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She fought tears. No. She didn’t want him to see her cry. Didn’t want him to know he had any power over her heart.
Colton finished his vows, then pressed a plain gold band into her palm. Her hand still trembled slightly as she slid it onto his finger and, in a low voice, repeated the solemn vows the judge intoned.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
I’m married, to the man I love.
In the next moment, Colton pulled her against him. His lips crushed hers, hard and demanding, full of an unexpected passion that brought back incredible memories of the night before. Overcome with emotion, she clutched his suit lapels and opened her mouth to his possession. Her heart pounded in her chest. Hope ignited.
Without warning, he set her away. Dazed, she blinked—and froze at the sarcasm radiating from his expression.
The judge asked for their witnesses to come sign, and when Kendra turned around, she saw there were a number of other people seated in the rows of the courtroom. She pressed a cool hand to her fiery cheek, shaken by the fact that she’d been unaware of anything or anyone but Colton, and the judge joining them together as husband and wife.
Though her lips still tingled, she now understood he’d kissed her solely for the benefit of their audience. Despondent resignation squeezed her heart.
Michael approached as her witness, and the court reporter signed as the second. When all was finished, Colton escorted her into the hall, then kept on walking when she stopped to speak with Michael. Casting her lawyer an apologetic glance, she hurried after Colton, catching up just before the exit.
“Colton.”
He shoved the door open so hard it bounced back, forcing him to catch it on his way through.
Kendra ran to keep up with his long stride. “Colton, please.”
He halted on the third step, spun around and braced one foot on the step above. She faced him from the top, making them eye level.
The blatant anger in his eyes caught her off guard, and she immediately sought to discharge the situation. “I—um—thank you.” The muscle in his jaw ticked again. Twisting the unfamiliar weight of the wedding ring on her finger, she added softly, “The ring is beautiful.”
That seemed to throw him. He relaxed slightly, shrugging as he shoved his hands into his pockets, but remained quiet.
“I’m sorry I didn’t think of yours.” She glanced down, watching the diamond catch the afternoon sun. “You shouldn’t have spent—”
“I’ll be a rich man soon, remember?”
The resentment in his tone made her frown in confusion. “Which is why I don’t understand why you’re so angry.”
He laughed without humor. “Of course you don’t, because the money should make this all okay, right?”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to. You brought your damned lawyer to the wedding.”
Pride rose to her defense and she squared her shoulders. “I didn’t see your mother in there…oh, wait, was she the court reporter?” She jabbed her finger at him in the air. “You’re in this for the money as much as I am.”
Contempt filled his expression and his lip curled in a sneer. “What other reason is there?”
Because I love you.
But she could never tell him that now. Emotionally exhausted, she simply replied, “None…none whatsoever.”
He gave a curt nod, pushed off with his right foot and continued down the steps. Over his shoulder, he said, “By the way, happy birthday.”
Kendra stared after his retreating back and tried unsuccessfully to swallow past the lump in her throat. Here she stood on her wedding day, alone on the courthouse steps, a bride without her groom.
Michael’s comforting touch on her elbow brought her out of her heartbroken trance. She operated on auto-pilot through the next few hours as they completed paperwork at his office and he finally began the drive back to the ranch. Along the way, she removed her wedding ring and placed it on the chain with her diamond pendant. Michael didn’t say a word as she slid it under the shirt she’d changed back into. The precious metal had cooled in the transfer, but quickly warmed against her skin again.
At the ranch driveway, Michael signaled and made the turn so he could pull even with a Boulder police cruiser. As Joel had promised, the local sheriff’s department had taken Kendra’s claims seriously and regularly sent officers to check the ranch and surrounding area.
They exchanged brief pleasantries before Michael continued up the driveway to park near the guest house. His head swiveled as he scanned the property. “Looks pretty quiet around here. Do you want me to stick around for a while?”
