The Accidental Bride Page 18

  Jonathan didn’t answer.

  Jilly heard the rasp of the patio door sliding open. Winslow began to bark loudly.

  Walker leaned in the opened doorway, his hair rumpled, his eyes still dark with sleep. “I could hear you two arguing all the way from the bedroom. What’s going on? And what is it that Jilly and I wouldn’t dream of doing?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  JUST PERFECT. HE’D HEARD them arguing.

  Jilly shot an irritated glance at Jonathan. “Nothing. We were just arguing about baseball scores, right, Jonathan?”

  But he didn’t answer her, and Jilly saw the raw entreaty in his eyes. But there was no way she was going there. Arranging a fake marriage would be reckless, irresponsible and manipulative.

  Walker stepped outside. He looked from Jilly to Jonathan. “Baseball scores. I didn’t know you were such a fan, Jonathan.” He walked across the patio and sank down into a chair overlooking the valley. “Maybe you should explain.”

  “You should be asleep,” Jilly said.

  “I can sleep later. Something tells me this is important.” Walker pulled the blanket over his shoulders and raised an eyebrow. “Now one of you needs to explain, because we all know you weren’t arguing about baseball.”

  Jilly was determined to cut off the discussion, but Jonathan was faster. He sat down in a chair next to Walker and studied his hands. “Red and I have been discussing something. We have a favor to ask of you and Jilly. It’s a big one, okay? But it’s for Mamie, and we’d do anything for her.”

  Walker frowned. “Is something wrong? She hasn’t had another heart attack, has she?”

  “She’s had more symptoms of cardiac problems. Breathing problems also, with swelling in her legs and fluid buildup. She has to go in for tests on Tuesday. She’s feeling really bad now. That’s why Red and I decided she needed something to raise her spirits.” Jonathan cleared his throat. “She was up in the attic with me, going through old boxes. She found pictures of her daughter—my aunt, who died years ago. Seeing those photos really tore her up. It was as if it had happened all over again. She’s going to need a big distraction, Walker. And there’s only one distraction that works for her.” He looked up, facing Jilly defiantly. “A wedding. Your wedding, that’s what would be better than any doctor’s visit. Better than medicine or any kind of surgery. You know that she’s been trying to get you married for months, Walker. I can’t think of a better time.” He looked at Jilly and gave a crooked smile. “Or a better person.”

  And then, when Jilly began to sputter an answer, he raised his hands in surrender. “I know it wouldn’t be real and permanent. I’m not asking for the impossible. We just want you to go through with the ceremony and a small reception afterward. Jilly will be leaving soon anyway, so it’s not like you’ll be bumping into each other every day. After a few months, you can have everything quietly annulled. I’ve already checked with my friend, who’s a lawyer in Denver. We have the paperwork ready. You can leave everything else up to us. The wedding wouldn’t even have to be legally binding, except I just know Mamie will want her own minister to officiate and he wouldn’t stand for—”

  “Hold. Halt. Stop.” Jilly stalked across the patio. “You aren’t seriously thinking we would do this, are you? It’s an insult to your grandmother, Jonathan.” She glanced at Walker. “You agree with me, right?”

  Walker nodded slowly. “I’m afraid so. It would be an empty trick, Jonathan. Sooner or later Mamie would realize the truth, and that would tear her up inside. I know your intentions are good, but this isn’t the way to make her feel better.”

  “But—”

  Walker shook his head. “Jilly’s right. It’s a bad idea. And frankly, even if it was a good idea, your grandmother is nobody’s fool. Do you really think you could pass this over on her as a real wedding?” He slanted a thoughtful glance at Jilly. “Jilly and I have some chemistry between us, but I haven’t known her for a week. She’s not the kind of woman who would throw logic to the wind and get herself hitched to a stranger.”

  Was there a question in his eyes? And why did Jilly, for one blind moment, wish she was that impulsive kind of woman, one who could trust her heart wherever it led her?

  Jonathan scuffed his toe through the snow at the edge of the patio. “It’s not all that crazy. Heck, everybody knows there’s something going on between the two of you. When you’re in the same room, it feels like an electric storm about to hit. It wouldn’t be hard to convince Grandma.” He gave a dry laugh. “I’m halfway convinced myself.” He waited hopefully, and when neither of them answered, he gave a stiff shrug. “Fine. You’ve got a right to say no. It would be inconvenient and take a few days out of your life. Sorry I asked.” His voice was tight with disappointment. “Believe me, if it wasn’t for Mamie, I would never have bothered you.” He turned around, striding to the path that led to the street.

  Snow drifted down. Neither Jilly nor Walker spoke.

  She realized her heart was pounding. Was Jonathan right? Would this crazy plan really give Mamie the moral support to get through the difficult weeks to come?

  Jilly sat down on the chair next to Walker and crossed her arms. When he didn’t speak, she turned to face him. “You can say something. Anytime now would be good.”

  “Not a whole lot to say. You did most of the talking for us.”

  Jilly felt her face burn. “I only said what was logical. You have to admit, it’s a crazy scheme.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “And it could all backfire. If Mamie found out that we lied, it would break her heart, good intentions or not.”

  “She would hate being lied to.”

  “Besides, you don’t scoff at a serious thing like marriage. It’s not a game.”

  “Couldn’t agree more.”

  Jilly glared at him. “Will you stop agreeing with me? I’m trying to be reasonable here.”

  “Reasonable is good.” Walker frowned, watching Jonathan’s truck speed away down the road to town. “You and I, we’re both reasonable adults. Something like this is way outside our comfort zone. Even if it could make a wonderful lady very, very happy,” he said quietly.

  Jilly closed her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m hearing you say this, Walker. You know it’s wrong.”

  Walker watched the snowflakes swirl over the patio. Then he reached out and snagged Jilly’s waist, pulling her down onto his lap. “Anybody ever tell you that you’re gorgeous when you’re spitting bullets?”

  Jilly sputtered. No one in the world made her sputter, but Walker had managed it. He had twisted her up into tiny knots and then scattered sunlight gently into the dark places she worked so hard to ignore. He was the best man she had ever met, a far better person than she was. He deserved a woman who was smarter, kinder, more patient. A woman with a future.

  But the thought of Walker with any other woman was unbearable. “So you’re really considering this? You think it’s possible to pull it off without Mamie realizing the truth?”

  “Only with a lot of help. Everyone would have to be in on it.” He reached up and traced Jilly’s cheek. “Especially you. And it would probably be impossible for you to pretend to be in love with someone like me. A loner who’s pretty much given up on the world,” Walker said harshly.

  Jilly’s breath caught. “It wouldn’t be hard. It wouldn’t be hard at all. I’m…well, I’m halfway in love with you already.”

  There, she had said it. The admission terrified her, yet left her feeling strangely liberated.

  “I’m great at food but lousy at relationships, Walker.” She felt her eyes burn with sudden tears. “And I may look like a reckless rule breaker but marriage means something to me. I don’t like pretending.”

  Walker drew her head down onto his shoulder. “This is because of the way you grew up, without a family or the things that most of us take for granted. So to you these things matter.”

  Jilly just nodded. He was reading her again. It frightened her how easily he did th
at.

  “No doubt about it, families are tricky. Generally a pain in the ass, but I guess they have their moments.” He pulled her closer, draping the big blanket over them both. Snowflakes drifted down, whispering over Jilly’s face. She breathed a slow sigh, feeling the heat of his chest warm her body.

  “You’re right,” he continued, “it’s a crazy scheme. I wouldn’t think twice about it.” He smiled a little sadly. “Except that now it’s my turn to tell you a story. When I got back from Afghanistan, I was pretty much a shell. But Mamie was there. She never gave up on me. She made the drive up to my cabin twice a week in that old truck of hers. She brought me food and magazines and DVDs. She made me eat every bit of the food she brought while she told me all the local gossip, even when I didn’t want to hear it. I was a hard case, too. It took her six months, but she brought me back. Without Mamie, I might not have made it, Jilly. My own family gave up on me. There were issues between us even before I left. They never wanted me to join the marines, and they made it painfully clear. When I got back, they wanted to pretend nothing had changed. They didn’t understand the way war changes a person, but Mamie knew. She’d been through it once when her husband came back from Vietnam. She did all the right things.” Walker’s voice was husky. “Without Mamie, I might still be up in the cabin, fighting my way through bad memories. The walking dead.”

  Jilly lifted his hand, tracing the scars around his elbow. His story had shaken her to her very soul. She realized that Walker was still fighting his personal war against dark memories. This was part of the sadness she had seen in his eyes when he had come home that morning. “Then I owe her, too,” Jilly said slowly. “Not many people would have had that kind of determination.”

  She slid her hand under Walker’s chin and studied that hard face, filled with so much strength and honesty. “You’re a difficult man to say no to, Walker. You don’t shout and push. You just stand there, strong and patient, letting the rest of the world come around to your way of thinking. You don’t care how long it takes.” Jilly shook her head a little sadly. “Me, I’m a shouter. I jump in headfirst and don’t count the odds.”

  “Brave,” he murmured.

  “Stupid, more like it.” She opened her hand and wove her fingers between his. Her voice was husky. “So when do we get this show on the road?”

  * * *

  THEY TRACKED RED DOWN in his office. He looked guilty at first. Then as he studied their faces, he smiled hopefully.

  “I guess Jonathan spoke to you. I’m surprised you’re not coming after me with a hunting knife, Walker.” He waved them into the cramped space and poured them coffee. “And before you say anything, I want this clear. We never would have concocted this scheme if Mamie wasn’t facing some serious hospital time next week. All we want to do is stack the deck so she can be upbeat and happy when she faces those tests.” He propped a hand on the windowsill and looked out at the snow. “I owe her for giving me roots and a sense of family when I was drifting. I might have gone the other way, running with a bad crowd, if Mamie hadn’t grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and turned me around.” He gave them a rueful smile. “So that’s my confession. Now let’s cut to the chase. What did you two decide? Am I planning a wedding or not?”

  * * *

  BY THE TIME JONATHAN charged into the kitchen following Red’s call, they were deep in plans for the wedding. Jilly felt queasy as she listened to the excited arrangements. Heaven help her if her friends found out. If Caro, Grace and Olivia knew, Jilly was a dead woman. End of story.

  “Something wrong?” Walker leaned across the table and took her hand. “Is the bride getting cold feet?”

  “I’m just thinking about what my friends will say if they find out. They’ll kill me for not inviting them.” She gave a little shrug. “But it’s not the real thing, so it doesn’t count, right? What happens next?”

  “We visit Mamie and share our good news. Jonathan wants us to go as soon as possible.”

  Jilly nodded, forcing a smile. “But after we do that, it’s back to bed with you.” She gave a little laugh. “A bride wants a man who isn’t going to keel over in exhaustion on their wedding night.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Walker murmured. “I’ll try to do a reasonable job so the bride has no complaints.”

  * * *

  THEY REHEARSED THEIR stories with Winslow curled up at Jilly’s feet.

  Head over heels at first sight. Just want a small ceremony without any fuss.

  No reason to wait.

  All the details about their future and where they would live could wait.

  Jilly shot Walker a searching look. “You’re sure we’re doing the right thing?”

  “It feels right to me. But it’s not too late. You can still back out.” He raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t be the first man jilted at the altar.”

  Jilly studied the tall windows of the main lodge, veiled with a light coat of snow. “Very funny. And for the record, I’m in.” She reached down and retied Winslow’s bandanna as it began to slip. “I still don’t understand how Jonathan and Red are going to get all the details worked out. And I can’t exactly get married in cooking clogs and blue jeans.”

  Walker rubbed his jaw. “I don’t think I have a suit here.” He smiled slowly. “But I wouldn’t reject blue jeans so fast. That tight pair you’re wearing now fits you like a dream. They make me wonder what you’ll wear for the wedding night.”

  “Walker, we need to be on the same page with this. It’s not a real wedding. And as far as a wedding night—”

  He gave a deep laugh. “Yeah, I know. I just couldn’t resist watching your face get all flushed. The groom won’t be taking liberties.” His eyes darkened. “Not unless the bride asks him to.”

  Jilly cleared her throat. She wasn’t ready to come up with an answer for that.

  Walker looked over Jilly’s shoulder and his eyes narrowed. “Better brace for impact. Jonathan is up there with Mamie. I’d say it’s show time.”

  * * *

  MAMIE INSISTED THAT they all come to her house and have lunch. She had a thick beef stew cooking in a crockpot and some of Red’s corn bread in her oven.

  “I couldn’t believe it when Red told me. It’s so sudden. But I watched the two of you together, and I knew there was something special going on.”

  The small woman took Walker’s arm and patted it. “I always knew you would meet someone wonderful. And you did.” Her eyes were bright with excitement. “Now for the details. I spoke with one of the teachers at the knitting camp, Jilly. She has a few thoughts about a veil. As for a dress, it would give me great pleasure if you would consider wearing the dress I was saving for my daughter. She never got to wear it. But maybe that would bother you?”

  “No,” Jilly said quickly. “I mean, that would be lovely, Mamie.” Jilly took Walker’s arm and managed a carefree smile. “We were wondering what would happen if I got married in blue jeans and kitchen clogs, weren’t we, honey?”

  Walker brushed a strand of hair from Jilly’s face. She could have sworn his smile was real when he drew her fingers through his. “You look wonderful in jeans or anything else. But the dress sounds nice.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Mamie said firmly. “Now then, all of you sit down while I get the stew. I have an amazing appetite all of a sudden. After lunch I’ll show you the gown, Jilly.”

  When she vanished into the kitchen, Jonathan gave Jilly a quick high five. “Man, you two deserve Oscars.” Jonathan’s eyebrows rose. “Except…I keep wondering. When did you both become such great actors? Or maybe it isn’t an act at all,” he said quietly.

  * * *

  AFTER LUNCH, JILLY CLIMBED to the big, sunny attic and stared at the beautiful wedding dress made of layer after layer of silk and antique lace. She had never seen a dress as elegant as this one.

  “Are you sure it will fit me? I don’t know anything about wedding dresses, but it looks a little short.”

  “It will be fine. Yo
u’re very tall, but as long as you don’t wear four-inch heels we should be fine.”

  Jilly laughed. “You won’t see me in four-inch heels. I’m clumsy enough in kitchen clogs.” She reached out and squeezed Mamie’s fragile fingers. “Thank you for letting me borrow the dress. It’s lovely.”

  Mamie reached onto a shelf and pulled down a framed picture of a laughing young woman with wild black hair. “Lindsay would have liked you. She and her friend Raven both loved to cook. They traveled through Europe for six months and she wrote me the most wonderful letters about the meals they had in Italy and France. They hoped to start a restaurant here one day.” Her voice quivered. “But that never happened.”

  Jilly waited for Mamie to go on.

  “There was an accident in upstate New York. A driver asleep at the wheel let his van veer out of his lane on a small country road. Two other cars were hit. Everyone else walked away without a scratch, but Lindsay was killed instantly.” Mamie cradled the photograph for a moment, looking lost. Then she squared her shoulders. “That was ages ago. I’ve tried to put it behind me. But sometimes late at night I can almost hear Lindsay’s laughter from the kitchen. I know she would be honored to have you wear her dress.” Mamie took the gown from its bag and held it out to Jilly. “Wear it. Wear it and be very, very happy.” She gave a low laugh. “Although with a man like Walker, I can’t imagine that you’d be anything else.”

  * * *

  BY THE TIME WALKER AND Jilly got back to her room, Jilly was feeling overwhelmed.

  Even Walker had begun to look tired.

  But what they were doing felt right. “She was so happy she glowed. Jonathan knows her too well. This is just what she needed.” Jilly glanced back at the big cardboard carton that held the wedding dress. “Mamie has a friend who will make a few alterations, but she is convinced it won’t take much. What a sad story about her daughter.”