Dad’s E-mail Order Bride Read online

  Courtney groaned just thinking about it.

  At least Graham had agreed to a truce for the weekend. And she would do her best to make sure he didn’t regret that decision. She could handle being the peacekeeper, but she didn’t want to be the referee.

  Especially since, in spite of everything, she was completely smitten with the man she’d come to meet. Graham had touched her deeply with his journal entries: his sensitivity; his appreciation of the type of assets you’d never find in some financial portfolio; his insight in being able to look back over his life and identify his mistakes. Plus, now that she’d actually met him, Courtney was so physically attracted to Graham the only way she knew how to describe it was freakishly scary.

  And that was so unlike her.

  Beth had always accused her of being too picky. Of always finding something not to like about the guys she dated, rather than focusing on things she could learn to like about them.

  And maybe she was too picky. She’d just been holding out for that one guy who would make her heart pound, her palms sweat and who completely took her breath away. Courtney had never met such a man.

  Until now.

  Her thoughts went back to that kiss on the dock. Her heart had definitely been pounding. For a second she’d thought Graham was going to kiss her again. She’d seen a little flicker of desire in his eyes signaling there might be some fireworks between them.

  Of course, that was before they both knew the whole situation. Now Graham would spend the weekend worried she was some cyber stalker. And she would spend the weekend pretending she wasn’t disappointed that he didn’t send the e-mails—which, in fact, she was.

  But she’d get over it.

  The ever-changing world of advertising had taught her one valuable lesson: when things aren’t working, take them in a different direction and make them work. Courtney couldn’t think of a better time to stick to that principle than now.

  She let out a long sigh and remained standing on the balcony, looking out at the shimmering water. She could certainly understand how troubles could melt away here.

  Or maybe it was being somewhere so different from New York City. No horns blowing. No streets packed with cars stuck in gridlock traffic. No sidewalks filled with anxious-looking people all scurrying about, cell phones to their ears, hurrying to make that next important meeting or make it to and from work on time.

  The only things moving below the lodge were several boats tied to the dock, all bobbing in the water like corks tied to a fishing line. Rachel called the boats skiffs, and Courtney knew Graham used them for his fishing expeditions and for local travel to other communities around Port Protection, since this part of Prince of Wales Island had no road access whatsoever.

  She’d been intrigued by the quaint community from the moment she visited the lodge’s Web site: the elaborate boardwalk system running throughout the rain forest; the steps called The Stairway to Heaven leading from the boardwalk up to the ridgeline; the pictures of the scenic view from the ridge so beautiful they took your breath away.

  Courtney had even imagined climbing that stairway with Graham. She’d fantasized about Graham taking her into his arms and…

  Stop it!

  No point in going there now.

  But Port Protection had captivated her. Almost as much as the picture of Graham that Rachel had chosen for his profile—him standing in the front of the lodge, the look on his face somber, a hint of loneliness in his eyes he couldn’t quite hide from the camera.

  When Courtney thought about it, loneliness was one of the main reasons she’d kept up the correspondence with Rachel. Her mother had given her the deep-freeze treatment after she’d refused to cancel the membership. But instead of that making Courtney want to reconsider, being estranged from her mother only reinforced how much of Courtney’s time her mother truly demanded.

  Then Beth had temporarily deserted her.

  Beth just had to pick the exact same time to fall madly in lust with a stand-up comic in Atlantic City where Beth ran off to every weekend. Without Beth or her mother demanding her time, Courtney had felt at loose ends.

  Had it not been for Rachel, she probably would have caved and begged her mother’s forgiveness before they reached some common ground. In a sense, Rachel had saved her from making a grave mistake.

  The truth was, Courtney had thoroughly enjoyed being Rachel’s mentor of sorts. She had no siblings, no nieces or nephews. Playing the role of a big sister or an aunt to Rachel had been a fun and new experience for her.

  And that’s why Courtney hoped if she and Graham played a joke on Rachel, they could all laugh about it, call it even and salvage the weekend. Regardless of what Rachel had done, Courtney couldn’t wait to finally meet her.

  With that thought in mind, Courtney walked into the bedroom where Graham had placed her suitcases on the foot of the bed. Rachel would be home from school within the hour. If Courtney was going to play the role of the happy new girlfriend, she needed to look the part.

  But as she headed into the bathroom with her makeup bag to freshen up, Courtney couldn’t keep from thinking that being Graham’s pretend girlfriend was not the role she’d envisioned when she set out for Alaska. Even more disturbing was another thought.

  Graham Morrison wouldn’t be an easy man to forget.

  GRAHAM PLACED A TRAY of appetizers on the dining table in the main room of the lodge—cheese, crackers, some dried dates and figs. He would have done the same for any other guests, making sure something was available to sustain them until time for dinner.

  Except Courtney wasn’t any other guest.

  She was a vibrant, beautiful woman who had him hurrying to his bathroom after she went upstairs, making sure his hygiene wasn’t lacking. What shocked Graham was the fact that he’d felt the need to do that.

  He’d been so convinced he had everything he needed living in Port Protection. That a woman was the last thing he wanted in his life. Yet, all Courtney had to do was smile at him a couple of times and he was scurrying off to shave and brush his teeth and change his shirt.

  But then, Graham reasoned, maybe if he had female guests at the lodge on a regular basis, he would have automatically done the same thing. He’d never been a slob, but shaving in the middle of the day for a bunch of smelly fishermen was plain laughable.

  What wasn’t laughable was the knowledge Courtney had flown all the way from New York to meet him. Talk about putting pressure on a guy.

  Plus, who knew what Rachel had been telling Courtney about him for the past three months—other than the fact he was deaf, and Courtney had claimed she found that heroic. It only made sense he would be a little self-conscious, maybe even a little intimidated.

  Courtney had come expecting to meet a hero who had overcome all the obstacles in his life. She’d found instead a clueless father who wasn’t even savvy enough to realize what his teenage daughter was doing on the Internet.

  In fact, the woman upstairs was basically a complete stranger, yet she knew more things about him than most people ever would. Private things. Things he never would have shared with anyone else. And he knew virtually nothing about her.

  Except she was an advertising executive from New York.

  And he liked the way she kissed.

  But he wasn’t going to revisit the damn kiss again. She’d caught him off guard, that’s all. And brushing his teeth didn’t mean he hoped she would kiss him again.

  After Courtney found out what a disaster she’d walked into, she’d made it clear all she wanted to do for the rest of the weekend was fly under the radar until she could head back to New York City on Monday. And Graham intended to do his best to see she did just that.

  He’d be a gracious host. He’d be a charming conversationalist at dinner. He’d even be the life of his own damn birthday party if that’s what it took to get them through the weekend.

  But after Courtney left, he was going to kill his daughter. Not literally, of course. He was only going to make Rachel wis
h she were dead.

  No TV. No Internet. No iPod. No phone.

  No anything fun or entertaining.

  Not until Graham was fully satisfied that Rachel was truly sorry for the stupid stunt she’d pulled. Whether Rachel liked it or not, he was still her father. And whether Rachel liked it or not, until she turned eighteen, he made all the rules.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  RACHEL JUMPED OUT OF her seat the second the bell rang. She didn’t wait to walk home with her good friend Tiki Iya the way she usually did.

  Today, Rachel left her classroom and hurried outside to the wide boardwalk meandering through Port Protection like a railroad track. She smiled when she found her absolute best friend waiting for her in his usual spot.

  The Alaskan husky wagged his tail as Rachel approached. Rachel bent down and rubbed the big dog’s ears affectionately when she walked up beside him.

  Her father had surprised her with her own puppy shortly after they’d arrived in Port Protection. It was his way of proving there were things she could have in Alaska that she couldn’t have back home. She’d named the pup Broadway—her message to her father that no matter where he made her live, her heart would always belong to New York City.

  That had been five years ago.

  Rachel was still as homesick as the day she left.

  “Let’s go, boy,” Rachel told the dog.

  With Broadway in the lead she headed for the lodge, a prayer on her lips that this would be the last year she spent in a school with only twenty-one students. Even worse was being the only high school sophomore.

  That meant she would also be the only high school junior next year. And unless someone her own age moved to Port Protection—about as likely as her dad agreeing to let her have her nose pierced—her graduating class would consist of a big whopping one!

  Available boys?

  Forgetaboutit!

  Boys her age in Port Protection were nonexistent. Just like her totally nonexistent social life.

  “Rachel. Wait up.”

  Rachel turned to find Tiki running toward her. Her friend had the black hair and eyes and coloring of her Haida ancestors. Tiki’s Haida name was dukdukdiya, which meant hummingbird, because she was so little. Although Tiki was two years younger, the age difference hadn’t kept them from becoming close friends. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Tiki, Rachel knew she never would have survived living in Port Protection.

  She was, however, beginning to regret confiding in Tiki about her plan to get her father to move back to New York. Tiki had warned her from the beginning the online dating idea was crazy.

  And Tiki did so love being right.

  Taking a second to recover from her race to catch up, Tiki said between breaths, “Why are you in such a big hurry to get home, silly? You know your dad is going to kill you.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes.

  “I’d be terrified,” Tiki said, pretending a shudder. “I can’t even imagine what my dad would do if I charged a plane ticket on his credit card.”

  “Oh, please,” Rachel said. “The charge on Dad’s credit card is the least of it. What will totally freak him out is me pretending to be him and inviting Courtney to his birthday party.”

  “But aren’t you worried Courtney is going to be mad at you, too? You lied to her from the beginning.”

  “I know,” Rachel admitted. “But Courtney really likes me. We’ve spent hours talking on the phone. And when I explain I was only trying to get Dad to move back to civilization, I think she’ll forgive me.”

  “For your sake, I hope you’re right.”

  “Of course, I’m right,” Rachel said, trying to convince herself more than Tiki. “Courtney isn’t some phony, shallow person or she would have lost interest the second I told her Dad had lost his hearing. She doesn’t even mind Dad having a teenage daughter. I’m telling you, Tiki, the woman is a saint.”

  “Let’s just hope your dad thinks so.”

  “Yeah, I can always hope,” Rachel said with a snort. “But if I know Dad, all he’s going to do is be mad at me and sulk. And then he’ll spend the whole weekend stomping around like an old bull, ignoring me and Courtney completely.”

  Tiki looked over at her. “And that’s what I’ve never understood about this plan of yours, Rachel. If you didn’t think your dad was going to like Courtney, why even bother?”

  “Because I’m desperate, Tiki. And if I push a gorgeous woman like Courtney in front of Dad, maybe he’ll remember what it’s like to have a real life.”

  “And if he doesn’t?”

  Rachel sighed. “Then at least I’ve shown Dad what it feels like to have someone else make decisions for him without his consent.”

  “But what if your dad started stomping around like an old bull when Courtney got here and she got back on the plane and left?”

  Rachel scoffed. “Do you really think I’m that stupid? I’ve been planning this day for months. I made Gil promise that under no circumstances would he let Courtney get back on that plane.”

  They stopped walking when they reached the fork where the boardwalk divided. Broadway obediently sat to wait. A left turn led to Trail’s End Lodge. A right turn led to one of the more populated sections of Port Protection where Tiki lived.

  Rachel shifted her book bag to her shoulder. “Well, at least wish me luck.”

  “Luck?” Tiki laughed. “Forget luck, Rachel. What you need is a freaking miracle.”

  Still laughing, Tiki headed off down the boardwalk.

  “So not funny,” Rachel called after her.

  But as Rachel headed home, the situation was becoming less funny with every step she took. Sure, she knew her dad was going to be furious with her—that was a given. She was just counting on her dad’s good manners not to make a scene with Courtney there.

  Only now Tiki had put other doubts in her mind.

  What if Courtney didn’t forgive her for lying? What if instead of being a saint, Courtney turned out to be some screaming psycho chick and really did flip out over what she’d done?

  Rachel didn’t have to pretend a shudder.

  She slowed her pace, wondering if maybe Tiki was right. Maybe she shouldn’t be in such a big hurry to get to the lodge. Maybe she should be late on purpose and give both her dad and Courtney more time to calm down.

  Yes.

  Maybe she should let her dad and Courtney think she was too afraid to show up. That should gain a little sympathy—hopefully, from both of them. And if her dad and Courtney were worried about her, maybe they’d be less likely to be so angry.

  Pleased with her new plan, Rachel looked down at Broadway. “Want to go on a long walk, boy?”

  The big dog barked and wagged his tail.

  COURTNEY NIBBLED FROM the appetizer tray she’d found waiting for her when she’d come downstairs. Graham had arranged everything perfectly—even had a glass of white wine waiting for her. It had been the exact pick-me-up she needed after her long trip.

  She’d been impressed by the gesture, even if catering to his guests was part of Graham’s everyday life. But who was she kidding?

  Everything about Graham Morrison impressed her.

  She glanced in his direction again as she finished off her last bite of cheese, and she couldn’t help but smile inwardly over the fact that he’d changed his shirt and shaved while she’d been upstairs. Her only regret was that he’d hardly said a word to her. Instead, he’d been pacing back and forth at the lodge’s front window for the past thirty minutes.

  He looked at his watch for the fiftieth time, frowned and finally looked in her direction. “I’m getting worried,” he said. “Rachel should have been home by now.”

  Courtney didn’t want to pooh-pooh Graham’s concern, but common sense told her Rachel was dragging her feet coming home on purpose. That’s what she would have done had she been in Rachel’s teenage shoes.

  “I’m sure Rachel’s okay, Graham. Broadway wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”

  She’d been try
ing to assure him Rachel was safe, but now he was frowning again.

  And this time he was frowning at her.

  “You just mentioned Broadway,” he said. “I was joking earlier, but Rachel really has told you everything about our lives here, hasn’t she?”

  Courtney didn’t blame him for being upset that she knew so much about him—even the name of his dog. In his situation, she would have felt violated, too. Particularly over his journal entries. She wouldn’t bring up the e-mails again.

  But maybe if she gave Graham the opportunity to ask a few questions about her, he might not feel so exposed. Deciding to give him that opportunity, Courtney left her chair and walked over to where Graham stood.

  “I can understand how unsettling it must be for me to know so much about you when you know nothing about me,” she said.

  Was it her imagination, or was he staring at her lips?

  “So?” Courtney offered. “Is there anything you do want to ask about me, Graham?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Why would a successful career woman from New York want to get involved with some deaf guy from Alaska and his bratty teenage daughter?”

  Courtney laughed. “Well, when you put it that way, it makes me wonder why myself.” She paused before she added, “You have an amazing daughter, Graham, even though you’re upset with her right now. In fact, for the past three months, Rachel has been the one bright spot in my day.”

  His expression softened slightly. “Even when she was complaining about her horrible life here?” he asked.

  Is that what was bothering him? Was Graham worried Rachel had aired all of their dirty laundry? If that was the problem, she could clear that misconception up real quick.

  “You have my word, Graham,” Courtney said, “never once has Rachel said anything but wonderful things about you.”

  He didn’t look convinced. “Only because she was trying to sell you on me.”

  “Believe me,” Courtney said, “it wasn’t a hard sale.”