Mountain's Captive (13 page)

C
hloe forced
a pleasant smile to her lips as the young man reached his hand out to her. Her eyes darted over the distance to look for Everest. She couldn’t see him. She expected him to be waiting for her, but he was already gone when she emerged from the bedroom. Biting her lips, she cursed herself for oversleeping. She needed to talk to Everest, to explain.

Hesitantly, she smoothed down the sleeves of her sweater. Paul was everything she had asked of Devon in a husband. It only proved that she should stop thinking of real people as characters in a novel. For, if she wrote Paul, she would have had him killed off in the first scene in some stupid accident.

She could see by the obnoxious bounce of his head, and the playfully amused way he surveyed the mountainside home, that he was not her type—not in a friend and definitely not as a husband or lover. Her flesh crawled as he came near her.

Chloe berated herself for not being fair to him. True, he was no Everest, but that didn’t mean she had to judge him so harshly. He might, after all, end up being the face that she woke up to every morning. She shivered at the thought of having his children. Would they walk like he did? Would they act so self-important? The very idea instantly repulsed her.

“May I help you?” Chloe inquired tautly, remembering she was not to know who he was or why he came. “I’m afraid that Mr. Beaumont is away from the house for a time.”

“Chloe?” Paul’s voice laughed in familiarity. “Devon didn’t tell me you were as lovely as your pictures. I’m your fiancé, Paul Lucas.”

“Oh, of course!” Chloe gushed in forced politeness. “How did you find me?”

“When one is as resourceful as I, they find a way,” he put forth smoothly.

“Right,” Chloe allowed in a slow drawl. She tried to not let her repulsion show. His charm oozed off of him like a snake. No, she thought, that was not fair to the snakes.

“I wasn’t aware that you were sent a picture of me.”

“Oh, I picked up one of your silly little woman novels. Or rather, I had my secretary do it.” Paul smiled as he looped his arm into hers.

Silly what! Chloe fumed as he began to lead her to the house. Her mouth dropped open, speechless.

“Let’s get your belongings so we can go,” he stated with assurance. “I can’t believe that you would actually like staying here. How horrible it must have been to be trapped!”

Chloe wondered at his presumption. She hadn’t invited him into the house nor had she offered to leave with him. “Should we see if your pilot would like some coffee?”

“No,” Paul began in puzzlement before he smiled, as if addressing a delightful eccentricity he had discovered in his fiancée. “I don’t assume we will be here long. After all, I am here to rescue you from this dreadful, ah, shall we say ... homey retreat. No doubt you will want to go somewhere and relax after having been snowed in this wasteland. I must say I was quite unnerved to discover you were stranded. How dreadful it must have been for you.”

“I like it here. I was thinking of buying a place in the mountains,” Chloe answered under tight lips.

“Oh, I’ve been warned how emotional writers can be. No doubt the whimsy will pass once you’re around decent society again. I think that after the immediate ceremony we should purchase a house in the Swiss countryside—that is if you insist on wanting mountains.” Paul smiled and touched her cheek briefly before walking into Everest’s home. Over his shoulder, he called, “Though let’s not discuss it until I’ve gotten you to my spa. No doubt a good massage and sea weed wrap will clear your head.”

Chloe tried not to balk. She wondered what she would have thought about this man if she met him before her affair with Everest. Would she be judging him so brutally? Would his condescending tone annoy her so drastically? Did all the men in her social circle act in such a way? The answers resounded in her brain in a penetrable, yes!

“Well, I can’t leave here right now.” Chloe hurried as she followed Paul in. She panicked as she remembered his plan. “I have a lot of work that still needs to be done. Maybe you should go on ahead of me.”

“Chloe, dear, after we’re married there is no reason for you to work. If you are worried about an advance they gave you for writing, we will simply pay it back.” Paul waved his hand in the air, disregarding her protest.

“But I enjoy working.” Chloe tried not to act as affronted as she felt. “I have no intention of stopping.”

“Yes, well.” Paul’s long nose shot up in irritation. It was obvious he had qualms about a wife of his being employed. He shuddered at the utter humiliation before waving his hand to dismiss her as he would a servant.

Chloe shut her eyes as Paul took a step toward her. She forced herself to think of all the people whose lives were going to be affected by her father’s decrees. She remembered Devon’s advice to keep Paul in the sidelines in case she could not find his replacement in time.

“Let’s not fight.” Chloe gave him a small smile. She saw him eyeing her lips and swallowed over her dry mouth. He was going to kiss her. Chloe froze, forcing herself to hold still. Closing her eyes, she gulped, doing her best not to flinch.

E
verest watched
as Chloe turned one of her most charming smiles to her fiancé. He had gotten inside the barn only to turn right back around and follow the couple into the house. He wasn’t about to give up without some sort of a fight. But, as he stood in the frame of the kitchen door, he knew that he hadn’t a choice but to let her go. Paul leaned forward to press his lips against hers.

Everest’s gut tightened and twitched. His fists balled into hard masses. Chloe didn’t back away from the man. He didn’t want to bear witness to the tender moment between the couple and found he had little choice to do much else. Perhaps the affair had been only of the body for Chloe. He steeled his face as he cleared his throat in disgust.

Chloe jumped and turned quickly to him. Her lips pursed tightly together, trying to rid them of Paul’s taste.

“Everest, you’re back,” she stammered. She could barely meet his damning face.

“Yes, I’m back.” Everest searched the deceitful woman before him. He looked for any trace of the woman he imagined to care for. Abruptly, he stated, “Are you leaving?”

It wasn’t a question but a demand. She saw it in the cold depths of his icy gaze.

“You must be Chloe’s editor. I’ve heard much about you.”

Everest turned his probing gaze to the thin man who stood possessively next to Chloe. He nodded in slight confusion, unable to reach out to take his hand.

Editor? Everest fumed.

Chloe ignored Paul, her heart longed to grab Everest and never let him go. And she could have, if he but gave her a hint of affection.

“I’m Paul, Chloe’s husband.”

“Husband?” Everest hissed under his breath. He raised an eyebrow and turned to Chloe.

Paul moved in front of her before she could answer. “Yes. Husband. I thank you so much for looking after her. If there is a way that we can repay you and your boyfriend for the trouble, please, don’t hesitate to mention it.”

Boyfriend?!! Everest glared at Chloe. Just what had she been saying to her beloved husband before he had walked in? What kind of game was she playing at? His body tensed in a fiery outrage.

Chloe felt sickened by Paul’s words. She had no reason to deny them though. They would be true soon enough. Tears threatened her gaze and she blinked them back. Shooting Everest a helpless look of apology, she started to open her mouth. But her words were cut off by his chilling voice.

“Actually, she has been a bit of an inconvenience to us. We would really like our privacy back. It’s part of the reason we live so far up in these mountains.” Everest took a deep breath, only beginning to feel vindicated. “Can I help you to the helicopter?”

“Ah, splendid.” Paul turned and smiled at Chloe. He lifted a possessive hand to her frozen cheek. She didn’t meet his gaze. He didn’t notice. “Then your work is all done here, dearest. No doubt your editor can see to whatever it was you were worried about needing to finish.”

Everest cringed at the pet name that fell so easily from the man’s lips. There was no way that Chloe just now met the man before her. No doubt she had found herself married to him by accident and didn’t want to tell her real husband about it.

“Mr. Beaumont.” Paul didn’t offer his hand to the discourteous host again. “It was a pleasure. Chloe, get your things. We should be back in Vegas by tomorrow.”

“But I have to go to New York first,” Chloe broke in, distracted. Her eyes pled silently to Everest. He stared coldly back. Weakly, she said, “I should have a meeting with Devon.”

“We’ll discuss that in the helicopter.” Paul put his hand on her back and began to lead her to the door.

“Paul,” Chloe glanced to her fiancé. Trying not to cry, she swallowed, “Go on ahead. I just have to grab one bag.”

Paul nodded and made his way to the awaiting helicopter. Chloe watched as he stood by the door and waited for the pilot to open it for him. The pilot had to climb out of his seat and run around the helicopter before Paul would get in.

Shaking her head at the ostentatious display, Chloe slowly turned her sad smile to Everest. “Can you believe the—”

“What?” Everest interrupted darkly. His brows furrowed in a harsh line. “Can I believe you had the audacity to lie to me? Although, why should I be so offended by it? You obviously lie to your husband on quite a regular basis. But, hey, what does my opinion matter? I’m just a one night stand.”

Her smile faded. Her mouth gaped open in surprise at his outrage. She had hoped that maybe Everest would find Paul’s attitude as amusing as she had. There was no way she would be marrying the man now that she had met him. She would just have to contest the will. Devon had said it was a vague possibility. However, it was a chance she would have to take. She wondered if the people whose jobs were on the line feel the same way.

“I think I was right in my first assumption of you,” he hissed. “You might not get paid, but you are still a whore.”

Chloe felt her heart drop from her chest to shatter on the floor. Her face paled. The wide bewilderment of her blue eyes filled with tears.

“I see you have nothing to say for yourself.” Everest moved away from her in disgust. Angrily, he shot, “Get your bags and leave.”

“But,” Chloe began. She saw by his face that it was over. The pain was unbearable, burning her nose, filling her eyes. Her stomach lurched until she thought she was dying. She wanted to cry out from the pain, but couldn’t make a sound. There would be nothing that she could say to make it right. Even if it was Devon who lied to Paul, Chloe knew that she was still at fault for letting him believe the lies. With a hollow forming in the pit of her stomach, she squeezed her eyes shut and uttered weakly, “Yes, Everest. I’ll go.”

She heard the humbled words as they left her throat and knew it was the only good-bye he would allow her to say. Gazing at his handsome face, she shivered. His features hardened into an unfeeling mask, his eyes glared at her from their hazel-green depth until she could feel his hatred in every pore. A pain choked her words, making her limbs weaken with the need to lash out at the unfairness of her world. Chloe hid her tears as she ran quickly to her room. She grabbed her bag, not wanting to pay any credence to the pain she felt in her chest. Gasping, her heart refused to beat.

When she came out of the bedroom he was gone. No good-bye, no last look. He was gone. Chloe didn’t bother to call out to him. She knew it would do no good. He was too proud a man to be mixed in such business as hers. She had been a fool to dream that it might be otherwise.

Seeing Paul’s impatient face as it shone through the glaring window of the helicopter, she knew that she could never want to marry him. But if she couldn’t have Everest, did it matter? What was her unhappiness compared to the lives of so many? With each footstep she took, she heard the snow crunched underneath her boots. The footwear had just started to get worn in.

“Thanks, Dad,” she expressed sarcastically into the slight breeze hoping he would hear her so close to the heavens. Chloe tried to smile as she approached the helicopter, but her heart didn’t feel it. Her eyes dulled and she knew she might never be happy again.

“
I
s Paul with you
?” Devon looked hazily out of her upscale apartment door. The strong smell of her French perfume was a pleasant change from the stench of the taxi Chloe had spent the last forty minutes in.

“No. Thank goodness.” Chloe walked past Devon. She set her traveling bag on the floor and sat on the expensive, yet highly comfortable, couch. “Where in the world did you dig him up?”

“Yes,” Devon drawled. “Not one of my finer accomplishments.”

Chloe laughed wryly in agreement, unable to do much else.

Devon sighed as she took a chair across from her friend. She crossed her legs and tugged the belt of her silk robe. Reaching to grab a comb, she pulled it through her wet, tangled curls. “Was it all that terrible?”

“You mean his excessive babbling about his favorite topic? Or the fact that his favorite topic was himself?” Chloe took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She leaned back to lie on the couch. She was just glad to be rid of both men right now.

“Most men are like that Chloe. You just haven’t dated enough of them to find it out.” Devon sighed. “Coffee?”

“No.” Chloe kept her eyes shut. “Can I sleep here tonight? I think Paul knows where I live and I don’t want him there waiting for me. He might try to redecorate.”

“Yeah, fine,” Devon allowed. “But I didn’t give him the address.”

“I know. I did. It was the only way I could get him to agree to let me come here alone. No doubt he will be there when I get home. Maybe I’ll never go home.” Chloe laughed childishly at the thought. “Do you think he would notice?”

“Honestly. It couldn’t have been as bad as all that.” Devon shook her head. Chloe, being a writer, was always a bit dramatic.

“Hey, I haven’t been a social outcast. Just because I haven’t dated for awhile doesn’t mean I don’t know what men are like. I write them every day.” Chloe opened one eye and shot her friend a belatedly scathing expression.

“No, you write fictional men. There’s a big difference. You write about the loser who doesn’t pay child support. Or the pimp who abuses his hos.” Devon chuckled when Chloe scrunched up her face in displeasure.

“I have never written one word about a pimp. Though I think that will be my next book.” Chloe did open her eyes that time, but only to roll them at her friend. Sarcastically, she mumbled, “Thanks.”

“Please,” Devon shot back, matching her tone. “The men in your books are the way you want them to be. People aren’t like that. They are unpredictable and they don’t always get what they deserve. Besides, I wouldn’t date any of the men you write about. If I want a good beating, I’ll join kick boxing.”

“Maybe you should tell Paul I have a history of beating my men. That should change his mind.” Chloe gave a cynical smirk. “I think I could take him.”

Devon grimaced. Chloe didn’t see.

“Devon, Paul is just,” Chloe paused trying to find the right phrase. Then, lacking anything better, she mumbled dejectedly, “not Mr. Right.”

“Mr. Right?” Devon shot back with authority. “Let me tell you something about that little number. Mr. Right doesn’t always say the right thing or laugh when he is supposed to, support you when he is supposed to. He isn’t handsome. He’s nowhere near Prince Charming. Mr. Right is just a man—a man who you get along with a little better than the rest. And sometimes, he’s the man willing to marry you to fulfill the stipulations of your father’s will.”

“I know all that,” Chloe answered, though she didn’t agree. Her friend’s outlook was too bleak to accept. “But I don’t think that man is Paul. There has to be someone else. There has to be a way to get Paul to go away.”

“Are you sure you want him to change his mind? Did something more happen between you and Everest?” Devon’s eyes turned hopeful. “If it has, you can blow Paul off. He might be mad, but if he tries to go public we’ll just show the world how happy you and Everest are. It will only be a small public relations nightmare by that point. And maybe it will boost book sales, controversy always does.”

“How can you berate personal relationships with such cynicism and then be the optimist about this?” Chloe chuckled halfheartedly. The pain in her chest hadn’t lessened since leaving Montana. His face was painted permanently on the canvas of her mind. He thought she was a whore. She felt so retched. Chloe turned her back on her friend and curled up into a ball.

“Hardly,” Devon sighed. “Does that mean you didn’t work things out with him?”

“No. I believe his parting words were something to the effect of get out of my house—now.” Chloe took a deep, ragged breath. Her nose burned with the need to cry. She felt the tears welling up in her chest as she remembered his words. He had been so angry and not only that, he’d been so disappointed.

“Fine. Forget him. We will find someone else—if not Paul, than someone.” Devon’s tone turned professional. “How much does anyone really know about the man they’re going to marry? We can find you a husband. The way I figure, it’s a fifty-fifty chance. And I will write a pre-nup so airtight that ... well, you get the idea.”

Chloe didn’t want to think of it, but she really had no choice. Time was running out.

“First things, first. Where are the divorce papers?” Devon held out her hand. “I’ll have them pushed through first thing. I have a judge who owes me a favor.”

“Oh, no, I forgot them. I forgot my laptop, all my notes. I can’t believe it!” Chloe sat up with a jolt. “I didn’t have him sign them. He was so angry with me. Paul told him we were married and Everest must have thought I was cheating on my husband with him.”

“What?” Devon shot in disbelief. She was a firm believer in work first, play later. “You were at his house how long and they didn’t get signed?”

“I know,” Chloe sighed in dejection. The time had gone so fast, but for the most part it was the most cherished time of her life.

“How could I have been so foolish? You really are in love with him. And not just love sex love. But love love, the real thing.” Devon shook her damp curls in bewilderment.

“I don’t want to talk about it. He doesn’t care for me. In fact, I think loathe might be more appropriate a term—disgust, better.” Chloe took a deep breath. She pressed at her temple to stop its throbbing. “Is there any way to divorce him without going back for the papers?”

“No, not in the time frame we have left.”

“Then you’ll have to do it for me. You have to go back there for me. Please, as my friend,” Chloe begged.

“No, as your friend I think you should do it. Go to him. Try to patch things up. I still think that if you stayed with him it would be the easiest solution to this whole mess. You would have a husband who would be great for procreation purposes. And, as far as Paul goes, we can handle that.”

“Then go as my paid lawyer. I don’t want to see him. Ever,” Chloe lied.

“Is something else bothering you?” Devon asked. “You don’t seem yourself. Are you sick?”

“Yeah, I think I am coming down with the flu. I didn’t have the best attire with me for the mountain climate.” Chloe waved her hand in dismissal of the question, thinking of their little wet romp in the snow. “I don’t have the luxury of thinking about it now. I can spend the next ten years of my married life being sick.”

Devon nodded. She happened to agree that they lacked time. “Fine, I will get the papers for you. It’ll have to wait for two days. In the mean time you have to decide whom you want to marry—whether it’s Paul or some nobody off the street.”

“Paul told me that I can quit my career after we are married. He said that no wife of his has to work.” Chloe laughed derisively. “And he had to have the pilot help him into the helicopter. He couldn’t even get his own door.”

Devon shook her head. “I know, I already said that I was sorry. That’s what you get when you pick a husband out of a stack of financial reports.”

“As my lawyer, should I marry Paul?” Chloe sighed. “Is that my best bet?”

“As your lawyer, keep him in the sidelines.” Devon stood up and moved to place her hand on Chloe’s shoulder. She leaned over to press her hand to the back of Chloe’s head. She was pretty warm. “As your friend, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I know, Devon, I stopped understanding this whole thing months ago.” Chloe closed her eyes as she shook her head. “I don’t understand why my father would be so unrelenting in this. He’s the one who pushed me to work hard—to travel all the time, going from book signing to book tour. It was that reason I never had a meaningful relationship. No man could ever trust me to be faithful when I was gone. And what man would wait three months for a woman he’d only just met? It was impossible so I stopped trying.”

“Chloe,” Devon began with a frustrated sigh. She pursed her lips tightly together. There was nothing else she could say.