Chapter 3

      The next morning Kendall drove the short distance to her parents’ house. Her mother had asked her to accompany her for breakfast. While not the mansion of Russ and Mara’s scale, it was still an impressive piece of architecture. Her parents didn’t like to feel like they could get lost in their own home, or have so much space that most of it was never used. They liked a homier environment, which this six-bedroom abode offered. White and with lots of grouped, tall and arch-topped windows and a varied roofline, it had a sprawling, modern look.

      Kendall entered the foyer, a half-circle room with a grand staircase on one side and a small sitting area with a fireplace on the other. Upstairs were two master suites, Kendall’s bedroom that her mother had kept for her, a guest room and a study. The landing at the top of the stairs had another sitting area with views of the mountains through high windows above the open foyer.

      She walked through the informal living room—the formal living room was off the dining room next to the kitchen. There were also two guest suites on this level along with another study.

      Kendall could see her mother in the kitchen talking cheerily with the cook. They only employed a cook and a housekeeper, not a full servant staff like Russ and Mara. A round table in a turret area could seat six.

      Kendall passed an arched double entry to an entertainment room with a wet bar and casual seating. Although she couldn’t see them from here, a wall of windows could be opened to allow access to the pool. Her parents had divided it to better control humidity.

      “There she is.” Her mother came to her and gave her a hug. “I asked Carol to make your favorite.”

      Kendal’s favorite breakfast was a veggie omelet, strawberries and rye toast with a good amount of butter.

      “You’re awfully chipper this morning.” Kendall took a seat next to Marion, enjoying the view of the glassed-in pool and the mountainside beyond. The ground was still covered in snow. Still early March, there would be no real thawing for several weeks.

      “I want to hear all about your dinner. You weren’t very talkative last night. I thought if I gave you some time to process you’d be more of a fountain.”

      She had always been very close to her mother and wasn’t at all surprised that she’d known Kendall needed time to absorb, especially big moments like the one last night.

      “It was lovely.”

      “You already said that last night.”

      “Decker is...not what I expected. He’s a gentleman and ambitious but not obsessed with wealth.” To Kendall, money was a necessity and a lot of it definitely made life easier, but it had a purpose and that wasn’t to exploit excesses. Decker had struck her as having the same view. “It was refreshing. He’s grown up since high school. He doesn’t keep in touch with any of the people he hung around with back then.”

      Her mother smiled fondly. “You’ve both grown up. I could tell you really liked him last night, and the way he looked at you.” She lifted her eyes up in wonder. “He’s very attracted to you.”

      “I’m attracted to him, too, but it’s only the first day.”

      “Are you going to go through with the wedding?” her mother asked.

      “I don’t know.”

      “He doesn’t want to lose this opportunity. He wants you, Kendall.”

      “He doesn’t even know me,” she protested. “I need more than physical attraction.”

      “He knows you enough and you know him enough. He’s got a solid reputation. The physical attraction is important. The rest will come in time.”

      Kendall sat back and angled her head, perplexed. “Yesterday you were worried about me marrying Decker.”

      “That was before I saw the two of you together. I still want you to be sure this is what you want, but I feel better about this arrangement now.”

      Because she knew Kendall had a crush on Decker in high school and she had witnessed what Kendall had felt with Decker during the dinner. Undeniable chemistry.

      “I will be sure,” Kendall finally said. At least, she hoped she would be. Given the flutter of attraction she felt for Decker, even now when he wasn’t in sight, she just might be able to take the chance on him.

      “I can’t wait to go dress shopping,” her mother said, full of excitement.

      “Mother...!”

      “We don’t have much time. I thought we could start this afternoon.”

      “I have to work,” Kendall protested.

      “Your father told me you could take as much time off as you need this month.”

      Holy bejesus. What had happened to her mother? She had been bitten by a wedding bug for sure.

      “I know you, my dear. When you like something you recognize it right away, and I can tell you really like Decker Colton.”

      She did like Decker. Kendall withdrew from how much. She had felt that and more for her last long-term boyfriend when she had caught him with another woman. He’d broken her heart. She never wanted to feel that way again. Maybe that had more to do with her reason for accepting an arranged marriage—or the possibility of one—than curiosity. Because the truth was, she felt oddly safe entering into this kind of relationship. She’d be the one in control and Decker would never be able to hurt her.

      But, on the other hand, what her mother suggested made her wonder if she might be too reckless marrying like this.

      “He is different than I remember,” she conceded, yet still feeling as though she was trying to convince herself that meant he’d be worth the risk. But, honestly, did it really matter if he was different? So he’d grown up. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t end up hurting her.

      “How so?”

      “Not...