What Nathan Wants
Ruth Ann Nordin
Ruth Ann Nordin’s Books
Springfield, Nebraska
What Nathan Wants - Smashwords Edition
Published by Ruth Ann Nordin at Smashwords
Copyright © 2010 by Ruth Ann Nordin
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes:
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover Photo © Copyright istockPhoto LP. All rights reserved –
Used with permission. Front cover.
Cover made by Bonnie Steffens
Ruth Ann Nordin’s Books
Dedicated to Bonnie Steffens, Brenda Pratt, Archana Vats, Tiffany Davis, and Evalina Irish-Spencer for your encouragement and help with this book.
Chapter One
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
Nathan Rudolph raised an eyebrow in Tyler Jackson’s direction. “You know me better than to ask that question. We’ve been friends for two decades.”
Tyler shook his head. “Yes, but you’ve never done anything this unexpected.”
Nathan ignored the younger man’s exasperation. Instead, his piercing blue eyes swept across his spacious office with windows stretching from the floor to the ceiling, giving him an ample view of downtown Omaha. Nathan, the owner and president of Rudolph Travel Agency, was proud of his accomplishments. However, despite all the fame and fortune he obtained over his forty years on Earth, one thing was missing: an heir, someone he could leave his company to when he died.
The telephone on his large mahogany desk buzzed. Swiveling in his leather chair which matched his desk and the two chairs in front of it, he lifted the receiver. “Yes?”
“Miss Debra Raymond is here to see you,” Carmen Riles, his secretary, said.
“Good. Tyler will bring her in when we’re ready.” He set the phone down and shut his laptop. Standing up, he told Tyler, “Give me a quick glimpse of Miss Raymond.”
Tyler loudly sighed, shifting uncomfortably on the soft black carpet before reading the list on his clipboard. “Debra Raymond is twenty-nine. She’s been in advertising for eight years and has an impressive sales record-”
Nathan held up his hand to stop him. “I don’t care about her employment history. I want to know what she’s like, what her interests are, has she been married, does she have kids. Stuff like that.”
Groaning, Tyler went down the list. “She’s single. No kids. She likes biking, canoeing, and mountain climbing.”
He momentarily grimaced. His strength came from his mind, and he had no desire to explore the outdoors. His idea of roughing it was to fly coach.
“She occasionally reads fiction but prefers to live life rather than read about it,” Tyler continued. “Her parents are both alive and live in San Antonio. She has two brothers and a sister. She has a couple of ex-boyfriends but none were serious. Her longest relationship lasted for five months.”
“What caused the break ups?”
“All she would tell me is that they weren’t compatible.”
“Not compatible? What does that mean? Were her boyfriends not into camping?”
“I don’t know, Nate. I couldn’t get any more from her than that.” Tyler shot him a frustrated look. “It wasn’t easy to interview all these women without arousing their suspicion. They believe you are considering a promotion for one of them.”
He shrugged. “You’re the vice president. Sometimes you have to do the not-so-fun part of the job.”
“If that’s what you can call this ridiculous rounding up of single women in your company,” he sourly replied. “Do you want me to continue?” He motioned to the clipboard.
“That’s enough. I get the picture. Bring her in. Oh,” he began before the blond man could leave the office, “may I remind you that even though you are a friend, you are my employee. I’d prefer it if you didn’t show your disgruntled attitude out there. I like to keep the atmosphere pleasant.” Though his words were firm, they were also kind.
“Yes, boss.” Tyler gave a mock salute, his smile betraying him.
Nathan chuckled. He liked the fact that Tyler wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion. In a world where people kissed up to him to get something, Tyler’s honesty was refreshing, which was why he hired him. After Veronica, he learned the value of honesty. He shook his head. His ex-wife was safely in the past.
When Debra came into the room, he stood up. “Miss Raymond, will you have a seat?”
The perky thin blond nodded and quickly complied. She was surprisingly stunning. Apparently, she knew it too, for when she crossed her legs, she wiggled so that her skirt was forced halfway up her thigh.
Nathan returned to his seat. “I have a few questions to ask you.” He picked up the piece of paper in front of him and read the questions he had written out ahead of time. “What was your childhood like?”
“Great.”
“Did anything happen that might have scarred you for life?”
She giggled. “No. Not unless you count that time I wrestled a rattler to the ground.”
“You did what?” He didn’t mean to let his shock show, but it was unfathomable that anyone, let alone a female, would dare do such a thing.
“It was nothing. Right before college, I traveled through the Amazon with my father. There were more adventures there.”
He held the piece of paper in front of him and imagined what his life would be like with her. Confronting wild animals, risking his life along the way, and probably dying of anxiety...if one of those animals didn’t get him first. No, he decided. He was much better off living a nice, comfortable life safe at home where his biggest danger was his wife trying to talk him into changing a dirty diaper.
Standing up, he said, “Well, it sounds like you have a lot of excitement to look forward to.”
She jumped up and clapped her hands. “Really? Wow! I mean, I didn’t think it would be that easy.”
He blinked and stiffened. Did he miss something?
She leaned forward and winked. “I promise I won’t tell anyone else I got the promotion.”
As she giggled again and practically did a marathon run out of the room, he groaned. Right. She had no idea what he was really doing.
Tyler entered the office and shut the door. “She was unusually happy. Is she the one?”
Nathan cringed. “Hardly.” He sat back down and rubbed his eyes. Why did this have to be so hard? “Do we have a connection with a company that gives tours in an exotic location, like a volcano or something?”
“A volcano?”
He rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. Somewhere dangerous.”
“Well, there is that African Safari package.”
“Perfect.” With a nod, he quickly grabbed a piece of blank paper and wrote on it. “She’s just been promoted.”
As he handed the paper to Tyler, his friend raised an eyebrow. “You’re not really promoting anyone, remember?”
“Who owns this place?”
“Fine. You win.”
“Who’s next?”
Looking at his clipboard, he said, “Amy Watson. She’s a thirty-four-year-old widow--”
“A widow?” Nathan asked. This day and age, he expected either single or divorced for a woman in her thirties.
“Her husband was deployed over to the Middle East and didn’t make it back.”
“Oh. That’s sad. How long ago did it happen?”
“Three years ago. That’s when she started working here.”
“Any kids?”
“Nope.”
“What else do you have on her?” So far, she sounded good, but he’d found that there was usually a catch. “Is she living with someone or does she go clubbing?”
He caught a glint of amusement in Tyler’s eyes. “No. She’s utterly and completely boring. She grew up in the panhandle in Florida, got a bachelor’s degree in history, and met and married her husband who was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base. They were married for five years before they ended up here at Offutt Air Force Base. He got sent overseas and you know the rest. Her parents still live in Fort Walton Beach.”
Nathan’s eyebrows furrowed. “So what’s wrong with her?”
“Nothing as far as I can tell. She’s a travel agent, has a stellar rapport with customers, and gets along with her co-workers.”
“There has to be something wrong with her.”
“If there is, you’ll have to figure out what it is. Are you ready to see her?”
Nathan snapped his fingers. “That’s it, isn’t it? She’s ugly.”
“She’s average. There’s nothing amazing or outwardly repulsive about her. She’s just average. Average personality, average background, average looks.”
Average didn’t sound so bad. Not after everything he’d been through. “Bring her in.”
“After this one, I’m going to lunch.”
“Fine. We can always sort through the next batch this afternoon.”
Though Tyler groaned, he nodded and opened the office door to tell Amy to enter.
Nathan stood and was pleasantly surprised by just how ‘average’ Ms. Watson was. She gave Tyler a nervous smile and entered the room. Her shoulder-length light brown hair was tucked behind her ears. She had a nice figure. It wouldn’t be difficult to slip into bed with her to have that child he wanted. She wore a pink long sleeve shirt and black slacks. The clothes didn’t cling to her, but they did accentuate her curves. Yes, he thought she would do just fine...as long as the interview played out as well as everything up to this point had.
“Please have a seat,” he said. He waited for her to sit before he sat down and picked up his paper. “Ms. Watson, I see that you grew up in Florida. What was it like when you were growing up?”
She frowned and shifted in her chair. “May I ask what this has to do with the promotion?”
“Well, since this is a travel agency, I thought that your background might make you better acquainted to travel.”
It was a lie, but it was one that she seemed to buy, for she relaxed. “Is the position in relation to Florida?”
“Something like that.” Another lie.
“In that case, I’ll be happy to answer the question.”
He hid his grin. He liked that she didn’t jump in and answer his question without making it relevant to what the “job” would entail. She wasn’t one to back down, which meant she’d be a challenge, and if there was something he couldn’t resist, it was a challenge.
“Florida is a beautiful place,” Amy began, using a smile that he guessed she gave all of her customers. “The beaches can be as bright as snow at times, so I often recommend people take sunglasses along. The water is a clear blue with elements of green in it. That’s why the Fort Walton Beach area is called the Emerald Coast. Of course, the summers can be humid--”
He cleared his throat, intentionally interrupting her. “Thank you. It sounds like a wonderful place to visit. Did you go to the beach often?”
“Sure. There are restaurants and gift shops along the beaches, and for a small fee, you can rent a chair and umbrella. People can do lots of fun things there. They can build sandcastles, play in the water, or walk along the beach. There’s nothing quite like a romantic moonlit stroll. It’s really the kind of thing that would fit a getaway for couples.”
He noted the nostalgic look in her eyes and the wistful tone in her statement. Perhaps that was one of the things she had done with her husband. Well, he didn’t need to let her linger down memory lane. He picked up the paper and moved onto the next question. “What are your friends like? Do they know people who might like to travel?” He threw that last one in since she caught him earlier trying to sneak in a question that wasn’t relevant to her job.
She blinked, as if surprised by the change in topic. “To be honest, I don’t believe in asking my friends to send business my way.”
“Really? Why not?”
“Because I think it’s wrong to use people. If my friends want to refer someone my way, that is fine, but I never ask them to do that. Don’t you have an advertising department to handle the aspect of attracting customers?”
Her answer impressed him. He hadn’t figured that his question could be interpreted the way she did, but it told him more about her than he hoped to glean. And that information was all he needed to conclude that she would make an ideal wife. But turning his attention to her question, he decided to answer it. “Of course, I have an advertising department, but word of mouth is more effective. Friends happen to have a tremendous influence on where their other friends go for business.”
“My friends and I don’t use each other for a sales pitch. I have one friend who sells cosmetics, but I don’t like to wear makeup. She doesn’t try to convince me to buy her product, and when she went to a competing travel agency last year for her cruise, I didn’t stop her.”
He straightened in his chair. “She didn’t go through us?”
“Why should she? The other place offered a 20% discount.”
He laughed. “It’s too bad you don’t work for that company.”
“Well, you offer more pay and more vacation time.”
That made him laugh even harder. “It’s good to know I have one redeeming quality.”
She chuckled. “It’s not like I tell my friends not to do some travel through this company. Most of them do buy tickets through here. But I don’t tell them to do it. They choose it.”
“Because of your charming personality?” He sorted through his stack and pulled out her statistics. He glanced at her record as an employee. “You have a better customer service reputation compared to the other employees on your level. Are you aware of that?”
“No.”
He looked back at the facts and figures written out on the paper that he had Tyler make up for him on all the single women in the company. In some ways, it would be a shame to lose her as an employee. If this was a business decision, she would get promoted. But this wasn’t a business decision. It was a personal one. He needed a wife who would give him a child much more than he needed to move a hard working employee through the company ranks.
He collected another group of papers and handed them to her. “In case I decide to hire you, I will need your signature on a few pages. It’s all minor technicalities, of course, but pertinent to the new position.”
There was no need for her to read the ones underneath that would give him permission to marry her by proxy, should the case arise. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that, but he’d learned long ago to cover all his bases.
She took the papers and started reading the top one, which he purposely set up as a decoy. It was a detailed explanation of what the marketing supervisor did. He purposely made the font smaller in hopes it would slow her down, and by the way she squinted, his ruse was working.
He pressed the button on his phone which was his signal to Carmen. He tapped his fingers on the desk as he waited for his secretary to buzz for him. After a good thirty seconds, his intercom finally buzzed.
He pressed the button. “Yes, Carmen?”
In a bored tone, his secretary said, “Mr. Rudolph, there is something very important you need to do.”
He got ready to reply but she beat him to it.
“No. It can’t wait. You must hurry.” Then he thought he heard her yawn. “There must be no delay. I—”
Irritated, he shut off the intercom but replied, “I’ll be right there.” Bolting to his feet, he rushed to Amy’s side and handed her a pen. “I need your signature on these three pages.” He lifted the papers enough for her to see the signature line. “I’ll fill in the dates and all that.”
“Well, I—” Amy began uncertainly.
“Please, Ms. Watson? I have a crucial meeting to attend.” He gave her the best pleading expression he could muster and followed it up by what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
“I...” She glanced back at the papers and then at him. With a shrug, she smiled and said, “Okay.” Then she signed everything.
Before she could read anything else, he grabbed the papers. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Watson.”
She frowned as she eased out of her seat. “Is that it?”
“Yes. I only need a few minutes to make a decision.” Now that he knew what to look for. And thanks to his ex-wife, that was easy enough. He just needed someone who was the complete opposite of her, and Amy was a startling contrast to Veronica. Just their names alone signified how the great the gulf was between them. While Veronica was all things fancy and superficial, Amy struck him as simple and honest. And simple and honest suited him perfectly.
“Oh. Well, thank you.”
He wondered if she’d be thanking him when she realized exactly what her new role would be, but then he decided he’d find out soon enough. There was no sense in making the announcement until he had time to select her ring. Instead, he led her out of his office. “Have a good day, Ms. Watson.”
Tyler rose an eyebrow but waited until she made it to the elevator before turning to him. “You saw her out?”
“Yes.” He glanced at his secretary. “Cancel the other appointments.”
Tyler followed him as he went back to his desk. “So that’s the one you want?”
“Yes. She’s cute, don’t you think?”
“Did you tell her what her promotion really is?”
He shrugged. “She’ll find out soon enough.” He retrieved his jacket and slipped it on. “May is a good month for a wedding.”
Tyler sighed. “I’ll get ready for lunch.”
As he departed, Nathan quickly dug out his appointment book and sorted through it. A week ought to be enough time for Ms. Watson to get her things in order so she could marry him. He penciled in the 28th. There. It was Memorial Day weekend. Three days before he had to get back to work to meet with Jack Bently. Three days was plenty of time for him and Ms. Watson to enjoy a mini-honeymoon.
He exited his office and told his secretary to call a wedding receptionist, a florist, and to book the trip to Destin, Florida. He figured that his new wife might like to introduce him to her parents.
As he finished concluding the ‘to do’ list to the overwhelmed older woman, Tyler came up to him and shook his head and told her, “While you’re at it, why don’t you get him a clue.”
“What woman wouldn’t be happy marrying into money?” Nathan asked.
“One who didn’t ask for it,” the secretary stated, peering up at him through her bifocals.
“She’ll be fine. What I’ll offer her is better than a job.”
“That depends on who you ask.”
“Right,” Tyler added. “You can be a real ogre at times.”
The woman chuckled.
“Ha ha,” Nathan said, hiding his amusement. “Come on. I’m famished. Interviewing for a wife is hard work.” He pressed the elevator button and turned to Carmen. “Oh, I need you to also order a dozen roses and a wedding ring.”
She gave him an exasperated look.
“You have until five,” he replied. That should be plenty of time to make those phone calls.
Once he and Tyler stepped into the elevator, she called out, “You’re right. I’ll just wait for tomorrow to call your doctor about that fungus.”
He gasped.
Tyler laughed.
“It’s athletes foot,” Nathan clarified. “And I just need some cream to clear it up.”
“That’ll teach you to mess with her.”
“Well, I guess she deserves one slip of the tongue. But she better not make it a habit,” he yelled so that she could hear him.
While the doors closed, she pretended to yawn.
He sighed. Considering how well she did her job, he figured he’d let her off the hook—just this one time. Besides, he had his future to think about, and he couldn’t wait until May 28th.
Chapter Two
“How did it go?” Danielle Pearce asked as Amy entered the travel agency which was a good six blocks from the Rudolph headquarters.
Amy put her purse on her desk and sat in her chair. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she shrugged, “I don’t know. I think it went alright, but part of me thinks that my answers were dumb.”
“You always think you do poorly and end up getting what you’re striving for.”
“That’s the strange thing. I mean, I didn’t even apply for this promotion.”
“I guess the higher ups saw your excellent customer service report.” Danielle sighed and took a sip from her bottled water. “Lucky me. I let PMS get in the way of being pleasant all the time.”
Amy laughed. “Oh come on. You do fine.”
“I don’t know. There was Murphy.”
“Yeah, but Murphy was crazy. It’s not like you can go into the system and magically change the price of an airline ticket.” She logged into her computer. “What was the price he wanted to pay?”
“$100 for a roundtrip ticket to Mexico.”
“Like I said, he was crazy.”
Danielle giggled. “Yeah, I guess he was. He had me rattled up so bad that it took my husband giving me a back rub, a foot rub, and a hot bubble bath before I was able to calm down.”
Amy smiled and shook her head. “And here I thought the two day shopping spree we did at the mall did the trick.”
“Well, I admit that helped a teeny tiny bit.”
A woman with two children walked into the agency.
“Go on to lunch. I grabbed a bite to eat on my way back,” Amy told her best friend. “I’ll take care of them.”
Danielle eagerly picked up her purse. “Who am I to argue with the one who was interviewed for the new job?”
Amy playfully rolled her eyes. The ordeal would have meant more if she knew exactly what this new job was. All she’d gotten was an email from Tyler Jackson stating that the board members—whoever they were—had taken a look at her job performance and thought she might qualify for a job promotion. It didn’t say what the promotion was for, but there were rumors floating around that a position in marketing had just opened up and that seemed to fall in line with what little she’d read on the papers Nathan had her sign. Amy thought a marketing job could be fun.
Pushing her questions aside, she stood up and approached them. “Good afternoon. May I help you?”
The mother nodded. “Yes. My husband and I want to go on a cruise.” She glanced at her children. “The grandparents said they’d watch these two guys.”
“Then it really is a vacation,” Amy teased. “Alright. If you come this way, I’ll see what I can do for you.” She led the woman to her desk and got down to business.
***
The afternoon passed by uneventfully, and just as Danielle and Amy were about to close the agency for the day, Mr. Rudolph walked into the place, followed by Mr. Jackson.
Danielle’s eyes widened as she met Amy’s startled gaze.
Amy knew what the look her friend was giving her meant, and Amy’s heart did crazy flip flops. She must have gotten the job. After all, the president of the company didn’t pay a personal visit just to tell the interviewee that he wouldn’t hire her. But still, why would Mr. Rudolph come? Shouldn’t he send her an email or have Tyler do that?
Mr. Rudolph walked up to Amy, a pleasant smile on his handsome face. He extended his hand to her, and despite her surprise, she shook it. “Congratulations, Amy. You should clear out your desk since you no longer work here. You have been chosen.”
Danielle gave her a thumbs up sign.
Amy smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Rudolph. Exactly what is the new job?” She couldn’t accept it until she knew what she’d be getting herself into.
“You will be my wife.”
Danielle’s jaw dropped and Mr. Jackson winced.
Amy stood there in shock, just shaking his hand.
“Take this week to pretty yourself up for the wedding.” He released her hand and pulled out his business card. “If you need to ask me any questions before the 28th, you can reach me at that number.”
“Don’t forget the email address,” Mr. Jackson dryly added.
“Oh, right. Yes. Amy, you are certainly welcome to email me too. Now, I don’t want you to worry about a thing, so I took care of all the wedding arrangements, including the ring. There is one thing you’ll need to do though, and that is getting the dress. Just tell whatever bridal shop you go to that I sent you and they’ll send the bill to me. I don’t want to make this a big to do, so I will send a limo to your apartment and we’ll get married at my house. Feel free to invite whoever you want. I will have my secretary give you more details in a package she’s putting together. Hopefully, that will be on your doorstep tomorrow before noon.”
Danielle, who hadn’t budged from her spot, still had her jaw lowered in shock.
Mr. Jackson just shook his head as if he couldn’t believe this was happening.
And when Amy returned her gaze to Mr. Rudolph, she realized that he wasn’t joking. Nope. He was as serious as could be. And not only was he serious, but he was grinning at her as if he had just announced that she won the lottery. Well, she was going to put a stop to this before it got out of hand.
“No,” she said.
He blinked. “No what?”
“I’m keeping my job here.”
“But it’s against company policy for me to marry you if you work for me.”
“Which is a good reason why you can’t do this.”
“Of course, I can. In case you aren’t aware of the implications of marrying me, I have to fire you.”
“Fire me?”
“Or you can quit. Either way, I think you’ll find your unemployment package to your liking. You’ll have access to my checking account and everything.”
Her cheeks grew hot. “I don’t want your checking account.”
Danielle finally closed her jaw and mouthed the words, He’s rich.
Amy already knew that, but she didn’t care. “We do not have an agreement. I will not marry you. I will keep working here.”
His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Why?”
“Because I don’t like being told what to do, that’s why. I’m an adult. I’m not a child who needs my decisions made for me.”
“But you can’t do better than me.”
Behind him, Tyler groaned, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes.
Amy glared at Nathan. Tall, dark, good looking...and an ego to boot! “I’m surprised you don’t just club me on the head and drag me back to your cave.”
“Do you really prefer such hostile treatment?”
“I don’t see how what you’re doing is much better.”
His eyes grew wide. “I just offered you a good deal.”
Crossing her arms, she said, “I’m not marrying you, and there’s nothing you can do that will make me.”
“But the arrangements are being made as we speak. I even got tickets to visit your parents.”
“My parents are in on this?” she asked in horror.
“No. They don’t know yet. I meant that we’ll go see them on our honeymoon.”
“Feel free to go, but I won’t be joining you.” In a huff, she grabbed her purse and stomped past him. “Come on, Danielle. Let’s get out of here before I shove something up his butt.” Like my foot. Really. The nerve! How dare he treat her as if she were an object he could purchase from a store? Congratulations, indeed! The man was a big oaf! She reached the door, turned and realized that Danielle hadn’t budged from her spot. “Danielle!”
Danielle bit her lower lip and shrugged. “Are you sure you don’t want to at least think about it?”
“Danielle,” Amy growled.
“Okay. I’m coming.” Danielle gave Mr. Rudolph and Mr. Jackson a timid smile before she took her purse and joined her friend.
“This is ridiculous,” Nathan called out, looking bewildered. “I’ve chosen you, Ms. Watson, and I have every intention of marrying you.”
Fighting the urge to scream, Amy threw the door open and hurried outside. I’ve chosen you, Ms. Watson, and I have every intention of marrying you. He had a lot of nerve!
Danielle had to run to keep up with her. “You know, I don’t mean to pry—”
“Good. Then don’t.” Amy reached her car and shoved her key into the lock.
“But he is rich...and gorgeous.”
“There’s more to a man than how much he makes or how he looks.”
“True. But you could have your own house with all the money he makes. Think of all the shopping sprees you can have, and you don’t even have to work for it.”
“You can’t be serious.”
Danielle shrugged. “If it were me, I’d take him up on it.”
She rolled her eyes and yanked her car door open. “And I thought you had standards.”
“I do. I have plenty of standards. Like, a real diamond instead of a cubic zirconium. Real gold instead of the fake stuff. Spas, clothes that have labels I could actually show the public, fancy restaurants... What more could a woman ask for?”
Amy jumped into her seat and slammed the door. Rolling down her window, she shook her head. “You disappoint me, Danielle.”
“What? Why? Do you really want to spend the rest of your life from paycheck to paycheck?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Alright. Try not to get into an accident.”
Amy caught sight of Mr. Rudolph talking to Mr. Jackson as they left the agency. She resisted the urge to run the rat over and sped away in the opposite direction.
***
The next day, Amy returned to work, relieved when she saw that her stuff was still there on her desk. Good.
“Hey, girl,” Danielle called out as she stepped out of the backroom with a coffee cup in her hand. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah.” Amy placed her purse on her desk and sat down. She turned on her computer. “I still can’t believe the nerve of our boss.”
She shrugged and sat down, still holding the cup in her hands. “You know, you should be flattered. I heard he interviewed almost every single woman in his company, and he picked you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yay for me.”
Giggling, she added, “That says a lot about you and you know it. You’re still attractive.”
“Like I said, ‘Yay for me.’”
“Must you be so negative? If nothing else, you could spend the rest of your life enjoying his money. I bet you could buy a car for each day of the week. Why, you could probably head out to Paris just because you wanted to have lunch there.”
“Too bad you married a teacher.”
“You know I wouldn’t give up Randy for anyone.”
“Yeah. I know, but I also know you’d marry Mr. Rudolph in a heartbeat if you were single.”
She didn’t deny it, which only proved Amy’s point.
The door opened and in walked a delivery man. He held an envelope and looked at their nameplates. Then he went over to Amy. “Are you Amy Watson?”
Amy could tell that Danielle was biting back a sarcastic retort. How could the man look at her nameplate and then ask her that question? But Amy decided to ignore her friend’s amused expression and nodded. “Yes, I’m Amy Watson.”
“This is for you. Will you sign here?” He handed her an electronic clipboard.
She hesitated for a moment but finally signed it.
“Thank you.” He handed her the envelope.
After he left, she opened it.
“Who’s it from?” Danielle wondered before sipping her coffee.
“Thompson & Thompson Law Firm.”
Danielle’s eyes grew wide and she straightened in her chair. “Is someone suing you?”
“I don’t think so.” Apprehensive, Amy pulled out the document and started reading it. Color drained from her face. “Oh no.”
“What?” Danielle leaned forward, as if she were about to watch whether or not her winning team would get a touchdown.
“I can’t believe he did this!” Amy jumped out of her seat, her heart racing in a mixture of anger and horror.
“Did what?!” She jumped up too. Though some coffee spilled from her cup, she didn’t seem to notice.
“This can’t be legal!”
“What? What can’t be legal?”
Amy glanced from her friend to the document and flipped through the pages so she could make sure she understood it right. This couldn’t be happening. It had to be a sick and twisted joke! “He just can’t do this!”
Danielle finally put the cup down and loudly groaned. “Will you please tell me already? The suspense is killing me!”
“Mr. Rudolph married me by proxy.”
She gasped, her eyes bulging out even more, which Amy didn’t think was possible. “Nathan Rudolph?”
“Is there another Rudolph?”
“But how did he do that?”
“I don’t know, but he did!”
“Wow!” Danielle took the license and stared at it. “Wow!”
“Wow? Is that all you can say?”
“Well...I mean...This is just so...Wow!”
Amy groaned and rubbed her eyes. How could her day get any worse?
As if on cue, two men came into the agency.
“Is there an Amy Rudolph in the room?” one of them asked.
“Amy what?” she nearly screamed.
Danielle—the traitor—pointed at her.
The men approached her, making her take a step back. They were tall and strong. What did Mr. Rudolph do? Hire goons to drag her to his home?
“Ma’am, here’s your notice.”
“Notice for what?” she demanded, unwilling to take the envelope he held out.
“You’re fired.”
The color drained from her face. “Fired?”
“As of eight o’clock this morning. It’s against company policy for you to work for Mr. Rudolph if you’re married to him. We’ve been ordered to clear your desk.”
“Wow,” Danielle said again, sounding shocked.
The walls were closing in on Amy. It was getting hard to breathe. She shook her head, unable to believe this was really happening. She pinched herself. Nope. She wasn’t having a nightmare.
“We’ll take these things to your new residence,” the man said as he started putting her things into an empty cardboard box.
Amy stamped her foot on the floor. “I’m not married to him!”
The other man shrugged as he took her name plate and threw it into the trash can. “We just work for him. If you want to work this out, you’ll have to deal with him personally.”
“I’d just as soon take a walk on broken glass!” She grabbed her purse before the goons could take it and took the marriage license from Danielle. Then she stormed out of the building.
Danielle ran after her. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going straight into Rudolph’s office so I can rip this up right in front of his face.”
“Wait!” Danielle grabbed her arm and turned her around. “Let’s think this through.”
“I’m not staying married to him...if this is even legit.”
“Oh, of course, you won’t. Though I would if I were in your shoes.”
“Danielle.” Her voice held a hint of warning in it.
Danielle shot her an apologetic smile. “No. What I meant was that while you are the very wealthy Mrs. Rudolph, you should do what rich wives do.”
“Sorry. I’m not interested in having an affair.”
“No. Not that. Look, what fun is having money if you can’t spend it?”
“You want me to go shopping?”
“Sure. That’ll show him! And to add insult to injury, I’ll be happy to come and help you blow as much of his money as possible.” Danielle clapped her hands, her eyes twinkling. “And think of all the damage we can do in one day.”
“That’s exactly what he wants me to do. Once I spend his money, he’ll take that to mean I want to be his wife.”
“Oh come on, Amy. I really need a hot tub.”
“You do not need a hot tub.”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes. “I want a hot tub.”
“Well, you’ll have to keep saving for it. I’m not staying married to him.” Amy glanced at the document. “He can’t bind me to this!”
Her friend groaned, her shoulders slumped. “You don’t have enough fun. Ever.”
“I’m not touching a cent of Mr. Rudolph’s dirty money.”
“Who do you think pays your wages?”
“Paid. In case you haven’t noticed, I now qualify for unemployment checks.” Amy reached her car and unlocked the door.
“At least get a new car first. I mean, that thing is on its last leg.”
Amy glanced at her rusty Toyota. “Hey, these things were made to last.” She ignored her friend’s eye roll and slipped into her seat. “I’ll call you once I get everything straightened out.”
Danielle sighed. “Alright. Though we could have some serious fun first.”
Pretending she didn’t hear her, Amy closed the door and headed for Mr. Rudolph’s office.
Chapter Three
“Well, we’re certainly glad to see that she’s found love again,” Amy’s mother said.
Nathan smiled into the phone. “I hope you’ll forgive us for not telling you sooner.”
“That’s how Amy is. She doesn’t like big social gatherings, so it’s not a surprise that she chose to elope with you. We’re just surprised she never said anything about you.”
“She didn’t?” He feigned shock as he leaned back in his office chair.
She chuckled. “Who’s to blame her though? She’s always been a private person. But are you sure you want to pay for our tickets? We can afford it.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t think of it. We married without telling you. It’s the least we can do, especially since you’ve been gracious about it.”
“Well, alright.”
The door to his office flung open and there stood an irate Amy, holding the document that could only be their marriage license.
“I just got a business call,” he told Amy’s mother. “I’ll send you an email about the tickets.”
“Okay. Tell Amy that her parents can’t wait to see her.”
He glanced up uneasily as Amy stormed over to him, looking like a bull heading for the red cloth. “Will do. Bye.” He quickly hung up and smiled at her. “Hello, honey. Is there something bothering you?”
“How could you?” she yelled, waving the paper in front of him. “I’m not something you can buy, Mr. Rudolph!”
He glanced out the doorway where his secretary grinned knowingly at him. So much for loyalty! He turned his attention back to his annoyed bride. “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re cute when you’re angry?”
Amy’s face became red, and if she could, she’d have smoke coming out of her ears. “This can’t be legal!”
“Oh, it is. I went to Colorado yesterday and made it happen.”
“But I didn’t go with you.”
“I don’t need you to go with me. Someone stood in your place.”
“But you need my permission. I never gave you permission to marry me by proxy!”
He pulled out the papers he had her sign when she’d been there before. “See for yourself.”
She gasped as she read the contents of what she really signed. “You...! I was told I was signing up for a job!”
“You did. You signed up to be my wife.”
“No, I didn’t! I signed up for something that had to do with marketing!”
“Oh that. Somehow, that particular paper got mixed in there.”
She grunted and tore the papers up. “I don’t care what these say. It can’t be legal!”
“It doesn’t matter what you say. Those documents will hold up in court.” He pulled out his desk drawer and took out more papers. “I have my own copies, so feel free to tear these up too.” Then he held them out to her.
She stamped her foot on the floor and grunted.
He blinked. “I didn’t realize you were so stressed out about this whole thing. You know what you need? A day at the spa. It’ll relax you.” He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and handed her a credit card. “You have access to my accounts. Go out and treat yourself. Take along that friend of yours too if you want. Make a day of it.”
She screamed, threw the card on the floor and stomped on it.
His eyebrows rose. He thought she might be upset, but he didn’t realize she’d go ballistic.
Tyler came to his doorway, looking panicked. “Is someone dying?”
“No,” Nathan called out. “My wife is having newlywed jitters.”
She stopped stomping on the card and glared at him. “Newlywed jitters?”
“Look, you just need to give this marriage time. You’ll learn to like me. I promise I’m not that bad.”
“Believe me, Mr. Rudolph, you don’t want to know my opinion of you.”
“Nathan.”
She looked startled. “What?”
“My name is Nathan. Mr. Rudolph is what people under me call me. However, you are now my equal. Therefore, you may address me as Nathan.”
Tyler groaned and rolled his eyes. “Smooth, Nate. Real smooth.”
“What?” Nathan didn’t understand what the problem was. It wasn’t like he married her and then set her in a dark, cold dungeon somewhere. It wasn’t like he hit her over the head and told her she was now his slave. He was lifting her from the low level job she had and exalting her to the position of his wife. What was wrong with that?
She glanced at Tyler. “You were in on this too.”
“And I warned him that this would happen,” his friend said.
“There’s no need to get him involved,” Nathan told her. “I’m his boss. Tyler has to do what I say.”
She huffed. “And I suppose that I have to do what you say too?”
“Well, it would be nice,” he admitted. “At the very least, it would make things easier.”
“Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not your wife.”
“The document proves otherwise.”
“That’s a simple fix. I’ll request an annulment.”
He gasped and straightened in his chair. “What? Why?”
After rolling her eyes, she turned to leave.
He leaned forward and pressed a button on his phone. “Get security up here.”
She spun on her heel and turned back to him. “What are you doing?”
“Keeping you from making a big mistake.”
Tyler looked at the amused secretary and said, “Help me get rid of all the sharp objects in his office.”
The woman shook her head. “She has every right to do whatever she will.”
“Without him, there’s no check.”
She loudly sighed and stood up. As she passed Amy, she placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered something.
Nathan frowned. “What are you telling her?”
She shrugged and innocently said, “Nothing.”
Right. Nothing. As if he believed that one. But for the moment, he couldn’t afford to waste his time. “There’s no need to remove anything from my office. I’m going home early to celebrate the day with my wife.”
“What?” Amy screamed.
“Celebrate?” the secretary asked.
“You’re nuts,” Tyler added.
He waved his hand. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Amy crossed her arms in open defiance. Her jaw jutted out and she narrowed her eyes at him.
“Oh, that’s a shame since your parents will be arriving here tomorrow.” He logged off his computer and grabbed his briefcase.
“My parents?” Her face grew red. “You contacted my parents?”
“Yes. They sound like lovely people. Well, they did from the time I spent on the phone with them.”
She gasped. “You were talking to them when I came in here?”
“Of course. You know, they were shocked to learn that you were married. They wonder why you didn’t tell them you were dating again.”
Tyler groaned and left the office. “I give up. Carmen, arrange for Nate’s funeral.”
The secretary nodded and ran to the phone.
Nathan sighed. “There’s not going to be a funeral.”
Carmen glanced at Amy who practically had steam coming out of her ears. “That’s what you think.” Then she picked up the phone.
The elevator door opened and the security guard emerged from it. “Is there a problem, Mr. Rudolph?”
Nathan turned to Amy. “I need to explain things to you, but I’d rather do it at home.”
“I’m not going home with you. I have my own place.”
“You had your own place.”
Carmen spoke into the phone. “Yes, I’d like to purchase a burial plot by the city dump.”
“What do you mean I had my own place?” Amy demanded.
“I took the liberties of hiring a moving company as soon as the agency opened this morning,” Nathan said. “I didn’t want you to worry about paying movers or trying to lug all your stuff by yourself. There’s no need to thank me.”
“Thank you?” she snapped.
Carmen drummed her fingers on her desk. “I don’t know. Do you have a tombstone in the shape of a rat?”
“I’m not going home with you,” Amy said. She stared at the guard. “Are you going to make me go with him?”
The guard winced and shot a pleading look at Nathan.
Nathan sighed. Obviously, Amy had a slight aversion to this marriage. “Alright. Let her go. I guess I’ll explain everything when her parents come in. And they sounded excited too. I really hate to disappoint parents, especially since mine are no longer alive.”
“Why don’t you just call them and cancel?” she asked.
“They’re excited to see you. I figure the least I can do is let them see their only child. Besides, I can’t refund the tickets. I’m not thrilled with the idea of losing money.”
“Then I’ll call them and cancel.”
His eyebrows rose. By the way her parents talked, he knew they were close to her, and he didn’t think she’d have the heart to tell them to stay in Florida. “Alright.” He stepped aside and motioned to the phone.
She marched over to it and picked it up. “Don’t think I won’t do it.”
“Oh, I have no doubt you’ll call.” He crossed his arms and watched in amusement. She really was cute. In a lot of ways, she was pretty, especially when her cheeks were flushed and her hair slightly out of place.
She narrowed her eyes at him, as if gauging whether he mocked her or not. Then she dialed the number and stared straight ahead at the wall.
He glanced at his secretary who also waited to see what she’d do. His gaze fell to the security guard, and he indicated that the man could go, which he did.
Amy cleared her throat. “Hi, Mom.” She paused. “Oh, yes. Well, you see... What?”
The corner of Nathan’s mouth twitched upward. He liked her parents and wanted to meet them.
After a moment, Amy said, “We’ll be there.” She hung up.
He glanced at Carmen whose eyes nearly bugged out of her head. And his secretary didn’t think he understood women! He shot her a triumphant look, but she rolled her eyes and returned to the phone.
“So we are going to be at the airport tomorrow?” he asked his new wife in interest.
Amy spun around and shot him a glaring look. “Don’t think for a minute this means we’re married.”
“I don’t need to think it. I know it.”
“I mean, don’t think we’re staying married.”
“Of course not.”
“I don’t care much for the tone in your voice.”
His eyes widened innocently. “What tone?”
She stormed up to him and placed her hands on her hips, not seeming to be disturbed by the fact that he stood nearly a foot taller than her. “The tone that says that you’ve won. You haven’t won. This isn’t over.”
“That remains to be seen.”
She grunted and brushed past him.
“Remember, all your things are on their way to my home. If you feel inclined, you may take my limo. I can call if you wish.”
She pressed the elevator button. “I’m not going to your home.”
“Not today then.”
She loudly groaned as the elevator doors opened. She stepped into it and pressed the button to go down.
“I hope you have a good night. I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow afternoon,” he called out.
The doors closed as she scowled at him.
His secretary hung up the phone and muttered, “You are asking for it.”
“She’ll get over it. I’m not that bad.”
“That depends on who you ask.”
Deciding to ignore the remark, he returned to his office and shut the door.
Chapter Four
Amy grumbled as she pulled on Danielle’s long nightshirt. She never felt so miserable in her entire life. Her parents were due to come into town tomorrow, thinking that she wanted to be married, and to add insult to injury, she was homeless. Nathan, she learned, didn’t play fair. Well, she’d beat him at his own game. She’d find a way out of this mess if it was the last thing she did.
Groaning, she left the bathroom and passed the two screaming kids—one two and one four—in the hallway until she reached the spare bedroom.
Danielle fluffed a pillow on the bed and smiled at her. “Don’t let it get you down.”
“How can I not? I’m homeless and unemployed. I don’t know how I’m going to tell my parents the truth.” She took off her watch and placed it on the nightstand. “Why did this have to happen to me?”
Danielle stood up straight and placed a hand on her hip. “You’re not that bad off. You’re married to one of the richest men in Nebraska.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t remind me.”
“Oh come on, Amy. It’s not going to be that bad. If you insist on getting out of the marriage, turn your parents against him. No man wants in-laws he can’t stand. Trust me. Randy was miserable before I told my mom that she’d better start treating him right.”
“I guess that’d be worth a try.”
“You mean, you’re going to try it?”
“Why not? What have I got to lose? There’s nothing else he can do to me.”
Danielle shrugged. “I guess not, though it is a shame to waste all that money. Are you sure you don’t want to try the whole ‘spend as much of his money as you can in one afternoon’ idea?”
“Money won’t faze him. He makes so much of it, it doesn’t even matter. But the in-law thing might work.” She pulled back the sheet and comforter and slipped into the bed as some ideas came to her. “This might really work! Danielle, I’ll need your help.”
She blinked in surprise. “My help? What for?”
“You can help me convince my parents that he’s a real jerk. Here.” She patted the spot in front of her. “Let’s make a plan!”
“Does this plan involve a hot tub?”
Realizing that a bargain would solidify the deal, Amy relented. “Alright. It includes a hot tub.”
She squealed and sat down.
***
Nathan arrived early at the airport and wondered if Amy would come. He didn’t know enough about her to know where she stayed the previous night, nor did he want to snoop on her. In time, she’d come around. He was sure of it. Sometimes women needed time to absorb a shock. And she, obviously, just needed time. That’s all. And surely, she’d want to see her parents. During that time, he could find a way to smooth out the rough patches in their marriage.
Yep, it was just a matter of time before she admitted she was glad he picked her.
People began emerging out of the gate. He straightened as he and the others who expected loved ones to come off the plane waited down the corridor past the security personnel who manned the scanners. It’d been a long time since he had to deal with parents. From talking to Amy’s mother and father on the phone, he was confident that he’d get along with them. They seemed like nice, normal people. He glanced around the airport again, wondering if Amy wasn’t going to welcome her parents after all.
Turning his attention back to the sea of passengers, he caught sight of a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and straw hat. He had a white mustache and a big smile. A chuckle rose in his throat. That had to be her father. Her mother said he always wore those clothes when he traveled anywhere. He claimed it made him feel young. Surprisingly, her mother wore a nice light green pant suit. She wore her light blond hair back with a clip at the nape of her neck.
In Nathan’s opinion, the pair couldn’t be more mismatched. They didn’t look like they belonged together at all, though by the way they talked to each other, they looked like two newlyweds in love. A flicker of envy swept over him. What was it like to experience that kind of love? One not built on possessions or service but on mutual respect and friendship.
Pushing aside the longing, he stepped forward and extended his hand as they approached him. “Hi. I’m Nathan.”
Her father was the first to shake it. “Good to put a name with a face. Marge and I are glad to meet you. If our little girl chose you, then you ought to be something special.”
Her mother laughed and nudged her husband in the side before she reached out to shake Nathan’s hand. “Now Terry, don’t embarrass him. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nathan.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” Just as Nathan thought, he liked them already.
“Where’s Amy?” Terry looked around the crowded area.
“Well, you see—” Nathan began.
“Mom! Dad!”
Nathan stopped and turned his attention to Amy who appeared as if she’d just run a mile.
She was out of breath with her hair in disarray around her shoulders. She hugged her parents. “I didn’t know you were due in at four.”
“What?” Nathan remembered telling her what time her parents would be in.
Amy turned to him and shook her head. “Why didn’t you return any of my phone calls? I asked you when I needed to come. I know your meeting ran long, but these are my parents.”
In that instant, he understood her ploy. Yes, she was still mad that he forced her to marry him. Well, he didn’t get in the position he was in by letting these curveballs throw him off guard. Putting on a contrite expression, he said, “I thought I did, honey.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and slapped his forehead. “I forgot to turn this back on. I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Looking at her parents with a ‘please forgive me’ expression, he added, “They don’t like cell phones going off when you’re in a meeting.”
Amy’s jaw dropped.
Her father patted him on the shoulder. “No harm in that, son. It was an honest mistake.” He smiled at Nathan and Amy. “The point is you’re both here.”
Her mother clapped her hands and sighed. “Oh, Terry, don’t they make such a wonderful couple?”
“They sure do. A fine looking one.”
Crisis averted, Nathan smiled and put his arm around Amy’s shoulders. “Well, I’m thankful to have her. She’s an incredible woman. You two did a great job of raising her.”
Her parents grinned at each other.
Nathan turned his gaze to Amy and smiled.
She, in turn, scowled at him before she flung his arm off her shoulders and took her parents by the arms. “We should get your luggage and take you to your hotel. I’m sure you’re exhausted after the long flight here.”
“Actually, honey, your parents are staying with us,” Nathan cheerfully announced, waiting to see if she could wiggle her way out of coming to live with him—at least while her parents were around.
“Oh, we don’t want to impose,” her mother argued.
“Right,” Amy agreed.
“Who’s imposing? I have five bedrooms, and four aren’t even being used. It’ll be good to air one of them out.” There, Nathan decided, that settled it. Not only would she have to stay in his house but she’d also be sleeping in his bed.
“Oh, well, if you’re sure,” her mother hesitantly said.
“Of course, we’re sure,” he replied. “We’re all family, and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t act like one.”
“I can’t argue with that logic,” her father replied.
Amy’s face grew red as she shot a glaring look in Nathan’s direction, but he ignored it and motioned for the escalators. “The baggage claim is downstairs.”
He led the way, content to listen to her parents telling Amy things like, “It’s good to see you again”, “We missed you”, “You’re looking good.”, and “We’ve never been to Omaha before. What is there to do here?”
Since Amy seemed to be at a loss for words, Nathan decided to answer their last question. As they stepped off the escalator, he said, “Omaha has many fine attractions, depending on what you like to do. Do you prefer anything like museums, golf courses, nature trails, shows?”
“Oooh, I’d love to do some golfing,” her father eagerly stated.
“I do quite a bit of golfing. We should play. Are you any good?”
Her mother laughed. “Good? He may wear clothes so bright you need sunglasses, but he can hold his own.”
“What’s wrong with my clothes?” he asked.