The Wedding Guest (Colorado Billionaires Book 5) (18 page)

Kirby smiled and relaxed a bit. “As well as I can be under the circumstances. Uncle was sick for a long time, so his passing wasn’t a surprise. But it’s never easy.”

“No, of course not,” Maria said sweetly.

Jason offered a handshake. “Good to meet you, Kirby. I’ve heard great things about you, and I’m looking forward to meeting your man, Brewster, as well.” He turned and addressed the group. “Shall we sit? Cook is dying for us to try her homemade minestrone.”

They all sat down, and two servers in uniform appeared with a tureen.

Madlyn caught Vicky’s eye and mouthed silently, ‘La-de-da.’

Vicky was taking a sip of water and nearly sprayed the table. She covered up by pressing her napkin to her mouth and clearing her throat.

Jason shook his head and chuckled. “You two are incorrigible.”

The whole table laughed, and Madlyn could feel Kirby relaxing as the conversation turned into friendly chatter amongst friends and family.

Madlyn found herself drawn into a lovely conversation with Maria about how much she missed her pets back home in Spain. As Maria was showing her pictures of her Great Danes and poodles, Madlyn realized she shouldn’t be surprised that Maria was a wonderful person. After all, she was a Darby, even if her English had the faintest hint of an accent.

“I’m going to be adopting two Siamese cats in a few weeks,” she said. “They’re gifts from Kirby.”

Vicky was delighted. “That’s wonderful! See, Jason? Everyone’s getting pets.”

“Yes, dear.” Jason shared a manly look with Kirby.

Kirby chuckled, then said, “Ray, will you be taking your favorite hounds to Spain?”

Ray turned to Maria, and the depths of his love for her transformed his features. “As soon as Maria falls in love with one of them, or two, or three, then we will definitely make travel arrangements. Until then, I shall enjoy the company of Danes and poodles.”

“That’s great,” said Kirby. He leaned toward Madlyn and whispered, “My brother is truly in love.”

“How wonderful,” said Madz.

Kirby smiled.

Ray spoke up. “And I suppose, Kirby, that your new station in life will allow you some of the same pleasures.”

Kirby froze.

Madlyn looked questioningly from Kirby to Ray and back again. “New station?” she asked.

Ray hesitated. “Forgive me if I’m being tasteless. I mean, so soon after losing your uncle.…”

Kirby tried to brush it off. “It’s okay. Everything’s fine.”

Madlyn’s eyebrows touched in the middle. “Kirby, is this that something you needed to tell me? What new station in life?” She suddenly looked horrified and gasped. “You haven’t joined the army, have you?”

Kirby’s mouth opened and closed, then opened again. “Army? No way.”

Ray lifted a glass of wine. “Here’s to Kirby, and may I say, good fortune could not smile on a finer fellow.”

Madlyn squeezed Kirby’s arm. “Kirby? What is Ray talking about?”

Maria put a hand to her mouth and kicked her husband under the table. Ray froze.

A loud thwacka-thwacka-thwacka sounded overhead and everyone looked up. A moment later, Alistair fairly slid to a halt at the door.

“Forgive me, Mr. Darby. Ladies and gentlemen. There seems to be a helicopter landing on the front lawn.”

Jason shot a questioning glance at Vicky. “Sweetheart, I thought you sent a town car.”

Vicky stood up and headed for the door. “I did.”

Everyone else followed her out of the dining room, through the entryway, and under the portico.

There was definitely a helicopter on the front lawn.

Madlyn was standing close enough to Kirby to hear him groan. “Oh my God. This can’t be happening.”

Across the side of the helicopter was emblazoned the name Vann Industries. The door on the side slid open, and Vanessa Vann emerged as the pilot shut the engine down. Her giraffe-like legs nearly bent in two trying to keep her head below the slowing chopper blades, but her sharp eyes homed in on Kirby at once.

The engine noise was fading, but she still had to raise her voice to be heard. “There you are, my dearest love. Naughty, naughty. Thinking you could run away after our little spat.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

M
adlyn shrunk back against Kirby. When she realized that Vanessa was striding purposefully in their direction, a cold fear gripped her heart and she bolted.

Kirby’s voice floated after her. “Madz, wait!”

But she couldn’t stand there and let Vanessa rip her to shreds with her razor-sharp tongue in front of her friends. She ran around the corner of the house to the sheltered spot where the row of garage bays connected to the mansion, then slumped to the ground as if to cling to the sun-warmed pavers for comfort. How could that woman show up on the sweetest day of her life? How could she destroy the joy that Madlyn had felt building within herself as she and Kirby grew closer and closer? How could anyone be that mean?

She felt strong hands closing on her arms and lifting her tenderly from the ground. She turned her face away, knowing she must look a sight, with tears streaming down her cheeks and her nose red from crying.

Kirby held her close, shielding her with his body and arms. He spoke into her ear. “Don’t cry, sweet Madlyn. I’m here. No one can see you. Don’t cry. I love you. It hurts to see you crying. She means nothing to me. She’s been stalking me for years. She thinks I’m rich and she wants to latch onto some of the Forbes money. Please don’t cry.”

Madlyn snuffled and tried to calm her breathing. The most wonderful man she’d ever known was cradling her and protecting her while he told her he loved her. Surely the tears would stop now. But instead, they kept coming. Only now, instead of being born of pain, they sprang from joy.

“You really love me?”

“God, yes. With all my heart. From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were something special. All I wanted was to be near you. And before I knew it, you’d reached inside me with your pure spirit and took my heart prisoner. I’m yours, Madlyn, heart and soul. There’s not a person on this planet who could tear me away from you.”

Madlyn tried not to squeak, but her throat was still tight with feeling. “I love you, too, with all my heart. Why won’t she go away? Doesn’t she know you’re just a working man, even if Ray is your stepbrother?”

Kirby shifted his position so he could wrap his arms all the way around her and smooth her hair. “Remember when I told you there was something I had to confess?”

Madlyn nodded, not trusting her voice.

Kirby kissed her temple. “After the funeral, I learned that my uncle had made me and Brewster his heirs. Brewster worked for Uncle his whole life, and I was Uncle’s only living blood relation. Somehow, Vanessa learned that I would share in the inheritance.”

Madlyn’s voice still sounded five years old, but she had to ask the question that worried her the most. “Did you lie to me about having no money?”

“No. Never. When we met and I felt my heart singing when you were with me, I couldn’t bear to correct you or say anything negative. So when you assumed I was Brewster’s chauffeur, I just played along. It got out of hand. But I didn’t have any money of my own then. Uncle has been supporting me ever since mother died. He even paid Brewster’s salary so it would look like I had a valet. He wanted me to feel at ease around the Forbes family and their business crowd.”

Madlyn’s head bobbed up and down. “Okay.” Her voice was growing stronger, and the tears had stopped flowing at last. “I can live with that. So you didn’t know you were going to inherit money from your uncle?”

Kirby cupped her face with his hands and planted a soft kiss on her still trembling lips. “I figured he might leave me the penthouse. I thought that would be very generous. I was already thinking about selling it so you and I could have a nest egg to build on. Then Brew and I went to the lawyers and—” He choked and swallowed. “—and please say you’ll still love me after all the paperwork is done.”

“Of course I love you. What paperwork, my darling?”

Kirby took a breath and exhaled in a whoosh. “I never knew how rich my uncle had become. But Ray must have known. He must have said something within Vanessa’s earshot. I don’t know. But I’m going to be embarrassingly wealthy any day now. Brewster, too.”

Madlyn wiped at her wet cheeks and patted Kirby’s chest. “How embarrassing will it actually be?”

Kirby tried half a smile. “My face will be very red for the rest of my life.”

“That much?” Madlyn was stunned.

“Complete and total humiliation.”

“And you still love me? A penniless shop clerk?”

Kirby’s eyes filled with a feeling that took Madlyn’s breath away. He said, “Yes. I’ll never stop loving you. Don’t you see? You trusted me with your heart, with your feelings, with your future, and you did all of that based on what you saw in
me
, not based on my bank account. I love you so much.” He made a frustrated noise. “I have this great surprise for you, but I can’t stand not knowing for sure, so I’m going to ruin it. I have to know now. Madlyn, will you marry me?”

Madlyn opened her mouth to answer and a tremulous warble escaped, half sob, half nervous giggle. She inhaled sharply, then said, “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll marry you, Kirby Banks, this very minute.”

“Even knowing I have a great humiliation coming?”

“Yes. Yes, yes, yes.” She drew a calming breath and lifted her head to state with feigned haughtiness, “We’ll just have to face this humiliation together.”

Kirby grinned. Then he squeezed her tight and lifted her off the ground.

“Kirby!” Madz had never been swept off her feet before.

Kirby twirled her around and shouted, “She said yes! She said yes!”

Vicky appeared around the corner of the house. “Is everything okay?”

Kirby set Madlyn on her feet. “It’s great. Everything is great. She said yes!”

Vicky’s face lit up. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you.” She rushed forward and hugged her friend, and as she did so, the grade-school BFFs took over and the two of them jumped up and down in each other’s arms.

Kirby was beaming, and it warmed Madlyn’s heart to see him all puffed up about her accepting his proposal.

Vicky said, “Come on, you have to tell Jason and Maria! Oh, and Ray of course.”

Madz hesitated. “Is Vanessa still out there?”

“She’s still here. Ray is talking to her. Evidently he’s very good friends with her dad and does a lot of business with Vann Industries. That’s how she found out about Kirby’s uncle.”

Kirby linked Madlyn’s arm with his own. “We’re a team now,” he said. “Don’t worry. She’s powerless as long as we’re together. And soon,” he intoned with a twinkle in his eye, “we’ll increase our power a hundredfold when we find
the rings
.”

Madlyn caught the reference at once and giggled. In her best Gollum voice, she intoned, “Must have the precious!”

Vicky laughed. “OMG, you two are perfect for each other.” Then she called out, “Jason! Guess what!” She scampered toward the front of the house.

Kirby took advantage of her departure to pull Madlyn into a deep kiss. When it ended, Madlyn sighed dreamily. Then a thought occurred to her and she looked up at Kirby, horrified. “People will think I’m a gold digger.”

Kirby pretended to give the idea serious thought. Then he held up a finger. “If we get married right away, I’ll still be poor when we tie the knot.”

“You’re a genius!” Madlyn held up a matching finger. “We have to wait for Brewster. After all, you can’t get married without Brewster as your best man.”

Kirby hugged her close again. “I now officially love you twice as much as before, and I didn’t think that was possible.” He kissed her quickly as the excited babble of voices behind him announced the approach of Jason, Vicky, and Maria. “United front.”

Madlyn squeezed his arm. “Forever.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

M
adlyn was relieved to see that Ray had ushered Vanessa indoors for their little talk. Alistair was escorting the helicopter pilot and another man and woman into the house.

Vicky explained. “Vanessa’s going to stay the night here. Ray convinced her that the company’s pilots — she flew to Pueblo on the Vann jet — require a night of rest before flying her home.” She turned to Jason. “Is it safe to go in for coffee and dessert?”

Maria answered for him. “Ray has requested the staff to take a tray upstairs to Vanessa. He’s going to have dessert with her while he explains the situation about Kirby. He is always trying to please her father. That was how she joined the wedding party. He told me that she requested it through her father, and Mr. Vann called Ray. It’s one of those business things. He could not say no.”

Jason nodded. “Boy, do I ever know that feeling. He has all my sympathies.”

Maria smiled and said to Madlyn, “My cousin is so smart with business.”

They moved indoors and returned to the dining room. But Madlyn still had questions. “Who were those other people with Alistair and the pilot?”

“I know who they are.” Kirby held her chair for her as she sat. He took his seat next to her and explained. “Vann Industries is huge, and the Vanns are worth billions. Vanessa’s social circle is very small, mainly because her father is terrified that someone might try to get to him through her. She’s his only daughter. He figures his sons are a bit safer, but he worries about Vanessa. She has to travel with a bodyguard and a personal assistant. That’s who was on the helicopter with her.”

Madlyn said soberly, “Gosh, now I feel sorry for her. I never thought that would happen.”

Kirby spread his napkin in his lap as the server set a tiramisu tower in front of him. He thanked her, then said softly, “With food like this, my snowboarding days may be over.”

Madlyn giggled. She dipped her spoon into her own dessert. “Now I really feel bad for Vanessa. Shouldn’t she come eat with us?”

Maria shook her head and held up a hand. “No, no. Ray must handle this. He is the one who must stay on good, how do you say? Stay on good footing?”

Vicky helped. “Stay in good standing.”

“Yes. He must stay in good standing with her father, so he wants to be her emotional support at the moment. He is very good at this.”