Follow Your Heart--A Novel

by Brenda Jackson

  “Over the years, you have dated quite a number of beautiful, intelligent and sophisticated women.”

  “That might be the case, but I’m not ready to settle down to just one woman, Mint,” Roman said. “I’m flying to Texas tonight to visit my parents in Austin for a couple days. Before returning to DC, I think I’ll make a pit stop in Houston and seek counsel with Senator Lansing.”

  Senator Nedwyn Lansing had been in the US Senate for over twenty years and when he’d been ready to retire, he hadn’t wanted to turn his seat over to just anyone. He had called Roman and convinced him he was the most qualified person to take his seat to represent the good people of Texas. Because of Senator Lansing’s support, Roman had won in a landslide victory seven years ago. Last year Roman had been reelected to that same senate seat.

  “I think talking to Senator Lansing is a good idea,” Mint said. “And don’t forget about that interview in New Orleans next Wednesday. You’re to appear on a morning talk show.”

  “Thanks for the reminder.”

  “While the senate isn’t in session, now is the best time for you to get away. I’ve cleared your calendar for the next three weeks to take some much-deserved R and R. It will start right after that interview in New Orleans, which means you won’t return to Washington until a week and a few days after Labor Day.”

  Roman grinned. “That sounds good to me.”

  “I figured it would. There’s a shipping town an hour outside of New Orleans and it’s reputed to be the best place for fishing and boating. A place called Catalina Cove.”

  “Umm, I’ve never heard of the place, but that’s great. Just make sure you book me somewhere close to the water so I can get a lot of fishing in.”

  “I already have. And another thing, Roman, the Capital Ball at the Kennedy Center will be in a couple of months. Should I add Audria’s name to the RSVP as your plus-one, or will you be taking someone else?”

  “Audria will not be my date, Mint. You can be sure of that.”

  Audria Wayfare, daughter of Senator Wayfare, had somehow convinced herself that she was the woman Roman needed in his life, saying she had the right pedigree to be a senator’s wife, especially one with aspirations to live on Pennsylvania Avenue. He’d known it was time to end things between them after she mentioned in a magazine interview that they were contemplating marriage. That had been a lie.

  “Okay, then let me know who it will be before the end of next month.”

  After Roman ended the call with Mint, he snapped on his seat belt thinking he wasn’t even sure he would take a date. He had no problem attending the ball alone if he chose to do so.

  No matter what, he would not be taking Audria.

  * * *

  “TANNER JAMISON? SERIOUSLY, VICTORIA. Do you honestly think he’s the man Mama Laverne has chosen for you?” Christy Madaris fixed Victoria with her gaze and took a sip of wine.

  Victoria sat across the table from her cousin. She had picked up Christy from the airport and they were sharing dinner at Sloan’s, a popular restaurant in New Orleans.

  Although Christy was six years older, the two of them had always been more than just cousins. They’d been gal pals. Victoria thought Christy was beautiful, with her high cheekbones and abundance of reddish-brown hair that flowed down to her shoulders. The mother of three was, and always had been, absolutely stunning. And it was a known fact that she was adored by a husband whom Christy had loved since her early teens.

  Victoria could credit Christy with helping her through those growing years, when her three older brothers, Nolan, Corbin and Adam, would get on her nerves by being so overprotective. Christy had also been the recipient of such overprotectiveness from her own brothers—Justin, Dex and Clayton—while growing up. Christy had made things easier by becoming Victoria’s mentor.

  With Christy’s help she was able to pretty much ignore her brothers’ protectiveness and come up with her own agenda—focusing on her studies and career goals. Victoria had graduated with a master’s degree in communications, broadcasting and journalism, and a bachelor’s degree in public relations.

  “All signs lead to Tanner,” Victoria explained. “And it really wasn’t a coincidence that we ran in to each other at that bakery when Mama Laverne gave us both gift cards. Tanner also mentioned that he and Mama Laverne had a nice chat, during which time she mentioned to him I worked here and told him to look me up. That’s the only reason he asked me out. All that sounds suspect to me.”

  Christy nodded. “I hate to admit it, but it sounds pretty suspect to me, too. Tanner is such a ladies’ man, I can’t imagine him changing, not any time soon.”

  “Honestly, Christy, do you think Mama Laverne cares if he’s ready to change? Consider who else were ladies’ men. Namely, Blade, Lucas, Nolan, Lee... Need I go on? Mama Laverne has a knack for transforming notorious bachelors into perfect husbands, whether they want to or not.”

  Christy didn’t say anything for a moment as she took another sip of wine. “You do have a point. If what you think is true, how do you feel about it?”

  Victoria shrugged. “Right now, nothing. Possibly once I get to know Tanner, I’ll feel an affinity toward him or something. I certainly didn’t feel anything today. Not even a smidgen of sexual chemistry. All the other women in the shop were practically drooling, but I didn’t feel even the tiniest bit of an attraction.”

  “It could be that you were too busy trying to rationalize things about him. Your mind was too occupied questioning if he was the one.”

  “Possibly. But I would think if he was going to be the man I was to fall in love with, I should at least feel something, shouldn’t I?”

  Christy smiled over at her. “You’re asking the wrong person because I’ve always felt something for Alex. I’ve loved him forever. But if you were to ask Sam, she would tell you that she couldn’t stand Blade at first and can’t pinpoint exactly when she fell in love with him. She just knows that she did.”

  Victoria tilted her head. “Are you saying there’s a chance I might not fall in love with Tanner right away?”

  “That’s a strong possibility. There’s also a good chance he will fight falling in love with you until the bitter end. That’s the way it works with die-hard bachelors. You have to be patient. You’re looking at a lifetime commitment.”

  Victoria had no problem being patient since falling in love seemed to take a lot of work and she had enough on her plate. And why did the thought of spending a lifetime with someone suddenly have her feeling apprehensive? She and Christy paused in conversation when the waiter brought their meals.

  When he walked off, Christy said, “You’re not having second doubts about all this, are you, Victoria? Possibly thinking you’ve given Mama Laverne too much control and you’re not ready for what she has planned for your future?”

  That was exactly how Victoria was beginning to feel, but she knew such thoughts and feelings weren’t warranted. All she had to do was spend time around Luke and Mackenzie, Blade and Samari, Lee and Carly, and Nolan and Ivy to know when it came to matchmaking, her great-grandmother knew what she was doing. Victoria had to be patient and believe the rest—all that love, passion and romance stuff—would follow.

  “I’m all right, Christy. It’s the unknown that had me somewhat concerned. But now that I know the identity of the man Mama Laverne has chosen for me, I’ll be okay.”

  “Good. Just so you know, even with his womanizing ways, Tanner is a nice guy. All you have to do is look at all those charities he’s involved with to see that. We shouldn’t judge him because he wants to enjoy life before settling down. Some of our brothers and cousins did that same thing and they turned out to be great husbands. You’ve never spent any real amount of time around Tanner. Maybe now you’ll get to see a side of him you wouldn’t expect and didn’t know.”

  Now that was an uplifting thought, Victoria mused. She was twenty-
seven and she figured Tanner was at least nine years older than her. There had never been a reason for her to get to know him. Now there was.

  “I suggest you continue to enjoy your freedom while waiting for Tanner to start noticing you,” Christy said.

  “So you think I should date like normal?”

  “I don’t see why not. The last thing you want Tanner to think is that you’re waiting for him to finally accept your place in his life. Heck, now is the time to have a hot, steamy affair if you’d ever thought about having one.”

  “Christy!” Victoria said, throwing her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

  “Why not? I’d thought about it and was about to act on it that time when Alex rejected me. I refused to let him think he was the only man I could want, or who could want me. That brought Alex to his senses real quick when he saw how friendly I was getting with other guys. Like I said, there’s nothing wrong with making Tanner jealous to kick-start feelings he might be fighting hard to suppress.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “You do that. Sooner or later, Tanner will begin noticing you to the point where all those other women will mean nothing to him. That’s when he will only have eyes for you. When that happens, he’ll start monopolizing your time. Then it won’t be your time alone.”

  Victoria understood everything Christy was saying, and she much preferred all that happen later, rather than sooner. She didn’t want any man to start monopolizing her time. She liked the way her life was now and loved the place she was renting in Catalina Cove. She enjoyed leaving work and driving home each day while listening to music or one of her favorite books on tape. It was such a pleasant and scenic drive and traffic wasn’t all that bad once you left the New Orleans city limits. When she got home, she didn’t have to worry about anyone but herself.

  “Well, I know of one particular person who will appreciate the slow process of me and Tanner getting together,” Victoria said.

  Christy lifted an eyebrow. “Who?”

  “Corbin. He knows once I’m married off, Mama Laverne will turn her undivided attention to him. I can’t wait to see how he deals with it.”

  Christy chuckled. “I can’t wait to see, either. After Corbin, there’s Chancellor, Emerson and Adam. I can just imagine how much trouble they will be in going along with any plans she has for them.”

  Victoria took another sip of wine, then said, “You seem rather calm about leaving the babies in Alex’s care.”

  Victoria could see the look of love that immediately warmed Christy’s eyes at the mention of her husband. “Alex will handle the kids just fine. He’s the perfect dad.” Christy and Alex had three kids. A daughter and two sons. They’d always wanted a large family and everyone figured they weren’t through making babies yet.

  Alex Maxwell was a private investigator, and after they married, Christy became his assistant, doing the research for his cases. That’s where her skills as an investigative reporter had come into play.

  “Of course, I’ll check periodically to see how they’re doing,” Christy added. “It pays to have family living close by if he needs them. However, I doubt he will. Alex is wonderful at almost everything he does.”

  Victoria didn’t say anything as she smiled at her cousin and hoped things would be like that for her and Tanner. Of course, they would be. Mama Laverne wouldn’t be getting them together otherwise.

  “Let’s do a toast,” Victoria said, holding up her wineglass. “To the man you love and to the man I’m destined to love.”

  Laughing, Christy and Victoria clinked their glasses together.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “ARE YOU COMFORTABLE, Senator Malone? Would you like a glass of water or anything?” It was the third time the young woman who’d introduced herself as a production assistant had asked him in the last twenty minutes.

  “No, I’m fine,” Roman said, smiling at her. “Thanks for asking.”

  He’d been told the interview would last less than ten minutes and he was glad of that. Afterward, he would return to the hotel and check out, and then head to Catalina Cove. He couldn’t wait to get there. A whole month to himself—no media of any kind, social or otherwise, and if he was lucky no one in the small coastal town would recognize him.

  And, more importantly, no women.

  Because the media had practically hounded his tail throughout the entire campaign last year, and then after the election both the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, of which he was a member, had frequent committee meetings that had meant putting his active social life—and getting laid—on the back burner. Now he needed rest more than sex, since all his combined political activities had taken a toll.

  He was about to get the production assistant’s attention to ask for a glass of water after all when a woman approached her. He figured he wouldn’t interrupt their conversation and would wait it out, hoping it would be short. He switched his gaze to the television monitor displaying the person being interviewed ahead of him, when for some reason, he glanced back to where the women were standing and still conversing.

  He told himself he’d only glanced back to see if the production assistant was now free, but deep down he knew that wasn’t the case. Especially when his gaze lingered on the other woman.

  She was beautiful in every sense of the word, and she looked damn good in that pencil skirt and blouse. He liked a woman with curves, and she had some pretty nice ones. The snug fit of her blouse indicated a pair of nice-size breasts, as well.

  He studied her features and thought there was something about her that looked oddly familiar. It was as if he knew her from somewhere. A campaign staffer perhaps? Possibly not, because he would have definitely remembered her.

  Whatever the two were talking about had the woman smiling. He was mesmerized by the dimples that showed in her cheeks, and the thick mass of dark brown curly hair that flowed to her shoulders seemed to highlight her almond-colored complexion. She was young and he would probably put her age at midtwenties.

  There was something uniquely sexy about her. It didn’t help matters that she was standing under one of the bright ceiling lights and the beam seemed to highlight every single seductive thing about her...and yes, she did look seductive. Sensuously so.

  Suddenly she glanced over at him and her smile widened, catching him off guard and making his pulse quicken. She was even more beautiful than he’d initially thought. Especially since he was getting a better view of full shapely lips and a gorgeous pair of brown eyes. A slow-moving stir was taking place in the pit of his stomach.

  Could it be because he hadn’t had sex in a while? He thought it over. The last time would have been over ten months ago—right after the election—when he’d successfully ignored Audria’s attempts to resume their “lovers only” arrangement.

  He studied the woman’s features again, almost convinced he knew her from somewhere. Had they met before? On the campaign trail, perhaps? Evidently, she possibly thought the same thing because he saw a flash of recognition in her eyes.

  She left the production assistant and walked over to him. He stood upon her approach and when she reached him, she extended her hand. “Senator Malone, I’m not sure if you remember me.”

  He tilted his head, wondering how any man could forget a woman who looked like her. “Your face looks familiar, but I just can’t place you at the moment.”

  She chuckled. Roman thought even the sound of her soft laugh was sexy. “It’s been years so let me help. Your godparents, Jonathan and Marilyn Madaris, are my uncle and aunt. I’m Victoria Madaris.”

  The moment she’d mentioned the name Madaris, he knew he’d seen her before. Probably at one of his godparents’ parties or cookouts. But that had to be quite some time ago. She was right. It had been years.

  “Of course. I remember you now. And you’re right, it’s
been years,” he said, finally releasing her hand.

  “Yes, probably not since I was in my teens. Over the last few years, I was away at college a lot, getting both bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Oklahoma and Florida. And when my uncle Jake and aunt Diamond held a fundraiser for you last year, I was out of the country. I heard it was a success and congratulations on being reelected to your senate seat.”

  He liked the sound of her voice. “Thanks. You work here?”

  “Yes. I’ve been here for almost two years now. I’m one of the hosts of the noonday show, Talk It Up. How are your parents and your sisters?”

  “Everyone is doing fine. I saw the folks last week and I hope to see Erika and the twins, Spring and Summer, over the holidays. They’re coming home for Christmas. How is your family?”

  “As far as I know, all the Madarises are great. I saw your parents at Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Jonathan’s last Christmas party.”

  He nodded. “I haven’t attended one in a couple of years. I was hoping to attend the last one, but the senate had a special session that lasted through most of the holidays.”

  “I understand. The one in December was the first I’d attended since leaving home for college. I was lucky and got a college roommate who enjoyed traveling as much as I did. We used our time out of school around the holidays to travel.” She chuckled and then added, “My family threatened to disown me if I didn’t start coming home more often.”

  “Don’t feel bad because I love traveling, as well. Now as an elected official, I don’t get to do it as often, but I plan to get away for three weeks. My political manager found me a quiet place not far from here. A coastal town called Catalina Cove.”

  “You’ll be in Catalina Cove for three weeks?”

  “Yes, but I’m not telling a lot of people. I need some R and R so I’m keeping it on the down low. You’ve heard of the place?”

  “Yes, in fact I live there. I stumbled on to it when I covered their seafood festival a couple of years ago and loved it. I decided it was worth the hour drive into work every day and was lucky enough to find a place to rent that was perfect for me.”