He caught her against him, lifting her slightly off the floor as his lips descended to hers. The kiss was only marginally gentle. Shock jolted her, and the involuntary gasp of air she took gave him the sudden access he needed to deepen the kiss. The blatant carnality of his mouth stole her breath and made her head spin.

The feel of his hard body was a new shock, and though she wasn’t vastly experienced with men, even she knew he was aroused. His heat enveloped her while the forceful, yet expert invasion of her mouth turned her insides to a hot pulsing mass.

When he finally broke off the kiss, she was incapable of standing. She was only dazedly aware that she was clinging to him, and that even when his arms loosened around her, she was plastered against him.

“I reckon sex won’t be something we have to put off till we know each other better,” he remarked, his voice a husky rasp.

His words penetrated the sensual haze that fogged her brain, and she made a weak effort to shake her head. My God, she hardly knew the man!

As if he’d sensed her objection, his lips touched hers again. This time, his kiss was so tender, so wickedly persuasive, that she was incapable of thought. Years of well-bred reserve fell away, and she slid the manicured fingers of one hand into his thick dark hair and made a fist to hang on.

She’d been kissed before. She’d found kissing pleasant enough, but nothing in her experience could have prepared her for either of Blue’s kisses—the carnal devouring one, or this achingly sensual one that seemed to reach deep inside her and caress her very essence.

An emotion spiraled gently in her chest, swelling her heart. Before she could quite identify it, his lips eased away.

Her lashes fluttered up and she dizzily met the raging fire in his eyes.

“Say my name.”

The demand was almost harsh, but Allison didn’t feel threatened. Her soft, “Blue,” was breathless with the sensuality that gripped her. She realized with some surprise that she’d moved her hand and that she was touching his lean cheek, stroking it.

Her even softer, “Blue,” repeated the name that she suddenly realized would forever be attached to the strange new emotion she felt.

When Blue reached up to gently capture her fingers and pull them away from his cheek, she felt oddly disappointed. He slowly released her and eased her away from him.

The loss of his body heat seemed to calm the turbulent sensuality between them. But only slightly. Even when they were no longer touching, something a lot like raw electricity danced and snapped between them.

“I reckon you’ll want to get yourself back to town and start makin’ plans,” he said gruffly. “I’ll call on you tomorrow afternoon to see how you’re comin’ along.”

Allison was still too in thrall to speak. She felt an unexpected nick of pain when she sensed Blue withdraw emotionally. Suddenly aloof, he escorted her to the door, then outside and down the walk to her car. He opened the door for her, then shut it solidly once she was behind the wheel.

She drove all the way to the highway before she realized she was shaking violently.

CHAPTER THREE

THE month before the wedding passed in a frantic blur. Aunt Pet regained her good health and they both waded into wedding preparations like a pair of maniacs.

To her surprise, Allison rarely saw Blue, though she spoke to him daily on the phone to keep him apprised of wedding preparations. He sent his decorator to her aunt’s house and even Aunt Pet was pleased by the plans he and the decorator had worked out, subject to Allison’s approval.

At Aunt Pet’s insistence, she and Allison spent an afternoon looking through the ranch mansion to give them both a better idea of the furnishings that would have to be bought. Though Aunt Pet was reserved and cautious with Blue and he was aloof with both of them, Aunt Pet came away from the ranch deeply impressed by the house he’d built.

Pet was sparing in her personal remarks to Allison about her future husband, but she did allow that Blue Sumner was ruggedly handsome and had a macho presence that could be considered exciting.

No one mentioned that this was an arranged marriage between two strangers, and sometimes Allison got so caught up in preparations that she almost forgot. Until she spoke to Blue on the phone or saw him face-to-face. He grew more remote by the day. It was as if the kisses they’d shared that Sunday afternoon had never happened. He seemed even more a stranger to her, and at times, she had to struggle to keep her downcast spirits about the marriage to herself.

While she and Pet were busy with the wedding details, Blue’s house was finished and he set about ordering the furniture Allison had chosen. He also hired a butler, a cook and a housekeeper.

By the night of the rehearsal dinner, they remained little more than acquaintances. By mutual agreement, they’d limited their wedding party to a maid of honor and a best man, who turned out to be one of the wealthiest ranchers in the area.

Blue had once worked as a foreman for Ty Cameron, but their friendship seemed to have withstood Blue’s distance and years away from the Cameron Ranch.

Charles was impressed by the connection between the two and, to Allison’s horror, had immediately begun to speculate about attracting Ty to some of the mortgage investments he had in mind for Blue. His frequent comments about saving the bank continued to trouble her, as did his ongoing refusal to report the embezzlement.

Blue drove her directly home after the dinner, but they were more stilted than ever with each other. Their conversation was so sparse and infrequent that it was as if they hadn’t spoken to each other at all.

On the night before her wedding, Allison laid in her bed a long time, staring up into the darkness, certain she was about to make the mistake of her life.