Chapter Thirteen
“M att, is that you?” Cade spoke in a quieter tone, not wanting to give anything away since no one was supposed to know who was in the auction. But remembered that Matt had burned his thumb on the grill doing the hamburgers and he noted the same red marks on the tuxedoed man standing a couple feet away, looking like he wanted to stay hidden behind the huge potted plant forever. Cade had moved over to stand a foot away from the man.
“What gave me away?” the man whispered back, keeping his attention on the rest of the room.
“Well, it might be the fact you look like you’re trying to hide in a potted plant. Or it could be that I remember the red marks on the side of your thumb came from your mishap with the grill at your daughter’s party. How are you holding up?”
“Besides actually trying to blend in with a plant for protection from the women around here, I guess I’m doing just great, Cade. Why aren’t you participating?”
“I had a meeting today in San Francisco. I didn’t think I’d get back in time, but we finished early and I just came in from the airport.”
“You know, you could take my mask and blend in and do the auction.”
“No thanks. I’ll just be content with bidding. Who do you suggest I should put my money on…so to speak?”
“Well, the lady in the white feathers over there might be interesting. Or the one in blue. Or…hold on! Who is that?”
Cade swung his gaze in the direction Matt was looking and he had to do a double take. “Talk about the lady in red. Who in the world is that?”
Matt shook his head. “I don’t know but I bet all the men are rushing to the nearest ATM and making transfers.”
“Which is your sister?”
“Sorry, I have no idea. She was dressed in her costume after I came out here to scope things out. Looks like the vision in red and black has gone backstage already. It was just a tease to get the bidders ready. And I see that Leslie is motioning to me. So last chance to take my place, friend?”
Cade shook his head with a grin in the man’s direction. “Wouldn’t deprive you of such an honor. You are making a great sacrifice for the cause.”
Matt turned and gave an impression of someone walking to the gallows.
The music started and the lights dimmed. A spotlight would pick up the person up for auction as they came out on stage, made their walk, and then turned for the bidding to begin. Cade edged closer to the end of the runway in hopes he would be able to recognize the woman he planned to bid on. He had to hope that something would tell him which was Tori.
The lady in white came out first. The bidding was spirited for the first one. Then one of the men came out. The ladies did not hold back. Luckily for the charity, the crowd was getting into the fun. By the fourth one to come out, which was Matt, they had broken a thousand-dollar ceiling with the last bid. It was clear that three ladies were dead serious in outbidding each other. Cade caught Matt’s pleading look behind his mask and only grinned bigger in response. One woman triumphed and it was clear that Matt hadn’t counted on her winning.
The final bid of the evening was the lady in red as she had come to be known in his mind. The music became pure Cajun slow jazz and the lady began her walk down the runway. And she was working it like no other. The cheering and clapping seemed to entice her to really sell it in the outfit that suited a pair of knockout long legs and a good amount of other areas of skin that flashed and sparkled as she moved. She was moving toward where he stood and he found there was something about her that held his attention. Then her gaze found his interested one and she seemed to turn away and then stop. A long length of leg played with the high split in the skirt and she gave a come-hither pose over her shoulder, a slow wink through the sequined mask, and then a scarlet kiss was blown in his direction. The crowd roared and then with a toss of her head, she made her way back to the center of the stage. The emcee, which was Leslie, opened the bidding and it was fast and furious.
The high bid was twelve hundred. Cade had held back as others outbid each other. It rose to fifteen hundred and it looked like one of the doctors from the local hospital just might win the lady. Cade nodded. The doctor lasted through two more bids and then Cade decided to end it all.
“Ten thousand dollars.” Silence in the room.
Leslie looked like she might pass out. But she quickly recovered and there being no one else who chose to outbid him, she shouted sold . Thunderous applause broke out. Cade walked over to the steps where each person had been handed over to the person who bid on them. He watched the sparkling vision walk toward him. He raised his hand to help her down the steps. Once her hand was in his, he grinned. He had gotten it right.
“I seem to be the most envied man here tonight. Do you have a particular name or should I just call you my lady in red?”
“Do you plan to keep this up all evening? How did you figure it out?”
He grinned. “At the springs, just before you made that graceful entrance into the pool…I noticed a tiny perfect little butterfly on the back of your ankle. The same ankle that you were so helpful to show to me when you did your sexy turn in front of me on the runway.”
“That’s cheating.”
“Is it? Then why hadn’t I bid on anyone before you came out? I think I would recognize those amazing eyes even with a mask and those scarlet lips…well, no one can smile the way you can. Should I go on?”
“No. Thank you for your contribution tonight. The charity fund will be able to be even more helpful this year.”
“Will you be wearing this outfit when we dine out?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Too bad. I think you should wear feathers more often and who knew our mayor had such legs?”
“You are getting way too much enjoyment out of my public embarrassment.”
“Admit it, you were having some fun up there on that runway.”
“The only thing I admit to right now is that my feet have moved beyond the unbearable pain stage. How some women can wear these silly high heels longer than two minutes is beyond me. So, beware of a woman experiencing great pain in her feet. Nothing is funny at this point.”
“I understand. Come with me.” He didn’t wait for her response but had control of her hand in his and she tried to keep up.
He paused long enough to say something to one of the catering staff and then he continued on down a hallway to a quiet alcove that was set back into an atrium area.
“Sit down,” he instructed. There was a bench that sat in the area.
“I warn you that if I sit now, I may not get back up again.”
“That’s a chance we’ll take.” The catering person appeared and handed a basket to him and then returned to the ballroom.
Cade sat down on the bench then.
“I’m not getting fresh with you,” he said as a preamble to his next move. He reached down and drew one leg over to rest her foot on his knee. Then he made short work of taking off the offending shoe and placing it on the floor. From the basket, he withdrew a towel.
“This might be a little warmer than you like. Just let me know.” He slowly wrapped the heated towel around her foot. “Too warm?”
“No, I like it warmer like that. How did you know to do this? Your friend must wear high heels like that.”
“She does. And I watched her do this on occasion.” He began to kneed beneath the arch of her foot. The warmth of the towel and his expert touch worked their magic.
“You are surprising to say the least,” she said. “A man with many talents. But you didn’t have to do this.”
Cade shook his head. “Other foot.” He began the same work on the new foot.
“You don’t like it when someone does something unexpected for you…maybe tries to help you out. I first thought it was just me that you didn’t like helping you out. But then I realized that it’s others, too. You don’t like giving over any of your control to anyone else. You know sometimes it’s good to have someone to share the load with. It doesn’t mean you aren’t strong enough. Sometimes it takes a lot of guts to admit that two heads are better than one.”
“More of your armchair psychology?”
“Just experience.”
“Guess I sounded like a witch the last few minutes.” She relented. “I’m sorry. I could blame it on being tired. Or my feet hurting.”
“You could. Give yourself a break. And that leads to the dinner part of this evening. How about we just choose to enjoy a nice evening, free food, good company. And you can leave the feathers and the shoes at home.”
“Agreed. And now I’m going to go change out of this heavy outfit and toss the shoes in a dumpster.”
“That’s a shame. You could wear them on special occasions. For special people…or a special person. Just a suggestion.” The grin gave him away.
She took possession of her foot again. Tori stood but preferred to stay in her stocking feet.
“Time for Cinderella to leave this ball.”
“That makes me Prince Charming?” He stood.
“You might be.”
“I’ll do my best to earn the title.”
“Good night and thank you again for your contribution…and the best foot rub ever.”
*
“Cade Lockwood bid more money for you than ever before in any event we have hosted, he then gave you a foot rub, and not to mention the work crew he sent to your house and putting you on the back of a horse that has been your dream forever… Oh and did I forget to add that he is opening the warm springs after you persuaded him? I would say that the man just might be interested in you . And you are oblivious.”
“Maggie…he isn’t interested. I told you he has a mysterious model-looking woman he’s obviously dating. I don’t know what he is interested in being nice to me for, but he is up to something.”
“Did you ask him about this girlfriend? None of the rest of us have seen her.”
“Matt has and he was instantly a fan.”
“Okay…plain talk. Put this supposed girlfriend aside. Would you be interested?”
“Reality check.” Tori pushed aside the last of her glass of tea. “Our worlds are vastly different. Our lives, our pasts…not even close. So let it go.”
“You’re having dinner tonight, right?”
“Only because he bid high enough. But yes, we will dine tonight and that’s all.”
“Then go out with a bang. Wear that cute little black outfit that has been hibernating in the back of your closet for far too long. Don’t talk business. Have a real conversation. Enjoy the company. At midnight, you can return to your little inn, to your cat, and then wake up and go to your mayor job again.”
“Maggie, you are a hopeless romantic.”
“Never hopeless, just always hopeful. It’s your turn, you know. Go out and find something you deserve—for yourself, no one else. You’ve raised your siblings. They are all productive and happy members of society. And they would each say the same thing I’m saying to you right now.”
Something I deserve. The words replayed in her head as she dressed for dinner later that evening. What did she deserve? In her mind, she had simply done what was needed. She was the oldest, and yet, she was just thirteen when their world changed, and they entered the system. But she had known that childhood was gone, and she did not waste time mourning it. Instead, she was determined to keep them all together, made sure they each had a fair chance to grow up as naturally as they could in the system without anyone who cared about them. And she had vowed that one day, there would be a place called home that all of them would know, where they belonged for the rest of their lives.
So strike the word deserve . Maybe replace it with earned . She hadn’t had an easy road, but she had navigated it. Just as so many others had to do. If she was taking what she earned that evening, then it would be a free dinner, wearing a dressy outfit she had also earned the money to buy, and she would spend some time with another human, not a stack of papers and charts.
It had been three days since the auction. Tonight was the ‘romantic candlelight dinner’ that the winning bidder was due. She would fulfill her part of the deal. And she eyed the black dress that Maggie had said she should wear. It had hung on the door for the last two days…while she debated what to wear. Finally, she had decided to follow part of Maggie’s advice. She’d wear the dress. But the rest of her advice involving going after the man…well, that would be the part she ignored.
She had just finished applying the last dab of perfume when the doorbell rang. Her heart suddenly sped up. Calm down. It’s just dinner and then back home. He is just a business associate.
Maggie had been right on her suggestion of the little black dress if the look on Cade Lockwood’s face was any indication. His gaze made a slow scan of her and her outfit and it came back to meet her gaze.
“I’m beginning to think this might be even better than those feathers. You look beautiful. And far more relaxed.”
Relaxed? No way. Not when a handsome cowboy was standing on her doorstep calling her beautiful and looking at her the way she read about in those romance novels her sister would buy. Trouble might be ahead.
“Shall we go?” Cade’s words brought her back to reality. He took her evening coat from her and held it while she slipped it on. It was one of the reasons she had bought the outfit. The dress was classy and the matching coat was cut with a flair to it and tiny pearl buttons from the neck to the waist. She had braided her hair back into a French knot with a black ribbon intertwined. Tiny pearls shone in her earlobes. Classy was what she had hoped for.
“Did you trade in your truck?” She made the comment when she saw the shiny black limo at the end of the sidewalk. The chauffeur held open the door for them.
“Can’t win the title of Prince Charming if I pick up Cinderella in a truck, can I?”
“You have a competitive streak in you. Anyone ever tell you that?”
“A few rodeo cowboys. And now you.”
The ride in the limo was interesting. It was the first time she had ever ridden in one. Glancing at the man beside her, she noted he seemed to be quite at ease. He looked like a man accustomed to limo rides and then he could also look like a cowboy who loved his truck. Nice mixture.
The country club was on the outskirts of town, overlooking the lake that was formed when they placed a dam across the lower part of the river. Floor-to-ceiling windows gave a view of lights twinkling through the trees on the far shore. The private community was where the richer inhabitants had built their homes…the doctors and lawyers and rich tourists looking for that ‘little country place’ for vacations.
Their table was set in a private dining area with white linen, fine china, and candlelight. A long-stemmed red rose lay across her place setting. The waiter pushed in her chair once she had removed her coat and sat down.
A bottle of champagne was opened and sat chilling in a bucket next to the table. The waiter poured each of them a glass and then discreetly disappeared.
“Leslie has outdone herself. When she said a fine dining candlelight experience, she wasn’t kidding.”
“Too much for your taste?” Cade asked.
“It’s nice on very special occasions, I suppose. Otherwise, I could get just as excited with a picnic basket beside a pond. It really depends on the person you’re sharing it with… That’s what would make it special in my mind.”
“Duly noted.”
“Why are you smiling like that? Something funny in what I said?”
“I was just reflecting over the time I have known you and how many layers of Victoria Parker I have learned about. And they keep appearing. Which one is the definitive you? Are they all part of the real you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you the professional buttoned-up mayor? Or the Mardi Gras vixen in red? The woman who wears jeans and has great joy over a horseback ride? The woman who gives her all and her life to raise her siblings and still looks out for them?”
“You make me sound like a mystery. I’m not. I’m all of those when I need to be. If you ask which I enjoy the most? Then that’s easy. I love my family, and they come first always. If I could wear jeans every day in the mayor’s office, then I would. If being a vixen as you call it gets money for children in need, then bring on the feathers. I am just me . Nothing special.”
“That is the most ridiculous thing I have heard from you. Believe me, before I met you…when you were just this interloper who had come to town a few years ago and dared to run for mayor, I might have bought into that description you just gave. But now, I know better. You are special, Victoria Parker. I guarantee that. And it’s time you had your eyes opened to the fact.” He raised his glass for a toast. She did the same.
“To you and all that you are.” His gaze matched the tone of his words, and she felt a surge from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Was it his look or was it the champagne?
“Do you have your dancing shoes on tonight?”
His question threw her for a moment. It was such a change of subject.
“I like to dance but I’m very rusty. It’s been a while.”
“Then let’s get you back in practice.” He stood and held out his hand.
The quintet had begun when they arrived and there were three or four couples already on the dance floor. He drew her hand in his and then swung her around to end up against his solid chest. Through a two-step, fox trot, salsa, waltz…they danced each one. He led and she followed. To her amazement, their steps matched without much thought. She had forgotten what fun it was to dance with a partner who enjoyed it as much as she did.
Finally, he led her back to the table. Menus appeared and they ordered. Another glass of champagne was poured.
“I’m thinking this might be my last glass,” she said. “I’m not used to it.”
He motioned to the waiter. “We’d like two glasses of iced tea, please. And you can keep those coming.”
The waiter smiled and left them.
“You didn’t have to order tea for yourself. I don’t mind being the lightweight around here.”
“I prefer a clear head myself.”
“You know a lot about me but what about you? Why don’t you still rodeo?”
“I have a ranch that needs me present. And rodeo is a younger man’s sport now. I have a drawer full of buckles and trophies on shelves. I also have quite a few bones patched together. And a crooked nose as you pointed out when we first met. It was fun during that first part of my life, but life on the road gets old and fast. And as my grandfather grew older, I realized that he had hopes that he could turn over the running of the ranch to me. I needed to learn all I could while I had him as my teacher.”
“All those buckle bunnies following you around and none of them managed to land you?”
“I’m not a choir boy. But none of them ever got as far as my heart. None that I couldn’t forget about their names the next day. Sorry if that answer was a bit rough. But I always was able to walk away without a backward thought. That had to be a sign, I figured.”
“It was an honest answer. That’s refreshing. And now you are in the next phase of your life…gentleman rancher? And you still haven’t settled down.”
“No, but there is always hope. I realize that.”
“I see. Hope as in the woman I saw you with? Thinking of finally settling down?”
“I might be thinking of settling down, but the lady is still a question mark. And it certainly would not be Selena. Marrying your half-sister isn’t exactly where it’s at for me.”
Silence. All manner of words had rushed to her brain when the door had been opened to the subject of “that other female,” but none were relevant at that moment. Because there was no other woman—at least not one who posed an issue that had been built up in her brain. Since she witnessed the hug and cheek kiss. She had prepared herself for that one. But somehow the term half-sister had just punctured that balloon in her mind.
“I see. You have a sibling named Selena. But she doesn’t live here…at least I guess not? I haven’t heard too much mention of her.”
He shook his head. “No and that is the way it has been since she and her mother moved to Dallas when she was in middle school. Her mother and my father had a fling, for want of a better word, that lasted about six months. When it became evident that he wasn’t going to toss off my mother, his wife, for her when she turned up pregnant, she opted to top off her bank account and leave. Selena and I saw each other on holidays when she could come back to the ranch per the visitation clause that went along with the money her mother received from my father. And then when she was old enough to make her own decisions and her mother had moved on to greener pastures with a banker in New York, she spent more time with my grandfather and me on the ranch. When he died, he left her land and funds to start her own dream, which was a winery and vineyard. Which she turned out to be quite good at. Now we see each other when we can, which isn’t all that often. And there you have the story of the mystery woman in my life. The only one there is, for the record.”
It was time to turn her attention to the food and not his personal life or the fact he was thinking of settling down with the right person. He just hadn’t found that person evidently. Tori’s appetite seemed to have fled.
The dessert course came and he shook his head after looking at the menu.
“You don’t see what you want?” she asked.
“I know what I want; it’s not on this menu.”
“What would that be?”
“Well, I know this woman who makes the most delicious pecan pie. That would be the fitting end to this meal.”
She shook her head. “You sound a lot like my brother. I tell him to just come out and tell me what he wants. Things would go a lot faster.”
“Does that advice go for most things? Just tell you straight out what I, or he, wants? Cut to the chase so to speak?”
Why did that sound like a trick question? She should back off. But then she didn’t take her own advice sometimes.
“I have a fresh pecan pie at home. I can offer you a slice with a cup of coffee if you would prefer that.”
“What are we still sitting here for?” He smiled and she would swear it had a triumphant upturn to it.
*
“Your inn is quite welcoming. Everything looks like the perfect country accommodation. I’ve heard it’s quite popular.” He made the remark while she plated the slices of pie and poured the coffee. She sat them on the small kitchen dining table. He took the seat she indicated.
“Thank you. I couldn’t manage without my housekeeper-slash-major domo Miss Minnie. She and her son keep the place running, the tenants taken care of, and the gardens filled with beauty. They came here about ten years ago and ended up staying on to help me expand this business. They are extended family, so to speak.”
“And it’s also your home. It has that feel to it…warmth, welcoming, a good place to sit a spell in one of those rockers on the porch and watch the sunsets.”
Cade was pleased to see that his words brought a soft smile to her face and a gleam to those blue eyes.
“That was my dream when I settled here. I added the individual little houses with mini kitchens around the garden and now the main house here is just the family home. We do serve dinners on Sunday evenings and breakfast on certain mornings buffet-style in the glassed-in sunroom for the guests,” Tori said. “Sorry but this isn’t as fancy as our earlier meal.”
“It’s better.” He stated that just before taking a bite of pie. Then there was another.
It wasn’t long before there were just a few crumbs left on his plate.
“Where did you learn to bake like this?”
“I watched and listened to my grandmother. She was a great cook. Everything from scratch. And after we ended up in foster care, I realized that I could bake cookies and cakes for others and they would pay me. That was money I could save for when we would all need a place to call home. As I grew older, I found I could sell to others in the community and expanded my menu items.”
“Well you can certainly cook. I was most impressed the night Matt brought me to dinner even though I wasn’t exactly welcome. You fed me and didn’t try to poison me.”
“You were lucky. I couldn’t do it with the sheriff present.”
There was a stretch of silence after the laughter subsided. She stood and began to clear the dishes.
“Don’t you hate awkward moments like this?” He had stood up and was watching her.
His question seemed to surprise her. “Awkward?”
“I am taking your advice. State your case and get it over with, you said. Don’t waste time. You never know how precious little of it there might be. So here goes.” He took the coffee mug from her hand and set it in the sink. Then he placed his hands on either side of her so that she was more or less a captive audience with the cabinet behind her. Was it his heart that was beating so loudly?
“We could beat around this subject for a while, but time would be wasted. I’ll put it plain and simple. I like you Victoria Parker. I also like Tori Parker. You keep me on my toes and call me out when I need it. You can be maddening. You can also be pretty damn amazing…always surprising me. You keep me off-kilter and no one has managed to do that.”
“Is that all?”
“And there is this.” His hands slid around her waist and brought her up against him as his head lowered and his mouth claimed hers in a much different kiss than the first one. He was searching, exploring, drawing her into his kisses. It was natural that somehow her hands found their way over the broad shoulders and locked behind his head. As the kiss deepened, the heat coursed through both their bodies, sending nerve ends rioting and pulses out of control. A fire had begun deep within and it was threatening to blaze out of control. A faint bell began in the back of his mind and it wouldn’t stop. There was a slight shift in the pressure on his lips and then he felt a soft groan escape him and the bell gained clarity. It was a phone. And the moment fractured like fragile glass.
Cade raised his head and sought control of his breathing. He muttered something and jerked the cell from his pocket. He took a step back as he answered with a curt hello.
The moment gave Tori time to slip away and gather her wits about her. The call ended and he turned to her.
“I need to get to the ranch. We have a problem with a mare that is foaling. The vet is on the way.”
“I totally understand. It’s late and I do have an early meeting.”
“I hate that…”
“You probably need to hurry. And we will blame this on the champagne. Good night, Cade.”
“This is something we will discuss again. But I’ll leave now. Sweet dreams, Tori.”