The Candidate's Wife (4 page)

Now, if only she could find a way to stifle her foolish romantic fantasies before they got completely out of hand.

After a night of tossing and turning, Julia dragged herself back to campaign headquarters. She spent the morning at her desk, where she pretended to work but instead stole frequent glances in the direction of Adam's office. Though the blinds were down, word around the office was that Adam had closeted himself with his senior advisors to conduct a major strategy session. Julia suspected they were discussing the wedding. What had Adam said about her? What would the campaign staff think when they found out?

Julia's thoughts were interrupted as Valerie pulled up a chair and plunked herself down without an invitation. Today her T-shirt and lipstick matched her flaming hair. She shot Julia a look of utter shock and betrayal.

"How could you not tell me?" she moaned. "You're going to marry the senator this weekend and you didn't even say you knew him!" Valerie's plaintive wail carried throughout the office. If the wedding had been a secret before, Valerie had just blown it.

Julia sighed and pushed a batch papers aside. "How did you hear already?"

"From Tom. He said he's going to announce it to the press at the four o'clock briefing. Is it really true?"

"It's true." Julia rubbed her aching eyes.

"How did you meet him? When did you start dating? And how in the world did you get a confirmed bachelor like Adam Carmichael to propose?"

Valerie's voice rose again, and Julia winced. She pitched her voice low as she answered the distraught girl. "Valerie, I'm sorry. The whole matter's highly confidential. You probably shouldn't even know about it yet, and I certainly can't tell you any details."

Valerie frowned, then changed her tactics. "Well, now that the secret's out, how about dishing some dirt?" She gave Julia an ingratiating smile, and her voice took on a wheedling tone. "Come on, Julia. We're friends, aren't we?"

Julia was momentarily tempted to spill everything, if only to gain a sympathetic ear. Still, she resisted the urge. She didn't really consider Valerie a friend. The girl was more of an annoyance, actually. Besides, she'd given Adam her word. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I can't talk about it."

Valerie opened her mouth to argue, but at that moment Julia's telephone buzzed. "Excuse me," Julia said, relieved by the interruption.

She picked up the receiver and heard Adam's husky voice in her ear. "Julia? May I speak to you in person? At your convenience, of course." As always, his tone was smooth and courteous, yet also faintly mocking.

"I'll be right there." Julia set the receiver back in its cradle. She stood up. "I have to go, Valerie. Please excuse me."

"We'll talk later," Valerie called, as Julia left her behind -- with some relief. The girl was a constant, somewhat overbearing presence around the office. On the other hand, Julia understood why Valerie was curious. It was a strange situation, one that, even for Adam's intended bride, still retained a faint air of unreality.

Julia walked slowly across the campaign headquarters, taking a few extra seconds to compose herself. The prospect of seeing Adam again made her pulse flutter and her hands shake. Though she didn't completely trust him, she found Adam undeniably attractive. His attentive gaze both warmed and disconcerted her -- and he knew it, of course. During their first meeting, he'd used every ounce of his sex appeal to gain the upper hand. This time, she would steel herself against his charms.

She arrived at Adam's personal assistant's desk just as the office door opened and Adam's senior advisers filed out -- Phil, with a wink and a smile for Julia, the others with openly inquisitive glances at the woman who had finally captured the heart of their bachelor boss, or so they imagined.

Adam's personal assistant, Lucinda, was an older woman with a perfect silver-gray pageboy, a fabulous collection of silk scarves, and an air of unimpeachable dignity. "Hello, Julia," she said. "Adam's waiting for you. Go right in."

"Thank you." Julia stepped past the desk and slipped through the door to the office, closing it behind her. She found Adam frowning at the screen of his notebook computer. Today he wore a pinstripe suit, blue shirt, and silk tie. He might have stepped from the pages of GQ, except for his slightly rumpled blond hair and the worry lines that creased his forehead.

He ignored Julia's presence just long enough so that she began to wonder whether she ought to say something. Then he glanced up, pushed the computer away, and gave her a curt nod. "Have a seat. I just wanted to make sure you're clear on the schedule for the week." He spoke in the same cool, clipped tones he might have used to address any member of his staff.

Julia remained standing, though her knees trembled. "Any changes I should know about?"

"Not really. But you'll have to do something about a wedding dress. Lucinda will see to that. She's in charge of all the arrangements." He smiled wryly. "I think even Lucinda feels a little flustered, though of course she would never show it."

Julia nodded. "I don't blame her. A major wedding in four days? I still think a small ceremony --"

He cut her off with a shake of his head. "Phil's right. It's got to be a big production -- church, reception, and all the trimmings. We need the publicity and the free TV time. I'm setting half the staff to work on this project, and pulling a few strings to get the church and ballroom. We'll pull it off." He shrugged. "It's no different from organizing any major campaign event, really."

Julia had never before heard a wedding compared to a political rally or a fund-raising dinner. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or be offended. "What can I do to help?"

"Not much. Try on the dress. After that, just keep out of the way."

She frowned. Adam's tone grated on her ragged nerves. With effort, she curbed her tongue. No point in antagonizing the man she would have to live with for the next month, if not longer.

"Let's see, what else?" Adam drummed his fingertips against the desktop. "You'll want to hire someone to move your furniture and things to my apartment, I guess."

Julia suppressed a shudder at the thought of her threadbare Salvation Army couch shoulder to shoulder with the Carmichael family heirlooms. "I don't think that's necessary. I -- I don't have very many nice things."

"Fine. That simplifies matters." He frowned and scratched his chin. "I guess we'll need to hire a new researcher. I'll get Phil on that right away."

Julia felt a sudden ache in her heart, like a child who'd just lost her most precious doll. She'd worked hard for that job, and now Adam threatened to snatch it away. "I'd like to keep working."

He made a dismissive gesture. "As my wife, you'll spend most of your time traveling and making public appearances with me."

Julia frowned and twirled a loose strand of hair around her index finger, a nervous habit of hers. Adam was right, but the ache remained. Besides, he'd promised her a major role in his campaign. Well, if Adam could approach marriage coldly, with an eye for its advantages, so could she. "I understand that I'll be busy," she said, "but I still want to sit in on the senior staff meetings. While I don't have much practical campaign experience, I think I do have some good ideas."

A fleeting look of annoyance crossed Adam's face, but he nodded. "Fine."

The easy victory surprised her, but she stumbled on. "All right, then. Good. Now, about Danny. I'll need to enroll him in school right away, and I also want to --"

"You can take care of all that. Ask Lucinda or Phil for help." Adam leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands behind his head. "Speaking of the kid, I want to shoot some new campaign commercials with the three of us. Phil's also scheduled a photo session. I want you and the boy on my new poster."

Fury bubbled up inside her, and this time she couldn't hold it back. She didn't even try. Adam had finally gone too far. "Stop right there, Adam. His name is Danny, not 'the kid' or 'the boy'. I didn't tell him about our arrangement when I spoke to him on the phone last night -- "

"Good," Adam said, interrupting again. "That's hardly the kind of secret a 10-year-old can be expected to keep."

" -- so he thinks he's getting a new stepfather. That's difficult enough, but now you seem to think Danny's nothing but a prop for your ad campaign." Her voice rose, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, I agreed to this marriage. I'll honor that agreement, unless I think it might hurt my son. That's where I draw the line. Do you understand?"

She wrapped up her ultimatum and watched Adam's face, half expecting an angry report or an attempt to put her in her place. To her surprise, Adam laughed and held up his hands as if to ward off her fury. "Whoa, there, Julia. Take it easy." His smile faded, replaced by a sober expression. "I apologize if my phrasing was crude, but I don't mean your son any harm."

Julia let her arms fall to her side. Her anger drained away. "I know. I just worry because -- because he might come to care for you, and when you don't return his affection --" Her voice faltered as she realized that she was no longer talking about her son, at least not entirely.

Adam's gaze seemed to see her thoughts. He nodded and spoke in precise, clipped tones. "I understand your concern, Julia. I'll be careful not to make any promises I can't keep."

Julia shifted her gaze from his face and stared instead at his desk's shiny surface. "Thank you. Is there anything else?"

"I think that's it," Adam said, then frowned. "Oh, wait. There is something else." He fumbled in the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a small box covered with black velvet. "Here." He held it out to her and waited as Julia stepped forward.

Slowly, she extended her hand. Their eyes locked, and she felt the pad of Adam's thumb brush her palm. She curled her fingers around the box, pried open the lid, and let out a gasp of surprise and awe.

Dozens of tiny diamonds crusted the ring's platinum band, framing the large circular stone that flashed white fire as it caught the light. Julia removed it from the box and felt the cool gems against her fingers. She had never touched anything so beautiful. There was a catch in her voice when she spoke. "It's gorgeous. Thank you."

Adam gave a casual shrug. "Thank Phil. He said you needed an engagement ring." He turned back to his computer screen. "That will be all for now, Julia."

"All right." She hesitated, but Adam didn't look up. He'd effectively dismissed her. Julia slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her left hand. For some reason, she had a lump in her throat. Adam's dry, businesslike manner bothered her, but she could hardly find fault with him. This marriage was, after all, a business deal of sorts.

She slipped from the office and closed the door behind her, determined to put Adam out of her mind until Sunday's wedding. As she headed back to her desk, however, her pulse fluttered at the base of her neck like the wings of a captive sparrow.

Three days later, Julia found herself in the back of Adam's Mercedes, headed home to Cypress Point with the man she planned to marry the next day. Adam was regarding her thoughtfully. He stared at her until she began to fidget, frown, and finally burst out, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just wondering if you want to change your mind." It wasn't a question, more of a taunt or a challenge, and Julia's mouth suddenly felt dry as ash.

She wet her lips. "And if I did?"

"It's up to you, of course. I'd be disappointed."

"I haven't changed my mind."

"Good. And you haven't told anyone about our deal, have you?" His eyes seemed to bore into hers, as if he meant to read her very thoughts.

She scowled at him. "No! I haven't forgotten our agreement, even if it means I have to shut my family out of my life."

To her surprise, Adam reached over and took her hand. His palm felt smooth and cool as it closed over her fingers for a brief moment. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before he let it go. He leaned closer, so that his head nearly touched hers, and he smiled. "You worry too much, Julia. Who knows? Maybe your family will like me."

Julia managed a smile of her own, but every muscle in her body stretched tight as an iron band in response to Adam's proximity. He seemed cool and collected, though, and oblivious to the tension she felt. She was tired of always being the one on the spot. Time to see if she could make him squirm a little.

"I'm sure they'll love you," she said, and feigned a worried frown. "Of course, my brothers are awfully suspicious of strangers."

Adam arched one brow, but his smile never faltered. "Is that right? How many brothers do you have?"

"Three." She nibbled her lower lip. "All older. They're very protective, but -- since we're married -- they probably won't hurt you any."

Adam's grin wavered. "Well, that's good to hear."

Julia widened her eyes with calculated innocence. "Besides, they're all law-abiding men. They rarely use their guns without provocation."

An unmistakable look of unease now shadowed Adam's face. By now, his voice carried a hint of alarm. "Uh, your brothers carry guns?"

She shrugged and bit back a giggle, proud of the way she'd managed to turn the tables. "Well, it's part of the job," she admitted. "All three work for the county sheriff's office. They're harmless, really."