turned challenging.
Valerie raised her hands. "I intend to marry you." She made this definite. Indeed, hadn't she spent most of the night trying to come up with another solution, to no avail? "It's just... Today ?"
His chin lifted. "What other day did you have in mind?"
Her hands lowered. Good question. If they were going to go through with this, why not right now? And yet...
Roy's brows rose. He was waiting for an answer. If not today, then when?
When it would mean something .
The answer came to Valerie like a blow, painful and unexpected. She found herself staring at Roy, with his rough, handsome features and his deep-in-the-bones masculinity. A man she craved in a variety of ways — but didn't really know at all.
Surely she didn't expect this legal maneuver marriage to mean anything. Ever. Surely not.
They'd enjoyed a one-night stand together. Sex. Not love. And temporary sex at that. Please. For a lot of reasons, she couldn't afford to wait around hoping a wedding ceremony between them was ever going to mean something.
She cleared her throat. "You're right. Again, you're right. There is no reason to delay."
His brows lowered. "I want you to be sure about this, Valerie."
She smiled. "I'm sure." The wedding was a pure formality. Taking care of it was something she felt perfectly ready to do. Heck, she didn't even need to change her clothes. The black slacks and wool sweater she had on would do.
Roy kept frowning. "You're doing the right thing, Valerie. We both are."
"I know that. So let's do it."
He hesitated, then stepped forward to take her arm. It was a firm touch, a very nearly possessive one.
In her addled brain only, Valerie told herself. Jeez, she had to get a grip here. The man wasn't interested in her, but in his baby. That was it: the baby.
~~~
"I hope this is all right." Roy let go of Valerie's arm to open the door of a room off the wide, carpeted hall of the hotel's mezzanine level. "I couldn't get either of the chapels on such short notice."
Valerie shot him a questioning look. Why would he want one of the chapels for the kind of wedding they were having? She was in her work slacks, for goodness' sake. "I'm sure anything will be all right," she murmured as she walked through the door.
"Ah!" A man of healthy, outdoor looks stepped forward from the center of the room. "So here's the famous bride." He was smiling widely. Next to him stood a thin older man wearing glasses.
Valerie's attention was half caught by the two men, and half caught by the twin flower arrangements on either side of a podium artfully draped with peach-colored linen.
"Uh, how do you do?" she mumbled, while taking in the rest of the elegant meeting room. There was a table set with a peach-colored tablecloth, upon which rested another arrangement of flowers. Decorated. The room was decorated.
"This is Kenny Doubletree," Roy told Valerie. "Like I said before, a poker friend. And this is Isaac Franck, a professor at the university." He smiled widely. "Believe it or not, another poker friend."
"How do you do?" Valerie was doing her best to hold onto her composure while she took in the suits the men were wearing, as if they were attending a real wedding. And the flowers...
"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Kenny, the healthy, outdoors one. He shook her hand vigorously.
The other man, the one Roy had called a professor, was far less ebullient. Valerie felt her anxiety ease beneath his calm, accepting smile.
"How do you do — uh...?" He paused with a polite question in his eyes.
"Oh. I'm Valerie."
"Pleased to meet you, Valerie." The professor smiled again in a soothing, slightly weary way.
Friends, Valerie thought. These weren't merely handy witnesses. Roy had invited his friends.
The Kenny Doubletree fellow stuck his hands in his trouser pockets and rocked forward on the balls of his feet. "And I am extremely pleased to meet you. The first and only woman to bring Roy to holy matrimony." He grinned. "Not to mention you
Valerie raised her hands. "I intend to marry you." She made this definite. Indeed, hadn't she spent most of the night trying to come up with another solution, to no avail? "It's just... Today ?"
His chin lifted. "What other day did you have in mind?"
Her hands lowered. Good question. If they were going to go through with this, why not right now? And yet...
Roy's brows rose. He was waiting for an answer. If not today, then when?
When it would mean something .
The answer came to Valerie like a blow, painful and unexpected. She found herself staring at Roy, with his rough, handsome features and his deep-in-the-bones masculinity. A man she craved in a variety of ways — but didn't really know at all.
Surely she didn't expect this legal maneuver marriage to mean anything. Ever. Surely not.
They'd enjoyed a one-night stand together. Sex. Not love. And temporary sex at that. Please. For a lot of reasons, she couldn't afford to wait around hoping a wedding ceremony between them was ever going to mean something.
She cleared her throat. "You're right. Again, you're right. There is no reason to delay."
His brows lowered. "I want you to be sure about this, Valerie."
She smiled. "I'm sure." The wedding was a pure formality. Taking care of it was something she felt perfectly ready to do. Heck, she didn't even need to change her clothes. The black slacks and wool sweater she had on would do.
Roy kept frowning. "You're doing the right thing, Valerie. We both are."
"I know that. So let's do it."
He hesitated, then stepped forward to take her arm. It was a firm touch, a very nearly possessive one.
In her addled brain only, Valerie told herself. Jeez, she had to get a grip here. The man wasn't interested in her, but in his baby. That was it: the baby.
~~~
"I hope this is all right." Roy let go of Valerie's arm to open the door of a room off the wide, carpeted hall of the hotel's mezzanine level. "I couldn't get either of the chapels on such short notice."
Valerie shot him a questioning look. Why would he want one of the chapels for the kind of wedding they were having? She was in her work slacks, for goodness' sake. "I'm sure anything will be all right," she murmured as she walked through the door.
"Ah!" A man of healthy, outdoor looks stepped forward from the center of the room. "So here's the famous bride." He was smiling widely. Next to him stood a thin older man wearing glasses.
Valerie's attention was half caught by the two men, and half caught by the twin flower arrangements on either side of a podium artfully draped with peach-colored linen.
"Uh, how do you do?" she mumbled, while taking in the rest of the elegant meeting room. There was a table set with a peach-colored tablecloth, upon which rested another arrangement of flowers. Decorated. The room was decorated.
"This is Kenny Doubletree," Roy told Valerie. "Like I said before, a poker friend. And this is Isaac Franck, a professor at the university." He smiled widely. "Believe it or not, another poker friend."
"How do you do?" Valerie was doing her best to hold onto her composure while she took in the suits the men were wearing, as if they were attending a real wedding. And the flowers...
"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Kenny, the healthy, outdoors one. He shook her hand vigorously.
The other man, the one Roy had called a professor, was far less ebullient. Valerie felt her anxiety ease beneath his calm, accepting smile.
"How do you do — uh...?" He paused with a polite question in his eyes.
"Oh. I'm Valerie."
"Pleased to meet you, Valerie." The professor smiled again in a soothing, slightly weary way.
Friends, Valerie thought. These weren't merely handy witnesses. Roy had invited his friends.
The Kenny Doubletree fellow stuck his hands in his trouser pockets and rocked forward on the balls of his feet. "And I am extremely pleased to meet you. The first and only woman to bring Roy to holy matrimony." He grinned. "Not to mention you
Similar Books
