Saved by the Bride (6 page)

You
have
no
clue
about
men
.
Seriously
,
no
clue
...

“The dress is ruined,” Melissa grumbled.

“I’ll pay for it.” Annika restated her earlier promise despite
the fact it would totally empty her bank account and she’d have to tell Ellery
she couldn’t make rent. Again.

You
know
what
to
do
.
Finish
the
final
painting
in
the
Dawn, Day and Dusk
series
that
the
Milwaukee
Gallery’s
waiting
on
.
The
one
you
told
them
would
be
done
by
summer
and
you
haven’t
even
started
yet
.

She shoved that particular thought way down deep. It was easier
to worry about Whitetail than to think about painting. “Everyone, I’ve been
doing a bit of resear—”

“Will Bridget Callahan be at the court?” Mrs. Norell
interrupted, her face animated. “Perhaps we could put on a mini wedding expo
outside to catch her attention.”

“That’s an excellent idea and I can park my horse and carriage
in front of the court,” Al suggested. “Prissy will happily stand there for an
hour if she has hay.”

“I suppose I could dress one of my mannequins in a bridal dress
and put it in the carriage,” Melissa offered, shooting a telling look at Annika.
“I mean it’s unlikely to get dirty because it won’t be climbing through a
window.”

“The summer hanging baskets on Main Street are still pretty
from Jennifer’s wedding,” Mrs. Norell effused. “Nicole, you should groom a wig
for the mannequin so Miss Callahan knows we can do hair and makeup too. I could
mind little Max for you if that helps.”

“Thanks, Ella. He always enjoys visiting your garden.”

John Ackerman piped up with, “You can use my display boards
from the market. Anni, you can pin up some of your invitations and everyone can
use the holders for their business cards. I’ll ring the chef at the Supper Club
and contact Sherri at Lundstrom’s bakery so they can put their cards there as
well.”

A twitter of noise rose as more and more people called out
suggestions.

Annika hit her gavel hard on the lectern. She loved these
people dearly but they didn’t seem to realize that the town needed real jobs. “I
love your enthusiasm for this idea but is it realistic? We need jobs
now
and I’m worried this wedding idea won’t provide
regular jobs that put food on the table.”

A grumble rumbled around the hall and Annika let out a long
sigh. They were keen to try despite the fact that Bridget Callahan was unlikely
to come into town and see the display, let alone commit to marrying in
Whitetail. Biting her lip, she weighed up the pros and cons. She valued the fact
they wanted to try but she didn’t want them to go to all that effort only to be
hurt and disappointed. But they wanted to be involved and she appreciated that.
So while she was busy securing Whitetail a real industry, where was the harm in
a mini wedding expo?

“Sure, why not. I’ll put up some examples of my
invitations.”

WGN TV Chicago

“
And
to
end
tonight’s
news
bulletin
,
some
quirky
footage
from
Whitetail
,
Wisconsin
.
The
small
northwoods
town
set
up
a
wedding
display
outside
their
courthouse
today
as
their
acting
mayor
,
Annika
Jacobson
,
faced
a
charge
of
breaking
and
entering
into
the
vacation
home
of
Chicago’s
paper
and
recycling
tycoon
,
Sean
Callahan
.
With
the
slogan
‘
Whitetail
—
Weddings
That
WOW
,
’
they
hoped
to
entice
Bridget
Callahan
to
marry
in
their
town
.
The
Callahan
-
Neiquest
wedding
is
tipped
to
be
one
of
the
biggest
events
on
next
year’s
summer
social
calendar
and
although
the
venue
is
yet
to
be
announced
,
we
think
that
Chicago’s
InterContinental
can
relax
.”

Chapter Four

Finn stepped out of the helicopter, not quite believing
he was back at Kylemore again five days after he’d left. This doubled the amount
of times he’d visited during the summer in years. Hank was supposed to have been
the one on the helicopter, heading back to restart his vacation with Bridey and
at the same time, bringing documents for Sean to sign.

But machine number four was still plaguing their life and Hank
had to bail on his vacation. Jazz Juice was understandably stressing about their
supply of juice boxes and Finn had rescheduled production across all accounts to
spread the impact. If that hadn’t been enough to contend with, his P.A. had
broken her pelvis and was on indefinite sick leave, his lawyer was tied up with
his son’s Bar Mitzvah, and that left no one else vetted by the company to be
trusted with documents, so Finn was back at the lake. He could think of better
ways to spend a Friday.

He accepted his bag and laptop from the pilot and walked the
short distance into the house. The loud whirr of a vacuum cleaner met him and he
smiled. Esther was here, meaning lunch would be delicious and plentiful. He set
down his bags and followed the noise.

“Esther.”

A large woman with meaty arms looked up in surprise and the
next moment he was enveloped in a huge hug, and circled by the scent of cinnamon
and spices with a hint of bleach. “Finn, you’re back?”

He breathed in the scent that reminded him of the happier
moments of his childhood. “Just for a day.”

Esther tsked. “You look exhausted. Stay longer, sleep late and
let me cook you all your favorite foods.”

The idea of comfort food curled warmth through his belly and
had him considering the idea for an instant. Then common sense kicked in and he
gave her a wide and beguiling Callahan smile. “I’m too busy to stay, Essie, but
how about you bake me some brownies and I’ll take them back to Mexico.”

Esther gave him a piercing look. “Too busy to stay now but not
in November?”

He wasn’t biting. He’d inherited his family but that didn’t
mean he had to vacation with them. “So where is he?”

“Your father’s outside with everyone.”

He nodded his thanks as she returned to the vacuuming and he
headed toward the terrace doors. As he approached he could hear a mix of voices
and laughter drifting on the summer breeze. Taking a deep breath, he slid on his
sunglasses, slid open the screen door and stepped outside.

Through the trees, he could make out a group of people on the
huge expanse of lawn. Logan was closest and came running up the moment he saw
him.

“Finn, do you want to play T-ball?”

“Sorry, but I’m not on vacation, Logan.”

“Come on,” Logan wheedled. “We’re all playing.”

He didn’t know who “all” was but he imagined it was the
immediate neighbors and maybe Bridey. “That’s good, so you’ve got a team and you
don’t really need me, do you?”

The kid sighed and the look in his dark eyes was too familiar
by far, but he didn’t say anything else before running back through the
trees.

Finn stomped on a sliver of guilt and immediately justified his
actions. He wasn’t on vacation and that fact was being reinforced by the hot sun
beating down on his chinos making him hot. He wished he’d taken the time to
change into shorts and a polo shirt and he would, just as soon as he’d talked to
Sean. For now, he rolled up the sleeves of his business shirt and kept on
walking.

He saw Dana holding a baseball bat and swinging for a ball
tossed by someone he didn’t recognize. As she hit it high, people starting
running and then he heard a deep and victorious laugh. He stopped dead and felt
his jaw drop as he watched his father slide into home base. His father who’d
never played a game in his life other than deal-closing golf, was playing
vacation T-ball.

A voice called out, “I’ve got it.”

No
way
.
Not
again
. Abject incredulity poured over him and he
swung around sharply at the familiar melodic voice. He lifted his sunglasses and
squinted hoping that would change the image. It didn’t. Annika Jacobson, her
blond hair streaming out behind her, stood with her head tilted back, her creamy
neck extended and her arms outstretched, all ready for the perfect catch.

He watched mesmerized as the white ball reached its zenith
before arcing down toward earth and her open hands. She leaped for it, missed
and fell over.

A chorus of, “Are you okay?” went up as everyone started
running toward her. With her lush, cherry-red mouth laughing, she rolled over
and stood up, her legs stained with green. “I’m fine. Sorry, Captain Logan, I
told you I wasn’t very good.”

Finn stared, rooted to the spot, and desperately tried to
locate his vanished equilibrium. Nothing in this picture matched up with
anything close to normal.
She
did not belong here.
His father did
not
play ball and it was this
disparity that had him stunned and staring. It had absolutely
nothing
to do with the way Annika’s slim and shapely
legs seemed to go on forever before seductively disappearing under the cuff of
very short, denim cutoffs. She bent down to retrieve the ball and his pants
tightened.

“Finn!” Bridey shrieked, her voice making everyone turn toward
him. “You came back.”

Annika’s chin rose and those dazzlingly clear eyes met his gaze
for a fraction of a second, offering up some sort of challenge, and then Bridey
got closer, blocking his view.

His sister greeted him with arms stretched out wide, but her
vision reached far over his shoulder and way beyond him. “You changed your mind
and you’re staying. Thank you.” She hugged him hard and then pulled back.
“Where’s Hank?”

He shook his head. “I’m not staying and Hank’s tied up at the
plant.”

Her hand immediately slid into her pocket and she pulled out
her phone, checking for messages. With an abrupt action, she shoved the sleek,
black device back into her pocket.

His effervescent sister looked as crestfallen as a little girl
whose ice cream had just fallen out of the cone and landed in the dirt. The
latent big brother in him surfaced. “He’s probably left a message for you with
Esther. You know that unless it’s life or death, she doesn’t run after us if
we’re not in the house.”

Her mouth quirked up on one side as if she only half believed
him. She called out a general announcement of, “I’m going back to the house”
before giving a backward wave and striking off through the trees.

Most of the other guests drifted toward the drinks table and
Dana called out, “Finn, sit down. Lunch is at one.”

He gave a tight smile and nodded. Had everyone forgotten that
he wasn’t on vacation? He didn’t have the time or inclination for a long lunch
and he wished he could think of an excuse to get out of it but given he’d just
arrived, he had nothing. When he finally turned back to see what Annika was up
to, he saw her walking toward the lake with Logan, her head bent low toward his
and her white-gold hair shimmering against his black curls. She looked
completely at ease with the little boy in a way he’d never known. It shouldn’t
have bothered him but it added to the utter confusion that swam inside him at
seeing his father playing ball. He felt like he was the outsider here and that
was plain wrong. She was the person who didn’t belong.

He immediately closed the gap between him and his father. “Dad,
what the hell is she doing here?”

Sean had mostly been an absent father from the time Finn was
twelve, although there’d been occasions when he’d come down on him as the
heavy-handed father complete with the lash of his Irish temper. As a teenager
Finn had taught himself to ride out the lectures, telling himself there was no
point in reacting because Sean would vanish again soon enough. By the time Finn
joined the company at twenty-five, he only viewed his father as a business
associate and Sean had done the same. It worked for both of them.

But right now, Sean’s mouth was thinned in disapproval and he
was looking more like a father than he had in years. “This is my home, Finnegan,
and Annika’s my guest. Inviting her over for lunch after what happened was the
least I could do.” He folded his arms tightly across his faded, blue Chicago
Cubs T-shirt. “I had an interesting morning in court on Monday, and as a result
I’ve spoken to my secretary about not filtering my mail. Now it’s your turn to
explain. It seems you chose to leave out a few pertinent facts about the night
she came into the house.”

No way was he feeling any guilt over
that
. “She outright lied.”

Silver hair glinted in the sunshine and Sean sighed. “She bent
the truth. Some of us do it from time to time.”

A sliver of something close to anger tried to pierce his now
well-constructed disconnection from Sean as a father—a detachment which had
started the day Sean had left his mother for Dana’s predecessor. “You’d know
that better than me.”

Sean stiffened and his eyes flashed but when he spoke it was
back to business, just as Finn preferred. “You need to sit down with her and
discuss the Whitetail warehouses.”

He’d rather swim with sharks than sit down again with Annika of
the big blue eyes and the long, long legs. “I could do that but seeing as you
bought the warehouses as a business investment, that makes them your baby. I
know how much you like to run things your way so it’s best you talk to her.”

His father’s mouth twitched. “I would, except I’m on
vacation.”

He dismissed that in a heartbeat. “You do deals from the lake
every year.”

“Not this year. I’m spending the entire summer here, and I’ll
return to my desk in September.” Sean tilted his head and gave one of his
penetrating long looks. “You can finally have what you’ve been wanting for a
year now, a shot at running the business. I’m giving you two months.”

For the second time in two days his father left him speechless.
The earliest memory Finn had of him was in a suit and walking out the door to
the office. Sean Callahan was synonymous with work, and even when the setting
was recreational, Sean kept working. The fact he was handing over the reins for
sixty days in the middle of a production mess was unheard of and totally
unexpected. It was also immensely exciting.

An uncomfortable thought took hold despite the fact he and Sean
weren’t close, and his question shot out abrupt and terse. “Are you sick?”

Sean shook his head and thumped his chest. “No, the doctor gave
me a clean bill of health at my physical last week.”

Now it was official—Sean’s offer made no sense. “Then what the
hell are you going to do all summer?”

His father gave him a bemused look and extended his arm out
toward the lake. “What do you think I’m going to do? Sail, canoe, read. The
choices are endless.”

“You’ll be bored in two days.” Finn plowed his hand through his
hair trying to interpret what was going on. “You realize that if word gets out
you’re doing this the share prices are going to plummet?”

The savvy businessman’s eyes took on a calculating glint. “It
won’t get out. As you pointed out I usually run the company from here every
summer so no business analyst or journalist is even going to question my absence
from Chicago.”

Finn started to pace. “They will when they see my signature on
the paperwork and me commuting between Mexico and Illinois.”

His father leaned casually against the trunk of a towering
beech tree. “Ah, but you won’t be. You told me a month ago that the management
team down south was working like a dream so that frees you up.”

“Except I’ll be tied up like an errand boy running documents up
here.”

Sean shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. The solution is
easy.”

“How? I’m not letting your midlife crisis, or whatever it is,
affect the company.”

Sean’s brows rose. “I’m having a vacation, Finnegan, and the
solution to all your concerns is right here at the lake.”

“You’ve lost me.”

His father gave him the look he gave junior associates in their
first week when they knew nothing. “You do what I do every summer and run the
company from here.”

The thought of spending the next two months up here with family
and only occasional trips to Chicago had him ready to run. “No way in hell.”

Black brows rose inquiringly. “So you have another idea?”

Of course he did. He had to. He’d...perhaps if...or... While his
mind scrabbled for a rock-solid solution, he aimed for another weak spot. “My
P.A.’s sick and I’ll need help. Dana won’t want a stranger in the house and no
way am I working remotely with someone new.”

His father didn’t skip a beat. “Dana will be fine with it as
long as your P.A. confines herself to the office. Fly a temp up, rent her a car
so she can drive in from Whitetail, or better yet, stick her in your cabin and
you move into the house. Problem solved. Anything else?”

Move
into
the
house
?

The suggestion stunned him, blanking his brain completely at a
time when he needed it to be firing with ideas on how to avoid this very
situation.

He closed his eyes running through his options but nothing
materialized. He couldn’t come up with even one alternative solution. The wily
old bastard had him. If Finn wanted a shot at running the company without
risking the fallout that happened to businesses whenever there was succession
planning, he had to play it Sean’s way. He had to do it from the Kylemore.

His father took his silence as acceptance. “Good. That’s
settled. You can start your stint as acting CEO by sitting down right now with
the acting mayor of Whitetail and discussing the warehouses. Then organize
yourself an assistant.”

There weren’t many times Finn hated business, but this was one
of them.