Wrong Groom, Right Bride

The sky was showing its first blush in the east when she arrived at the reluctant conclusion that she wouldn’t be able to remain in Riverton. Not if she wanted to keep her baby away from the Hopewell family. Riverton was too small a town. If she continued to live there, the Hopewells were bound to find out about the baby, and then who knew what would happen? They might try to discredit her in some way or, worse, try to take the baby away from her.

No. She absolutely couldn’t risk it, no matter how much it hurt to think about leaving her aunt and cousin. There was no alternative but to move. Thank goodness she could work anywhere. As the owner of her own Web design and marketing business, all she required to service her clients was her computer and a telephone.

Sighing, she got up and headed into her office. After settling down at her desk, she pulled out her ledger, logged on to the Internet and accessed her bank account.

For the next hour, she did some calculating. When she was finished, it was clear that if she did what Todd had so coldly suggested and sold her engagement ring she ought to have enough money to cover a move from Riverton, as well as the expenses she’d incur by having the baby on her own. It would be close, but she’d be able to manage without touching her savings. She heaved a sigh. She wished she had the luxury of throwing the ring in Todd’s face. But she had to be practical. Pride was important, yes, but the well-being of her child was even more important. So her pride would suffer a little. So what?

She wondered how long she had before she started showing. So far nothing about her body looked different. Maybe her breasts were slightly swollen but not noticeably. She did some mental calculation. It was the middle of May. She figured for at least another month or so, she would be okay, especially if she wore tops a little roomier than usual. But she imagined by the middle of July or certainly by the first of August, she’d no longer be able to hide her pregnancy. So she would need to move fairly soon—probably by the first of July. Which meant she had about six weeks to make all her arrangements. Since she’d already been planning to move from her townhouse to Todd’s place after the wedding, at least her landlord already had his notice. Now that she’d made some decisions about her future, she felt better.

After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, she figured it was late enough to call at her aunt’s without waking them up.

“‘Morning, Chloe,” her aunt said.

Chloe could hear the smile in her aunt’s voice. “Hi, Aunt Jane. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Of course not. I’ve been up since six, and Molly just got out of the shower. Did you want to talk to her?”

“No, actually I thought I might pop over to talk to both of you. That is, if you don’t have plans.”

“No, no plans. I might work in the garden later and, as you know, Molly always has a ton of errands on Saturdays, but both of those things can wait. You’re always welcome. Is … there anything wrong?” Now her voice was laced with concern.

“No, not exactly wrong. I just, um … I’ll tell you when I get there, okay?

“Okay, honey. I’ll put a fresh pot of coffee on. Have you had breakfast yet?”

Chloe smiled. “Do a few crackers in the middle of the night count?”

Thirty minutes later, Chloe pulled up and parked in front of the small bungalow in one of the oldest sections of Riverton, where her aunt had lived ever since Chloe could remember. Everywhere she looked were good memories. The huge maple tree that sheltered the left side of the house had held a tire swing that Molly and Chloe loved, and its strong branches were just made for climbing. They’d roller-skated on the sidewalks and had tea parties with their dolls on the wide front porch. Sadly, she thought how much she would miss coming here as often as she did now. But it couldn’t be helped.

When her petite aunt—looking almost as young as her daughter, dressed as she was in cropped denim pants and a bright red T-shirt—opened the front door, her welcoming smile warmed Chloe. Jane’s brown eyes reflected her trepidation, though, and Chloe knew her aunt was worried by her uncharacteristic request to come over this morning. Normally Chloe would just drop in without calling. The fact she’d asked had sent a signal.

They hugged, and Jane said, “Molly’s in the kitchen. And there are corn muffins in the oven and bacon in the microwave.”

Chloe smiled. “My favorites.”

“I know.”

Suddenly, Chloe’s eyes filled with tears. Her aunt, who never missed anything, saw them.

“Oh, hon, what is it?” She put her arm around Chloe’s shoulders and squeezed.

Chloe shook her head, upset with herself for getting emotional. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t, that she’d simply tell Jane and Molly the facts about what had happened and then talk practicalities. The last thing she wanted was to upset them.

Molly, hands encased in oven mitts, was sliding a muffin tin out of the oven as they walked into the sunny kitchen. The smile on her face faded as she saw Chloe’s expression. Putting the tin down on the stove, she walked over and enfolded Chloe in a hug. “Is it Todd?” she asked.

Chloe nodded, then managed to get a grip. Sighing heavily, she extricated herself from Molly’s embrace and sank onto a kitchen chair. The smell of the cooked bacon permeated the kitchen. Molly took off the oven mitts, tossed them onto a counter and took a chair opposite her. “Tell us,” she demanded.

“The engagement is off,” Chloe said.

“Oh, Chloe,” her aunt said. She was already pouring a mug of coffee, which she handed to Chloe.

“What happened?” Molly asked. Her brown eyes, the exact shade of her mother’s, were filled with worry.

Chloe grimaced. “What happened? He married Meredith. Even now they are on their honeymoon. In Fiji.”

Molly’s mouth dropped open, and Jane gasped. “Married!” they both exclaimed at once.

“What a dirtbag!” Molly said. “How did you find out?”

“He sent me a letter. Via FedEx.”

“Via FedEx!” If anything, Molly’s voice had risen an octave. Her eyes now flashed fire and outrage.

Jane shook her head. “I am so sorry, honey. That must have hurt.”

“You could say that.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m going to be. I’m determined to be, actually. I don’t think Todd is worth wasting too many tears on.”

“You can say that again,” Molly said indignantly. “I never did like him.”

Chloe couldn’t help it. She laughed. “You did so.”

“No, I didn’t. He’s altogether too good-looking and too sure of himself. I don’t trust men who have everything. They always think they’re somehow entitled. He seemed … I don’t know … weak, the way he never stood up to that mother of his. And you said yourself that he’d had some problems finding himself.” She rolled her eyes. “Finding himself. That’s a good one.”

“You never said anything.”

Molly shrugged. “You were so happy. I hoped I was wrong.”

“I wasn’t crazy about him, either,” Jane said quietly.

“You weren’t?” Chloe was shocked by this admission. She’d believed that her aunt and her cousin were thrilled with the match she’d made. In fact—and it shamed her to admit it, even to herself—she’d thought Molly was probably secretly envious.

“He’s just a little too slick for my taste,” Jane said. “But I, too, hoped I was wrong.”

“We talked about it,” Molly confessed. “Whether we should tell you about our reservations.”

“I wish you had,” Chloe said bitterly.

“Would you have listened?” Jane asked.

Chloe sighed. “Probably not.”

“Chloe.” Molly hesitated. “Why did you get engaged to Todd? I never could figure it out. I mean, to me, you were a mismatch from the beginning.”

“I don’t know,” Chloe admitted. “I think I was flattered. Plus—” and this was hard to admit, even to these two, whom she loved more than anyone ”—I think I wanted a family of my own so badly that I allowed that to color my judgment where Todd was concerned.”

“Oh, honey,” Jane said. “You do have a family of your own.”

“We’re your family,” Molly said.

“I know.” But an aunt and a cousin were not the same as a husband and children. And all three women knew it.

“Anyway,” Chloe said, sighing again—good grief, she was doing a lot of sighing. “That’s part of what’s been keeping me awake the last two nights.”

“Last two nights,” Jane said, frowning as Chloe’s words sank in. “You mean you’ve known about Todd’s marriage to Meredith since Thursday?”

Chloe nodded.

“And you didn’t call me?” Molly squeaked.

“I’m sorry. I … wanted to settle some things in my mind first.” Chloe knew she’d probably hurt her cousin’s feelings—after all, in addition to being cousins they were best friends and had been since they were toddlers. Molly was two years younger than Chloe, but the difference in their ages had never mattered to them. “One thing I did figure out is that there are probably going to be some rough patches ahead.”

“Look, honey,” her aunt said, reaching over to pat Chloe’s hand, “I know it’s hard right now, but you’re a strong person … you’ll weather this … and in the end, I believe you’ll be better off.”

Just get it over with. Tell them. “There’s something else.”

Jane and Molly both frowned. Chloe could almost see the wheels turning.

“I’m pregnant.”

For one long moment, the only sounds in the kitchen were the ticking of the wall clock and the humming of the refrigerator. Then cousin and aunt spoke at once.

“Oh, Chloe.”

“Oh, dear.”

Chloe sighed. Nodded. “Yep.”

“Does … does Todd know?” This came from Molly.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’m only about three—at the most four—weeks along. I had no idea when he left. And then, when I suspected and had it confirmed with a pregnancy test—actually, two pregnancy tests—I wanted to wait to tell him in person.” At this, tears threatened, but Chloe forced them back.

Molly’s gaze met hers steadily. “So when do you plan to tell him now?”

“I don’t.”

“You don’t?” Jane asked.

“No.”

“But, honey—”

“Don’t tell me he has a right to know, Aunt Jane. As far as I’m concerned, Todd Hopewell has forfeited any rights he ever had with me.”

“But, Chloe, he’s the baby’s father. Don’t you think—”

“No, I don’t think.”

Chloe saw how Molly’s glance darted to her mother, then hurriedly returned to Chloe. “I don’t blame you,” she said. “In your shoes, I’d probably feel the same way.”

“Thank you,” Chloe said. She looked at her aunt.

Her aunt sighed. “You know I’ll support you no matter what you ultimately decide.”

“I’ve already decided. And I won’t change my mind.”

“I just … well, I don’t see how you can keep your baby a secret from him. Riverton’s a small town. He’s bound to find out you’ve had a baby. Don’t you think he’ll put two and two together? And then what?”

“He won’t find out.”

“Chloe, of course he’ll find out …”

“I’m moving away.”

“What?” Molly looked stricken.

Jane was shaking her head. “Chloe, sweetheart, you can’t move away.”

“Of course I can. It’s easy. There’s no problem with the townhouse—I mean, because of the wedding I’d already given my notice.”

“But, sweetie,” Jane said, “where will you go?”

“I thought Syracuse.”

“You’ll hate Syracuse,” Molly said. “You know how much you dislike traffic and crowds.”

“I’ll get used to the differences. Besides, I don’t plan to live downtown or anything like that. I hope to buy or rent a little house out in the suburbs. Don’t look so unhappy. You can come see me whenever you want, and I’ll visit here, too. As long as I’m not out and about in Riverton, there’s very little chance Todd will find out about the baby.”

“How soon are you planning to go?” Jane asked. Her forehead was still creased with concern.

“By July 1st, I thought.”

“So soon?” Molly said.

“Well, I figured I’d begin showing in August. No sense in taking any chances.”

“I hate this,” Molly said. “And it’s all that jerk’s fault!” If looks could kill, Todd would bite the dust.

“Have you seen a doctor yet?” Jane asked.

Chloe shook her head. “I was planning to ask Todd’s mother who she’d recommend. I thought that might be a way to win her over … if I asked for her advice.” So much for that plan.

“You are planning to see someone soon, aren’t you? Just to confirm everything and get prenatal vitamins and everything,” Jane said. “I mean, you’re not going to wait until you move.”

“I honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead,” Chloe said. Lord, there were so many things to think about. “But yes, I guess I should see someone here first. Is there anyone you’d recommend?”

“Go to Dr. Ramsey,” Molly said. “She’s Sylvia’s ob-gyn, and Sylvia loves her. Says she’s wonderful.” Sylvia Alvarez was a coworker at the school where Molly taught.

“I still wish—” Jane started.

“Aunt Jane,” Chloe said, “I know what you wish. I wish it, too. I don’t want to leave Riverton any more than you and Molly want me to, but I see no other way. The Hopewell family has made it very clear they want nothing to do with me. And now I want nothing to do with them. I’m not taking any chances with my baby. And if that means I have to move away, so be it.”

Just before noon, Chloe was in the middle of a particularly intricate Web-site design when the doorbell rang. “Damn,” she mumbled. She wasn’t expecting any deliveries today. She considered ignoring the caller, but like the phone, she found the doorbell almost impossible to ignore. After nudging Samson out of the way, she headed toward the hallway.

The doorbell rang again as she approached the front door. “I’m coming.” She could see a man’s jeans-clad leg in the left glass panel at the side of the door. Frowning, she peered into the peephole. Startled by the sight of Simon Hopewell’s face, she jerked back.

Todd’s brother! What in the world was he doing there?

Smoothing down her knit shirt and khaki cargo pants, she opened the door.

“Hello, Chloe.”

“Hello, Simon.” Her heart was beating a little too fast, and it irritated her that just the sight of a member of Todd’s family could rattle her.

“May I come in?”

His gray eyes, which reminded her of the color of clouds on a rainy day, looked troubled. What was he worried about? He wasn’t the one who’d practically been stood up at the altar. He wasn’t the one who was pregnant—but of course he knew nothing about that. Did he think she might sue the family or something? She shrugged. “I suppose so.”

“I’m sorry to bother you during the day. I know you work at home. But I really needed to see you.”

By now he had stepped into the entryway.

Grudgingly, she admitted to herself that Simon Hopewell seemed like a nice person. Unlike his mother, he’d certainly never been anything but kind to her.

Resigned, she led him into her small living room. Indicating the sofa, she said, “Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink? Iced tea? Water? Coffee?”

“Thank you, no. I’m fine.” He sat on the end of the sofa, and she sat in the bentwood rocking chair on the other side of the room.

“I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about everything that’s happened.”

“Thank you.”

“I also wanted you to know that my brother’s actions disgust me, and I’ve told him so.”

Chloe could just imagine what Todd thought about that. He’d told her often enough how overbearing Simon was. “He thinks he knows everything,” he’d said more than once. “Always trying to tell me what to do.”

“One of the things that worries me is I know you’ve incurred wedding expenses.”

Chloe thought about the wedding gown hanging in her closet upstairs. The fact she’d bought it off the sale rack at Bloomingdale’s didn’t soften the reality that she’d paid more than eight hundred dollars for it. The veil had been another three hundred and fifty. Perhaps it could be returned. The dress couldn’t; it had been altered to fit her. Thank goodness she hadn’t paid the deposit on the country club. That had been Todd’s doing because he’s the one who had wanted to hold the reception there. Chloe would have been happy with a small reception in the church hall after the ceremony.

And then there were the deposits for the church, the flowers, the cake, the material for Molly’s dress and the photographer. Oh, well. Thank goodness she hadn’t charged anything. Everything had been paid for in cash. So even though she was out the money, at least she wasn’t in debt.

Simon reached into the pocket of his pale blue shirt, pulled out a folded check and placed it on the coffee table. “Five thousand should cover everything, I think. If you need more, just let me know.”

“I don’t want your money.”

“And I don’t want you paying for my brother’s bad behavior.”

“I’ll just tear the check up.” No way she was taking his money. Hopewell money. Bad enough she was keeping the ring. She had no intention of being indebted to the Hopewells for anything else. “Look, this isn’t your problem. And the Hopewell family … your family … owes me nothing.”

“I understand why you might feel that way. Frankly, if I were you, I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with my family, either. But why don’t I just leave the check? After thinking about it, you might change your mind. I hope you do.”

She shook her head. “I won’t. But thank you for making the offer.”

He leaned forward. Neither said anything. For a long moment, the only sound was a faraway siren outside. Finally, his thoughtful gaze met hers. “Are you doing okay?”

She sat up straighter. “I’m just fine. In fact, I’m more than fine.” Her chin lifted. “This has all actually worked out better for me. Now I can do something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’m moving away from Riverton.”

He stared at her. “I’m really sorry to hear that.”

Why was he looking at her that way? His steady gaze was unsettling. She wished she knew what he was thinking. “Don’t be. I told you. I’ve wanted to make a change in my life, and this is the perfect time.”

He nodded thoughtfully. Seemed about to say something else, but didn’t. Instead he rose. “Well, in that case, I won’t impose on you any longer. Thank you for seeing me. And again, please accept my apology for the way you’ve been treated. I hope you won’t judge our entire family by my brother’s immaturity and actions.”

Something about the sincere manner in which he offered the apology touched Chloe in a way she wouldn’t have expected. Simon Hopewell really was a nice person. A good person. In fact, he was nothing like the way Todd had often described him. She realized Todd had probably always been jealous—and probably resentful—of his older brother.

She walked Simon to the front door, and just before he walked outside, he turned back to her and said, “I meant what I said before. If you need anything—anything at all—just call me.”

Chloe never would have believed she would feel both guilt and regret over her decision to keep her baby a secret from the Hopewell family. But seeing the sincerity and genuine concern for her welfare in Simon Hopewell’s eyes left her awash in both emotions as he walked away.

Yet she knew she would not change her mind.

And no matter what hardships faced her in the future, she would never pick up the phone and call Simon.

She was finished with the Hopewell family.

Chapter Three

Simon was impressed by Chloe’s refusal to take the money he’d offered. He’d always suspected the Hopewell money had nothing to do with her engagement to Todd, even as his mother insisted the money had to be an influence.

“After all, the girl comes from nothing,” she’d said more than once. “She couldn’t help but be dazzled by our money.”

Well, she wasn’t dazzled. And it would give Simon a great deal of satisfaction to make sure his mother knew it. Not that knowing of Chloe’s integrity would change his mother’s mind about her. Simon actually understood where his mother was coming from, even as he abhorred her inability to rise above her own humble beginnings. Larissa would happily die rather than have her so-called friends know about the way she’d grown up. In her skewed way of thinking, she felt she had to avoid any contact with lesser mortals lest she be tarred by the same brush.

It was sad, Simon thought, that even after all these years, his mother was still so basically insecure. Yet for all his understanding of its origins, Larissa’s continued snobbery exasperated him, especially when it was directed at someone like Chloe, who had overcome tougher circumstances than Larissa ever had to face.

Simon had also been impressed by Chloe’s dignity. In her shoes, he’d be angry, maybe even vindictive. But if she felt either of those emotions, she had certainly hidden them well.

Christ, his brother was a fool. If the lovely, green-eyed Chloe had belonged to him, Simon would have made sure he hung on to her. And his family be damned! Not that there was anything wrong with Meredith. She was a nice enough person, smart even—she’d been doing a good job as Todd’s assistant—but in Simon’s opinion she couldn’t hold a candle to Chloe. Of course, Meredith’s parents belonged to the Riverton Country Club, and Paul Belson, her father, was the town’s most prominent lawyer.

As he drove to the office—Saturday or not, Simon had work to catch up on—he kept thinking about his brother’s former fiancée. The way she’d treated him so politely yet firmly, the way her determined eyes met his directly when she refused the money, the way she said the Hopewell family owed her nothing.

That’s the reason it bothered him when she said she was leaving Riverton, he decided. Maybe she was more affected by Todd’s desertion than she would have him believe.

Yet she didn’t seem the type to run away. She definitely had given him the impression she was a stand-and-fight young woman—not the kind who would turn tail and run. Even so, something was making her leave Riverton, and Simon wasn’t sure he bought her reasoning. So he would keep tabs on her for a while … just to make sure she really was okay.

He’d just arrived at this decision when he pulled into his parking slot at the company’s headquarters. Glancing over, he spotted Mark DelVecchio’s red Porsche. Mark was his CFO, and like Simon, he often worked on Saturdays. Other than Mark’s car, the security guard’s car and the cleaning crew’s van, the parking lot was empty. Well, Simon didn’t blame his staff for wanting to spend a balmy spring day on the golf course or puttering around their houses. This part of upstate New York could still be experiencing a wintry chill in May—in fact, he could remember a few years back when they’d gotten a late snowfall in early May—so a day in the seventies was one to savor.

“Hey, Russ, how’s it going?” he said to the security guard as he walked past his station by the front entrance.

“Good, Mr. Hopewell, good. How about you?”

“I’m great. How’s Erin?” The guard’s fourteen-year-old daughter had fallen earlier in the month and broken her arm.

“She’s doin’ okay. Hates rehab, though. Complains about it constantly.”

“Don’t blame her.” Simon remembered his own stint with rehab after a soccer injury in college. “Physical therapy can be tough.” He smiled. “Give your family my best.”

“I’ll do that.”

Pleasantries over, Simon headed for the stairs. Bypassing the elevator, he jogged up to the third floor. He was whistling as he walked down the hall toward his corner office.

“Hey, Simon!” Mark DelVecchio called out.

Stopping, Simon looked into Mark’s office. Dressed in khaki shorts, a brown golf shirt and deck shoes, Mark leaned back in his leather swivel chair with his feet propped on his desk. “You should be home with Deanna and the girls today,” Simon said.