Susan Mallery - Dream Wedding

“That was the plan all along, Chloe.”

“I figured as much.”

He held out his hand and she took it. Then she followed him back into the main room to have that dance.

CHAPTER SIX

“OH, MY GOODNESS, the man has a fan club!” Cassie said as she pointed at the computer screen.

Sure enough, an Internet search on Arizona’s name had unearthed an assortment of references, including a link to a fan club.

“We have to check this out.” Chloe clicked the arrow on that entry. She was at her home computer, continuing her research on Arizona, which she was starting to think was just a way of avoiding starting the actual writing. Once she figured out the first sentence of the article, she knew the rest of it would come fairly easily. But so far she was in the dark about her beginning.

Cassie pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. “I can’t believe it. I’ve never known anyone with a fan club before.” She laughed and touched her sister’s arm. “We could write him a letter. You could talk about how great he dances. Maybe you could talk about the other stuff, too.”

Chloe glanced at her sharply. “What other stuff?”

Cassie puckered up her lips and made kissing noises. “I saw what you two were doing out there on the patio last night. I figured we had better come interrupt before things got too hot and heavy. There wasn’t a whole lot of privacy.”

“Nothing happened. It was just a kiss.” She flinched, half-waiting for lightning to strike her down. It had been a whole lot more than the kiss—which was part of the problem. It should have been pleasant or even very nice. Instead it had burned her down to her soul. She wasn’t even sure if she was relieved or disappointed that he hadn’t followed up that first kiss with a second. Once they’d gone back inside to the reception, Arizona had been swept away by interested guests and Chloe had finally left alone around midnight.

“It looked like some major passion to me,” Cassie said, and leaned her elbows on the desk. “I wish Joel would kiss me like that.”

“Doesn’t he?”

Cassie shook her head. “Joel and I have a very comfortable relationship.”

“Comfortable is okay for year thirty of marriage, but you guys are still dating.”

“I know.” Cassie shrugged. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She pointed at the computer screen. “Look.”

The computer had located the web site for Arizona’s fan club. There were photos of him, a bulletin board on which to leave messages, letters to Arizona and a map showing all the places he’d visited.

“Imagine how much money we’d make if we could get a picture of him naked,” Cassie said thoughtfully. “We could sell copies. What do you think?”

Chloe laughed. “I think he would probably want to be cut in on the profits. Are you going to be the one to ask him?”

“It might go better if you did that.”

Chloe ignored her. She clicked on various pages of the web site and made notes. “These people need to get lives.”

“It’s romantic. He’s a very exciting man. You know, you should post your article here when you finish it. I’m sure they’d really like it.” She sighed. “He’s just so great. Gracious and funny. I really like him. I think you do, too. Wouldn’t you like to travel around the world with him? He’s just—” She clapped her hands together. “He’s exactly the kind of man I want to dream about when I wear the family nightgown. Don’t you agree?”

Chloe felt a surge of irritation. She was having enough trouble controlling her raging desires without her sister throwing logs on the fire. “Number one, you’re supposed to be engaged to Joel. Number two, I actually have work to do and that would be a lot easier without your editorial comments.”

Cassie stared at her for a second, nodded, then rose to her feet. “Sorry. I leave you to your research.” She walked out of the room without looking back.

Chloe returned her attention to the web site, then groaned. She was turning into a witch.

With a couple of clicks, she logged off the Internet and returned to her word-processing program. After saving her work in progress, she rose to her feet and headed down the hall. Cassie’s bedroom door was open. Her sister was curled up on the bed reading a book.

Chloe watched her. She didn’t know exactly what to say. At this point, she wasn’t willing to risk the truth. She didn’t want to admit that part of her problem was that she had dreamed about Arizona, and it was making her insane.

“I’m sorry,” she said at last. “I had no reason to snap at you. I have a lot on my mind and I’m just not myself.”

Cassie looked up. “I know. This article is very important to you. It’s your ticket out.”

Chloe entered the large room with pale pink walls and a lacy bedspread on the full-size mattress. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

Cassie patted the bed, indicating that her sister should have a seat. “It’s true. Come on, Chloe, it’s time for you to leave. It’s what you’ve always wanted. Sometimes I think you’ve stayed because of me, but I’m practically your age and I’ve been all grown-up for a long time. Aunt Charity and I will be fine without you. Of course we’ll miss you, but it’s time for you to move on. We can take care of the house until you’re ready to come back.”

Chloe reached out and squeezed her sister’s hand. “You’re way too nice a person. Why do you put up with me?”

“Beats me.”

Chloe smiled. Then her humor faded as the familiar guilt took its place. She knew that Cassie would take care of the house for her. Cassie wouldn’t think twice about it, but she, Chloe, was annoyed that it was an issue. Their parents had been wrong, she thought, as she had dozens of times in the past. They should have left everything to the girls equally. Instead Chloe had inherited the house and a small trust fund. Cassie had inherited a large trust fund—equal in value to Chloe’s inheritance—but not equal in spirit. The message had been clear. Their only blood heir had received the family home.

Chloe knew that Cassie put on a brave face; she never said anything. But Cassie was the real traditional one in the family. She was the one who believed in the legend—she was the one who loved the house. It should have been hers. She also knew that on some level Cassie had been hurt by the will. But Chloe didn’t know how to talk to her about it.

There was a knock on the open door.

“Chloe, there’s a call for you,” Charity told her. “It’s Arizona.”

Cassie made kissing noises again. Chloe rose to her feet. “I’m ignoring you,” she said as she crossed to her sister’s desk and picked up the extension. “Hello?”

“Chloe, it’s Arizona. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Not at all.” If the nerves soft-shoeing inside her stomach were anything to go by, she was very happy to hear from him.

“Something’s come up. I’ve been doing some research about a lost tribe up in the Pacific Northwest. I just got a call from some friends of mine working up there. They’ve found something I need to take a look at. The lecture series doesn’t start for a few days and I don’t have much holding me here, so I thought I would go and see what they’ve found.”

“I see.”

He was leaving. She’d always known that he would—it was the nature of the man. But she hadn’t expected it to be so soon. The nerves in her stomach fizzled into a cold knot of disappointment.

“I’ll work on the article while you’re gone and save any questions I have until you get back,” she told him, hoping she sounded calmly professional.

“That’s one scenario,” he agreed. “However, I thought it might be interesting for you to come along. You could observe what I do firsthand.”