“I hugged Lindy because she offered some of her money to get rid of Sharon. Your mom and Will came in and wanted to have hugs, too. Lindy took care of them, so I figured I should do my part.” Rick shot her a grin.
Vanessa stepped back. “I don’t think that’s necessary. Are you ready to go?”
Rick looked her up and down, admiration in his gaze. “You bet. And it’s obvious you are.” He’d also noted she was wearing the bracelet he’d brought her from China. Since she was wearing a silver and black cocktail dress, it was a perfect match.
“We’ll see you later,” Vanessa told Will. “I’m not sure how late we’ll be.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Will assured her. “We’ll keep an eye on Lindy.”
Vanessa leaned forward and kissed Lindy’s cheek, then her mother’s.
Rick escorted Vanessa to his car. “You look wonderful tonight.”
“Thank you,” she said as she slid into the passenger seat.
When he got in beside her, she asked, “Where are we going?”
He named The Mansion, a world-famous hotel on the outskirts of Highland Park.
“Very nice,” she murmured.
“Yes, it is. The guests are almost as impressive, too. All the leaders in business and education in the Dallas area will be there.”
“Education?”
“Of course. They teach the next generation of businesspeople. We need to be sure they’re on the cutting edge.”
“So it’ll be only business professors?”
“I believe it was open to any professors. Why? What are you worried about?”
“Nothing,” Vanessa lied. If her supervisory professor Dr. Cavanaugh was there, she didn’t think he’d be pleased to discover anything that hinted of romance between her and Lindy’s brother.
The man had the power to deny her completion of her doctorate in psychology if he thought she’d broken the rules set down for psychologists and their patients. She’d just have to hope Dr. Cavanaugh had somewhere else to be tonight.
When they reached the hotel, Rick pulled in for valet parking. His door was immediately opened, as was Vanessa’s. The valet helped her out of the car and Rick hurried around to take her hand.
Vanessa resisted, but he insisted on holding her hand. “We’re not dining in the restaurant,” he murmured. “I’ll show you where to go.”
She left her hand in his. It wouldn’t look right to struggle in the hotel.
He led her down the hall into the ballroom, a massive elegantly decorated room where they were immediately met by two men Vanessa didn’t know.
Rick introduced her to them. One of the men claimed to have known her father. She greeted the man, but reserved an opinion of anyone who felt he had been close to her father. She hadn’t been close to him, and she hadn’t liked the way he’d treated her mother.
Rick must have noticed something in her behavior because he quickly ended that conversation and moved on to introduce her to others he knew. He kept her hand in his, squeezing it gently when she tried to remove it.
When one of the businessmen asked her her profession, she reluctantly said she was studying for her doctorate. Of course, the next question was her field of study. She said, “Psychology.”
“Who is your supervisory professor?”
“Dr. Cavanaugh.”
“Why, he’s here tonight. He’ll be glad to know you know the star of the evening. Rick Austin is important in the business world.”
“Yes, I believe he is.” Vanessa forced herself not to look around for Dr. Cavanaugh. She felt sure he’d find her before she left. It seemed like destiny.
Rick put a hand on the small of her back. “I believe we should be seated so they can start serving.”
He led her to their seats and Vanessa wanted to turn around and run out of the ballroom when she saw where they would be sitting. Up on stage where everyone—including Dr. Cavanaugh—could see them.
Yes, she would definitely be talking to her supervisor very soon.
She followed Rick to the dais, trying to think of how she could get out of taking a seat up there. Somehow she didn’t think claiming a fear of heights would work. Nor could she manage to throw up before she reached her seat. And once she was there, there was no point to claiming illness. It would be too late.
Once they were seated, the master of ceremonies introduced the head table, including her, noting that she was Herbert Shaw’s daughter. Apparently her father had been a longtime member of their group.
Vanessa tried to maintain a pleasant smile, glad when the spotlight moved down the table.
After it had done so, Rick leaned over. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
After they finished their delicious meal, Rick was again introduced, and highlights of his impressive résumé were read aloud. Vanessa learned some new facts about Rick. She’d had no idea he’d earned his MBA from Harvard, or that he had studied in England. No wonder he had no time for a social life. He had accomplished more in ten years than most people did in a lifetime.
To her surprise, she enjoyed his speech very much. He included a sense of humor, sometimes self-deprecating, and fascinating stories about the people of China. When he finished, there was a roar of applause.
As he sat down, Vanessa whispered, “Well done.”
He smiled and caught her hand, bringing it to his lips before she realized what he was doing. She jerked her hand away and ducked her head.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Just—just don’t do anything romantic here in front of everyone.”
“Why?”
“Because my supervisory professor is here.”
“You’re not allowed romance if you’re a psychology student?”
“Not if he’s kin to a patient.”
Rick frowned. Then it struck him. “Lindy,” he said.
“Bingo.”
They made it all the way through the salad course before her professor came forward asking Vanessa to introduce Rick. “I’m delighted to meet you, Mr. Austin. I believe I spoke with your attorney about your sister.”
“My ex-attorney,” Rick corrected him, shaking his hand. “And I’m indebted to you for your quick solution.”
“Your sister is doing well?”
“Yes, she is, thanks to Miss Shaw.”
“I’m pleased to hear that. Oh, dear?” he called to a woman standing near him. “Come meet Mr. Austin and Vanessa Shaw. This is my wife, Joanna. I’m sure you’ve heard me mention Vanessa. She’s one of my students in the doctorate program.”
“Yes, of course. He raves about you, my dear. And, Mr. Austin, that was a most wonderful speech. I really enjoyed it.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Cavanaugh.”
“Oh, my dear,” the older woman exclaimed to Vanessa, “that is such a beautiful bracelet. So unusual. Where did you find it?”
Vanessa glanced at the bracelet and wanted to hide it, but she couldn’t. “A friend gave it to me.”
“How lucky for you.”
“Yes, it was.”
Rick said, “If you’ll excuse us, there are a couple more people I want to introduce Vanessa to. I’m delighted to meet both of you, though.” He led Vanessa away.
“Thank you,” she muttered when they were out of earshot.
“Yeah, I didn’t think you wanted to tell them I brought you that bracelet.”
“No. I think Dr. Cavanaugh might not believe it was for taking care of Lindy.”
“It wasn’t.”
“Rick!” she exclaimed, a warning in her voice.
Rick surprised her by tugging her to the small dance floor. “Come on, let’s dance.”
“We shouldn’t—” But she stopped because they were already on the dance floor with Rick’s arms around her. “I thought you wouldn’t do anything else romantic.”
“Lots of people are dancing. It’s an accepted social activity. Besides, it was either dance with you or kiss you. Did I make the right choic
e?”
“Yes!” She didn’t confess that she was enjoying the dancing, but she was. It was the first time they’d danced together.
“Vanessa, when those people mentioned your father, you didn’t appear happy. Was he mean to you?”
“No, just controlling. And Mom and I both placed low on his importance list. His work was everything to him.”
Rick frowned. “He had his priorities screwed up.”
Vanessa relaxed just a little more. “Your father wasn’t like that?”
“Nope. When Mom was alive, she always came first. And he had time for me, too. After Mom died, I think he was lost. I was furious when he married Anita, but I think he thought that marriage would be like his first one. Unfortunately he didn’t get so lucky the second time.”
“So, when you marry your wife will come first?” Vanessa asked, as if she had no idea who that person might be.
“Oh, yeah, honey, you’ll come first,” he said, and spun her around in a dizzying move.
“I didn’t mean—” she began breathlessly.
“I did. And if I don’t get to claim you soon, I may go crazy.”
“Rick, you know we can’t—”
“I know,” he agreed with a sigh. “But it’s hard.”
“Yes, it is,” she said softly, for her ears only. But he heard her. She could tell by the way he pressed her more tightly against him.
When the music ended, he suggested another dance, but Vanessa didn’t think she could stand so much closeness without embarrassing herself. He led her off the floor.
They immediately ran into someone else Rick knew. “Mr. Nelson, how nice to see you,” Rick said as a white-haired man approached him. “Allow me to introduce Miss Vanessa Shaw.”
“Knew her daddy. Liked her mother better,” the old man said.
Vanessa smiled. “Me, too.”
“Smart young lady.”
“Yes, she is,” Rick agreed.
“Good. Like her better than that last one you brought to that meeting a couple of months ago.”
“I do, too.”
“Good. Better grab her while you can!”
“I couldn’t agree more. I’ve just got to convince her.” Rick gave her a smile.
Vanessa elbowed him in the ribs while keeping a smile on her lips.
The old man chuckled. “Feisty, isn’t she? That kind makes the best wife.”
“I agree, but I think you’re embarrassing her.”
“No reason to be embarrassed, missy. I’m complimenting you.”
Still, Vanessa couldn’t help the blush that colored her cheeks. “But I have all kinds of faults, Mr. Nelson. I’d just rather not admit them.”
“Good thing to do. Keep quiet.”
Then the old man leaned in closer to Rick and muttered, “Don’t let this one get away.”
“No, sir, I won’t.” Rick smiled.
As Rick led her away, Vanessa couldn’t hold back any longer. “Rick, you need to be careful what you say. Someone might hear you!”
Rick just smiled down at her.
“Did you hear me?”
“I did. But I’m not saying anything I regret.”
Vanessa just groaned. The man refused to listen to reason.
When the evening finally ended, they retrieved their car and started home. “Your supervisory professor seemed very nice,” Rick said.
“To you, perhaps. Monday, I’m sure he won’t be as kind to me.”
“Why?”
“Because he thinks I’m dating you and treating Lindy at the same time.”
“And that’s wrong?”
“It can be considered so. You can’t date patients, or relatives if it would cause problems for the patient.”
“But it’s not causing any problems for Lindy,” Rick said.
“No, because we’re not dating.”
Rick parked the car in front of Vanessa’s home and turned to look at her. “You don’t call this dating?”
“I wouldn’t think it would be a good idea to date one woman while having a baby with another.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t, either. But I’m not going to marry Sharon, whether she’s carrying my child or not, as I told you.”
“That’s easy to say now, when you don’t know if it’s your baby.”
“It’s easy for me to say because you pointed out how much alike Anita and Sharon are. I saw my father’s life ruined because he married a woman he’d been sleeping with. I don’t intend to make the same mistake.”
“So you’d abandon your child to Sharon’s care?”
“No. That’s what I was explaining to Lindy this evening. I’d pay her enough money to get her to surrender custody to me. My only problem would be persuading the woman I want to marry to raise Sharon’s child. Do you think that would be possible?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Vanessa said coolly.
“Come on, Vanessa. You know I’m talking about you. I’ve made it as clear as I can without actually asking you to marry me. I figured you’d prefer that I wait until I find out about the baby. I’m not sure I can wait that long, though, so I’m hoping Will and Jim will be able to clear things up long before the baby is born.”
“I don’t think you’re aware of the significance of Dr. Cavanaugh being there this evening. He’s going to ask me if I’m serious about you. I’m going to have to say I was just doing you a favor. That I have no emotional attachment to you. Otherwise, he may decide to deny me my doctorate.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I told you. It might compromise the effectiveness of my work with Lindy.”
“But it wouldn’t. Lindy loves both of us. Why wouldn’t she want us to get together and share our lives with her?”
“What if she fears I may not care for her as much as I did, because I’m in love with you.”
“Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“In love with me?”
Vanessa felt her cheeks burn and she looked away. She wouldn’t answer his question. She couldn’t. Instead she took a different approach. “Rick, I’ve worked for four years on my advanced degree. I have six more months of work. Then I’ll be able to pursue the career I love.”
“Okay,” he said with a sigh. “Six months isn’t forever.”
“Thank you.”
They sat in silence for several minutes. Finally, Rick said, “I’ll agree to wait until your degree is safe, if you’ll agree to kiss me good-night tonight.”
“One kiss?”
“Sure.”
Vanessa thought there must be some trap in the agreement, but after all, she had agreed. She slid closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then she lifted her lips to his.
As he pulled her tighter against him, his strength and his warmth overwhelmed her, and his lips demanded more. She found herself responding with enthusiasm. His hands started stroking her body, awakening feelings she hadn’t experienced before.
When his lips left hers to trace kisses down her neck, she took a deep breath and started to protest, but his lips returned to hers, distracting her once again. Just as she was drowning in Rick’s arms, she made one last desperate effort to break free, pushing him away.
Rick raised his head, but he kept his arms around her. “What?”
“We—we have to stop!” she gasped.
“Why?” he asked as his lips lowered to hers.
She ducked her head. “Because I’m too close to losing control.”
“Me, too,” he agreed, but he still tried to reach her lips.
“Rick, stop!”
He bowed his forehead against hers. “Okay, but I suggest you double your study efforts to finish early. Six months seems too long.”
“I know,” she whispered. They were the most encouraging words he’d yet heard.
He moved her away from him and opened his door, then came around the car and opened her door. He reached in and pulled her out of the car. Then he embraced her once more, exacting one more kis
s before he led her to the house.
“Are you going to invite me in for coffee?” he asked.
“No, I don’t think so. I think we’ve risked too much already tonight.”
“Yeah, but it was sweet.”
She didn’t answer. Reaching for the door, she said, “Goodbye, Rick.”
“Oh, no you don’t. I get my goodbye kiss.”
“I thought we—” His lips stopped her words.
He finally released her again. “Good night, Vanessa.”
And he turned and walked away.
Vanessa stood there watching him go. Only after he’d driven away did she open the door to her home. Betty had left an inside light on for her. She locked the door behind her and wandered slowly down the hall.
“Vanessa, is that you?”
Vanessa turned in to the library to greet Will. “Yes, it’s me, Will. Why are you still up?”
“Your mother was a little nervous about going to bed before you got home. I promised to stay up for you so she’d get some sleep.”
Vanessa was surprised. “I didn’t think she had waited up for me in years.”
“You haven’t dated much the past couple of years.”
She nodded. That was true. “I’ve been too busy, I guess.”
Will led her into the kitchen for a cup of coffee he said Betty had brewed right before she went to bed. “How’d the evening go?” he asked after he’d poured them each a cup.
She sipped her decaf as she told Will about Dr. Cavanaugh and her concerns. Skipping the details of the sensuous dances and the heated kisses, of course.
“You explained the problem to Rick?” Will asked.
She nodded. “He was reluctant but he finally agreed. Not enthusiastically, I might add.” Putting down the cup, she let out a deep sigh. “For some reason he seems to think we’re dating. We aren’t. I only agreed to fill in tonight because he didn’t have anyone else.” She put on her best face, sure she’d convinced Will.
If only she could convince herself…
But Will didn’t fall for her story, either. As if in slow motion, a big grin split his face. “Yeah, right.”
“Will!”
“Honey, I’ll pretend to believe there’s nothing between you and Rick Austin, if that’s what you want. But we both know that’s not true.”
She looked at the man who’d been more a father to her than her own, and knew she could never fool him. Nor could she go on fooling herself.
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