To Wed and Protect (11 page)

He returned to the living room, grateful for any task to take his mind off everything that had happened that afternoon. Before he began to string the guitar, he checked the front door, as well, to make sure it was locked up tight.

He sat on the sofa and began to string the guitar, his thoughts whirling chaotically in his head. Surely Justin Cahill wouldn't be foolish enough to try to take the children by force.

He'd want to present himself as a poor, beleaguered man who'd been wrongly accused of his ex-wife's death, acquitted of the crime and now wanting, needing to be reunited with his children.

His role as victim wouldn't work if he stormed this place and took his children by force.

It didn't take Luke long to string the guitar, then he worked on tuning it, strumming the strings softly so as not to disturb the other occupants in the house. When the guitar was tuned to his satisfaction, he placed it on the coffee table and set about making his bed for the night.

Keeping in mind that there were two kids in the house, he decided to sleep in his jeans. In the morning they'd all have to take a trip to the ranch so Luke could get some spare clothes.

Luke yawned, surprised to find himself exhausted. Normally on a Saturday night he'd play at the Honky
Tonk until three in the morning, but on this Saturday night he was exhausted despite the fact that it was just a few minutes after ten.

Within minutes of keeping his eyes closed, he fell asleep.

A scream awoke him. He sat straight up, for a moment disoriented as to his surroundings and what had pulled him from his sleep. A sliver of moonlight slid through the windows, and as he looked around the room he remembered. He was at Abby's.

The scream came again, a familiar, high-pitched expression of abject terror. Jason. Luke sprang from the sofa and raced down the hallway to the little boy's room.

Abby was already there, and just like last time Jason's arms and legs were flailing wildly as he suffered the throes of an unspeakable nightmare.

“Shh, baby, it's all right. I'm right here,” Abby said as she fought to control Jason's gyrations.

This time, instead of giving Abby an opportunity to send him away, Luke strode into the bedroom and sat on the end of the bed. Gently but firmly, he grasped Jason's ankles so the little boy couldn't kick Abby and she could concentrate on dodging his windmilling arms as she tried to wrench him from his nightmare dreamscape.

“Jason, sweetie, wake up. It's just a dream. You're safe here.”

Within minutes Jason had awakened and sobbed in Abby's arms. “I don't want to live with my daddy,” he cried. “I want to stay here with you forever.”

“And that's exactly what you're going to do,”
Abby assured him. “Don't you worry, Jason. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that you live with me forever.”

Luke remained seated on the foot of the bed as Abby stroked Jason's brow and attempted to send the little boy back into a peaceful slumber.

She was a terrific mother. Luke's admiration for Abby fluttered through him. These kids needed her. They needed her patience and her love. And he once again silently vowed to do anything it took to help her win her case.

As the minutes passed, Luke became aware of several things, like the fact that Abby's sweet scent filled the room and that she was clad only in a pale pink frilly nightgown.

With the light shining from the night-light in a nearby wall socket, the gown almost appeared translucent. Luke couldn't tell if he could really see the faint, dark circles of her nipples beneath the thin fabric or if it was just his imagination.

He knew every inch of her, had lovingly studied her body the single time they had made love, but now he had an overwhelming desire to learn every inch of her body all over again.

His body reacted to his thoughts, filling with a tension that seemed almost unbearable. But it was a tension he wouldn't, couldn't follow through on.

He'd told her that everything would be aboveboard, that he would sleep on the sofa. He couldn't very well tell her he'd prefer to sleep in her bed each night and make love to her from dusk until dawn. He couldn't very well tell her he'd really like to ease the tension
that simmered in him by kissing her, touching her, making slow, sweet love to her.

He stood, and with a nod to Abby left the bedroom. He turned on the lamp on the coffee table in the living room and sat down on the sofa, too wired to fall back asleep just yet.

Picking up the guitar, he willed the tension to leave his body, willed away the desire that had momentarily struck him. He strummed the strings in a soft, melodic tune, allowing the music to physically relax him even as his mind whirled.

Apparently Abby's talk with the children had stirred the demons in Jason's head, resulting in another of his nightmares.

Luke knew all about nightmares. He'd suffered horrendous dreams until he was about thirteen years old. In his dreams he hadn't been fighting to protect his mother against his father, but rather himself. He'd dreamed often that his father was trying to kill him and suffered the knowledge that if his father succeeded, nobody would care.

He mentally shook himself to dispel thoughts of his miserable childhood and instead thought over the conversation he and Abby had had with Johnna earlier that evening.

The most difficult thing for Luke to accept was that he was as helpless in this situation as he'd been as a young child dealing with his father. What he wanted to do was fix it, fix the whole thing so Abby would be happy, fix it so the kids would be assured a good life.

He set the guitar down as Abby came into the living
room. She'd pulled on a short coral-colored terry robe that was belted tightly at her slender waist.

“I finally got him back to sleep,” she said. She stood in the doorway between the hall and the living room, looking as fragile as Luke had ever seen her.

And in that instant, something Johnna had said replayed in his mind and he knew exactly what he wanted to do. It wouldn't solve the problem, but it might just give her a fighting chance.

“Abby.” He stood and faced her. “Marry me.”

“E
xcuse me?” Abby wondered if the stress of the day coupled with a lack of sleep had affected her ability to hear accurately.

“Marry me.”

Luke strode over to where she stood and took her hands in his. He pulled her to the sofa, where they both sat. “Think about it, Abby. You heard Johnna this evening. She said it was too bad you weren't married, that judges liked to put children in stable two-parent homes. So let's make this a two-parent home.”

She pulled her hands from his, her head reeling with his crazy suggestion. And it was crazy…wasn't it? “Luke, I…that's crazy,” she finally managed to say.

“What's crazy about it?” His gray eyes bore into hers intently. “We get married and fight for custody.

Once the custody battle is decided, then we have an
amicable divorce. You get the kids, and I go to Nashville. Everybody goes away happy.”

Abby frowned, finding it hard to think with him sitting so close to her, with his naked, muscular chest inches away from her. Everybody goes away happy, he'd said, and she'd love to believe that it was exactly what was going to happen.

But could she ask this man to give up his single status, even temporarily, for her? Confusion whirled in her head, and she felt the dull throb of a headache at the base of her skull. She stared at the coffee table, unsure what to do, what to say.

“Abby, this might provide the edge that you desperately need,” Luke continued. She looked at him once again, saw in his eyes a burning need she wasn't sure she understood.

She rose. “I need to think about it,” she said. She offered him a faint smile. “Your offer has thrown me for a loop. This is too important to decide at a moment's notice. I need some time to assess things.”

He nodded. “Go to bed. We can talk about it in the morning.”

Abby drew a deep breath. “Yes, we'll talk about it in the morning.” She murmured a good-night, then went into her bedroom and crawled into bed.

She'd hoped that sleep would claim her quickly, but it remained elusive as she tossed and turned, thinking and rethinking everything that had happened during the day.

She thought of Jason's terror and Jessica's silence. She thought of how much she had grown to love the two kids, how much she wanted to shower them with
the love she would never get a chance to give her dead sister.

More than anything, she wanted to protect them…protect them from the kind of life they'd have with their father. Loretta had been married to Justin for six years at the time of her murder, and in those six years Abby had learned enough about Justin Cahill to know he was dangerous.

As she'd stood at the grave, burying the sister she'd so loved, she'd vowed to herself that she would do anything to make certain the kids never had to live with that man again.

But did
anything
mean a temporary marriage to a man she didn't know that well? Would a marriage to Luke really help her or hurt her in the end?

“Okay, I'll marry you,” she said the next morning as she walked into the kitchen and found Luke seated at the table with a mug of coffee before him. “Unless, of course, you've changed your mind,” she hurriedly added.

He grinned and pointed her to the chair opposite him. “Sit,” he commanded. “I think it's only right that I pour a cup of coffee for my wife-to-be.”

“Are you sure about this, Luke?” she asked as she sat at the table.

“I've never been more sure about anything in my life,” he replied.

She watched as he poured her a cup of coffee. It was obvious he was freshly showered—the scent of fresh soap hung in the air, and his hair was still slightly damp.

He set a mug of the hot brew in front of her, then
returned to his chair across from her. “Don't look so scared,” he said. “I promise you a temporary marriage to me won't be too painful.”

She smiled and wrapped her hands around her mug. “I want you to understand that if we do this I won't expect anything from you. I mean, it won't be like we'll be a real husband and wife.”

“You mean you promise you won't henpeck me or make me account for every hour I'm away from you, or spend all my money on foolish female things?”

She laughed, his teasing tone calming her nerves and oddly enough shooting strength through her. Her laughter died and she eyed him somberly. “But I'm serious, Luke. If we do this I want you to understand that I don't want you to change your lifestyle in any way. I will expect nothing from you during or after the marriage.”

“Okay,” he agreed easily.

“And I don't think we should say too much about this in front of the kids. I don't want to confuse them. I mean, I don't want them to think that you are going to be a part of their lives forever.” She felt a blush warm her cheeks and knew she wasn't making the point she'd intended to make. She looked into her coffee mug. “Just so as not to confuse them, I think the sleeping arrangements should remain the same even after the wedding ceremony.”

“Okay.” Once again he agreed easily, and she looked at him gratefully, only to see the charming, devilish sparkle in his eyes. “But I have to warn you, that doesn't mean I'm not going to try to talk you into a conjugal visit once in a while.”

Abby's cheeks grew hotter, and she was saved from having to make a reply by the appearance of the kids. It wasn't until after breakfast, when the kids had gone outside to play, that she and Luke got a chance to talk alone once again.

“I spoke with Johnna while you were dressing the kids,” Luke said, patting the sofa next to him for her to sit. “I told her what we have planned and made the arrangements to meet her and Jerrod at the church at noon tomorrow.”

“Noon tomorrow?” Abby echoed faintly and sank down beside him. Suddenly it seemed so real, and she felt a nervous fluttering in her stomach. In less than twenty-four hours she would be Mrs. Luke Delaney.

“Johnna is going to take the kids into a playroom at the church while her husband, Jerrod, performs the ceremony. My brother Mark and his wife, April, will be our witnesses, and as far as all of them are concerned, this is a love match, not a temporary arrangement.”

Abby looked at him in surprise. “But don't you want your family to know the truth?”

He shook his head. “I don't want anyone to know the truth. I don't want a whisper of this to get to Justin. As far as everyone in this town is concerned, you bowled me over with your charm, captivated me with those luscious green eyes of yours.”

“And remind me again what I'm supposed to tell everyone when they ask why I married you,” she said teasingly.

He leaned toward her, his eyes bewitching, his smile the sexy one that shot heat through her. “You can tell
everyone that I stole your heart one night when we danced together under the stars.”

Abby's heart stepped up its rhythm as she worked to think of something fun and sassy to say in return. But her mouth was too dry to speak as her head filled with the magic of those moments when they'd danced together in the moonlight.

Luke reached out a hand and ran his fingertips down the side of her jawline and across the hollow of her throat. His touch was warm and soft and sent a shiver racing up Abby's spine.

She forced a light laugh and leaned away from him. “I think I'll tell them that I felt sorry for you.”

He sat up straighter and eyed her in surprise. “Sorry for me?”

She nodded. “Because before you met me you were just drifting through life without a purpose, without knowing real happiness, and I came along and saved you from yourself and your wayward lifestyle.”

He laughed. “Ah, so you're one of those rescuing women.”

“Not really,” she replied more soberly. “There are only two people on this earth I really want to rescue…Jason and Jessica.”

Luke leaned toward her once again and laid a hand against her cheek. “I know,” he said softly.

Suddenly Abby needed to get away from him, gain some physical distance. “And speaking of the kids,” she said as she jumped up from the sofa. “I'd better go check on them.”

A few moments later, she breathed deeply of the mid-morning air as she watched the kids playing on the tire swing. The emotions that whirled inside her confused her.

She had once believed herself head over heels in love with Ken Masters, but Ken had never made her feel the way Luke did. And she certainly wasn't in love with Luke Delaney.

She was just feeling an exceptional amount of warmth toward Luke because of what he was doing for her and the kids. Surely that explained the way her heart fluttered at his merest touch, the way her pulse stepped up its pace when he looked at her.

It was intense gratefulness she felt toward Luke, and nothing more. After all, the man who had professed to love her with all his heart had walked out on her when she'd taken custody of the kids. And Luke, a man who didn't even pretend to love her, was willing to go the extra mile in order to try to help the children she so loved. Of course she'd be feeling grateful and warm toward him.

At eleven the next morning, Abby, Luke and the kids headed into town. Their first stop was the courthouse, where Abby and Luke obtained their marriage license.

“I can't believe you can get a license and get married all in the same day,” Abby said as they got into the car to drive to the church.

“We don't believe in wasting time in Arizona, so there's no waiting period,” Luke replied.

Within minutes they were at the church, and Abby fought a wave of nervousness that was nearly nauseating. Everything had happened so quickly. She almost wished there were a waiting period in Arizona so she would have time to think…to make sure that she was doing the best thing for everyone.

Johnna greeted them at the door of the small, quaint-looking church. She introduced them to her
handsome husband, Jerrod, the minister who was going to perform the ceremony, then whisked the kids away to a back room where she said she had all kinds of fun awaiting them.

“We'll just wait a few minutes for Mark and April to arrive,” Jerrod said.

“Is there someplace where I can freshen up a little?” Abby asked, trying to still the nerves that jangled inside her.

Jerrod pointed the way to the ladies' rest room, and Abby slid inside the door, grateful for a few moments alone. She stared at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. The pale-faced bride-to-be who returned her stare was a stranger.

Was she doing the right thing? There had been no word from Justin, although Johnna's private investigator had confirmed that he was, indeed, in town. Still, he'd made no move to contact Abby or the children.

Maybe they were jumping the gun. Maybe they were overreacting to the situation. Maybe this whole wedding thing was not necessary.

A vision of Jason's face, of Jessica's face exploded in her mind, and she knew it was impossible for anyone to be overreacting where their safety was concerned. Justin's silence was ominous, and she couldn't fool herself into thinking otherwise.

She smoothed her hands down the sides of her dress. For her wedding gown, she'd chosen a knee-length, sleeveless beige dress. It was cotton, nothing real fancy, but she'd never worn it before and felt it was perfect for a simple wedding ceremony.

And Luke…Luke looked magnificent in a pair of charcoal dress slacks and a white shirt. They had gone the day before to his family ranch so he could pick up
clean clothes. There, Abby had met his oldest brother, Matthew. Matthew had been curt but civil and obviously surprised by the news that his baby brother was getting married.

Luke. His name rang inside her, creating a heat that had no source. He'd teasingly told her he would do his best to talk her into a conjugal visit or two, and she wasn't sure he would have to talk too hard to get what he wanted.

“Abby?” Luke called to her through the door.

“Mark and April are here. It's time.”

It was time. Time for her to temporarily bind herself to Luke. She would become his wife in the eyes of the law and before God, but she had to remember that her marriage wouldn't last until death did them part…but would end in seven months when Luke left Inferno forever.

She left the rest room and was greeted by Luke, who introduced her to his brother Mark and Mark's pretty wife, April.

April took Abby's hands in hers and smiled warmly. “I'm so pleased,” she said. “Luke is a wonderful, warm, caring man, and I'm so pleased you were able to see beneath his facade and find and fall in love with the man within.”

Abby made what she hoped was an appropriate response, enormous guilt sweeping through her. She wanted to confess to April that this wasn't really a marriage of love, but rather a marriage of survival—her children's survival. But she knew Luke was right. Nobody must know the truth until the custody issue was settled.

“Every bride needs some flowers,” Luke said, and
surprised her by handing her a nosegay of sweet-smelling baby white roses.

“How did you manage this?” she asked, the gesture touching her more deeply than she cared to admit.

He grinned. “I have my ways.”

With Jerrod orchestrating, they all got into their positions, April standing next to Abby and Mark standing next to Luke in front of the small altar.

A sense of numbness swept through Abby as Jerrod began speaking the words that would make her and Luke husband and wife.

She'd once dreamed of this moment, of a long white dress and a lacy veil, of splendid flowers and golden bands. Most of all, she'd dreamed that her wedding would be the beginning of a lifetime of love and passion and laughter.

Maybe someday she would still have her dream wedding, but at the moment she was binding herself to Luke in a temporary arrangement in the best interests of Jessica and Jason.

“Will you join hands and face one another,” Jerrod instructed.