Colton's Convenient Bride
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Jennifer Morey
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19
HarlequinChapter 1
In his jeans and nothing else, Decker Colton sprinkled sugar over his grapefruit, trying to think of a way to gently tell Cynthia they weren’t working out as a couple.
He’d dated her for three months now and had begun to get the sense that she felt more for him than he for her. Decker found her online—that’s how he met all the women he dated. He had no time to search the traditional way and never mixed romance with work. She’d also begun to stay the night too often over the last month and demand more of his time. All this closeness was beginning to feel suffocating. He needed to be free again.
She looked up from her butterless toast and smiled seductively.
With his stomach recoiling, he walked over to the brown, black and cream-colored granite-topped kitchen island where she sat and took the seat next to her. Putting down his bowl of a half grapefruit, he started to scoop the fruit out for a bite.
“I’ve been thinking,” Cynthia said.
Oh no, here it came.
She put her hand over his forearm. “We’ve been hitting it off really well these last few weeks.”
“Cynthia...”
“We should move in together. Whether here or the suite you have at The Lodge.”
He swallowed and almost choked on grapefruit juice. After clearing his throat, he saw her wary gaze. Now or never.
He put down his spoon. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
“You feel the same, don’t you?” Her insecurity showed.
“No. I’m sorry... I don’t. I don’t want to hurt you, Cynthia, but I haven’t been comfortable with you staying here as much as you have. We’ve only known each other a few months.”
“But...we’ve been sleeping together.”
“Yes, and that part is great,” he said quietly. “However, I’m just not ready for a committed relationship right now.” Not with her, anyway.
“You do work a lot. I understand that. I wouldn’t stop you from doing what you love. In fact, that’s something I love about you, Decker.”
She probably loved his wealth.
“It’s over, Cynthia.” He’d already warned her he wasn’t interested in anything lasting. She must not have believed him.
“Over?” She drew back with an indrawn breath. “But...”
“I’m sorry. Really.” He honestly did not intend on hurting her but he could see she was quite hurt. He couldn’t figure out if losing a man with money hurt more than losing him as a man.
“If you didn’t feel the same, then why did you sleep with me?”
“You came to my suite when I didn’t invite you. You also showed up here at my house and stayed the night when I didn’t ask you to.”
She flattened her hand on the counter. “Well, that’s insensitive of you.”
How was that insensitive? She’d made presumptions and come over uninvited.
“You led me on.”
He shook his head. “No, I was honest with you from the start.”
“You made me believe you wanted to be with me. All those nights...”
“I did want to be with you. I just don’t feel enough for you to keep seeing you.”
Standing, she took her purse which she’d hung on the back of the stool and slung it over her shoulder. Then she stood there looking at him, lips pursed and eyes fiery. Then the anger began to ease and she simply regarded him as though seeing him for the first time.
“You really don’t believe in love, do you?”
Decker sighed. He’d told her as much when they’d first met, so he said nothing. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in love. Some people did find it in their lifetime. But true love was a precious rarity, and with his busy work schedule and fierce ambition, he had little time to date. That only reduced his already slim odds of finding that kind of love.
Cynthia scoffed. “That makes you a waste of time.”
With that she turned and walked out of the kitchen.
Decker stood and followed her to the front door, which she flung open and then stepped out into heavily falling snow like a regal, rejected princess.
He might deserve her parting comment, but he also couldn’t help the way he felt. He definitely did not enjoy hurting women. Maybe it was time to take a break from them. The Lodge kept him busy and he had plans to make improvements. At this stage of his life, that took priority.
Reaching the doorway, Decker saw his dad get out of his Range Rover, then look over at Cynthia as she marched through the snow and climbed into her own car. She didn’t wait for the engine to warm, just turned on the windshield wipers and drove the circle driveway to the long road that led to the highway.
He lived close to The Lodge, on the same property but secluded enough for privacy. He’d built his house, a big log home that was far too spacious for just him, on a mountainside with a view of the Colorado Rockies. He could see the peak of Mount Evans from his upper deck.
Russ Colton walked inside. “She wasn’t worthy of you anyway, son.”
“I broke up with her this morning.”
“From the looks of it I thought maybe she left you.” His dad took off his jacket and hung it above the bench in the entry. Sixty-five and CEO of The Colton Empire, as he liked to call it, Russ was tall like his sons but getting thick in the middle. He had graying dark hair, and dark eyes. He prided himself on building the family company—The Colton Empire—which was comprised of the elite and sprawling ski lodge and resort and The Chateau down in the valley.
“I wish she would have,” Decker said.
“She was too soft. Too weak. You need a partner who can stand by you as your equal.”
Cynthia had clung a little too tightly. He supposed that’s what had turned him off and made their relationship feel wrong.
“You need someone like that Hadley woman.”
He’d heard Kendall had returned to Roaring Springs a couple of years ago. He hadn’t seen her yet, hadn’t seen her since high school. Kendall had been one of those kids who’d had her circle of friends and steered clear of the popular crowd. She hadn’t participated in sports. He remembered her as the bookish type, which he’d admired since he had liked and excelled in academia. What had always fascinated him was how a girl as pretty as Kendall could have escaped being popular. Now that he was older he knew it had been a choice.
“What’s she doing back in Roaring Springs?” he asked curiously.
“Working for her father at Hadley Forestry. From what I hear she’s a great asset. She’s their conservation consultant.”
What did a conservation consultant do? Decker didn’t know much about logging and milling or forest management.
“She’s working on preserving species of animals in the forested areas they own,” Russ supplied. “Got her masters in wildlife biology from Colorado State University. Four-point-o.”
“How do you know all that?”
“I ran into her father a few weeks ago. He did some bragging.”
Ahh. And, apparently, that’s what got his father thinking.
“Now that you’re single again,” his father went on, “I’d like to talk to you about something I’ve had rolling around in my head the last few weeks.”
Decker followed Russ from the entry to the great room, where the ceiling rose to exposed beams and a gabled window offered a stunning view of the forest and mountain peaks. The kitchen was open to this room, with a long, six-seater island and plenty of white cabinets. The dining area was in a turreted space off the kitchen, something he never used.
His father crossed behind a sofa with a console table running along the back. The sofa faced a stone block fireplace, flanked by two chairs. A big square coffee table had books about exotic places to travel and a decorative ceramic bowl with stone balls inside that matched the earthy color theme of the room.
Russ stopped before the windows and after a few seconds, turned. “Bernard and Marion Hadley have lived on a neighboring ranch for nearly as long as we’ve been here running this resort.”
“Yeah, they have.” Decker couldn’t begin to guess where his father was headed with this. Surely he wouldn’t suggest he and Decker take on forest management.
“Bernard’s been successful. He’s made millions running that company.”
Russ did respect people who made successes of their lives. He’d raised Decker to do the same. But why single out the Hadleys?
“How did you meet the woman who just left, Decker?” his dad asked.
“Online.”
“That doesn’t seem to be working for you.”
“Not with her,” Decker said.
“What would you think about reconnecting with Kendall?”
He hadn’t even thought about reconnecting with her, least of all as a love interest. “I think I need a break from women. Cynthia took up too much of my time, and I need to concentrate on The Lodge.”
“You do well multitasking, son. What I have in mind is actually related to business. If two families as affluent as the Hadleys and the Coltons joined forces, The Colton Empire would become even greater than it is.” Clearing his throat, he pinned Decker with a hard stare. “We have to think of our future and the future of family yet to come. We’re doing well now, but I want to plan for the next century or two, maybe more. As long as I’m breathing I won’t stop working to increase Colton wealth. It’s security.”
Decker couldn’t disagree there. His father had noble intentions. He wasn’t fooled, however. His father’s main interest was money.
“You want to arrange for Kendall and me to become romantically involved?”
Russ stepped closer, his serious face warning Decker to brace for impact. “I’d like to suggest more than that. I’d like you to consider marrying her.”
“Marrying...” Flummoxed, Decker had to assemble his thoughts. “You want me to marry her?”
“You said it yourself, Cynthia took too much time away from you. And you’ve had to resort to online dating because you don’t have time to find a woman who will be able to put up with your work schedule. You’re getting older. Don’t you want children?”
“Yes.” He did want that. He also wanted a family. Wife. Kids. A full house to come home to after a long day at work. His dad was right but what he suggested seemed radical.
An arranged marriage?
“Kendall has her own career. She’s an only child. When her parents go, she’ll be the sole beneficiary.”
There his dad went again on his drive for wealth and prosperity. “She’ll never agree to it.” What smart woman would? Kendall could have anyone. Why would she agree to an arranged marriage...with him?
“Have you spoken with her?”
“No. But when I ran into her father, we talked a while. He mentioned you and Kendall knew each other from high school and made a comment that the two of you would make a fine couple. He said he always wondered why you never hooked up in high school.”
Kendall had been a year behind him in school. Her standoffish nature had deterred him from considering asking her to prom or even out on a date. She hadn’t been standoffish in a snobby way. She had been more untouchable, as though she had not wanted anything to do with certain crowds of people. She had seemed more interested in learning and her own circle of friends. He didn’t even know if she ever dated anyone in high school.
“You’re thirty-four, son. You should start a family soon. Don’t wait too long.”
Was he crazy for actually considering what his father proposed? He turned and walked toward the kitchen, rubbing his chin in agitation. Was he about to do as his father asked as he always had? Or had Russ Colton just come up with the perfect solution?
Kendall arrived back home well after dark. She’d spent the day observing a small pack of gray wolves. The sighting had been a rare treat. These wolves were endangered and most sightings had been unconfirmed. She had learned of one kill north of Kremmling where a man thought he killed a coyote but it was a gray. She’d be busy working on protecting them. If they wandered too far, there would be no telling what ranchers fearing for their livestock would do.
Wearily she removed her coat and boots and then went to get ready for a shower. Removing the tie from her long blond hair, she heard the doorbell rang.
Who would stop by at this hour? Her parents were usually in for the night by seven, and it was nearly eight. She was hungry and longing for a bath.
Peeking out the window, she saw her dad. She opened the door with a questioning look.
“Sorry. Where were you all day?” He entered and shook off snow that had spotted his outerwear. He must have walked from the house.
“It’s my day off. I went for a hike.” She shut the door as he removed his jacket and hat. “I spotted a small pack of gray wolves. They were so beautiful and they look pretty healthy.”
“Huh.”
Her father’s aloofness when it came to the environment sometimes annoyed her. “I reported their location to the Parks and Wildlife service. They’re going to try to tag one.”
“I need to talk to you about something important.”
“Dad,” she complained.
“Gray wolves. Yes. That’s wonderful, honey.”
“They’re an endangered species. Do you know how significant it is that there’s a pack in Colorado?” She’d seen only four but that was probably more than anyone had ever seen in several decades.
“That’s wonderful, honey.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I know how much you love nature.”
She forgave him his indifference—as always. “What’s up?”
Kendall went into her kitchen. She lived in a house she had built on her parents’ property. It was large for one person. A four-bedroom stone Tudor, it had steep rooflines and lots of white-framed windows.
“You’ll never guess who stopped by earlier today.”
She took out the ham salad she’d made last night and began preparing a sandwich. “Who?”
“Russ Colton.” Her dad took a stool at her two-seat island.
Russ Colton? As in, Decker Colton’s dad?
“Do you want anything?” she asked, reaching for a bottle of water in the fridge.
“No thanks. Your mom and I had dinner and tea afterward.”
She cracked open a bottle and took a drink.
“Russ and I got to talking about you and Decker.”
Gosh. She hadn’t seen Decker in years. She’d thought about him when she’d first arrived home, wondering if he’d changed. She’d had a crush on him in high school, not that he ever noticed. He’d been insanely popular and very active in school programs. Smart and ambitious too. Tall and well built, he had thick, black hair that would probably never recede and dark eyes that held an intensity that had magnetized her. All the girls wanted him, though, and that had shied her away.
“He’s running The Lodge now, isn’t he?” She already knew he was. Decker had always sparked her interest and curiosity. She felt that same unruly excitement she had when she was in high school, as though knowing he was out of her league made him all the more desirable.
“Yes, and Russ talked about him someday taking over the entire operation.”
Decker stood to inherit a fortune, then.
“Russ said he asked Decker if he’d be interested in partnering up with you and he is.”
Partnering up? She set the bottle down and searched her dad’s face. He seemed hesitant to say what he obviously worked his way toward.
“You mean a business relationship?”
“In a way. Decker is a busy man. He doesn’t have a lot of time to spend building a relationship with a woman.”
“Whoa.” She held up her hands. “Relationship? What are you getting at, Dad?”
“The Hadleys and the Coltons would make a powerful partnership. Decker wants a family. You’re devoted to your work. You’d make him a fine wife, honey. He’d be lucky to end up with someone like you.”
She dropped her mouth open. Was he suggesting what she thought?
“You want me to marry him?”
“Russ and I thought the two of you could get together and see if it’s a viable possibility.”
“But...you want this to advance your business.” Anger began to simmer up. Her own father had used her as a pawn, an asset to tempt the mighty Russ Colton.
“This wasn’t my idea, Kendall. Russ is the one who brought it up.”
“But you eagerly agreed to put up your own daughter as collateral.”
“No. It isn’t like that. I wouldn’t have agreed to anything if I didn’t think you and Decker would make a good pair. You liked him in high school.”
“I did not,” she replied abruptly.
“Your mother told me. You mentioned him a couple of times and she caught you looking at his picture in your yearbook.”
Kendall didn’t recall talking about Decker, but maybe she had asked a few questions, as intrigued as she had been by him. “What does Mom think about this...arrangement?”
“She doesn’t like it.”
“But you came here anyway?”
“I talked her into it,” he replied in a low, even tone. “I promised I wouldn’t make you do anything you didn’t want to do.”
She wouldn’t let him anyway. Her mother probably knew that and it was the only reason she let him come and talk to her.
Kendall considered her father a while. He loved her; she had no doubt about that. But he too often used her as leverage to advance the company. This had to be the worst he’d ever done—agreeing to try to marry her off to a stranger.
Well, Decker wasn’t a complete stranger, but she didn’t really know him.
“I’ll think about it,” she said. She just wanted to be alone.
“Russ invited us over for dinner tomorrow night.”
Shock jolted through her. He had made dinner plans without talking to her first? Why? Did her father plan on reintroducing them? Did he hope they’d be attracted? More likely he hoped her teenage crush would reignite.
“You’re making me feel used,” she said tightly.
He put his hand over hers and gave her a squeeze. “I would never do that, honey. You’re my daughter. You’re the most important thing in my life.”
Yeah, and sometimes the most valuable asset.
Though she’d never admit it to her dad, the notion of seeing Decker again did rather intrigue her. She wasn’t the shy girl in high school anymore. And from all she’d heard about Decker, The Lodge was his one and only true love. She wondered how a company could steal a man’s heart that way. Didn’t he want to find happiness with a woman? Have a family? And if not, why? Curiosity got the better of her then.
“All right.” She’d like to see for herself how Decker Colton had turned out. Just because she had dinner with him didn’t mean she’d marry him to save her family’s business, however.
Her dad smiled, more from relief than excitement over having dinner with the pompous Russ and Mara Colton. At least, Kendall had always considered them that way. Maybe she had listened to talk around town, that Russ and Marion held themselves far above the less fortunate.
After her father left, Kendall skipped her bath and spent the next thirty minutes searching for her high school yearbooks. She found them in the basement in a box with other items she had held dear in those days. Taking the whole thing upstairs to her bedroom, she turned on a family movie channel and began spreading out a journal and other items she had saved for future reminiscence. Ticket stubs to amusement parks, museums, concerts and movies brought back a lot of fond memories. She had planned to put them into a scrapbook but hadn’t gotten around to it. She had also kept little trinkets her friends had given her over the years. She still stayed in touch with the four women who had been her closest friends since the seventh grade. Picking up some colorful wristbands, she smiled with the memory. They had all decided to exchange wristbands for Easter and these four were the ones she’d received.
She’d kept a close-knit group of friends all through school. She hadn’t been into cliques and hadn’t understood the importance placed on popularity. Life was so much bigger than that. She’d gone into forestry because she loved nature. She also loved the alone time.
Maybe being an only child had made her somewhat of a loner. Never much for social gatherings, she’d preferred to spend her time reading novels and bird-watching.
Setting the wristbands aside, her curiosity nudged her to move on to the yearbooks. “Well, Mr. Colton,” she said, “let’s have a recap and then see how you turned out.”
She opened her sophomore yearbook and passed over some of the notes signed on the pages until she reached a page with Decker standing up as class president. He was a junior that year. She flipped to the page containing his photograph and stared. She wondered if he still had those boyish dark good looks. He’d been tall and lean. Maybe he’d filled out some more since then. She remembered passing him in the halls every once in a while. Sometimes he noticed her. She could still feel the jolt of excitement over the way his eyes connected with hers. Had she imagined his interest? Back then she’d fantasized about going to the prom with him, making all the girls envious. It seemed so silly now.
She moved on to her junior yearbook. Brushing photos and other memorabilia aside, she rolled onto her stomach, lifted her calves and wiggled her toes as she drew the book front and center.
There were several pictures of him that year. How many times had she turned to them just to look at his cute face?
As the warm, familiar tingles of attraction enveloped, her phone rang.
Abandoning her comfy pose, she scooted to her side and stretched for the phone. “Hi, Mom.”
“How did it go?”
“As usual.”
“Moving the company forward?”
Kendall loved her mother’s understated wit. “Yes.” She lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. Not much to look at but she didn’t need a painting. She still saw Decker’s face.
“He didn’t offer you up like some fourteenth-century daughter of a king, did he?”
“No. He gave me the option of meeting him first.”
Her mother laughed, a deep, genuine sound that filled Kendall with a surge of love. Then she quieted and sobered. “Sweetheart—”
“Don’t, Mom.” Kendall knew what her mother would say.
“What if you enter into this and he...”
“Only wants me for the business deal?”
Her mom let out a short, tense breath. “Yes.” Then she perked right back up to the pistol Kendall had grown up with. “I’ve been going over and over how Decker would respond to his greedy father telling him he had to marry you and I’m just...worried.”
“Don’t be.”
“Well, what if he would do it just to please his father?”
Kendall had been away at college and worked another job before coming home at her father’s request. She didn’t know much about Decker, the man he’d become.
“Maybe he’s not like his father. He’s successful. That might be their only similarity.”
“You always were an optimist. But why would you go through with it? Even the dinner?” her mother asked, sounding concerned.
“I’m...” She wasn’t sure how honest she wanted to be right now. “Curious.” That was honest.
“Satisfying a high school crush?” her mother asked.
“Yes.” And maybe secretly linking in with her young heart, wondering if they’d work out and if it would be as great as she imagined.
“Please be careful, sweetie. If he’s half as much of a shark as his father, he’s incapable of loving anyone.”
She felt a moment of doubt. Maybe dinner was a foolish idea. She could argue she was doing this for her father, but that wasn’t entirely true. Then again, how would she ever know if Decker was worthy of her—even in an arranged marriage—if she didn’t at least see him face to face?
“I’ll know after the dinner.”
“I wonder if he’s still as good-looking,” her mother mused.
“That would be a bonus,” Kendall quipped.
“Or a problem.”
