My Favorite Husband Page 9

  She took an appreciative sip and said, “You make it sound like I’m some sort of game.”

  Waggling his eyebrows, Scott said, “Well, they certainly want to play.”

  “Not funny.” But in a strange way, Scott’s quirky sense of humor made her feel better. She selected a croissant and smiled at him. “You’re always rescuing someone, aren’t you?” And she was his latest project.

  Scott blinked at her in surprise. “Me?”

  “Don’t deny it. You may pretend to be a player, but I know who managed the family finances over the years, and how close Mother came to ruin until you helped her put the pieces back together.”

  He shrugged. “I’m just lucky.”

  No, shrewd. But if he wanted the world to think he was a carefree fool, that was his business. Since it seemed to make him uncomfortable, she dropped it. “Thanks for breakfast, anyway. I do appreciate not having to brave the husband gauntlet.” The thought of having to deal with Chaz or Spencer and their inevitable questions this early in the morning made her cringe.

  Grinning, Scott selected a cinnamon roll for himself. “No problem.”

  She took a bite of the flaky pastry, then, when Scott didn’t volunteer any further information, she asked, “So, how are they?”

  “The Great White Hunters?”

  She grimaced at the description but nodded.

  “About like you’d expect. Worried about you, wanting you to choose between them.”

  She made a face, knowing she had to do that today, but wanting to put off the confrontation as long as possible.

  Scott gave her a sympathetic look. “I know—it’s tough.”

  She sighed, feeling embarrassed as she remembered her crying jag. “I sort of lost it last night.”

  “You were entitled.” Scott grinned. “And it was very effective, too. I’ll have to remember that next time I need out of a bad situation.”

  Oh, yeah—she could just see Scott bursting into tears and acting hysterical. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

  “I know,” Scott said, more gently. “Do you feel better now?”

  “Yes, just a little foolish.” Not to mention headachy from all the crying she’d done.

  “Are you up to facing them, knowing what they want?”

  She sighed. “I’ll have to be.” What other choice did she have? Then, in a burst of confidence, she blurted out, “It would be easier if it weren’t for Amalia.” The Latin beauty’s presence complicated things, made it more difficult to concentrate on the real issues.

  Scott nodded slowly. “Yes, I see that.”

  Gazing wistfully at her brother, Kelly asked, “Do you think he was telling the truth?”

  “Chaz, you mean?”

  “Yes. Do you think he was telling the truth about Amalia?” She desperately wanted to believe that Chaz hadn’t been tempted by her.

  Scott considered for a moment, taking a sip of his coffee. “Yes, I think so. She’s a man-eater. The only way to survive with a woman like that is to keep your distance.”

  “But she’s so beautiful.” How could Chaz resist such loveliness, especially since they had been in such close proximity?

  “No,” Scott said, correcting her. “You are beautiful. She’s bold, striking, dramatic. Probably high maintenance. Exotic women can be very wearing on a man.”

  Kelly felt herself soften. What had she done to deserve such a wonderful brother? “Thanks.” But did Chaz feel the same way?

  “So,” he said with the lift of an eyebrow. “What is it you want? Don’t think—just blurt out the first thing that comes into your mind.”

  “Mind-blowing sex,” she said instantly, then covered her mouth in chagrin. She should know better than to rise to Scott’s bait.

  He threw back his head and laughed. “Sorry, I can’t give you that.”

  She waved her hand in negation. “Forget I said that.” But she knew better. Sometime, some way, Scott would find a way to remind her. Probably in the most embarrassing way.

  Scott’s grin widened, but he didn’t make any promises. “So, have you made your decision yet?”

  “Yes, I think so. But at this point, I’m tempted to divorce both of them and head for the Amazon myself.” Getting lost in the jungle far from civilization and having her own adventure with the male version of Amalia was very appealing at this moment.

  “Well, I’ll support you no matter who you choose,” Scott said.

  “I know,” Kelly said softly. Scott had been her rock over the past five years. But there was an odd note in his voice. “But you think I’ll make the wrong decision, don’t you?” Wrong according to Scott, anyway.

  He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what I think.”

  That was a yes.

  But he was wrong. “Yes, it does matter.”

  Ignoring that, Scott said, “You’ve made a decision, haven’t you?”

  “Yes, I—”

  Scott held up a hand. “Wait. Whatever it is—whoever it is—keep it to yourself.”

  “Why?” Hadn’t they all been pestering her to make this choice?

  “Make him wait. Make them both wait.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Scott frowned. “I don’t really care for the way either of them has treated you. Chaz is too cocky and sure of himself, and Spencer is haughty and condescending.”

  “Well, maybe,” Kelly said, feeling the urge to defend both men. “But we saw them at their worst yesterday.” It was understandable, given the situation.

  “Exactly my point,” Scott exclaimed. “You shouldn’t have to make a decision based on which husband is least objectionable. That’s no way to start a new life together. You need to see them at their best, not their worst.”

  He had a point, but Kelly wasn’t exactly sure how she would go about doing that. “I take it you have a plan in mind?”

  He grinned. “Yes. Or, rather, they came up with the idea last night and I think it’s a good one.”

  “What is it?”

  “The plan is for each one of them to have a date with you—one today and one tomorrow—to show themselves at their best advantage. The theory is that it will make it easier for you to choose once they’ve wined and dined you.”

  “They came up with this?” Kelly asked in surprise.

  “Yes—it was Chaz’s idea, actually.”

  That surprised her even more. “I can’t believe Chaz would propose something that might give Spencer an edge.”

  “I think he’s afraid you’ve already chosen Spencer, and this is his way of making sure he gets one last chance to woo you and change your mind.”

  That made sense. And the thought of Chaz being anxious and uncertain made her soften. She sure wished she could have seen it, though. Chaz Vincent didn’t often let his vulnerabilities show. “I see.”

  Scott raised an eyebrow. “So, you agree?”

  “I don’t know. It seems a little . . .” She gestured helplessly.

  “Devious? Dishonest?”

  “Well, yes.” Especially since she was pretty sure about who she was going to choose.

  He grinned. “All the better, sis. Take it from me, they deserve it after what they put you through yesterday.” He must have read the uncertainty on her face, for he added, “Besides, whoever comes out on the losing end will at least have the consolation of knowing he gave it his best shot before you made your choice. You really owe it to them to let them try.”

  Kelly considered that for a moment. Scott made a lot of sense. And letting them cater to her for a change held a lot of appeal. It would give her the upper hand and at least the illusion of control. Not to mention delaying the moment when she had to choose one man and hurt the other.

  Coward.

  Yes, it was the coward’s way out, but if everyone else thought it was the way to go, who was she to quibble? “Okay, I’ll do it,” she said, then realized that left her with another choice to make. “But who should go first?”

  “Don’t worry,” Scott sai
d. “I took care of that. Just in case you agreed, we flipped a coin last night and Spencer won the toss. Shall I tell him he can take you out this afternoon so you can plan?”

  “Yes, but . . . what shall I do until then?” Staying confined to her hotel room didn’t sound like much fun.

  Scott set down his coffee cup and headed toward the door. “Well, maybe you can figure out what to say when Mother sees the Denver Post.” He tossed her the paper. “Must be a slow news day. Congratulations—you made the front page.”

  She shook open the paper and glanced at it. Sure enough, there at the bottom right blared the headline Explorer Attends Own Funeral.

  “Oh, no. What if the other hotel guests see this?” she wailed. There was an old picture of Chaz on the front page, and he was bound to be recognized.

  “Don’t worry. I bought up all the papers in the hotel. You just have to worry about those in the rest of the state.” And with that parting shot, he left.

  As the door closed behind Scott, Kelly crumpled the paper and groaned, unwilling to see her messed-up life paraded for all the world to see. She should have expected it—with all those mourners at the memorial service, at least a dozen were bound to share the juicy news with the world.

  She was just surprised the reporters weren’t beating on her door already. After all, Amalia had managed to track Chaz down fairly quickly. It was only a matter of time before the press followed her example and found them here.

  She buried her head in her hands and groaned. Could it possibly get any worse?

  * * *

  After he woke and dressed, Chaz puttered around his room for awhile, uncertain what to do and reluctant to leave until he knew exactly where everyone was. Knowing he’d eventually have to leave this hotel, he made a few phone calls to get in touch with his old contacts to see if they’d heard of any work for him. They gave him a few leads, but he was too antsy to follow up on them right now. In between calls, he had left his door open a crack and peered out into the hallway whenever he heard a noise.

  Finally, when Deuce had room service delivered and Scott entered Kelly’s room with a tray, Chaz figured it was safe to leave his room for a little while and go in search of food himself. The thought of staying confined in this space to order room service made his skin crawl. So, he made his way down to the restaurant.

  Perusing the menu, Chaz grinned. The old Chaz would protest at spending this much money on eating out, but food—real American food—was right up there in the top five things he missed the most during his time in captivity. Hell, he deserved it.

  Feeling righteous in his gluttony, Chaz ordered a huge breakfast, then settled in for a serious bout of thinking.

  But before he could even get started, he heard a feminine voice ask, “Mind if I join you?”

  He glanced up to see the classy blonde from the bar the night before. What was her name again? Oh, yeah—Candace.

  He wanted to blow her off, but there was something in her expression that reflected a kindred pain. So he swallowed his rebuff and said, “Sure. Why not?”

  As soon as she was seated, the waiter returned to take her order—a substantially smaller breakfast than the one Chaz had just chosen. Once the waiter had gone, Chaz said, “Bad night, huh?”

  Candace’s eyes widened in surprise. “You mean it shows? And here I thought I had been so careful with my make-up.”

  “Oh, it’s not your make-up,” Chaz assured her. “There’s just some strain in your face.” Not to mention the pain in her eyes. Though he normally didn’t get involved in other people’s problems, anything was preferable to dwelling on his own. So, he asked, “You really love that guy, huh?”

  “Yes.” She stared down at the table, pleating the napkin between her fingers. “Last night was his wedding night.”

  “No wonder you couldn’t sleep.”

  She acknowledged that with a wry grin, then studied his face. “You don’t look much better.”

  He shrugged and was saved from answering by the waiter who delivered their breakfast. Feeling a little guilty about ordering so much food, Chaz glanced down at the spread in front of him and said defensively, “I was hungry.”

  Candace just smiled as she buttered her toast. “Then please, enjoy it.”

  They ate in companionable silence, Chaz savoring every bite, until he had had enough and was sipping his coffee.

  Candace smiled at him. “You didn’t answer me earlier.”

  “About what?” He had been so absorbed in the food, he had lost the thread of their conversation.

  “I just mentioned that you didn’t look like you had much sleep, either. Did your wife choose the other man over you?”

  He grimaced. “She hasn’t made a decision yet. She’s going to have one date with each of us, then make a choice.” He took another sip of coffee. “He goes first, today.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  He acknowledged her sympathy with a nod, but at least he still had a chance with Kelly. Poor Candace had lost out already. Remembering their previous conversation, Chaz said, “You said something last night that made me think.”

  “I did?” She looked surprised. “What was that?”

  “You pointed out that I was treating my wife like she was second best, that I let other things come first.”

  Candace looked dismayed. “Did I say that? I must have been more upset than I remember. I’m sorry, I had no right—”

  “It’s okay,” Chaz said, soothing her. “In hindsight, I can see that’s exactly what I was doing. I thought I was being honorable in keeping my promise to the men who had funded my trip, but in doing so, I compromised my honor with my wife.” And she certainly meant more to him than any job. “But . . . how can I make it right?”

  Candace shook her head with pity in her eyes. “You can’t do anything to change the past. All you can do is apologize, show her that you’ve changed your ways, and prove that you love her. But if you’ve hurt her very badly, it might take some time for her to forgive you.”

  But he didn’t have time, especially since Deuce was going to have a clean slate this afternoon to make time with her. “So what happens when this other guy tries to make love to her? I’m just supposed to let him?”

  “Absolutely not,” Candace said firmly.

  She had managed to surprise him. It must have showed on his face, for she added, “I made that mistake. I fell in love with a man who works for me and did nothing about it.”

  Her voice was full of regret, and Chaz got the feeling she needed to talk about it. “What happened?”

  She shrugged and dropped her gaze, toying with her coffee spoon. “I was afraid to let my feelings show, afraid it would appear like sexual harassment.” She sighed, then added, “He pursued another employee who never gave him any encouragement. I thought he would eventually give up on her and see me waiting in the background.”

  She paused, seemingly unable to say the words, so Chaz said them for her. “But he didn’t.”

  She shook her head. “No, he didn’t. Instead, she finally gave in.” Candace glanced up at him, tears shimmering in her eyes and said, “So don’t you dare give up. If you love her, fight for her . . . before it’s too late.”

  “All’s fair in love or war, eh?” he asked with a smile.

  Candace considered that for a moment, then backtracked. “Well, maybe not all. But anything within reason, certainly.”

  Well, that would narrow his options a little, but Chaz didn’t care. Candace’s encouragement had merely confirmed what Chaz already knew—he would do whatever was necessary to win Kelly back. Within reason or not.

  And he’d better get back upstairs to see if the situation had changed. They paid their bills and exited the restaurant together, only to run into Scott.

  “Oh, there you are,” Scott exclaimed. “Whatever you do, don’t go toward the lobby.”

  “Why not?” Chaz asked, his eyes narrowed. If this involved Kelly, there was no way Scott was going to keep him from
it.

  “There are reporters waiting for you.”

  Chaz glanced at Candace, who said, “It wasn’t me. I told you—I’m a publisher, not a reporter. Besides, I didn’t know you were news.”

  “Who’s this?” Scott asked, looking from Chaz to Candace.

  “A fellow sufferer in the game of love,” Chaz explained. “Candace, this is Scott. Scott, Candace.” He grimaced. “And I didn’t know I was news, either.”

  “Oh, come on,” Scott said, rolling his eyes. “You return from the dead to attend your own funeral and you think that’s not news? You made the front page.”

  Candace raised an eyebrow at Chaz. “There’s a little more to your story than you let on, I think.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, well, it was too complicated to go into.” Turning to Scott, he asked, “What should I do?”

  “First, let’s get out of the public eye.” Scott grabbed Chaz’s arm and turned him the other way. “They’ve been bullying Billings, trying to get him to give them your room number or my sister’s. So far, Billings has been holding out.”

  “Who is Billings?” Candace asked.

  Scott and Chaz glanced back at her, and Chaz only now realized she had been following them. “He’s the assistant manager,” Chaz explained. “The snooty one.”

  “Oh.”

  Scott stared at her for a moment, then must have come to a decision, for he said, “Are you willing to help us?”

  She looked a little taken aback. Chaz didn’t know what Scott had in mind, but he rushed in to reassure Candace. “We haven’t done anything wrong. They just want my story.”

  “All right, I suppose I can help,” she said slowly. “But I’ll want to hear this story, myself.”

  “Sure, no problem,” Chaz said. “But later, when we have more time.”

  “All right,” Candace said and some of the tightness disappeared from her face as she seemed to get caught up in the excitement of the moment. “What do you want me to do?”

  Scott paused, thinking. “We need to get rid of them without letting them find Chaz, so I guess we need to make them think he’s somewhere else.”

  “Good,” Chaz said. “How?”