Wedding Survivor (28 page)

"Listen," she whispered.

Eli listened, thinking she might have heard an elk crashing through the forest. "What do you hear?"

"
Nothing
," she said, turning around to him, beaming. "Nothing but the wind in the trees and rushing water. It's fantastic, isn't it? It's like we're the only two people on earth."

Her smile seeped into his veins, and he felt slightly awkward because of it. He motioned for her to follow him. They walked up a short distance to the rope bridge. Eli went first, calling over his shoulder for Marnie to grab both sides of the rope rail before she stepped onto the planks, moving easily across. He then turned around with the intention of helping Marnie off.

Only Marnie had not started. Marnie was gripping the rope rails and staring wide-eyed down to the bottom of the ravine.

"Don't look down," he suggested.

"I can't help it! This doesn't look very sturdy!" she said from the other side.

"It's fine. Just look at me and come across."

She didn't exactly look at him, she glared at him, and gripping the rope railings, she slid one foot out onto the planks, and then another. And then she was running across in little tiny strides. With a shriek, she flung herself at Eli when she reached the last plank; he caught her before they went tumbling to the ground.

Marnie clutched the fabric of his shirt tightly and stared up at him. Her heart was pounding so hard he could see the leap of her pulse in her throat.

"See?" he asked. "It wasn't so bad."

"Speak for yourself, Paul Bunyan," she said, and let go of him. She straightened her tee, smoothed the loose hair from her eyes, and put on a bright smile. "So where is the arch going?"

With the feel of her in his arms still rattling around inside him, Eli pointed, and Marnie walked on, up a steep trail and around a boulder that protruded from the steep face of the mountain onto the trail, over trees that had fallen across the seldom used path, and then up a rocky slide until the trail opened into an alpine meadow.

"Ohmigod," Marnie said between gulps of air.

It really was spectacular. The cabin was set beneath a stand of spruce trees, the outhouse ten feet away and connected by a covered walkway. The tiny lake glistened in the afternoon sun, and while the meadow was hardly large enough for more than a few tents and a fake arch, it was covered with flowers and tall yellow grass that looked like wheat, over which enormous butterflies flitted in and out.

"It's fantastic!" Marnie exclaimed, walking forward. Eli joined her, and together they walked to the lake and looked at the fish swimming there. Eli pointed out some of the nearby peaks and the glimpse of a village at the base of the mountain range. They walked up to the log cabin, which boasted a spectacular view of the mountains. The porch was graced with two big padded wicker chairs, a marble table, and a small brazier for keeping feet warm.

Eli opened the door, put his hand on the small of Marnie's back, and guided her across the threshold of the honeymoon cottage.

"Oh man oh man, this is
so
charming and
so
romantic." she sighed, looking around at the large, single room. "No wonder they wanted to be here."

Thick beams of wood slanted across the ceiling, and from it hung an old cast-iron circle candelabra. Beneath it were two leather armchairs, directly before a surprisingly large hearth and near a long leather couch. Wood was stacked to the ceiling on either side of the fireplace. A huge and thick shaggy rug covered most of the floor.

On one side of the cabin was a raised platform, on which was a round, king-sized bed. It was centered directly beneath a large ceiling mirror, and was covered with quilts stuffed with down. A trunk along the wall of the platform held wool blankets. A small closet had more blankets and linens, two plush bathrobes, and two sets of sheepskin slippers. Another door led to a single bath and sink—and a small heater, to pump hot water into the tub.

In the kitchen was a wood-burning stove and utility sink that had an old-fashioned handle pump. In addition, there was a small but elegant dining area. A wooden chest was actually a very large cooler, where some foodstuffs were stored. The pantry was stocked with china and crystal, and on the pantry door was a wine rack.

"What about food?" Marnie asked, giving the bed a little bounce.

"Breakfast foods are stored here," Eli said, pointing to the chest. "Lunch and dinner are brought up from the lodge. When they are ready, the couple call for it over the walkie-talkie."

"It's very secluded, isn't it?" Marnie asked.

"Very."

She got up from the bed and walked to the hearth, and looked up at an original painting of a snowbound adobe house above the hearth.

"If I ever get married, I'd want it to be in a place like this." She laughed. "Without the arch, I mean… but someplace really special." She glanced at Eli over her shoulder and smiled. "Wouldn't you?"

Funny, but the mere mention of marriage made him feel as if he were standing on a bed of hot coals. "I, ah… don't plan on marrying," he said, and awkwardly put a hand to his nape and looked at the floor. How had she done it? How had she managed to slide back under his skin so quickly?

"Oh no?" she asked cheerfully. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you should consider this place."

He said nothing, just kept rubbing the nape of his neck, feeling terribly conspicuous. Exposed. Transparent.

"Okay," Marnie said, and stretched her arms high above her head. "I better get back." She walked to where Eli was standing, and tipped her face up beneath his to get his attention. "By the way, you can relax. That wasn't a proposal."

"I didn't say it was."

"No," she said laughingly. "But you blanched and almost fainted. So shall we go? I am expecting some professional guests to arrive today."

"Right, yes… and about those guys," he said, opening the door. "What exactly is a professional guest?"

Her eyes widened with surprise, and then her face broke into a wreath of smiles. "Oh Eli, you make me laugh!" she said, and walked out the door, leaving Eli to think he and Jack were the only men on the planet who didn't know what professional guests were.

He locked up and followed Marnie out onto the porch, where she was sitting with one hip on the railing and a delectably rosy flush from the cool dry air. "At the risk of sounding really out of touch with the world, what
is
a professional guest?" he asked again.

"You really don't know?"

"I really don't."

"They are usually men who make sure all the real guests are sufficiently entertained. They dance, they chat, they fetch champagne and cake. They pretend to be guests, but they make sure the party keeps going and that no one has a bad time."

It took a moment for Eli to grasp the concept. After a moment, he said flatly, "You're kidding."

"No," she said, smiling. "Why would I kid?"

"Come on, Marnie, you're pulling my leg. There's no such thing as a professional guest."

"There is too! Think about it—you wouldn't want to shell out this kind of dough for a wedding and then Aunt Cloris has a really bad time, right?"

"I would trust Aunt Cloris to take care of herself," he said, walking down the steps of the porch.

"But what if Aunt Cloris can't get me attention of someone as suave as you, Cowboy? Then what?"

"Then she can talk to Uncle Harry. Are we
paying
these people?"

"Of course!" Marnie laughed, bouncing down the steps behind him. "We have two men coming, and they get a five hundred-dollar per diem, plus room and board, and then a thousand each for the night of the wedding."

Eli stopped so abruptly that Marnie almost plowed into him. He slapped a hand over his heart as he turned around to face her. "No way," he said, shaking his head. "Please don't tell me that we are paying two gay men almost five grand to dance with Aunt Cloris!"

"Okay, I won't tell you that," she said, her smile fading. "But we are."

With a heavy sigh, Eli looked heavenward for strength. "How come I didn't know this?"

"It was in the original budget I submitted for your supreme approval, and maybe if you'd call every once in a while, you might know what was going on!"

"I
did
call," he reminded her, "and you said everything was cool."

"Because it was! It is! What did you think I was going to say, everything's a mess? That I can't do my job without your oversight? This wedding is right on budget, pal, and by the way, just why
did
you call? To tell me you were really
what
?" she demanded, her hands going to her hips.

Suddenly, Eli was irritated. He was tired, and confused, and still miffed they were going to pay those jokers five grand to dance with old broads. Add to that a bunch of useless feathers and God knew what else and he was beginning to feel like a jester in Queen Olivia's court

"Welir she insisted.

Now that little demand made it worse, because she said it in a tone that implied she had some right to him, that he owed her a phone call, which he did not, and it didn't set too well with Eli. He lifted a heated gaze to her. "I called to say I was counting on you to take charge and not muck this up."

Marnie's eyes narrowed. She angrily swatted at a bug or something that went flying past. "Is that all?" she asked in a voice that was deathly low.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," she snapped, and suddenly stepped around him, marching toward the bridge. "I guess I just thought maybe you called to assure me that you wouldn't be so rude as to ride off into the damn sunset without telling me so much as to kiss your ass!"

"Riding off into the sunset?" he bellowed. "What the hell does that mean? In case you have forgotten, I left you a message, but at last look, I really don't have to explain myself to you!"

"No, you sure don't!" she shouted over her shoulder. "You don't have to do anything but bark orders and pass judgment on other people's weddings! It's a mystery to me why someone as anti-wedding as you would be so involved in this!"

This was going nowhere fast. Eli caught up to Marnie as she reached the trail down to the bridge, and stayed on her heels until they reached the bridge. When he tried to help her, she slapped his hand from her elbow. "I can
do
it!" she snapped, "I had to pass wedding boot camp 101, remember?" She grabbed the rope railing, bent over as far as she could, and made her way across like a duck.

Eli walked across, gestured for her to get on the four-wheeler, then got on in front of her, cringing at the feel of her body around his. Goddammit, why did a woman with a mouth like Marnie's have to feel so damn
good
?

He started the thing up and went racing down the mountain, ignoring Marnie's little shrieks of surprise and terror at his reckless driving. When they reached the lodge, Marnie slid off the back before he could turn it off and said, "If it's all right with you, Herr Commandant, I've got stuff to do."

"I don't give a damn what you do," he muttered.

With a
harrumph
, Marnie pivoted sharply and marched back to the lodge while Eli watched the very sexy wiggle of her butt in those tight fleece pants.

She could just go to hell for being so goddamn cute.