Page 7 of Brant
"There's a lake around back and a gazebo. You can take the tour one of these days." He keyed in his code. "I will write the password for you." He held the doors open for her to precede him into a lofty foyer with a concave roof. Recessed lights shone on the golden wooden floor. Instead of wallpaper, more paneled wood made up the walls, giving the place a stunning artistic feel. It also had an open concept.
To the left, there was the kitchen, the décor a stark black and white with gleaming modern appliances. "There's a housekeeper who comes in three times a week. I could have her come in more if that suits you."
"No." She shook her head. "I can manage."
He led the way from the kitchen to a sunken living room where a fire burned and wood crackled in the huge fireplace that took up an entire wall. Tilting her head, she followed the winding staircase up to the second level.
"I took the liberty of having them put your things in the cream and blue suite. It's larger than the rest and has two bedrooms, a bath and a sitting room. You can use one of the bedroomsfor your home office. Mrs. Holt, the housekeeper, came in while we were at the ceremony and unpacked the clothing from Romano's. Would you like to go up?" He glanced at his watch. "I have a call to make, if you want to make yourself at home."
He touched her arm briefly. "And I do mean that, Indigo. For the time you're here, consider this place your home."
"Thanks."
With a brief nod, he turned and walked down the long hallway.
With a quick peek to make certain he was gone, she climbed the stairs and could not help trailing her fingers over the smooth finish.
The place had a lovely, old feel to it. Turning left, she wandered along the passageway until she came to a pair of double doors that were open and stepped into a sitting room that was twice the size of her old apartment. Smiling in delight, she walked further in and took in the soft powder blue sofas, the thick cream rugs covering the hardwood floors and the lovely entertainment center. The furniture gleamed in the recessed lights from the ceiling.
Drifting from the room, she walked into a bedroom that had her gasping in shock. It was huge. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked over the dense wooded area. And there was a wide window seat where she could sit and view the lake and the gazebo with vines twining through the slats. More hardwood floors and plush thick cream rugs.
The closet was large enough for two queen-sized beds. There were mountains of shelves, already stocked, and a revolving space for hangers. A separate section showed shelves stacked with shoes and soft leather boots. Her mother-in-law had thought of everything.
She went into the bathroom next and almost wept with joy at the space and the large bath in the center of the room with a padded headrest and a tray where she could put a glass of wine while having her bath.
The marriage wasn't real, she had to keep reminding herself, but she had every intention of enjoying the benefits of being married to Brant O'Keefe. She never had the hopeless dream of being rich. Yes, when all the troubles started, she had started wishing and hoping she would win the lottery, and had half-heartedly purchased a couple of tickets, but had stopped after realizing that wasn't her.
Now she had this for about a year. She wasn't going to allow the weirdness of being married to a complete stranger to put her off from enjoying the benefits. She had questioned her decisionso many times over the few days, turning it inside and out and trying to justify accepting this kind of help she did not deserve, but had come to grips with the fact that she had no choice or no other way out.
Lowering herself to the wide lip of the tub, she looked down at the exquisite set of rings on her finger. The diamond shot prisms of light around the room, filling it with its brilliance. She would keep her shop, and her brother would get the help he desperately needed.
They had spoken during his period of lucidity, and he admitted that he was lost.
"You should give up on me, little sis." The hopelessness in his voice had wrung her from the inside out. "I've made a damn mess of my life, and you keep having to bail me out." He was thirty-two and looked ten years older. It broke her heart to see him like that.
"Never," she had told him with quiet reassurance.
Rising, she went back into the room and took the rest of the tour of the suite. She also decided to set up an office in the extra bedroom. There were things she wanted to do, and now she had the freedom to do them.
More travelling and sourcing for customers who came with their special orders. She would expand in order to store more things. She was going to buy custom-made jewelry. She had several clients in mind and had admired their art with the intention of setting up an account. Now that was possible.
Stepping back into the bedroom, she walked into the closet where there was a vanity and a mirror, in case she felt like getting ready in here instead of the bedroom.
Taking off the pantsuit she had worn to the wedding, she hung it up carefully and selected a thick pair of black leggings and a soft cream cashmere sweater.
Brant had not said whether he was staying home or not. But just in case, she slipped into the softest pair of ankle boots in midnight black.
She had just stepped back out when she heard the knock on the door.
"Come in." She stood there in the center of the room and just managed to keep herself from clasping her hands together as if she was standing in front of the principal. The stranger she was married to looked more intimidating than Mr. Webber, the principal of her high school, and far more devastatingly handsome. He had worn navy blue pants and a soft pink shirtwith a matching jacket for the wedding and had not bothered with a tie. His sable brown hair gleamed with health under the light from the ceiling.
"Just checking to see how you're finding everything." He tried to ignore the fact that she looked absolutely ravishing and that they were alone in her bedroom.
She smiled, and her dimple had his heart lurching. "Everything is wonderful. Are you going out?"
He shook his head. "I thought we could have dinner. There's a covered patio leading off the library. It has a fireplace and is quite cozy. Mrs. Holt left a meal in the warmer. I think it's lamb chops with baby vegetables, and there's a bottle of champagne and a cake."
Her tapered brows lifted.
