The Accidental Mrs. Mackenzie Read online

  “I’m glad to finally meet you, Brynn,” Miranda greeted her. “But I’m sorry we barged in on you like this.”

  “No, it’s fine, really”

  “And this is Heather,” Ruth continued without pausing. “She’s Gregory’s sister. But then of course you know that. Gregory must have told you about everyone.”

  Oh, yeah.

  The teenager didn’t hold out her hand; instead she gave Brynn an artless teenage smile. “His!”

  “Hi,” Brynn replied, captivated by the darling girl.

  “And this is Andy,” Ruth continued. “Gregory’s brother. There I go again. You probably don’t really need the introductions, much less my explanations of how we’re related.”

  Not much. “Hey, Andy,” Brynn ventured, never certain how to interact with children.

  “How come you live in half a house?” he asked.

  She laughed as Ruth gave him a look meant to quash his questioning. “It’s okay.” Brynn gestured toward the high ceilings, old-fashioned intricate molding, bay windows, and original wood floors. “As you can see, it’s an old house and the owner split it into two apartments.”

  “Doesn’t look much like an apartment,” Andy replied. “On TV they always look all new and white.”

  Brynn laughed again, enjoying his candor. “That’s why I liked this one. It was different.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed, bending over to pet Snookems before wandering across the room in the direction of her drawing board.

  Brynn glanced around at the circle of expectant faces. “Oh, and I’m Brynn Magee, but I guess you know that.” They all smiled widely at her and she returned the smile uncertainly. “But, I’m not quite sure how you know that.”

  “Your photographer was kind enough to send us copies of the wedding pictures after he read about Gregory’s abduction. He thought we’d want our own set of photos. We were surprised but thrilled, of course!” A tear sparkled in Ruth’s eyes and her voice trembled.

  Frank patted his wife’s arm, taking over the explanation. “As you can see, Ruth has quite a way with words and she talked the photographer into giving us your name and address.”

  “And we wanted to meet the young woman who’d finally captured Gregory’s heart,” Miranda concluded.

  Brynn stared at them as the blood drained from her face. They all thought—Here they were, worried about Gregory’s disappearance and now they believed she was his secret bride. What had she done?

  “We know you and Gregory must have planned to surprise us and we’re sorry we ruined it, but with Gregory’s kidnapping, it seemed more important that we all come together at this time. I’m sure neither of you anticipated this twist.”

  You can say that again. Brynn took a deep breath.

  Ruth leaned forward. “I can’t wait to ask. How did you and Gregory meet?”

  Brynn’s lips opened, but no sound emerged.

  “And why did you two keep the wedding such a secret?” Ruth continued. “I’m guessing you eloped, but I’m dying to know—”

  “Ruth!” Miranda admonished her. “Clearly she’s too upset about Gregory to go into all that now.”

  Ruth took Brynn’s hands. “I’m so sorry. My mouth is like a runaway train. We can talk about all that another time. I know that all you’re thinking about now is Gregory.”

  “Have you heard any news?” Brynn managed to ask.

  Frank frowned “Communications are terrible in South America. The State Department doesn’t think it was politically motivated since Gregory was there strictly on Drake Chemical business. Unlike some places, they are desperate for the revenue generated by an American business concern, so they’re welcoming the new plant with open arms.”

  “Then why did they kidnap him?”

  “Best we’ve learned is they think they can force Drake Chemical to pay heavily for his return,” Frank replied.

  Brynn looked at him in alarm. “And do you think they will pay?”

  “The CEO assures us they’ll cooperate completely. They value Gregory, too.”

  Brynn tried to imagine Gregory held by third world terrorists, but it was still too much to absorb. “Do you know where they’re holding him?”

  Looking even more ashen, Frank shook his head. “The State Department assumes they’ve taken him far from the hotel his meetings were to be held in. But wherever they’re hiding him, none of our government’s operatives can find him.”

  “But the State Department told us the kidnappers would keep Gregory alive—it’s in their best interest,” Ruth added. Concern creased her features as she looked at her husband. “And we know they’re right.”

  “I would feel it if something had happened to him,” Frank said quietly. He glanced at Brynn. “Of course you would, too.”

  Helplessly, Brynn glanced between the MacKenzies.

  “Where were you when Gregory was kidnapped?” Ruth asked, twisting again to look at Brynn.

  She glanced between Gregory’s parents. “Here?” she answered tentatively.

  “Of course she was here, Ruth,” Miranda intervened. “No man in his right mind would take a new bride to the jungles of South America.”

  “Rain forests,” Frank corrected mildly.

  “You know what I mean!” Miranda retorted before turning to Brynn. “Thank goodness Gregory had the sense to leave you in civilization!”

  “Well...”

  “Whatever the reason, we’re grateful, Brynn,” Ruth added, dashing at a tear in her eye.

  “And we need to support each other,” Frank said. “Times like this call for families to come together. Do you have family here in Salt Lake?”

  “No. There’s just my mother and she lives in Chicago, but—”

  “We’re family now, dear,” Ruth spoke, her lips quivering even as they pushed into a smile—one that seemed to hover perpetually on her kind face. “And you have us.”

  Before Brynn could reply, Ruth pulled her forward in a huge hug. Helplessly she was enveloped by each family member.

  Never having encountered such an outpouring of loving welcome, Brynn was speechless.

  “Hey guys! Look! Brynn draws comics!” Andy called out from her drawing board.

  “Really?” Heather questioned, turning to Brynn. “Real comics? In the newspaper?”

  Uncomfortable with praise, Brynn shrugged, downplaying the cartoon. “I draw a strip.”

  Heather had moved over to the drawing board as well. “It’s Stephanie,” she shrieked. “My favorite!”

  “Mine, too,” Andy insisted, not to be outdone.

  “We all read it,” Ruth chimed in.

  “I never miss it,” Miranda added. “I can’t wait to see what new scrape Stephanie’s gotten herself into!”

  Brynn felt a blush begin. While she loved hearing that people read her strip, she never knew quite what to say. “Sometimes I feel that way, too, when I start to draw it.”

  They all laughed appreciatively and Brynn relaxed a fraction.

  “Then you work at home?” Frank asked.

  “Yes, it’s great. I get to be my own boss.” She pushed at her oversize glasses. “And I don’t have to go to an office.”

  “You could work in your jammies if you wanted to,” Miranda guessed.

  “When it snows, I often do,” Brynn admitted.

  “You don’t have to go to an office at all?” Ruth questioned.

  “No. I send my work by courier to the publisher.” She gestured toward her drafting table. “So this is it.”

  A new light was twinkling in Ruth’s eyes. “So, your work is completely portable? You can do it wherever you want?”

  “Luckily, yes. I’ve finished more than one strip while I’ve been traveling.”

  Ruth clapped her hands together. “That’s perfect!”

  Brynn felt the first stirrings of premonition a shade too late. “What do you mean?”

  Ruth turned to the rest of her family, sharing a smile with them. “Then you can come home with us!”
/>   Brynn could only stare.

  “Family should be together at a time like this,” Miranda added. “And we’d so hoped you’d be able to come home with us, but we didn’t know what other commitments you had in the city.”

  “But now that we know you don’t have other family here and you don’t have to be at an office...” Frank added.

  “I can’t possibly leave,” Brynn began desperately. “I have to be in my studio to work....” Glancing around, she searched frantically for excuses. “And I couldn’t possibly impose.”

  They all laughed as though she’d made a huge joke.

  “Since the ski resort has more than a hundred rooms, we can probably squeeze you in somehow,” Frank replied.

  Ski resort? “But I have to get my work to the courier,” Brynn protested. “So you see—”

  “Even though it’s not ski season yet, we have enough off-season visitors to send the shuttle down real often. That’s not a problem.”

  “And I have my pets.” She seized on that excuse, feeling inspired that she’d remembered her little brood.

  “With thousands of acres of land, a few pets aren’t a problem.”

  “You don’t understand. They’re really difficult at times. Snookems is nearly blind. Bossy has a terrible mouth. And Lancelot is only sociable with me. He was abused by his former owner and I’ve just gotten him to trust me. He’s unfriendly and aggressive toward strangers.” As she spoke, Brynn glanced across the room, seeing that Heather was gently petting Lancelot who was loving it. “Most of the time, anyway.”

  Heather met her eyes. “If you come home with us, it’d be like having part of Gregory there.”

  Brynn could see the distress on the girl’s face; she had been badly shaken by her brother’s kidnapping. Glancing at the rest of the family, Brynn saw similar reactions. While they were bearing up under the pain, they were all equally affected Knowing they were struggling to maintain optimistic, happy attitudes for her benefit made the ache in her heart that much stronger. But deceiving them would only make that worse. “I’m so sorry, but I—”

  Ruth tugged on her arm, dragging her away. “Could I get a glass of water, my dear?”

  “Certainly.” Brynn glanced once more at the expectant faces and then pushed through the swing door into the small kitchen, Ruth tagging right behind her.

  She reached for a glass but Ruth stilled her arm. “The water was just an excuse. You can see that everyone’s just holding together by a thread.”

  Brynn nodded, the truth bubbling on her tongue, churning in her stomach as she tried to think of how to best confess it.

  “And I want to tell you about Frank’s health.”

  When Ruth’s lips began to quiver, Brynn instantly took her hands. “His health?”

  Ruth took a deep breath. “Frank had a triple bypass recently and he’s still not well. When word came of Gregory’s disappearance—” she put two fingers against her lips to stop their trembling “—I thought we might lose Frank, as well. That’s why it’s so important that you come with us. If he had something of Gregory’s to hold on to, to keep Frank’s hope alive...” Ruth smiled then—a tremulous lifting of her lips. “And nothing would be better than Gregory’s perfect bride. As soon as we received the album and saw that you two had been married, it brought Frank out of his downward spiral. So you see how important you are...how important it is that you come home with us.”

  “Brynn! Where’s your suitcase?” Miranda’s voice carried into the kitchen, startling them both, prompting Brynn into action.

  She pushed open the kitchen door. “But I didn’t say I could leave, and...” Her voice trailed off as she met their expectant faces, her gaze lingering on Frank’s pale countenance.

  Ruth went to stand beside her husband, her eyes pleading with Brynn, silently reminding her of his precarious health.

  “Like I said, I have the pets....”

  Heather scooped up Lancelot. “I’ve got the dog and Andy can take Snookems. There’s plenty of room in the van for your bird and drawing board, too. We brought the resort bus. Please, Brynn?”

  Meeting their faces one more time, lingering on Frank’s shaky expression and Ruth’s beseeching one, she crumbled. Knowing she was crazy, her eyelids fluttered shut briefly. As Brynn opened them, she managed a smile. “I suppose I could come for a while.”

  A general whoop echoed throughout the room. Miranda took the bird’s cage from its stand, looking around for the cover as Frank started to clear her drawing table. Andy was collecting the dog leash from the hook by the door as Heather searched in the hall closet Brynn had indicated for a suitcase.

  Ruth smiled widely. “Just until Gregory comes home.”

  Brynn whipped her head around to see them all smiling and nodding in agreement, realizing she’d just arranged for the final take in her wedding album.

  Chapter Two

  The drive northward was far more magnificent than Brynn had expected. Early fall had carpeted the canyons with color—not only brilliant autumn reds and oranges. Gold, crimson, purple and sienna leaped from nature’s wildest palette. As they climbed in altitude, snowcapped summits rose above the timber line and aspen leaves trembled against spruce’s dark green. Wildly soaring mountain peaks competed with plunging canyons. It was a land of contrasts—start and beautiful.

  Through the open window she could smell the Douglas firs, mountain lupine and the unmistakable novelty of clean, fresh air. Beyond each crest was another discovery, a newly unfolding panorama.

  Unable to tell the MacKenzies that she didn’t know which ski resort they spoke of, Brynn had no idea they planned to travel so far northward, away from the multitude of ski resorts that were closely situated to Salt Lake City, most within halt an hour to an hour from the city. Instead they passed even the well-known northern resorts—Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, Nordic Valley—as they continued driving.

  She hadn’t expected to see the rush of Logan River and the mountain streams. or to experience sensory overload from more colors than she believed existed in even the most daring artist’s imagination. It was a true feast for the senses.

  Baffled, Brynn could only take in the scenery as she tried to guess where in the world they were going. Vaguely she knew that Sun Valley was to the north in Idaho, and wondered if that was their ultimate destination.

  Heather and Andy had kept up a steady stream of conversation, each positioned on either side of her.

  Bossy continued adding more than his two cents’ worth—Brynn figured he was up to at least a ten-dollar bill by now. She couldn’t help wondering what the MacKenzies thought of her bird’s salty language. But they seldom stopped talking, all wanting to tell her about Gregory, the family, the resort, and just about anything else that popped into their minds.

  Used to a quiet, solitary life, Brynn was fairly overwhelmed by it all, but found herself charmed rather than annoyed. She was touched that they were so eager to include her. She couldn’t help but wonder if these bizarre circumstances would bring her and Gregory together at last.

  Gregory would be thin when he came back after his ordeal, realizing that life was shorter than he’d ever imagined. Realizing that it wouldn’t be complete without the woman he loved by his side. Realizing that Brynn was that woman—not some shallow socialite, but a genuine woman; one who appreciated the sensitive side he kept hidden. One who—

  “Brynn. Brynn,” Heather repeated. “We’re here. This is the road that leads to our place.”

  Jerked back to reality, Brynn stared ahead at the road that appeared to climb the mountain. Swallowing, she gulped back her apprehension and smiled at the girl. “I can’t wait to see everything.”

  The road, a daunting course of switchbacks, wound upward, but Brynn found herself nearly hanging out the window in anticipation rather than fear. As Ruth navigated the turns, it was clear she’d had a great deal of experience driving the challenging road.

  “Do tourists ever get intimidated by the approach?” Brynn fina
lly asked, staring downward at a steep canyon drop-off.

  Miranda chuckled. “Most of our guests prefer to take the shuttle. There’s not much need for a rental car when you spend all your time on the slopes in the winter, or hiking in the off-season.”

  Brynn listened as she watched the panorama unfold. Each bend took them to more brilliant foliage, more exquisite views. When the bus cornered one particularly narrow bit of road, the vista that suddenly opened up was so incredible, Brynn blinked to see if it was real. While she was well acquainted with the eye-popping scenery throughout the state, this particular view looked as through it stretched out endlessly. “It must be wonderful to see this every day,” she breathed, caught up in the wonder.

  Frank chuckled. “I’ll be glad to hear you say that in the winter when we’re under a ton of snow.”

  Winter! Surely they didn’t think she was staying until then. She only planned to stay a few days at the most.

  But the road was leading to a wide-open space. An exquisitely carved sign indicated the resort entrance. Everyone in the van began talking at the same time and Brynn wondered how any of them could follow what was being said. She couldn’t have wedged in a protest with an industrial-strength shoehorn.

  The bus bumped over a bit of rough road, then sped on toward the sprawling lodge that dominated the mountaintop. Brynn was briefly reminded of the mystical headquarters of the gods, looming over the rest of the world. Was this Zeus’s second home?

  Tall spruce towered over the imposing redwood-and-stone structure, making it, too, look as though it had been lifted from a postcard. Entranced, Brynn climbed quietly from the bus as the others chattered, everyone grabbing pieces of her luggage and life as they prepared to go inside. Lancelot strained on his leash as Bossy warned them that “Last call” was in effect.

  The place literally took her breath away. It was the sort of resort that awed, welcomed, charmed and made you feel as though you’d just stepped into the postcard, as well. Far larger than she’d expected, Eagle Point was impressive and then some. Somehow she’d envisioned a quaint family lodge—not this prosperous-looking resort.