A Wedding in Africa (The Africa Series) by Shirley Carnegie Page A

right?’
    Lacey blushed to the roots of her hair and looked away. ‘Technically, yes. But it won’t be for long. You see, Tate, Mortimer’s not only my boss, he’s also my fiancé.’
    ‘Your fiancé? Hell no! That can’t be right. The guy’s a Class A jerk!’ Lacey didn’t respond.
‘So, you and this guy Schutte, you’re… engaged to be married? He’s your fiancé?’
     
Lacey nodded.
    ‘But he’s nothing like you. I mean, he’s not the kind of guy I imagined someone like you would even like , let alone want to marry.’ Tate was shocked. He couldn’t believe that Lacey could have fallen in love with a man like Mortimer Schutte. But then, what the hell did he know about the real Lacey Van der Zyl? Nothing! Zip! And yet he’d let her into his life – into his heart, if the truth be known. Offered to share a small part of the truth with her.
How crazy was that?
    But then, maybe she was a smarter reporter than she pretended to be. She certainly knew how to wheedle the truth out of people - win their trust so that they’d open up and reveal all their secrets. It was patently obvious that there was a hidden agenda here. And Tate knew for a fact that it involved Themba - no doubt about it.
    Lacey Van der Zyl was one smart cookie, he’d have to give her that. She’d certainly managed to hoodwink him for a while. Well, all that was going to change right now. There was no way on earth that he was going to let anyone capitalise on the private lives of people he loved and the home he treasured. No way at all.
    Biting back his anger, he stood up. Kaya and Jabu immediately stirred and sat up, watching him intently, ready and waiting to follow their beloved master wherever he went.
    ‘Look, Lacey, I’m really sorry about that,’ Tate’s innate good manners kicked in and he immediately regretted his outburst. ‘I didn’t mean to badmouth your fiancé. I was out of order - big time. I’m sure he’s a very nice guy - once you get to know him.’
    He expected her to leap to Mortimer’s defence, but, to his amazement, she simply looked away and swallowed the lump in her throat. Tate was confused. Surely he hadn’t been that rude about the guy? Had he? And, even if he had, he’d apologised straight away. Surely, the Lacey he knew – or thought he knew - would have seized the opportunity to put the record straight if she thought he was in the wrong. That was one of the things he admired most about her – she actually cared about people and was always willing to defend anyone against a perceived injustice.
So why didn’t she have one word to say in defence of the man she loved? It was all a bit puzzling and Tate couldn’t work it out.
    ‘I’m going to have to get going,’ He said at last, interrupting the uncomfortable silence that hung in the air between them. ‘Lacey - I hope I haven’t upset you with what I said about your fiancé. I really wouldn’t want to hurt you in any way. I guess I just shot my mouth off without stopping to think. Besides, I don’t even know the guy. He’s probably a decent bloke. And, anyway, it’s none of my damn business what he’s like. As long as you say he’s okay, that should be good enough for me. You’re a great judge of character, Lacey. And besides … I guess I haven’t got to marry the guy!’
    With that, Tate turned and walked away, his faithful hounds following close at his heels. He walked quickly, purposefully, with that long, easy stride of his. Although Lacey hated to admit it, there was something about Tate Maddox that seemed to fill the very air itself. He had such presence. Such personal magnetism that, when he was gone, he left a huge, empty void behind.
    Lacey sat with her elbows on her knees, holding her head in her hands. She felt ashamed. She knew exactly the kind of impression that Mortimer would make on a man like Tate Maddox. He would appear selfish, vain and greedy. A man who would stop at nothing to fulfil his ambitions.
    And this was the