Randall Wedding (6 page)

“My answer is yes.”

“All right.”

“You’re sure? I want to be sure Angel is protected, no matter what happens to me.”

“Surely you don’t think your father would harm you in any way?” Nick asked, frowning.

“My father would kill his own sainted mother if it meant he could keep his wealth and power. That’s why I must have a will in place first thing in the morning. And I want a list of all the Randalls as possible legal guardians, but my father, or anyone blood-related to him, cannot be considered.”

“As soon as your father realizes you’re here and I won’t fall for his lies, he’ll come here, you realize,” Nick said.

“Right. How soon can we marry, Russ?”

“Three days,” Russ said slowly.

“Don’t take his calls for three days. Can you do that?”

Nick gave a small smile. “I’ve stalled before, Isabella.”

“So he won’t know the Randall name at all, because you use your legal name. That’s perfect.”

“I’m glad to please.”

“We’ll draw up papers that give Russ control of the shares if anything happens to me, holding them in trust for Angel. And that control will transfer to whomever takes over as legal guardian if something happens to him. Don’t worry, Russ. You’ll be compensated for your efforts.”

“Buying me, Isabella? Like your father bought your husband?”

“No! But it’s only fair. Don’t you see?”

“No, I’m afraid I don’t. If something happens to you, everyone will say I married you for your money. So, unfortunately, I must decline the honor of being your husband.”

“What? But you asked me!”

Nick and Sarah were silently watching the argument, trying to hide their surprise.

“I’m sorry, Isabella. I can’t marry you.”

After a moment of stunned silence, Isabella pushed back her chair. Before she left the table, she looked at Nick. “Can you give me a ride to my aunt’s house?”

“Of course, but it would be better if you let me have someone clean it before you see it.”

“No, thank you. If you can drop us off tonight, that will do.”

“Us?” Russ questioned.

She turned her big blue eyes on him, but her expression was cold. “I wouldn’t think of leaving without my baby.”

“Leaving? I thought you were going to go look at your aunt’s house. You can’t stay there.”

“Why not? According to my attorney, I own it.” She left the room.

“Nick, you’ve got to stop her. She’s still weak. She needs help with the baby,” Russ said.

Sarah looked at him. “You expect her to let you help with anything after you reject her in front of
us? You’re out of your mind.” She turned her gaze to Nick. “Dear, why don’t we take her and Angel to our place? Tomorrow the two of you can go look at Mrs. Paloni’s house while the baby sleeps.”

“You go talk to her while I deal with Mr. Smooth here,” Nick said as he gestured to Russ.

“Hey!” Russ protested as Sarah followed Isabella. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Nick shook his head. “You ask a woman to marry you and then when she accepts you say, sorry, I changed my mind? And you think you did nothing wrong. Even I know that much about women.”

“But if I marry her now, people will think I’m marrying her for her money. When I offered marriage, it was because we each would get something from the marriage.”

“Other than the normal stuff, you mean?”

“No! There was no normal stuff. I want to be a father to Angel, and she wants a family for Angel. That was it.”

“So what’s changed? Not that I approve of your kind of marriage, but if that was okay before, what’s made it bad now?”

“She’s filthy rich and wants to pay me to take care of Angel. I offered to take care of both of them, but no one will believe that!”

Suddenly Isabella was standing behind him. “Oh, so it’s your pride that’s hurt.”

“Yes, my pride is hurt.”

“I knew I couldn’t trust men!” she muttered.

“What do you mean? Of course you can trust me!” Russ roared, unusual behavior for him.

“Can I? I need you to promise to take care of Angel if something happens to me, because I have no one else. And you reject me because of your pride.”

Russ stood and looked at her. He hadn’t realized… It had never occurred to him how his decision would affect both Isabella and Angel.

After gazing into her blue eyes, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace. “I apologize, Isabella. Of course, we’ll marry. But you have to do something else with the money.”

“But it’s all I have to give you.”

“No. You will have already given me Angel. I’m going to be Angel’s daddy. That’s the greatest gift of all.” Suddenly, holding her in his arms felt too intimate. He backed away. “Okay?”

“Can we do that, Nick?” Isabella asked.

“Sure. We can put Tori in charge of everything financial for Angel. She’s a genius with money.”

“That’s what Russ says. Will she mind?”

“I don’t think so, but we’ll check with her first thing in the morning.” He paused and looked at his wife over Isabella’s shoulder. Then his gaze came back to the couple in front of him. “So you two are really going to marry in three days?”

Russ and Isabella looked at each other. Then Russ nodded. “Yes, we are.”

“A marriage of convenience?” Nick asked.

Russ stopped him. “That’s between the two of
us. It’s a real marriage in terms of legality. And I’m sure we’ll decide to give the appearance of a real marriage, because it is forever, right, Isabella?”

“Of course.”

Nick looked at both of them, as if he had a question, but then he simply nodded. “You’d better put the family on notice, then. There’s a lot to get done.”

“I can take care of the baby while you go to Buffalo tomorrow to get your license. You could even have lunch out together to celebrate your engagement,” Sarah offered.

“That’s so nice of you, Sarah, but surely it won’t take that long,” Isabella said.

“Yes, it will,” Russ assured her. “Buffalo is an hour away, so it will take two or three hours. We might as well add lunch. I bet you haven’t had a lunch without Angel since she was born, anyway.”

“No, but…she might miss me.”

“And we’ll both miss her. It will be good for everyone. Thanks, Sarah.”

R
USS WAITED
until both Isabella and Angel were asleep that night before he called the ranch. Angel would be up an hour later, but he’d be finished with his phone call by then. He hoped.

“Mom?” he said when Janie came to the phone.

“Russ? Is everything all right?”

“Yeah. But I have some news for you. Are you sitting down?”

“No. Should I sit down?”

“It might be a good idea.” He heard a murmur of voices.

“Are the others there with you?”

“Yes, we were discussing…things.”

“Well, here’s something else for you to discuss. You’re getting a new grandbaby.”

Stunned silence.

He decided he shouldn’t have announced his news in that way. “No, I haven’t gotten someone pregnant. But Isabella and I are getting married. I’m going to be Angel’s daddy.”

His mother screamed and dropped the phone.

Then a male voice spoke. “Son? What did you just tell your mother?”

“I told her Isabella and I are getting married. I’m going to be Angel’s daddy.”

After a deep breath, Pete said, “Congratulations. When do I get to meet these two additions to the family?”

“We’ll come out tomorrow afternoon after we go to Buffalo to get the license. We’re going to have lunch there, so it will probably be around two.”

“Just a minute,” Pete said.

Russ heard him talking to the others, but he must have had his hand over the receiver because Russ couldn’t make out the words.

“Your mother says for Isabella to bring her luggage. She and the baby shouldn’t stay there with you. It will cause talk. Besides, they’ll need to con
sult with Isabella to make sure the wedding is what she wants. What date are you planning on?”

Russ cleared his throat. “Uh, three days from now.”

“Friday? Is there a reason for this rush?”

“Yeah, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Tell me.”

“Isabella is afraid her father will try to harm her before we marry if he finds out about it.”

“Harm her? Not just stop the wedding?”

“Yeah. Mrs. Paloni owned controlling interest in the family company. She gave Isabella’s father controlling interest with a power of attorney. When she died, that became null and void unless Isabella does the same thing. They don’t…uh, Isabella and her father aren’t happy with each other.”

“Son, if that’s the only reason for the marriage, you know we’ll protect her without you marrying her. Mrs. Paloni was a friend.”

“I know, Dad. But I want to be Angel’s father. Isabella doesn’t intend to remarry in the traditional sense, but this works for both of us. You should see Angel, Dad. She’s a sweetheart.”

“I’ve heard Isabella isn’t too bad, either.”

Russ stiffened. “She’s not like Abby. But it will work. It will just be different.”

“Okay, son. We’ll see the three of you tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Dad. Good night.”

His father had accepted his choice. His mom might not, but he had his dad’s support. And if Mr.
Paloni showed up, his entire family would support him. And that wasn’t small potatoes.

When Angel stirred at ten, Russ had the bottle ready, so the baby wouldn’t wake her mother. Isabella had been exhausted, though she was recovering quickly.

Once Russ had the baby changed and the bottle in her mouth, he sat down in a chair and began a conversation with his soon-to-be daughter.

“Listen, Angel, I’m going to be your daddy in a few days. I want you to know that I will always love you, no matter what you do. I may not like what you do, I may even punish you, but I will always love you. And not just because you’re pretty.

“Being pretty is nice, but being pretty inside is even better, and your mommy and I will make sure you’re that. We’ll make sure you learn the important lessons, and we’ll keep you safe from anyone who wants to hurt you, especially your grandpa. I’ve got some better family for you. You’ll love them.

“And so will your mommy. She’s had a hard time of it, so I’m going to take care of her, too. Your real daddy is gone, so I’m going to replace him.”

He burped his new daughter and then settled her in her carrier. “We’re getting you a baby bed soon. Maybe tomorrow. You’re going to stay with your new grandparents for a couple of days. And soon
you’ll meet your new cousin, my brother’s baby. Everything will be fine.”

He hoped Isabella took to the changes in her life as well as Angel would. She expected to be in control. But he didn’t want her hurting his family’s feelings.

And he didn’t want them hurting her. She’d been hurt enough.

R
USS HAD OATMEAL
ready for breakfast when Isabella awoke the next morning. “You’re going to spoil me, Russ.”

“I’m an early riser. It’s not a problem.”

“But I’ll be expected to make it after we’re married.”

He looked at her, not sure what point she was making. “Well, I suppose we can work that out, but I have to get up early for work and I’ll want to feed Angel, since I can’t stay home, so I might as well make breakfast.”

“You’re not worried that people won’t think you’re macho if I don’t make breakfast?”

Russ gave her a wry smile. “You remember me telling you about Red?”

“Yes.”

“Well, he taught my father and my uncles that if they wanted to eat, they’d better learn to do household chores. And that’s how we were raised. In addition, each of their wives had her own interests. Megan was an interior designer. Chad, her husband, once made a remark about her job being
to buy a sofa, and he slept on a sofa for a while. B.J. is a vet, a darn good one. Anna is a nurse and a midwife. And my mom, well, she did the paperwork for her dad’s ranch and is a good cowhand. None of them considers cooking or cleaning a career. It’s a necessity for everybody.”

“How liberated. Are…are you sure?”

“Oh, yeah. You’ll see when you move in out there.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked in sudden stern tones. “I’m going to live in Aunt Maria’s house.”

“If you were completely over your illness, I’d agree with you. But my parents think it looks bad for you to continue to live with me before our marriage. They’re a little old-fashioned, I’ll admit.”

“It’s not their decision,” she returned firmly.

“You’re right. But
if
you stay with them, you’ll have help with Angel, your meals will be taken care of, and you’ll have an opportunity to get to know the family you’re getting for Angel.”

“I can take care of both of us.”

“Obviously, since you did after she was born. Until you got sick. I want you completely well for our wedding. And they can go over to Mrs. Paloni’s house with you. Megan is good at decorating. And she can sell anything you don’t want to keep.”

“But there’s no need, Russ. I can manage.”

“I know you can, but when it’s not necessary, why take the hard route?”

“They’ll think I’m lazy. Taking advantage of you and them.”

“I promise I won’t think that, and they won’t, either.”

“They’re too good to be true. In my family, if someone does something for you, they demand payment, and it’s always more than you can afford.”

“It will only be for three days. Will you try it just for me? If it’s horrible, tell me, and I’ll get you out of there.”

Isabella finally nodded but he could see the worry and reluctance in her eyes.

W
HEN THEY REACHED
Buffalo, Russ was uneasy. Isabella had slept most of the way, and he’d been left to his memories of driving to Buffalo with Abby. She’d been snuggled up next to him, planning their future. Everything had been exactly as he wanted it. If it wasn’t, she’d changed it so it was. She never argued with him.

Isabella saw things differently. He suspected she’d argue with him just to be sure she could. She’d finally agreed to stay at his parents’ home for three days, unless she didn’t like it. And he knew she wasn’t joking.

“We’re here, Isabella. Ready?”

She gave him a sleepy look that made him want to cuddle her against him. That thought startled him. No, if it was Angel, he’d cuddle her. Not Isabella.

Inside, he discovered she intended to keep her family name, Paloni.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am,” she said calmly. “Why wouldn’t I?”

He didn’t want to say what he thought of her father. Besides, it didn’t matter. She’d be called Randall in Rawhide.

“When I adopt Angel, her name will change.”

Her gaze riveted on him. “Oh, no. Her name will be the same as mine.”

“Then you’d better plan on having my name, because she’s going to be my daughter. That was part of our agreement.”