Colton's Convenient Bride Read online

  “I need to talk to you about something important.”

  “Dad,” she complained.

  “Gray wolves. Yes. That’s wonderful, honey.”

  “They’re an endangered species. Do you know how significant it is that there’s a pack in Colorado?” She’d seen only four but that was probably more than anyone had ever seen in several decades.

  “That’s wonderful, honey.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I know how much you love nature.”

  She forgave him his indifference—as always. “What’s up?”

  Kendall went into her kitchen. She lived in a house she had built on her parents’ property. It was large for one person. A four-bedroom stone Tudor, it had steep rooflines and lots of white-framed windows.

  “You’ll never guess who stopped by earlier today.”

  She took out the ham salad she’d made last night and began preparing a sandwich. “Who?”

  “Russ Colton.” Her dad took a stool at her two-seat island.

  Russ Colton? As in, Decker Colton’s dad?

  “Do you want anything?” she asked, reaching for a bottle of water in the fridge.

  “No thanks. Your mom and I had dinner and tea afterward.”

  She cracked open a bottle and took a drink.

  “Russ and I got to talking about you and Decker.”

  Gosh. She hadn’t seen Decker in years. She’d thought about him when she’d first arrived home, wondering if he’d changed. She’d had a crush on him in high school, not that he ever noticed. He’d been insanely popular and very active in school programs. Smart and ambitious too. Tall and well built, he had thick, black hair that would probably never recede and dark eyes that held an intensity that had magnetized her. All the girls wanted him, though, and that had shied her away.

  “He’s running The Lodge now, isn’t he?” She already knew he was. Decker had always sparked her interest and curiosity. She felt that same unruly excitement she had when she was in high school, as though knowing he was out of her league made him all the more desirable.

  “Yes, and Russ talked about him someday taking over the entire operation.”

  Decker stood to inherit a fortune, then.

  “Russ said he asked Decker if he’d be interested in partnering up with you and he is.”

  Partnering up? She set the bottle down and searched her dad’s face. He seemed hesitant to say what he obviously worked his way toward.

  “You mean a business relationship?”

  “In a way. Decker is a busy man. He doesn’t have a lot of time to spend building a relationship with a woman.”

  “Whoa.” She held up her hands. “Relationship? What are you getting at, Dad?”

  “The Hadleys and the Coltons would make a powerful partnership. Decker wants a family. You’re devoted to your work. You’d make him a fine wife, honey. He’d be lucky to end up with someone like you.”

  She dropped her mouth open. Was he suggesting what she thought?

  “You want me to marry him?”

  “Russ and I thought the two of you could get together and see if it’s a viable possibility.”

  “But...you want this to advance your business.” Anger began to simmer up. Her own father had used her as a pawn, an asset to tempt the mighty Russ Colton.

  “This wasn’t my idea, Kendall. Russ is the one who brought it up.”

  “But you eagerly agreed to put up your own daughter as collateral.”

  “No. It isn’t like that. I wouldn’t have agreed to anything if I didn’t think you and Decker would make a good pair. You liked him in high school.”

  “I did not,” she replied abruptly.

  “Your mother told me. You mentioned him a couple of times and she caught you looking at his picture in your yearbook.”

  Kendall didn’t recall talking about Decker, but maybe she had asked a few questions, as intrigued as she had been by him. “What does Mom think about this...arrangement?”

  “She doesn’t like it.”

  “But you came here anyway?”

  “I talked her into it,” he replied in a low, even tone. “I promised I wouldn’t make you do anything you didn’t want to do.”

  She wouldn’t let him anyway. Her mother probably knew that and it was the only reason she let him come and talk to her.

  Kendall considered her father a while. He loved her; she had no doubt about that. But he too often used her as leverage to advance the company. This had to be the worst he’d ever done—agreeing to try to marry her off to a stranger.

  Well, Decker wasn’t a complete stranger, but she didn’t really know him.

  “I’ll think about it,” she said. She just wanted to be alone.

  “Russ invited us over for dinner tomorrow night.”

  Shock jolted through her. He had made dinner plans without talking to her first? Why? Did her father plan on reintroducing them? Did he hope they’d be attracted? More likely he hoped her teenage crush would reignite.

  “You’re making me feel used,” she said tightly.

  He put his hand over hers and gave her a squeeze. “I would never do that, honey. You’re my daughter. You’re the most important thing in my life.”

  Yeah, and sometimes the most valuable asset.

  Though she’d never admit it to her dad, the notion of seeing Decker again did rather intrigue her. She wasn’t the shy girl in high school anymore. And from all she’d heard about Decker, The Lodge was his one and only true love. She wondered how a company could steal a man’s heart that way. Didn’t he want to find happiness with a woman? Have a family? And if not, why? Curiosity got the better of her then.

  “All right.” She’d like to see for herself how Decker Colton had turned out. Just because she had dinner with him didn’t mean she’d marry him to save her family’s business, however.

  Her dad smiled, more from relief than excitement over having dinner with the pompous Russ and Mara Colton. At least, Kendall had always considered them that way. Maybe she had listened to talk around town, that Russ and Marion held themselves far above the less fortunate.

  After her father left, Kendall skipped her bath and spent the next thirty minutes searching for her high school yearbooks. She found them in the basement in a box with other items she had held dear in those days. Taking the whole thing upstairs to her bedroom, she turned on a family movie channel and began spreading out a journal and other items she had saved for future reminiscence. Ticket stubs to amusement parks, museums, concerts and movies brought back a lot of fond memories. She had planned to put them into a scrapbook but hadn’t gotten around to it. She had also kept little trinkets her friends had given her over the years. She still stayed in touch with the four women who had been her closest friends since the seventh grade. Picking up some colorful wristbands, she smiled with the memory. They had all decided to exchange wristbands for Easter and these four were the ones she’d received.

  She’d kept a close-knit group of friends all through school. She hadn’t been into cliques and hadn’t understood the importance placed on popularity. Life was so much bigger than that. She’d gone into forestry because she loved nature. She also loved the alone time.

  Maybe being an only child had made her somewhat of a loner. Never much for social gatherings, she’d preferred to spend her time reading novels and bird-watching.

  Setting the wristbands aside, her curiosity nudged her to move on to the yearbooks. “Well, Mr. Colton,” she said, “let’s have a recap and then see how you turned out.”

  She opened her sophomore yearbook and passed over some of the notes signed on the pages until she reached a page with Decker standing up as class president. He was a junior that year. She flipped to the page containing his photograph and stared. She wondered if he still had those boyish dark good looks. He’d been tall and lean. Maybe he’d filled out some mo
re since then. She remembered passing him in the halls every once in a while. Sometimes he noticed her. She could still feel the jolt of excitement over the way his eyes connected with hers. Had she imagined his interest? Back then she’d fantasized about going to the prom with him, making all the girls envious. It seemed so silly now.

  She moved on to her junior yearbook. Brushing photos and other memorabilia aside, she rolled onto her stomach, lifted her calves and wiggled her toes as she drew the book front and center.

  There were several pictures of him that year. How many times had she turned to them just to look at his cute face?

  As the warm, familiar tingles of attraction enveloped, her phone rang.

  Abandoning her comfy pose, she scooted to her side and stretched for the phone. “Hi, Mom.”

  “How did it go?”

  “As usual.”

  “Moving the company forward?”

  Kendall loved her mother’s understated wit. “Yes.” She lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. Not much to look at but she didn’t need a painting. She still saw Decker’s face.

  “He didn’t offer you up like some fourteenth-century daughter of a king, did he?”

  “No. He gave me the option of meeting him first.”

  Her mother laughed, a deep, genuine sound that filled Kendall with a surge of love. Then she quieted and sobered. “Sweetheart—”

  “Don’t, Mom.” Kendall knew what her mother would say.

  “What if you enter into this and he...”

  “Only wants me for the business deal?”

  Her mom let out a short, tense breath. “Yes.” Then she perked right back up to the pistol Kendall had grown up with. “I’ve been going over and over how Decker would respond to his greedy father telling him he had to marry you and I’m just...worried.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “Well, what if he would do it just to please his father?”

  Kendall had been away at college and worked another job before coming home at her father’s request. She didn’t know much about Decker, the man he’d become.

  “Maybe he’s not like his father. He’s successful. That might be their only similarity.”

  “You always were an optimist. But why would you go through with it? Even the dinner?” her mother asked, sounding concerned.

  “I’m...” She wasn’t sure how honest she wanted to be right now. “Curious.” That was honest.

  “Satisfying a high school crush?” her mother asked.

  “Yes.” And maybe secretly linking in with her young heart, wondering if they’d work out and if it would be as great as she imagined.

  “Please be careful, sweetie. If he’s half as much of a shark as his father, he’s incapable of loving anyone.”

  She felt a moment of doubt. Maybe dinner was a foolish idea. She could argue she was doing this for her father, but that wasn’t entirely true. Then again, how would she ever know if Decker was worthy of her—even in an arranged marriage—if she didn’t at least see him face to face?

  “I’ll know after the dinner.”

  “I wonder if he’s still as good-looking,” her mother mused.

  “That would be a bonus,” Kendall quipped.

  “Or a problem.”

  Chapter 2

  Decker stood in the living room of the Colton Manor where his parents resided. A thirty-five-million-dollar, eighteen-thousand-square-foot mansion above the valley, it had seven bedrooms, eleven bathrooms, a wine cellar, an indoor pool and much, much more. Saying the place was nice didn’t do it justice, but this kind of excess wasn’t to Decker’s taste. Decorated quite modern, nothing personal filled the luxurious space.

  He waited before the wall of windows with a view of a portion of the gondola that started at The Chateau in the valley and ended at The Lodge. Russ and Mara talked behind him on the sofa. They had an amenable but businesslike relationship in his opinion. Sometimes he wondered if they ever truly loved each other. They both worked all the time. This rare display of them conversing like a couple felt odd.

  The front doorbell rang. Kendall and her parents had arrived.

  He rarely got nervous but a flash of anxiousness arrested him for a moment. After all these years, he’d finally see Kendall again.

  Russ and Mara’s butler led the Hadleys into the living room. Bernard came first, in a dark suit and tie. Adorned in a tasteful beige-and-black dress, Marion strolled in next beside her daughter. His breath hitching ever so slightly, Decker’s gaze drifted over Kendall as she walked in calf-high black boots with the grace of a ballet dancer. The short-sleeved black dress she wore was fitted to her bodice, waist and hips and the sweetheart neckline exposed some cleavage. She’d left her long wavy blond hair down and other than mascara, had applied a soft rosy gloss to her full lips. Her bright blue eyes zeroed in on him.

  He could never have anticipated the strength of the punch in seeing her. She’d obviously matured, but oh. What a woman.

  He swallowed—an involuntary reaction. Wow.

  She seemed to spend a few seconds inspecting him, as well. Those stunning eyes—he didn’t remember them being so darn blue—ran up his body, went all over his chest and arms and finally landed on his face. He hadn’t worn a suit, just a nice long-sleeved ocean-blue shirt with gray pants and leather loafers. He had chosen a tie.

  “Kendall.” He stepped forward. “It’s so good to see you again.” He took her hand and dipped his head to kiss it, seeing her face up close now. She had a few freckles but they somehow enhanced her beauty.

  “Y-you too.”

  By her stutter and slightly bewildered look, he suspected she hadn’t expected to like what she saw as much as she did, which matched his reaction. He caught his father’s approving gaze with a subtle, almost shrewd, grin.

  Bernard and Marion went to Russ and Mara and started a conversation while a servant appeared with a tray of champagne flutes. Kendall took one and then Decker did also.

  “Dad tells me you’ve been working for Hadley Forestry as a conservancy consultant.” Might as well start with the small stuff.

  “Yes. I worked for a company in Fort Collins after college but my dad needed me here.”

  “He needed you?” Decker didn’t know much about the forestry industry or her father for that matter.

  “He’s getting older. He needs help running the company. I think someday he’d like to see me take over.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  She looked away as she thought. “I do love my degree and my work. Running Hadley Forestry would be right in line with that. I’m just not sure I want that level of executive responsibility. I’m an outdoor girl.”

  “You could always hire a CEO.”

  She smiled. “I’ve thought of that. My dad isn’t crazy about someone outside the family running his baby.”

  Decker nodded with a grin. “My dad wouldn’t care. He’d only care that his baby made lots of money.”

  She stopped smiling as she turned to look over at Russ as though a rumor or two had just been confirmed.

  “Don’t worry,” Decker said, trying to keep things light—and hopefully putting her at ease. “I’m nothing like him.”

  That pretty smile returned, as did her gaze. “Good to know.”

  “At the risk of seeming ignorant, what, exactly, does a forestry company do, aside from chopping down trees and selling lumber?”

  “There is a supply side and a conservation side,” she explained. “We do a lot of logging, milling and forestry management. We supply Douglas fir, western larch, ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine to the building industry and since I’ve started, we’re looking into partnering with the World Wildlife Fund.” She released a breath before continuing. “Also, one of the first things I did when I came on was to arrange for the company to start harvesting trees destroyed by mountain beetle.
It’s proven to provide a great supply source for the company and clears out forested land.”

  “Impressive.”

  “Conservation is my specialty.” She smiled, revealing straight white teeth. “What about you? You run The Lodge? It’s a lot bigger than when I left for college.”

  “Yes. The original ski lodge is now staff housing. The new lodge is much larger and glamorous. There are restaurants and, of course, hotel rooms.”

  “Luxury hotel rooms?”

  “Yes. We also built some cabins on the property.”

  “Luxury.”

  Did she not approve? “We do cater to the wealthy. You grew up that way, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. My family is very wealthy. I just think average people should be able to enjoy places like The Lodge.”

  “They can,” he countered. “The ski resort is open to everyone.”

  “They just can’t stay the night there.”

  She clearly didn’t like the segregation of classes. He both admired her for that and disagreed. “Some people need places to go to escape the public.”

  “Then maybe you are more like your father than you think.”

  “Do you not like my father?”

  Again, she glanced over at Russ. “I guess he’s not much different than mine.”

  “Using his kid to advance business?” He grinned.

  She smiled back and then laughed softly. “Yes.”

  After a long look that began to sizzle, she said neutrally, “I haven’t been to The Lodge since it was expanded.”

  “I’ll have to take you on a tour sometime.” Maybe then she’d change her mind.

  “I’d like that.”

  He barely heard the announcement that dinner was ready, just followed Kendall into the formal dining area, a rectangular room with a polished wood table that could seat fourteen, white fireplace on one side and china cabinet on the other. Swooping curtains adorned tall windows and a crystal chandelier hung from a tray ceiling.

  Russ finished bragging about his empire’s first quarter projections as he took a seat next to Mara, who appeared bored and didn’t say much. Decker sat beside Kendall when she took a seat next to her mother.