Safari Moon (11 page)

Robert would turn scarlet as if she’d
branded him with the letter itself. But Solo, dear melt your socks
off Solo, would laugh first then run the other direction because
she was his pal, his buddy and you didn’t do things like that with
your pal. You didn’t kiss her until her toes curled either.

“I’m not in his shoes.”

“No, I guess the question’s redundant
then.”

“Very.”

But Solo charged on. He was blowing her
over, hurricane style, and Nyssa felt her willpower fading away. He
was too good at manipulation and she didn’t stand a chance.

“All right,” she paused. “Say I agree.” She
saw the flash of triumph sweep across his face. “What then? How
long do we keep this up before we tell Sarah the truth? I
mean--I’ve my real wedding to plan and a bike tour scheduled.”

He smiled at her, his lips widening as each
silent second passed. She began to fidget with her hands, wondering
what the devil he was grinning about.

“I don’t know. A few months should do
it.”

“I haven’t said yes. So you can wipe that
smug look off your face right now.” Nyssa knew the minute those
words were out of her mouth the deed was done, the contract signed,
sealed, and delivered. Solo knew it as well.

“It’s okay. Go for it,” he said with more of
his contagious magnetism. “Look at it as an adventure. First we’ll
finish here. Then we’ll go on a few bicycle trips, we’ll let
grandfather think we’re serious, and grandmother will believe
whatever the Colonel tells her. Once she’s on the road to
recovery--” He let a long slow sigh escape. “We can apologize. I’m
not saying it will be easy but I know it beats the
alternatives.”

She thought the idea over again beside
herself with conflicting emotions. He made the lie sound so easy,
yet she knew complications would arise. Nothing was this simple,
nothing was ever simple where Solo was concerned. She couldn’t
think of one adventure she’d been on with Solo that had turned out
the way he’d planned. Why should she believe differently of this
one?

“We’re friends,” he reminded her. “We do
things for each other. Through thick and thin and all that stuff.
Please.”

Nyssa nodded. Deep down she knew she’d
agree. Even though she’d never felt at ease with Colonel St. John,
she’d always cared about Sarah. In their college days, Sarah had
been the only one who would listen to her, really listen to her and
because of that, Sarah knew how much Nyssa cared for Solo. If there
was something, anything she could do to help Sarah regain her
vitality for life, she would. She would do it for Solo. It was that
simple. But thinking about the future made her head ache.

In the depths of her heart, she knew she had
a different reason for saying yes to Solo. If she said no, he might
be forced to find one of those sex crazed ladies that were so hot
for him.

The thought of that scenario made more than
her head ache. She decided if Solo planned on spending hours and
hours in some female’s company pretending to love them, it would be
her.

Besides, by her estimation, someone had to
help him finish what he’d begun in the Alaskan wilderness. They had
pictures to take. She had already decided she had time before her
marriage to Robert for one last adventure. Now she might as well
indulge her romantic fantasies too.

“All right,” she said quietly.

He looked a little relieved but more than
that he looked as if he wasn’t quite sure he heard right.

“Is that a yes?”

Nyssa nodded. She didn’t think she had the
stamina to verbally commit herself twice to this travesty
engagement.

“Wonderful.” He pulled her close and gave
her a quick, friendly kiss.

A friendly kiss--and without a doubt her
knees felt like wet noodles. Already she felt panic well up inside
her, penetrating every nerve ending she possessed.

Stepping back, distancing herself from him
and her horrible, wretched physical reaction to his peck on the
cheek, she held out her hand, bracing herself against his chest.
“Remember this is only pretend.” Pretend, she thought dryly, a
reminder for her more than for him. He obviously didn’t need a
reminder.

“Okay.” He flashed a devilish grin and took
her hand in order to help her up. “How’s your courage
quotient?”

“What?”

“You ready to brave the Colonel in his
den?”

“Never.”

He chuckled softly and played with the
engagement ring on her finger. Unexpectedly, all humor vanished and
when he bent close to her ear to impart the next message his voice
was serious.

“Take old Robert’s ring off.”

He clenched his fists, his shoulders
tightening but then the tension vanished and he smiled again. He
didn’t wait for her to remove the ring, he did it for her. For a
brief second, she thought he would drop the ring in his pocket but
then he changed his mind and handed it to her.

She held a symbol of love in the palm of her
hand. It felt cold and empty and with it off she was suddenly very
relieved.

***

“Couldn’t you have picked out one of the
ladies!”

“It’s Nyssa or no one.”

The Colonel growled low in his throat but
didn’t say anything more. He watched Nyssa with his eyelids half
lowered. His gaze raised goose bumps on her arms and made her
stomach roll. But Solo, having no idea of the discomfort he caused,
remained firm.

“I love her,” he said. “I’ve always trusted
her and she’s always been there for me. It’s simple, I want to
spend the rest of my life with Nyssa.” He gave her a thumbs up sign
while the Colonel wasn’t looking, encouraging her to agree to
whatever he said. “I need to thank you. Until all this happened I
took her for granted. I didn’t treat her well at all.”

Solo was a good actor. He spouted nonsense
and all-the-while he pulled his grandfather into his corner. If she
didn’t know better, she might start to believe him.

She had to pinch herself so she’d remember
it was all a lie. When she did remember, she felt guilt wash
through her once more.

“You can tell Grandmother we’re getting
married and she better start to eat right. I wouldn’t want her to
miss the ceremony.”

“You’re joking. Nyssa has never been
anything more to you than a convenient toy. You know that kind of
relationship never lasts.”

Solo’s shoulders stiffened, his neck muscles
tightening. “Convenient toy?”

He’d never treated her like that. Had he?
Sometimes she’d felt stepped on but never toyed with.

“You owe Nyssa an apology.” Solo told him,
his brows drawn together fiercely. “From now on, if you don’t have
something nice to say about my fiancée, don’t say anything at
all.”

Colonel St. John chose to ignore Solo’s
challenge. “Whatever for? An apology for the truth?” the Colonel
went on, not even stopping to give Nyssa a glance. “If you two are
so in love with each other, why wasn’t I told?”

“We knew how you felt about me,” Nyssa said.
“I didn’t want to make any waves.”

By her ear, Solo whispered, “Good girl.
Stand up to him.”

He took her hand in his to continue the
charade between them, as if his grandfather couldn’t tell a sham
when he saw one.

“And what’s wrong with a few waves?” Colonel
St. John asked.

Under the Colonel’s stern, penetrating
glare, Nyssa cringed. “Well, I knew you disapproved of me and,” she
looked at Solo for help.

He squeezed her hand but remained
silent.

“So, now you think I’ll approve.” Colonel
St. John’s gaze hadn’t wavered and Nyssa felt her skin grow
clammier by the second.

“Grandfather, you’re embarrassing her. Is
that any way to treat your future granddaughter-in-law.” He let go
of Nyssa’s hand and strode to the Colonel, squaring off as if he
was determined to drive the point home. “This is what you wanted
isn’t it? I don’t remember your telling me I needed your approval
when I married. You’ve always told me I’d know when the time was
right, that my heart would tell me.”

“If I thought she was good enough for you,
I’d give you my blessings.”

Nyssa squirmed under his direct attack on
her character. The Colonel talked as if she wasn’t in the room. The
devil, but she wished she’d never agreed to this stupidity.

“She’s too good for me,” Solo said.

He went behind the couch where she sat and
let his hands rest on her shoulders. He traced the back of her neck
with his thumb. “We’re going to be very happy. Aren’t we
pumpkin?”

She swallowed hard. “If you say so,” she
managed to whisper.

Solo had never called her pumpkin, and now
he’d done it twice in a very few hours. She wasn’t sure she liked
that term of endearment but it satisfied the Colonel.

“Well, Nyssa, has the cat got your tongue?
Don’t you have anything to say?” Colonel St. John asked.

“Um,” she licked her lips. “A--I’ll try to
make him happy. And I won’t hurt him.”

“Hurt him? What on earth--”

“You’ve got her so rattled she doesn’t know
what to say. Of course she won’t hurt me. I’ll be very safe in her
arms.”

Solo stepped in and saved her again. About
time Nyssa thought, breathing a little easier.

“Rattled--good. Every bride should be
nervous. It means she loves you.”

Solo coughed then looked at her, his gaze
searching, questioning. He walked to his grandfather and extended
his hand, which the old man took in his own.

Without warning Colonel St. John strode to
Nyssa and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her quickly and with
warmth, then setting her aside he graced her with a devilish smile
that reminded her of Solo when he had something up his sleeve.

“Welcome to the family, Nyssa.”

“A--thank you.” A hot rise of color settled
on her cheeks.

“I’m tired. I’ve had a trying day and I’d
like to go to bed now. Can I assume the loft is where I’ll bed
down.”

“You’re staying here? But--”

It was the first time all evening Solo was
at a loss for words and Nyssa found that extremely cathartic.

“Of course, where else would I stay? There’s
not a motel around for hundreds of miles.” And with that Colonel
St. John yawned deeply and started for the ladder to the loft
bedroom.

Solo’s mouth fell open and Nyssa thought
that was the first honest assessment of the situation he had
expressed since he first visited her begging for help. Well,
tonight Solo would have to sleep on the couch.

The thought made her feel good though she
knew she was petty. He used her as a weapon, picking her out of all
the women who had approached him because he knew the idea of
marriage to her would annoy his grandfather, knowing too that his
grandfather would have to accept her if Sarah was going to have a
chance of recovery.

She felt like standing up to him and yelling
at the top of her lungs that she was a fraud, that Solo no more
wanted to marry her than he did any of the willing, able, and eager
bodies his grandfather sent after him. But she didn’t want to give
up her fantasy, not even for her better judgment.

“I’m going to bed, also.”

“I’ll join you in a few minutes.” Solo bent
over, whispering words that had her panicked once again.

Join me
? This wasn’t part of the plan. No way would she let him curl
up next to her in that huge king sized bed. A fake engagement did
not give him privileges.

***

“When will we see the wolves?”

“In a minute.”

“This doesn’t feel any better in the
moonlight.”

“Hush. They’ll hear you.”

Although Nyssa was huddled in the middle of
a thick growth of bushes, and although she knew they had to talk
about the fake engagement, this wasn’t the time.

They were watching a family of wolves and
any noise might frighten them away. Solo had his camera perched on
a tripod next to her, and they were so close she could feel his
warm breath whisper against her neck when he spoke.

The soft click of the camera blended into
the night sounds and the ruckus coming from the wolves. Nyssa
pulled her jacket tighter and scrawled a description of the
family’s antics. No wonder the sleeping arrangements hadn’t
concerned Solo enough to protest his grandfather’s railroading. He
had no intention of sleeping. No sooner had the Colonel climbed the
ladder to bed than Solo pulled her away from the bedroom, found her
an Alaskan size jacket, and hauled her tired carcass outdoors.

They had been out here so long, the night
didn’t seem so dark nor the shadows of the forest so deep. Her head
nodded and her eyes closed. She leaned back against Solo, his chest
making a hot backdrop for her chilled body.

He nudged her. She didn’t know when she fell
asleep, but the sun was clearing the eastern horizon and the wolves
had vanished.