Chapter Six #3
“I remember when Paige Novak was an actress. I only found out at Cheyenne’s birthday party that she was one of Pam’s sisters. I thought she was a damn good actress, too,” he said.
“Yes, she was. Now she’s a senator’s wife and enjoys that role, as well as managing Pam’s acting school in the nation’s capital.”
Upon hearing a lot of hollering and cheering, they turned to see what was going on.
Grammy Award–winning singer Dylan Emanuel and his wife, Charm Outlaw Emanuel, and members of his band had arrived.
Currently, their song “Try Love,” was number one in the nation, as well as internationally.
It seemed as if everyone present—including Matt’s daughter—was going wild with the group’s appearance.
“I didn’t know Dylan Emanuel and his band would be performing tonight. Deena is a huge fan,” Matt said.
“Their appearance is just one of the many surprises in store for this weekend,” Iris said, grinning. “And from the look and sound of things, it has gotten off to a great start.”
* * *
Dylan and his band didn’t finish their last song until well after midnight.
It had been a festive night with more dancing.
It couldn’t get any better than that when the number one musical group in the country was your private entertainment.
She thought Charm and Dylan looked so happy together, and he had called his wife onstage when he performed the new song he had written just for her.
Iris had enjoyed being in Matt’s company, and he had stayed by her side the entire night.
She figured some people were speculating as to the nature of their relationship, since most Westmorelands knew she had ended her affair with Warren.
When some of the ladies asked, she was quick to assure them they were only friends.
He had offered to take her to Dillon and Pam’s place when things ended. Several golf carts were available for everyone’s use. Pam had stayed behind to go over the last-minute details with the catering staff for tomorrow’s event.
There was a full moon in the sky, and although the air was cool, it was a pretty night.
She liked how well-lit the road was from the Westmoreland House to Dillon and Pam’s home.
Not only was there plenty of ground lighting, but the area was also beautifully landscaped.
All the accent lights had been installed to provide illumination around the trees, plants and shrubs, not only to highlight the property’s beauty but for security measures.
Dillon and Pam’s kids were known to travel this way when they went back and forth visiting their cousins at Ramsey and Chloe’s ranch.
She glanced over at Matt and again thought of how good he looked in Western attire.
The entire outfit, along with the Stetson, seemed more a part of him than he knew.
Then there was his scent, a masculine one of aftershave mingled with the smell of a man.
It was working her senses as well as her hormones, big-time.
“I can’t believe the young people weren’t ready to call it a night and even mentioned watching a movie,” he said.
A smile curved Iris’s lips. “I heard. I have a feeling they will miss breakfast tomorrow but will drag themselves out of bed for lunch.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Galen might miss one meal, but he won’t miss two.”
Matt chuckled. “Neither will Deena.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t rush upstairs like the other men to play poker.”
He shrugged. “Not tonight. My bed is calling my name. But I did commit to being included for tomorrow night.”
When he brought the golf cart to a stop in front of the walkway, he said, “I’ll walk you to the door.”
“You don’t have to do that, Matt.”
“Yes, I do. I have a daughter, remember. And I expect whatever man she’s with to see to her safety.”
She pulled back from saying their situation was different. Instead, when he came around and extended his hand, she took it. Then they walked side by side up the walkway to the door. The porchlight automatically came on when they got within five feet of it.
“I don’t want to imagine how much their electric bill is each month,” he said.
“All the houses in Westmoreland Country use a private electrical grid to get service through their generators instead of a utility company. Adrian is the engineer in the family, and he came up with the idea when their individual electric bills began skyrocketing,” she said.
“That must be some big generator,” Matt said.
“It is. And what’s so nice is that the water from Gemma Lake, which crosses into several of the properties, is used to generate the electricity through hydropower and acts like a large battery for all the houses.”
When they reached the steps, he helped her up them.
“I recall the first time I saw this house. It amazed me how much it resembled the one Pam grew up in while living in Wyoming.”
“Is there a reason for it?” he asked.
“Yes, I told you that Dillon’s great-grandfather, Raphel, and Pam’s great-grandfather, Jay Novak, were once business partners. When Raphel relocated to Denver and designed his home, he used the same floor plan as Jay’s house.”