A Bride by Christmas Read online

  She’d named her fledgling business Roses and Wishes because it held a secret meaning for her. Her wishes were simple but not hers to have. A husband, children, a home. Life with a man who loved her as much as she loved him.

  Roses. She’d be a bride who carried roses down the aisle and later grew them in the garden behind the home she shared with her family.

  Roses and Wishes. She’d wanted that name where she could see it, her attempt to find fulfillment in helping brides make their wishes come true. Well, this time she got to go one step further. She had chosen roses for the bridal bouquet. Gorgeous, fragrant red roses.

  Maggie smiled and leaned her head back on the back of the love seat.

  The colors must be chosen for this Christmas wedding, she mused. Well, it really wasn’t that difficult. Red roses. And the attendants would wear rich forest-green satin dresses with shoes to match. They would carry bouquets of red and white baby carnations.

  The taper candles that would be used to light the one signifying a single entity would be white and the center candle would be red.

  And her dress? It would be white as freshly fallen snow, simple but elegant, with a train and a frothy veil—a veil that Luke would lift at the proper moment to kiss his bride and…

  “No,” Maggie said, jumping to her feet. “Stop it right now. Back up and get it right, Maggie Jenkins.”

  Precious’s dress. Precious’s veil. Clyde’s kiss for his new wife. This was Precious and Clyde’s wedding she was coordinating.

  “Thank you,” she said, dropping back down on the love seat. “That’s better. Don’t make that mistake again, Ms. Jenkins. Not once in the months ahead while you tend to the details, details, details.”

  As Luke maneuvered his SUV through the heavy Phoenix traffic, he made no attempt to curb the wide smile on his face.

  He’d done it, he thought, tapping his fingertip on the steering wheel. He’d set his brilliant plan in motion and it had worked, it had actually worked. Maggie was now committed to coordinating a fantastic wedding for his imaginary cousin Clyde and the ever-famous Precious. Man, he really should have given thought to names for the bride and groom before he’d gone to Roses and Wishes. Oh, well.

  Back to The Plan. Maggie would create the wedding of her dreams. Her dreams. And if everything went as he hoped and prayed, that wedding would actually take place. Maggie Jenkins would marry Luke St. John at some point during the Christmas holidays.

  Of course, there was a long way to go before that ceremony happened. Maggie had to fall in love with him, just as he had with her. She was attracted to him, unsettled by him, was feeling something for him already, he was sure of that.

  She had to fall in love with him and trust him enough to be willing to allow him to crumble into dust those protective walls she’d constructed around herself, so he could reach out and take her into his arms…forever.

  Yeah, he had his tasks cut out for him, but Maggie was worth fighting for and he intended to win. He had to win.

  Luke frowned as he suddenly recalled Maggie’s strange response when the conversation had centered on all the happy marriages in his family. He’d asked about her family and—what had she said? She’d sort of mumbled a word and he just wasn’t sure what it had been. When he’d pressed, she’d quickly changed the subject.

  “Damn,” Luke said, smacking the steering wheel with the heel of one hand.

  Maybe it was an important clue about Maggie’s aversion to getting married, to being determined to plan weddings for other people but never for herself.

  He’d said…then she’d said… Oh, hell, what had Maggie said?

  Six

  That evening Maggie and her best friend Patty sat on the floor in Maggie’s minuscule living room eating take-out pizza, sipping sodas and going through a tower of bride magazines page by page.

  The two had been friends since elementary school and now, at twenty-five years old, neither could imagine dealing with the ups and downs of life without the other’s support.

  Patty taught first grade at the same school she and Maggie had attended. Patty’s parents had been killed in an automobile accident five years before, so now every spare cent she had went toward putting her younger brother through college.

  “Look at this,” Patty said, tapping one fingertip on a page of the magazine in front of her. “Tiny Christmas balls nestled in the bridesmaids’ bouquets. Do you like that idea?”

  Maggie wrinkled her nose. “It’s a bit much, I think. I don’t want to overdo the Christmas theme.” She laughed. “After all, this is a wedding, hon, not an office party.”

  “True,” Patty said, turning the page. “Forget the icky ornaments.” She took another bite of pizza and looked at Maggie. “It’s so strange to be sitting here doing this, Maggie. I get so caught up in it, I have to keep reminding myself that we’re not really planning your wedding.”

  “I know,” Maggie said, sighing, “but this is the closest we’ll ever get to actually doing that, so enjoy.”

  “Don’t get me started on that subject,” Patty said, shaking her head. “The fact that you won’t even consider the possibility of falling in love and getting married because—”

  “Patty.”

  “Okay, okay, I’ll shut up.” Patty paused. “This whole project is weird. Who ever heard of a bride who didn’t give a damn about the plans for her own wedding? Are you sure this Precious person is playing with a full deck?”

  Maggie shrugged. “Luke said Precious would just as soon get married wearing jeans at a courthouse. This production is to satisfy the mothers. Mothers I don’t have to deal with, which is a blessing. This will be the wedding of…well, my dreams. Roses and wishes and…Anyway, I intend to thoroughly go for it because nothing like this will ever happen again. The only person I have to report to is Luke.”

  “Luke St. John,” Patty said wistfully. “I’ve seen his picture in the newspaper. He is so gorgeous, he’s hot! To think that you actually danced with him at his brother’s wedding reception.” She stared into space. “To be held in the arms of Luke St. John must have been heaven on earth.”

  “Close, very close,” Maggie said, nodding. “He’s a marvelous dancer, made me feel like I was floating on a cloud and…” Sudden heat stained her cheeks a pretty pink. “Forget that. Do you think having the bridesmaids wearing green is corny? Maybe I should start over in my mind and not address the Christmas thing at all.”

  “Oh, no, don’t do that,” Patty said. “People will expect a festive touch. Besides, it’s what you want. Right?”

  “Well, yes.”

  “Then it’s settled. Stay with the Christmas theme, but don’t go over the top. What did your sister say about all this?”

  “Janet said it was nuts,” Maggie said, smiling, “but that she’d be delighted to be fitted for a beautiful dress even if she doesn’t get to actually wear it anywhere. As a single mom with three kids, she said they don’t provide fittings—la-di-da—in the thrift shops where she buys her clothes.”

  “How funny.” Patty laughed, then frowned. “What was your mom’s reaction? She must think Precious has a screw loose.”

  “She didn’t dwell on Precious’s mind-set,” Maggie said. “Eat that last piece of pizza. I’m stuffed.”

  “No problem,” she said, reaching for the slice. “So what did your mom focus on about this crazy situation?”

  “She’s worried about me, Patty,” Maggie said quietly. “She’s afraid that I’ll spend all these weeks planning my dream wedding and then fall apart when I have to face the reality of it being for someone else.”

  She sighed. “In fact, she’s concerned about me being a wedding coordinator in the first place. She thinks it was a stupid business for me to start considering I’ll never have a wedding of my own. She’s afraid I’ll spend my life being so sad because I’ll be constantly reminded that… Oh, you know.”

  “What I know,” Patty said, shaking her head, “is you won’t budge on the subject of your not gett
ing married, and your mom and Janet—and even your brother, for all I know—are on the same wavelength about it. I’m totally outnumbered when it comes to convincing you otherwise.”

  “So don’t try. Heavens, look at this picture in this magazine. The bridal bouquet has green and red candles in it and they’re lit, for heaven’s sake.”

  “It boggles the mind,” Patty said, laughing. “Talk about being hot. Which brings me back to the subject of Luke St. John. You said he’s really nice, not snooty even though he’s as rich as Midas?”

  “Yes.” Maggie nodded. “He’s very, very nice.”

  “And he has a sense of humor and a good relationship with his family and dances like a dream and looks as good in jeans as he does in a tux and… Maggie, you’d better be very careful during the weeks ahead. You’re going to be seeing a lot of Luke because of this wedding. Luke sounds like he’s capable of smashing hearts to smithereens. I don’t want one of those hearts to be yours.”

  “Believe me, I don’t either,” Maggie said. “I’m very aware of Luke’s…attributes, shall we say. But fear not, because I’m on red alert, the walls are up, the door is barred. There’s not a chance on earth that I’ll fall head over heels in love with Mr. Luke St. John. Nope. That isn’t going to happen.”

  “And now,” Luke said, “I have to make certain that Maggie falls head over heels in love with me.”

  Mason St. John chuckled. “That’s definitely top of the list considering you want to marry Maggie Jenkins, have a slew of little St. Johns, then grow old and creaky together.”

  “Right,” Luke said, then cut a chunk out of the enormous steak on the plate in front of him.

  Father and son were dining at Mason’s club, which he had yet to convince Luke to join. Luke had made it clear several years before that he’d consider a membership once the private establishment got with the program and allowed women to join.

  “I must say, Luke,” Mason said after consuming several forkfuls of succulent roast beef, “that I’m impressed with this plan you’ve come up with. It’s brilliant. And I’m more than happy to cover things for you at the office as this scheme unfolds.”

  “I appreciate that, Dad. Remember, not a word of this to Mom. She couldn’t keep a secret if her life depended on it, plus she’d be calling me constantly with advice about how to win Maggie’s heart.”

  “That she would, bless her,” Mason said, smiling. “I just wish you’d… Oh, Lord.” His shoulders started shaking with laughter as he pressed his napkin to his lips.

  Luke frowned. “Don’t go there. I thought you were going to get us kicked out of here earlier because you were laughing so loud. Just don’t think about it.”

  “I’m trying not to, but…Clyde and Precious?”

  “I forgot to think of names for my fictitious bride and groom before I went to see Maggie. I was under pressure. I realize they’re grim but…” Luke shrugged.

  “What’s Clyde’s last name?” Mason said. “Is he a St. John? Clyde St. John.” He started laughing again. “I can’t handle that.”

  “Okay, okay. Knock it off. All right, let’s see. Clyde’s mother is your sister and she married… Who did she marry?”

  “John Smith.”

  “That’s really original,” Luke said, rolling his eyes heavenward. “All right. Whatever. Clyde Smith is going to marry Precious, um…Peterson.”

  “Precious Peterson?” Mason said with a hoot of merriment that drew several frowns from other diners. “Sorry. So this extravaganza is the Peterson-Smith wedding. Got it. Having it during the Christmas holidays is a nice touch. Very romantic.” He took a sip of wine. “What happens next?”

  “I wait for Maggie to make some decisions and contact me so I can pass on the data to Precious and Clyde. Well, Precious at least. Clyde will go along with things just like any other groom would. Your favorite nephew is a laid-back, go-with-the-flow guy.”

  “Ah,” Mason said, nodding.

  “I have to concentrate on Maggie, chip away at those barriers of hers, get her to allow herself to fall in love with me.”

  “Ah.”

  “There’s a special…something…already happening between Maggie and me, Dad, I know there is. It’s rare, important, real. You should have seen her face when she thought I wanted her to plan my wedding to some other woman. She tried to hide it, but she was upset, I know she was. When I finally told her that it was cousin Clyde’s wedding, she just lit up. She feels something for me, she cares. I have to nurture that, make it grow, get her to trust me, come to love me as I love her, then agree to be my wife for all time.”

  “Ah.”

  Luke glared at his father. “Can’t you say anything else besides ‘ah’? A little advice would be helpful here, you know.”

  Mason set his fork and knife on the edge of his plate, folded his arms over his chest and looked at his son.

  “Love is very complicated,” Mason said quietly. “But at the same time it’s very simple.” He shook his head. “It’s hard to explain. You construct a sturdy foundation together and build on that as the years go by. One of the bricks in that foundation, Luke, is honesty. Your plan to win Maggie’s heart is based on duplicity.”

  “But—”

  “I know, I know,” Mason said, raising one hand. “You’re convinced that if you try to court Maggie, she’ll refuse to see you, won’t run the risk of finding herself in a serious relationship. I understand the need for this plan you’ve come up with. The thing is, will Maggie understand when she knows the truth? Women don’t like to be duped. This whole thing could backfire on you.”

  “You’re thoroughly depressing me,” Luke said, leaning back in his chair.

  “Well, in all fairness, I don’t see where you have any choice but to do it this way,” Mason continued. “The usual wine-and-dine scenario is not going to work with your young lady, so you’ve been forced to come up with an alternative approach. A very clever one, I might add.”

  He chuckled. “Except for the names! I want you to be happy, Luke. I hope your dream for a life with Maggie becomes your reality, I really do.”

  “Thanks, Dad. This plan will work. It has to. A future without Maggie is not something I’m willing to accept. I’m going to win the heart, the love, of Maggie Jenkins.”

  At one o’clock the next afternoon Maggie entered a popular downtown restaurant and immediately scooted into the ladies’ room. She stood in front of the long mirror above the half dozen sinks and glared at her reflection.

  She was nervous, she thought, and furious at herself because she was. Luke had called her early that morning and asked if it would be too much trouble for her to meet him for lunch.

  He was waiting for a scheduled long-distance call regarding a case he was about to wrap up and couldn’t leave the office to come to Roses and Wishes. The afternoon was jam-packed with bringing his father up to date on Luke’s ongoing cases.

  He’d spoken with Clyde and Precious, Luke had told her, and wanted to pass on the information he had and blah, blah, blah.

  “Oh, sure,” Maggie said, still glowering at her image. “Lunch? Do lunch? No problem.”

  Right, she thought dismally. No problem, except for the fact that she was a nervous wreck. That was so dumb. Dumber than dumb. Luke was a client of hers, of Roses and Wishes, nothing more. They were working together to coordinate the wedding of his cousin Clyde and the bride-to-be Precious. The end.

  The really humiliating part was that she knew why she was shaky about seeing Luke. Last night she’d had the most sensuous dream imaginable about the two of them. Goodness. She’d wakened in the night all…all hot and bothered, and try as she may she couldn’t erase the pictures in her mind of a naked Luke reaching for a naked her, taking her into his naked arms and…

  “Stop it.” Maggie spun around and stomped out of the ladies’ room. “You are just so ridiculous.”

  She gave her name to the hostess and was immediately shown to a table at the far end of the large room. Luke stood as h
e saw her coming.

  Thank the Lord, Maggie thought giddily, he has his clothes on. Nice suit. Very lawyer-looking suit. Did she look frumpy in white slacks and a flowered blouse? She should have worn a skirt or dress but hadn’t wanted to arrive there with naked legs and… Oh, God, she was totally losing it.

  “Hello, Maggie,” Luke said, smiling, when she reached the table. “It’s nice to see you.”

  Maggie’s eyes widened. “See me?” She shook her head slightly and slid onto her chair. “Yes, of course, nice to see me. It’s nice to…see you, too, Luke. I really like that suit you’re wearing. Excellent suit. I’m so glad you’re wearing that suit.”

  Luke frowned. “Are you all right?”

  “What? Oh, yes, of course, I am.” Maggie busied herself spreading the linen napkin on her lap. “I just didn’t sleep very well last night and—” she looked at Luke again “—I’m hungry.”

  “Well, we can fix that easily enough.” Luke signaled to the waitress. “Order whatever you’d like.”

  The waitress appeared at the table. Maggie ordered the first thing she saw on the menu and told herself to get a grip. Luke asked for a steak sandwich and home fries.

  “I really appreciate your coming all the way downtown,” Luke said as the waitress hurried off.

  “Not a problem,” Maggie said. “Did you receive the call you were waiting for?”

  “Call? Oh. Yes. Right on schedule.” Luke took a sip of water.

  Man, I’m crummy at this cloak-and-dagger stuff, he thought. He’d nearly forgotten about his imaginary “appointment” with the telephone. He’d decided to push his luck and attempt to meet with Maggie somewhere other than at Roses and Wishes. The long-distance call had been a great idea, but he’d blow it big-time if he didn’t remember what he’d told her.

  “What was it you wanted to discuss with me about your conversation with Precious and Clyde?” Maggie said.