by Debra Holt
Her eyes softened into a warm glow. “And then one day, Larry walked into the church fellowship hall. He was such a surprise. He made me laugh and feel like there were still possibilities ahead of me. He opened the door to my heart that I thought was closed for good and just walked right in and took it over. You can’t schedule when love will find you, Mercy. Love has its own timetable.”
Mercy returned the smile. She swallowed around the lump in her throat as she sat and watched her mother talk about the man she was about to marry. And oddly enough, she felt a yearning inside herself to know that same joy.
“I’m really happy for you and Larry, Mom. I’m sorry for being horrible the last couple of days.”
“Nonsense! You were protective of me, and that just shows how much you love me. I will probably do the same when you present me with a young man who wants to steal you away.”
That brought a laugh from Mercy. “Mom, you’ve tried for years to throw me at so many available males. I doubt you would be that protective!”
“Well, I might not be that guarded if you bring the right young man home. And certainly not if he’s anything like … a certain member of law enforcement who already thinks you’re as close to an angel on earth as they come.” Her shrewd glance didn’t fool Mercy.
“No, Mother. Stop that right now.” Mercy’s smile left as she eyed the woman beside her. “I mean it. Whatever Joshua Wellman thinks he feels for me is just gratitude for my being there during a very traumatic period in his life. It isn’t all that unusual for patients to develop emotional attachments to their caregivers. Don’t read any more into it than that. Besides, he’s about to be family, and that’s a little weird.”
“There is nothing weird about it, Mercy. You’re not related by blood, so don’t be silly. And I’ve observed that young man when he’s around you. Gratitude is not the emotion I would describe whenever he looks at you. You should take those blinders off. You might be pleasantly surprised at what’s right in front of you.”
“He’s not for me, Mother.”
“Give me a good reason why not?”
“That’s easy. Look at what he does for a living. I lost two people I loved to violence, and I don’t intend to lose another.”
In the silence that followed, Mercy wished she hadn’t spoken those thoughts aloud.
“Mercy, you can’t let what happened to your father and David taint whatever joy you might find with someone else for the rest of your life. Those were horrific acts of random violence. You can’t possibly believe the same would happen to Josh.”
Mercy looked at the shiny new polish on her toes. Then she slid her feet into her sandals and stood. She leveled her gaze toward her mother. “It already did happen to Josh, Mother. As you may recall, I was there. I saw him minutes after he was shot—several times—and lay bleeding out. He is more than lucky to be alive. His deputy is not. In his line of work, it can happen again, maybe with much more tragic results next time. And I am not going to stand by and wait for it. Now please, let’s just enjoy the rest of the day and forget we had this discussion.”
Errands finished, Mercy and Jan headed back to their rooms. They still had a big evening ahead of them. Mercy looked forward to seeing her brothers and their families. It had been a while since they’d all been together. Once everyone arrived, they’d meet for dinner and a small rehearsal.
Quiet greeted her as she let herself into her room. She paused next to the connecting door and listened … No sounds from the other side. Perhaps Josh hadn’t returned from his massage yet. She hoped it had done his leg some good.
Disrobing, Mercy filled the huge tub with hot water, and on a whim, selected some lovely scented bubble bath from the tray on the bathroom counter. For the next half hour, she indulged in a luxuriously long soak under the frothy, fragrant bubbles. When she could put off getting out no longer, Mercy finally left the tub behind, wrapped herself in a fluffy bathrobe bearing the hotel’s crest, and tended to her hair and makeup.
Her mom had insisted on adding a third outfit—a lacy, black cocktail-length dress—for the rehearsal dinner. The top left her shoulders bare before finishing with long, see-through chiffon sleeves. The lace hugged her curves and left a good length of leg showing. Of course, that had meant she just had to purchase those fetching high heels that showed off the bright red polish of her toes. She couldn’t resist the color. Tomorrow, she would have to change the polish to the softer mauve shade she had purchased to wear with her lavender ensemble. But for the rehearsal evening, she could be a little playful.
Mercy decided to leave her hair down and brushed it into a full, silky sheen that fell in soft layers around her shoulders.
She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Not bad.
With a chuckle, she thought, When in Las Vegas, after all. She certainly had dressed for the festivities. A dab of perfume at her pulse points, and she felt ready. That she’d not taken such pains with her appearance for a long while was not lost on her. She’d enjoyed dressing up again.
Imagine that.
With evening bag in hand, Mercy moved to the connecting door and gave a couple of light taps. Her hand on the knob pushed the door open, and she stepped into the living area of the suite.
Josh moved from the shadows to stand a couple of feet in front of her. His gaze began at the top of her head and moved slowly down the length of her body, causing Mercy’s breath to catch in her throat. She could almost feel a physical touch through his appraisal. The darkening light in his gaze proved to her that the dress had passed inspection. For the first time in a very, very long while, she felt … sexy … desirable. She also felt nervous. Her bravado could only take her so far.
“The word beautiful doesn’t seem to do you justice, Mercy Smith. It somehow falls short.” Josh’s voice caressed her. The fire in his eyes was banked for the time being, but smoldered just below the surface.
“Thank you.” The black evening suit he wore with a crisp white shirt and western tie fit his physique perfectly. “You aren’t so bad yourself this evening.” The black boots kept him true to his roots. His gold cufflinks caught the light as he extended his hand to her.
She slowly placed a free hand in his, and that too-familiar current shot straight from his hand and up her arm, infusing her whole body with what she felt sure was a pink blush. The voice in her head told her to break the contact. She ignored it.
She grasped at the first thought that entered her head. “Did you enjoy your massage?”
If he noticed her quick attempt to draw attention away from the charged atmosphere, he gave no indication. Josh simply flashed his heart-stopping smile as his hand closed around hers in a more secure grasp.
“I have to admit, it was great. Just what the nurse ordered. Thank you for thinking of it.”
“I should have thought of it sooner. I suppose I’ve forgotten that I am a nurse these last couple of days.”
“Not just a nurse. You are an angel of mercy.”
Gratitude. Way to go, Mercy. It’s just gratitude! Reality reared its head just in time to remind her of what was behind his words. Thanks for the reminder … and the crash back to earth. She’d laugh at herself if it didn’t hurt so much.
“Right.” Mercy took a deep breath and headed for the door. “Come on. We can’t be late. You might want to be there to lend support to the engaged couple when my brothers arrive.”
Mercy’s brothers’ behavior remained a bit stiff during the first hour after their arrival. By the end of dinner, however, they had loosened up considerably, even to the point that they began cracking jokes with Josh and the groom-to-be. Clearly, the women in attendance took the rehearsal far more seriously than their male counterparts.
“Don’t look at us, Mercy. We didn’t do anything.” Steven sounded like he had back in high school when he’d been caught sneaking out of algebra class.
“How many times did we hear that one, growing up?” Mercy interjected, sending a good-natured smirk in his direction. �
�At least once a day.”
“Don’t even go there, missy,” Russ warned her with a raised brow. “You may have some people fooled by your prim and proper act, but you instigated a lot of things that Steven and I got blamed for, just because you were a daddy’s girl.”
Finally, the bride stood at the altar and got their attention. The retired reverend had arrived. “Everyone … quiet, please.” Her tone brooked no argument. “We can go through this once, but only if you get it right the first time. Otherwise, we could be here all night. Take your pick.”
Everyone put their game faces on, and things went smoothly after that. A fair amount of laughter lingered, but they did take their parts seriously.
After the rehearsal, everyone adjourned to the patio to enjoy desserts and the lights of the famous Strip below. Mercy experienced a nice little thrill when Josh seated himself beside her at the table. She pretended not to notice the looks her brothers gave her, glad to see the interaction between her brothers and Larry. They spent quite a bit of time debating the finer points of wind energy—a conversation that soon lost Mercy’s attention.
Steven and Josh spent time deep in discussion, too, though Mercy had no clue what that was about. All through the evening, though, they shot her little looks that only served to nettle her.
Eventually, Larry cleared his throat, pushed back from the table, and stood. He waited for everyone’s glasses to be topped off—either sparkling grape juice for the youngsters at the table or fine champagne for the adults—and he raised his glass toward Jan. The look of love and heartfelt emotion on his face brought misty eyes to more than a few around the table.
“I make this toast to my beautiful bride-to-be. I don’t think there are words to do justice to the depth of my heart’s feelings. I have been blessed to find this amazing woman who is willing to take me on. She has brought me alive again. She’s also taught me that love knows no boundaries and can be the most incredible experience at any age. You only have to open your heart to it. To my beautiful Jan.” He raised his glass and then bent to place a soft kiss on Jan’s lips.
Mercy took a sip from her glass and fought to keep more tears from chasing after the one that had already fallen to her cheek. While laughter and chatter rose from the table’s occupants, she excused herself, heading in the direction of the powder room. Once out of sight, she detoured to the stairs at the far side of the patio and made her way downward. The desert heat had cooled a bit, and the scent of roses from the surrounding gardens filled the air. Her steps slowed until she came to a halt next to a reflecting pool, its soft landscape lighting creating a glow in the waters. Mercy wished her jumbled thoughts could be equally as calm.
She knew she should be happy for her mom, and she was. And yet, she also felt sad. Her mom being married again would be a new chapter for all of them. Until this point, her father had held an unseen place in their lives. Gone, but always a solid presence in her mind. She found putting her emotions into words difficult. More tears threatened, and she wished away the unexpected emotion.
“I thought you might need a jacket. The night air can be chilly.” Josh’s voice cut into her thoughts, and she hastily wiped away the moisture from her cheeks. Before she could turn in his direction, he stepped up and gently placed his jacket around her shoulders. The material still held the warmth from his body, and a hint of his cologne lingered in the cloth, bringing an unexpected soothing sensation.
The next thing she knew, his hand reached around her, a handkerchief in his fingers. Why did he have to be so thoughtful?
“Thanks,” she murmured.
Why did he have to follow her?
“It’s hard, I know. You want to be happy for them, yet it’s also bittersweet. I’ve thought about my mother a lot these past few days. I imagine you’ve done the same with your dad. But the one thing I’ve realized is, my mother would be very pleased to know Larry found someone like your mom. That worry weighed on her the last few months before she died—the thought of leaving him alone, being afraid he would shut himself off from life. It’s been a long time, but I think she can truly be at peace now. In fact, who’s to say she didn’t have a hand in picking Jan for him?”
Josh still stood behind her. She couldn’t see his face, but his voice was low and soothing. It almost seemed as if he reassured himself as he tried to help her. For the first time, Mercy realized that he really did know what she felt. She realized how selfishly she had been acting. She had never given any thought to his side of things. He, too, might have thoughts regarding the mother he’d lost, the woman who, at least in this earthly realm, her mother now replaced. Mercy dabbed the last bits of moisture from her eyes and turned to look up at the man standing silently behind her.
“I’ve been narrow-minded and selfish,” she began, her eyes regarding him solemnly. “I also need to say, I think my mom is very lucky to have found your stepfather. I’m glad they’ll have each other. But it’s nice to know that you do understand how bittersweet this is. I’m truly sorry for being a shrew to you, especially when we first arrived here. Although we never did discuss the fact that you knew they had planned to elope before I even called you.”
His eyes grew darker as his gaze gently moved across her face. When it settled on her lips, Mercy knew if he made any movement to gather her into his arms, she wouldn’t resist. She fought the profound sense of disappointment when he simply reached out and captured her hand.
“You could never be a shrew if you tried your hardest. Your heart is too good for that. Just realize that you don’t need to take the whole world on those small shoulders all the time. There are people who want to help share the load. Yes, I should have said something sooner about knowing what they had planned, but I’d already promised them my secrecy … to help them buy some time for their plans. I was torn though—I wanted to say something to you.”
“I saw my brothers talking to you and Larry earlier in the evening. I hope they were civil at least.”
“They aren’t so bad. I think once they realized that Larry wasn’t some con man out to fleece their mother of her life savings, they were able to act humanly. I don’t blame them. I’d probably do the same thing if positions were reversed.”
Josh’s eyes searched the stars overhead.
“Perhaps,” she said. “But I think you would be a bit more open-minded.
The fact that your stepfather provided financial statements didn’t hurt. I’m sorry he felt he had to go that far.”
“Larry did what he thought best in order to make things as smooth as possible for Jan. He’s a man deeply in love. When you love like that, you’ll move heaven and earth for the other person’s happiness.”
“You sound as if you have personal experience in that area.”
He gave her a quiet, assessing look. “I haven’t had prior experience. It’s how I would treat the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I’d say Larry and Jan are perfect examples to follow. Wouldn’t you?”
What experience did she have with a love like that? Mercy took a sharp breath.
The truth can come in an instant, and when you least expect it. Someone had said that once; who it was, she couldn’t remember. But the truth had come. And it wasn’t pretty.
“You were engaged,” Josh continued. “I can only assume that you—”
“Never assume.” Mercy drew the coat closer around her body as a shiver ran along her spine. “You know what can happen when you do that.”
“As much as I want to explore this subject with you, you’re cold, and you should be inside. People are probably missing us, too.” He reached for her hand, closing his around it. Warmth shot throughout her body at his touch. “I’m just glad things have worked out the way they have, and we can all join in the celebration. Larry and Jan deserve that.” His voice returned to normal, and his effort disbursed the emotional level of their conversation. “Let’s get back to the party. I think there are more festivities planned, and we don’t want to hold them up.”
&nb
sp; Mercy allowed him to lead her back along the path to the hotel. Despite the turmoil inside her, walking beside him, her hand still captured by his, felt right.
Chapter Twelve
“Good morning, angel.” Josh’s smile looked almost as bright as the sunlight pouring into the room from the windows.
Mercy shielded her eyes from the glare as she moved across to push the button on the remote that closed the sheer draperies.
“Did someone party a little too much last night? There’s a pot of black coffee here on the table.”
He poured himself another cup and gave her an expectant glance.
Does he have to be so chipper?
“I’ll be just fine once I get some juice and maybe some toast. As for partying too much … no way. This is the remnant of a migraine. I ate more than my share of that chocolate decadence pie last night. Too much chocolate can trigger those for me, but thank you for the offer.” She sat down across from him at the table.
“What did you ladies get into last night? Or is that a secret?”
Mercy took a long sip of the orange juice. She hoped the headache tablets she’d taken would kick in soon.
“Hey—you know. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and that is that.” She smiled a secret smile. “What did you men do last night?”
His eyes narrowed a bit in their regard of her, and then he raised an eyebrow and threw that rakish grin. “Maybe we should just agree to forget the subject.”
Mercy bit into a slice of toast. She could just imagine what a group of guys could get into in Vegas. She wouldn’t own up to the fact that the girls had ended up taking in a late show and then returned to her mom’s cabana. They played card games for a couple of hours before watching an old classic movie. A very staid evening by Vegas standards, she was certain.
