Lone Star Wedding (19 page)

She was in his arms so suddenly she gasped, her body pressed intimately to his. No matter what he said, he wasn't all ears. He was all man.

Of its own volition, her face tipped up for his kiss. His mouth covered hers, his hands molding her closer, kneading, drawing a response from her body, her mind, and her heart.

“I thought you would want to have dinner,” she whispered.

“Later,” he rasped.

Yes, she thought, they could go to dinner later. Perhaps she would have the sign she was waiting for then, as well.

“L
ook,” Hannah said, pointing to the uniformed man hunkered down near The Pink Flamingo's back door. “Something's wrong. Someone must have broken in to the restaurant.”

Parker snagged Hannah's hand before she could rush from the car. “If there had been a break-in, the police would be here.” He pointed to the locksmith logo on the side of a nearby van. “It looks as if Adrienne's having the locks changed.”

Hannah glanced from Parker's face to the hand encircling her wrist. “That's what I like about you,” she said. “You see things with abrupt clarity.”

“And I thought you were just after my body.”

A week ago, she might have said it was the other way around;
he'd
been after
her
body. Now she wasn't sure what to think. She and Parker
had
spent the better part of the past hour and a half in bed, and while it was true that she still didn't have any concrete evidence that he was falling in love with her, she had absolutely no complaints with him as a lover. He was ardent, passionate, considerate, and extremely imaginative. She fell more deeply in love with him every time they made love. It was getting increasingly difficult to keep her feelings to herself.

She opened her door and got out. Parker met her at the back of his car. Together they strode through the gathering
twilight, past the man replacing the lock, and into The Pink Flamingo.

Hannah was surprised to see J.D. hovering just inside the door. The two Malones eyed one another warily. Deciding to give the men a moment to themselves, she said, “If you'll excuse me, I'd like to say hello to Adrienne.”

“Go ahead,” Parker said. “I'll get us a table.”

When Hannah was out of sight, he turned to J.D and asked, “Is everything all right?”

“Hell, no, everything isn't all right. That confounded woman won't listen to reason.”

“Adrienne's giving you a hard time?”

J.D. glanced over his shoulder toward the kitchen. “She's trouble. Turns out she's exactly the kind of trouble I want to get into.”

Parker took a frank look at his father. Was it his imagination, or was there an uncustomary excitement on J.D.'s face? “Would you care to join Hannah and me for dinner?” At the slight shake of his father's head, he said, “A drink, then?”

J.D. shrugged, then led the way to a table in a relatively quiet corner of the dining room. He picked up the plastic flamingo in the center of the table, only to put it back down immediately. “Interesting place, isn't it? Interesting woman.”

Parker continued to eye his father. “I take it you're seeing Adrienne.”

“I wouldn't exactly call it that.”

“What would you call it?”

J.D. strummed his fingers on the table. “We went to a movie. And Adrienne's been teaching me to cook.” While Parker was trying to picture that, J.D. said, “Lissett mentioned you have a houseguest.”

Parker studied J.D. The glint in his eyes was unusual,
but the change in topic was an old tactic. “Reed's your grandson, J.D. Not a houseguest.”

“Reed. Why in the hell do you suppose she named him that?”

Parker shrugged. “Why did you name me Parker?”

J.D. shook his head when the waiter appeared, signaling that he didn't want a drink, after all. “I was named after my father, James Donovan Malone. Since he went by James, I was assigned initials. I didn't want to do that to you.”

Parker never knew that. He wondered how much else he didn't know when it came to J.D.'s feelings and motivations and what really made the man tick.

“How is he?” J.D. asked.

“He's almost fifteen, and he's half Malone. How do you think he is?”

J.D.'s grimace turned into a sympathetic smile. “Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. If you want to keep him out of trouble, you're going to have to keep him busy.” Without warning, he stood. “I'd better make sure the locksmith is doing the job right.”

As far as Parker knew, his father had never changed a lock in his life. Since J.D. hadn't raised any fools, Parker decided to keep the observation to himself. He settled himself more comfortably in his chair and simply watched as his father disappeared through a side door.

 

“Oh, Adrienne,” Hannah exclaimed. “In love, really? I'm so happy for you.”

Adrienne rinsed a dish. Her hands were dripping with soapsuds, so she had to settle for scratching her cheek with one shoulder. Keeping her voice low so as not to be heard by Gerard, who appeared to be immersed in the white sauce he was stirring at the stove on the other side of the
kitchen, she said, “It's way too soon. I've only known him a week. I'm petrified. Surely, y'all know how I feel.”

Hannah's smile lost some of its vitality. Yes, she knew how it felt to be in love, and to be scared to death about it.

Before she could say anything, J.D. appeared in the doorway. Hannah mumbled a quick goodbye then made her way into the dining room. The lights were dim, half the tables empty this time of night. The low drone of voices was barely loud enough to be heard over the soft music wafting on the air along with the mingled scents of a dozen different foods. For a moment Hannah felt lost. And then her gaze settled on Parker. Her steps slowed, and her course changed like a moth drawn to light.

She felt his gaze travel over her from her head to her toes. When it settled on her face once again, he smiled. She couldn't believe she'd once thought that his face wasn't prone to smiles. A woman just had to know where to look, and when. His smile was stark and white and full of shared secrets. She wondered if he was remembering the same things she was remembering. It was a heady sensation. And it made her want him all over again.

He wanted her, too. She could tell by the way he watched her stroll closer. He waited until she was almost upon him to rise to his feet. She was accustomed to the way he held her chair. He had impeccable manners, after all. But nothing could have prepared her for the soft kiss he brushed along her cheek.

Emotions wrapped around her like strong arms and a secret smile. She took her seat as if in slow motion. That kiss hadn't been sexual in nature. It had been an honest response to seeing her, to being with her. She'd been waiting for a sign that he was coming to care for her. How could she have known that the barest brush of his lips
against her cheek could be so poignant? Joy shimmered and spread, filling her chest to nearly bursting.

Her heart swelled with so much feeling she couldn't think of a thing to say. She glanced at Parker and found him looking at her. They stared at each other, their expressions mirror images.

“Did you know J.D. is seeing—”

“Adrienne is seeing your—”

They'd spoken in unison, and they smiled the same way. Their tension drained away. They talked about their respective days, they ordered their meals from the boy who had inadvertently brought them together a month earlier. They laughed, and they dined, and they discussed major issues and trivial gossip. Parker didn't tell her he loved her, but Hannah was sure it was only a matter of time before he did. She'd always been patient, believing that anticipation was half the fun. She would be patient awhile longer. In the meantime, she would anticipate, and dream.

 

Lily waved at her daughter through the rear window of the limousine Ryan had insisted upon furnishing to carry her to the Austin Arms Hotel. Returning her mother's wave, Hannah wondered if all daughters were this proud of their mothers.

Lily Redgrove Cassidy had been one of six children. Her father had been an alcoholic, and her mother had worked her fingers to the bone as a housekeeper just to keep food on the table and a roof over her children's heads. Years later, Lily had worked diligently at her husband's side in their grocery store. After his death more than ten years ago, she put herself through college and had obtained a degree in management, which she put to use with a finesse that had gained her recognition in the hotel industry.
Tonight, she was attending a charity banquet at one of the most prestigious hotels in Austin.

Hannah had a feeling her mother was going to bedazzle everyone present tonight. Lily had always been beautiful, but Hannah had noticed a new glow about her mother these past few days. When she'd mentioned it, Lily had confessed that Parker had good news concerning the divorce. Sophia's attorneys were getting close to reaching an agreeable compromise. Soon, Lily and Ryan would be able to formally announce their engagement.

Hannah strolled to the back of her boutique, lost in thought. She should have been concentrating on the plans for her mother's wedding. Wedding plans
were
filling her mind. Only they weren't for her mother's; they were for her own.

She pictured herself on Cole's arm as he walked her down the aisle. Her dress would be white. Neither frilly nor Victorian, it would have simple lines, a close-fitting bodice and waist. And because Parker insisted he loved her shoulders, the dress would bare her shoulders. Her closest family and friends would be present. And there would be flowers everywhere. And candles. And white lights strewn with netting, and fluted stemware, and gleaming silver.

Hannah paused. A wedding such as that would be very expensive. She didn't need fluted stemware or polished silver. She didn't even need a long white gown.

She only needed Parker's love.

It had been two weeks since they'd had dinner at The Pink Flamingo, two incredibly fun and passion-filled weeks. Although Parker had been putting in long hours on Ryan's divorce case, he'd stolen time to be with her. It seemed they couldn't get enough of each other. Every time she saw him, her head spun. She wavered between feeling
complete euphoria and spine-tingling trepidation. She knew where the euphoria was coming from. The trepidation was more difficult to pin down.

Her relationship with Parker was fantastic. Sadly, she still hadn't had any success in getting in touch with Maria. She'd waited long enough. First thing tomorrow morning, she would drive to Maria's trailer in Leather Bucket. Hannah dreaded the confrontation, but she didn't think that was at the root of her unease. Perhaps the nerves fluttering in her stomach were there because she was worried about her mother, although she couldn't for the life of her say why. Or maybe it was somebody else. But who?

Hannah told herself everything was going to work out. Reed had taken a job washing dishes at The Pink Flamingo, and was staying out of trouble. Lily had never looked more radiant. Maybe, after Hannah set foot inside Maria's house, she would better understand her sister.

That left Parker.

She smoothed her hand along the length of the veil Starr Weston was picking up later. It reminded Hannah of the silver scarf Parker had draped over a lamp in his bedroom a few nights ago. Idyllic and romantic, it had been like making love in the moonlight. She sighed in memory. Surely, no man could make love to a woman the way Parker did unless his heart was involved. Weren't actions supposed to speak louder than words?

She went back to her desk and sat. Everything was going to work out. It was. Nothing was going to go wrong. Just to be on the safe side, she repeated it ten times without stopping.

 

Lily clenched her hands in her lap to keep them from trembling. The Austin Arms Hotel loomed up ahead. Although it was more prestigious than the Willow Creek Ho
tel where she worked back in San Antonio, she'd been here before. She was nervous, and she couldn't put her finger on the reason. She yearned to be at the ranch with Ryan. If this had been anything other than a charity function, she wouldn't have come tonight.

As the driver, Roy Dickson, who worked for Ryan, pulled up in front of the ornate front doors, Lily wished Ryan could have attended the banquet with her. He'd wanted to, but Parker had advised him against it because Sophia lived at the hotel.

Was that the cause of Lily's strangled sense of unease? Was she afraid of running into Sophia?

No. She doubted their paths would cross. And if they did, Lily would simply hold her head high. She wasn't ashamed of her feelings for Ryan. If anyone should be ashamed, it was Sophia.

Why, then, were nerves clamoring up and down her spine? Was it something to do with one of her children? Was something terribly wrong with Maria? Or was it something else?

“Here you go, Ms. Cassidy,” Roy said, opening her door.

Lily pasted a smile on her face. She thanked Roy, got out of the limo, and went inside the prestigious hotel, nerves clamoring all the while. She held her head high, and held her nerves at bay as best she could. But she could hardly wait for the evening to be over, so she could go home to the man she wanted, more than anything else in the world, to spend the rest of her life with.

 

Clint Lockhart ducked around a corner the instant he saw Lily walk through the wide double door. What the hell was she doing here?

His nerves were shot. Seeing her here wasn't helping.

He peered around the corner. A primitive warning sounded in his brain. If the Cassidy woman saw him here, she would undoubtedly finger him as the link in the information that had been leaked to Sophia this past year.

Dammit to hell. He had enough to worry about tonight. He'd felt pretty good when Sophia had summoned him to her room tonight. She'd said Ryan had agreed to her terms. He'd figured he'd pick up a check for his share of the money, and end the evening with one last, good hard roll under the covers.

He'd done a hell of a lot for that money. And he'd driven a long way for sex. His gloved hand went to his pocket, where the bracelet Ryan had bought for Lily rested. He'd planned to show it to Sophia. He'd figured she'd get angry, and after she got angry, she always got turned on.

But then he'd overheard Ryan talking to his attorney on the cell phone. Ryan had named an amount that was more than twice the figure Sophia had told Clint she was receiving.