Seeking Mr. Perfect (The Jane Austen Pact)

by Jennifer Youngblood

  She smiled, but her eyes flashed with anger. “I had to do something to get you away from Sierra,” she hissed. “You’re like a moth to the flame.”

  He’d intended to wait until after Boyd’s birthday party to drop the bomb on Janie, but he knew it couldn’t wait. “I’m sorry, Ivie,” he said quietly, his eyes conveying all that his lips didn’t have time to say right now.

  Her face crumbled slightly. “So now I’m Ivie instead of Janie? Figures!” She plastered on a hard smile. “Break a leg,” she barked.

  He put the guitar strap over his shoulder and faced the crowd, his trademark smile slipping over his lips. “Howdy, folks,” he boomed. “How y’all doing tonight?”

  Thunderous applause sounded through the crowd.

  The familiar comfort of the stage settled over Dalton like a favorite pair of faded jeans. He’d caught the stricken look on Sierra’s face when Ivie Jane announced that he was her boyfriend. That hadn’t scored him any brownie points with Sierra, that was for sure. He looked over to where she’d been standing, but with the lights, he couldn’t see anything. His heart dropped. Hopefully, she hadn’t left. For a second there, when they’d looked at each other, he got the distinct impression that she’d come back to him. And then Ivie Jane pulled this stunt and quite possibly ruined everything.

  What was he going to sing? His mind ran through his list of usual songs. A smile slid over his lips. He knew exactly what he needed to do to get Sierra back. He stepped up to the microphone. “I wrote this one for my best friend. It’s called The One I’ll Never Forget.”

  Sierra had just reached Bennie’s table and was about to demand that they leave this instant when she heard the title of the song. She stopped in her tracks, turning toward the stage. Dalton’s tenor voice rang out clear, jolting her to the core. She knew the lyrics to this song as well as she knew her own heartbeat. It was the song he wrote for her.

  I saw you standing by the sea, copper curls blowing in the wind.

  And I told my heart to be still because you were just a friend.

  But with our friendship began a love that will never end.

  All my love to you I send.

  Baby, I need you like the earth needs the rain. You hold my heart in your hand.

  I love you more than the ocean, sky, and sand.

  And I just want you to understand.

  You’re my best friend. The one I’ll never forget.

  As the last note of the song faded away, Sierra let the tears fall unabashedly down her cheeks. A sigh escaped her mouth, her hand going over her heart. She looked at Bennie who also had tears streaming down her face.

  The next second, pandemonium broke out when Ivie Jane stomped onto the stage and slapped Dalton across the jaw, the microphone amplifying the loud whack. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. “I hate you,” Ivie Jane cried. “Curse you and curse Sierra for coming back here!” She erupted into tears and ran off the stage.

  Sierra went stone cold as all eyes turned to her. Then came the sting of embarrassment. She just stood there, frozen. She felt someone touch her arm and realized Bennie was beside her.

  “Let’s get out of here before they tar and feather us,” Bennie said, hobbling forward on her crutches, Sierra hurrying behind.

  In retrospect, it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to sing that song, but Dalton was so desperate to get Sierra back. And Ivie had goaded him into it. But she’d gotten her revenge, humiliated him and Sierra in front of the town. A hysterical laugh escaped his throat. He didn’t care about the embarrassment. His only thought was to find Sierra.

  He removed the guitar strap and hurried down the steps. He rushed back to where Phyllis and Eddie were standing. “Where is she?”

  Eddie scratched his head. “She left, man, with her aunt. Right after your song.”

  His heart dropped. Was Sierra okay that he sang that song? He had to get to her. He was almost to the double French doors when someone stopped him.

  “Dalton?”

  He didn’t want to talk to anyone right now, but decorum demanded that he pause and at least be polite. “Huh?” Then he realized it was Leo Farnsworth, the president of the bank that was about to foreclose on Bennie’s mansion.

  Leo cleared his throat. “That was an interesting song. And then afterwards …” He chugged out a few laughs. “Well, I thought I had problems with my wife, but well, yours take the cake.”

  “O-kay.” He rubbed his jaw, not sure how else to respond.

  Leo’s thin mustache twitched as he cleared his throat. “Anyway, the reason I stopped you is because my assistant Nadine said you called to make an appointment and that it was extremely urgent.” He searched Dalton’s face. “I’m headed to Orlando next week on vacation, so I thought I’d better catch you tonight. Is everything okay?”

  Dalton ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I do want to talk to you.” He motioned. “Could you step inside for a minute, so we can speak in private?”

  “Certainly.” Leo straightened his jacket as he followed Dalton into the home.

  “I wanted to talk to you about Bennie McCain’s loan. I’d like to cover the balance.”

  He hesitated. “I don’t understand. Does Bennie want to take out a loan? Are you planning on co-signing with her?”

  “No, I want to talk to you about the loan she already has … the one she’s behind on.”

  “Um … there must be some mistake.”

  “The loan against the mansion,” Dalton said, feeling like he was stating the obvious.

  Leo’s forehead wrinkled. “Bennie doesn’t have a loan through my bank.”

  Dalton frowned. “Are you sure?” He could’ve sworn that Sierra told him it was Leo’s bank. Yes, she’d said it was the bank where Nadine worked. “So you’re telling me that Bennie McCain doesn’t owe your bank twenty-two thousand dollars and that you’re not about to foreclose on her mansion?”

  Leo gurgled out a nervous laugh. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Bennie McCain doesn’t have a loan with my bank.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Absolutely.” He lifted his chin. “I know all the ins and outs of my bank. I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but I can assure you it’s false.”

  “Okay, thanks. If you’ll excuse me.” He hurried to his car.

  Something was fishy about this whole thing. And he was going to find out what, as soon as he could get to Bennie’s mansion.

  Chapter 18

  The minute Sierra and Bennie got in the door, Nadine burst in.

  “I heard about the blowup at Boyd’s party.” She looked wide-eyed at Sierra. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay,” Sierra answered and realized she really was. In fact, she was more than okay. But she needed to see Dalton. Would he stop by here? Maybe she should call him. She didn’t even have his number, but Bennie did.

  Nadine sat down on the couch beside Bennie, her eyes gleaming with interest. “Did Ivie Jane really slap Dalton and tell him off after he sang the song about Sierra?”

  “Yep.” Bennie chuckled. “It was quite the spectacle. I’m sure tongues will be wagging about that for a long time.” She gave Sierra an apologetic look. “Sorry, but it’s true.”

  Sierra sat down. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” She was trying to figure out a diplomatic way to ask Bennie for Dalton’s number when the doorbell rang. She jumped back up and went to answer it. Her heart leapt in her mouth when she realized it was Dalton. “Hey,” she said, heat flowing through her.

  “Hey.” He didn’t wait to be invited, but stepped into the foyer.

  Then she got a good look at his expression, her stomach tightening. Dalton was worried … furious. Surely he wasn’t this upset about Ivie Jane. He had to have known she would freak out when he sang that song. “What’s wrong?”

  He looked past her to the parlor where Bennie and Nadine were sitting. His eyes hardened as he grabbed Sierra’s hand. “Come on. We need some answers.”

&nbs
p; “What answers?” she asked dubiously, noticing how his hand felt over hers. Wow. The attraction she felt to this man was incredible. She forced her mind to concentrate on the events taking place.

  “Hey, Dalton.” Bennie let out a string of chuckles that rumbled in her chest. “That was some performance.”

  “Yeah,” Nadine piped in with a coy smile. “It sounds like you brought down the house.”

  Sierra saw Bennie and Nadine’s eyes zoom in on her and Dalton’s clasped hands. Bennie’s expression radiated triumph as she clutched Nadine’s arm. Nadine, too, was beaming. Something strange was going on here. It was like Bennie and Nadine were sharing a victory.

  “Have a seat,” Bennie said, motioning to the loveseat.

  “We’ll stand, thanks,” Dalton said curtly. Sierra gave him a questioning look. It wasn’t like Dalton to be rude to Bennie. But he was openly glaring at her like he was livid about something.

  “I had a nice chat with Leo Farnsworth tonight about your bank loan.” Accusation dripped from Dalton’s mouth.

  Sierra turned to him. “You what?” She looked at Bennie and Nadine whose faces had gone ghostly white.

  “Yes, I offered to pay off the loan,” Dalton said.

  Tears pooled in Sierra’s eyes. “You what?” A rush of tenderness welled in her chest as she turned to face this complex, frustrating, wonderful man who’d stolen her heart long ago and never gave it back. “I can’t believe you’d do that for me.”

  His eyes went soft. “I’d do anything for you, Sie. You know that.”

  She nodded. Then a thought struck her. “But how? How did you get that kind of money?”

  He gave her a half smile. “As it turns out, I’m not half bad at trading stocks.”

  She let out a soft gasp. “That’s how you got the money to buy the Drexel Mansion,” she mused.

  A hint of amusement sparked in his eyes. “Don’t look so shocked.”

  She shook her head, trying to take it all in. Then a sense of exultation rippled through her as she laughed. They wouldn’t lose the mansion. “Thank you,” she breathed. She lifted her lips and planted a kiss on his lips, electricity zinging through her.

  He frowned. “Don’t thank me yet.”

  Her face fell. “What do you mean?”

  He eyed Bennie. “There was no loan.”

  Sierra wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly. “What?”

  “There was no loan,” he repeated.

  Sierra’s mind began to spin. “But that’s impossible.” The breath whooshed out of her lungs, her heart thudding dully like a deflated ball. She looked at Bennie and Nadine who seemed like they might pass out any minute. Her knees went weak. She needed to sit down. She released Dalton’s hand and fell back into the loveseat. Dalton sat down beside her. “I don’t understand.” She looked at Bennie, who gave her a sheepish grin.

  “There was no loan?” Her mind clicked through the events that had sent her racing home to save the mansion. Her telling Bennie over the phone that Parker was proposing. Nadine calling later that night to tell her about Bennie’s accident and the impending foreclosure. Anger coursed through her veins and pumped to her temples with such force that she felt like her head would explode. She gave Bennie a withering look. “Is your knee really injured? Is it?” she screamed. Dalton put a calming hand on her arm.

  “No,” Bennie said, her voice sounding small.

  Sierra swore under her breath. A harsh laugh scratched her throat. “This whole thing was a setup? You writhing in pain. The Emergency Room. The doctor. Was it all a sham?”

  Bennie shrugged, a sheepish expression on her face. “‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players—”

  “Save it!” Fire blazed through Sierra, making her dizzy. She turned to Dalton. “They set us up.”

  His eyes widened, then narrowed as he glared at Bennie and Nadine. “How could you toy with our lives like this?” He shook his head. “Sierra’s been worried sick about the mansion.”

  Tears burned Sierra’s eyes. “How could you do this?” she demanded, looking at Bennie.

  Nadine held up a hand. “It was my idea.”

  “Don’t,” Bennie said.

  Nadine touched Bennie’s arm. “But it’s true.”

  Sierra had the feeling that they’d stepped into some crazy realm where everything was turned upside down. “This whole thing was your idea? But why?”

  Nadine sighed heavily, locking eyes with Sierra. “It all goes back to the conversation we had that day when Hal pulled you out of the field.”

  Dalton bunched his brows. “Are you talking about the accident we had right before I went into the Marines?”

  Nadine nodded.

  He let out an incredulous laugh. “This is insane.” He turned to Sierra, a wild look in his eyes. “They’ve lost their minds.”

  “Not hardly,” Bennie said dryly. “Just hear Nadine out.”

  Nadine continued her narrative. “When Hal and I arrived at the field …” she eyed Dalton in reproof “… you were passed out drunk and Sierra was beside herself.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I know. I’m sorry. Geez. How many times do I have to say it?”

  Sierra put a hand on his leg, letting him know it was okay. He seemed to relax as he placed a hand over hers.

  “I had a long talk with Sierra.” Nadine’s voice trembled as she touched her hair. “I told her you were a no-count drunk. That you would never change. That she needed to leave you and find another life.”

  Dalton’s jaw tightened. “You’re the one who persuaded her to leave me?” His voice had a dangerous edge to it.

  “Yes.” Moisture filled Nadine’s eyes. “I even gave her the money for a fresh start. But what I failed to realize at the time is that a person can change.” Her voice quivered. “I was wrong about you, Dalton. So terribly wrong. Not a day goes by that I don’t regret it.”

  A frigid silence descended over them.

  Bennie looked at Sierra. “Nadine was here the morning you called and announced that Parker was proposing.”

  Sierra felt Dalton tense.

  “I was upset, afraid you were making a terrible mistake,” Bennie continued. “I know you, Sierra, better than you know yourself. You’ve always loved Dalton. I said all of this to Nadine and she admitted that it was her fault you left. So we concocted a plan to get the two of you back together.” Bennie shrugged, an ironic smile tipping her lips. “This whole scenario is more Jane Austen-like than you realize. But instead of Pride and Prejudice you’ve been reliving Persuasion, where a trusted friend convinces the heroine not to marry her true love.”

  A hysterical laugh rose in Sierra’s mouth. She tried to hold it back, but it rumbled out. Only Bennie would do something this outrageous! “It’s true.” She turned to Dalton. “The heroine in Persuasion realizes what a foolish mistake she made at the end and goes back to her true love.”

  Hope lit his face, turning his eyes crystal blue. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying, Sie?”

  The doorbell rang.

  Bennie let out a sigh. “Jiminy Cricket. This place is like Grand Central Station tonight.” Nimbly, she hopped up to get it. She paused when she realized Sierra and Dalton were gaping at her. “Well, no sense in pretending anymore,” she huffed. “I tell you one thing. It’s a pain in the butt to walk with those crutches. My armpits are plumb raw.”

  Dalton chuckled. “I always knew your aunt was eccentric, but this is certifiably crazy.”

  “Tell me about it,” Sierra muttered.

  Bennie opened the door. Sierra heard a man’s voice and then Bennie started talking faster and more high-pitched. “Yeah, she’s here. Come on in.”

  Sierra’s heart dropped when she saw him. “Parker. W-what’re you doing here?” She stumbled to her feet and gave him a stiff hug. This was the stuff nightmares were made of. She looked back at Dalton, whose lips were tight with fury. Then she looked at Parker. “H-how did you even find this place?”

/>   “You aunt’s address was listed online.” He shrugged. “And well, it’s a small town.” He searched her face. “I would’ve told you I was coming, but well,” he chuckled nervously, “you haven’t exactly been answering my calls.”

  “Yeah, about that …” She looked at Dalton who was studying her with intense, brooding eyes.

  Parker cleared his throat. “The time you’ve been away … it’s been rough. And not just because you haven’t been at work. I missed you, Sierra. I should’ve done this from the very get-go. I’m sorry it took me so long.”

  Her heart pounded erratically against her ribcage like a caged bird trying to escape.

  Parker got down on one knee and peered up at her, adoration shining in his eyes. Then he whipped out a black box and popped it open, revealing a very large rock. “Sierra McCain. I adore you.” His lips curved into a hopeful smile. “Make me the happiest man on earth. Marry me?”

  Sierra was dumbfounded. She heard a grunt and looked at Dalton. His face had turned ten shades darker and he looked like he might jump up any minute and punch Parker’s lights out.

  “Uh, who are you?” Parker asked, looking at Dalton, suspicion coating his voice.

  “Someone who’s been at the party a lot longer than you, pal,” Dalton retorted.

  Sierra looked at Nadine, who was staring wide-eyed, shock twisting her features, like she was witnessing a train wreck. Next, she looked at Bennie, then back at Parker.

  Uncertainty settled into Parker’s eyes, turning them a muddy brown. “I probably shouldn’t have done this here.” He wet his lips, the words spilling out. “We can go back to Rossini’s, and do this the right way.”

  In that moment, everything suddenly became clear. “But I don’t want Rossini’s.” Sierra looked at Bennie who tipped her lips in a slight smile.

  “What do you want?” There was an open challenge in Bennie’s eyes.