Rudolph's Runaway Bride (Holliday Islands Resort Book 9) Read online

  Clarice’s face scrunched up. “What other gift?”

  Rudy handed her a square box. “There isn’t any reliable cell signal on my part of the resort because clients who book our part of the resort are looking to unplug. You’ll have internet at the office. I had a dedicated secure hard line connection set up for you in the office next to mine today. However, I know Star being able to contact you at any time is important to you and to TLC so I got you a little something to help.”

  Clarice opened the box to see what looked like a strange cellphone case with a large antenna on it. “What is this?”

  Rudy picked it up and slid her phone into it and handed it back to her. “It’s called a Sat Sleeve. It turns your smart phone into a satellite phone using the number you already own. Without having to change phones. It will work anywhere in the world and I added it to my personal sat phone plan. Now you are completely covered for making calls, getting calls and texts and email anywhere on the planet even if there aren’t cell phone towers.”

  She looked at him and bit her lower lip. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you. You’re right, I would have freaked out when I saw I had no cell service.”

  “Well now you can be contacted anywhere you might go. Well maybe not if you went deep in the jungle or underground, but anywhere you can get a satellite signal.”

  As he was talking to her he helped her into her coat noticing that while it was a great weight for New York, it wouldn’t be good for the subzero temperatures of Alaska in the winter. So his gift that was waiting for her on the plane was perfect. Well both of the gifts waiting for her on the plane would be well received he hoped. Together they walked to the elevator with his hand on the small of her back the whole way. He made sure to open the doors for her and waved off the driver as they approached the car letting him know that he didn’t need to get out for them. Once they were at the hotel he asked her if she wanted to eat in the restaurant or up in his and Dancer’s suite.

  When she hesitated, he knew without a doubt she was thinking about what happened the last time they were alone in his hotel suite. “Let’s do the restaurant. I hear that the chef has won numerous awards worldwide.”

  She relaxed and Rudy smiled. He showed his room key and they were taken to a table in the corner with a window looking out toward Central Park. When the sommelier came to the table Rudy looked at Clarice. “Champagne to celebrate our time of seeing if we can make this work?”

  She again bit her lip. She didn’t know how to tell him she hadn’t had a drop of alcohol that she didn’t pour herself since she woke in his bed almost a year ago. It was the only way to know for sure that the drink was safe. He must have seen the worry in her face because he turned to the wine steward. “Can you bring us bottle of your best champagne and two glasses. My companion and I have had a bad experience with pre-poured drinks so we like to do it ourselves.”

  The sommelier nodded. “Very well Mister Holliday, I’ll see to it right away.”

  Once the man was gone Clarice looked at her temporary husband. “Thank you. I haven’t had a drink I haven’t opened since that morning.”

  Rudy nodded. “I can understand that. I may thrive on adventure but I’m not sure I’d be trusting with drinks either if I’d gone through what you did. I’m just happy you agreed to give me a chance to prove we can have a real relationship together.”

  She reached out and placed her hand palm up on the table in an invitation for him to take it in his. When he did she looked deep into his eyes, and was surprised by the feeling of rightness that flowed through her from their connected hands. “Will you be able to accept what I decide at the end of the year? I mean, if I say that I’m not convinced and still want the divorce will you fight me on it?”

  Rudy stared at her, his thumb rubbing light circles over her hand causing goose bumps to race up her arm. No other man’s touch affected her like this. He slowly sighed and then smiled a half smile. “I give you my word if you still want out of our marriage after the holidays then I’ll take you to Vegas and get us a divorce. However, I have to say when you ask me that before we even begin I wonder if you are really going to give me a chance, or are you just marking off days until you get me to Vegas again.”

  She felt herself blush because until he’d started to walk out of her office two days ago that was exactly what she had planned to do. It was still what Winthrop thought she was doing. Herself she was confused and decided to just be honest to herself and Rudolph. “Honestly I don’t know, Rudy. Part of me believes that Winthrop is exactly who I want and originally I was just going to do what I had to do to get you to give me the divorce I thought we got months ago. Then you took the questionnaire. Our compatibility really shocked me. I didn’t believe that we would have any kind of real connection but I know our algorithm is accurate and it said we had a very strong match. When you offered to walk away I just couldn’t let you go without seeing what could be. I wouldn’t be able to live with the what if thoughts if I didn’t give us a true chance.”

  “Then I won’t mention it again. I just don’t want you to do this out of obligation or without giving me a real shot. I know you don’t understand but I can’t let you go. I don’t want to scare you and I know this could but you have to know I belong to you, Clarice. I have since I rescued you the night we met.”

  Clarice thought about what his big brother had told her last night and realized that he hadn’t been trying to manipulate her, Rudolph was fully in love with her. It worried her because her head still told her she should be with Winthrop and she didn’t know if it was true love or just her stubborn logical nature. They ordered and ate and talked about their lives. Rudy told her some of the behind the scene things that had happened on his show. She told him she’d watched them all and complimented him on the urban survival episodes he’d done last winter, especially the one that highlighted what to do during a blackout and if you were stranded in your car. She even admitted to having bought his “car survival pack” and several of his urban survival gear items highlighted on the show. Especially the solar battery charger and hand crank light.

  They ate and talked and learned that they honestly did have a lot in common. Clarice talked about growing up with a mother that was always helping others find their Happy Ever After while mourning the loss of her own. Rudy shared about growing up with a mother who seemed more in love with his dad’s blackcard than with any of them. Thankfully his Dad had made up for it, as had the staff that took care of him and his brothers. Before they knew it the three hours had passed, and Dancer was texting telling him he wasn’t going home yet. Some business had come up he needed to take care of first. Rudy flagged the waiter and paid for the meal and then helped Clarice into her jacket and directed her to the front entrance of the hotel again with a hand to the small of her back. She was again surprised at how natural it felt there, like her back was made for his hand to rest there.

  Rudy Holliday’s private plane was very posh. She had been shocked when she realized this wasn’t one of the planes used by the resort but was used exclusively by her reality tv star husband. It had two bedrooms in the back and a bathroom complete with a shower, and was not at all what Clarice had expected. The gift box with her name and a very comfy pair of pajamas made out of microfiber fleece had been a surprise, as had finding Rudy took the smaller room and left the master bedroom with its queen size bed to her. The luxurious Corinthian leather seats had caressed her body like a glove. The luxurious silk and cotton weaved sheets had felt like pure sin on the exposed skin of her hands and feet. Combined with one of the softest firm mattresses she’d ever laid on and she slept almost the whole way to Alaska. Which was wonderful considering it was a seven-hour flight.

  She was woken by the descent of the plane and quickly dressed ready to get her first look at the place that would be her home for the next few months. Already she could tell she might need to invest in a warmer wardrobe as the air in the plane had dropped significantly as they landed. She finished dre
ssing and stepped out into the main cabin of the plane just as Rudy did. “Good morning and welcome to America’s last frontier. Please don’t be offended but I sort of got you one more gift that I thought you might need.” He handed her a large wardrobe box before turning to the flight attendant. “Is there time for coffee before we land?”

  The demure young woman nodded. “Yes sir, I have a fresh pot brewing even now. Can I get you and Mrs. Holliday a cup?”

  “Could you show Mrs. Holliday where the pot is so she can get her own cup? She has a history of people doctoring her drinks. She prefers to see her drinks prepared.”

  “Of course, Mister Holiday. Just let me know when you want a cup, Mrs. Holliday.”

  “Oh, I think I can trust you. Light cream three sugars please.”

  “Of course, ma’am.”

  Clarice sat on one of the small leather couches along the back wall and opened the box Rudy had given her. She pulled a cashmere cream colored scarf off the top of the package and a pair of faux fur lined gloves and under that was a lovely red coat. She noticed that the coat and gloves both had Rudolph’s Reindeer gear logo on them. She looked at him and smiled. “I don’t understand. I have a coat.”

  Rudy sat beside her. “This is a severe weather coat. The outside is waterproof, and it’s filled with a hundred percent down alternative that helps keep you warm in subzero temperatures. Before you leave this coat may be a godsend for you. Temperatures can get as low as thirty below on calm days here.”

  Clarice was surprised at the temperatures he mentioned but she put on the coat to find it fit her like it had been tailor made for her. The gloves were a perfect fit as well. With the scarf wrapped tightly around her face and neck she instantly felt warmer. She noticed that the middle of the coat had a pull string to tighten it against her waist blocking the flow of frigid air up inside.

  She watched as he pulled on a winter coat a shade or two deeper red than hers. “We’ll leave the plane and walk a few feet to one of the resort’s helicopters. Our luggage will be loaded on another one and be waiting at the cabin for us when we get there.”

  Clarice frowned. “Cabin?”

  The flight attendant laughed. “You didn’t tell her, did you Rudy?”

  “We aren’t staying at my place. I booked us the glamping cabin closest to the offices.”

  “Smart move. Your place isn’t exactly ready for a wife or a family.”

  Clarice looked between the two of them and Rudy sighed. “I usually stay in a one room cabin that is 100% off the grid. I’m having the resort’s construction crew and an architect come see me tomorrow to build a home worthy of a wife and family. Until you decide if we are going to stay married, I’ve gotten us into one of the luxury two bedroom cabins on my island.”

  “Oh I didn’t realize you lived off the grid.”

  Rudy nodded. “I try to live what I teach. My place is solar and wind powered, and water is snow and rainfall catch, heat is wood and steam from the hot water boiler. But it’s probably a bit rough for a lady to live in. So I made other arrangements. I’ve asked for a green living architect and the construction crew knows my feelings on living off the land in peace with it. So I’m sure what they present to us will fit that lifestyle. Honestly, if it’s done right you shouldn’t know the difference except for cooking. A wood cook stove takes a bit to get used to.”

  “But I’ll be able to contact the office and work online, right?”

  Rudy nodded. “I asked my new personal assistant to set you up in the office next to mine. It has a dedicated online modem that’s encrypted so you can work securely from there. With the Sat Sleeve you should be set even at the cabin. If you need dedicated Wi-Fi at the cabin, I can have a modem run from the office line easily.”

  “So I’m not going to be living in the lap of luxury for the next few months?”

  This time the pilot laughed. “Oh don’t worry, ma’am. Those glamping cabins are far from roughing it. But, have Rudy show you his normal cabin before they start work on the new place.”

  She bit her lip in thought. She hadn’t considered that he might be planning to build a house for her. She didn’t want him to build something if she decided to go back to Winthrop. Also, how would it work if she stayed married to him? Her offices and team were in New York and his main business was here now that his show was ending. Was his show ending? She didn’t know but she assumed since he’d told her last night that his father was insisting that the brothers take over running their parts of the resort that it would be. That was a shame as she knew he really liked challenging himself to survive in a new environment. Would running a glamping and survival resort be enough for him? Would she be enough for him if they agreed to stay married? More importantly to her, why was she even worried about it? This may be the sign that she needed to show her they weren’t meant to be a true love connection. Did that mean she’d come all the way to Alaska for nothing?

  Chapter Five

  They had settled into the helicopter, and like the gentleman she was beginning to realize her accidental husband truly was, he’d helped her get buckled in and put the headset on her head so they could all talk to each other over the chop of the rotor blades whipping the air above their heads. She had marveled at some of the sites that Rudy had pointed out to her, humpback whales and dolphins in the water, caribou and moose wandering across the land and mountains and snow everywhere. It was amazing how untouched and yet how settled things looked.

  She was about to make that observation when the headset crackled and the voice of their pilot came over the earphones. “Sorry about this folks, but I’m being directed to land on board the Cookie Cutter. I guess the big boss wants to see ya before you settle in.”

  Rudolph started laughing. “He probably wants to know who the woman I brought home is.”

  Clarice felt her anxiety spike. “Is he going to be upset that I’m here?”

  Rudy reached out and took her hand rubbing those calming circles with his thumb again. “No he’ll be more upset that I didn’t tell him about you when he called me a week ago. He hates it when he doesn’t know something. It’s the billionaire businessman in him. You he’ll love, especially when he finds out we’re married.”

  “But what if we decided to not stay that way?”

  He smiled at her. “Don’t let that worry you. I’ll take all the blame if that happens. But today he’ll love you.” Rudy bit his tongue to keep from letting her know that he already did but he was sure from the way her eyes widened that she saw it on his face anyway. The helicopter slowly banked and before long they were landing on the helipad on the top most deck of his dad’s private yacht. His home away from the reaches of Mara and mobile office that was available for him no matter which of the nine islands of the resort he had business at. He would pull into port and have whoever was meeting with him come to him on the boat.

  As the rotors started to slow Rudy knew that his father was expecting them to stay for a while. He opened the door and got out turning to help Clarice out and keeping his hand firmly on her back they headed down the stairs to the lounge on the deck below the helipad. They went down and entered into the lounge where his father was standing just inside the door. “Well now then, here is one of my wayward sons. Who is this lovely young woman with you, boy?”

  Rudy took Clarice’s hand in his. “Father, let me introduce you to my wife, Clarice. Clarice, this is my father, Gordon Holliday.”

  Gordon’s face wrinkled in a frown. “Wife? What are you playing at, Rudolph? I’d know if you were married.”

  Rudolph reached into his jacket and pulled out the copy of the official marriage license from Vegas. “Apparently Dad your investigators aren’t as thorough as they used to be.”

  Gordon took the document from Rudy’s hand and looked at it and fingered the embossed county seal before looking up at Clarice with a look on his face that was beyond surprised. “This is a year old, Rudolph. You’ve been married for a year and never told me?”

  “
Clarice and I married in Vegas, Dad. Why would I tell you when any time we talk all you do is fuss about my shooting schedule?”

  “I don’t understand; if you’ve been married to this young woman so long why were you always photographed with those other women?”

  Rudy sighed. “I’ve explained this to you before, Dad. Those women were my networks idea, not mine. I’ve never dated a single one of them. EVER. We showed up at the events together and then went our separate ways after walking the carpet together. Plus, Clarice was in New York working. We’re still trying to figure out how to blend our lives together with your ultimatum.

  “I’m a little confused” came a voice from behind his father and Clarice was the one to gasp. “MOM??? What are you doing here? I thought you were meeting with several clients.”

  Gordon moved as the regal looking blonde in a cashmere sweater stood and walked to them. “I am. Gordon is allowing me to use the resort to meet them. They are all here now on holidays.”

  Clarice put her hands on her hips. “Are you on a date, Mother? Are you and Mister Holliday seeing each other?”

  “I have told you why I’m away; that is the only reason. Perhaps you and I should go somewhere a bit more private to have a chat about what you’re doing here.”

  Rudy watched as Clarice blushed. He knew that her mother knew about Rothschild and her engagement. She probably wanted to find out when Clarice had married him. “I will meet with you later Mother, after I get settled in. Suffice it to say we both have a lot to talk about.”

  “Yes I guess we do. But this explains a whole lot.” Her mother waved her hand in the direction of the marriage certificate and Rudy himself.

  Gordon cleared his throat. “Well I was going to invite you to lunch and explain why Ms. Reese was here, and what I expected of you, but I believe we can do that another time. Rudolph, where are you and your bride staying? I would hope you aren’t putting her in that shack you call a cabin?”