Bound By Marriage(9)

           



       

"Cat got your tongue, Jess?" Wearing sand-colored corduroy trousers and a  cable-knit sweater in dark navy, he looked both confident and  intrinsically male. "Want me to find it for you?"

Ignoring the taunt, she picked up the basket. "Let's head off."

Gabe reached out and took the basket from her. She didn't fight him,  able to tell that it had been an instinctive act on his part. If she  made a fuss, he'd figure out pretty damn quick that she was nowhere near  as calm as she was attempting to appear.

"It'll take us more than two hours to drive over to their spread. I'll fly us instead."

"No. I want to drive." It was an impulsive decision-she needed the solid earth beneath her feet.

Raising an eyebrow, he nonetheless walked out to the rugged Jeep he'd  parked in front of the house. "Fine." He put the basket in back.

Opening the passenger door, she started to get in. "Merri said sevenish  so that probably means it'll be close to eight by the time most folks  make it anyway."

Gabe grabbed her door when she would have pulled it shut. The scent of  his aftershave wove around her like a net. "Try not to glare at me all  evening. It's hardly the impression I want to give people of our  marriage." Slamming the door, he walked around to the driver's side and  got in.

"If you're going to blackmail me with the developers' offer, then don't expect me to be sweetness and light."

"Sweetness and light?" He snorted and started the car. "Jessie, you've been sulking since you landed."

"Don't call me that."

The tires squealed as he accelerated down the drive. "Why? Because it's Damon's pet name for you?"

"That has nothing to do with it."

"Could've fooled me."

She folded her arms. "People who like me use that name. You don't like or trust me. So stick with Jess or Jessica."

He didn't say a word for the next two hours and neither did she. It was  only as they were about to pull into the Tanners' place that she broke  their silence.

"Is there any other news I should know?"

"You know the biggest." He brought the Jeep to a smooth stop behind a  mud-splattered small truck. Contrary to Jess's prediction, it looked as  though a lot of people had already arrived. "You've probably heard that  Sylvie's back from the States."

Ice shot through her veins. "When did that happen?"

"Couple of months ago." Nothing in his tone betrayed his feelings on the  subject, leaving her at the mercy of her own imagination. The rumor was  that Sylvie had broken off her relationship with Gabe in order to  pursue her career.

If the gossip was true, then Jess could well believe Gabe would refuse  to forgive Sylvie, even going so far as to marry another woman. But that  didn't mean he no longer had feelings for the beautiful blonde … feelings  he'd never have for his bride. Not that she cared. Jess shoved open her  door with enough force to send it swinging.

Grabbing the basket, they walked toward the Tanners' large backyard side  by side. Halfway there Gabe put his arm around her and bent so close  his breath fanned her hair as he spoke. "Smile, Jessica. We're supposed  to be in the honeymoon phase."

She didn't know what made her do it. Sliding her own arm around his  waist, she gave him a saccharine sweet smile as they rounded the final  corner. "Oh honey, that's so sweet!"

Gabe's low warning came too late. Several people had overheard and were  now ribbing him about turning soft. He took the kidding good-naturedly,  but his arm didn't move from around her waist, even as he handed over  the basket to young Simon Tanner.

Jess used the excuse of shaking Mr. Tanner's hand to withdraw her own  arm from around Gabe's waist. It made her feel decidedly odd to sense  the warmth of him through their clothing, an intimacy so quiet it was  more disturbing than if they'd been exchanging passionate kisses.

"Good to see you, Jess," Mr. Tanner boomed. "We missed you."

"It's nice to be home."

"Gabriel, you've done well. Jess is the prettiest girl here."

"I know."

Jess had to fight the urge to kick Gabe for that boldfaced lie. She  thought she'd glimpsed Sylvie Ryan's stunning form in the glow of the  fairy lights and hurricane lanterns that had been strung out over the  yard.

"Good, good." Mr. Tanner saw someone else arriving and went off to  welcome them, leaving Gabe and Jess to be congratulated by a steady  stream of well-wishers.                       
       
           



       

"Thank you," she said for the fiftieth time and made an unobtrusive move  to pull away from the disconcerting heat of Gabe's touch. His arm  tightened. Unable to say anything because of the others, she smiled and  kept up the chatter, all the while wondering if the man was ever going  to let her go.

"So when are you two giving a party to celebrate the wedding?" Kerry Lynn asked Jess, while her husband spoke with Gabe.

"We haven't discussed it."

"Well, sometime soon would be good you know. Wait much longer and work's going to hit fever pitch."

Jess nodded. Most of the people in this area owned or worked for  stations. "What kind of a party would you suggest?" Her question was  more for conversation's sake than because she really wanted an event to  celebrate the mockery of her marriage.

"A sit-down dinner would be nice. Like in a reception hall."

Jess couldn't think of anything worse than being stuck in front of  people scrutinizing her and Gabe's every move. "Or maybe an upscale-type  picnic," she threw out in desperation. "We could get it catered, have  tables and chairs out on the lawn, some music so people could dance."

"That sounds wonderful, darling," Gabriel said, and she knew he was  laughing at her. "If we set up a marquee and put out some space-heaters,  it shouldn't be too cold."

"Uh-huh," she muttered, hoping that that would be the end of it.

"Oh, Graham's band could play!" Kerry clapped her hands, drawing another group to theirs.

Several people seconded her suggestion and Graham Lynn beamed. Jess had  the sense of control slipping through her fingertips. "I didn't know you  had a band, Graham," she said weakly, leaning against Gabe without  conscious thought.

He hugged her to his side and took charge of the conversation with a  disarming charm she'd never have expected from him. "We'll let you know  soon as we have a date. But for now, we'd better go say hello to some of  the others before Jess's jet lag catches up with her."

The group smiled and let them escape but Jess knew the deal was done. "We're going to have to hold that damn party aren't we?"

"Tut-tut, such language, Jessica."

"Stop calling me Jessica." She knew it was a stupid response when she  was the one who'd told him to use that name, but it sounded completely  wrong. "No one calls me that."

"Your husband does, Jessica darling." His lips brushed her ear as he spoke.

She was fighting a losing battle against the butterflies in her stomach  when a husky female chuckle broke the moment. "Well, well, if it isn't  Mr. and Mrs.

Dumont."

Steeling her spine, Jess looked up. "Hello, Sylvie. Gabriel said you were back."

"Hi, sweetie." Sylvie leaned in to kiss Jess on the cheek as if they  were old friends. The truth was the exact opposite-the daughter of a  judge and a large station owner, Sylvie Ryan had never before deigned to  speak to a nobody like Jess Randall.

Feeling dwarfed by the model-height woman, Jess grit her teeth and  smiled. Gabe chose that moment to finally release her. "I've been  wanting to speak to Derek about something," he said, jerking his head at  the pilot standing near the food table. "Nice to see you again,  Sylvie."

"Likewise." Sylvie's tone held an insinuation Jess told herself to ignore.

However, she could hardly overlook the fact that the other woman had all but announced that she and Gabe had once been lovers.

"You married, Sylvie?" she asked after Gabe was out of earshot. The jab  was petty of her but she wasn't feeling particularly mature right then.

Sylvie's smile slipped a fraction. "You seem to have snapped up the only man worth anything around here."

"Lucky me."

"The true test is whether you can hold him."





Chapter 6





And the claws were out. "I guess you'd know from experience." Jess made  her smile so sweet, Sylvie clearly had no idea whether she'd been  insulted or not.

"Oh, look, I see Merri over there. You'll have to excuse me, I haven't had a chance to speak to her."

Glad to be out of range of the other woman's honey-laced barbs, Jess  located a couple of chairs and got some food before sitting down with  Merri for a good chat.