Ruth and Lucas Read online

  “Why not? Deal?”

  He held out his hand to her, the other going into his pocket. Is this what my future will look like? Full of challenges? Well, at least it spices up things. Ruth put her hand in his, shaking it.

  “Deal.”

  Lucas didn't let go of her hand as they returned to his mother and sister. He wanted to show a united front, to let them know that Veronica was the woman he'd chosen to marry. It may not be out of love, but he trusted her, and that's what mattered. It was easy to spot his mother and sister; they were the only ones having a good time laughing and drinking what looked like champagne. They look like they're celebrating something. Ruth gave a little laugh. I'm glad she's amused because I'm not.

  “Looks like they were happy when I left, they probably don't think that I'm coming back. Imagine what they'll say when they see us walking hand-in-hand?”

  Lucas had to agree with Ruth, they did seem happy. They've never given me the impression that they're unhappy with Veronica, have they been lying all this time? His mother was the first one to spot them, going into a coughing fit that had his sister patting her back. Maureen did a little jump when she finally saw them, quickly turning her attention back on their mother. She whispered something in her ear before sitting down, pasting a pleasantly surprised look on her face. His mother managed to regain her composure as they got to the table, standing up to greet him with a kiss.

  “Lucas, dear, you didn't tell us that you'd be joining us. I thought that you were busy?”

  “Hi, Mom. I thought that I'd come and spend some time with the women I love most in the world.”

  “Well, brother dear, it's good to see you come up for air. We were beginning to think that you'd abandoned poor Veronica.”

  Maureen gave a little laugh, a sound that grated on his nerves. Oh, I know you all too well, sister dear, that was meant to be a jab at Veronica. Lucas responded by leaning over and giving Veronica a kiss on the cheek, lingering just a tad longer than necessary. He felt her go still, turning her pretty brown eyes onto him.

  “Come, baby, let's take a seat.”

  Lucas pulled out a chair for her, letting her sit before sitting down himself. He hadn't looked at his mother and sister yet, purposefully prolonging the moment. Let them see what I want them to see, that should shut them up.

  “We were just discussing the wedding, dear,” his mother said. “I really insist on having it at the hotel so that our guests will have a place to stay, especially those coming from abroad. A backyard wedding and barbecue is hardly going to cut it, I'm afraid. What would your friends and colleagues think?”

  “That my wedding is different and more intimate than an expensive and large wedding where the bride and groom hardly know half of the people there?”

  His sister's jaw twitched, but otherwise, that was the only physical reaction to show him that he'd struck a nerve. Maureen's wedding and been large and over-the-top, one where the guest list had gone into the hundreds, with most of the people being those that they'd hardly interacted with. Lucas didn't want that for his wedding, and neither did Veronica. I'm going to get them to back off one way or the other.

  "Lucas, are you saying that you want what Veronica wants? You two aren't even married yet, and you're already dancing to her tune."

  Maureen said it jokingly, but there was a bite to her words. They really don't like Veronica, do they? Lucas took Veronica's hand, kissing it. He ignored her quiet sharp intake of breath, storing it in his memory for later.

  “Whatever Veronica wants I want, Maureen. She makes me happy, what else can I say?”

  “But you hardly know each other, Lucas!”

  Lucas was taken aback by Maureen's outburst. When Veronica wanted to remove her hand from his, he didn't let her, he continued to hold on.

  “How well can you say that you know Hermanus? Where is he now?”

  His brother-in-law wasn't someone he would have chosen for his sister, but because he had status, money, and came from a well-respected family, she had dug her heels in and married him against Lucas' warnings. Maureen was in love with the status of being Hermanus Combrink's wife, diamond mine magnate, and business guru of the twentieth century. She was so in love with the position that she didn't seem to mind the fact that he wasn't faithful to her, not before the marriage and definitely not after. It's like speaking to a blank wall whenever I talk about him.

  “Now, now, children, let's not hit below the belt.”

  “Can you tell me that's not what you did when you spoke to my fiancée earlier on?”

  “And just what did we say to her that wasn't true?” Maureen demanded.

  Veronica tried to tug her hand away from him again, but rather than let her go, he brought her hand up to his lips, turning it over to kiss her palm. Her tense hand went slack in his, and a tiny tremor could be felt. Maybe I'm overdoing it a bit, but I need to prove a point to them, especially my sister. Lucas leaned in closer to her, whispering into her ear.

  “Just relax and trust me, okay?”

  She nodded her head, her eyes looking down. I don't know what she's thinking, but I'll explain everything to her later.

  “Why don't you two get a room or something?”

  The tightness in Maureen's voice only made him smile. While he loved his sister and would do anything for her, she was a pain in the butt. Several years younger than him, he'd always watched out for her, making sure that no one hurt her. When Hermanus came along, she seemed to forget her pride and followed him around like a lapdog, always waiting for him to pop the question. He couldn't handle the snob, but he had to for the sake of his sister.

  “Then look the other way, Mau-Mau.”

  He knew that she hated that nickname, but at that moment, he didn't care. They'd insulted the woman he'd chosen to marry, and he didn't take lightly to people questioning his decisions.

  “Don't call me Mau-Mau,” she hissed.

  “Children! Please, this is no way to act in front of outsiders. What will they think?”

  He smiled. “That we're normal people who fight just like any other siblings?”

  His mother gave him a stern look. “Now, Lucas, let's get back to the matter at hand—your wedding.”

  Veronica, who had remained quite for some time, chose that moment to speak.

  “I think that we can reach a compromise on the wedding.”

  A compromise? She hadn't discussed anything of the sort with him.

  “What do you mean by compromise?” he asked.

  Her comment had caught him off guard; so much so that she was able to pull her hand away, linking them on her lap.

  "What I mean is that we can all get what we want by reaching a compromise. It is our wedding, so we get the final say, but I'm willing to hear ideas from your mother and sister."

  Had she decided to set aside her anger and give in to them? That didn't sound like her. It's odd how I can say that something doesn't sound like her when I'm just starting to get to know her, but I somehow feel like I know her already. They were due to go house hunting soon, maybe they could do it this weekend and get to know each other better. After all, she was going to be his wife soon, even if it wasn't a real relationship. As far as he was concerned, a business relationship was as important, if not more, than a love relationship.

  “That sounds like a good idea, Veronica,” his mother said. “What did you have in mind?”

  "A garden wedding can be a lavish affair if done right, but the guest list is not to exceed one hundred."

  "A hundred?" cut in Maureen. "I know triple that amount of people, if not more."

  "And you had them at your wedding, sister dear, but I don't want the same for my wedding, alright?"

  "A hundred," Veronica continued. "It will be intimate, with only the closest people there. No expense will be spared for the décor, entertainment, food, cake, beverages—the works. I still like the idea of a barbecue, but we can bring in experienced chefs who can work the grill like no other. Amazing gourmet food ca
n be created and cooked on the grill, and if you don't believe me, I can take you to a couple restaurants with an amazing barbecue menu."

  Lucas had to admit that he liked what she was explaining in detail. He watched his sister and mother's expressions, waiting for them to reject the idea. If they do, then Veronica and I will just elope in Vegas. He paused. Elopement? Only people in love do that, this is just a business arrangement. Where was his head?

  “Alright,” his mother finally said. “If you can show me how everything will come together, then I think that it's a great idea.”

  Veronica's smile was quick. "Sure. I'll put together a portfolio and send it to you with everything from venues to chefs, we can pick the best one together."

  Lucas could tell that Veronica was making an effort to get along with his family despite their rude behavior. Another woman wouldn't have done this, she probably would have thrown a tantrum or pretended to agree when she didn't, only to speak about the person behind their backs. Veronica is definitely different, marrying her should be interesting.

  Chapter 5

  “Is this all really necessary, Lucas?”

  Ruth looked at the house—no, mansion!— not quite able to believe that she would be living in such a place. It had been something she and her mother had always dreamed and laughed about, talking about what they would do if they ever got the chance to live in a large house with many rooms. It just doesn't seem right though, especially as we aren't going to get married for the right reasons.

  Lucas frowned. "What do you mean? Don't you like it? We can cancel this one and find another one, but I just thought that this one might appeal to you because it's pretty bare, allowing you to fill it as you please."

  Is that what he'd been thinking? That was surprisingly thoughtful, but still, this was too much.

  “It just seems so excessive for something that isn't real. This place is a lot of money, I wouldn't be able to even give you half.”

  "Give me half? Why would you give me half? I asked you to agree to this deal so I'll buy this house. It's an investment, so it's no big deal, really. Stop stressing about it, Ronnie, really."

  Lucas had taken to calling her Ronnie, and usually, she didn't like people shortening her name, but strangely she didn't mind when he did it.

  “I hear what you're saying, but at least let me put something toward the place. If we ever should argue for whatever reason, I don't want you throwing in my face that this is your house and then kick me out.”

  "I would never do that, Ronnie, why would you ever think that? If it makes you feel any better, I'll put you down as joint owner of the house, so it'll be in my name and yours. What do you think?"

  Ruth was surprised. “You would do that for me? We hardly know each other, Lucas!”

  “Well, we're going to have to get to know each other because we'll be married soon. I was thinking that we could spend the weekend together just getting to know each other.”

  She nearly dropped the lone vase she'd picked up. Instead, she held it to her chest, gripping it tightly. The weekend with him? Had he gone crazy?

  “W-what do you mean?”

  “Relax, it's not what you're thinking, alright? So put that thought out of your head. We'll book a place with two rooms—I won't encroach on your privacy. I just think that we need to show a united and loving front to my family, convince them that we are truly in love. We can let them know that we plan on going away for the weekend for some personal time away from the wedding preparations. It'll give us time to get to know each other better, so when I get asked questions about you, I'll have the right answers for them. The same goes for you, right?”

  “Yeah, yeah, right. Of course, that's what you meant-I knew that.”

  Ruth put the vase down, shielding her face from him. I feel like an idiot. The guy is friendly and considerate, and here I am thinking about stuff that will never happen. He doesn't see me as anything but a business deal, I have no reason to believe that he might actually want me or something. It's not like I'm interested either. All her reactions to his hand holding, pg-rated kisses, and kind words in front of his family were just a girl's reaction to a good-looking dude. What else can they be? I hardly know the guy, for goodness sake!

  "Ronnie, you still have the rest of the house to go through, let's not dawdle here."

  “I don't think that I need to look at anything else, Lucas, what I've seen looks great. Have you put in an offer already?”

  He shook his head. “No need, I've already bought the house, I just wanted to make sure that you liked it as well. You'll be spending an indeterminate amount of years here, I want you to like your home. Can you see yourself living here?”

  He looked at her earnestly, waiting for her answer. He's honestly taking my thoughts and feelings into consideration, George never did that. He usually ran over her, taking charge of everything without any thought to how she felt. Ruth looked around the almost empty building, seeing the tapestries she would hang on the one wall, the lovely Antoinette console table she'd bought at an auction sale sitting near the hallway, a beautiful Tiffany lamp in one corner or maybe a standing lamp with an early 1900s feel to it. The options are endless! I'm going to have so much fun turning this building into a home.

  “I'm guessing by your smile that it's a yes?”

  Lucas' deep voice near her head made her take a sudden step back, losing her balance. She closed her eyes, expecting to find herself on the floor, but she felt herself oddly suspended in the air. Ruth opened her eyes, her breath catching when she encountered deep green eyes with flecks of yellow. The yellow seemed to shoot out from the pupil like streaks of gold, mesmerizing her.

  “You alright?”

  “You have amazing eyes.”

  He grinned. “Really? What else do you find amazing about me?”

  Ruth shut her eyes. What the hell did I just say? Why did I have to say it? Dumb, dumb, dumb. She used him to right herself, avoiding his eyes.

  “Uh, thanks. And what I meant is that you have...”

  How was she going to talk herself out of this? You can't exactly come back from giving someone a compliment, and you can't take it back either.

  “Relax, Ronnie, I know what you meant. Lots of girls find my eyes mesmerizing.”

  "I'll bet they do," she muttered. "Speaking of girls, how do you plan on having relationships without word getting out? Everyone knows you, and I'm pretty sure that you only date well-known girls. I agreed to get married to stop everyone seeing me as the girl who was jilted by her fiancé, but if your relationships bring me grief in the form of people pitying me once again, then it's a huge no-no."

  Ruth didn't want to stop him from dating, but he would need to be more cautious than usual to protect her image. Lucas scratched his head first, then his chin. Why was he taking so long to answer? Was he going to reject what she'd just said? Let him, and then I'm out of here. Humiliation from one guy was enough to last her a lifetime, she didn't need Lucas adding to it.

  "Look, for now I'm not in the least interested in dating women. In fact, I haven't been with anyone in a while, mainly because I was fed up with their mind games. Don't worry about any relationships getting out, there won't be any on my side for a while yet, but what about you? You're probably going to want to start dating eventually. You're a beautiful woman, you might come across a man you like and want to go out with him. What will you do then? Just as people will pity you if I take on another girlfriend, so will they me because of my supposedly cheating wife. They'll be harder on you than they will on me."

  Getting into another relationship was the last thing on her mind, not after what George did. Had he just called her beautiful? Ruth didn't know why that mattered to her, but it did.

  "Oh no, I'm in no hurry to find guys to date, I'm better off alone under the pretense of marriage. Let's check out the rest of the house."

  They spent the next half hour exploring the five-bedroom, three-bathroom house, but her favorite room was the office space. Ruth co
uld imagine working straight from this room, saving her money on renting the one she had in town. But what if Lucas wanted it for himself?

  “Uh, Lucas, do you intend on working from home?”

  “No, why? I would rather keep my home and work life separate.”

  “Then do you mind if I take this room over? I'd like to use it as an office.”

  “To bring clients here?”

  “No, I tend to see clients in their own homes or in restaurants. This will be the room where I do all my brainstorming, setting up my design boards, keep my files, that sort of thing.”

  “Yeah, I guess so. Better to have the room put to good use than just another storage place. That means you'll be working from home, right?”

  She nodded. "It'll save me the commute from home to work every day, and I'll have more time to do other stuff like laundry, cleaning, cooking and whatever else this house needs."

  Lucas laughed. "No wife of mine needs to do anything of the sort, Ronnie, that's why I'm hiring help. I've already had my secretary find a couple people to fill various positions in the house, so once we have this house sorted you can explain how you want things done. You can't take care of everything yourself.”

  Have other people take care of the house? Ruth had never had a maid before, and here he was talking about several maids. This is definitely another type of living, I wonder what Mama would think about it, probably laugh at it. When her mother was still alive, they would watch soaps where the madam of the house had an army of servants to do everything, and there would always be one pretty servant who would seduce the husband, fall pregnant, and take away her husband. Would that happen to her?

  “Have you hired any pretty, and young maids?”

  A slow smile spread over his face. “Why? Do you plan on being a jealous wife?”

  Ruth could hear how ridiculous that sounded. This marriage isn't real, it's just a business deal. I have no right to be jealous of him having young maids running around the house. But still, the thought didn't sit well with her.

  “No, no, that's not what I'm saying-don't put words in my mouth. I just wanted to know because the younger ones are generally more likely to have an attitude, especially if they're pretty. They tend to disrespect the wife and seduce the husband. I just don't want any scandals, that's all.”