Upstairs, inside the green bedroom with its lofty ceilings and hand-carved moldings, Beth faced her opponent like a Samurai warrior. “It’s needless to argue. I’m sleeping on the floor,” she declared with an icy stare.
“What kind of man would allow a lady to sleep on the floor while he stretches out like royalty in that bed?” Carter argued.
Standing near the foot of the elaborately furnished king-sized bed, Beth placed both hands on her hips and snorted. “And what kind of woman would I be if I let you bunk on the floor while I lounged like a princess in the lap of this luxurious bed? Especially considering it’s my fault that we are in this mess!”
“If you were as fierce with your family as you are with me, you might not be in this predicament.”
“I realize that. Nevertheless, I won’t give in. I will not allow you to sleep on the floor.”
Carter’s mouth slowly spread into a wide grin. “There is another alternative.”
Heat spread across her cheeks. Her eyes flashed and her mouth came open. Before she could spit out a single syllable, Carter assumed an expression of pious severity. Placing one hand over his heart, he stated solemnly, “I’m sorry. What I should have said is, this is a very large bed, and if we roll the coverlet into a barrier and place it down the center, I suspect we might both sleep comfortably in the same bed without knowing the other person is in the room.”
Beth stared suspiciously at Carter. Was he serious?
Carter waited patiently, returning her gaze with a steady unassuming stance. To prove his point, Carter moved to one side of the bed and began rolling up the heavy coverlet. “Help me. Then you can decide whether or not you think my suggestion will work.”
Against her will and her better judgment, Beth assisted Carter in shifting the bulky spread. Imported from Malaysia, the thickly embossed coverlet proved too dense. They had to wind, unwind, and experiment with different folding techniques until at last the spread lay mounded like a chunky linen barrier down the center of the bed.
Beth fell, exhausted and perspiring, face downward onto the bed. He had been right. She couldn’t see over the barricade. She couldn’t even feel the bed move when he sat down on the other side.
“Do you know what time it is on the East Coast?” Carter sighed.
“My head hurts. My body feels numb. I need a long soak in a very hot tub.” Beth murmured against the blanket, smooth and soft beneath her cheek.
From the other side of the bed, Beth heard a shuffle. Carter’s face appeared over the top of the blockade, and with a mischievous grin, he asked, “Do we share? Or should I wait?”
****
Early the next morning, Carter found Beth sitting on the balcony dressed in a sleeveless linen dress the color of summer lilacs. He pulled out a chair and joined her at the small, metal table. Beth ran an appreciative eye over his smart, tailored suit and custom shoes, lifting one eyebrow fractionally.
Carter smiled as he raked one hand over his clean-shaven face. “Don’t’ look surprised. I usually dress with a little more care when I stand behind a podium. I leave the scuffed shoes and crumpled jacket for travel.”
He caught a whiff of her fragrance — light and sweet. With a glimmer of humor tilting his lips, Carter looked at Beth. “Sleep well?” he innocently asked.
Like a self-conscious schoolgirl, Beth glanced away. Keeping her head averted, she gazed across the multi-tiered garden below.
“I thought I heard you snoring,” Carter teased.
Beth swiveled like a spring-loaded rocket, staring speechlessly at Carter with a kind of horror flickering in her eyes. When she saw his slow, reluctant grin, she retorted, “You are lying!”
“Sorry. You are such an easy mark. I cannot resist the temptation to amuse myself.”
“Please spare me. After yesterday, my nerves need a rest.” Beth snorted.
Carter studied her profile. With her thick, soft hair pulled back and tied loosely at the nape of her neck and her clear skin and shapely lips curving upwards, she was rather pleasing to look at. Not striking like her sister, but fresh and natural.
Carter softened his tone. “Yesterday, when you described your obsession with making a name for yourself, I decided you must be somewhat neurotic. However, after meeting your family, I now suspect you may be the only ordinary person in your household.”
“That’s a scary thought.”
“Peter isn’t so bad, but your sister. And your father.”
Beth laughed. “Father is accustomed to getting his way. Alexis is simply addicted to adoration. My childhood was okay. Thank goodness, Alexis is three years younger. I shudder to think how warped I might be if I had grown up in her shadow. As it is, I find it best to remain silent. Their pity is painful, but nothing I can say will force their respect.”
Carter felt a prick of conscience. “I guess you could wait a few months, tell them you grew tired of me and threw me out—”
With a tight smile and shake of her head, Beth glanced at her watch. “We’re late for breakfast. Sooner or later, I must face my family.”
****
Beth led the way down the winding staircase, their footsteps treading silently upon the thick, padded runner. In the hallway beneath them were oversized oil paintings in heavy, gilded frames.
Cater leaned over Beth’s shoulder and murmured close to her ear, “I bet one of those bronze statues below cost more than my house.”
Beth shrugged. She’d grown up with museum-quality furnishings and rooms routinely decorated by professionals. She found little value in items made of wood, stone, or metal.
At the foot of the stairs, Beth decided to take the shortcut to the breakfast area. She turned right, walked briskly across the length of the entranceway. Down a long corridor, with Carter on her heels, Beth walked through the swinging doors that led into the long, narrow butler’s pantry. The room, lined with glass-fronted cabinets, held her family’s china, goblets, and silver serving pieces.
Good, no servants. As she reached for the pocket door that opened into the breakfast room, she heard her father’s commanding voice. “I believe this marriage of Beth’s is one of the most impulsive and foolish things she’s ever done. However, it will be up to us, as her family, to lend support when things don’t work out.”
Beth took a step backward. When she felt Carter’s solid chest behind her, she stopped. His hands came up, clasping her shoulders with a steadying grip.
Alexis’s voice echoed loudly as she responded, “Did you notice Carter’s ring finger? He’s not wearing a wedding band. Also, at no time did I see one single affectionate glance or lingering touch, which you would expect to view in any newly-married couple.”
“Some men are not comfortable displaying their feelings, especially in front of strangers,” Peter inserted defensively.
“They hardly looked at each other. Beth is such a child. Do you think she may have gotten herself into trouble?” Alexis chided.
Father responded, “If that be the case, then I predict this Phillips guy will be gone before the ink is dry on their marriage certificate.”
Beth brought both hands up to her face and pressed them against her flaming cheeks. She wanted to turn around and get out of there, to get as far away from her critical relatives as she could. Before she could move, to her horror, Beth heard her mother’s soft voice. “Alexis, dearest, I fear I’ve dropped my spoon. I sent the maid upstairs to fetch my eyeglasses. Will you please obtain another utensil from the pantry?”
Panic-stricken, Beth pivoted on her heels, running straight into Carter’s strong arms. He looked down at her. Beth heard the door opening behind her. With a suddenness that struck her silent, Carter pulled her hard against him, lowered his head and touched his lips to hers in a kiss that was slow, lingering, and devastating.
Beth knew instinctively Carter was acting his part, saving her from another painfully embarrassing moment. However, she found herself responding with a tender longing that surprised her. The intensity of his kiss increased until Beth, lost in the sweet sensation of the moment, forgot where she was.
Alexis cleared her throat. “Ah-um…”
Slowly Carter released her. Beth leaned weakly against his solid frame.
Carter spoke to Alexis over the top of Beth’s head. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist. You know how it is...” He grinned, keeping his arms loosely around Beth.
With Carter’s kiss still fresh on her lips and the scent his aftershave infused in her nostrils, Beth glanced shyly over her shoulder.
Alexis responded with a teasing snicker that somehow didn’t ring true. “Yes, of course. There’s nothing more entertaining than finding a pair of newlyweds in your pantry.”
With a flash of insight, Beth wondered if Alexis had ever allowed Lon to muss her lipstick. For the first time in her life, Beth thought she detected a look of envy in her sister’s skillfully lined, thickly lashed, perfectly brown eyes.