Semiautomatic Marriage. Leona Karr
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idle conversation, and as soon as they’d finished their coffee and apple cobbler, they left the restaurant.
The silence between them on the ride back to her apartment was like a thick curtain as Carolyn’s sensible nature began to question everything Adam Lawrence had said. Was this so-called investigation of Horizon just an elaborate scheme to swindle a naive heiress? Bancroft was the only one vouching for Adam Lawrence, and what did she really know about the lawyer? Had she bought into some sophisticated hoax?
“How would I go about verifying everything you’ve told me?” she asked as Adam walked her up the stairs to her back door. In the dim light of the back-door bulb, she could see his eyes widen in surprise. It was obvious he was taken aback by her question.
“You could decide to initiate a background check on Adam Lawrence.”
With sudden insight she said, “That’s not even your real name, is it.”
“For the moment it’s the only legal name I have.”
She wanted to laugh, but the mirth caught in her chest. She turned away and went in the house without even responding to his, “Good night. I’ll call you in the morning.”
BACK IN HIS HOTEL ROOM, Adam called his supervisor, Angelica Rivers, a woman whose crisp, businesslike voice matched her appearance. Adam guessed that at this early hour, she was probably still wearing her tailored white blouse and the straight linen skirt with its matching long jacket. Angelica had been with the agency since she was twenty, and now in her forties, she brooked no nonsense from agents, male or female.
“It’s a go,” Adam told her.
“Carolyn Leigh agreed?”
“Yes,” he answered, and mentally crossed his fingers that the arrangement with Carolyn was still a go.
“What kind of woman is she?”
Adam knew he had to be careful. Angelica would weigh everything he said and probably read between the lines. “We can trust her. She’s ready to cooperate fully.”
“I repeat, what kind of woman is she? Are you afraid to offer a personal evaluation, Adam?”
“No, not really,” he lied. His personal evaluation of Carolyn Leigh demanded honesty about how attractive he found her—in more aspects than he was willing to admit to his boss.
“You don’t like this woman who is going to pretend to be your wife?” Before he could answer, she added with knowing perception, “Or is it, as I suspect, just the opposite?”
“That’s what I like about you, Angel,” he said, using her nickname. “Nobody can accuse you of holding back. Why don’t you just ask me if she turns me on?”
“Well, does she? You know darn well you can’t get emotionally involved when you’re on a case—especially this one. Maybe I should send someone else in right now. You could get yourself killed if you let things get out of hand.”
“I’m not going to let anything get out of hand. That’s a promise. And you don’t need to worry about Carolyn not sticking to the cover.” He told Angelica about the Mexican couple and their baby. “She’s a dedicated humanitarian, and she convinced herself that she wanted to cooperate.” Unless she’s changed her mind.
“What’s the plan?”
“We’ll arrange a civil marriage ceremony as soon as the lawyer has all the legal ends tied up in a few days. Then we’ll move into the Stanford mansion and meet some of the players.”
“So the curtain goes up.”
“Yes.” Adam drew in a deep breath, and as confidently as he could, said, “And the drama begins!”
Chapter Four
Carolyn spent the next three days verifying every fact she could about her inheritance, and she satisfied herself that she could trust Mr. Bancroft. The lawyer’s personal reputation and that of his firm was without blemish. As promised, he had arranged for a substantial amount of money to be deposited in her bank account and had given her the assurance that it was only a fraction of the assets that would follow. She requested that he draw up a prenuptial agreement to protect her inheritance, and when she expressed her concerns about Adam’s plan to use her to expedite his investigation, the lawyer was quick to assure her that it was important for her to know the truth about possible criminal activities at Horizon as soon as possible.
“The suspicions about Horizon need to be proved or laid to rest.”
Carolyn decided that his advice was valid, and only five days after her life had been turned upside down, she sat stiffly beside Adam as he drove through the upscale neighborhood where the Stanford mansion was located. As she looked at the million-dollar homes they were passing, Carolyn thought that Alice must have felt like this when she fell down the rabbit hole. Nervously she moistened her lips and smoothed the folds of her pink linen dress.
The marriage ceremony that morning had gone very much as Adam had predicted. Mr. Bancroft had arranged for a friend of his, a justice of the peace, to read the service in the lawyer’s office. It only took ten minutes, and they could have been applying for a driver’s license for all the emotion that was displayed.
Carolyn viewed the ring that Adam slipped on her finger with a feeling of detachment, and he seemed to receive his with the same indifference. The only time she’d been jerked back to reality was when Bancroft addressed her after the ceremony as Mrs. Lawrence.
“I’ve alerted Jasper Stanford that all legalities have been taken care of, Mrs. Lawrence,” the lawyer explained. “And I’ve answered all of his questions about the inheritance and your marriage plans. He knows you will be arriving with your husband sometime today. I wish you both well.” Then he added with obvious double meaning, “And success.”
Adam thanked him as he shook the man’s hand. “I appreciate your help.”
The ceremony had gone better than Adam had anticipated. He’d been ready to deal with Carolyn’s last-minute trepidations, but she had maintained her composure throughout and handled herself beautifully.
He couldn’t have found a better woman to play out the dangerous undercover investigation ahead of them. Nor a more attractive one, he thought as she stood beside him, wearing a simple summer dress that hugged her slender lines and curves. He was aware of every breath she drew. Her honey-tinted hair drifted softly on her shoulders, and a simple strand of imitation pearls was her only accessory. She had flatly rejected any flowers, making it clear that they would be out of place in this husband-and-wife impersonation.
Her eyes had widened in surprise when he lightly brushed her lips in the traditional wedding kiss, and he was startled by his own desire to deepen the contact and taste the tantalizing sweetness of her mouth. He felt her stiffen and wondered if his desire had been reflected in his eyes. Great, just great, he thought. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to take a woman in his arms. Such feelings in this situation spelled disaster, and he didn’t doubt for a minute that she’d withdraw her cooperation if he moved out of line.
WHEN THEY LEFT THE lawyer’s office in Adam’s car, an uncomfortable silence fell between them. He gave his attention to his driving, and as Carolyn cast him a sidelong glance, she saw a handsome stranger in a tailored dark suit, white shirt and silk tie. And he was her legal husband. That fact alone was beyond comprehension. As she stared at the beautiful diamond ring on her finger, she kept reminding herself that none of this was for real.
The past few days had been a whirlwind, and her emotions had taken a beating. As her life swiftly moved into a completely foreign dimension, she wasn’t certain she could cope with all the demands and changes.
She’d finally gotten up the courage to tell Rosie that she was leaving the clinic and why. They’d been sitting on a park bench, eating hot dogs for lunch, and Rosie just laughed with a dismissive wave of her hand when Carolyn tried to tell her what had happened.
“Sure,