chapter 43
What happened to my other earring?”
“Right here, Mom.”
“Now I’ve lost my shoes.”
“They’re over here.” Sophy giggled at her sister. The girls had never seen their cool, efficient mother looking so giddy and distracted, and they were secretly thrilled. Cara’s face was flushed and she looked radiant.
But her hands were shaking.
“Relax, Mom.” Audra patted her mother on the shoulder and handed her the missing pair of sinfully beautiful Jimmy Choo pumps. “You look great. Uncle Tate is going to swallow his tongue when he sees you.”
Sophy giggled. “He told me last night that you were the most beautiful woman on Earth. And me and Audra are next,” she added proudly.
“I, not me,” Audra corrected. But she nodded calmly. “He’s right. So stop worrying about everything, Mom. Sophy and I are fine, your wedding’s gonna be totally cool, and Summer and Gabe should be here any minute.”
“I still don’t understand what happened to them.” Anxiously, Cara brushed the soft curls that trailed from beneath a spray of bright pink roses. “They should have been able to find the motel last night.”
“Maybe they didn’t want to.” Audra smiled knowingly at the driveway, where an SUV had appeared amid swirling snow. “They were probably a little distracted.”
“You mean, they stopped to kiss?” Sophy studied her sister intently. “Maybe they wanted to have phone sex?”
“Sophia Marie O’Connor!” Cara looked shocked. “What in the world do you know about phone sex?”
“Not very much,” Sophy said wistfully. “No one will talk about it with me. I asked Gabe, and he told me I’d find out soon enough. Uncle Tate told me to ask you, and Audra just tells me to shut up because I’m still a kid.”
“Well, you are,” Audra snapped. “You wouldn’t understand, anyway.”
“I know all about thongs.” Sophy glared defiantly at her sister.
Cara breathed a prayer for guidance and stopped searching for her lost glove. “Darling, we’re going to have a talk, you and I. We’ll talk about anything you want, all right? Even . . .” She grimaced. “Even phone sex.”
Audra started to giggle, and then Sophy joined in. Within seconds all three were laughing, until they collapsed together on the sofa.
“You’ll ruin your dress,” Audra managed to say.
“Oh, phooey on my dress. It seems like forever since we’ve had a good laugh together.” Suddenly Cara looked down at Sophy. “Did you find your new pink shoes, honey? I thought I saw them in the bottom of your suitcase.”
“Oh, no, everything’s fine, Mom. My shoes are cool.” Sophy squirmed off the sofa and shot toward the door. “I hear Summer and Gabe downstairs!”
As she spoke, there was a knock on the door. “Anyone in here getting married?”
At Sophy’s burst of laughter, Summer opened the door wearing a parka and hiking boots. Snowflakes dotted her hair, and her cheeks were bright.
“You came!” Sophy hurtled toward her. “See my new dress? I even get to wear earrings. Little ones, that is. Where’s your dress?”
Summer gave Sophy a hug, then held up a big box. “I’m ready to rock and roll.”
Audra studied Summer’s face, noted the flush, and looked pleased. “I take it that Gabe found you.”
Summer cleared her throat. “He’s with Senator Winslow now, getting dressed. I could probably use some help, too.”
“Sophy, get all our stuff from the bathroom. Mom’s done, so now we can start working on Ms. M.”
Sophy shot off. “Cool.”
As snow swirled around the big picture windows, no one talked about Tate’s mother or Patrick Flanagan, or how death had stalked this house one day at the end of summer. But the memories hung in the air like spiderwebs, invisible and chilling.
In the weeks following Amanda’s death, Tate Winslow had announced he would not pursue his bid for the presidency. For two years Amanda Winslow had hidden her deteriorating state from her family and friends, and Cara was convinced the experimental medications had hastened her decline.
But Summer refused to think about death as Sophy opened the big box on Cara’s bed. The dress she’d chosen for the wedding was long and full, rich silk that made her skin glow. When she looked at the matching shoes with four-inch heels, Summer winced. Running shoes were more her style, and she prayed she wouldn’t disgrace herself by falling onto her face when the ceremony began.
A few minutes later she was transformed, trying to keep from toppling in her killer Jimmy Choo satin mules.
“Wow,” Sophy whispered.
“Sheesh.” Audra gave a long, silent whistle.
“You look lovely,” Cara said.
Summer tugged at the front of her dress, which was lower than she had realized in the store. “I don’t know,” she said uneasily. “If I bend over, everything will—what I mean is, it would be a disaster.”
“Then don’t bend over,” Cara said with a mischievous smile. “Not unless you’re with Gabe. Otherwise there will be a stampede by the men in the room. By the way, give Gabe our love.”
Summer felt heat fill her cheeks. Were her feelings so transparent?
But as she stood tottering in her four-inch heels, she felt something loosen inside her, stirring on powerful wings, weightless like the reckless teenager she had never had time to become after her father’s death, and she wanted to knock Gabe silly with his first sight of her. She didn’t care if the whole world knew.
She smoothed her dress, delighting in the feel of the silk against her skin. She couldn’t wait to see Gabe’s reaction.
The chords of an organ drifted up the stairs. “Time to go.” Cara’s voice wavered. “I love you two so much.”
“You look beautiful, Mom. I mean, really, really.” Sophy’s grin threatened to swallow her young face. “I heard Uncle Tate tell his brother if there were any more delays, he was going to kidnap you and make you elope with him. He said he was in major perpetual pain, whatever that meant.”
Audra swallowed a giggle, and Sophy’s smile faltered. “If you eloped, could we go, too?”
Cara held her daughter tightly. “You bet. We’d all sneak away together. We’d make it a big adventure.”
But Audra just sighed. “Come on, Mom, you and Uncle Tate don’t need us hanging around. You’ve got better things to do on your honeymoon than babysit.”
Sophy’s head tilted. “A honeymoon—that’s like phone sex only better. Right?”
Half-giggling, half-sniffing back tears, Cara hugged both her daughters. “Close enough, honey. Someday you’ll understand, believe me. Just don’t be in too big of a rush, okay? I don’t want you leaving for a long, long time.” Her voice broke. “I’m so sorry if things have been rocky these last few years. I’m sorry you lost your dad and I’m sorry about the way he . . . changed. Most of all, I’m sorry about my job, my crazy hours, about not being with you all the time.”
“Don’t worry about that stuff,” Audra said calmly. “We turned out fine. Besides, you do really important work. Sophy and I are cool with that, aren’t we, Sophy?”
“Sure. We’re completely cool at that.”
Audra looked at her sister. “With, not at.”
“With what?”
Audra shook her head. “Never mind. I’ll explain later.”
“You’re both growing up too fast. One day I’ll turn around and it will be you two getting married and I won’t be able to bear it.”
“You’ll never lose us, Mom,” Sophy said. “We’ll come back to eat and do our laundry and—well, probably to borrow money and ask for legal advice and job references. All kinds of stuff.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” Sophy wrinkled her nose. “Besides, there’s no way I’m ever getting married. No boy is going to stick his nasty tongue down my throat, and Tiffany Hammersmith says that boys always want to do that when you go steady. Does Uncle Tate want to do that to you?”
Reproduction 101, Cara thought. She shared a glance with Audra, who couldn’t resist a smile.
“Ummm—we’ll talk about that soon, honey, I promise.”
Organ music rose in a crescendo, echoing up the grand timber staircase. Clearly it was time Cara had a long discussion with her younger daughter. But first she had a wedding to attend.
One that had been delayed far too long.
“How about we go see how handsome Uncle Tate looks? Ready, Summer?”
“My service revolver is loaded, and my handcuffs are ready. Let’s go track down some poor, unsuspecting males and knock them dead with our brains and stunning good looks.” She rolled her eyes. “But let’s do it fast. These shoes are killing me already.”
As Sophy giggled, Audra straightened her shoulders. “I think brains are more important than beauty, don’t you, Mother?”
“Definitely. The body will sag, but if you start with brains, you end with brains. No need for a lift or a tuck or toxic bacterial injections.” Cara linked her arm through Audra’s.
“I always wanted to get married during a snowstorm,” she said softly.
“Not me. I’m going to get married on a beach in Tahiti.” Audra sniffed. “But he has to know how to cook and do dishes and give back rubs, too.”
“Excellent idea,” Summer muttered.
“Does Gabe cook well?” Cara’s eyes twinkled. “And give good . . . back rubs?”
“He has a number of endearing traits.”
“So it wasn’t just his superior landscaping skills that caught your eye?” Cara teased.
“No comment. I’m saying nothing that could be used against me in a court of law.”
Audra sniggered, and Sophy giggled, their laughter spilling together in a rich cadence of age and youth, innocence and experience. For now, the shadow of Amanda Winslow and her madness was finally lifted.
Tate paced the foyer impatiently. The snow was picking up again, and any guests who hadn’t made it to the ranch by now were flat out of luck.
That suited him just fine. The junior senator from California wanted to get this ceremony over pronto, so he could go make love to his wife for five or six days. He had wanted that since the first moment he’d set eyes on Cara back in law school, but a career and heavy family expectations had made him miss the chance. But Cara wasn’t getting away again. They were going to be a family, damn it.
Unaware of his scowl, Tate strode through the living room, passing two old neighbors, his brother, and a lobbyist friend from Washington. Nearby were Cara’s sister, her husband, and their children. He managed to summon up a smile before nodding at the organist, who broke into the opening bars of the wedding march.
It was time to get this show on the road.
Tate headed for the downstairs study, where Gabe was slipping his last cuff link into place. The SEAL looked unusually pleased with himself, and Tate was certain it had to do with Summer. If his instincts were right, their night in the SUV had resolved most of the questions between them.
At least, Tate hoped so. There wasn’t a woman better suited to this tough, seasoned soldier than Summer. Maybe Gabe’s bitter memories would finally be laid to rest, Tate thought.
On the far side of the room, he saw Izzy Teague speaking quietly on a high-tech cell phone and looking very elegant in an Armani suit. He also looked fully alert and ready for a guerrilla raid at any second.
With operatives like Summer, Izzy, and Gabe present, the wedding would be safe from any and all intruders, Tate thought wryly. Now if only the bride would deign to put in an appearance.
He was about to send Gabe up to reconnoiter when he heard Sophy’s laughter from the top of the stairs, followed by Cara’s husky questions. Suddenly he was caught on a wave of panic. What if Cara got bored with him? What if the girls thought he made a bad father? What if he was too busy, too old, too cynical?
Tate Winslow, the most popular senator in America, a man who made four-star generals quake and Beltway journalists squirm, felt sweat beading his brow.
What if he was a failure at the things that really mattered, like love and commitment and family?
He turned to face the doorway, dimly aware of Gabe moving to stand on one side of him and his brother on the other. Izzy waited nearby, his handsome face set in an easy grin. “A very beautiful lady is waiting for you out there.” Izzy glanced outside. “Correction, Senator. Make that three beautiful ladies.”
Organ music filled the room, but Tate couldn’t seem to move. He wanted to give Cara the sun, moon, and stars, but what if he failed her? What if his murderous eighteen-hour days and nonstop meetings made her—
Gabe touched his shoulder. “Senator, I believe that organ music was your cue.”
Tate took a deep breath. He loved Cara, had loved her for years. He’d make damned sure they had another thirty or so more years of arguing and laughing and driving each other crazy. Only a fool would ruin a future like that because of maybes or what ifs.
And Tate Winslow had never been a fool.
He smoothed his lapels and looked at his three best men. “Thank you all for being here, for helping Cara and me through these last difficult months. Even if the rest of the world won’t ever know the truth, you three will, and your support means everything to us.” He cleared his throat. “Now it’s time for me to go marry the woman I’ve loved forever.”
And he walked outside.
The first thing he saw was Audra, looking very grown-up in a long dress of pink satin. Beside her, Sophy’s face was full of light as she carried a small basket of roses and baby’s breath. Finally there was Cara, tall and radiant and nervous as he was.
Tate saw nothing else in the room after that, only Cara’s smile.
They were a family, he thought, struck dumb with awe. At times this moment had seemed like an impossible hope, but now it was as real as the snow leaving white tracks against the windows.
Summer appeared, absolutely stunning in a dress of fiery red. Izzy muttered something that made Gabe lean forward tensely. The SEAL said something under his breath, but Tate couldn’t make out what.
He didn’t try too hard, because Cara was finally framed in the doorway, smiling at him, and suddenly all the air was sucked out of the room, out of his chest, and there was no past, no future, only Cara’s radiant face and the wild beating of his heart.
He couldn’t wait to say “I do.”