No Groom Like Him

by Jeanie London

  Lily heard everything Riley said, and it all made sense. But she didn’t really understand. Maybe because she didn’t feel it. How did one make peace with loss enough to move on?

  Had Lily made peace?

  She couldn’t honestly say. Why had it always been so easy to go about her life and pretend he was still here? When she looked out at the farm, she couldn’t feel Mike, but felt only…empty. Was that peace?

  “Well, everyone I love seems happy.” She found the right words, but they didn’t erase that hollowness inside. “Camille and Jake. Mom and Dad. You and Scott. Brian. You’ve made the right choice, then.”

  “What about you, Lily Susan? I can say the same exact thing. The kids and I love you. Are you happy?”

  Lily met Riley’s gaze, saw the concern there, heard everything she wasn’t asking.

  Lucas. His betrayal. Their broken engagement.

  No one had come out and asked yet. They’d been waiting for her to lead them, reassure them.

  Lily suddenly remembered Joey’s recrimination. Weddings and funerals. You don’t bother coming home for anything else.

  They were worried about her. And, in her big brother’s case, worry translated into anger for making everyone worry.

  She’d known but simply hadn’t wanted to stop long enough to deal with those emotions. Had hoped they’d all buy in to her avoidance and not force the issue. She didn’t have it in her to go into gory details. What was the need? Anyone with computer access likely knew all the sordid details of Lucas’s stupidity. And that’s exactly what it had been—stupidity. Lucas’s ego being fed by a beautiful young woman who was using him, making his normal life suddenly crackle with excitement.

  Only Riley would push. Gently, of course. Caroline would have, too, only not so gently. Big sisters didn’t always feel the need to soften the edges of the truth.

  “I’m fine, Riley. I’m moving on with my life. Not as heartbroken as I should be, which tells me everything I need to know.” She admitted a deep dark truth she hadn’t shared with anyone. “I’m relieved. That may sound crazy, but it’s true. I got swept up by Lucas. He was charming and romantic and our lives meshed together, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  “We’d just lost Mike, Lily Susan. No one was thinking clearly.”

  She conceded the point. “Obviously Lucas wasn’t right for the long haul, and I wouldn’t want to be married to a man who lacked integrity.”

  “That’s where the relief comes in?”

  Lily nodded.

  Riley wanted to be convinced. She wasn’t. Lily could see it all over her lovely face. And felt guilty. Mike’s death had left Riley a widow with two small children. She’d struggled so hard for so long, had learned to move on. That hadn’t been easy.

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I’m a worker bee. I deal with things as they come up and roll with the punches. I promised I won’t stay away so long again.” Lily forced a lighter expression she didn’t feel. When did she get to move on, to feel like she was on the top of her game again and not feel so burdened by everything? “Now, this is your special event, so we’re going to come up with something brilliant.”

  “Good luck with that. All I can tell you is that I can’t have a wedding inside this house. I just can’t.”

  See, even strong people had limits. Maybe Lily wasn’t strong. At least not like Riley. What kind of woman would be more worried about the impact on her bottom line than her broken heart?

  A woman who was in love with the idea of love?

  “Then we need other options,” she said, taking refuge in the one thing that always made her feel strong. Or used to, anyway. “So talk to me. We’ll come up with the perfect event. I promise.”

  “I hope so because I’m at a loss. All I want is a tasteful second wedding. Scott’s on board with that. We want to share our day with all the people we love and make the start of our lives together special for the twins.”

  “Great—we have a place to begin. And we’re still looking at Halloween weekend?”

  “It’s the only concession I’ve been willing to make. I want the kids to be a part of the planning, but they’ve got their wires crossed. Last year we hosted the patrol picnic at Halloween here. Everyone wore costumes and Scott gave hayrides. It was a total hoot. They want a repeat performance.”

  So, Camille and Jake were patrols. Lily thought about Max’s daughter. A lucky little girl to have a daddy determined to love her enough for the mommy she’d lost. That much even Lily could see. A man with integrity. How refreshing.

  “That’s a little out there,” Lily admitted, “but I’ve hosted Halloween events before. Believe it or not I once coordinated a wedding in a cemetery.” She caught sight of Riley’s rolling gaze in her periphery and laughed. “I know. But we managed to pull it off. You interested?”

  “Um, no. I’ve tried selling them on some traditional ideas, but no luck. Not even a riverboat on the Hudson and you know how Jake loves boats.” Casting an amused gaze at Lily, she set her mug on the windowsill and looked out at the yard.

  The stables and paddock were behind the pond to the west of the hill that led to the forest, but there, peeping out from behind the rise… “What about the old barn?”

  Mike’s first order of business after they’d bought the farm was to build a stable closer to the house as a matter of convenience since he and Riley tended the horses and worked.

  There was nothing actually wrong with the old barn except that it was ancient, and too far from the house. Maybe the structure was still sound, after so many years, and the smell of animals would have faded enough so no one would choke, especially after a commercial cleaning crew worked their magic.

  Riley’s eyes widened. “You think you can do something with it? It would be very picturesque.”

  It would be about the only place around here that wasn’t seeping with Mike memories.

  She raised her own mug in salute. “Why don’t we go take a look?”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  MAX KNEW he was in trouble the instant he arrived home to find Lily Susan standing inside the reception hall rather than waiting comfortably in the drawing room or study.

  The sight of her in a fitted cardigan dress made him catch his breath. That dress, so conservative at first glance, clung to her every curve and left a lot of leg bared. Long, shapely legs he couldn’t seem to stop staring at.

  So what did he do now? He lived in full-fledged dad-mode, hadn’t pursued a woman since meeting Felicia. His dating skills had grown rusty years ago and he hadn’t even considered polishing them up…until now. Even though every ounce of his common sense argued otherwise because there was no place to go with this woman.

  She must have heard him because she turned around, her eyes focusing on him. Big, gorgeous, sultry eyes that evoked a response in the pit of his stomach, made him uneasy because of where his thoughts had been.

  He was in so much trouble here.

  “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” he said automatically, although she’d actually arrived early for their meeting. “I hope James invited you to pass the time somewhere more comfortable.”

  As impressive as the reception hall was, with its dual staircases and crystal-cut chandelier, it had been designed by his great-grandfather to impress guests, and not to remain in for longer than it took to tug on a pair of riding boots.

  Not that Lily Susan looked as if she wanted to sit. She still hadn’t said a word. She didn’t have to. Her exasperated expression clearly conveyed her mood. Snapping open the daily edition of the Herald, she held up his article.

  “‘Not just for Cinderella—organizing the stylish wedding.’ Really, Max? Really?”

  “It’s a clever headline. I wrote it.” Last night, in fact, after he and Madeleine had read Higglety-Pigglety Pop, her current favorite book, and he’d tucked her into bed. The article had made it to the newsroom minutes before the 10:00 p.m. cutoff.

  “You truly have nothing better to do than docume
nt my every move?”

  Max had no explanation for the way he felt right now—so ridiculously aware of her. The way irritation made her face beautifully unfamiliar as she stared him down. No easy feat as he stood taller than her despite her heels.

  “You don’t like the article?”

  “I understand reporting on my arrival. Not that I think I deserved the front page, mind you, but that’s your business. But what was the point of this? Do you intend to channel everything I do into print?”

  “Everything you do with the wedding.”

  “Max, I’m trying to get the press to die down.”

  Striding toward her, he plucked the paper from her hand. “And I’m trying to capitalize on your celebrity. To give Raymond exposure. Not to mention it’s a tough time for print media. I need to keep the Herald competitive. You’re news.”

  So was the way he felt right now. Alive. Aware. Of Lily Susan. He was so close she had to tip her head back to meet his gaze, and the view from this close vantage point momentarily startled him. This woman was fire. She made his arms ache to wrap around her, to pull her close and feel every curvy inch of her pressed against him.

  She would fit him perfectly, he knew, could feel it by the way they stood so close, their bodies almost swaying together in that crazy instant of instinctive awareness.

  She felt it, too.

  Suddenly Max knew. He could feel it in his gut where it counted, and he had to force himself to take a step back by sheer effort of will, force himself not to do exactly what he ached to do—pull her into his arms.

  And change everything between them.

  Lily Susan seemed flustered. This woman who played the media so skillfully. Why…because he’d invaded her personal space?

  Max didn’t know. He was flustered.

  And like a total idiot, he started running his mouth. “I got the impression you were concerned about the sort of media that might cover this wedding, so I thought I’d give a professional slant. I thought it was the least I could do since you’ve taken on all this extra work.”

  Exhaling an unsteady breath, she took another step back. “My hero?”

  Silence fell heavily between them. Their gazes locked across the distance, the silence like a physical wall between them. He was reminded of a deer stunned by car headlights. Only right now they were two deer and such physical awareness shone brighter than any light.

  Max couldn’t tell whether or not she was okay with what was happening. But he knew without question that he wanted to be her hero.

  “You do owe me,” Lily Susan said, recovering first and creating even more space for good measure. “And I’m very glad to hear you appreciate the work I do since you seemed to be laboring under the misguided impression I snap my magic fingers, order two of everything and whip up spare weddings out of thin air.”

  He hadn’t thought planning the wedding would be a big deal, true, but he wasn’t stupid, either. He’d insulted her with that careless remark. That hadn’t been fair, and he didn’t like that she felt he’d undermined her work. Some hero.

  “My apologies, Lily Susan. I was uninformed about the amount of work involved. Felicia took care of our wedding, so I didn’t know.”

  “Neither did I, which was frankly a bit disturbing given your mother’s involvement in my operation.” She motioned around them and shook her head sadly. “You could have had this wedding, but you two got married in a hotel. The thought still makes me twitch.”

  Max curbed the impulse to defend himself, since he knew exactly what she was doing—establishing distance between them. And for the moment, he was okay with that. He’d come that close to pulling her into his arms.

  Striding to a bench, she retrieved her briefcase and withdrew a folder. “I understand your mother is out. Do you know when she’s returning? I’m surprised she didn’t want to be here.”

  “I’m sure she did, but she had a luncheon scheduled. She didn’t cancel to prove she understands the difference between being a team player and an intrusive micromanager. She knows I think she wants to take over.”

  Lily Susan glanced at him, clearly aghast. “You didn’t call her that, did you?”

  He stifled a grin. “Not quite in those words.”

  “Oh, my. Another battle, hmm? And here I thought we’d come up with a reasonable working arrangement.”

  “Assessing motive is all part of dealing with my family,” he admitted. “Why do you think I’m so fond of yours?”

  That got a laugh, a light sound that managed to keep the awareness humming inside him.

  She propped the briefcase on the bench, but kept the folder with her as he led her from the reception hall. “I went through your mother’s ideas for how best to lay out our events and she has some wonderful ideas.”

  “Not surprising. She does have some experience entertaining here.”

  “You’re quite the comedian today, aren’t you, Max?” She cast him a sidelong glance. “I wanted you to know she’s contributing. She’s undertaking the task of getting this place shipshape to start with. Oh, and the flowers.”

  “Why don’t we start this walk-through in the dining room?”

  “Fine with me. We’ve got to comfortably accommodate a hundred and fifty guests. Your mother swears we can do it, but truthfully, I don’t remember the dining room being so large. Of course it’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”

  She strode along beside him, the top of her head parallel with his nose, the perfect height to remain constantly in his periphery. And he was aware of her. The way she took in their surroundings with such interest, the way her pace slowed almost imperceptibly whenever something merited her attention.

  They finally entered the dining room.

  “I really needed to see the place with fresh eyes.” She reached inside her folder for a pen.

  Max was fascinated by the way she transformed from the flustered woman he’d wanted to hold to the professional she was right now. It was a persona, one he’d seen in photos and on video feed, but it was also a defense, he realized.

  Lily Susan’s comfort zone.

  The place she went when she wasn’t sure how to respond. He could see the real woman in there, still the smallest bit breathless as she prowled the perimeter of the room, measuring the space with the table plans in her folder.

  “If you have any suggestions you want to incorporate, now would be the time. We’ll be solidifying the theme today and if all goes as planned, we can confirm with Jamilyn and Raymond later.”

  “I gave them a heads-up,” he said. “One or the other will be available. So you’ve got some ideas then?”

  She circled the long table, her steps both graceful and light, making it so easy to enjoy the view she presented. “More ideas than time to tell the truth. With Overlook, well, let’s just say this place is fertile ground for me.”

  There was no denying that. Anyone who visited her website could see proof of how well she’d always loved the grounds of this place. He’d always known, but now was the first time he ever thought to ask. “Why Overlook?

  That didn’t seem to be an easy answer for her. She met his gaze, clearly considering. “Because I couldn’t get in to Springwood or Vanderbilt,” she finally said. “My family was friends with you.”

  There was a lot more to that answer than she was sharing. Max could feel it in his gut. Lily Susan might be used to dealing with the media, but he was a media man. The instincts might skip a generation, which was why his father had gone into banking, but he could smell a story, wondered what she wasn’t sharing.

  Max hadn’t realized Lily Susan’s love of Overlook at the time, hadn’t been interested in anything except hanging out where he always felt welcomed. He hadn’t thought about how his friendship with Joey would impact everyone in their lives.

  He’d only figured that out later during a particularly memorable discussion where his mother had accused him of replacing her with Rosie Angelica.

  But for others their friendship ha
d presented unexpected opportunities. For Lily Susan, a connection to Overlook where she could create fantasy weddings. That had amused his mother to no end and the two had struck up an enduring relationship based on business.

  “Friendship is like that, I guess,” he said simply.

  She turned away from a cabinet that housed the china his great-grandmother had brought from Britain. “Like what?”

  “It reaches out to everyone around it.”

  The faintest hint of a smile softened her mouth. She liked that. He could tell.

  “I want to tie in to the history of this place,” she said, bridging the distance between them, suddenly more at ease.

  “That would be the Gilded Age. My great-grandfather completed the work in 1897, a year before Vanderbilt finished his place down the road.”

  The road being Albany Post Road aka Route Nine. He wanted to impress her, and the history of Overlook happened to be something he knew quite a bit about.

  “There were about two hundred mansions along the Hudson at the time,” Max explained. “And most of the owners, my great-grandfather included, fashioned their lifestyles as if they were European royalty. They pursued gentleman hobbies like yachting, horse breeding and hunting. And they tried to outdo each other with their country homes. Most went the same route Vanderbilt did—creating homes that rivaled those in Europe. They went crazy bringing things over—art, silk rugs, chandeliers, antiques, sometimes even entire rooms and buildings. My great-grandfather wasn’t interested. He was all about redefining American royalty. That’s why he used local craftsmen and quarried the stone from Bluestone Mountain across the river.”

  “I can’t believe anyone thought the Vanderbilt Mansion was more palatial than Overlook. I don’t see it. Never did.”