Chapter 2
Millie couldn’t believe she was actually marrying a man she met less than an hour ago. But she knew that Sokolov was here, in Steamboat, because she’d seen his brigadier, Viktor, driving around town. She needed to hide, the sooner the better and what safer place than in the mountains?
They found a judge out of court, and he was willing to marry them.
Adam gave her the bouquet of roses he bought at the grocery store.
She held them now to get married. Millie buried her nose in the flowers, but as with most roses now days, there was no scent.
Holding them also hid the fact her hands were shaking like crazy.
She hadn’t used her real name, which would make the marriage invalid.
But the guilt she felt about lying to Adam was less than the fear of being discovered by Ricard.
He would kill her to get the flash drive back, plus he was her fiancé.
Would he kill her or marry her? Either way would solve his problem for the immediate future, but if he killed her, her father would kill him in revenge, despite what she’d done.
Judge Hardy was a middle-aged man whose brown hair was balding on top. He wore a gray suit rather than his robe for the ceremony.
Adam wore a red plaid flannel shirt and jeans. He’d combed his dark brown hair back from his face which only emphasized the square cut of his jaw and the color of his deep blue eyes.
Millie was in her soft baby blue sweater dress, which though pretty, definitely not what she expected to be wearing for her wedding day.
The judge cleared his throat. “Shall we begin? Do you Adam Sullivan take this woman, Millie Watson, to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”
Adam smiled down at Millie. “I do.”
Judge Hardy turned toward Millie and smiled. “Now, do you, Millie Watson, take this man, Adam Sullivan, to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”
She smiled at Adam. “I do.” Her voice was clear and strong.
“Do you have rings to exchange?”
Millie shook her head no.
“No, Your Honor, we’ll get those at a later date.”
“Very well then, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” The judge crossed his hands in front of him and grinned at the couple.
Adam cupped Millie’s face, then lowered his head and took her lips with his.
The kiss started gentle, but he took it deeper.
Millie’s pulse raced as she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, fisting the front of Adam’s shirt in her left hand, the flowers in her right hand and hung on for dear life.
“Ahem.” The judge cleared his throat.
Adam and Millie broke apart.
He grinned and put his arm around Millie’s shoulders.
She felt her face burn.
“Well, it looks you two won’t have any problems getting to know each other.” The judge chuckled.
Adam took out his wallet, removed a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill, and handed it to the judge. “Thank you. You’ve made us very happy.”
“Yes, thank you, Judge Hardy. We appreciate you being available to marry us right away.” Millie knew she still blushed from Adam’s kiss. She wanted to fan herself but wasn’t ready to be that embarrassed.
“Let’s go take your rental back now.”
“No. I’m keeping it. I refuse to have to ask if I can take a car to go to town or anywhere else.”
“But you won’t need a car.”
“I won’t be trapped, Adam. I need my vehicle.”
“Okay. Just follow me home.”
“I will.”
Adam drove to get gas and then drove home.
Millie followed him in the Ford Expedition she’d rented.
After he pulled his F250 Ford pickup into the yard, he jumped out and hurried to Millie. He opened the door just as a man came out of the bunkhouse, followed by another and another and another. All of them tall, broad chested, with varying shades of brown hair although Adam’s was the darkest.
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “Are they all your brothers?” She didn’t take her gaze off the men standing in front of the truck.
“They are.”
“Is this all of them?”
“Um, no. We are seven in all. Daniel and Gabriel are missing. They must be doing chores.”
“Seven! Where are the other wives?”
“There are no others. You’re the first.”
She turned and fixed her gaze on Adam. “Do you expect me to take care of all of them?”
He shrugged. “Not entirely. I expect you to cook, do the laundry and keep the house clean. They live in the bunkhouse, and you don’t have to do anything there.
It’s up to them whether they want to live in a pigsty.
Speaking of pigs, we have a sow and eight piglets.
The little ones are only two weeks old so still very small.
You’re expected to feed the sow, Peggy the pig.
“As to laundry,” he continued, “I do ask that you do the laundry for all of us. You don’t need to put it away; each man will do that.
All of us are the same size in the chest, so shirts and t-shirts will be easy to sort, just give the same number to each man.
If you have leftovers, put them in my pile.
The boys will get the right things to the right brother for the remainder of it.
For the rest all I can ask is that you do the best you can. ”
She narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brows. “So, you basically married me so I’d be the cook and housekeeper. Don’t you think that was something you should have mentioned at the grocery store?”
Adam felt his ears get hot. “You’re right, Millie. I should have told you. We can have the marriage annulled. Or you can try it for a year. If you still hate it or me, you can leave, and I’ll give you ten million dollars for your time and effort.”
Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard before calming herself. “What about children? What if we have children?”
Adam crossed his arms over his chest. “The children would stay here. If needed I’ll hire a nanny.”
“You will never—” She stomped her foot on the Expedition’s floorboard.
“I will. You will have no say because you’re the one who left.”
He had her and he knew it, and by the pout on her face, she did, too.
“Fine. I won’t leave if we have children until they are old enough to understand.”
“You will never reveal our arrangement to anyone, or you receive nothing. And if you do it anyway you won’t have money and no access to your children. I have to take their welfare into account.”
Her mouth dropped open and then slammed shut while her eyes became slits. “You think your money will keep my children from me?”
“Yes, it will. Millie, you have to understand. I don’t want to keep you from our children, you’ll have generous visitation rights, but the reality is, no judge in this country will give our children to you and your impoverished situation compared to me and my money.”
Millie sagged in her seat. “You’re right. I’ll make the best of it.”
Adam sighed and ran a hand behind his neck. “I’m sorry, Millie, I’ll make sure one of us is available every day to help you with the laundry, the housework, and whatever else you want done. You won’t have to do it alone.”
She turned her gaze toward him. “You would do that for me?”
“Of course. I didn’t marry you to have a slave.
I don’t want you to be unhappy. Truly, that is not my intent.
” He saw the sheen of tears in her eyes and felt worse than he had before.
She didn’t deserve to be in this situation.
“Millie. If you really want out of the marriage, you can have it. I’ll take you back to the courthouse in the morning and explain the situation to the judge. I’m sure he’ll grant an annulment.”
Millie panicked inside. Did she want to give up her dream of children because hard work would be involved?
She was looking at this situation as being permanent.
Given what she’d stolen, she could never go back to her father and Ricard would want her dead…
after he gets his files back. He might technically be her fiancé but she would never marry him.
He was a liar and a thief. Money laundering was one thing and her father might have overlooked it except for he wasn’t doing it for the Bratva. He was doing it for himself.
She would not give up her dreams just because she was running from Ricard.
He would never find her here. And if she left how would she stay out of the crosshairs of Ricard Sokolov?
Holding up her hand, palm out, she cleared her throat.
“Adam, I don’t want an annulment. If one of you will help me each day, that should be sufficient.
At least until I can get a regiment in place. ”
He held out his right hand toward her. “Deal.”
She looked down at his hand and then again at his face.
He really was a handsome man. Strong, square jaw, deep blue eyes, brilliant white smile, and a dimple on the left side of his mouth.
In the end she shook his hand. “Deal.” She gazed back at the men standing patiently in front of the truck and the Expedition with their arms crossed.
“I suppose I should get out so I can meet them.”
Adam nodded but made no move to let her open her door. “I suppose you should.”
She looked over at him. “Adam? Are you letting me out?”
“Yes. Yes. In a moment.” Then he picked up her left hand from the steering wheel where is rested. “Millie, my brothers are good men, but they can be rather rambunctious. I just want you to understand that factor.”
She reached over and placed her hand on his arm. “I’m sure we’ll get along fine. Let’s go meet them and then I’d like to get settled.”
“That’s the other thing. Only you and I will be living in the house, you understand that, right?” He looked as if he wanted to throw up rather than admit that.
“I do.” She settled her hands in her lap and looked down while her face heated.
“I won’t force you into my bed…right away…but I want it clear that I do want a family, children, of my own.”