Three Brides, No Groom Read online

  “Fine. Wonderful.” She felt light-headed and realized the color must have drained from her cheeks for him to have noticed. “You’ll want this back.” She slipped the diamond engagement ring from her finger and handed it to him.

  He looked stricken, staring at the diamond in the palm of his hand. “I…I still love you and all, but it’s…well, difficult, you see, me going into the pros and all. And…well…”

  “It’s OK, Eddie.” It hurt to listen to him search for reasons to tell her that he didn’t want her in his life any longer. He was headed for the big time, and she was just a cheerleader. An ex-cheerleader now. As far as Eddie was concerned, a wife would be an encumbrance in his new life.

  “OK? Really? You’re not mad, sweetheart?” How relieved he sounded!

  “Mad?” she repeated, as if surprised he would ask such a thing. “Not in the least.” She brushed his cheek with her lips. “Good luck,” she said brightly.

  Her response appeared to stun him. She suspected he’d been anticipating a knock-down-drag-out confrontation, even though he’d opted to tell her in a public place.

  Apparently Mark had prepared Eddie to expect yelling, cursing, hysteria and tears. To be fair, her complete lack of emotion came as a shock to her as much as it did to Eddie.

  “Mark thinks I have a good chance of making second-string quarterback,” he explained hurriedly, looking to her for encouragement and approval, the way he always had.

  “I hope you do.” She realized she actually meant it.

  Suddenly he looked uncertain. “We can still be friends, can’t we? I’d like to call you now and again, if that’d be all right.”

  “Friends,” she repeated, and laughed softly. Right. Eddie would do as Mark dictated and break the engagement, but he would still look to her for emotional support. Because what Mark didn’t understand was the vital role she played in Eddie’s life. Eddie needed her.

  In time Mark would know how much Eddie relied on her, and then Eddie would be back with his tail between his legs. It was only a matter of time, but until then she wouldn’t make it easy for him.

  “No, Eddie, I don’t think it would be a good idea if you phoned. If you want to break the engagement, then whatever we shared is over. Completely. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d better call my parents and do what I can to cancel the wedding.”

  The least of Eddie’s crimes was that he’d put her family through needless expense, allowing them to plan and pay for a wedding he fully intended to cancel. Right then and there, she decided she would pay them back every penny, even if it took her the rest of her life.

  “Listen,” he said, taking a step toward her. “I realize your family’s sunk a lot of money into this wedding—I know I should have told you sooner. It’s only fair that your father send me the bills. I’ll make sure they get paid.”

  “All right. I’ll make sure Dad forwards them to you.” She turned and walked away. Pride was the glue that kept her from breaking into a thousand pieces.

  When she got back to the sorority house, the place was buzzing with activity. Excited talk and laughter swirled around her like dust devils as her friends raced up and down the stairs, emptying their rooms. Boxes and suitcases littered the hallways. Silently she walked past her friends, up the staircase and into her room. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, she reviewed her options.

  To save money for the wedding, her parents had opted not to fly out from the East Coast to attend her graduation ceremony. By waiting until after graduation to break the engagement, Eddie had not only destroyed her plans for the future, but he’d cheated her out of sharing this special day with the people who loved her and supported her dreams.

  Meanwhile, though she had her teaching degree, she was without a job. She hadn’t applied for a position here in Washington, believing she would be living with Eddie in Denver in a few weeks. And she’d decided to wait until after the wedding to apply for a Colorado teaching certificate. Eddie hadn’t encouraged her to apply for work, but then, he hadn’t offered much in the way of advice for several weeks.

  Not only had he pulled the proverbial rug out from under her feet, he’d single-handedly destroyed any chance she had of finding a full-time teaching position come autumn. Every teaching job would already have been filled by this late date.

  She could always fly home and live with her parents, but she had too much pride for that. Her family had helped her with her college expenses as much as possible, had sacrificed in order for her to attend Queen Anne University. She wasn’t going to take advantage of their generosity any longer. As an adult, she would find a means of supporting herself. While she might not be able to find a full-time teaching job, she could always do substitute work.

  Despite what he’d done, she still loved Eddie. She’d always loved him, even knowing he was weak. Even knowing how easily he could be swayed by others.

  She held her breath and waited for the constriction in her throat to ease. The one thing that gave her hope was that she knew Eddie better than he knew himself. It wouldn’t be long before he realized how much he missed her, how much he needed her. Within a month, maybe two, he would be back, pleading with her to marry him.

  She could wait that long.

  * * *

  Three weeks later Carol found herself a studio apartment north of the downtown Seattle area. It was small but comfortable, and all she could afford.

  Since graduation, she’d been busy submitting teaching applications to seven different school districts. Again and again she was told that the hiring process was complete, but that human resources would keep her name on file.

  She made calls every day, and it wasn’t long before her persistence paid off. She was asked to substitute for a physical-education teacher during summer school. A paying job, even if it was only for a week, was a start. A job was a job, and she was elated.

  Summer classes weren’t known for attracting the best and the brightest high-school students, but she didn’t let that dim her enthusiasm. Dressed in gym shorts, a whistle looped around her neck, she led a group of fourteen physically unfit students onto the Ballard High School football field. They whined all the way, but she pretended not to hear.

  As there were only a few years’ difference between her students’ ages and her own, she resembled a high schooler herself. Luckily she was tall, five-nine, with rich chestnut-colored hair that bounced against her shoulders.

  “We’re going to do a mile,” she announced.

  A chorus of unharmonious gripes followed. One overweight boy fell to the ground and played dead.

  “Hey, guys. This isn’t a time test. Run, walk, crawl, I don’t care,” she said, laughing at their complete lack of enthusiasm. “All I’m asking is for each of you to complete a mile.”

  “You actually want us to crawl?”

  “Whatever it takes, but the sooner everyone’s finished, the sooner we can shower and go home for the day.”

  The words “go home for the day” captured the class’s attention.

  “The other teacher didn’t say anything about making us do this,” someone complained.

  “Really?” Carol flipped back the papers on her clipboard. “Hey, you’re right,” she said, holding her index finger in place. “It says five miles here.”

  A short shocked silence was followed by a chorus of disbelief.

  The boy who’d played dead miraculously recovered. He sat up and said, “No, it doesn’t.”

  She thrust her right arm into the air. “How many of you would prefer five miles?”

  Not a hand went up.

  “One mile?”

  Every hand went up.

  “Then get to it.”

  With a dismal lack of enthusiasm, the teenagers started jogging toward the track. Being in top physical condition herself, she didn’t understand their aversion to exercise. She was sure that by the time they finished the mile—four laps around the track—each and every one of them would experience a surge of well-being.

 
She was wrong. When all fourteen had completed the required number of laps, they acted as if they’d completed World War Two’s Bataan Death March.

  Six of the boys had attempted to cheat by only finishing three laps, but she had kept careful count. Amid protests and threats, she’d sent each one back and penalized him an additional lap. It might not have won her an award for popularity, but she doubted anyone else would pull that trick.

  To her surprise one of the girls jogged up to her on the way to the locker room. “Thanks,” she said, grinning.

  “For what?” Carol asked.

  “For making Eddie, Jim and Charles do the whole mile. The other teacher probably wouldn’t have noticed, and then they’d think they’d gotten away with something.”

  “They’re only cheating themselves.”

  “I know,” the girl said, her blond hair bouncing. “But they haven’t figured it out yet.”

  It hadn’t escaped Carol’s notice that one of the boys was named Eddie. Like this high schooler, her Eddie hadn’t yet discovered that by canceling their wedding, he was cheating himself, too.

  Sooner or later he would want her back. Now that she wasn’t with him, wasn’t there to listen to his tales of triumph on the playing field or have her rub the soreness from his shoulder, no doubt he was already missing her. Sure to be thinking about her.

  When he did phone—and he would, she was convinced of that—she would make him suffer, but for only a little while. He had plenty of lessons to learn, and she was the woman to teach them. Her pride had taken a tremendous beating, and he needed to understand that she wouldn’t allow him to treat her that way ever again.

  At the end of the day, she walked down the high school corridor, the soles of her running shoes squeaking slightly against the floor. Her heart felt lighter than at any time since graduation. Substitute teaching helped keep her mind off Eddie and the fact that she didn’t have a full-time job.

  She strolled past a line of classrooms and noticed another teacher writing on the blackboard at the front of one of them. Three rows of tables, topped with computers, stretched from one side of the room to the other. No students.

  “Clark?” Carol did a double take.

  Was Clark Rusbach really here at Ballard High School? Clark was Queen Anne’s resident computer wizard. A man so left-brain he practically walked with a limp. Throughout her college career, she had secretly admired his genius.

  He was tall, on the lean side, and fiercely intense. His thick dark hair, which needed to be cut, fell awkwardly over his forehead. Although it was a warm July day, he wore slacks and a sweater more suitable for autumn. But then, he never had been one to follow convention. In fact, what had always intrigued her about him was his complete lack of any need to conform. A true individualist, he lived and breathed in a world foreign to her own.

  She had hated the way Eddie always made fun of Clark, calling him a nerd and making him the brunt of tasteless jokes. Clark had never reacted to Eddie’s crude comments, which had earned him her respect. It couldn’t have been easy, but if Clark was bothered by any of it, he didn’t allow it to show. His world consisted of bytes, bits and chips, and they appeared to understand and appreciate him far better than his fellow humans did.

  “Carol?” He’d turned to stare at the doorway. “Is that you? What are you doing here?”

  She stepped into the room and said, “I was about to ask you the same thing.” Shortly before graduation, rumors had abounded that Clark had been wooed by Softline, a big Seattle-based software conglomerate. She had heard that the company’s young ultrarich owner had personally courted Clark and offered him an employment package with a salary said to be in the mid six figures.

  “I’m here as part of a community-service project for Softline. They said it’s supposed to help us understand the frustrations of students trying to learn new and advanced programs.” Absently he brushed the hair from his forehead. “I don’t know about the kids’ frustrations,” he muttered, “but I experienced a few of my own. Were we this dense?”

  She laughed. “I suspect so. At least I was.” Although they’d taken a number of classes together, she and Clark had rarely exchanged more than a casual greeting.

  He hesitated and then said, “I thought you’d be married to Eddie and living in Denver by now.”

  Embarrassed, she lowered her gaze, not wanting to talk about Eddie. However, it was only natural that Clark was curious. “I guess you didn’t hear. Eddie broke off the engagement. He didn’t think this was a good time to marry, what with him signing with the pros and all.”

  Clark’s thick dark eyebrows bunched together. “He broke off the engagement?” he asked, sounding incredulous, as if her former fiancé had made the biggest mistake of his life. “Eddie might have a good throwing arm, but I never was overly impressed with his brains. I don’t see you two as a couple, really.”

  His words soothed her battered ego, and she smiled to show him she appreciated his kindness.

  “Why are you still in Seattle? I thought your family came from the East Coast,” he asked.

  “They do…but I like living in the Pacific Northwest and was hoping to get a full-time teaching job.” Which was not the entire truth, she realized.

  While she put on a cheerful facade, the past few weeks hadn’t been easy. Talking about Eddie was like tearing away a half-healed scab. She discovered that tears were close to the surface.

  “So how’s the job hunt going?” he asked.

  Her only answer was a shrug.

  “I take it that means not good?”

  She tried to put on a happy face and failed. “Not the best, but I’ll be fine.” An awkward silence followed. “Well, it was nice seeing you again,” she said, eager to escape before she made a fool of herself by breaking into sobs.

  “I don’t know if it’d be much help,” he said, stopping her, “but I understand Softline’s hiring. It wouldn’t hurt to put in an application there.”

  At this point she wasn’t picky. Have rent payment, will work, was her motto. “Thanks. I’ll give them a try.”

  * * *

  A week and a half later, Carol was called in for an interview with a Softline human-resources manager.

  “I’m afraid all we have at present are several temporary positions,” the woman said, scanning her files. “I notice here that you’ve got a friend at the company.”

  Carol could feel the color creep up her neck. “A friend?”

  “Yes, one of our up-and-comers put in a good word for you. That helps.”

  “Well, I’m a hard worker.”

  “I’m sure you are. What I’d like to do is start out by having you fill in for some of the support personnel when they go out on vacations. I notice your secretarial skills are excellent.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Could you start first thing Monday morning?”

  “That would be great.” Carol didn’t bother to disguise her eagerness. Now she could pay the rent and meet her other expenses until school started up in the fall and she could—fingers crossed—substitute on a regular basis.

  The woman punched a few keys on her computer keyboard and waited for the printout. “You’ll start by replacing one of our executive secretaries.” She handed the printout to Carol.

  Not until she left the building did Carol read the name of the person she would be working with.

  Clark Rusbach.

  Chapter 2

  Bright and early Monday morning, fifteen minutes ahead of schedule, Carol located Clark’s office at Softline. Finding his name etched in gold on the door, she experienced a surge of pride that this incredibly brilliant man was her friend.

  Knowing Clark, he hadn’t anticipated that the woman who’d interviewed her would mention his recommendation. Her guess was that he wouldn’t want her to know what he’d done. Nevertheless, it was sweet of him.

  She traced her index finger over the incised letters of his name and smiled to herself. Just a month out of college and already
Clark Rusbach had made his presence felt in the business world. And yet he also managed to be incredibly thoughtful. Eddie could take a few lessons from Clark. When the time came, she would be sure her former fiancé learned how good Clark had been to her.

  Stepping into Clark’s office, she paused and glanced around, soaking in the ambiance. Her smile widened. The one thing you could expect from Clark was the unexpected. While the outer office consisted of a desk, chair, filing cabinet and other secretarial paraphernalia, he worked in what might be best described as a research lab. Well, sort of. The large room held several tables and chairs, multiple desks and no less than six computers. On the walls were diagrams that resembled road maps of China and three calendars, all with Monday the fifteenth—which was a week away—circled in red.

  * * *

  By the time Clark arrived, Carol had coffee brewing and was humming softly to herself. She’d sorted through the regular mail and placed it in a neat stack on his desk. One of his desks. He had five.

  “Good morning,” she said, feeling slightly awkward. Always before they’d been on equal footing, but now Clark was her boss.

  “Mornin’.”

  “I’m taking Mrs. Derby’s place while she’s away,” she explained unnecessarily,

  “So I see.” He shed his jacket and hung it in the closet next to her own cardigan sweater. “Do you have any questions?”

  “Yes…several.” She hesitated, not sure how to begin. “Do you want me to call you Mr. Rusbach? Would you prefer I pretend I don’t know you?”

  He chuckled. “Clark will do. Relax, we’re friends. It was just the luck of the draw that you happened to be assigned to me right off.”

  “We are friends, aren’t we?” Until her interview she’d considered Clark to be more of an acquaintance. “Thanks for putting in a good word for me,” she said, forgetting that she’d decided not to mention what he’d done.

  His shook his head as though to dismiss her appreciation and headed toward his own office.

  “How do you like your coffee?” she called after him.

  He reached for his mail and glanced toward her. She was standing in the doorway between the two rooms, rubbing her palms together, awaiting his response.