Married By Midnight. Mollie Molay

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СКАЧАТЬ DO-NOT-DISTURB SIGN hung on the door to the bridal suite, a sure indicator Kelly meant business. He took a deep breath and opened the door to find Kelly, barefoot and wrapped in a white chenille bathrobe, pacing the floor. She was still flushed from her bath, and an exotic scent of perfume clung to her. Her lustrous red hair hung in damp tendrils around her shoulders. From the glimpse he caught of one shapely leg, she was bare under the robe. His senses began to stir before he caught a glimpse of the expression in her eyes.

      “Where have you been?”

      The cold look Kelly gave him would have frozen a lesser man.

      “Downstairs.” He closed the door behind him. The last thing he needed was an argument; his head was pounding already. “Before you start on me, let me tell you I’m not too happy about all of this either. So take it easy.” He strode into the room and headed for the telephone. “The coffee’s cold by now. I’m sure we’ll both feel better after we have some breakfast.” He picked up the phone, dialed room service and ordered a fresh pot of coffee.

      “How can you think of food when we have something more important to resolve?”

      He didn’t know how to answer that question either, but at least having breakfast was something to do. “I think better on a full stomach. It’s been a long time since I had anything decent to eat. Hors d’oeuvres and champagne punch last night doesn’t cut it.”

      Kelly sniffed her disdain. “Go ahead and eat if you want to, but we have to talk. I intend to put this foolishness about our being married to rest right now. I’ll say this again. We are not married!”

      In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Max had to smile at Kelly. The angrier she got, the more attractive she became. He started to reply, when a tattoo of sharp knocks on the door interrupted him.

      “Not again,” Kelly said, marching to the door. “This had better be good!” she shouted as she flung it open. “Didn’t you see the sign on the door?”

      A teenage boy barreled into the room. “Kelly! Quick, hide! Dad and Damon are on their way up! They’re on the warpath!”

      “Sean? What are you doing here?” Kelly’s face was a study in surprise as she craned her neck to look over the boy’s shoulder.

      “I…came…to warn you!” he gasped as soon as he could catch his breath. “I overheard Dad say he saw you on TV last night. He said you got married.” A grin broke over his face. “I think it’s cool, but Dad’s sure mad. Did you really get hitched?”

      “No,” Kelly answered. She glared at Max.

      “Yes,” Max answered. “That is, I think so. We were just—”

      “I’ll tell you later,” Kelly interrupted with another urgent look over Sean’s shoulder. “Come on in before Dad sees you.”

      Sean almost fell into the room. “Boy, is he going to be fried if he finds me here. Maybe I’d better go back home before he gets here.”

      Max stared at the boy who, in spite of his darker complexion, resembled Kelly. Her brother?

      “No, you don’t,” a stern voice broke in. A uniformed officer of the Las Vegas Police Department filled the doorway.

      Max thought rapidly. Had he broken some local law last night? If the law was after him this afternoon, things must be worse than he thought.

      “Patrick? Not you, too,” Kelly squeaked.

      Max took a closer look at the officer as the man grabbed Sean by a shoulder and hauled him into the room. He was a sturdy version of Kelly with the same hair color. Somehow, Max didn’t care for the piercing look in his hazel eyes.

      “Yeah, Patrick,” the man agreed. “Your brother, remember?” He kept a grip on Sean who was trying to squirm out of his grasp. “As for you, kid, since you made it this far on your own, you might as well stay.”

      He scowled at Kelly. “For your information, the department’s entire night shift congratulated me when I showed up for work this morning. Told me you got married on TV last night. Too bad you didn’t let your own family in on your plans.”

      “Things aren’t what they seem to be, honest,” Kelly protested. “If you give me a minute, I can explain.”

      “What’s to explain? From what I understand, you got married, period. Since I didn’t even know you were seeing someone, let alone planning to marry him, I figured I’d better stop by and find out what’s going on.” He turned his solid gaze on Max. “You the groom?”

      Momentarily overcome by the invasion of O’Rourkes, Max could only nod.

      “I don’t remember seeing you around,” Patrick mused as he gave Max a thorough once-over. “New in town?”

      Max shook his head and exchanged a dismayed glance with Kelly. How many brothers did she have anyway? And what were they going to say if they knew the true state of affairs?

      Kelly put her hands on her hips and glared at her brothers. “Max, these are two of my brothers, Sean and Patrick. Patrick is with the Las Vegas Police Department,” she added as if it weren’t obvious to Max. “He’s the suspicious type. Sean’s the youngest member of the family—he’s fifteen.”

      Max had to give Kelly credit for keeping her cool under fire. Faced with the same situation, his sister would have probably fainted. He put down the telephone receiver and held out his hand. “The name is Maxwell Taylor. Er…I’m pleased to meet you.”

      “So, you’re Kelly’s husband.” Patrick’s features were impassive as he shook Max’s hand, but his eyes spoke volumes. He was definitely not pleased.

      “Kelly O’Rourke!” a new voice thundered. A tall man in an air force officer’s uniform marched through the door. The man’s crew-cut dark copper hair was fading into gray at the temples and his hazel eyes were grim. Max realized the newcomer had to be Kelly’s father. He guessed trouble really did come in threes.

      Behind Mr. O’Rourke was a younger man, also dressed in an air force uniform. Another brother? Max changed his opinion. Trouble came in as many numbers as there were O’Rourke men.

      Surrounded by the power of the law and the military, Max’s civilian heart took a dive. He tried to hide behind a smile.

      “Dad, Damon?” Kelly pulled her robe more closely around her. “What in heaven’s name are all of you doing here at once?”

      “A better question, Kelly O’Rourke,” her father roared, “is what are you doing here!” Her father’s bushy eyebrows rose in rebuke. “I understood you were going to be the maid of honor in DeeDee’s wedding, but I didn’t expect you to go so far as to get yourself married, too.”

      “I’m not—That is, I am, but—” Kelly caught herself and managed a feeble smile. “That is, it was sort of a surprise to me, too.” She sent a quick, pleading glance at Max.

      “Is this your young man?”

      Max felt he was about to undergo an interrogation. Too bad he had no ready answers. He couldn’t tell the unvarnished truth, not with the silent appeal in Kelly’s eyes. He held СКАЧАТЬ