92 Pacific Boulevard (26 page)

“A
re you sure you want to go through with this?” Linc felt obliged to ask. He and Lori Bellamy stood in front of the Kitsap County Courthouse nearly three weeks after their initial meeting. Their hands were tightly clasped. Linc wore his best suit. Fact was, he only had the one suit—and he might be wearing it a second time this year at Mary Jo’s wedding. Her engagement to Mack McAfee wasn’t a
complete
surprise, and it did give him a certain measure of reassurance.

Lori was so beautiful in her pink dress it was an effort not to stare. She responded with a delicate nod. “I’m ready if you are.”

“Did you tell your parents?”

“No.” Her eyes connected with his. “Did you tell your brothers? And your sister?”

Linc shook his head. He didn’t feel it was necessary for his brothers to know just yet.

“You have the license?”

Linc patted his suit pocket. “Right here.”

“We’ll need witnesses.”

Linc had forgotten all about that. “Someone from the judge’s office can stand up for us.“

Lori swallowed hard and looked away. “I didn’t tell anyone because I knew if I did, everyone would try to talk me out of it.” She blushed slightly, her right hand clutching the small bouquet he’d bought her. “I want to marry you.“

“Me, too.” Linc wanted a wife, an “old-fashioned” woman who shared his values and wanted to make their family her career, at least while their children were young. Although he didn’t know Lori well, what he did know suited him just fine. They’d had a number of intense conversations, mostly on the phone.

“If anyone knew I’d agreed to marry a man I’d seen a total of four times, they’d think I was mentally unbalanced.” She looked up at him. “Can I ask you something before we go inside?“

“Of course.“

“Linc…” She turned away from him.

“Yes?“

“Do you love me?“

Linc had been afraid she might ask this, and he wished he knew what she wanted to hear, what she expected him to say. As tempting as it was to lie, he didn’t feel that would be a good start to their marriage.

“No,” he said, then immediately qualified his answer. “I don’t love you yet, but I like you more every time we talk.“

“We talk a lot, don’t we?“

Every day, which pleased him. They needed to lay the groundwork for their relationship, set everything in place and work out any disagreements before they said their vows. As a result of their lengthy conversations, he’d made concessions and so had she. He felt that marrying this woman was the right decision, despite their short acquaintance.

“I put in an offer on a commercial property off Harbor Street—the one we talked about.”

Lori suddenly averted her eyes. “My father owns that piece of land. I didn’t know until recently.”

That shouldn’t complicate the situation as far as Linc could see. “I offered a fair price,” he said.

As soon as they were married, Linc intended to move to Cedar Cove and set up his own car repair business. He’d move in with Lori until they found a place of their own. Lori said she wouldn’t be comfortable in Seattle; she preferred to live in a small town. She worked at a dress shop in nearby Silverdale and would continue to do so until they had their first child. Linc believed he could make a success of his new business. He planned to become a silent partner in Three Wyse Men, the family repair shop, leaving its day-to-day operation to Mel and Ned.

“I’m not changing my mind about our marriage,” Lori assured him again.

“Me, neither.” Linc squeezed her hand. Together they walked up the steps to the courthouse.

The ceremony itself was shockingly brief. It hardly seemed legal that they could be practically strangers one minute and married the next.

Linc hadn’t expected the emotion that overcame him when the judge pronounced them husband and wife. In that instant, he experienced a rush of tenderness for Lori that nearly brought tears to his eyes. He was baffled by it, and a little embarrassed, too.

He realized with astonishment that if he hadn’t stopped to help her that night, none of this would be happening. It would’ve been an ordinary Friday afternoon.

Lori didn’t say anything, either, and he wondered if
she’d felt the emotions he had. If so, she didn’t mention it. In fact, neither of them had anything to say until they were seated in Linc’s truck.

Lori smiled at him. “Hello, husband,” she murmured.

Linc returned her smile. “Hello, wife.”

Wife.
What a powerful word that was. A word that said companion, friend, partner…lover.

As he started the engine, he asked, “Is there anyplace you’d like to go first?” It was a few minutes before five.

“Maybe we should have an early dinner.“

“Sure.” Linc hid his disappointment. He’d hoped she’d suggest they go straight to her place. He’d brought his suitcase and wanted to unpack, settle in before…He’d been looking forward to sleeping with Lori. So far, their physical relationship consisted of a few less-than-chaste kisses. Her response to their tentative lovemaking had led him to believe they’d definitely be sexually compatible.

“I’d like to introduce you to my sister before we do that,” Linc said, trying to take his mind off their wedding night.

“You mean now or…after?”

“Now.”

“Okay.” Lori slid a bit closer and placed her hand on his arm.

Linc enjoyed having her touch him even in the most casual way. When she’d asked if he loved her, before the wedding, he’d been as honest as he knew how to be in his response. Now he asked himself if the tenderness he felt, this joyful expectation, could be love. He hoped so. He wanted to love Lori. He was excited about having children with her. She’d be a good mother and he intended to be a good father.

The courthouse wasn’t far from his sister’s duplex. When he parked there, he saw Mack working outside,
pruning some forsythia bushes. Mack was the kind of guy who always found something to do. If he wasn’t painting or doing repairs, he was puttering in his garage or gardening.

Mack and Linc had talked the previous week regarding Mack’s relationship with Mary Jo. Linc felt his sister had made a smart choice when she agreed to marry him. He’d come to like Mack and believed the other man would not only look after Noelle, he’d do what he could to keep David Rhodes from using his daughter to manipulate Ben.

Mack met him as Linc opened the passenger door and helped Lori out. His soon-to-be brother-in-law sent him a questioning glance.

“Mack McAfee, this is my wife, Lori.”

Mack’s mouth fell open. “Your
wife?
”

Lori moved closer to Linc’s side.

“When did this happen?”

“About ten minutes ago.”

“Does Mary Jo know about this?”

“Not yet. We stopped by to tell her.”

Mack stared at them both.

The door to Mary Jo’s half of the duplex opened and when she saw Linc in his suit—with Lori beside him—she frowned. She looked at Mack for an explanation.

“Your brother’s got news,” Mack said, standing back, his fingers in the pockets of his jeans.

Mary Jo returned her attention to Linc, who placed his arm around his wife. “Mary Jo,” he said formally, “I’d like you to meet your new sister-in-law, Lori Bellamy.”

“Lori Wyse,” she corrected.

Mary Jo’s mouth sagged open, much the way Mack’s had. “You’re
married?
The two of you?”

Linc grinned sheepishly and nodded.

“You didn’t say a word about this to me!”

“To anyone.” Linc wanted her to understand that she hadn’t been excluded. “The boys don’t know yet.”

Shaking her head, Mary Jo turned to face Lori. “You really married my brother?”

Lori nodded. “I love him.”

“You do?” Linc echoed. When Lori had asked him if he loved
her,
it’d never occurred to him that she might be that sure about her own feelings, especially this soon.

“She must love you,” Mary Jo said. “Well, come on in. Your name is Lori?”

“Yes.” Lori broke away from his side and followed Mary Jo into the house.

Linc remained outside with Mack. He inclined his head toward the door. “Mary Jo’s not upset, is she?”

Mack lifted his hand in a gesture that suggested Linc’s guess was as good as his. “I’d say we’re both more surprised than anything. You could’ve said something, you know.”

“I could have,” Linc agreed, “but I didn’t.”

Mack laughed. “If you’d been willing to wait, we might have had a double wedding.”

“We didn’t want to wait.” Linc kicked at the grass with the tip of his shoe, then figured he might as well disclose the other changes he planned to make. “I’m moving to Cedar Cove.”

Mack’s nod didn’t reveal anything one way or the other.

“Lori,” he suddenly said. “Lori Bellamy. She’s the ex-fiancée of that guy who used to work for Allen Harris—”

“Yes,” Linc interrupted sharply. “But that’s in the past.”

Mack nodded again. “What are your plans now?”

“I’ll be moving in with Lori right away and making the commute to Seattle until Mel and Ned feel okay about running things on their own.” Privately, Linc had set a time limit of two months.

“What then?”

“I’m starting an offshoot of the business here.”

“What about Lori?”

“She’ll continue working until she gets pregnant.” Linc intended to do his part to make sure that happened as quickly as possible. “After the baby’s born, she wants to stay home.”

“Mary Jo wants to keep her job,” Mack said.

That didn’t surprise Linc. He just hoped Mack understood what he was letting himself in for when he married her. He’d never known a woman more obstinate than his little sister.

The two men went into the house and Lori smiled at Linc. “I invited Mary Jo and Mack to join us for our wedding dinner.”

Linc forced a smile in response. “What about the baby?”

“My mother would welcome the opportunity to babysit Noelle,” Mack said.

“Do you want me to phone her?” Mary Jo asked.

“Sure, go ahead.”

Not five minutes later, the whole dinner party was arranged. Reservations were made at a place called D.D.’s on the Cove, after which they all drove over to the McAfees’ house to drop off Noelle. At Mack’s suggestion, Linc and Lori waited in the truck; then they headed to the restaurant for their six-thirty reservation.

Linc would’ve preferred dinner with just Lori. However, he’d acceded to her wishes. Mack ordered champagne,
which went straight to Linc’s head. Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten since early that morning. When the food arrived, he was the first to finish his meal.

The others didn’t seem to be in any hurry. He yawned several times as a broad hint that they should wind things up, but no one noticed his impatience. When they were finally ready to go, Lori announced, “I need you to drive me back to Mary Jo’s place.”

Linc sat with his key in the ignition and turned to look at her. “You do?” He couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Why?” He wondered if Lori was making excuses to delay their wedding night.

“She has something for me,” Lori explained, gently patting his knee. “It won’t take long, I promise.”

Reluctantly he followed Mack and his sister back to the McAfees’ house to get Noelle, which meant another ten-minute delay.

“What’s this thing my sister has for you?” Linc demanded as they waited in the car. “Can’t you get it some other time?”

Lori gave an exaggerated sigh. “Are you
sure
you want to know?”

“Yes,” he insisted.

“Okay…It’s a special nightgown for our wedding night. It’s from France and it’s black silk. I…should’ve planned for this—only, well, I didn’t and now I’m sorry.”

“And where exactly did my sister get this?” Frankly Linc didn’t like the idea of Mary Jo passing off some secondhand nightgown to Lori.

“She said a friend gave it to her when it seemed she was going to marry Noelle’s father.”

“Oh.”

“You don’t mind, do you?”

He couldn’t very well broadcast his intention of removing this fancy French nightgown ten seconds after she put it on, so he answered with a halfhearted shrug. “I don’t mind if it’s important to you.”

“Everything about tonight is important to me.”

“Me, too,” Linc admitted.

After Noelle had been loaded into Mack’s car, Linc drove to the duplex on Evergreen Place. Lori hopped out of the truck, ran inside with Mary Jo and was back in less than five minutes.

By the time she returned she was grinning from ear to ear.

“What’s so funny?”

“Your sister. I like her. We’re going to be good friends.”

Wonderful, just wonderful. “You got that nightgown?”

“Got it.” She balanced the box on her lap. “Mary Jo wanted me to tell you it’s her wedding gift to you and me.”

“Great.”

Following Lori’s instructions, he drove to her apartment building and parked in the lot. He came around to help her out, then reached into the back for his suitcase. They walked toward the building arm in arm.

He’d never been to her apartment so he hadn’t realized how delicate and feminine it was, although he probably should’ve expected it. There were floral prints on the walls and the white sofa was decorated with a variety of pink pillows in varying sizes and fabrics. The kitchen was one that would make Martha Stewart proud. That was fine by Linc. He was thoroughly tired of his brothers’ cooking, not to mention his own.

“Should I put this in the bedroom?” he asked, grabbing his suitcase. The idea was to steer Lori in that direction as quickly as possible.

“Sure.”

Linc was in and out of the room in two seconds flat. “The bed’s got a canopy!”

“Yes, I know.”

As far as he was concerned, this should’ve been revealed long before their wedding night. “I can’t sleep under a canopy.” Call him silly or macho or anything you wanted; it was something he just couldn’t tolerate.

Lori said nothing. After a moment she gestured helplessly. “I only have the one bedroom.”

“Okay, fine, we’ll sleep on the sofa tonight.”

She studied him as if he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had. One thing was certain: he wasn’t sleeping in pink sheets with a froufrou canopy over his head. It would make him feel like…like he’d charged into the private domain of some princess.