Chapter Four

“Hannah!” Riley bellowed as he walked inside the apartment. He startled her so much she nearly dropped the box she was carting. “How many times do I have to tell you, you aren’t to lift anything?”

“But, Riley,” she protested lamely, “this one isn’t the least bit heavy.”

“I don’t care. Your job is to stay out of the way. Once we’re into the other house you can start unpacking. If I see you touch a single one of those boxes again, I’m going to lock you out on the balcony. Is that understood?”

It was understood three apartments over, Hannah was sure. Riley had been surly all morning. He’d left before dawn to pick up the rental truck and returned in time to find her hauling boxes from the kitchen into the living room. She was only trying to help, and he’d made it sound as if she should be arrested.

They’d been married a week now, and if these past seven days were any indication of how their lives would blend together, Hannah wasn’t sure they’d last the month. Riley seemed to be under the impression that she was one of his men—someone he could order about at will.

With so much to be done before the move, it was ridiculous that he expected her to do nothing.

The afternoon he’d returned to find a neatly organized row of packed boxes stacked in the corner had resulted in a tirade that had left Hannah shaken and pale. No one had ever stormed at her the way Riley did. He seemed to think she should laze around sampling bonbons while watching daytime television.

He regretted his outburst later and offered an abrupt apology, but by then it had been too late; Hannah could barely tolerate looking at him. She escaped into the bedroom and closed the door.

If only he wasn’t so unreasonable. He didn’t want her cleaning for fear the solvents would harm her or the baby. Nor did he want her painting, although he was often up till the early hours of the morning. In the evenings when he returned from the base, he wouldn’t even take time to eat the meals Hannah had so carefully prepared. Generally he grabbed a few bites on the run while she sat at the table, napkin in her lap, determined to ignore him as he shouted warnings at her about doing this or that.

The doorbell chimed, and Riley took the box from her arms, set it aside and answered the front door. Three men of varying sizes and shapes casually strolled inside. The first was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, the two others in football jerseys and sweatpants. The trio paused just inside the door when they noticed Hannah.

Riley stepped over to her and looped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to his side. “Hannah, this is Steve, Don and Burt,” he said, nodding toward each one. “They’re my friends. Guys, this is my wife, Hannah.”

“Your wife?” the tallest of the three echoed, obviously stunned.

“My wife,” Riley repeated brusquely. “Do you have a problem with that, Steve?”

“None.” Riley’s friend glanced apologetically toward Hannah. “It’s just that good friends are generally invited to the wedding, if you know what I mean.”

The one in the University of Miami sweatshirt rubbed the side of his jaw as he blatantly stared at Hannah. “Is this the gal you spent all that time—”

“Are you going to stand around here all morning gawking, or are you going to help us move?” Riley demanded, lifting a box and shoving it into Don’s arms.

Don let out a loud grunt as the box was shoved against his chest, then cast the others a rueful grin before carrying it out the front door to the waiting van.

The four soon formed a small caravan, carting furniture and boxes. Within less than a half hour, everything in the kitchen and living room was neatly tucked inside the moving van.

In the bustle of activity, Hannah was left to her own devices. Before she misplaced her purse, she carried that down the stairs along with a bag of cleaning supplies and set them on the floor of the truck, locking the door. As she stepped away, she heard Burt murmur something to Riley about a woman named Judy. The short, stocky man who wore a Seahawk football jersey number twelve seemed concerned and abruptly stopped speaking when he noticed Hannah.

Riley turned and frowned, as though anxious she might have heard something he’d prefer she didn’t.

“You weren’t carrying anything, were you?” he demanded when the silence seemed as loud as thunder.

“My purse,” she returned softly, and hurried up the stairs, pressing herself against the railing halfway up when Don and Steve walked past her, each holding one end of the mattress. As soon as they were safely past, she rushed up the steps, pondering what she’d overheard.

Judy.

From the way Burt and Riley behaved, it was apparent they hadn’t wanted her to hear. Their reaction led her to only one conclusion: Riley had been involved with the mystery woman. The fact he was married had certainly come as a surprise to the very men he’d labeled his friends.

So Riley had a woman friend; it shouldn’t come as any surprise. He was a virile man, and not once had she believed he’d lived the life of a hermit.

A weary feeling came over her when Hannah entered the apartment. Naturally Riley wouldn’t tell his friends about their marriage. No man would want to admit, even to the best of friends, that he’d been forced into marriage. Hannah swallowed at the growing lump in her throat. She’d been a fool not to realize Riley would be involved with someone else. Not only had her night of folly wreaked havoc in her own life, it had disrupted several others as well. Recriminations pounded at her like tiny hammers, and she sucked in a giant breath as she battled with her renewed sense of guilt.

Brushing the hair away from her face, Hannah walked over to the sliding-glass door that led to the balcony. Several long-legged cranes walked along the pebbled beach, their thin necks bobbing as they sauntered along the edge of the shallow water. Hannah folded her arms around her middle as she stiffened her spine. It had been Riley’s choice to marry her, she recalled. He’d insisted. She might have been able to dissuade her father from this marriage, but when Riley concurred, Hannah had agreed, too weak to battle the pair of them. Riley had chosen to marry her of his own free will, whatever his reasons, and despite the fact that he was currently involved with someone else.

Judy. Hannah was shocked by the hard fist of resentment that struck her as she mentally repeated the other woman’s name. Recognizing she was being utterly unreasonable didn’t help. It wasn’t as though her marriage was a great love match. Riley had never led her to believe it would be. No doubt he’d been with any number of women over the years.

The four men walked into the apartment, diverting her attention for the moment. Riley paused when he found her in the kitchen. His blue eyes searched her as if to read her thoughts, and when she offered him a weak smile, he seemed genuinely relieved.

Doing her best to stay out of the men’s way, Hannah did what she could to help the loading go as smoothly as possible. Generally, this consisted of directing traffic and answering minor questions.

It amazed her how smoothly everything was going. She’d assumed it would take most of the day to move, but the four men worked well as a team and handled the burdensome task with an economy of effort.

When the apartment was nearly empty, Hannah moved into the bedroom to push some boxes into the center of the room. She wanted to do something, anything other than stand idle. Never in her life had she stood by, wasting time while watching others work. It went against the very grain of her personality, and she deeply resented it now.

“Hannah!”

“I’m only trying to help,” she cried. “You’re treating me like an old woman.”

“I’m treating you like a pregnant woman,” he countered sharply, gripping her by the shoulders. Despite the anger in his voice, his touch was light. Hannah raised her gaze to his, and when their eyes met, something warm and delicate passed between them. The silence swelled, filling the room. It was a comfortable silence that chased away the doubts she’d experienced earlier.

Whatever his reasoning, whatever hers, they were married now; and each in their own way seemed determined to make the best of the situation. If Riley had lost his love, then it was behind him now. She, too, had loved another.

Riley’s hands inched their way from her shoulder, caressing the sides of her neck. His eyes continued to hold hers, then with excruciating slowness, he lowered his gaze to her mouth. Hannah felt her stomach tighten. The soft throaty sound that slipped from between her lips came as a surprise to her. Her face was flooded with color as she realized she’d practically begged Riley to kiss her again. The very thought mortified her. After all, she’d been the one to lay the ground rules in this relationship, and that had included no touching, at least not for a while. To his credit, Riley had respected her wishes all week. They’d lived as brother and sister—or, more appropriately, as drill sergeant and draftee.

A smile captured his eyes as he lazily rubbed his moist lips over hers. His kiss was gentle and undemanding. Their lips clung as his mouth worked against hers, deepening the pressure and the intensity. Hannah found herself opening up to him. Her hands slid up the hard wall of his chest as she leaned into his strength, absorbing it. Fire danced in her veins as a welcome, foreign excitement filled her.

Riley ended the kiss abruptly, dragging his mouth reluctantly from her. “I don’t want you helping anymore. Understand?”

“But, Riley…”

“That’s my baby you’re carrying.”

No sooner were the words out when Steve walked into the room. The other man’s gaze shot from Hannah to Riley and then back to her again, as though he weren’t sure he’d heard correctly. He didn’t comment, but it was apparent the information came as a shock, for his gaze grew deep and troubled.

“I can’t stand around doing nothing,” Hannah protested heatedly, biting into her lip. Riley might have announced her condition with a bit more diplomacy, instead of dropping it like a hot coal in his friend’s lap a few minutes after introducing her as his wife.

A flustered Steve grabbed a box and left the room. Tears of embarrassment filled Hannah’s eyes as she abruptly moved away from her husband. Silly tears, she realized. There was no need to hide the fact she was pregnant; it would become obvious to all soon enough, and everyone would know the real reason Riley had married her.

“Hannah?” Riley’s tone was gentle, concerned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so tactless.”

Assuming he’d left with his friend, Hannah stiffened and kept her back to him as she smeared the moisture across her cheek. “I overreacted…. I guess I’m just a little tired is all.”

“You’re doing too much.”

Hannah couldn’t help smiling at that. She’d barely lifted a finger all morning. Once again his hands rested on her shoulders; and he gently turned her into his arms. As before, his touch was tender. His breath mussed the soft brown curls that had escaped the scarf that held the hair away from her face. Closing her eyes, she soaked in the comfort she felt in his arms, which seemed to outweigh the revelations of that morning.

“Steve and the others would have figured it out sooner or later.”

Unable to resist, she flattened her hands against his hard chest and rested her head there for several seconds. “You’re right. It’s probably best this way. It’s just that—”

“You’d have preferred for my friends to digest one piece of information at a time. You needn’t worry that they’ll judge us, you know. Friends wouldn’t.” He smiled down on her and then leaned over to brush his mouth against hers once again.

Hannah blinked as he moved away from her, lifted a heavy box upon his shoulders and seemingly without effort carted it out the door.

She stood for a moment and pressed her fingertips to her mouth. These few brief kisses were the first they’d exchanged since that fateful night. It had been incredibly good. Incredibly wonderful.

Once the truck was loaded, Riley came for Hannah, escorting her down the stairs and unlocking the van door before helping her inside the cab. Coming around the front, he hopped into the driver’s seat, started the engine and then grinned over at her. “You ready, Mrs. Murdock?”

His smile and mood were infectious, and she nodded and grinned herself. “Ready.”

Switching gears, he gripped the steering wheel and started whistling a catchy tune. It was the first time in a week or so, it seemed, that they hadn’t been at odds with each other; the first time that Hannah felt that her husband wasn’t going to storm at her for some imagined wrongdoing. Thus far into their relationship, he seemed more like a caretaker than a husband.

He continued whistling, smiling over at her every now and again. His hand reached for hers, and he linked their fingers together. He stopped whistling long enough to raise her hand to his mouth and kiss her knuckles.

“Who’s Judy?” The question was out even before Hannah realized she was going to ask it. Her timing might be lacking, but she was relieved to have the subject out in the open.

Riley stopped whistling; his happy sound was cut off abruptly as a weary silence filled the cab.

“What makes you ask?” He merged with the flow of traffic as they followed the highway that curved around Sinclair Inlet, his gaze not wavering from the roadway.

“I’m not stupid, you know,” she returned, resenting his attitude. “I heard you and Burt talking. If you were involved with someone else, the least you could do is give me fair warning.”

Riley’s frown deepened. “Judy and I are not involved—at least not the way you’re implying.”

“I wasn’t implying anything,” she answered primly. “I was just trying to save myself from future embarrassment.”

“Future embarrassment?”

“Yes. It’s obvious your friends know nothing about me, and others might share the same concern as Burt had about…Judy. I don’t mean to make a federal case out of it.” Indeed she deeply regretted bringing up the subject. “All I want to know is if someone is going to give me weird looks and then inconspicuously inquire about Judy when you introduce me.”

“All Burt did was ask a simple question. One, by the way, that was none of your business,” Riley returned shortly. His hands tightened around the steering wheel.

“None of my business,” she repeated calmly. Obviously she was traipsing across ground he had no intention of mapping. “I see.”

“It’s obvious you don’t. Damnation, woman, you’re making a mountain out of a molehill.”

“I most certainly am not,” she replied, doing her best to hold back the flash flood of anger that threatened to drown her. “If anyone is being unreasonable, it’s you. Apparently the subject is a touchy one and best dropped. I’m sorry I said anything.”

“So am I.”

It seemed that Riley wasn’t watching the road as well as he should have been, because a car shot past them and the driver hammered on the horn as he sped by. Her husband muttered something under his breath that Hannah pretended not to hear.

“Are there others?”

“Other what?” Riley shouted. His frustration with her was clearly getting the best of him.

“Women,” Hannah explained serenely. “I should know about them, don’t you think? It might save us both a good deal of embarrassment.”

“Are you asking for a list of every woman I’ve ever made love to? Is that what you want? Are you sure that’ll be enough to satisfy you? I married you, didn’t I? What the hell more do you want? Blood?”

The knot that formed in Hannah’s throat was so large it made swallowing difficult and conversation impossible. So he and this Judy had been lovers. He’d implied as much by suggesting he list his affairs for her. Tilting her chin at a regal angle, she stared out the side window and dropped the subject entirely. He seemed relieved at the silence, although it grated sharply on Hannah’s nerves.

Once they had passed through the gates at Bangor, Hannah watched with interest as they wove their way through a maze of streets toward the assigned housing. The long rows of homes were identical, painted gray and adorned with white shutters.

Riley pulled the van into the driveway of a corner lot and leaped out. He came around and helped Hannah down, then sorted through his keys until he found the one he was looking for.

“The house is quite a bit larger than the apartment,” he said as he unlocked the front door, his eyes avoiding hers. He paused, then added, “The second bedroom is considerably smaller than the other.” He seemed to be waiting for her to comment.

“I don’t mind taking the smaller one.”

Her answer didn’t appear to please him, and after the door was opened, he stalked back to the truck and lowered the tailgate so the others could start to unload.

Left to her own devices, Hannah walked inside alone. It was a pleasant home, clean and well maintained. The living room was spacious, and had a brick fireplace and thick beige carpet. The kitchen was more than adequate with a raised counter for stools. The bedrooms were as Riley had explained—one larger than the other.

As she’d agreed, Hannah chose the smaller one for herself, leaving the door open. When Burt appeared carrying her two suitcases, she directed him into the room.

“I thought these were your things?” he said, and from the confused look he wore, he was sure he’d misunderstood her.

“Yes, please. The bedroom set I ordered will be delivered sometime this morning.”

Burt looked over his shoulder, as if he fully expected Riley to appear and jerk the suitcases out of his hands and deposit them in the master bedroom.

“You’re sure about this?”

“Positive,” she answered with a gentle smile.

Riley happened upon them just then. He hesitated when Burt scratched the top of his head, set down Hannah’s luggage and walked out of the smaller bedroom.

“Did you have to make such an issue of the fact we’re not sleeping together?” he asked between clenched teeth.

“I wasn’t making an issue of it,” she returned sweetly. “Truly, Riley, I wasn’t.”

Grumbling, he stalked out of the house.

* * *

Riley returned to the van where his friend Steve was standing on the back lifting out the cardboard boxes for the others to haul inside.

“So you and Hannah aren’t sharing a bedroom,” he teased, taking delight in doing so. “I never thought Riley Murdock would allow any woman to lead him around by the nose.”

Riley didn’t deign to comment. He’d wanted to tell his three best friends about the marriage. The slight hadn’t been intentional. There’d been enough to do in the past week, getting ready for the move, without worrying who knew about his marriage and who didn’t. It wasn’t as though he were trying to keep it a secret, and he regretted his lack of foresight now.

Matters weren’t going well between him and Hannah. The woman was more stubborn than anyone he’d ever known. He’d insisted she not lift anything, concerned for her health and that of the baby. Every day, it seemed, she took delight in defying him. Invariably he lost his patience with her. She never argued with him, not once, but his tirades left her pale and withdrawn. Afterward, Riley felt like a heel. On more than one occasion he hadn’t been able to live with himself and he’d gone to her and apologized, feeling like a brute for having chastised her. Just when things seemed to be working out between them, Burt had mentioned Judy Pierce. His friend certainly hadn’t helped his cause any.

Judy was a friend—nothing more. But Riley sincerely doubted that he’d ever convince Hannah of that. The two had dated a few times over the past several years, but nothing had developed from it. His friends might have drawn a few conclusions about the relationship, conclusions that Judy herself might have implied. It didn’t matter what Judy had told the others; she meant nothing to him and never would.

There hadn’t been another woman in Riley’s thoughts, night or day, from the moment he’d met Hannah. She’d had him twisted up in knots for months. Riley had never experienced frustration the way he had since meeting her. Attempting to locate her after she’d run out on him had demanded time, effort and money. When everything he knew how to do had failed, he’d resigned himself to never seeing her again, only to have her thrust back into his life like a sharp knife. A double-edged one, at that. She was his wife now, but he might as well have entered a seminary, for all the good it did him to have spoken marriage vows.

Frankly, Riley didn’t know how much longer he was going to last under this insane arrangement. If anyone had told him he would go more than a week after his wedding without making love to his wife, he would have sworn they were crazy. He’d agreed to Hannah’s terms for one reason only. Perhaps it was a bit conceited of him, but he’d firmly believed he’d have her in his bed within a matter of days. After that first night, when he’d upset her so badly by sleeping at her side, he hadn’t even tried. Hannah certainly hadn’t gone out of her way to encourage his attentions. The kiss they’d shared in the apartment had been his first sign of hope in days. Once they got moved in and settled down a little, he’d work on getting her into his bed. If everything went right, it shouldn’t take long.

The furniture and boxes were nearly unloaded when the truck from the furniture store arrived. The two men delivered the oak frame, mattress and night-stand and within a matter of minutes were promptly on their way.

Riley had hoped their timing would have been a little more to his advantage, but since Hannah had already let the others know they weren’t sharing a bedroom, it didn’t much matter.

The last of the furniture was in place and Riley was unloading what remained of the boxes when Don approached him, looking apologetic.

“What’s wrong?” Riley asked. “Did you break something?”

“Not quite.” The electrician pushed up the sleeves of his shirt, glanced up at Riley and shrugged. “I’m sorry, man, I didn’t mean anything.”

“What the hell did you do?” Don wasn’t exactly known for his tact.

“I called Hannah…Judy. I swear it was a mistake…. I just wasn’t thinking.”

Riley groaned. “What did she do?”

“Nothing. That’s just it. She corrected me and then went about organizing the kitchen. It was the way she looked—so, hell I don’t know, fragile, I guess, like she didn’t have a friend left in the world. It got to me, man. It really got to me. I tried to apologize, but everything I said only made it worse.”

Riley knew from experience the look Don was talking about. He’d been the recipient of “the look” several times himself this week. Riley wondered if his wife realized she possessed this amazing talent for inflicting guilt. It wasn’t anything she said, or even did, but when she lowered her eyes and her bottom lip jerked, it was all he could do not to fall to his knees and beg her forgiveness. To his credit, he hadn’t given in to the impulse. At least not yet.

“I think you ought to go talk to her. Clear the air about Judy before someone else makes the same mistake.”

Riley nodded.

“We’ll wait out here,” Steve suggested. Since he was the only one of the four who was married, Riley readily agreed. Women were known to be unreasonable about the silliest things. He should have explained about Judy when Hannah had asked, but something inside him had hoped she might be a little jealous. Keeping her in the dark about an old girlfriend could help his cause. Apparently he was wrong again. Damn, but he wished he’d paid closer attention to women’s feelings when he was young.

He found her in the kitchen, unpacking dishes. She glanced up at him, and her gaze narrowed into cold slits. Riley paused. He’d never seen her wear that particular look before, and instinct cautioned him.

“Hannah.” He said her name gently.

She slammed a pan on the stove and winced at the crashing sound it made. For an instant he thought she was going to apologize, she looked so shocked. She surprised him once more by straightening out her arm and pointing at him as though he were in a police lineup and she was identifying him for the authorities. Her mouth opened and closed twice before she spoke.

“We might not be sleeping together, but there’s something you’d best understand right now, Riley Murdock.”

She braced her hands against her hips, digging her fists into her waist. Her slate-gray eyes flashed like nothing he’d ever seen. Her hair had pulled free of its tie and soft brown waves spilled haphazardly over her shoulders. Riley had seen Hannah frightened, humbled, browbeaten and mussed from lovemaking, but he’d never seen her like this. She was so damned beautiful, she took his breath away.

“Is something wrong?” he asked innocently, almost enjoying her outrage.

“Yes, something’s very wrong. I want one thing understood: I will not tolerate infidelity. If you’re in love with this Judy, then I’m sorry, but it’s me you’re married to and I fully expect…no, I demand that you respect our wedding vows.”

To the best of his knowledge, Riley had never given her cause to believe he intended to do otherwise. He wasn’t sure what Don or one of the others had implied, but he’d best clear up the misconception now, before matters got out of hand.

“I’ll honor my vows.”

She hesitated as if she weren’t entirely sure she should trust him. After a long moment, she nodded once and mumbled something he couldn’t hear.

“Tell me,” he said, walking toward her, fully intending to take her in his arms; a couple of kisses might reassure her even more. “You wouldn’t happen to be jealous now, would you?”

“Jealous?” She threw the word back in his face as though he’d issued the greatest insult of her life. “If you can honestly mistake integrity and principles for jealousy, then I truly wonder what kind of man I’ve married.”

With that she turned and walked into her bedroom and closed the door. Hannah had probably never slammed a door in her life, he realized.

Air seeped between Riley’s clenched teeth. He’d done it again. Just when he was beginning to make headway with her, he got cocky and said something stupid. It was becoming a bad habit.

He let a few moments pass, then decided to try once again. He knocked on her bedroom door, but didn’t wait for her to answer before turning the knob and walking in. A husband should be allowed certain rights. Hannah turned and glared at him accusingly.

“I didn’t mean what I said.”

She held a blouse to her front and stared stonily back at him. “I see. So you fully intend to cheat on me.”

“No, dammit.” He jerked his fingers through his hair. “You’re purposely misconstruing everything I say.” His patience was wearing paper-thin. “I shouldn’t have said anything about you being jealous. Judy doesn’t mean anything to me. I haven’t seen her in weeks. We may have talked twice in the last three months. I’ve been trying to cool the relationship. She resented that.”

Hannah deposited the blouse in the closet with the others. “I see.”

“I don’t wish to argue with you, Hannah. Can we drop the subject of Judy now?”

She lowered her gaze and nodded. “I…I didn’t mean to shout earlier. I don’t generally get angry like that…. It must be the pregnancy.”

“I understand what you’re saying.”

“You do?” Her beautiful gray eyes leveled with his.

He nodded. “You see, I’ve had this problem for several months now,” Riley admitted, stepping across the room. “There’s been this woman on my mind.”

Her eyes were unbelievably round, and she was staring up at him. Her moist lips immobilized him, and in that moment he knew he had to taste her again. His need was beyond reason, beyond his control. He reached for her, barely giving her time to adjust to his embrace before his mouth smothered hers. He caught her unaware and used it to his advantage to slip his tongue into her mouth. He expected her to protest the unfamiliar invasion, but she surprised him once more by giving him her own. Their mouths played with each other, danced, sang, rejoiced in the intimacy they shared.

Sliding his hands down the length of her spine, he drew her to him, pulling her into the heat of him. For an instant she resisted, and Riley feared he had gone too far, frightening her when that was the last thing he wished. He wanted to make love to her, the way he’d been dreaming about doing for nearly four months. Every minute she made him wait seemed like an eternity.

Hannah wasn’t like any other woman he’d known. She was delicate and sweet and deliciously provocative, innocently provocative. He couldn’t hold her without experiencing the sensation of walking through a field of blooming wildflowers. With his hands at her hips, he dragged her closer, letting her feel the heat rise in him. He edged his way toward the bed, thinking if he were able to get her on top of the mattress, he might be able to remove her blouse. The thought of tasting her breasts, of holding them in his hands once more, was so powerful he lost his balance. He caught himself and her, before they went crashing to the floor. It was then that he noticed the framed picture lying on top of an unpacked box.

He stopped abruptly as a cold chill raced over him. His eyes narrowed as he looked down on her. “Who’s that?” he demanded.