Husband in Name Only--A Western, marriage of convenience romance by Barbara Dunlop

Author:Barbara Dunlop
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-11-16T17:29:06+00:00

* * *

I was relieved to have the vows over and done with. I’d stared at the middle of Joe’s forehead the whole time I spoke. His kiss to seal the deal had been quick, and I was prepared for the tingle it left on my lips. I didn’t feel married yet, but I expected that would take a little time.

We were through the well-wishes at the church, and the photos in the park were finished as well as the more formal ones taken in the glass room at the Cannery House Pavilion, where the reception was being held. Afterward, I was tired of smiling and putting a blissful light on in my eyes.

Sebastian had presided over a seven-course, sit-down dinner for five hundred people. On top of that, Sophie and Katie had outdone themselves with the cake. It was iced and decorated in pure white with hints of gold and a cluster of fresh Alaskan wildflowers curving partway around the base. It was accompanied by dozens and dozens of gold-dusted lemon buttercream cupcakes set out on multitiered china platters. A great idea, I thought, since cutting five hundred slices of cake would have taken forever.

Hands together on a gold-plated knife, Joe and I made the ceremonial cut.

A waiter was on standby to transfer the first slice to a plate for us.

“You ready?” Joe whispered, putting a small nibble on a fork for me.

I appreciated that he wasn’t making a big messy production out of it.

I took the bite and raised the fork, then did the same for him.

He grinned in faux delight, clearly as aware as I was of being the center of attention. He gave me another quick kiss on the lips. This one tingled, too. I wondered if that sensation would ever go away. I also wondered if we’d even do any more kissing. After tonight our obligations would be over and there’d be no more reason for public displays of affection.

Conversation started up, humming through the room as the guests relaxed after dinner and a small army of waiters began distributing cake and cupcakes. Champagne was being offered table to table, and the bar was seeing a fair amount of traffic. People looked like they were having fun, and that made me happy.

Stone had moved along the head table to chat with Sophie, while Mason, Kyle and Katie stood in a conversational group with Joe’s sister Elaine.

“Joe.” A beautifully dressed young woman pulled up the chair next to Joe. She looked to be about thirty-five, with long black hair and lovely fine features. She was wearing a deep burgundy halter dress in a filmy fabric with an A-line asymmetrical hemline.

“Hi, Charmaine,” Joe said. “Adeline, have you met Charmaine Tan? She’s my media assistant.”

“Nice to meet you, Charmaine.” Since I hadn’t read the guest list, I had no idea who’d been invited on Joe’s side. It made sense he’d invite his political staff.

Charmaine grinned at both of us. “You’re trending.”

“Trending what?” Joe asked.

“Trending, trending.” She held up her phone and waved it back and forth.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.