In Need of a Wife

He was followed by a woman who was quite strikingly beautiful and voluptuously curved.

‘Urszula,’ Nathan murmured.

Sasha reflected that she could have felt savagely jealous if Nathan’s rings weren’t on her finger.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Tyler.

Sasha cynically suspected he wouldn’t mind consummating his paper marriage.

Then out of the car stepped Elizabeth Maddox.

‘The lawyer,’ Nathan murmured.

Elizabeth drew herself up to her full height for the purpose of looking down her nose at the waiting group.

‘Your choice of witnesses, Nathan,’ she invited, as if preparing for a duel with pistols. She ignored Sasha.

With a wave of his hand Nathan indicated Tyler and Joshua.

‘What poor taste you have!’ Elizabeth observed coldly.

‘I think introductions are in order,’ Nathan replied. ‘This is my wife, Sasha Parnell. Beside me is my replacement bridegroom for Urszula. You have met before. His name is Tyler Cullum.’

Hell broke loose.

Elizabeth’s strident responses indicated that not only were the dogs of war unleashed, but also the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. What was being called down upon their heads was about to make Armageddon look like a children’s play yard.

Urszula’s brother broke into violent argument and agitation. He saw a life of ease and luxury evaporating before his eyes.

Elizabeth went into legal argument as to why the marriage was void. Nathan urged Sasha to come home and consummate immediately. Elizabeth’s blood-pressure soared to a new medical record before she conceded bitter defeat to a fait accompli, and turned her attention to punitive damages.

Urszula gave emotional outcries of piteous horror at the situation.

At this critical moment, Tyler stepped forward and into the ring. Urszula surreptitiously cast a glance over him as she held a hand to her bleeding heart.

‘Pain and agony!’ Elizabeth ranted in triumph. ‘You’ll pay for pain and agony. You’ll pay for loss of reputation to my client. You’ll pay for abrogation of her rights, arrogation of powers you don’t possess, and derogation to Tyler Cullum...’

Tyler smiled at Urszula. It was a full blast double whammy smile of explosive impact. Many a lady had felt the full blast of Tyler’s smile. Few recovered.

Urszula was no exception. The legal argument going on around her was falling on barren ground. Urszula was a realist. She half smiled back at Tyler.

Tyler had many attractions. At his charming best, most women would look and keep looking. Urszula kept looking. Sasha observed a certain animal magnetism flowing between Tyler and Urszula. Sasha understood that. She wondered if Urszula would like a trip to the great interior of Australia.

Tyler seized the moment.

He stepped forward and took Urszula’s hands in his. ‘You’re the woman I’ve been waiting for all my life,’ he said with winning fervour. ‘I can make you happier than you’ve ever been before. I’ve got the money and I’ve got the time. I’ll take photos of you that will be featured in every magazine in the country. You’ll be famous.’

‘I will?’ Urszula’s eyes filled with stars. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Yes, I’d like that.’

‘Don’t listen to him,’ Elizabeth snapped.

‘I’ll give you everything,’ Tyler promised. ‘Everything a woman can want. In return I require one thing.’

‘Not children. I don’t want children,’ Urszula said anxiously.

‘I have all I need,’ Tyler assured her hastily.

‘Then what do you want?’