A Fine Mess Read online

  There was no disguising the fact that she had been extremely ill. No way to hide that her clothes hung on her like skin over bone. No question that the hideous green hat covered a bald head.

  His eyes moved to the nearly black shadows beneath hers, to the pale, sunken cheeks, and the confused expression she directed his way.

  So Ian mustered his most charming smile and strode toward her, hand extended saying,

  “Mrs. Blake. It’s good to see you again.”

  “Thank you. I’m sorry but I’m afraid I can’t quite place your face. You do work with my husband, right?” Her hand felt very frail in his and he let it go gently.

  “Yes, Ma’am, I do. Ian McCann.”

  “Ian McCann? No, you’re too young to be- Oh, that’s right!” she exclaimed, pleased that she’d finally remembered him. “You’re the boss’ son, right?” He grinned at her obvious delight.”

  “Guilty.”

  “Paul, this is the nice young man I told you about at the picnic. He fetched me a glass of lemonade while you and Annie were playing softball.”

  “I remember that,” Ian told her. He hadn’t realized that she was sick then, only that she’d looked exhausted on that miserably hot and humid day.

  Ian noticed that Paul had remained silent, not so much as a greeting passing his lips and he sought to assure him that all was well. Or would be.

  “Paul, how are you tonight? After the week we’ve had I imagine you’re looking forward to three days off as much as I am.” Paul’s only response was a nod of his head.

  “I believe he’s planning to spend all of his time off barbequing,” Maddie told him with a chuckle. “Trying to fatten me up by tempting me with all my favorite foods.”

  “Nothing wrong with that, Mrs. Blake. Is he tempting you?”

  “Well, I have to admit that steak tips and a burger with lots of mayonnaise and catsup sounds wonderful. I’m also partial to those pies you make on the grill,” she said, closing her eyes in anticipation. “Don’t you just love them?”

  “Hmm. I don’t know that I’ve ever had one,” Ian admitted, liking the woman more with every moment he spent in her company.

  “Well, I suppose it doesn’t sound good to tell you how we make them, but take my word for it, they’re delicious.”

  “So how do you make them?”

  “Well, we have a few things, oh I never can remember what they’re called. They open up like a clam and you put a slice of buttered bread on each side and whatever pie filling you like in the center of one. Then you close it up, lay it in the coals and turn it occasionally, until the bread browns nicely. Then you drizzle cream cheese frosting over it and it’s, well, delicious.”

  “It sounds like it,” Ian said enthusiastically. “I’ll have to get you to show me how to make them someday.” She looked especially pleased by his reaction and immediately invited,

  “Well, we’ll be grilling tomorrow. If you don’t have plans, we’d love to have you come for supper, wouldn’t we, Paul?”

  “Yes, of course you’re always welcome here, Ian.” Paul had finally found his voice and Ian realized that he would do anything to make his wife happy. Do anything for her period. Even stealing money to try and save her life.

  “Well, that’s kind of why I stopped by. I’m afraid I can’t come for dinner tomorrow because- Well,” he reached out to Annie, who still stood beside him, put his arm around her shoulders and drew her to close to his side.

  He noticed that Maddie looked at them with keen interest while Paul simply looked suspicious. Annie just looked up at him in stunned surprise.

  “I know you said this wasn’t a good time, Darling, but I think it is.” He looked directly at Maddie and said, “I’ve made arrangements for Annie and I to fly to Las Vegas in the morning so we can be married.”

  Gasps filled the air but it was Annie’s reaction that he needed to make sure of. He wrapped both arms around her and whispered fiercely in her ear,

  “This is the only way to keep your father out of prison so you’d better make a good show of it!”

  “Married?” Maddie exclaimed, torn between confusion and pleasure. “Tomorrow?”

  “Yes,” Ian hurried to explain. “Annie thought we should wait but I wanted the right to be able to help you through this difficult time. And the fact is, I love your daughter and I want her for my wife.” A bald faced lie but, given the circumstances, what else could he do?

  “Now wait just a minute,” Paul started to protest, jumping to his feet.

  “D-Dad,” Annie stuttered before saying firmly, “I-it‘s okay.” Smiling a smile that left much to be desired, she said sweetly, “If you’d excuse us for a moment, I need to speak to my fiancé’ for a moment. Because you’re right, Darling. I thought we’d agreed to wait.”

  ~~~~

  “Married?” Annie hissed, glaring up at him from where they stood on the front porch, where she’d dragged him. Against his will, judging from the amount of resistance he’d shown. “Married! That’s your solution to our problems?”

  “Calm down,” Ian said quietly.

  “I will not! You waltz in and calmly announce to my mother that we’re getting married tomorrow and you want me to calm down?”

  “As a matter of fact I do. Like I said before, if you want to keep your father out of prison, this is the only way.”

  “How could our getting married possibly help my father?”

  “Quite simply, it will make available to me half of an inheritance that my grandmother left me. The only way I can use it now is if I get married. It’s that or wait until my fortieth birthday, which is another seven years away. By then I expect your father will have settled quite comfortably into his cell.” By the time he’d finished his explanation, he’d leaned down until he was almost nose to nose with Annie. “Capisce?”

  Annie cleared her throat and took a couple of steps away from him.

  “Actually, no I don’t understand. You’re willing to give up your freedom to help someone who stole from your father’s company? Why? You’re either the kindest person I’ve ever met, or you’re inheritance is out of this world.” Ian snorted and rested his arm against the house above her head.

  “Sorry to disappoint you but I’m not that nice. Neither is the inheritance overly large.”

  “So you’re doing this because...”

  “Because the inheritance is large enough that I can help your father, buy a home, and start my own company so that I’m free of my father. Believe me, I have no designs on you, Miss Blake,” he assured her. “However, there is one other thing you need to be aware of.

  “According to my grandmother’s will, unless I stay married for at least five years, I will forfeit the other half of the inheritance. Her way of ensuring the family name continues I suppose.” He looked directly into her eyes. “Does that pose any problems for you? If it does, tell me now, because I assure you that I have no intention of kissing the rest of the money goodbye.”

  “Actually I have several problems with this, if you want to know the truth,” Annie sighed. “One, I don’t love you.”

  “No problem there. I don’t love you either.” Even though he was being as honest as she had been, she still felt just the tiniest bit insulted.

  “Second, I’m a Christian and we don’t believe in divorce.”

  “Again, no problem,” Ian shrugged. “When the time comes, I’ll file for it so you don’t have to go against your religion.”

  Annie closed her eyes and tried to breathe normally. This couldn’t be happening. How could life go from being semi-normal this morning to absolute turmoil this evening? Wasn’t her mother’s cancer enough to deal with?

  “I wouldn’t be sleeping with you,” she pointed out after a long silence.

  “I didn’t think you would. However, you won’t be sleeping with anyone else for the duration of the marriage either.”

  “Does that stipulation apply to you, too?”

  “It does. As far as the world will be
concerned, we’ll be a happy, domesticated couple. So you’ll have to brush up on your acting skills.” His brows rose. “I do remember you being in a few plays in high school, don’t I?” Annie nodded reluctantly. Unfortunately she‘d only been one of the many extras in the background. She never had any lines.“ I’m assuming you’ll want your mother to believe we’re happily married, and I know for a fact that I want my father to believe that. Then there’s the lawyers. They must believe it.”

  “Oh, God, help me!” Annie prayed silently. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Make up your mind, Annie. We haven’t got all night. This is the only way I could figure out. And the only way to get everything back in order before the auditor comes is to get your father into the office yet this weekend to fix the books so I can ‘find’ the error on Tuesday. After I’ve seen the lawyers and gotten the money.”

  “There- There doesn’t seem to be any choice,” she whispered.

  “Sure there is. You can always hope you get a sympathetic judge.”

  “Yeah,” she said sarcastically. “Not likely.”

  “That’s what I thought, too. So what‘s it going to be, Miss Blake? Will you marry me?”

  “You know I have to accept your offer.” She took a deep breath and looked up at him. “So yes. Thank you. I know I don’t seem terribly grateful but I do appreciate your sacrifice. And we will pay you back. You have my word on that.” Ian nodded.

  “We’ll hash that out later. Now your folks are waiting. Remember, we love each other madly, and we’re getting married tomorrow. Oh. And my name is Ian. I suggest you don’t forget it.”

  “Okay. I’m Annie.”

  “I know. Time to face the music.”

  Ian slung his arm around her shoulders, then shot her a warning glance as she stiffened. It had only been a reflexive action, but she knew she’d have to get control over it soon.

  All the way back to the living room she kept repeating silently, ‘God calleth those things which be not as though they were.‘ It was the only way that she could justify the story that Ian was about to feed her mother.

  “Lord,” she prayed, “please let this be the way You want it to be! And please forgive me if I‘m doing the wrong thing. I just don‘t know what else to do. He‘s my dad.”

  ~~~~

  “So you’re positive that this will make you happy?” her mother wanted to know when they returned to the living room.

  “Yes, Mom. It will.”

  And Ian knew that it would make her happy. If only because it would keep her father out of prison.

  “But it’s so sudden.”

  “It really isn’t,” Ian lied smoothly. “Annie and I met some time ago.” That much was the truth. He’d first met her years ago when her parents brought her to one of the company parties. She was still in school at the time. “Things happened and, well, we want to get married.”

  “But Las Vegas?Tomorrow?”

  “A big wedding right now seemed ill-timed. But we plan to have a big reception when you’re feeling better, Mrs. McCann.”

  “Well we can’t have that, now,” Maddie said firmly. “If I’m going to be your mother-in-law, you have to call me Maddie.”

  “All right then, Maddie. You’re okay with our plans then?” She chuckled again.

  “Well, not especially, no. But I understand why you want to do it this way. The biggest problem I have is knowing that my daughter will be going to Las Vegas. I don’t like all that gambling and all the other sinful things that go on there.”

  “Neither do I, Ma’am. And I can assure you that I’ll keep your daughter safe from harm. And that we’ll be married by an honest to goodness minister, and not an Elvis impersonator.” Maddie laughed outright at that and Ian noted that both Paul and Annie relaxed, however marginally.

  “Well that’s a relief! Heaven forbid my baby be married by one of those other kinds of fellows!” She looked at her husband. “We should celebrate, Paul. Why don’t you get out those crystal wine glasses and bring us all some grape juice.” She looked at Ian and said, “Of course you know that none of us drink.”

  “I don‘t either.”

  “Good. Paul, are you going to go get the juice?”

  “Certainly, Sweetheart. I’ll be right back. Annie, could you help me, please?”

  “Sure, Dad. I’ll be right back, M-.” Ian hugged her again and hissed,

  “Ian!” Aloud he said,

  “Hurry back, Annie!”

  “I will, I-Ian.”

  ~~~~

  “What do you think you‘re doing, Annie?” her father demanded as soon as they reached the kitchen. He was opening cupboard doors looking for the glasses while she pulled a bottle of juice from the corner cupboard. “You’re not marrying my boss’ son!”

  “I am, Dad, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me,” Annie said in her most authoritative voice, sitting the bottle on the counter with a thud.

  “No, you’re not. Because I know why you’re doing it and it‘s for the wrong reason. I’ll not have you giving up your life because I broke the law.” Having found the glasses, he sat them beside the juice. Annie started filling them up.

  “Can you get the silver tray from over the fridge, please? And you don’t have a choice. I‘ve made my mind up and I‘m doing this.” She sat the glasses on the tray and walked to the refrigerator to get the rest of the hot fudge cake out, anticipating her mother’s next request.

  “This is no reason to get married!”

  “It is. I prayed about it, Dad. The only answer I got was to go talk to Ian. This is the solution he came up with and I have to trust him, because I don't believe God wouldn’t have sent me to him if there had been another way.”

  “You don’t even know the man, Annie!” Paul continued to protest.

  “I know him better than a lot of women in the bible knew the men their fathers arranged for them to marry. In fact, even today there are women marrying men they‘ve never met, or barely know, because their parents arranged it. Some of them from the cradle!”

  “Yeah. You know him well enough to say hello to at a picnic.”

  “Dad, I love you and Mom and this is a small price for me to pay for all that you’ve both done and sacrificed for me all of my life.”

  “Annie-”

  “Stop it, Dad!” She turned from placing pieces of cake on pretty little saucers and glared at him. “Do you really want Mom to find out what happened? Do you? If the cancer doesn’t kill her, the love of her life being sent to prison will!”

  “I am so sorry-”

  “I know,” Annie said gently, her anger fading as she wrapped her arms around him for a quick hug. “Now carry this out to the living room for me, okay?”

  Chapter 3

  Before she went to bed, Annie packed a small suitcase. When she’d walked her newly acquired fiancé’ out to his car, he’d informed her that he would be picking her up at six the next morning. He was using the company jet,, and had hired a pilot for the day, so everything was in place for a seven o‘clock take off.

  Apparently that would make their arrival time in Las Vegas somewhere around two in the afternoon. He thought they would be back in town sometime between midnight and one o’clock Sunday morning, at which time they would drive directly to his apartment.

  They would iron out the rest of their plans during both flights.

  When Annie hit her knees that night, she prayed with a fervor she hadn’t felt since the days immediately following her mother’s diagnosis. Not that she didn’t continue to pray several times daily for her healing, and always with enthusiasm, but the Lord had granted her some measure of peace as time wore on.

  He probably wanted to grant her complete peace, but she found it hard to accept the fact that, regardless of how much she prayed and believed, it might not be enough.

  She sure wished she could find some degree of peace over her impending marriage. To a man she didn’t love, and barely knew. A man who planned on divorcing her five years f
rom tomorrow.

  ~~~~

  Ian punched his pillow for the fiftieth time since crawling into his bed an hour earlier. Usually he fell asleep within minutes because his days were full and he was always pleasantly tired when bedtime rolled around.

  That wasn’t the case tonight.

  Had it only been a mere eight hours ago that he’d been a carefree bachelor? Who hadn’t even had a date in months?

  Now he was going to be a married man tomorrow afternoon. In less than fifteen hours.

  If he hadn’t genuinely liked Paul Blake, if he hadn’t felt so bad for Maddie, he’d have phoned Annie and called everything off. In a heartbeat. But he’d given his word and he always kept it, come what may.

  He just couldn’t seem to wrap his brain around the fact that this time tomorrow, he’d have a wife. He flopped onto his back and groaned.

  His life was going to be over for the next five years. He’d be almost middle aged before he was free again. Not anywhere near an old man, but a whole lot closer to being one than he was now.

  If the Blake’s were right, and there was a God in heaven, Ian figured he’d cemented his place there with the sacrifice he was about to make.

  Well, truth be told, he did believe there was a God. He just didn’t believe the same way all the so-called Christian’s believed. Nor was he prepared to live his life like some of the fanatical, Bible-thumping weirdo’s he’d come across in the past.

  Nope. People got their ticket through the Pearly Gates by being good. And if marrying a virtual stranger to help her father out of a jam wasn’t being good, he didn’t know what was.

  And on that thought, Ian closed his eyes, willed his body to relax, and began counting backwards from one hundred.

  ~~~~

  Ian smothered a grin as he watched Annie’s fingers clutch the armrests so tightly that her fingers turned white. Then he noticed the paleness of her face.