1 Target of Death (16 page)

When he rejoined Kimberly at the table, he
suggested, “Let’s bail. I’m sure you’re tired.”

“But we didn’t even cut the wedding cake yet.”

“Of course,” he muttered under his breath.

They linked arms and strode over to the
wedding cake. It was a frosted pink concoction with tiny pink bows attached.
Joining hands, they cut the cake, each cramming a piece in the other’s mouth
amid the cheers of the guests.

Kimberly gripped the plate that contained a
generous slice of her wedding cake, hoping that Jeremy wouldn’t be in the mood
to fight. She would simply assert herself and insist he sleep with her tonight.
She was his wife, after all.

When they didn’t make the turn onto M-25,
Kimberly frowned. “Where are we going?”

“To a bed and breakfast a few miles away.”

“What’s the point, now? You said you didn’t
want to sleep with me.”

He frowned. “I know what I said and I
should have just shut my mouth. This is our wedding night,” he reminded
Kimberly. “I’m sure you don’t want to spend it arguing.”

Kimberly toyed with her wedding gown
absently. “No, but you’ll have to help me out of my wedding dress.”

“Gladly, but we won’t make love unless you
really want to.”

Kimberly was taken aback. “I’m not even
sure it’s possible. Maybe it would be best to wait until the baby is born.” She
squeezed Jeremy’s leg. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t still sleep together.”

Jeremy smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

He made the turn into the Cottage Inn,
which was located inside a sprawling, southern style mansion. He rolled up the
circle drive and cut the engine, then jumped out, opening the door for Kimberly
and helped her out of the SUV.

She teetered on her high heels for a moment
before regaining her balance while Jeremy retrieved a suitcase. There was a red
carpet draped down the center of the walkway and Kimberly felt like a princess,
waltzing her way toward the door. A fresh-faced girl dressed in a black and
white maid uniform with her hair piled into a high bun greeted them.

“Welcome, honeymooners. We have everything
in place, Mr. Preston.” She said it like Jeremy had been here before and that
had Kimberly wondering. Did he bring Clare here?
Stop it, Kimberly. You need to quit worrying about that woman.
If
only she could. The best thing she could do was focus on this special night
with her brand new husband. She was the one he married, not Clare.

They were led to an elevator that sailed
them to the second floor.

“Oh, my. It looks like you picked the
perfect place for us, honey,” Kimberly gushed. “I can’t wait to see what’s
next.”

The maid ushered them into a room that took
Kimberly’s breath away. In the center was a huge Victorian four-poster bed
draped with white linen. The comforter was folded down nicely to reveal two
plump feather down pillows and rose petals were strewn across the bed. Kimberly
walked to the sheer cream curtains and gazed out the large window at the view
of the pristine Lake Huron. It was still light enough to admire the sleek
sailboats on the horizon. She breathed deeply, inhaling the fragrance of
freshly cut roses. How did Jeremy have the time to make these arrangements
without her knowing it? A tear threatened to spill from her eyes as her heart
warmed toward her new husband.

Kimberly had passed this mansion every day,
longing to stroll along the courtyards. When she had heard it was turned into a
bed and breakfast, she was ecstatic, hoping one day to see the inside. At this
point, she had no idea what would transpire, but one thing was certain
—tonight was made for love. Gone were her worries and troubles. All she
wanted to focus on tonight was her loving husband.

 
“You devil. I had no idea you had planned
to whisk me away to such a beautiful mansion,” she said, turning back from the
window to face Jeremy again.

“It’s a bed and breakfast,” he winked. “And
a fine one at that. You deserve to be wined and dined and treated like a
princess.”

Kimberly pressed a hand to her chest.
“Well, you certainly have outdone yourself.” She raised a brow at the maid who
still stood in the doorway.

“I’ll bring you some refreshments,” the
maid said, as she whirled away.

“Refreshments?”

“Settle yourself on the wingback chair.” He
waited patiently until she sat and then he moved a table close to her, sitting
on a chair opposite her.

Kimberly massaged the plush pink fabric of
the chair. “I’m sorry—”

“Don’t be,” he cut in. “It’s
understandable. Let’s just forget about it and start anew. It’s nice to make
your acquaintance, Mrs. Preston. I hope your husband knows how lucky he is.”

“I don’t know, but I hope so. We were
married in such a rush. I daresay I barely know the man.”

“You don’t say. In all seriousness,
Kimberly, please feel free to ask me anything you want. I’m an open book.
Everything has moved quickly, but I promise to make you and the baby happy.”

Kimberly wrinkled her brow. “You didn’t
just marry me because I’m pregnant, did you?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“You keep mentioning the baby, but... ”

“I love you, Kimberly. I don’t know how
else to say it, but I also know that you and the baby are a package deal. I
love you both. I’m going to do my best to be a good husband and dutiful father,
and in time, we can have a baby all our own, too.”

“Hopefully, not too soon. Motherhood scares
me. I have never even babysat before. What if I do something wrong, like drop
it on its head?”

He laughed. “Don’t worry. From my
understanding, it’s instinct. You’ll figure out what to do when the baby comes.
Look how you care for Weenie. You protect and nurture him.”

She bit her fingernail. “I know, but a baby
is way different from a dog.”

There was a knock at the door and the maid
brought in a silver tray layered with fruit, cheese, and crackers with a bottle
of bubbly.

“I can’t drink, Jeremy.”

“Don’t worry, it’s sparkling grape juice.”

Two glasses were retrieved, and with a nod,
the maid left the room, closing the door softly behind her. Jeremy popped the
cork and poured the bubbly into the glasses, offering Kimberly one of them. “To
us.”

Kimberly smiled as she took a sip, then
laughed when the bubbles tickled her nostrils. “To forever.”

“I like the sound of that.” Jeremy took a
drink and rested back in the chair. “And you wanted to ask me some questions
about my past.”

“Yes, and I’m sure you’d like to know more
about me as well.”

“I know the father of your baby died in a
hunting accident in the Upper Peninsula. What about your childhood?”

Kimberly took another sip. “You, first.”
Truth was, how could she explain her odd childhood? It was so far removed from
who she was today.

“Well, I spent my childhood in San Diego,
California, but we often summered at Lake Tahoe.”

“What was it like there?”

“Busy and congested in San Diego, but it
was a great place to grow up. Back then I liked going to parties and my friends
and I had fun getting into mischief at our parents’ expense. We knocked down
our fair share of ice sculptures. Unfortunately, there was also a large amount
of booze around. I hate to admit it, but I drank too much as a teen. When I hit
a parked car at sixteen, I headed off to court, and it was there that I was
first inspired to become a lawyer. My parents hired a great lawyer who
convinced the judge to go easy on me, but I had to go to Alcoholics Anonymous
meetings for a while. No way was I that messed up, but I did my time and
haven’t had a drink since.”

“That’s great, Jeremy. Were your parents
mad at you?”

“My adoptive parents, Frances and Martin
Preston, were tolerant of my behavior, but they were insistent that I go
through the AA classes. They were thrilled that I wanted to pursue a degree in
law. I went to San Diego University’s’ School of Law, and graduated with
honors.”

“I see.” So Jeremy did have flaws of his
own. “It’s great that you rose above your early mistakes. What did you do after
graduation?”

“I moved to Los Angeles and became an
entertainment lawyer. That’s how I met Clive Baxter.”

Kimberly had to wonder how a man with such
a background ended up moving to Michigan. “What was being a entertainment
lawyer like?”

“I handled contracts and occasionally had
to go to court.” He frowned. “Then there were the actresses who were arrested
for DUI. I didn’t mind in the beginning. After all, I’d been in trouble for the
same thing when I was younger, but they kept doing it over and over again.” He
expelled a breath.

“You got fed up.”

“Exactly. I had so much pressure put on me
by agents and family members, not to mention whiny clients, that I finally said
‘enough.’”

“Is that when you moved to Michigan?”

“Yes. I figured Michigan was far enough
away from California, but that was before Clive showed up in town.”

“I’m confused. Why did you pick Redwater?”

“I had a cousin who lived here. He told me
how the thumb of Michigan was so nice and pristine, and that the people were friendly.
You have to admit, Redwater is a small town and that’s what I needed. To be out
of the hustle and bustle of the big city.”

“Were you dating any actresses or models?”

“I’ve dated my fair share, but most of them
just didn’t hold my attention.”

“Come on. You were a player. Admit it.”

“Guilty as charged, but I’m trying to
change my ways.”

Kimberly rubbed her brow. “With me?”

“I fell in love with you the first moment I
interviewed you for the job, but I was too stubborn to admit it.”

“Yeah, until I was six months pregnant and
offered a modeling gig for the Pretty and Pregnant lotion line.”

He popped a grape into his mouth. “I
explained to you about how I loved you already. I just didn’t want to risk
Clive moving you to California. I had to make a move.”

“Of course. I just wish you had made your
move earlier, like before I got pregnant.”

“Would it have mattered?”

“Perhaps; not that I’m unhappy about how
things turned out, though. I’m happy that I’m pregnant, but I wonder how things
will play out with the advertising deal. I’ll have to learn how to deal with
Clare. I know she’s just trying to rile me, but this is going to be hard. I
hate the thought of you and Clare together. What if she tries to interfere?”

“She’ll be wasting her breath. I only have
eyes for you.” He stood and closed the distance between them. “I love you, my
silly worry wart.” He kissed the top of Kimberly’s head.

If only Kimberly could believe that. Sure,
she knew that Jeremy loved her, but it wouldn’t matter to Clare. No doubt
Claire would do her best to mess things up if she could.

Kimberly tilted her head up so Jeremy’s
lips could capture hers, exploring her lips and mouth with a plunge of his
tongue. She moaned beneath the heat of the kiss and sighed when it stopped,
searching his dark face, which promised of so much more, and felt his body hot
beneath her searching hands.

“I want this night to be special,
Kimberly.”

He helped her stand and he led her to the
bed, where he slowly unzipped Kimberly’s wedding dress and helped her remove it,
tossing it onto a chair. She pressed herself against the soft sheets and held a
hand over her abdomen when the baby gave her a vicious kick. “Oh, my.”

“You’re beautiful,” he said, breathing into
her open and waiting mouth.

Kimberly batted her eyelashes, her cheeks
hot to the touch. “Hold me,” she requested. “I think we should wait until the
baby is born before we make love. If it’s okay with you, I just want to get to
know you more before I’m ready to take the plunge.”

Jeremy nodded. “Whatever feels right for
you. Just know that I’m here whenever you’re ready.” He removed his tux and
joined Kimberly on the bed, laying down in the buff!

Kimberly swallowed hard. Had she made a
mistake? Jeremy was rippled muscle from head to toe! His tight abs contracted
with each movement, whereas she felt like a bloated whale. She rubbed her
stomach and Jeremy’s hands joined hers, his eyes widening when a thump from
within moved both their hands.

“He’s strong.”

“Hey, I don’t know for sure what the baby
is yet.”

“It’s a boy from the way he kicks. I think
he’s going to be football player.”

Kimberly smiled sweetly. “You’re such a
man. I don’t care what it is as long as it’s healthy.”

“Of course, but it wouldn’t hurt to
decorate the nursery in blue, just in case.”

“How about green or yellow?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Not. Let’s just keep
it white until the baby comes. So, when is your due date?”

Kimberly rubbed her head. “Oh, I don’t know
for certain. I think I have three months left.”

He pulled away. “Why don’t you know for
sure? When was the last time you went for a doctor’s appointment?”

Kimberly hated to tell him. “About two
months, give or take.”

“You’re making an appointment tomorrow,
Mrs. Preston,” he said in disapproval. “I’m not having my son or daughter
arriving early.”