Out of Town Bride
Out of Town Bride
Kara Lennox
Socialite Sonya Patterson's dreams of the perfect wedding turn into a perfect nightmare when her fianc leaves town with her prideand her money! If not for her two best friends and her bodyguard, John-Michael McPhee, dispensing you-deserve-better advice, Sonya wouldn't have had the courage to go in search of the no-good con man.Keeping the situation a secret from her ailing mother is certainly a challenge, but it's the road trip with her sexy protector that's the real exercise in restraint. After all, long days and small spaces are bound to give a girl ideas.
Wow! Kara Lennoxs BLOND JUSTICE series has it allsmart, determined heroines, ya-gotta-love-em macho heroes, taut suspense and romance that will steam your glasses while it melts your heart. Each book is a winner; together theyre pure magic.
USA TODAY bestselling author
Merline Lovelace
Dear Reader,
Theres almost nothing more stressful than a wedding. Sonya Patterson has the added stress of a mom in the hospital, a con-man groom after her millions, a reporter hunting for scandal, and the man shes loved and hated her whole life suddenly becoming more than her dutiful bodyguard.
I had a lot of fun wrapping up the BLOND JUSTICE series. If youve enjoyed watching The Blondes get the best of slippery con man Marvin Carter, youll be delighted with their brand of ultimate justice. But I hope youll also take pleasure in watching Sonya and John-Michael work through barriers of wealth, social class and a painful history to reach the happy ending they deserve.
Please let me know what you think! I love hearing from readers. Visit me at www.karalennox.com or write me at karalennox@yahoo.com.
All my best,
Out of Town Bride
Kara Lennox
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For the Thursday Lunch-n-Starbucks crowdVictoria Chancellor, Judy Christenberry, Kay Dykes, Tammy Hilz and Rebecca Russell. Yall keep me sane.
Books by Kara Lennox
MILLS & BOON AMERICAN ROMANCE
934VIXEN IN DISGUISE* (#litres_trial_promo)
942PLAIN JANES PLAN* (#litres_trial_promo)
951SASSY CINDERELLA* (#litres_trial_promo)
974FORTUNES TWINS
990THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR
1052THE FORGOTTEN COWBOY
1068HOMETOWN HONEY (#litres_trial_promo)
1081DOWNTOWN DEBUTANTE (#litres_trial_promo)
Contents
Prologue (#uc083d45b-1fe7-5896-b025-e05d2ec95ca2)
Chapter One (#u8ad9e38c-02ce-5fb7-b522-c0f4c182938a)
Chapter Two (#u8a49751a-7d16-5baf-aa41-6bb0f80efa92)
Chapter Three (#ufde1f7ab-bb4a-5185-b39c-9e91ffb5791e)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
Airplane seats were way too small and too crowded together. Sonya Patterson had never thought much about it before, since shed always flown first class in the past. But this was a last-minute ticket on a no-first-class kind of plane.
Shed also never flown on a commercial airline with her bodyguard, which might explain her current claustrophobia. John-Michael McPhee was a broad-shouldered, well-muscled man, and Sonya was squashed between him and a hyperactive seven-year-old whose mother was fast asleep in the row behind them.
She could smell the leather of McPhees bomber jacket. Hed had that jacket for years, and every time Sonya saw him in it, her stupid heart gave a little leap. She hated herself for letting him affect her that way. Didnt most women get over their teenage crushes by the time they were pushing thirty?
I didnt know you were a nervous flyer, McPhee said, brushing his index finger over her left hand. Sonya realized she was clutching her armrests as if the plane were about to crash.
What would he think, she wondered, if she blurted out that it wasnt the flying that made her nervous, it was being so close to him? Her mother would not approve of Sonyas messy feelings where McPhee was concerned.
Her mother. Sonyas heart ached at the thought of her vibrant mother lying in a hospital bed hooked up to machines. Muffy Lockridge Patterson was one of those women who never stopped running all day, every day, at full throttle with a to-do list a mile long. Over the years Sonya had often encouraged her mother to slow down, relax and cut back on the rich foods. But Muffy seldom took advice from anyone.
Sonya consciously loosened her grip on the armrests when McPhee nudged her again.
Shell be okay, he said softly. She was in stable condition when I left, and Tootsie was with her.
Tootsie? Is that supposed to comfort me? Tootsie Milford, Muffys best friend since boarding school, was a consummate snob who never did a kindness for anyone unless she thought she could get something out of itusually attention.
Sonya said little else to McPhee during the short flight, and he returned the favor. It was only after the limo picked them up at Hobby Airport that they spoke openly, safe from curious eavesdroppers.
Do you want to go home first? McPhee asked.
No, of course not. Tim, she said, addressing the chauffeur, lets go straight to the hospital, please.
Tim hit the gas as Sonya fastened her seat belt. McPhee, as usual, didnt bother. Sonya tried her best to ignore him. She rooted through her suede bag for her compact and busied herself powdering her nose and refreshing her lipstick. Other people might consider her vain, worrying about her appearance during a crisis. But grooming rituals had always given her comfort. That was something she and her mother shared. The world might be crashing down around her ears, but that didnt mean she had to take it with a shiny nose and flyaway hair.
Are you going to tell me what you were doing in New Orleans with your sorority sister? McPhee asked, apparently unwilling to be ignored.
So, he hadnt bought her cover story. But shed had to come up with something quickly when McPhee had tracked her down hundreds of miles away from where she was supposed to be. Shed already been caught in a bald-faced liefor weeks shed been telling her mother she was at a spa in Dallas, working out her prewedding jitters.
I was shopping in New Orleans for my trousseau, she tried again. Brennas a fashion consultant.
McPhee laughed out loud at that one. Lord help us if you start dressing like her.
All right, so Brenna was a little avant-garde with her spiky hair, miniskirts and platform shoes.
Anyway, McPhee continued, why would a fashion consultant be wanted by the FBI? Come on, Sonya, who is she? And dont tell me shes an old friend. I know all your old friends.
You think you know everything about me, dont you? Well, you dont. I met Brenna at the spa.
I checked with Elizabeth Arden. You havent been there in over three years.
I went to a different spa this time. The lies were stacking upand none of them were flying with McPhee.
He didnt respond, merely stared her down with those incongruously dark-brown eyes. His eyes had always fascinated her, so dark when his hair was blond, and so blasted knowing, as if he could see straight to her most intimate thoughts.
She resisted the urge to squirm under his gaze. She was an adult, she reminded herself. I have private reasons for my trip to New Orleans, and they dont concern you.
Very well, Miss Patterson, he said in his Jeeves-the-butler voice. Forgive me for overstepping my bounds.
She hated it when he accused her of acting like mistress of the manor. She wasnt the class-conscious one around here, after all. In fact, shed once tried to erase the social and financial barriers that separated them. McPhee was the one who had erected most of those barriers, making them more unbreachable than a twenty-foot concrete wall.
What are you going to do about the wedding? McPhee asked, abruptly changing tacks. Its only two months away.
Sonya felt a hot flush at the mention of the wedding. Oh, Lord, she should have called it off a long time ago. Well consider the wedding on hold until we have an idea when my mother will recover.
I think thats wise.
You sound almost pleased. I thought you were looking forward to being unemployed. Muffy had agreed that, much as it pained her, McPhees services would no longer be needed after Sonya was married.
I dont plan to be unemployed, McPhee said curtly. You might want to talk to June. Shell have to find a way to announce the wedding postponement without raising any alarms. June was her mothers secretary, who always dealt with anything having to do with the media.
Has the press been nosing around? Sonya asked.
June issued a statement that Mrs. Patterson was going in for routine tests. But theres been one persistent magazine reporter who isnt buying it.
Let me guess. Leslie Frazier?
Thats the one.
Ugh. Leslie Frazier had a nose for scandal, and she worked for Houston Living, a gossipy society magazine. If she got wind of Sonyas disappearing act, shed have a field day. And when she found out the truththat the marriage would never take place at all, followed by the truth about her purported fianc, Marvin Carter IIIshe would turn Sonya into a laughingstock.
Sonya knew she couldnt stop the real story from coming out eventually. It was only a matter of time. But she wished she could have some control over how and when the news broke.
The truth was, Marvin Carter III was a con man with multiple fiances. Weeks earlier, Marvin had disappeared from Sonyas life, along with her jewelry, her furs and all her money.
Yet she hadnt found the courage to tell her mother shed been jilted and fleeced, and wedding plans continued like a runaway train.
Chapter One
Two weeks later John-Michael McPhee watched Sonya silently for a few moments. She sat at her mothers bedside, holding Muffys limp hand, head bowed. Her artfully highlighted blond hair, which she usually kept pinned up in some elaborate arrangement, had long ago fallen from its confines and now hung in shimmering waves to her shoulders, reminding him of when she was a teenager.
At first, it had seemed that Muffy would recover quickly from her heart attack. Shed been doing so well, in fact, that Sonya had felt it was okay to leave town for a couple of days to help her mysterious new friend, Brenna, out of a jam up in Dallas. But as soon as Sonya had returned, Muffy had undergone bypass surgery, and her recovery hadnt gone well. Shed contracted a persistent infection that had kept her in Intensive Care.
John-Michael hadnt seen Sonya so devastated since her fathers death when she was ten. Back then, the transformation of that bright, sunny chatterbox to the thin, solemn, pale little wraith floating about the estate had nearly broken his teenage heart, and hed tried everything in his power to make her happy again.
Now, however, there wasnt much he could do; she wasnt a child to be distractedespecially not by him. He was one of her least favorite people these days.
He cleared his throat. Sonya looked over at him, for once open and vulnerable. She hadnt expressed that much feeling in yearsnot around him, anyway.
You really should go home and get some sleep, John-Michael said. Sonya had been sitting by Muffys bedside for almost twenty-four hours.
But she woke up and spoke to me a few minutes ago. She said she wassorry for getting sick so close to my wedding. Sonyas eyes filled with tears. That was the first thing she wanted to say to me.
John-Michael felt the urge to put his arms around Sonya and comfort her. He knew she felt guilty for being gone when her mother was suddenly struck ill, and for not returning his urgent calls. And there was no one else she could turn to for comfort. Muffy and Sonya had no other family. They had no siblings in either generation.
But Sonya would not welcome comfort from him.
Her fianc should be with her now, John-Michael thought with a surge of anger. But Marvin, the insensitive lout, was halfway around the globe and apparently couldnt be bothered.
Your mother wouldnt want you to wear yourself to a frazzle, John-Michael said.
Im staying, she said stubbornly. If youre tired, go on home. Ill be fine.
John-Michael gritted his teeth. For ten years hed hovered over Sonya, knowing her whereabouts at all times. Hed followed her at a discreet distance whenever she dated; hed slept in his car outside strange houses when shed elected to spend the night away from home. Hed sat in doctors waiting rooms and outside college classrooms, watching as she lived her life, wondering if he would ever get to live his.
Sonya hadnt needed a bodyguard. Shed never been threatened or stalked, and she was in no more danger than any other wealthy young woman. But Muffy couldnt bear to take chances with her only daughter, not after her husband had been kidnapped and killed, targeted due to his wealth. The murderers were safely in prison, but Muffy worried it could happen again.
It wasnt likely John-Michael would abandon Sonya now, when Muffy was lying in Intensive Care.
Instead, he resumed his vigil on a padded bench in the ICU waiting area, a bench hed been warming on and off since the day he brought Sonya here from New Orleans.
Thirty minutes later, Sonya emerged from the ICU. The nurses kicked me out. I guess Ive been trying their patience, abusing their visitors rules.
They probably just want you to get some sleep.
She eyed the lumpy bench he was parked on. I could sleep there.
Sonya
Oh, all right. I guess it wouldnt hurt for me to catch a couple of hours sleep at home. The nurses have my cell number. They promised to call if theres any change. She gave him a rare, sympathetic look. You look bushed. You dont really have to stay here with me all the time.
Marvins the one who should be with you.
She glanced away, a sure sign she was about to tell a lie. I told you, hes somewhere in China right now. I cant get hold of him.
Cant you call his company? John-Michael said as they walked toward the elevator. Surely they know how to reach him. And there are satellite phones, you know.
Hes working on an important deal, and I dont want to worry him unnecessarily. He calls me every few days. Ill let him know the situation next time he calls.
John-Michael sure wished he knew what was going on with her. Hed never known Sonya to be so secretiveor to tell so many lies. He and Sonya had had their differences, sure, but shed always been able to trust him. Hed never told Muffy about those frat parties she used to attend that were little more than drunken orgies. Or about the time hed had to rush Sonyas best friend, Cissy Trask, to the hospital when shed had a miscarriage. No one but he and Sonya had known she was pregnant, and no one ever would.
Why now had Sonya decided he couldnt be trusted?
Once they reached the Patterson estate, Sonya disappeared without a word up the curved staircase, her delicate heels noiseless on the Chinese silk carpeting.
John-Michael retreated to his own quarters, a small apartment above the five-car garage. But he was too keyed up to sleep. Instead, he pulled on a pair of gym shorts.
The Patterson estate had its own mini health club, with state-of-the-art exercise equipment, an indoor lap pool, wet and dry saunas and whirlpool.
Foregoing the fancier equipment, John-Michael went a few rounds with a punching bag.
As he moved through a series of jabs and kicks, he thought about the easy friendship he and Sonya had enjoyed when they were kids. Though he was only the gardeners son and Sonya was five years his junior, shed been his sidekick, his little pest, always trailing after him, wanting to hang out with him and his friends. And sometimes hed let her slum with him. Hed shown her how to work on his motorcycle and, at Muffys insistence, how to handle the gun Sonya now kept in her nightstand.
When Muffy decided Sonya needed a bodyguard. John-Michael was the logical choice. Hed just graduated from the police academy, planning a career in law enforcement. Muffy offered him a higher salary than any of the local police departments paid, and shed promised to send him to an elite bodyguard-training school. Hed cheerfully accepted, never realizing he was putting a noose around his own neck.
Muffy had a secondary motive for hiring John-Michael. Shed needed him close at hand to handle any difficulties that came up with Jock, her gardenerwho happened to be John-Michaels father.
The job had gone okay until one night when Sonya attended her first sorority party. John-Michael had gone with her, lurking in the shadows like always, watching as she tried to assert her independence by getting drunk on margaritas. Hed pulled her away from the party before things had gone too far.
Shed been spitting angry with him at first, spouting off about how she was an adult, it was a free world, she would have her mother fire him. Then, when theyd reached the car, shed surprised the hell out of him by throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her lush body up against his. I really am a bad girl, arent I? Before he could answer, before hed been able to think, shed clamped her sweet little mouth over his.
His body had sprung to life, and for the first time hed realized that his charge was no longer a child. She had a womans body, a womans moves.
After thirty seconds of hot kisses and body rubbing, hed pulled himself together and gently pushed her away.
What? shed objected, loudly enough to wake the whole neighborhood. Dont tell me you dont want me. You do. I could feel it.
Dear God. At that moment hed seen the utter folly of what hed done, what hed been about to do. Having sex with his charge, the girl he was supposed to be protecting, would be the grossest sort of irresponsibility he could imagine, not to mention a very short path to losing his job.
The only way to deal with this situation, hed decided, was to end it in a way that was harsh and final, so it would never happen again. So he would never be tempted again.
He gave his punching bag a series of savage jabs as he remembered how difficult it had been to be cruel to her.
Hed forced himself to laugh at her. You dont actually imagine I would be interested in a spoiled little brat like you, hed said, deliberately filling his voice with derision.
The insult had cut, as it was meant to do. Her eyes filled with tears. You kissed me back, she accused.
Im a man, he said harshly. I have hormones. But I also have a brain, thank God, and Im not stupid enough to get it on with Muffy Pattersons daughter.
She would never know, Sonya said in a last-ditch effort to salvage the situation. And it almost worked. Seeing her standing there, more sober now than drunk, her blond hair mussed, her lips full from kissing, hed almost grabbed her and kissed her again. And he wouldnt have stopped with kissing.
Savagely he turned his back on her and opened the passenger door of her BMWher high school graduation present from Muffy. Get in the car. Youre embarrassing yourself.
Do you have a girlfriend? she asked, sounding devastated at the thought.
Thats none of your business. He hoped she would think that meant yes.
Ive never seen you with a girl.
No girlfriend of mine is going to watch while a child orders me around.
He hadnt had a girlfriend. When would he have had time to find one? Hed spent every hour either watching over Sonya or dealing with the disasters his father created. But his ploy had worked. Sonya didnt say another word. And she never again tested her feminine wiles on him.
Back in the present, he took one final swing at the bag. He was out of breath and dripping with sweat, more so than the easy workout should have caused. Time hadnt lessened the intensity of his memories one bit.
Unfortunately, his formerly easygoing friendship with Sonya had been a casualty of that ill-begotten evening. Shed never forgotten, or forgiven, his rejection. For almost ten years, hed had to endure her coldness and hide the desire he felt for her, a desire that had only grown fiercer as shed matured into an intriguing woman.
Hed tried to resign, and Sonya had tried to fire himnumerous times. But gradually, John-Michael had come to understand the complex dynamics of his job. If he wasnt employed in a position that kept him constantly on hand to handle Jock, then Jock would have to go.
And to send Jock away from the Patterson estate, the only home hed ever known, would kill him.
SONYA HADNT REALIZED how tired she was. When next she woke, it was dark outside. She checked her clock and was horrified to discover it was after two in the morning.
Her first thought was that theyd been protecting her from bad newsthey being John-Michael; Tim, the chauffeur; June, the secretary; and possibly Matilda, the housekeeper. Muffys staff had always sheltered Sonya from all unpleasantries.
She sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and switched on a lamp. Her cell phone was right there next to her, with no messages. Grateful that shed had the foresight to put the ICUs phone number into her cells memory, she dialed.
Your mother is actually doing much better, the night nurse told her. The new antibiotic therapy is working. Shes been drifting in and out of sleep, but she did wake up long enough to drink some water. She asked about you.
Sonya was already on her feet. Ill be there in twenty minutes.
No, you dont have to do that, the nurse said firmly. I asked your mother if she wanted me to call you, and she said no, absolutely not, that you needed your sleep.
That sounded like Muffy, Sonya thought with a frown. The benevolent dictator, issuing orders from her sick bed.
Shes fine, really, the nurse insisted. In fact, theyll probably move her out of ICU tomorrow.
That news brought a flood of relief. Sonya hesitated, then decided it probably would serve no good to rush to the hospital in the middle of the night if Muffy was sleeping and in no immediate danger. If she wakes again, tell her Ill be there first thing in the morning, she said. Unless she needs me sooner.
After the call, Sonya felt better, but there was no way she was going back to sleep. She was, in fact, hungry. Shed hardly eaten a bite since Muffs surgery several days ago. She threw on a robe and wandered downstairs to the enormous, restaurant-grade kitchen, certain there would be several tasty dishes in the fridge. That was something she could always count on.
As she entered the huge white-tile-and-chrome room, she flipped on a light so bright it hurt her eyes. The stainless steel appliances gleamed with a recent polish, and the room smelled faintly of fresh-baked bread. As top dog among Houston society mavens, Muffy often gave elaborate dinner parties, for which she had Eric, a Cordon-Bleu-trained chef, prepare gourmet delights that were sure to be written up on the society page and in the food section. And for every day, they had Erics mother, Matilda, a traditional Southern cook down to her bones.
The glass-fronted refrigerator was crammed with dozens of ceramic storage dishes, neatly stacked and labeled with the contents and the throwaway date. Sonya perused the labels, wrinkling her nose. She was not in the mood for Erics dill-crusted sea bass with Parmesan cream sauce, or marmalade-glazed pork medallions and shiitake mushrooms. Then she spotted something that appealed to herMatildas macaroni and cheese. Pure comfort food and a guilty indulgence she and her mother sometimes ate when they were dining alone.
She pulled it out and stuck it in the microwave.
Slowly she realized she was no longer alone in the room. John-Michael stood in the doorway, looking adorably rumpled in gym shorts and an old T-shirt bearing the logo of Close Protection, Inc., where hed gotten his bodyguard training.
Are you okay? he asked. He had this uncanny ability to know whenever she stirred at night. He always noticed when lights went on or if anyone made the slightest noise. She wondered if he ever slept or if he sat up all night, ever vigilant.
I got hungry, she answered. I dont think thats any reason to call out the National Guard. She immediately felt guilty for sniping at him, though. Sorry. Its been a rough few days. You want some macaroni and cheese?
Sure. He went to the fridge and poured himself some milk. Without asking, he pulled out a bottle of her favorite cherry-flavored mineral water, uncapped it and set it out for her.
He knew her so well, probably better than her own mother did. And it irked her. Shed actually been looking forward to escaping his knowing eyes once she was married. Now that wasnt going to happen. She saw herself in twenty years, thirty years, fifty, still single, still living in Muffys house, McPhee still watching over her with his eagle eyes. Still waiting for those few moments when he could escape her and go to whatever girlfriend he would undoubtedly have. Hed probably still be shadowing her every move when they were both in the nursing home. Gawd, what a depressing thought.
I called the hospital, she said. Mothers doing better. She drank some water and told the nurses not to call me.
Already back to her bossy self, huh? But McPhees smile was of pure relief. She didnt blame him. Muffy was a kind employer, if a tad inflexible. She paid her staff far more than the going rate to inspire their loyalty, and it worked.
But McPhee was genuinely fond of Muffy, too. As hard as Sonya was on McPhee, she knew he wasnt completely self-serving.
When the microwave dinged, Sonya took out the dish and scooped generous portions onto white, bone-china plates with gold rims, the only kind Muffy would have in her house. She had a thing against plastic and thought stoneware was almost as bad. Sonya and McPhee sat at the kitchen table and ate with monogrammed sterling forks.
Mmm, I love this stuff, McPhee said.
We better enjoy it while we can. I imagine well see some changes around here when Muffy gets home. Matilda and Eric will have to prepare heart-healthy meals.
Matilda will screech like a banshee over that, McPhee said.
Shell have to get used to it. Ive been telling Mother for years that her diet is impossibly unhealthy. Shell have to listen to me now.
Muffy never listens to anyone.
Sonya sighed. I know. She has her ideas about the way things should be, and nothings going to change them. Certainly not Sonya, whose opinions Muffy had always considered superfluous. Muffy knew what was best, and that was that.
Maybe if we join forces? McPhee suggested. Two against one.
Sonya laughed harshly. That would be a first. We havent agreed on anything sincewell, since we were children.
Since that night at the sorority party, shed almost said. Sonyas skin prickled at the memory, still vivid after all these years.
I think if we present a united front, McPhee said, Muffy will have to pay attention.
Since when do you call her Muffy, anyway?
He shrugged. I dont, not to her face. Just to you.
To irritate me.
He didnt deny it, just flashed that inscrutable half smile of his that drove her crazy. Dont worry, youll be rid of me soon. You havent officially postponed the wedding, have you?
No. Another wave of guilt washed over her. But she could hardly announce she was going to call off the wedding when Muffy was still so ill. Mother said to wait and see how she did after the surgery. Are you counting the days?
Only forty-nine days to go.
She tried to hide her surprise. Shed only been kidding about counting the days. Was he that unhappy? He often aggravated her, but she wasnt miserable with their arrangement. Just what are you planning to do with your newfound freedom? I assume Muffy has another job for you.
McPhee shook his head. Ive already applied and been accepted at the Harris County Sheriffs Department.
This was news to Sonya, and it shook her to the core. She had a hard time visualizing this house, this estate, without John-Michael as a constant fixture. What about your dad?
Dads on the wagon.
Yes, but for how long?
McPhee pushed his plate away without finishing, alerting Sonya to the fact that shed ticked him off. He always cleaned his plate. Ive spent ten years as a virtual prisoner, he said, to my father, to Muffy and to you. Thats long enough. If my father does something crazy and gets himself fired, Ill deal with it. But Im not going to let the fear of that stop me from living. Not anymore.
Sonya hadnt heard much past the word prisoner. If conditions are so wretched here, why didnt you quit? she challenged him.
You dont think Ive tried? But your mother made it pretty clear. If I left, Jock had to go, too. I couldnt do that to him. He has nowhere else to go.
How are things different now?
Your mother is being a bit more flexible, now that your future is secured and my dads behaving himself. I think he finally understands the consequences if he messes up again. Maybe he wont this time.
Sonya wanted to believe that Jock McPhees drinking days were over, but she found it difficult. She recalled all too well the sort of mayhem that ensued when Jock went on a bender. Once hed driven the riding lawnmower right through the living room window and into the middle of one of Muffys tea parties. Another time hed gotten a chainsaw and lopped off half of an ancient oak tree because he was tired of fishing its leaves out of the pool; hed nearly chopped off one of his arms, as well.
Muffy should have fired Jock long ago, but she had such a soft heart she couldnt do it. Besides, when Jock was sober, he was the best gardener in all of Houston and a very nice person. Sonya, as well, had always had a soft spot for Jock. Hed been especially kind to her when she was grieving over her fathers death.
So had McPhee. The teenage boy whod had no use for a ten-year-old girl had suddenly stopped tormenting her. Hed started showing her small kindnesses, offering to drive her to visit friends if Tim was busy, playing volleyball with her in the pool.
That was when shed first fallen in love with him.
Oh, hell, she didnt want to think about that now. Well, I wish you luck in your new career. And Im sorry weve made your life so unpleasant.
No, youre not, he said with a little grin. You did it on purpose. Youve resented me watching your every move as much as Ive resented having to play nursemaid to a spoiled debutante.
Sonya laid down her fork. Boy, youre really taking the gloves off.
I feel a certain recklessness, knowing Ill soon be free.
Now is not the time for me to find out you hate me, she said. I have enough to deal with.
I dont hate you.
You just think Im spoiled.
Anyone who doesnt have to work for a living is spoiled. Its not your fault you were born with so much money.
Sonya wanted to continue the argument. Unfortunately, she knew he was right. Shed never wanted for anything in her life, something shed taken for granted. Did that make her spoiled?
Without a good comeback, she returned her attention to her macaroni and cheese, hoping he would go away.
He did. He rinsed his plate, put it in the dishwasher and left the kitchen without another word.
Sonya felt guilty, though she didnt know why. McPhee was such a thorn in her side, always lurking, nosy about everything she did, every person she saw. But shed known for a long time that being her bodyguard wasnt his dream job. It was boring. Hed never once had to protect her from anything more threatening than a pushy salesman. Yet hed tried to make the best of it.
What a relief it would be for both of them, she supposed, if he went away. Once her mother found out Sonya wasnt getting married, she would try to keep McPhee on the payroll. But she had a feeling his mind was made up. This time, he was really going, really moving out of her life.
A noise at the kitchen door startled Sonya. The Patterson estate had security up the wazoo. At night the gates were locked up tight, and electronic sensors around the perimeter fence would detect any intruder. But Sonya had inherited some of her mothers paranoia, she supposed. Whenever she heard a strange noise at night, or even if a stranger looked at her funny, she mentally reviewed escape routes and the location of the nearest weapons for self-defense.
The sound at the door came again, and then the door opened. Sonya tensed, then relaxed when she recognized the nocturnal visitor. It was just Jock McPhee, John-Michaels father, who was harmless as a baby bird so long as he hadnt been drinking. And even drunk, he wasnt mean, just a bit reckless.
Hello, Jock, Sonya said, alert for any sign that the gardener had been drinking. Jock was probably no more than five-ten, small and wiry. There was some resemblance to John-Michael in the lean face and the shape of his jaw, but that was where the resemblance ended. His coarse hair, once a dark brown, was salt-and-pepper, and it stood out from his head in unruly tufts, as if hed just gotten out of bed. His cheeks bore a dayold, silvery beard, and his front teeth were slightly crooked, though still a bright white.
His most startling feature was his eyes, a vibrant sea blue. They hadnt faded with age. And in this instance, they were clear and alert. No sign that hed fallen off the wagon. His work pants were old and faded, but clean, held up by his trademark rainbow suspenders.
Hello, Miss Sonya, he said with a tentative smile. He spoke with the faint trace of an Irish cadence, a legacy from his home country. I couldnt sleep, and I saw the light. I hope you dont mind the intrusion.
Of course I dont mind. Would you like some macaroni and cheese?
He shook his head. Im not very hungry these days. I just cant seem to settle down since they carted Miss Muffy to the hospital. Nothing bads happened, has it?
Sonyas heart went out to the man. Hed lived on the Patterson estate since he was a baby, when his mother came here to work as a cook. He and Muffy had grown up together. They often fought like a couple of bulldogs over what should be planted and where. Muffy had some old, decrepit camellia bushes that she absolutely refused to let Jock replace or even prune, though they were overgrown and past their prime, and they argued about those silly bushes on a monthly basis. But Sonya knew there was a deep, mutual fondness between the two. No one had given Jock much thought the past couple of days, but he was probably devastated over her mothers health crisis.
My mother is doing better, Sonya said. I just heard from the hospital. They might even move her out of Intensive Care tomorrow.
Oh, praise the heavens, Jock said, sinking into a kitchen chair. Ive been just sick with worry. Is there anything I can do? Oh, of course there isnt, but thats what everybody asks at a time like this.
Im sure my mother would appreciate your kind thoughts and prayers, Sonya said gently.
Do you thinkwould it be all right if I visited her at the hospital? I wouldnt stay long. I could bring her a few blooms from the greenhouse.
She would love to see you, Im sure. Ill let you know as soon as shes allowed visitors.
Thank you, Miss Sonya. I imagine this has put a kink in your wedding plans.
We may have to delay the ceremony, she confirmed. Every time she said it, she felt relieved. When would it be appropriate for her to call the church and give up the date shed selected, January eighth? Once the wedding was no longer scheduled, it would be easy just to never reschedule. Then it would be easier still to convince her mother shed changed her mind about tying the knot with Marvin. Maybe she would never have to tell Muffy what a fool shed been, allowing Marvin to fleece her. The whole subject of Marvin could just quietly disappear.
I was looking forward to making your wedding bouquet myself, Jock said quietly. I know youve hired a big fancy florist to do all the arrangements, but I was hopingwell, I have some of the most beautiful roses youve ever seen in the greenhouse.
Why, Jock, Id be honored to have you do that for me. She knew he was up to the task. He often put together fantastic arrangements for the house. Dont pick out the blooms just yet, she added hastily. But whenever I do get married, I definitely want you to do my bouquet.
He seemed pleased to hear her say that, and he offered her a warm smile. Thank you, Miss Sonya. You and your mother have always been so good to me, even in bad times.
Your son tells me the bad times are over, she said.
Im working real hard, Jock confirmed. Im in AA. In fact, I thought Id head out to a meeting right now.
Do they have meetings at this time of the night?
Just about any time you need one, you can find it. And I need one. This thing with your motherwell, if a man cant drink when someone he cares for is at deaths door, when can he drink?
Sonya wasnt used to Jock speaking so freely about his drinking problem, but she supposed it was a good sign that maybe he really had made lasting changes in his life.
Dont let me keep you, she said. And Im proud of you. I know it cant be easy, changing the habits of a lifetime.
There are some habits you can change, he said. And some you cant. With that cryptic comment, he tipped an imaginary hat and departed.
Chapter Two
John-Michael quickly noted that Sonya wasnt speaking to him as they rode in the limousine toward the hospital the following morning.
I might have been out of line, he ventured, calling you spoiled.
Stuff it.
Okay. She was under stress and he wasnt helping her any. Shed been acting hinky since shed returned from her mysterious road trip.
Were you having an affair? John-Michael asked. Is that what New Orleans was about?
Yes. With Brenna, she added, deadpan. Thank goodness my secret is finally out in the open.
Tim, who wasnt supposed to be listening, snorted from the front seat.
I just cant imagine what would have drawn you to some of the places you visited over the past few weeks, John-Michael continued. Dallas makes sense. But Cottonwood, Texas? And then, some sleazy motel in Smoky Bayou, Louisiana?
Cottonwood was where Cindy Rheems, another of Marvins victims, lived. Smoky Bayou was one of the many stops theyd made as theyd tracked Marvin across two states, always a step behind him. Will you please just let it drop?
Im responsible for your safety, which means I need to know whats going on in your life.
I hereby absolve you of your responsibility.
Theyd been through this conversation, or ones very similar, countless times since hed taken the job as her bodyguard.
When they reached the hospital, rather than following standard procedure for entering a public building, Sonya charged out of the limousine toward the front canopy of Harris County Medical Center without waiting for John-Michael to check things out and then escort her. Usually there was no need for extreme security. Unfortunately, today wasnt usual.
A reporter with a tape recorder appeared out of nowhere heading Sonya off before she could get to the door.
Miss Patterson, Leslie Frazier from Houston Living magazine. Is your mother all right?
Yes, my mother is fine, Sonya said smoothly, a polite smile pasted on.
A source close to the situation says your mother is in Intensive Care, that shes had a heart attack.
John-Michael was about to jump in and rescue his charge, but she handled the situation just fine.
Shes undergoing tests, Sonya said firmly. I have no further comments.
The reporter, seeing John-Michael, looked at him hopefully, but he wouldnt make eye contact, and the firm set of his mouth apparently dissuaded the perky redhead from asking any further questions.
You shouldnt go charging ahead of me like that, John-Michael said when they were out of the reporters earshot.
Youve been reading your own press, Sonya said, sounding annoyed. She was a five-foot-two bubble-head who probably doesnt weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet. I wasnt in any danger.
She could have been someone more dangerous.
McPhee, in all the years youve been guarding me, has anyone ever threatened me?
No, he admitted.
The danger is all in my mothers head. And youve bought into it. Get over yourself. She switched off her cell phone as they entered the building, reminding him to do the same.
They discovered that Muffy was no longer in the Intensive Care Unit. Shed been moved to a regular room. When they finally located her, she was sitting up in bed, her eyes open, the TV on, though John-Michael didnt think she was actually watching the show. She wasnt exactly a Jerry Springer fan. Though she was still hooked up to an IV and oxygen, she looked about 500 percent less scary than yesterday.
Mother?
Muffy looked over and managed a faint smile. Sonya. And John-Michael, how nice.
He walked up to the bed and squeezed her hand. Mrs. Patterson. You must be feeling better. You look great.
Liar. I mustlook likeday-oldpat de foie gras. Her speech was labored, and it pained John-Michael to see her laid so low. But at least she was awake, and seemingly alert.
Mother, dont try to talk, Sonya said.
I wantto talk. I have to thankJohn-Michael. I should have said somethinglong ago.
Thank him for what?
For making me goto the hospital. I thought it wasindigestion. And for finding my girland bringing her home.
Sonya flicked a curious glance toward John-Michael. You did that? Brought her to the E.R.? How come no one told me?
It was a group effort, John-Michael said modestly.
Well, thank you, Sonya said. You probably saved her life.
He shrugged. He didnt consider himself a hero. Hed done what anyone would do. Anyway, having Sonyas gratitude felt alien. He was much more comfortable when she was mad at him.
Sonya returned her attention to her mother, brushing her hand lightly against Muffys cheek. Im sorry I wasnt here when you got sick. Shed already apologized several times, but she felt compelled to repeat herself.
I know, pumpkin. Is Marvin here?
Hes still in China. I cant get hold of him. She said this quickly, as if shed rehearsed the answer over and over. And her eyes flickered up and to the right. John-Michael had studied neuro-linguistic programming as part of his criminology curriculum. Sonya was lying, or at least not telling the whole truth about Marvins whereabouts. John-Michael wished he could get to the bottom of this mystery, but he didnt want to press Sonya when she was still so worried about her mother.
How are the wedding plans coming? Muffy said to Sonya.
Ive put the wedding on hold, Sonya said firmly. Were not going to focus on anything for a while except getting you well.
You cant postpone it, Muffy said, her voice suddenly stronger. Well lose our date at the country club!
Mother, dont worry about it. I promise it will be fine. Well work it out. I want you to focus on getting better.
Its not for two months, Muffy persisted. Ill be fine by then.
Well see, Sonya said.
It amused John-Michael to see Sonya playing the patient parent figure, Muffy the petulant child. He and his father had experienced that reversal many years ago, but hed never expected to see it between these two. In his mind, Sonya was the eternal child, the spoiled princess, and Muffy the overindulgent but firm mama.
Sonya had seemed different, though, since her trip. More mature, more serious, more assertive. Unfortunately for his mental well-being, more attractive, too. He would have to adjust his thinking.
Ill leave you two alone, he said, moving toward the door.
Oh, John-Mikey, Muffy said, using his childhood nickname. Muffy was the only person who could get away with that. Not even Jock tried it. Could you bring me something to eat? Maybe a nice blueberry muffin? She batted her eyelashes. The breakfast they served me was pitiful.
Dont you dare, Sonya said. Shes not getting one bite of anything the doctor didnt prescribe. But I understand if youd like to get something for yourself, she added. I did get you up rather early this morning and didnt even offer you breakfast.
I think I will get something, he said gruffly. Ill see you in a few minutes. John-Michael slipped out the door, needing some space and distance from Sonya. He wasnt sure he liked her being polite to him, nice, even. Such behavior upset the world order. It was much better that he treat her like a contemptible snail.
Shed started to be a little bit nice last night, too, sharing her macaroni and cheese. And hed felt that familiar pull. Shed looked so approachable, all rumpled in her night clothes, her silky robe and nightgown showing far too much of her bodys contours to be considered modest.
That was why hed deliberately picked a fight with her, calling her spoiled. Nothing was as certain to get her dander up. And he needed her mad at him. When she was nice, she was too damn tempting. And this added dimension shed recently acquired, this mysterious allure hed never noticed before, only added to the overall package.
SONYA HAD THOUGHT that, once she and her mother were alone, she might broach the subject of calling off the wedding altogether. Though she wasnt ready to admit shed been seduced, conned, dumped and picked clean, she couldnt allow the wedding plans to continue. Her mother had already spent a fortune on the preparations, much of it nonrefundable.
But Muffys first words, once they were alone, changed her plans. She grasped Sonyas hand with more strength than a woman so recently at deaths door should have been able to muster. Sonya, promise me something.
Ill try. But I wont smuggle you any of Thomass cheesecake. Thomas was Muffys favorite dessert chef, from the Cheesecake Emporium.
No, be serious. You cant postpone the wedding.
Mother
Listen to me. Planning that wedding wasthe most fun Ive ever had in my life, more fun than planningmy own, even.
I know, Sonya said. But the stress
Oh, stress, schmess. I was enjoying myself, and having fun never caused a heart attack.
Sonya knew differently. Even good stress could affect the body in negative ways.
Years of ignoring my doctors adviceand yoursare what made me sick, Muffy continued. But as I was lying on that gurney in the emergency room, and I heard them yell Code Blue!, only one thing kept me alive. I kept telling myself, you have to get through this for Sonyas wedding. You cant miss Sonyas wedding.
Oh, Mother
We cant delay it. What if I have another heart attack and I dont make it?
Thats not going to happen. Your doctor told me
Doctors dont know everything. We cant predict the future. Promise me She paused to catch her breath. Promise me youll carry on with the preparations, that well do it on January 8, just as planned.
Her heart dropped like a rock thrown down a well. The last thing she needed was to continue the pretense that she was going to marry that skunk. Of course, Mother. What else could she say? Shed straighten everything out when her mothers health was better, when she was in no danger of relapsing. Meanwhile, she would have to pretend she was still a blushing bride-to-be.
THREE DAYS LATER Muffys health had dramatically improved. She was walking, talking in a normal voice, eating normallyif hospital food could be called normal for Muffy, which it couldntand begging to be let out of the hospital. She chose to sit in her chair rather than in bed, looking resplendent in the quilted silk bed jacket her friend Tootsie had given her. Shed brought her manicurist in for a fresh set of tips and her hairstylist to reshape the flattened poof of her red-gold hair. She was even wearing makeup.
Per Muffys request, Sonya had brought her Day-timer and her Rolodex, and was now making a long list of tasks that had to be attended to ASAP for the wedding. Her cardiologist happened to visit during this heated planning session, and Sonya was positive he was going to put the kybosh on it. She was, in fact, hoping Dr. Cason would tell Muffy that she was not to even think about something as stressful as her daughters wedding for at least six months.
Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened. Dr. Cason took one look at Muffy, noting the sparkle in her eye and the roses in her cheeks and the smiles and laughter, and he declared planning a wedding to be the secret, curative tonic everyone was looking for.
But, Dr. Cason, Sonya ventured, dont you think this wedding is too stressful for her right now? Ive told her we could postpone it.
No, Muffy said, absolutely not. That would mean starting all over, rebooking the orchestra and the country club, and who knows if our first choices will be available? It would be horrible, much more stressful than merely putting the finishing touches on what weve already planned.
Dr. Cason grinned. I think your mothers right, Sonya. Look at her. Shes smiling and laughing, and studies have shown a happy attitude to be one of the key factors in recovering from cardiac illness.
And I wont overdo, I promise, Muffy wheedled. Sonya can do all the running around and dealing with people. Ill just recline on my chaise lounge, eating my steamed broccoli and drinking skimmed milk she shuddered slightly and directing her efforts.
Sounds like a plan, Cason said, no help at all.
Of course, McPhee was listening to the whole exchange. She looked to him for help, but he remained silent. It was only after they were once again in the back seat of the limo that he voiced his opinion.
You seem awfully anxious to postpone the wedding.
Nonsense. I cant wait to marry Marvin. But of course I want to do whats best for Mother.
Have you talked to Marvin yet?
Yes. Yes, he called last night. He was horrified to hear about Mother and hes going to come home as soon as he can.
Then McPhee did something odd. He closed the glass partition between them and Tim. Normally everybody talked freely in front of Tim, who was the soul of discretion. Hed been driving for the Pattersons since before Sonya was born.
Im sure Marvins parents would be happy to know youve talked to him, McPhee said once they were hermetically sealed into the back seat. Because they havent seen or heard from him in three months. He dropped this bombshell casually, as if it were just normal conversation.
Wh-what? Sonyas heart hammered inside her chest so hard she thought it was trying to escape.
I took a closer look at the report the security agency provided on Marvin Carter III. He really is the oldest son in a very wealthy Boston family. Has quite a pedigree.
Well, of course he is! Sonya said somewhat desperately. She could tell by the sound of McPhees voice that he had something up his sleeve. And he was about to drop it on her.
Hes also a habitual thief. The family has done a good job of hiding it from the public. Arrest records purged, charges dropped, people paid off. But about three months ago he disappeared. Family has no idea where he is, and frankly theyre hoping he wont turn up. I did a bit more digging and discovered hes wanted by the FBI in connection with some art and jewelry thefts.
Where did you hear such nonsense? But her trembling voice gave her away. He knew. He knew everything.
How much did he take from you, Sonya?
I dont know what youre talking about.
I notice you dont wear much jewelry anymore, other than your engagement ring.
She nervously twisted the two-carat, pear-shaped solitaire that sat on her left ring finger. Shed had it checked. It was a very convincing cubic zirconia. She looked out the tinted window. Then she rummaged in her purse until she found a lipstick and reapplied the color and powdered her nose.
This isnt going to go away, McPhee said. The longer you stay in denial, the worse it will be when the truth comes out. And it will, believe me. Sooner or later the press will get wind of it.
Sonya put her face in her hands. Why did McPhee, of all people, have to find out? Wouldnt he have just a grand time, rubbing her nose in her stupidity, rubbing salt in her wounds? Hed told her from the beginning he thought something wasnt right about Marvin.
Your new friends, Brenna and Cindy. They were Marvins victims, too?
Sonya nodded, her face still hidden. She couldnt bear to look at McPhee, to see that knowing smirk that was surely on his face.
McPhee lowered the glass and said something to Tim, though she couldnt hear what. The blood was pounding too loudly in her ears. A few minutes later the limo parked.
Be right back, McPhee said.
Sonya looked up then. They were in a strip shopping center. She had no idea what McPhee was up to and she didnt care. She just wanted to take advantage of his absence and pull herself together. McPhee was right, she couldnt play the denial game anymore. Now she had to draw on all her strength and make some decisions. If she crumbled, others would make decisions for her, as theyd done most of her life, and she wasnt going to let that happen. Now now. Not when the stakes were so high.
With the decision made to own up to the true situation, Sonya felt better, stronger. She reminded herself that her friends Brenna and Cindy had benefited after taking a strong stand against Marvin. Cindy had recovered her restaurant and at least some of her money, and Brenna had tracked down the Picasso painting Marvin had stolen from her parents, as well as some of her jewelry. It was time for Sonya to pull her head out of the sand and resume the fight.
When McPhee returned to the limo a few minutes later, Sonya was sitting upright, posture erect, hands folded demurely in her lap, her face a mask of haughty detachment. Shed learned that face from Muffy. It was the one she wore in the fact of any disaster. Never let anyone see you crying, Muffy had told a ten-year-old Sonya after her fathers funeral, when shed inquired why her mother had remained dry-eyed and stern-faced during the service. If you must cry at all, tears are for when youre alone.
Then she realized McPhee was holding out a grande toffee-nut latte from Starbucksone of her many weaknesses. I had them make it with whole milk instead of skim, and extra whipped cream, he said. You dont look like you need to lose any more weight.
The small kindness almost undid her. She wasnt used to McPhee being kind or sympathetic, not in recent history. Courteous, yes. Always mindful of her needs, always quick to do her bidding. As she took the coffee drink, she glanced over at him. No sign of a smirk. He looked genuinely worried.
I told Tim to just drive around for a while, he said. I want to hear the whole story. I need to know what happened if Im going to help you keep this thing contained. Now, lets start from the beginning. How much did he take from you?
Resigned, she told him what he wanted to know. Not as much as he took from some of his other victims. I didnt have a lot of easily accessible cash, just what was in my checking accountabout thirty-five thousand dollars. He couldnt get at my trust fund, which Im sure was what he was hoping for. But he did take all my jewelry, which was worth a considerable sum. Shed collected quite a few baubles over the years. Her mother was fond of giving her jewelry for just about any occasionthe larger and more unusual, the better.
Sonya took another sip of the rich, sweet coffee drink. The warmth was welcome, since she was shivering.
He took three fur coats, she continued. A sable, a mink and a fox. Not that she ever wore them. They were gifts, too, and very impractical, given that it seldom got cold enough for fur in Houston. Besides, fur coats were very un-PC.
So Marvin was engaged to Brenna and Cindy and you at the same time?
Yes. Cindy had a lot of cash from her first husbands life insurance. Her parents had left her money and property, too, as well as a restaurant, so Im sure she was quite attractive to Marvin. Brenna is the heiress to a chi-chi department store in Dallas.
How did you locate them?
I found Brennas phone number in the call history of Marvins cell phone.
McPhee arched one eyebrow. And why were you looking there?
Id started to suspect he had a girlfriend, she admitted. All those long absences when he was supposedly traveling on business. Whispered phone calls at odd times. So I snooped. But I didnt try to contact her until after Marvin left with all my stuff. When I was supposed to be at the spa, I went to see Brenna instead. She had a lead on a third victim, who turned out to be Cindy. She lives in Cottonwoodthats why we went there. By the time we found her, shed already lost everything.
Holy cow. Were there more victims?
He was working on a bank teller in Louisiana. Her father owned the bank. He was planning some sort of scam to get access to the banks computer system. But we caught up with him before he could actually steal anything from her. Flushed him out. We recovered some of Cindys money, but Marvin got away. She laughed. He had to run naked down Main Street to get away from us.
She chanced another look at McPhee and realized shed surprised him. He was staring at her, slack-jawed. Let me get this straight, he said when hed recovered from the shock. You went with Brenna and Cindythose two pretty blondes I met a couple of weeks ago when you went to Dallason a manhunt? Thats what you were doing all that time you were out of town? Thats why you were in New Orleans?
Yes. Then there was New York.
You went to New York? McPhee asked in a voice that sounded fearful of her answer.
No, silly. But Brenna did. She and Agent Packer had him cornered at that jewelry show.
The one you were helping her get ready for?
Sonya nodded. Marvin escaped by jumping down an elevator shaft. The story had been reported on CNN, and even the Houston Chronicle had run a piece on it. Thankfully, Marvins real name hadnt been mentioned in either story.
Its all starting to fit together now, McPhee said thoughtfully. But its weird. I never thought of you as one of Charlies Angels.
As Ive pointed out before, she said with exaggerated patience, you dont know everything about me. Whats more, I intend to continue the hunt for Marvin. Hes getting bolder and greedier. Pretty soon hes bound to do something really stupid and get himself caught. Or get somebody hurt.
Its too dangerous. You cant
I can, and I will. Mothers illness derailed my participation, but once we get her squared away, Im back in it. Law enforcement isnt making much of an effort. Marvin didnt murder anyone or rob a bank, so hes a low priority.
What about Packer?
He was the only FBI agent to take the case seriously, but then he got fired, and when he recovered the stolen Picasso they tried to give him his job back, but he refused, and now hes a private investigator.
McPhee squeezed the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, as if he had a headache. Stolen Picasso?
Sonya was pleased to have surprised McPhee. As she recalled how strong she and the other womenThe Blondes, as the people of Cottonwood had dubbed themhad been together, she felt a surge of power wash through her. The feelings of helplessness and inadequacy that shed almost succumbed to a few minutes earlier receded. She wasnt just a spoiled debutante, no matter what McPhee thought. She was smart and capable, and she could accomplish great things when she put her mind to it.
We think Marvin might have gone to
McPhee held up a hand to halt her explanations. Please, I cant take any more of this. Youve thrown my whole universe off balance.
Good, she said with a smile. You need that, sometimes.
JOHN-MICHAEL LEANED BACK against the limos buttery leather seat, stunned to the core. Hed known Sonya was harboring a secret. Hed tried to put it together a couple of weeks ago, when shed taken a quick weekend trip to Dallas to help Brenna prepare for a jewelry show. Hed discovered then that she had another new friend, Cindy, from Cottonwood, Texas, and the three of them had behaved the way closely bonded, longtime friends act. He knew there was a story there, but hed been at a loss. He hadnt gotten many facts out of Heath Packer, either. The FBI agent had been friendly to John-Michael, and his personal interest in Brenna had been apparent, but hed volunteered little information as to the nature of the friendship among the three women. By the time John-Michael and Sonya had returned to Houston, hed been no wiser.
His theory had been that Sonya had a lover. That would have been shocking enough. But to find out shed been living a clandestine life hunting down a criminal blew him away. He could hardly wrap his mind around it.
Sonya, pensive now after her long, convoluted explanation, took another sip of her latte, leaving a slight whipped-cream mustache. She licked it off.
Not now, John-Michael thought disgustedly. Now was not the time for his sporadic lust for Sonya Patterson to rear its ugly head. Hed been dealing with it for years, and usually all it took was a sharp reminder of exactly who Sonya wasa spoiled, useless little rich girl with nothing more important on her mind than her next manicure appointmentto cool his desire. Physically she might be a pure turn-on, but hed long ago learned to look beyond a womans body to the substance of her. Pretty girls were a dime a dozen, and he had no trouble attracting them. But finding one who was pretty and intelligent and interestingthats what it took to capture John-Michaels libido for more than thirty seconds.
Sonya had become suddenly interesting, damn it. Perhaps she had a lot more behind that cool demeanor than she let on. She did have a degree in chemical engineering from Rice University, and graduating from that school was no cakewalk. But frankly, hed assumed Sonyas family wealth had bought the degree. Her mother had donated buckets of money to her fathers alma mater. And hed never seen Sonya study much while she was in college.
This was a helluva time for him to start thinking of her as more than arm candy. He had a future planned, a life apart from the Pattersons. Hed actually been looking forward to moving on. Now, suddenly, he wasnt so sure.
He forced himself to think about freezing cold waterfalls and cornmeal mush until his jeans were no longer quite so tight. Then he returned to the matter at hand.
When are you going to tell Muffy?
Her eyes widened in alarm. Im not. Are you kidding? The news would kill her! Dr. Cason said we had to keep her smiling and laughing.
Youll have to tell her at some point. I mean, lets face it, the groom isnt going to show up for this wedding.
Sonya started to chew on one of her nails, then quickly stopped herself. She used to bite her nails as a child, he remembered. It was only when shed discovered acrylic-sculptured nails that shed been able to stop.
Ill tell her when shes stronger, Sonya said. But not now, not yet. Shes not even out of the hospital. And you cant tell her, either, she said, suddenly fierce. You cant tell anyone. No one is to know that this wedding isnt going to take place.
Dont you think people are going to get a little suspicious when they never see the groom-to-be? Isnt his absence going to be noted?
Ive already told people he travels on business a lot. And he supposedly lives in Boston. Anyway, most men are weddingphobic. They wont come near the preparations. No one will think its odd in the least, believe me.
Butyou cant just let your mother keep throwing money at a wedding that wont ever happen, John-Michael objected. Doesnt it strike you as a bit cruel to lie to her, to keep up the pretense? The farther along you get with this thing, the harder its going to be when you have to call it off.
Damned right it would be hard. And he wasnt helping. But Muffy could stand to throw away a few bucks a lot more easily than her heart could stand an emotional shock. And somehow Sonya would figure out a way to pay her back. As soon as her doctor says shes well enough to handle gruesomely unpleasant news, Ill tell her. But not before. McPhee, promise me. Not a word.
All right, I promise. What choice did he have? He wasnt going to be responsible for causing Muffy a second heart attack. But his instincts warned him that the longer they maintained the lie, the messier it was going to get, for all parties concerned.
Chapter Three
It was December, almost a month after Muffys heart attack, that she finally came home. Then the real fun began.
Sonya, still feeling guilty for having been away from home and out of touch when Muffy was stricken ill, appointed herself sole guardian of Muffys health. That meant learning all of the doctors instructions and seeing that they were followed to the letter.
It also meant limiting her mothers social calendar. Dr. Cason had emphasized that social visits, while pleasant, were tiring. Some activity was desirable, but getting enough rest, so the heart could heal, was essential.
Tootsie proved to be Sonyas first big challenge. She showed up less than an hour after Muffys homecoming.
She has to rest, Sonya said, standing squarely in the front doorway, refusing to even allow Tootsie in the house. Tootsie had come to the hospital almost every day, staying hour after hour, gossiping endlessly until the nurses threw her out. Once she got inside the house, there would be no getting rid of her. And you may not give her those chocolates. Tootsie, whats the matter with you? Shes had a heart attack! Shes on a restricted diet.
Tootsie rolled her eyes. There will be plenty of time for all that dreary cardiac rehab stuff when Muffys feeling better, said Tootsie, herself thin and straight as a fencepost. Shed likely never had to worry about extra pounds and the resulting health concerns. I went through this with my husband. Now dont be a brat. She smiled insincerely. I wont stay long.
Tootsies husband had died after his third heart attack. It was tacky to hold Tootsie responsible, but she certainly couldnt be held up as an expert in cardiac aftercare.
Sonya threw her arm across the doorway. Im sorry, Tootsie, but Im going to have to insist Her words trailed off as she realized Tootsie wasnt listening. She was looking over Sonyas shoulder and smiling like a cunning cat with a canary on its mind.
Sonya knew who was behind her without looking. Tootsie had always enjoyed ogling John-Michael, not that Sonya could blame her for that.
Why, John-Michael, Tootsie purred, arent you lookingfine today. Would you tell your little charge here to let me inside? Muffy will think her best friend has abandoned her if I dont visit her every single day.
Sonya gritted her teeth at being referred to as McPhees little charge.
McPhee put his hand around Sonyas arm and gently moved it, allowing Tootsie inside. Mrs. Patterson is with her physical therapist right now, and she asked that she not be disturbed. If youd care to wait, shell be done in a couple of hours.
Tootsie consulted her diamond Piaget watch. Oh, I cant wait. I have an appointment to get the Caddy serviced. Ill come back later. Would you see that Muffy gets these? She handed the box of chocolates to McPhee.
Of course.
Tootsie turned and headed right back out the door, then paused on the porch to look over her shoulder at Sonya. Pretty big for your britches, now that youre getting married to a millionaire, huh?
Sonya took a step back. She was used to Tootsies veiled putdowns, but not overt antagonism.
Just remember, I knew Muffy for twenty years before you were born. I know what she needs most, and she doesnt need to be treated like some invalid.
Astonished, Sonya watched Tootsie climb into her Cadillac. That woman had some nerve. And speaking of nerveAs the Caddy roared off, Sonya turned to see John Michael opening the box of chocolates Tootsie had shoved at him.
You arent giving those to Mother.
Of course not. Want one?
No, I dont want one! I cant believe you just overruled me like that! You moved my arm like it was nothing and let her in.
I got rid of her, didnt I?
Come to think of it, he had.
I was using psychology on her, he explained. You have to make Tootsie believe shes the one making the decisions. She hates waiting around, so I knew she wouldnt when I gave her the option.
The physical therapist isnt really here, is she?
Shes scheduled for two oclock. Are you sure you dont want a chocolate?
You know I do. Why do you even tempt me? Sonya had a wicked sweet tooth, but she usually didnt let herself have candy. She had a tendency not to stop once she started.
He popped a chocolate-covered caramel into his mouth. Speaking of temptations, she wished he wouldnt parade around the house in gym shorts and a snug T-shirt that showed off every muscle. Didnt he know it was December? No wonder Tootsie had practically drooled.
He held the box out to her. You dont exactly need to worry about gaining weight.
Sonya had dropped some weight. And chocolate was an antioxidant and an antidepressant, she rationalized. Sonya remembered reading that happy news in the books on diet and nutrition Dr. Cason had given her. She reconsidered the chocolate. Maybe Ill have just one piecefor the therapeutic value, of course.
Of course. He extended the box toward her.
After making a careful inspection of the available candies, she selected one that looked like it had almonds in it. Almonds are just bursting with Omega-3 fatty acids, she said, and settled it gently on her tongue. The candy was exquisite. Of course, Tootsie never bought anything that wasnt first-rate and superexpensive. Sonya chose another, a miniature cherry truffle. Cherries were fruits. That had to be healthy. Oh, my, these are good.
McPhee set the box down on a small gilt table in the foyer, which was flanked by two delicate Louis XV chairs. He sat in one, and Sonya automatically sat in the other. No way was she going to let him hog all that chocolate.
We really should share these, she said.
The box has three layers. Plenty for all.
Oh, okay. Sonya picked out a toffee. I wish I knew how you manipulated Tootsie so easily. If I had told her she couldnt visit Mother during physical therapy, shed have just argued me into the ground until she got her way.
Shes old-fashioned. She defers to males, even if theyre only servants.
I dont think of you as a servant, she said, feeling charitable. Chocolate had that effect on her. Youre part of the family. She realized how stupid that sounded almost before the words had left her lips.
McPhee laughed, soft and deep in his throat. The sound vibrated along Sonyas nerve endings. Funny, I dont feel at all like a brother.
Sonya stuffed another chocolate into her mouth. She didnt even make a careful selection this time, just grabbed the one closest. He was right, of course. She never would have treated a brother as coldly as shed treated McPhee over the past ten years. But she never would have had romantic feelings for a brother, either.
Once shed let the lid off that particular Pandoras Box, thered been no going back. It would have been one thing if hed returned her feelings. But when hed indicated with crystal clarity that he was not open to romance, her only other choice had been coldness. To get over him, shed had to convince herself she hated him.
She didnt, of course. Never had. And shed never exactly gotten over him. Even when Marvin had come along and swept her off her feet, shed still sometimes lain awake at night, wondering how it might have been if McPhee had responded to her romantic overtures that night so long ago.
Now, maybe it was time she got over it. She wasnt some teenager with a crush, even if she still felt that way sometimes. She was grown up. Holding on to a ten-year-old grudge was stupid, especially when she knew McPhee couldnt help it that he hadnt wanted to get involved with her. Just as she hadnt been able to control her own emotions.
McPhee, Ive been horrible to you. And Id like to apologize. I know one apology cant make up for ten years of bitchiness
Whoa, whoa! McPhee shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind of some untenable thought. Did you just apologize to me?
I was trying to. But if youre going to be ugly about it
No, please. Go on.
She tried to ignore the trace of amusement evident in the set of his mouth, the sparkle in his brown eyes. Mothers illness has brought some things into focus for me. You just never know when youre going to lose someone. I want to appreciate the people in my life before theyre gone and its too late.
Ithanks. Does this mean you forgive me?
For what? she asked, pretending she didnt know what he was talking about.
You know what. That night. When everything changed.
Oh, that. She waved away the notion that it was important. I had too much to drink and I put you in an awkward position.
I could have handled the situation with a little more tact.
Its ancient history, as far as Im concerned. And she was very proud of herself for having such a mature discussion about it. We should have cleared the air about that years ago. But better now than never. I dont want us to be enemies, she added.
No, I dont want that, either. I dont want to leave here on bad terms with you.
Sonya sat up straighter. Suddenly all that burgeoning maturity fled like a flock of sparrows when a hungry cat jumps into their midst. Youre not really leaving, are you?
He looked at her the way he used to when she would ask a particularly dumb question about motorcycle maintenance. I already told you that, right? That Im going to work for the Sheriffs Department?
Yes, but that was when you thought I was getting married.
Im still going. My last day is still January 8.
But Mother
will have to get used to the idea. I want to go now, while my father is determined to stay off the sauce. If I stay, it might give him an excuse to give up, since he knows Ill be here to rescue him.
A few days ago, Sonya had actually been worried that shed be stuck with her bodyguard for the rest of her life. She should have been immensely relieved that she would finally be rid of him.
But what she felt wasnt relief, she was pretty sure.
She reached for another chocolate, but McPhee slid the box out of her reach. Youre going to be sick if you eat any more of those.
Come to think of it, she did feel uncomfortably full. How many had she eaten? Three? Four?
You ate seven, McPhee said, reading her mind in that annoying way he had.
Seven! Oh, why did you even let me get started? You know how I am.
Youre not exactly the queen of moderation, he agreed.
How many did you eat? She started to count the empty squares, hoping to discover hed eaten at least as many as she, but he put the lid on the box.
Ill get rid of the rest.
Good idea.
So Im forgiven? he persisted.
Assuming you dont force me to eat any more of those chocolates. Or do anything between now and January 8 to make me mad.
Sometimes all I have to do is say Good morning to make you mad.
She stood and gave him an imperious look, but for some reason she was about to laugh and ruin her exit line. Youll want to try not to smirk at me when you say Good morning.
I do not smirk.
You do. In a really annoying and condescending way like one of those English servants who know everything. Admit it.
Its possible, he said carefully, that I sometimes lift a sardonic eyebrow in a sort of Heathcliff-esque way. I wouldnt refer to it as a smirk, which would involve pursing my mouth in some unattractive manner.
Youre getting into semantics now. Whatever you call it, a smirk or a sardonic eyebrow lift, it gets my goat. If youll make an effort to stop doing it, I will try not to get mad more often than you really deserve. And she whisked out of the room in search of some Pepcid.
JOHN-MICHAEL WATCHED HER GO, his stomach lurching in an odd way that had nothing to do with eating too many chocolates. Who was this woman? She certainly wasnt acting like the spoiled debutante. Shed jumped out of that neat pigeonhole into which hed had her safely stuffed all these years. And he wasnt comfortable with the situation, not at all.
A spoiled, petulant Sonya, putting him in his place, was far easier to deal with than a kind, sensitive, funny Sonya. Shed actually shown him her sense of humor just now, something she hadnt directed his way in forever. First hed had to accept her cloak-and-dagger activities. Now this.
All right, he was going to have to face the fact. His lust for Sonya was turning into something else, something dangerous. For the first time in many years, he wasnt sure he could hold himself back, pretend indifference.
But maybe he didnt have to. Hell, he was soon to be off the Patterson payroll. Sonya would no longer be forbidden fruit. He let himself roll that idea around in his head, intrigued with it.
Whistling, he carried the chocolates into the kitchen, where he found Matilda. Normally the roly-poly Patterson cook was perky as one of her own orange-marmalade muffins. But ever since Muffys heart attack, Matilda had been sulking over the fact that she had to completely change the way she prepared Muffys meals. Now he found her sifting through her recipe box, sorting cards into keep and throw away piles. The throw-away pile was much larger than the keeper.
She eyed the box of chocolates suspiciously. Oh, so its all right for you to be peddling this fattening stuff, she said as she took two candies, but not me?
You dont have any heart problems, do you?
Not a one. Doc says Im healthy as a horse. Good genes.
Well, not all of us were born so lucky. Cmon, Mattie, you can adapt. Think of it as a challenge, a chance to try some new recipes.
But those recipes Mrs. Pattersons doctor gave me are so boring, so tasteless.
So, invent your own recipes. Maybe if you and Eric work together you can come up with some gourmet heart-healthy recipes and we can all eat healthier.
Healthier, right. She nodded toward the candy. Where did you get those?
Tootsie. Sensitive soul that she is, she brought them for Mrs. Patterson.
Ugh! Whats she trying to do, kill her best friend? Just because shes a skinny twig and can eat anything she wants. Take those chocolates out of here.
Mattie? said a disembodied voice. Mattie, are you there? It was Muffy on the intercom.
Matilda walked over to the kitchen unit, on the wall near the phone. Yes, Mrs. Patterson?
.
.
, (https://www.litres.ru/kara-lennox/out-of-town-bride/) .
Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, , , , PayPal, WebMoney, ., QIWI , .
Kara Lennox
Socialite Sonya Patterson's dreams of the perfect wedding turn into a perfect nightmare when her fianc leaves town with her prideand her money! If not for her two best friends and her bodyguard, John-Michael McPhee, dispensing you-deserve-better advice, Sonya wouldn't have had the courage to go in search of the no-good con man.Keeping the situation a secret from her ailing mother is certainly a challenge, but it's the road trip with her sexy protector that's the real exercise in restraint. After all, long days and small spaces are bound to give a girl ideas.
Wow! Kara Lennoxs BLOND JUSTICE series has it allsmart, determined heroines, ya-gotta-love-em macho heroes, taut suspense and romance that will steam your glasses while it melts your heart. Each book is a winner; together theyre pure magic.
USA TODAY bestselling author
Merline Lovelace
Dear Reader,
Theres almost nothing more stressful than a wedding. Sonya Patterson has the added stress of a mom in the hospital, a con-man groom after her millions, a reporter hunting for scandal, and the man shes loved and hated her whole life suddenly becoming more than her dutiful bodyguard.
I had a lot of fun wrapping up the BLOND JUSTICE series. If youve enjoyed watching The Blondes get the best of slippery con man Marvin Carter, youll be delighted with their brand of ultimate justice. But I hope youll also take pleasure in watching Sonya and John-Michael work through barriers of wealth, social class and a painful history to reach the happy ending they deserve.
Please let me know what you think! I love hearing from readers. Visit me at www.karalennox.com or write me at karalennox@yahoo.com.
All my best,
Out of Town Bride
Kara Lennox
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For the Thursday Lunch-n-Starbucks crowdVictoria Chancellor, Judy Christenberry, Kay Dykes, Tammy Hilz and Rebecca Russell. Yall keep me sane.
Books by Kara Lennox
MILLS & BOON AMERICAN ROMANCE
934VIXEN IN DISGUISE* (#litres_trial_promo)
942PLAIN JANES PLAN* (#litres_trial_promo)
951SASSY CINDERELLA* (#litres_trial_promo)
974FORTUNES TWINS
990THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR
1052THE FORGOTTEN COWBOY
1068HOMETOWN HONEY (#litres_trial_promo)
1081DOWNTOWN DEBUTANTE (#litres_trial_promo)
Contents
Prologue (#uc083d45b-1fe7-5896-b025-e05d2ec95ca2)
Chapter One (#u8ad9e38c-02ce-5fb7-b522-c0f4c182938a)
Chapter Two (#u8a49751a-7d16-5baf-aa41-6bb0f80efa92)
Chapter Three (#ufde1f7ab-bb4a-5185-b39c-9e91ffb5791e)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
Airplane seats were way too small and too crowded together. Sonya Patterson had never thought much about it before, since shed always flown first class in the past. But this was a last-minute ticket on a no-first-class kind of plane.
Shed also never flown on a commercial airline with her bodyguard, which might explain her current claustrophobia. John-Michael McPhee was a broad-shouldered, well-muscled man, and Sonya was squashed between him and a hyperactive seven-year-old whose mother was fast asleep in the row behind them.
She could smell the leather of McPhees bomber jacket. Hed had that jacket for years, and every time Sonya saw him in it, her stupid heart gave a little leap. She hated herself for letting him affect her that way. Didnt most women get over their teenage crushes by the time they were pushing thirty?
I didnt know you were a nervous flyer, McPhee said, brushing his index finger over her left hand. Sonya realized she was clutching her armrests as if the plane were about to crash.
What would he think, she wondered, if she blurted out that it wasnt the flying that made her nervous, it was being so close to him? Her mother would not approve of Sonyas messy feelings where McPhee was concerned.
Her mother. Sonyas heart ached at the thought of her vibrant mother lying in a hospital bed hooked up to machines. Muffy Lockridge Patterson was one of those women who never stopped running all day, every day, at full throttle with a to-do list a mile long. Over the years Sonya had often encouraged her mother to slow down, relax and cut back on the rich foods. But Muffy seldom took advice from anyone.
Sonya consciously loosened her grip on the armrests when McPhee nudged her again.
Shell be okay, he said softly. She was in stable condition when I left, and Tootsie was with her.
Tootsie? Is that supposed to comfort me? Tootsie Milford, Muffys best friend since boarding school, was a consummate snob who never did a kindness for anyone unless she thought she could get something out of itusually attention.
Sonya said little else to McPhee during the short flight, and he returned the favor. It was only after the limo picked them up at Hobby Airport that they spoke openly, safe from curious eavesdroppers.
Do you want to go home first? McPhee asked.
No, of course not. Tim, she said, addressing the chauffeur, lets go straight to the hospital, please.
Tim hit the gas as Sonya fastened her seat belt. McPhee, as usual, didnt bother. Sonya tried her best to ignore him. She rooted through her suede bag for her compact and busied herself powdering her nose and refreshing her lipstick. Other people might consider her vain, worrying about her appearance during a crisis. But grooming rituals had always given her comfort. That was something she and her mother shared. The world might be crashing down around her ears, but that didnt mean she had to take it with a shiny nose and flyaway hair.
Are you going to tell me what you were doing in New Orleans with your sorority sister? McPhee asked, apparently unwilling to be ignored.
So, he hadnt bought her cover story. But shed had to come up with something quickly when McPhee had tracked her down hundreds of miles away from where she was supposed to be. Shed already been caught in a bald-faced liefor weeks shed been telling her mother she was at a spa in Dallas, working out her prewedding jitters.
I was shopping in New Orleans for my trousseau, she tried again. Brennas a fashion consultant.
McPhee laughed out loud at that one. Lord help us if you start dressing like her.
All right, so Brenna was a little avant-garde with her spiky hair, miniskirts and platform shoes.
Anyway, McPhee continued, why would a fashion consultant be wanted by the FBI? Come on, Sonya, who is she? And dont tell me shes an old friend. I know all your old friends.
You think you know everything about me, dont you? Well, you dont. I met Brenna at the spa.
I checked with Elizabeth Arden. You havent been there in over three years.
I went to a different spa this time. The lies were stacking upand none of them were flying with McPhee.
He didnt respond, merely stared her down with those incongruously dark-brown eyes. His eyes had always fascinated her, so dark when his hair was blond, and so blasted knowing, as if he could see straight to her most intimate thoughts.
She resisted the urge to squirm under his gaze. She was an adult, she reminded herself. I have private reasons for my trip to New Orleans, and they dont concern you.
Very well, Miss Patterson, he said in his Jeeves-the-butler voice. Forgive me for overstepping my bounds.
She hated it when he accused her of acting like mistress of the manor. She wasnt the class-conscious one around here, after all. In fact, shed once tried to erase the social and financial barriers that separated them. McPhee was the one who had erected most of those barriers, making them more unbreachable than a twenty-foot concrete wall.
What are you going to do about the wedding? McPhee asked, abruptly changing tacks. Its only two months away.
Sonya felt a hot flush at the mention of the wedding. Oh, Lord, she should have called it off a long time ago. Well consider the wedding on hold until we have an idea when my mother will recover.
I think thats wise.
You sound almost pleased. I thought you were looking forward to being unemployed. Muffy had agreed that, much as it pained her, McPhees services would no longer be needed after Sonya was married.
I dont plan to be unemployed, McPhee said curtly. You might want to talk to June. Shell have to find a way to announce the wedding postponement without raising any alarms. June was her mothers secretary, who always dealt with anything having to do with the media.
Has the press been nosing around? Sonya asked.
June issued a statement that Mrs. Patterson was going in for routine tests. But theres been one persistent magazine reporter who isnt buying it.
Let me guess. Leslie Frazier?
Thats the one.
Ugh. Leslie Frazier had a nose for scandal, and she worked for Houston Living, a gossipy society magazine. If she got wind of Sonyas disappearing act, shed have a field day. And when she found out the truththat the marriage would never take place at all, followed by the truth about her purported fianc, Marvin Carter IIIshe would turn Sonya into a laughingstock.
Sonya knew she couldnt stop the real story from coming out eventually. It was only a matter of time. But she wished she could have some control over how and when the news broke.
The truth was, Marvin Carter III was a con man with multiple fiances. Weeks earlier, Marvin had disappeared from Sonyas life, along with her jewelry, her furs and all her money.
Yet she hadnt found the courage to tell her mother shed been jilted and fleeced, and wedding plans continued like a runaway train.
Chapter One
Two weeks later John-Michael McPhee watched Sonya silently for a few moments. She sat at her mothers bedside, holding Muffys limp hand, head bowed. Her artfully highlighted blond hair, which she usually kept pinned up in some elaborate arrangement, had long ago fallen from its confines and now hung in shimmering waves to her shoulders, reminding him of when she was a teenager.
At first, it had seemed that Muffy would recover quickly from her heart attack. Shed been doing so well, in fact, that Sonya had felt it was okay to leave town for a couple of days to help her mysterious new friend, Brenna, out of a jam up in Dallas. But as soon as Sonya had returned, Muffy had undergone bypass surgery, and her recovery hadnt gone well. Shed contracted a persistent infection that had kept her in Intensive Care.
John-Michael hadnt seen Sonya so devastated since her fathers death when she was ten. Back then, the transformation of that bright, sunny chatterbox to the thin, solemn, pale little wraith floating about the estate had nearly broken his teenage heart, and hed tried everything in his power to make her happy again.
Now, however, there wasnt much he could do; she wasnt a child to be distractedespecially not by him. He was one of her least favorite people these days.
He cleared his throat. Sonya looked over at him, for once open and vulnerable. She hadnt expressed that much feeling in yearsnot around him, anyway.
You really should go home and get some sleep, John-Michael said. Sonya had been sitting by Muffys bedside for almost twenty-four hours.
But she woke up and spoke to me a few minutes ago. She said she wassorry for getting sick so close to my wedding. Sonyas eyes filled with tears. That was the first thing she wanted to say to me.
John-Michael felt the urge to put his arms around Sonya and comfort her. He knew she felt guilty for being gone when her mother was suddenly struck ill, and for not returning his urgent calls. And there was no one else she could turn to for comfort. Muffy and Sonya had no other family. They had no siblings in either generation.
But Sonya would not welcome comfort from him.
Her fianc should be with her now, John-Michael thought with a surge of anger. But Marvin, the insensitive lout, was halfway around the globe and apparently couldnt be bothered.
Your mother wouldnt want you to wear yourself to a frazzle, John-Michael said.
Im staying, she said stubbornly. If youre tired, go on home. Ill be fine.
John-Michael gritted his teeth. For ten years hed hovered over Sonya, knowing her whereabouts at all times. Hed followed her at a discreet distance whenever she dated; hed slept in his car outside strange houses when shed elected to spend the night away from home. Hed sat in doctors waiting rooms and outside college classrooms, watching as she lived her life, wondering if he would ever get to live his.
Sonya hadnt needed a bodyguard. Shed never been threatened or stalked, and she was in no more danger than any other wealthy young woman. But Muffy couldnt bear to take chances with her only daughter, not after her husband had been kidnapped and killed, targeted due to his wealth. The murderers were safely in prison, but Muffy worried it could happen again.
It wasnt likely John-Michael would abandon Sonya now, when Muffy was lying in Intensive Care.
Instead, he resumed his vigil on a padded bench in the ICU waiting area, a bench hed been warming on and off since the day he brought Sonya here from New Orleans.
Thirty minutes later, Sonya emerged from the ICU. The nurses kicked me out. I guess Ive been trying their patience, abusing their visitors rules.
They probably just want you to get some sleep.
She eyed the lumpy bench he was parked on. I could sleep there.
Sonya
Oh, all right. I guess it wouldnt hurt for me to catch a couple of hours sleep at home. The nurses have my cell number. They promised to call if theres any change. She gave him a rare, sympathetic look. You look bushed. You dont really have to stay here with me all the time.
Marvins the one who should be with you.
She glanced away, a sure sign she was about to tell a lie. I told you, hes somewhere in China right now. I cant get hold of him.
Cant you call his company? John-Michael said as they walked toward the elevator. Surely they know how to reach him. And there are satellite phones, you know.
Hes working on an important deal, and I dont want to worry him unnecessarily. He calls me every few days. Ill let him know the situation next time he calls.
John-Michael sure wished he knew what was going on with her. Hed never known Sonya to be so secretiveor to tell so many lies. He and Sonya had had their differences, sure, but shed always been able to trust him. Hed never told Muffy about those frat parties she used to attend that were little more than drunken orgies. Or about the time hed had to rush Sonyas best friend, Cissy Trask, to the hospital when shed had a miscarriage. No one but he and Sonya had known she was pregnant, and no one ever would.
Why now had Sonya decided he couldnt be trusted?
Once they reached the Patterson estate, Sonya disappeared without a word up the curved staircase, her delicate heels noiseless on the Chinese silk carpeting.
John-Michael retreated to his own quarters, a small apartment above the five-car garage. But he was too keyed up to sleep. Instead, he pulled on a pair of gym shorts.
The Patterson estate had its own mini health club, with state-of-the-art exercise equipment, an indoor lap pool, wet and dry saunas and whirlpool.
Foregoing the fancier equipment, John-Michael went a few rounds with a punching bag.
As he moved through a series of jabs and kicks, he thought about the easy friendship he and Sonya had enjoyed when they were kids. Though he was only the gardeners son and Sonya was five years his junior, shed been his sidekick, his little pest, always trailing after him, wanting to hang out with him and his friends. And sometimes hed let her slum with him. Hed shown her how to work on his motorcycle and, at Muffys insistence, how to handle the gun Sonya now kept in her nightstand.
When Muffy decided Sonya needed a bodyguard. John-Michael was the logical choice. Hed just graduated from the police academy, planning a career in law enforcement. Muffy offered him a higher salary than any of the local police departments paid, and shed promised to send him to an elite bodyguard-training school. Hed cheerfully accepted, never realizing he was putting a noose around his own neck.
Muffy had a secondary motive for hiring John-Michael. Shed needed him close at hand to handle any difficulties that came up with Jock, her gardenerwho happened to be John-Michaels father.
The job had gone okay until one night when Sonya attended her first sorority party. John-Michael had gone with her, lurking in the shadows like always, watching as she tried to assert her independence by getting drunk on margaritas. Hed pulled her away from the party before things had gone too far.
Shed been spitting angry with him at first, spouting off about how she was an adult, it was a free world, she would have her mother fire him. Then, when theyd reached the car, shed surprised the hell out of him by throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her lush body up against his. I really am a bad girl, arent I? Before he could answer, before hed been able to think, shed clamped her sweet little mouth over his.
His body had sprung to life, and for the first time hed realized that his charge was no longer a child. She had a womans body, a womans moves.
After thirty seconds of hot kisses and body rubbing, hed pulled himself together and gently pushed her away.
What? shed objected, loudly enough to wake the whole neighborhood. Dont tell me you dont want me. You do. I could feel it.
Dear God. At that moment hed seen the utter folly of what hed done, what hed been about to do. Having sex with his charge, the girl he was supposed to be protecting, would be the grossest sort of irresponsibility he could imagine, not to mention a very short path to losing his job.
The only way to deal with this situation, hed decided, was to end it in a way that was harsh and final, so it would never happen again. So he would never be tempted again.
He gave his punching bag a series of savage jabs as he remembered how difficult it had been to be cruel to her.
Hed forced himself to laugh at her. You dont actually imagine I would be interested in a spoiled little brat like you, hed said, deliberately filling his voice with derision.
The insult had cut, as it was meant to do. Her eyes filled with tears. You kissed me back, she accused.
Im a man, he said harshly. I have hormones. But I also have a brain, thank God, and Im not stupid enough to get it on with Muffy Pattersons daughter.
She would never know, Sonya said in a last-ditch effort to salvage the situation. And it almost worked. Seeing her standing there, more sober now than drunk, her blond hair mussed, her lips full from kissing, hed almost grabbed her and kissed her again. And he wouldnt have stopped with kissing.
Savagely he turned his back on her and opened the passenger door of her BMWher high school graduation present from Muffy. Get in the car. Youre embarrassing yourself.
Do you have a girlfriend? she asked, sounding devastated at the thought.
Thats none of your business. He hoped she would think that meant yes.
Ive never seen you with a girl.
No girlfriend of mine is going to watch while a child orders me around.
He hadnt had a girlfriend. When would he have had time to find one? Hed spent every hour either watching over Sonya or dealing with the disasters his father created. But his ploy had worked. Sonya didnt say another word. And she never again tested her feminine wiles on him.
Back in the present, he took one final swing at the bag. He was out of breath and dripping with sweat, more so than the easy workout should have caused. Time hadnt lessened the intensity of his memories one bit.
Unfortunately, his formerly easygoing friendship with Sonya had been a casualty of that ill-begotten evening. Shed never forgotten, or forgiven, his rejection. For almost ten years, hed had to endure her coldness and hide the desire he felt for her, a desire that had only grown fiercer as shed matured into an intriguing woman.
Hed tried to resign, and Sonya had tried to fire himnumerous times. But gradually, John-Michael had come to understand the complex dynamics of his job. If he wasnt employed in a position that kept him constantly on hand to handle Jock, then Jock would have to go.
And to send Jock away from the Patterson estate, the only home hed ever known, would kill him.
SONYA HADNT REALIZED how tired she was. When next she woke, it was dark outside. She checked her clock and was horrified to discover it was after two in the morning.
Her first thought was that theyd been protecting her from bad newsthey being John-Michael; Tim, the chauffeur; June, the secretary; and possibly Matilda, the housekeeper. Muffys staff had always sheltered Sonya from all unpleasantries.
She sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and switched on a lamp. Her cell phone was right there next to her, with no messages. Grateful that shed had the foresight to put the ICUs phone number into her cells memory, she dialed.
Your mother is actually doing much better, the night nurse told her. The new antibiotic therapy is working. Shes been drifting in and out of sleep, but she did wake up long enough to drink some water. She asked about you.
Sonya was already on her feet. Ill be there in twenty minutes.
No, you dont have to do that, the nurse said firmly. I asked your mother if she wanted me to call you, and she said no, absolutely not, that you needed your sleep.
That sounded like Muffy, Sonya thought with a frown. The benevolent dictator, issuing orders from her sick bed.
Shes fine, really, the nurse insisted. In fact, theyll probably move her out of ICU tomorrow.
That news brought a flood of relief. Sonya hesitated, then decided it probably would serve no good to rush to the hospital in the middle of the night if Muffy was sleeping and in no immediate danger. If she wakes again, tell her Ill be there first thing in the morning, she said. Unless she needs me sooner.
After the call, Sonya felt better, but there was no way she was going back to sleep. She was, in fact, hungry. Shed hardly eaten a bite since Muffs surgery several days ago. She threw on a robe and wandered downstairs to the enormous, restaurant-grade kitchen, certain there would be several tasty dishes in the fridge. That was something she could always count on.
As she entered the huge white-tile-and-chrome room, she flipped on a light so bright it hurt her eyes. The stainless steel appliances gleamed with a recent polish, and the room smelled faintly of fresh-baked bread. As top dog among Houston society mavens, Muffy often gave elaborate dinner parties, for which she had Eric, a Cordon-Bleu-trained chef, prepare gourmet delights that were sure to be written up on the society page and in the food section. And for every day, they had Erics mother, Matilda, a traditional Southern cook down to her bones.
The glass-fronted refrigerator was crammed with dozens of ceramic storage dishes, neatly stacked and labeled with the contents and the throwaway date. Sonya perused the labels, wrinkling her nose. She was not in the mood for Erics dill-crusted sea bass with Parmesan cream sauce, or marmalade-glazed pork medallions and shiitake mushrooms. Then she spotted something that appealed to herMatildas macaroni and cheese. Pure comfort food and a guilty indulgence she and her mother sometimes ate when they were dining alone.
She pulled it out and stuck it in the microwave.
Slowly she realized she was no longer alone in the room. John-Michael stood in the doorway, looking adorably rumpled in gym shorts and an old T-shirt bearing the logo of Close Protection, Inc., where hed gotten his bodyguard training.
Are you okay? he asked. He had this uncanny ability to know whenever she stirred at night. He always noticed when lights went on or if anyone made the slightest noise. She wondered if he ever slept or if he sat up all night, ever vigilant.
I got hungry, she answered. I dont think thats any reason to call out the National Guard. She immediately felt guilty for sniping at him, though. Sorry. Its been a rough few days. You want some macaroni and cheese?
Sure. He went to the fridge and poured himself some milk. Without asking, he pulled out a bottle of her favorite cherry-flavored mineral water, uncapped it and set it out for her.
He knew her so well, probably better than her own mother did. And it irked her. Shed actually been looking forward to escaping his knowing eyes once she was married. Now that wasnt going to happen. She saw herself in twenty years, thirty years, fifty, still single, still living in Muffys house, McPhee still watching over her with his eagle eyes. Still waiting for those few moments when he could escape her and go to whatever girlfriend he would undoubtedly have. Hed probably still be shadowing her every move when they were both in the nursing home. Gawd, what a depressing thought.
I called the hospital, she said. Mothers doing better. She drank some water and told the nurses not to call me.
Already back to her bossy self, huh? But McPhees smile was of pure relief. She didnt blame him. Muffy was a kind employer, if a tad inflexible. She paid her staff far more than the going rate to inspire their loyalty, and it worked.
But McPhee was genuinely fond of Muffy, too. As hard as Sonya was on McPhee, she knew he wasnt completely self-serving.
When the microwave dinged, Sonya took out the dish and scooped generous portions onto white, bone-china plates with gold rims, the only kind Muffy would have in her house. She had a thing against plastic and thought stoneware was almost as bad. Sonya and McPhee sat at the kitchen table and ate with monogrammed sterling forks.
Mmm, I love this stuff, McPhee said.
We better enjoy it while we can. I imagine well see some changes around here when Muffy gets home. Matilda and Eric will have to prepare heart-healthy meals.
Matilda will screech like a banshee over that, McPhee said.
Shell have to get used to it. Ive been telling Mother for years that her diet is impossibly unhealthy. Shell have to listen to me now.
Muffy never listens to anyone.
Sonya sighed. I know. She has her ideas about the way things should be, and nothings going to change them. Certainly not Sonya, whose opinions Muffy had always considered superfluous. Muffy knew what was best, and that was that.
Maybe if we join forces? McPhee suggested. Two against one.
Sonya laughed harshly. That would be a first. We havent agreed on anything sincewell, since we were children.
Since that night at the sorority party, shed almost said. Sonyas skin prickled at the memory, still vivid after all these years.
I think if we present a united front, McPhee said, Muffy will have to pay attention.
Since when do you call her Muffy, anyway?
He shrugged. I dont, not to her face. Just to you.
To irritate me.
He didnt deny it, just flashed that inscrutable half smile of his that drove her crazy. Dont worry, youll be rid of me soon. You havent officially postponed the wedding, have you?
No. Another wave of guilt washed over her. But she could hardly announce she was going to call off the wedding when Muffy was still so ill. Mother said to wait and see how she did after the surgery. Are you counting the days?
Only forty-nine days to go.
She tried to hide her surprise. Shed only been kidding about counting the days. Was he that unhappy? He often aggravated her, but she wasnt miserable with their arrangement. Just what are you planning to do with your newfound freedom? I assume Muffy has another job for you.
McPhee shook his head. Ive already applied and been accepted at the Harris County Sheriffs Department.
This was news to Sonya, and it shook her to the core. She had a hard time visualizing this house, this estate, without John-Michael as a constant fixture. What about your dad?
Dads on the wagon.
Yes, but for how long?
McPhee pushed his plate away without finishing, alerting Sonya to the fact that shed ticked him off. He always cleaned his plate. Ive spent ten years as a virtual prisoner, he said, to my father, to Muffy and to you. Thats long enough. If my father does something crazy and gets himself fired, Ill deal with it. But Im not going to let the fear of that stop me from living. Not anymore.
Sonya hadnt heard much past the word prisoner. If conditions are so wretched here, why didnt you quit? she challenged him.
You dont think Ive tried? But your mother made it pretty clear. If I left, Jock had to go, too. I couldnt do that to him. He has nowhere else to go.
How are things different now?
Your mother is being a bit more flexible, now that your future is secured and my dads behaving himself. I think he finally understands the consequences if he messes up again. Maybe he wont this time.
Sonya wanted to believe that Jock McPhees drinking days were over, but she found it difficult. She recalled all too well the sort of mayhem that ensued when Jock went on a bender. Once hed driven the riding lawnmower right through the living room window and into the middle of one of Muffys tea parties. Another time hed gotten a chainsaw and lopped off half of an ancient oak tree because he was tired of fishing its leaves out of the pool; hed nearly chopped off one of his arms, as well.
Muffy should have fired Jock long ago, but she had such a soft heart she couldnt do it. Besides, when Jock was sober, he was the best gardener in all of Houston and a very nice person. Sonya, as well, had always had a soft spot for Jock. Hed been especially kind to her when she was grieving over her fathers death.
So had McPhee. The teenage boy whod had no use for a ten-year-old girl had suddenly stopped tormenting her. Hed started showing her small kindnesses, offering to drive her to visit friends if Tim was busy, playing volleyball with her in the pool.
That was when shed first fallen in love with him.
Oh, hell, she didnt want to think about that now. Well, I wish you luck in your new career. And Im sorry weve made your life so unpleasant.
No, youre not, he said with a little grin. You did it on purpose. Youve resented me watching your every move as much as Ive resented having to play nursemaid to a spoiled debutante.
Sonya laid down her fork. Boy, youre really taking the gloves off.
I feel a certain recklessness, knowing Ill soon be free.
Now is not the time for me to find out you hate me, she said. I have enough to deal with.
I dont hate you.
You just think Im spoiled.
Anyone who doesnt have to work for a living is spoiled. Its not your fault you were born with so much money.
Sonya wanted to continue the argument. Unfortunately, she knew he was right. Shed never wanted for anything in her life, something shed taken for granted. Did that make her spoiled?
Without a good comeback, she returned her attention to her macaroni and cheese, hoping he would go away.
He did. He rinsed his plate, put it in the dishwasher and left the kitchen without another word.
Sonya felt guilty, though she didnt know why. McPhee was such a thorn in her side, always lurking, nosy about everything she did, every person she saw. But shed known for a long time that being her bodyguard wasnt his dream job. It was boring. Hed never once had to protect her from anything more threatening than a pushy salesman. Yet hed tried to make the best of it.
What a relief it would be for both of them, she supposed, if he went away. Once her mother found out Sonya wasnt getting married, she would try to keep McPhee on the payroll. But she had a feeling his mind was made up. This time, he was really going, really moving out of her life.
A noise at the kitchen door startled Sonya. The Patterson estate had security up the wazoo. At night the gates were locked up tight, and electronic sensors around the perimeter fence would detect any intruder. But Sonya had inherited some of her mothers paranoia, she supposed. Whenever she heard a strange noise at night, or even if a stranger looked at her funny, she mentally reviewed escape routes and the location of the nearest weapons for self-defense.
The sound at the door came again, and then the door opened. Sonya tensed, then relaxed when she recognized the nocturnal visitor. It was just Jock McPhee, John-Michaels father, who was harmless as a baby bird so long as he hadnt been drinking. And even drunk, he wasnt mean, just a bit reckless.
Hello, Jock, Sonya said, alert for any sign that the gardener had been drinking. Jock was probably no more than five-ten, small and wiry. There was some resemblance to John-Michael in the lean face and the shape of his jaw, but that was where the resemblance ended. His coarse hair, once a dark brown, was salt-and-pepper, and it stood out from his head in unruly tufts, as if hed just gotten out of bed. His cheeks bore a dayold, silvery beard, and his front teeth were slightly crooked, though still a bright white.
His most startling feature was his eyes, a vibrant sea blue. They hadnt faded with age. And in this instance, they were clear and alert. No sign that hed fallen off the wagon. His work pants were old and faded, but clean, held up by his trademark rainbow suspenders.
Hello, Miss Sonya, he said with a tentative smile. He spoke with the faint trace of an Irish cadence, a legacy from his home country. I couldnt sleep, and I saw the light. I hope you dont mind the intrusion.
Of course I dont mind. Would you like some macaroni and cheese?
He shook his head. Im not very hungry these days. I just cant seem to settle down since they carted Miss Muffy to the hospital. Nothing bads happened, has it?
Sonyas heart went out to the man. Hed lived on the Patterson estate since he was a baby, when his mother came here to work as a cook. He and Muffy had grown up together. They often fought like a couple of bulldogs over what should be planted and where. Muffy had some old, decrepit camellia bushes that she absolutely refused to let Jock replace or even prune, though they were overgrown and past their prime, and they argued about those silly bushes on a monthly basis. But Sonya knew there was a deep, mutual fondness between the two. No one had given Jock much thought the past couple of days, but he was probably devastated over her mothers health crisis.
My mother is doing better, Sonya said. I just heard from the hospital. They might even move her out of Intensive Care tomorrow.
Oh, praise the heavens, Jock said, sinking into a kitchen chair. Ive been just sick with worry. Is there anything I can do? Oh, of course there isnt, but thats what everybody asks at a time like this.
Im sure my mother would appreciate your kind thoughts and prayers, Sonya said gently.
Do you thinkwould it be all right if I visited her at the hospital? I wouldnt stay long. I could bring her a few blooms from the greenhouse.
She would love to see you, Im sure. Ill let you know as soon as shes allowed visitors.
Thank you, Miss Sonya. I imagine this has put a kink in your wedding plans.
We may have to delay the ceremony, she confirmed. Every time she said it, she felt relieved. When would it be appropriate for her to call the church and give up the date shed selected, January eighth? Once the wedding was no longer scheduled, it would be easy just to never reschedule. Then it would be easier still to convince her mother shed changed her mind about tying the knot with Marvin. Maybe she would never have to tell Muffy what a fool shed been, allowing Marvin to fleece her. The whole subject of Marvin could just quietly disappear.
I was looking forward to making your wedding bouquet myself, Jock said quietly. I know youve hired a big fancy florist to do all the arrangements, but I was hopingwell, I have some of the most beautiful roses youve ever seen in the greenhouse.
Why, Jock, Id be honored to have you do that for me. She knew he was up to the task. He often put together fantastic arrangements for the house. Dont pick out the blooms just yet, she added hastily. But whenever I do get married, I definitely want you to do my bouquet.
He seemed pleased to hear her say that, and he offered her a warm smile. Thank you, Miss Sonya. You and your mother have always been so good to me, even in bad times.
Your son tells me the bad times are over, she said.
Im working real hard, Jock confirmed. Im in AA. In fact, I thought Id head out to a meeting right now.
Do they have meetings at this time of the night?
Just about any time you need one, you can find it. And I need one. This thing with your motherwell, if a man cant drink when someone he cares for is at deaths door, when can he drink?
Sonya wasnt used to Jock speaking so freely about his drinking problem, but she supposed it was a good sign that maybe he really had made lasting changes in his life.
Dont let me keep you, she said. And Im proud of you. I know it cant be easy, changing the habits of a lifetime.
There are some habits you can change, he said. And some you cant. With that cryptic comment, he tipped an imaginary hat and departed.
Chapter Two
John-Michael quickly noted that Sonya wasnt speaking to him as they rode in the limousine toward the hospital the following morning.
I might have been out of line, he ventured, calling you spoiled.
Stuff it.
Okay. She was under stress and he wasnt helping her any. Shed been acting hinky since shed returned from her mysterious road trip.
Were you having an affair? John-Michael asked. Is that what New Orleans was about?
Yes. With Brenna, she added, deadpan. Thank goodness my secret is finally out in the open.
Tim, who wasnt supposed to be listening, snorted from the front seat.
I just cant imagine what would have drawn you to some of the places you visited over the past few weeks, John-Michael continued. Dallas makes sense. But Cottonwood, Texas? And then, some sleazy motel in Smoky Bayou, Louisiana?
Cottonwood was where Cindy Rheems, another of Marvins victims, lived. Smoky Bayou was one of the many stops theyd made as theyd tracked Marvin across two states, always a step behind him. Will you please just let it drop?
Im responsible for your safety, which means I need to know whats going on in your life.
I hereby absolve you of your responsibility.
Theyd been through this conversation, or ones very similar, countless times since hed taken the job as her bodyguard.
When they reached the hospital, rather than following standard procedure for entering a public building, Sonya charged out of the limousine toward the front canopy of Harris County Medical Center without waiting for John-Michael to check things out and then escort her. Usually there was no need for extreme security. Unfortunately, today wasnt usual.
A reporter with a tape recorder appeared out of nowhere heading Sonya off before she could get to the door.
Miss Patterson, Leslie Frazier from Houston Living magazine. Is your mother all right?
Yes, my mother is fine, Sonya said smoothly, a polite smile pasted on.
A source close to the situation says your mother is in Intensive Care, that shes had a heart attack.
John-Michael was about to jump in and rescue his charge, but she handled the situation just fine.
Shes undergoing tests, Sonya said firmly. I have no further comments.
The reporter, seeing John-Michael, looked at him hopefully, but he wouldnt make eye contact, and the firm set of his mouth apparently dissuaded the perky redhead from asking any further questions.
You shouldnt go charging ahead of me like that, John-Michael said when they were out of the reporters earshot.
Youve been reading your own press, Sonya said, sounding annoyed. She was a five-foot-two bubble-head who probably doesnt weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet. I wasnt in any danger.
She could have been someone more dangerous.
McPhee, in all the years youve been guarding me, has anyone ever threatened me?
No, he admitted.
The danger is all in my mothers head. And youve bought into it. Get over yourself. She switched off her cell phone as they entered the building, reminding him to do the same.
They discovered that Muffy was no longer in the Intensive Care Unit. Shed been moved to a regular room. When they finally located her, she was sitting up in bed, her eyes open, the TV on, though John-Michael didnt think she was actually watching the show. She wasnt exactly a Jerry Springer fan. Though she was still hooked up to an IV and oxygen, she looked about 500 percent less scary than yesterday.
Mother?
Muffy looked over and managed a faint smile. Sonya. And John-Michael, how nice.
He walked up to the bed and squeezed her hand. Mrs. Patterson. You must be feeling better. You look great.
Liar. I mustlook likeday-oldpat de foie gras. Her speech was labored, and it pained John-Michael to see her laid so low. But at least she was awake, and seemingly alert.
Mother, dont try to talk, Sonya said.
I wantto talk. I have to thankJohn-Michael. I should have said somethinglong ago.
Thank him for what?
For making me goto the hospital. I thought it wasindigestion. And for finding my girland bringing her home.
Sonya flicked a curious glance toward John-Michael. You did that? Brought her to the E.R.? How come no one told me?
It was a group effort, John-Michael said modestly.
Well, thank you, Sonya said. You probably saved her life.
He shrugged. He didnt consider himself a hero. Hed done what anyone would do. Anyway, having Sonyas gratitude felt alien. He was much more comfortable when she was mad at him.
Sonya returned her attention to her mother, brushing her hand lightly against Muffys cheek. Im sorry I wasnt here when you got sick. Shed already apologized several times, but she felt compelled to repeat herself.
I know, pumpkin. Is Marvin here?
Hes still in China. I cant get hold of him. She said this quickly, as if shed rehearsed the answer over and over. And her eyes flickered up and to the right. John-Michael had studied neuro-linguistic programming as part of his criminology curriculum. Sonya was lying, or at least not telling the whole truth about Marvins whereabouts. John-Michael wished he could get to the bottom of this mystery, but he didnt want to press Sonya when she was still so worried about her mother.
How are the wedding plans coming? Muffy said to Sonya.
Ive put the wedding on hold, Sonya said firmly. Were not going to focus on anything for a while except getting you well.
You cant postpone it, Muffy said, her voice suddenly stronger. Well lose our date at the country club!
Mother, dont worry about it. I promise it will be fine. Well work it out. I want you to focus on getting better.
Its not for two months, Muffy persisted. Ill be fine by then.
Well see, Sonya said.
It amused John-Michael to see Sonya playing the patient parent figure, Muffy the petulant child. He and his father had experienced that reversal many years ago, but hed never expected to see it between these two. In his mind, Sonya was the eternal child, the spoiled princess, and Muffy the overindulgent but firm mama.
Sonya had seemed different, though, since her trip. More mature, more serious, more assertive. Unfortunately for his mental well-being, more attractive, too. He would have to adjust his thinking.
Ill leave you two alone, he said, moving toward the door.
Oh, John-Mikey, Muffy said, using his childhood nickname. Muffy was the only person who could get away with that. Not even Jock tried it. Could you bring me something to eat? Maybe a nice blueberry muffin? She batted her eyelashes. The breakfast they served me was pitiful.
Dont you dare, Sonya said. Shes not getting one bite of anything the doctor didnt prescribe. But I understand if youd like to get something for yourself, she added. I did get you up rather early this morning and didnt even offer you breakfast.
I think I will get something, he said gruffly. Ill see you in a few minutes. John-Michael slipped out the door, needing some space and distance from Sonya. He wasnt sure he liked her being polite to him, nice, even. Such behavior upset the world order. It was much better that he treat her like a contemptible snail.
Shed started to be a little bit nice last night, too, sharing her macaroni and cheese. And hed felt that familiar pull. Shed looked so approachable, all rumpled in her night clothes, her silky robe and nightgown showing far too much of her bodys contours to be considered modest.
That was why hed deliberately picked a fight with her, calling her spoiled. Nothing was as certain to get her dander up. And he needed her mad at him. When she was nice, she was too damn tempting. And this added dimension shed recently acquired, this mysterious allure hed never noticed before, only added to the overall package.
SONYA HAD THOUGHT that, once she and her mother were alone, she might broach the subject of calling off the wedding altogether. Though she wasnt ready to admit shed been seduced, conned, dumped and picked clean, she couldnt allow the wedding plans to continue. Her mother had already spent a fortune on the preparations, much of it nonrefundable.
But Muffys first words, once they were alone, changed her plans. She grasped Sonyas hand with more strength than a woman so recently at deaths door should have been able to muster. Sonya, promise me something.
Ill try. But I wont smuggle you any of Thomass cheesecake. Thomas was Muffys favorite dessert chef, from the Cheesecake Emporium.
No, be serious. You cant postpone the wedding.
Mother
Listen to me. Planning that wedding wasthe most fun Ive ever had in my life, more fun than planningmy own, even.
I know, Sonya said. But the stress
Oh, stress, schmess. I was enjoying myself, and having fun never caused a heart attack.
Sonya knew differently. Even good stress could affect the body in negative ways.
Years of ignoring my doctors adviceand yoursare what made me sick, Muffy continued. But as I was lying on that gurney in the emergency room, and I heard them yell Code Blue!, only one thing kept me alive. I kept telling myself, you have to get through this for Sonyas wedding. You cant miss Sonyas wedding.
Oh, Mother
We cant delay it. What if I have another heart attack and I dont make it?
Thats not going to happen. Your doctor told me
Doctors dont know everything. We cant predict the future. Promise me She paused to catch her breath. Promise me youll carry on with the preparations, that well do it on January 8, just as planned.
Her heart dropped like a rock thrown down a well. The last thing she needed was to continue the pretense that she was going to marry that skunk. Of course, Mother. What else could she say? Shed straighten everything out when her mothers health was better, when she was in no danger of relapsing. Meanwhile, she would have to pretend she was still a blushing bride-to-be.
THREE DAYS LATER Muffys health had dramatically improved. She was walking, talking in a normal voice, eating normallyif hospital food could be called normal for Muffy, which it couldntand begging to be let out of the hospital. She chose to sit in her chair rather than in bed, looking resplendent in the quilted silk bed jacket her friend Tootsie had given her. Shed brought her manicurist in for a fresh set of tips and her hairstylist to reshape the flattened poof of her red-gold hair. She was even wearing makeup.
Per Muffys request, Sonya had brought her Day-timer and her Rolodex, and was now making a long list of tasks that had to be attended to ASAP for the wedding. Her cardiologist happened to visit during this heated planning session, and Sonya was positive he was going to put the kybosh on it. She was, in fact, hoping Dr. Cason would tell Muffy that she was not to even think about something as stressful as her daughters wedding for at least six months.
Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened. Dr. Cason took one look at Muffy, noting the sparkle in her eye and the roses in her cheeks and the smiles and laughter, and he declared planning a wedding to be the secret, curative tonic everyone was looking for.
But, Dr. Cason, Sonya ventured, dont you think this wedding is too stressful for her right now? Ive told her we could postpone it.
No, Muffy said, absolutely not. That would mean starting all over, rebooking the orchestra and the country club, and who knows if our first choices will be available? It would be horrible, much more stressful than merely putting the finishing touches on what weve already planned.
Dr. Cason grinned. I think your mothers right, Sonya. Look at her. Shes smiling and laughing, and studies have shown a happy attitude to be one of the key factors in recovering from cardiac illness.
And I wont overdo, I promise, Muffy wheedled. Sonya can do all the running around and dealing with people. Ill just recline on my chaise lounge, eating my steamed broccoli and drinking skimmed milk she shuddered slightly and directing her efforts.
Sounds like a plan, Cason said, no help at all.
Of course, McPhee was listening to the whole exchange. She looked to him for help, but he remained silent. It was only after they were once again in the back seat of the limo that he voiced his opinion.
You seem awfully anxious to postpone the wedding.
Nonsense. I cant wait to marry Marvin. But of course I want to do whats best for Mother.
Have you talked to Marvin yet?
Yes. Yes, he called last night. He was horrified to hear about Mother and hes going to come home as soon as he can.
Then McPhee did something odd. He closed the glass partition between them and Tim. Normally everybody talked freely in front of Tim, who was the soul of discretion. Hed been driving for the Pattersons since before Sonya was born.
Im sure Marvins parents would be happy to know youve talked to him, McPhee said once they were hermetically sealed into the back seat. Because they havent seen or heard from him in three months. He dropped this bombshell casually, as if it were just normal conversation.
Wh-what? Sonyas heart hammered inside her chest so hard she thought it was trying to escape.
I took a closer look at the report the security agency provided on Marvin Carter III. He really is the oldest son in a very wealthy Boston family. Has quite a pedigree.
Well, of course he is! Sonya said somewhat desperately. She could tell by the sound of McPhees voice that he had something up his sleeve. And he was about to drop it on her.
Hes also a habitual thief. The family has done a good job of hiding it from the public. Arrest records purged, charges dropped, people paid off. But about three months ago he disappeared. Family has no idea where he is, and frankly theyre hoping he wont turn up. I did a bit more digging and discovered hes wanted by the FBI in connection with some art and jewelry thefts.
Where did you hear such nonsense? But her trembling voice gave her away. He knew. He knew everything.
How much did he take from you, Sonya?
I dont know what youre talking about.
I notice you dont wear much jewelry anymore, other than your engagement ring.
She nervously twisted the two-carat, pear-shaped solitaire that sat on her left ring finger. Shed had it checked. It was a very convincing cubic zirconia. She looked out the tinted window. Then she rummaged in her purse until she found a lipstick and reapplied the color and powdered her nose.
This isnt going to go away, McPhee said. The longer you stay in denial, the worse it will be when the truth comes out. And it will, believe me. Sooner or later the press will get wind of it.
Sonya put her face in her hands. Why did McPhee, of all people, have to find out? Wouldnt he have just a grand time, rubbing her nose in her stupidity, rubbing salt in her wounds? Hed told her from the beginning he thought something wasnt right about Marvin.
Your new friends, Brenna and Cindy. They were Marvins victims, too?
Sonya nodded, her face still hidden. She couldnt bear to look at McPhee, to see that knowing smirk that was surely on his face.
McPhee lowered the glass and said something to Tim, though she couldnt hear what. The blood was pounding too loudly in her ears. A few minutes later the limo parked.
Be right back, McPhee said.
Sonya looked up then. They were in a strip shopping center. She had no idea what McPhee was up to and she didnt care. She just wanted to take advantage of his absence and pull herself together. McPhee was right, she couldnt play the denial game anymore. Now she had to draw on all her strength and make some decisions. If she crumbled, others would make decisions for her, as theyd done most of her life, and she wasnt going to let that happen. Now now. Not when the stakes were so high.
With the decision made to own up to the true situation, Sonya felt better, stronger. She reminded herself that her friends Brenna and Cindy had benefited after taking a strong stand against Marvin. Cindy had recovered her restaurant and at least some of her money, and Brenna had tracked down the Picasso painting Marvin had stolen from her parents, as well as some of her jewelry. It was time for Sonya to pull her head out of the sand and resume the fight.
When McPhee returned to the limo a few minutes later, Sonya was sitting upright, posture erect, hands folded demurely in her lap, her face a mask of haughty detachment. Shed learned that face from Muffy. It was the one she wore in the fact of any disaster. Never let anyone see you crying, Muffy had told a ten-year-old Sonya after her fathers funeral, when shed inquired why her mother had remained dry-eyed and stern-faced during the service. If you must cry at all, tears are for when youre alone.
Then she realized McPhee was holding out a grande toffee-nut latte from Starbucksone of her many weaknesses. I had them make it with whole milk instead of skim, and extra whipped cream, he said. You dont look like you need to lose any more weight.
The small kindness almost undid her. She wasnt used to McPhee being kind or sympathetic, not in recent history. Courteous, yes. Always mindful of her needs, always quick to do her bidding. As she took the coffee drink, she glanced over at him. No sign of a smirk. He looked genuinely worried.
I told Tim to just drive around for a while, he said. I want to hear the whole story. I need to know what happened if Im going to help you keep this thing contained. Now, lets start from the beginning. How much did he take from you?
Resigned, she told him what he wanted to know. Not as much as he took from some of his other victims. I didnt have a lot of easily accessible cash, just what was in my checking accountabout thirty-five thousand dollars. He couldnt get at my trust fund, which Im sure was what he was hoping for. But he did take all my jewelry, which was worth a considerable sum. Shed collected quite a few baubles over the years. Her mother was fond of giving her jewelry for just about any occasionthe larger and more unusual, the better.
Sonya took another sip of the rich, sweet coffee drink. The warmth was welcome, since she was shivering.
He took three fur coats, she continued. A sable, a mink and a fox. Not that she ever wore them. They were gifts, too, and very impractical, given that it seldom got cold enough for fur in Houston. Besides, fur coats were very un-PC.
So Marvin was engaged to Brenna and Cindy and you at the same time?
Yes. Cindy had a lot of cash from her first husbands life insurance. Her parents had left her money and property, too, as well as a restaurant, so Im sure she was quite attractive to Marvin. Brenna is the heiress to a chi-chi department store in Dallas.
How did you locate them?
I found Brennas phone number in the call history of Marvins cell phone.
McPhee arched one eyebrow. And why were you looking there?
Id started to suspect he had a girlfriend, she admitted. All those long absences when he was supposedly traveling on business. Whispered phone calls at odd times. So I snooped. But I didnt try to contact her until after Marvin left with all my stuff. When I was supposed to be at the spa, I went to see Brenna instead. She had a lead on a third victim, who turned out to be Cindy. She lives in Cottonwoodthats why we went there. By the time we found her, shed already lost everything.
Holy cow. Were there more victims?
He was working on a bank teller in Louisiana. Her father owned the bank. He was planning some sort of scam to get access to the banks computer system. But we caught up with him before he could actually steal anything from her. Flushed him out. We recovered some of Cindys money, but Marvin got away. She laughed. He had to run naked down Main Street to get away from us.
She chanced another look at McPhee and realized shed surprised him. He was staring at her, slack-jawed. Let me get this straight, he said when hed recovered from the shock. You went with Brenna and Cindythose two pretty blondes I met a couple of weeks ago when you went to Dallason a manhunt? Thats what you were doing all that time you were out of town? Thats why you were in New Orleans?
Yes. Then there was New York.
You went to New York? McPhee asked in a voice that sounded fearful of her answer.
No, silly. But Brenna did. She and Agent Packer had him cornered at that jewelry show.
The one you were helping her get ready for?
Sonya nodded. Marvin escaped by jumping down an elevator shaft. The story had been reported on CNN, and even the Houston Chronicle had run a piece on it. Thankfully, Marvins real name hadnt been mentioned in either story.
Its all starting to fit together now, McPhee said thoughtfully. But its weird. I never thought of you as one of Charlies Angels.
As Ive pointed out before, she said with exaggerated patience, you dont know everything about me. Whats more, I intend to continue the hunt for Marvin. Hes getting bolder and greedier. Pretty soon hes bound to do something really stupid and get himself caught. Or get somebody hurt.
Its too dangerous. You cant
I can, and I will. Mothers illness derailed my participation, but once we get her squared away, Im back in it. Law enforcement isnt making much of an effort. Marvin didnt murder anyone or rob a bank, so hes a low priority.
What about Packer?
He was the only FBI agent to take the case seriously, but then he got fired, and when he recovered the stolen Picasso they tried to give him his job back, but he refused, and now hes a private investigator.
McPhee squeezed the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, as if he had a headache. Stolen Picasso?
Sonya was pleased to have surprised McPhee. As she recalled how strong she and the other womenThe Blondes, as the people of Cottonwood had dubbed themhad been together, she felt a surge of power wash through her. The feelings of helplessness and inadequacy that shed almost succumbed to a few minutes earlier receded. She wasnt just a spoiled debutante, no matter what McPhee thought. She was smart and capable, and she could accomplish great things when she put her mind to it.
We think Marvin might have gone to
McPhee held up a hand to halt her explanations. Please, I cant take any more of this. Youve thrown my whole universe off balance.
Good, she said with a smile. You need that, sometimes.
JOHN-MICHAEL LEANED BACK against the limos buttery leather seat, stunned to the core. Hed known Sonya was harboring a secret. Hed tried to put it together a couple of weeks ago, when shed taken a quick weekend trip to Dallas to help Brenna prepare for a jewelry show. Hed discovered then that she had another new friend, Cindy, from Cottonwood, Texas, and the three of them had behaved the way closely bonded, longtime friends act. He knew there was a story there, but hed been at a loss. He hadnt gotten many facts out of Heath Packer, either. The FBI agent had been friendly to John-Michael, and his personal interest in Brenna had been apparent, but hed volunteered little information as to the nature of the friendship among the three women. By the time John-Michael and Sonya had returned to Houston, hed been no wiser.
His theory had been that Sonya had a lover. That would have been shocking enough. But to find out shed been living a clandestine life hunting down a criminal blew him away. He could hardly wrap his mind around it.
Sonya, pensive now after her long, convoluted explanation, took another sip of her latte, leaving a slight whipped-cream mustache. She licked it off.
Not now, John-Michael thought disgustedly. Now was not the time for his sporadic lust for Sonya Patterson to rear its ugly head. Hed been dealing with it for years, and usually all it took was a sharp reminder of exactly who Sonya wasa spoiled, useless little rich girl with nothing more important on her mind than her next manicure appointmentto cool his desire. Physically she might be a pure turn-on, but hed long ago learned to look beyond a womans body to the substance of her. Pretty girls were a dime a dozen, and he had no trouble attracting them. But finding one who was pretty and intelligent and interestingthats what it took to capture John-Michaels libido for more than thirty seconds.
Sonya had become suddenly interesting, damn it. Perhaps she had a lot more behind that cool demeanor than she let on. She did have a degree in chemical engineering from Rice University, and graduating from that school was no cakewalk. But frankly, hed assumed Sonyas family wealth had bought the degree. Her mother had donated buckets of money to her fathers alma mater. And hed never seen Sonya study much while she was in college.
This was a helluva time for him to start thinking of her as more than arm candy. He had a future planned, a life apart from the Pattersons. Hed actually been looking forward to moving on. Now, suddenly, he wasnt so sure.
He forced himself to think about freezing cold waterfalls and cornmeal mush until his jeans were no longer quite so tight. Then he returned to the matter at hand.
When are you going to tell Muffy?
Her eyes widened in alarm. Im not. Are you kidding? The news would kill her! Dr. Cason said we had to keep her smiling and laughing.
Youll have to tell her at some point. I mean, lets face it, the groom isnt going to show up for this wedding.
Sonya started to chew on one of her nails, then quickly stopped herself. She used to bite her nails as a child, he remembered. It was only when shed discovered acrylic-sculptured nails that shed been able to stop.
Ill tell her when shes stronger, Sonya said. But not now, not yet. Shes not even out of the hospital. And you cant tell her, either, she said, suddenly fierce. You cant tell anyone. No one is to know that this wedding isnt going to take place.
Dont you think people are going to get a little suspicious when they never see the groom-to-be? Isnt his absence going to be noted?
Ive already told people he travels on business a lot. And he supposedly lives in Boston. Anyway, most men are weddingphobic. They wont come near the preparations. No one will think its odd in the least, believe me.
Butyou cant just let your mother keep throwing money at a wedding that wont ever happen, John-Michael objected. Doesnt it strike you as a bit cruel to lie to her, to keep up the pretense? The farther along you get with this thing, the harder its going to be when you have to call it off.
Damned right it would be hard. And he wasnt helping. But Muffy could stand to throw away a few bucks a lot more easily than her heart could stand an emotional shock. And somehow Sonya would figure out a way to pay her back. As soon as her doctor says shes well enough to handle gruesomely unpleasant news, Ill tell her. But not before. McPhee, promise me. Not a word.
All right, I promise. What choice did he have? He wasnt going to be responsible for causing Muffy a second heart attack. But his instincts warned him that the longer they maintained the lie, the messier it was going to get, for all parties concerned.
Chapter Three
It was December, almost a month after Muffys heart attack, that she finally came home. Then the real fun began.
Sonya, still feeling guilty for having been away from home and out of touch when Muffy was stricken ill, appointed herself sole guardian of Muffys health. That meant learning all of the doctors instructions and seeing that they were followed to the letter.
It also meant limiting her mothers social calendar. Dr. Cason had emphasized that social visits, while pleasant, were tiring. Some activity was desirable, but getting enough rest, so the heart could heal, was essential.
Tootsie proved to be Sonyas first big challenge. She showed up less than an hour after Muffys homecoming.
She has to rest, Sonya said, standing squarely in the front doorway, refusing to even allow Tootsie in the house. Tootsie had come to the hospital almost every day, staying hour after hour, gossiping endlessly until the nurses threw her out. Once she got inside the house, there would be no getting rid of her. And you may not give her those chocolates. Tootsie, whats the matter with you? Shes had a heart attack! Shes on a restricted diet.
Tootsie rolled her eyes. There will be plenty of time for all that dreary cardiac rehab stuff when Muffys feeling better, said Tootsie, herself thin and straight as a fencepost. Shed likely never had to worry about extra pounds and the resulting health concerns. I went through this with my husband. Now dont be a brat. She smiled insincerely. I wont stay long.
Tootsies husband had died after his third heart attack. It was tacky to hold Tootsie responsible, but she certainly couldnt be held up as an expert in cardiac aftercare.
Sonya threw her arm across the doorway. Im sorry, Tootsie, but Im going to have to insist Her words trailed off as she realized Tootsie wasnt listening. She was looking over Sonyas shoulder and smiling like a cunning cat with a canary on its mind.
Sonya knew who was behind her without looking. Tootsie had always enjoyed ogling John-Michael, not that Sonya could blame her for that.
Why, John-Michael, Tootsie purred, arent you lookingfine today. Would you tell your little charge here to let me inside? Muffy will think her best friend has abandoned her if I dont visit her every single day.
Sonya gritted her teeth at being referred to as McPhees little charge.
McPhee put his hand around Sonyas arm and gently moved it, allowing Tootsie inside. Mrs. Patterson is with her physical therapist right now, and she asked that she not be disturbed. If youd care to wait, shell be done in a couple of hours.
Tootsie consulted her diamond Piaget watch. Oh, I cant wait. I have an appointment to get the Caddy serviced. Ill come back later. Would you see that Muffy gets these? She handed the box of chocolates to McPhee.
Of course.
Tootsie turned and headed right back out the door, then paused on the porch to look over her shoulder at Sonya. Pretty big for your britches, now that youre getting married to a millionaire, huh?
Sonya took a step back. She was used to Tootsies veiled putdowns, but not overt antagonism.
Just remember, I knew Muffy for twenty years before you were born. I know what she needs most, and she doesnt need to be treated like some invalid.
Astonished, Sonya watched Tootsie climb into her Cadillac. That woman had some nerve. And speaking of nerveAs the Caddy roared off, Sonya turned to see John Michael opening the box of chocolates Tootsie had shoved at him.
You arent giving those to Mother.
Of course not. Want one?
No, I dont want one! I cant believe you just overruled me like that! You moved my arm like it was nothing and let her in.
I got rid of her, didnt I?
Come to think of it, he had.
I was using psychology on her, he explained. You have to make Tootsie believe shes the one making the decisions. She hates waiting around, so I knew she wouldnt when I gave her the option.
The physical therapist isnt really here, is she?
Shes scheduled for two oclock. Are you sure you dont want a chocolate?
You know I do. Why do you even tempt me? Sonya had a wicked sweet tooth, but she usually didnt let herself have candy. She had a tendency not to stop once she started.
He popped a chocolate-covered caramel into his mouth. Speaking of temptations, she wished he wouldnt parade around the house in gym shorts and a snug T-shirt that showed off every muscle. Didnt he know it was December? No wonder Tootsie had practically drooled.
He held the box out to her. You dont exactly need to worry about gaining weight.
Sonya had dropped some weight. And chocolate was an antioxidant and an antidepressant, she rationalized. Sonya remembered reading that happy news in the books on diet and nutrition Dr. Cason had given her. She reconsidered the chocolate. Maybe Ill have just one piecefor the therapeutic value, of course.
Of course. He extended the box toward her.
After making a careful inspection of the available candies, she selected one that looked like it had almonds in it. Almonds are just bursting with Omega-3 fatty acids, she said, and settled it gently on her tongue. The candy was exquisite. Of course, Tootsie never bought anything that wasnt first-rate and superexpensive. Sonya chose another, a miniature cherry truffle. Cherries were fruits. That had to be healthy. Oh, my, these are good.
McPhee set the box down on a small gilt table in the foyer, which was flanked by two delicate Louis XV chairs. He sat in one, and Sonya automatically sat in the other. No way was she going to let him hog all that chocolate.
We really should share these, she said.
The box has three layers. Plenty for all.
Oh, okay. Sonya picked out a toffee. I wish I knew how you manipulated Tootsie so easily. If I had told her she couldnt visit Mother during physical therapy, shed have just argued me into the ground until she got her way.
Shes old-fashioned. She defers to males, even if theyre only servants.
I dont think of you as a servant, she said, feeling charitable. Chocolate had that effect on her. Youre part of the family. She realized how stupid that sounded almost before the words had left her lips.
McPhee laughed, soft and deep in his throat. The sound vibrated along Sonyas nerve endings. Funny, I dont feel at all like a brother.
Sonya stuffed another chocolate into her mouth. She didnt even make a careful selection this time, just grabbed the one closest. He was right, of course. She never would have treated a brother as coldly as shed treated McPhee over the past ten years. But she never would have had romantic feelings for a brother, either.
Once shed let the lid off that particular Pandoras Box, thered been no going back. It would have been one thing if hed returned her feelings. But when hed indicated with crystal clarity that he was not open to romance, her only other choice had been coldness. To get over him, shed had to convince herself she hated him.
She didnt, of course. Never had. And shed never exactly gotten over him. Even when Marvin had come along and swept her off her feet, shed still sometimes lain awake at night, wondering how it might have been if McPhee had responded to her romantic overtures that night so long ago.
Now, maybe it was time she got over it. She wasnt some teenager with a crush, even if she still felt that way sometimes. She was grown up. Holding on to a ten-year-old grudge was stupid, especially when she knew McPhee couldnt help it that he hadnt wanted to get involved with her. Just as she hadnt been able to control her own emotions.
McPhee, Ive been horrible to you. And Id like to apologize. I know one apology cant make up for ten years of bitchiness
Whoa, whoa! McPhee shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind of some untenable thought. Did you just apologize to me?
I was trying to. But if youre going to be ugly about it
No, please. Go on.
She tried to ignore the trace of amusement evident in the set of his mouth, the sparkle in his brown eyes. Mothers illness has brought some things into focus for me. You just never know when youre going to lose someone. I want to appreciate the people in my life before theyre gone and its too late.
Ithanks. Does this mean you forgive me?
For what? she asked, pretending she didnt know what he was talking about.
You know what. That night. When everything changed.
Oh, that. She waved away the notion that it was important. I had too much to drink and I put you in an awkward position.
I could have handled the situation with a little more tact.
Its ancient history, as far as Im concerned. And she was very proud of herself for having such a mature discussion about it. We should have cleared the air about that years ago. But better now than never. I dont want us to be enemies, she added.
No, I dont want that, either. I dont want to leave here on bad terms with you.
Sonya sat up straighter. Suddenly all that burgeoning maturity fled like a flock of sparrows when a hungry cat jumps into their midst. Youre not really leaving, are you?
He looked at her the way he used to when she would ask a particularly dumb question about motorcycle maintenance. I already told you that, right? That Im going to work for the Sheriffs Department?
Yes, but that was when you thought I was getting married.
Im still going. My last day is still January 8.
But Mother
will have to get used to the idea. I want to go now, while my father is determined to stay off the sauce. If I stay, it might give him an excuse to give up, since he knows Ill be here to rescue him.
A few days ago, Sonya had actually been worried that shed be stuck with her bodyguard for the rest of her life. She should have been immensely relieved that she would finally be rid of him.
But what she felt wasnt relief, she was pretty sure.
She reached for another chocolate, but McPhee slid the box out of her reach. Youre going to be sick if you eat any more of those.
Come to think of it, she did feel uncomfortably full. How many had she eaten? Three? Four?
You ate seven, McPhee said, reading her mind in that annoying way he had.
Seven! Oh, why did you even let me get started? You know how I am.
Youre not exactly the queen of moderation, he agreed.
How many did you eat? She started to count the empty squares, hoping to discover hed eaten at least as many as she, but he put the lid on the box.
Ill get rid of the rest.
Good idea.
So Im forgiven? he persisted.
Assuming you dont force me to eat any more of those chocolates. Or do anything between now and January 8 to make me mad.
Sometimes all I have to do is say Good morning to make you mad.
She stood and gave him an imperious look, but for some reason she was about to laugh and ruin her exit line. Youll want to try not to smirk at me when you say Good morning.
I do not smirk.
You do. In a really annoying and condescending way like one of those English servants who know everything. Admit it.
Its possible, he said carefully, that I sometimes lift a sardonic eyebrow in a sort of Heathcliff-esque way. I wouldnt refer to it as a smirk, which would involve pursing my mouth in some unattractive manner.
Youre getting into semantics now. Whatever you call it, a smirk or a sardonic eyebrow lift, it gets my goat. If youll make an effort to stop doing it, I will try not to get mad more often than you really deserve. And she whisked out of the room in search of some Pepcid.
JOHN-MICHAEL WATCHED HER GO, his stomach lurching in an odd way that had nothing to do with eating too many chocolates. Who was this woman? She certainly wasnt acting like the spoiled debutante. Shed jumped out of that neat pigeonhole into which hed had her safely stuffed all these years. And he wasnt comfortable with the situation, not at all.
A spoiled, petulant Sonya, putting him in his place, was far easier to deal with than a kind, sensitive, funny Sonya. Shed actually shown him her sense of humor just now, something she hadnt directed his way in forever. First hed had to accept her cloak-and-dagger activities. Now this.
All right, he was going to have to face the fact. His lust for Sonya was turning into something else, something dangerous. For the first time in many years, he wasnt sure he could hold himself back, pretend indifference.
But maybe he didnt have to. Hell, he was soon to be off the Patterson payroll. Sonya would no longer be forbidden fruit. He let himself roll that idea around in his head, intrigued with it.
Whistling, he carried the chocolates into the kitchen, where he found Matilda. Normally the roly-poly Patterson cook was perky as one of her own orange-marmalade muffins. But ever since Muffys heart attack, Matilda had been sulking over the fact that she had to completely change the way she prepared Muffys meals. Now he found her sifting through her recipe box, sorting cards into keep and throw away piles. The throw-away pile was much larger than the keeper.
She eyed the box of chocolates suspiciously. Oh, so its all right for you to be peddling this fattening stuff, she said as she took two candies, but not me?
You dont have any heart problems, do you?
Not a one. Doc says Im healthy as a horse. Good genes.
Well, not all of us were born so lucky. Cmon, Mattie, you can adapt. Think of it as a challenge, a chance to try some new recipes.
But those recipes Mrs. Pattersons doctor gave me are so boring, so tasteless.
So, invent your own recipes. Maybe if you and Eric work together you can come up with some gourmet heart-healthy recipes and we can all eat healthier.
Healthier, right. She nodded toward the candy. Where did you get those?
Tootsie. Sensitive soul that she is, she brought them for Mrs. Patterson.
Ugh! Whats she trying to do, kill her best friend? Just because shes a skinny twig and can eat anything she wants. Take those chocolates out of here.
Mattie? said a disembodied voice. Mattie, are you there? It was Muffy on the intercom.
Matilda walked over to the kitchen unit, on the wall near the phone. Yes, Mrs. Patterson?
.
.
, (https://www.litres.ru/kara-lennox/out-of-town-bride/) .
Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, , , , PayPal, WebMoney, ., QIWI , .
Kara Lennox
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
Отзывы: Пока нет Добавить отзыв
О книге: Socialite Sonya Patterson′s dreams of the perfect wedding turn into a perfect nightmare when her fiancé leaves town with her pride–and her money! If not for her two best friends and her bodyguard, John-Michael McPhee, dispensing you-deserve-better advice, Sonya wouldn′t have had the courage to go in search of the no-good con man.Keeping the situation a secret from her ailing mother is certainly a challenge, but it′s the road trip with her sexy protector that′s the real exercise in restraint. After all, long days and small spaces are bound to give a girl ideas….