by Francis Ray
“Not that kind of project,” Sierra said with a laugh. “This one is to raise funds for the music department she’s chair of at St. John’s. I’m helping.”
More groans from the Grayson men and mutters about the “little general” and smiles and offers to help from their wives. Sierra sipped her sparkling cider and winked at Catherine.
Blade chuckled. “I’ll do my best to restrain her.”
His announcement didn’t seem to satisfy her brothers. Even Naomi knew Sierra wasn’t afraid of the devil. She always did what she wanted.
“Phoenix, I’m delighted you were able to come,” Ruth said to her other daughter-in-law as she took her seat. “I realize you were busy getting your sculpture pieces ready for your gallery showing in two weeks.”
“Thank me.” Morgan kissed his wife on the cheek. “I have ways.”
“You certainly do,” Phoenix quipped with a grin.
All the adults laughed except Naomi. They meant intimacy; intimacy meant degradation. She never wanted that in her life again.
Faith signaled the waiters to serve the family-style dishes. Naomi lifted her head to help Kayla with her napkin and food, but Catherine was already helping her settle Teddy in the high chair Faith had thoughtfully placed just behind Kayla’s chair. Then she tucked her napkin in the front of her sundress.
It struck Naomi again how good and patient Catherine was with children. “You’re going to make a great mother.”
Catherine’s smile slipped just for a second. She almost looked … bleak. Naomi remembered how she’d thought Richard had insulted her when he’d complimented her as a mother. Panic seized her. Catherine was her best friend, her confidante. She wouldn’t hurt her for anything. “I meant it as a compliment.”
Catherine reached across Kayla and gently touched Naomi’s trembling shoulder. “I know. You couldn’t have given me a greater compliment.” She glanced tenderly down at Kayla. “Kayla is blessed to have you.”
“Cath, you want chicken or beef fajitas?” Luke asked.
“Surprise me,” Catherine said, turning her attention to her husband.
Naomi didn’t know why, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow she’d wounded Catherine. She’d suffered too many times because of her ex-husband’s cruel words to ever want to do that to anyone else.
Glancing around, Naomi saw Luke staring at her with the hard frown of disapproval he’d worn when they first met. Something cold settled in her stomach. Then Catherine briefly leaned into him. The harshness vanished instantly. He smiled and kissed her on the nose. When he lifted his head, the frown was gone.
Naomi breathed a sigh of relief. She’d imagined things. Catherine had everything.
“You’ll upset Faith’s executive chef if you don’t eat,” Richard told her. “Chicken fajitas with extra peppers and onions.”
Naomi looked at her prepared plate, then at Richard. “You take care of me as well as you do of Kayla.”
“She’s eating, you’re not.” Richard bit into his fajita.
Hearing Catherine laugh, Naomi fully relaxed and rolled her flour tortilla. The taste was as good as she expected. “Fantastic.”
“I agree,” Richard murmured around his food.
“Yes, but—” Brandon began, but Faith held up her hand, palm out.
“But—”
“No,” she said emphatically, staring at him.
He opened his mouth, then closed it when his wife continued to stare at him. “A chef should be able to take criticism.”
There was choked laughter around the table. Brandon stared at his family. “Funny.”
Naomi, like his family, knew that Brandon was sensitive about his cooking. He had a right to be. She had eaten some of the best meals she’d ever had at his restaurant.
“If Henri came to the Red Cactus and tried to tell you how to cook, you’d toss him out,” Richard said, finishing off his fajitas.
“That’s because my food is the best. Perfection can’t be improved on. Let’s ask an unbiased person.” Placing his food aside, Brandon’s settled his midnight-black gaze on Fallon. “Fallon, thank you again for the mention in Travel magazine. Now that you’ve had a chance to eat here and the Red Cactus, which food is better?”
“Don’t answer!” several people shouted.
Fallon looked at Sierra, one of the people who had shouted. “I see what you meant earlier.”
Faith shook her head. “He and Henri butt heads about once a month. It’s a good thing I love them both.”
Brandon turned to her with a confident grin. “You love me more.”
“True, and you had better be glad or you wouldn’t like the conversation we’d have when we get home,” Faith said.
Brandon straightened and looked worried.
“Plead momentary insanity,” Morgan, his brother the lawyer, advised.
Brandon grinned, then kissed Faith on the lips. “I won’t have to because she knows how much I love her right back.”
“Yes, and that’s why you’re going with me to thank Henri before we leave,” Faith said sweetly. “Aren’t you?”
“I guess, but you’ll owe me.” Brandon picked up her hand and kissed it.
“Sounds fair to me,” she said, grinning up at him.
Naomi found herself smiling as well. She’d slowly learned that some men didn’t mind their wives arguing with them. Her smile died. She’d just picked the wrong man. And what did that say about her judgment? Since she never wanted a man in her life again, that was one less worry she had.
“Welcome back to Santa Fe, Lance. Glad you could join us,” Luke said, his arm curved possessively around Catherine’s shoulders.
“Thank you, Luke.” Lance tipped his dark head. “Thank you, Mrs. Grayson and Mrs. Poole, for allowing me to come unannounced.”
Amanda waved his words aside. “We’re proud to have you. I’m glad you’re back, as well.”
“When is your first auction?” Morgan asked.
“Six weeks. The entire estate of Herbert Yates will be sold to satisfy creditors,” Lance explained. “With over eight thousand square feet of living space, the task is going to require some hard work and long hours.”
“It’s unfortunate it had to come to that,” Mrs. Grayson said. “I wish there had been another way. He was a good man.”
“Whose apparent philosophy was, you can’t take it with you,” Lance said slowly. “He spent lavishly. At least he wasn’t married and didn’t have any children.”
“Would it have made a difference?” Fallon asked, hoping her voice wasn’t accusatory. Her good mood had vanished the instant she heard Lance worked with an auction house.
To think she’d actually given a great deal of thought to going out with Lance. He was handsome and charming enough to interest her, and had a lazy, sensual smile that had probably led a lot of women astray. His voice had just enough growl in it to imagine it whispering naughty things in her ear before biting her earlobe. She never stayed in one place long enough to have a relationship. It helped that very few men made her want to get to know them romantically. Looked like her record was going to stand.
The unscrupulous owner of an auction house had conned her mother into signing over papers to let him liquidate their estate when her father became ill. He’d given them pennies on the dollar. They had lost their home along with irreplaceable antiques handed down through generations. When her mother complained, he’d threatened to call the police. Because of his dishonesty, they’d lost everything
Lance turned toward her. “No. I have a job to do and I do it.”
So had the bastard who had cheated her family. Her hand clenched on the stem of her glass of wine. She had her answer. She was seething, but she wasn’t going to let it ruin the day for Kayla or the people who had invited her. But if she didn’t get out of there in a hurry, she’d dash the excellent Bordeaux in Lance’s too-handsome face.
Subtly shifting away from him, trying her best to keep a smile on her face, she carefull
y placed the flute on the pristine white tablecloth and made herself relax. She had a quick temper, but this special event was no place to let it get the best of her.
“Naomi, are you ready to leave?”
“I—” Naomi stammered, throwing a furtive look at Richard.
Seeing the uncertainty in Naomi’s eyes, Fallon could have kicked Lance for putting her in a position to leave when it was obvious Naomi wanted to stay. And who could blame her? Unlike his scum cousin, Richard was a great guy.
“Naomi,” Richard said as he turned to her. “I was hoping we could take Kayla to the new Disney movie. Or, if you’d like to stay longer, I’ll take you and Kayla home when you’re ready.”
“Kayla, how about going to a movie?” Naomi asked her daughter, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah!” Kayla shouted. “And I get to hold the popcorn.”
A shy smile on her lips, Naomi said, “Fallon, thank you for the ride. We’re staying.”
“I’ll catch you later.” Fallon pulled her matching robin’s-egg-blue leather wallet out of her hobo handbag.
“Not necessary,” Luke said to her, waving away Lance with his billfold as well. “My invitation. My treat. I’m glad you could come and bring our special guest.”
Aware she wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions, Fallon kept her gaze on Luke. “Thank you,” she managed, then she spoke to the other women. “Mrs. Grayson and Mrs. Poole, thank you again. Catherine, my nephew is going to love his book you signed. I had a wonderful time. Faith, the food and atmosphere were superb. You gave me another story.” She came to her feet as the women thanked her. The men stood with her. Trying to keep the smile on her face, she waved them back into their seats. “Good-bye.”
“I’ll walk you to the valet,” Lance said quietly.
Fallon gritted a smile and turned toward the arched entryway of the restaurant’s courtyard. She could feel Lance beside her. He emanated a presence, a power that she’d never felt before. He would be a man to be reckoned with. It might have been fun to test her will against his—if he weren’t the scum of the earth.
She waited to speak until they were outside under the portico of the hotel. “I’m going to save us both time and aggravation. It’s not happening. I loathe people in your profession. They have a smile on their face and a hatchet behind their back.”
Lance’s brows shot together. She’d laugh at the shocked look on his face if she weren’t so annoyed. He probably hadn’t been turned down since he was in third grade. “Do both of us a favor and forget we ever met.”
Long-fingered hands slipped into the pockets of his sinfully tight jeans. “Was it you, a family member, or a friend who didn’t handle their finances properly?”
She gasped, and clutched the strap of her handbag to keep from punching him. He’d press charges and she’d end up on the losing end. Again. “So now it’s everyone’s fault but the vultures that prey on them. Figures.” Her gaze hardened. “Stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours.” With one finger she dropped the sunshades on top of her head over her eyes, then continued to the front of the hotel for valet service.
Lance stared after her. She was stunning and pissed. For the first time in months emotions stirred inside him he’d long thought dead. He wasn’t sure what it was—passion, intrigue—but he planned to feel it again, and find out why the very beautiful Fallon wanted nothing to do with him.
Changing her mind would take hard work, but he had a feeling the rewards would be well worth the time and aggravation. And just maybe he’d stop thinking of another woman’s unimaginable betrayal.
Hands still deep in his pockets, Lance started back to the restaurant to say good-bye. He’d take a cab home so Richard wouldn’t try to be noble and take him home. He had work to do. Despite Fallon’s poor opinion of him and his profession, he had a job to do and he had every intention of doing it well. He’d failed once. Never again.
* * *
Naomi watched Lance return, a hard frown on his face, and wondered what had happened. Fallon had stopped smiling the moment they began talking about Lance’s job. Since Naomi didn’t want people asking her questions, she didn’t ask any of her own.
“I just came back to say thanks and good-bye.” Lance placed his hand on Richard’s shoulder. “Check you later. I’m taking a cab home.”
Richard protested, along with the Grayson men who made offers to take him home. Lance refused each of them. “Stay here and enjoy yourself. It’s good seeing everyone again. I’ll see you around.” Waving good-bye, he walked away.
“I hope he stays this time,” Ruth said. “I’ve a feeling he could find what he’s searching for here.”
“Mama, leave the man alone,” Luke said.
Ruth smiled and picked up her glass of sparkling water. “I haven’t done anything.”
“And please leave it that way,” Morgan said.
Ruth looked over the rim of her glass at both of her sons. “Which would you choose—the life before or now?”
Luke, Morgan, and Brandon said nothing, simply looked at their wives with such boundless love and affection that Naomi glanced away—and straight into Richard’s gaze. Her stomach dipped. The reaction was so unexpected she pressed back in her chair.
“You all right?” he asked, placing his hand on her arm.
He’d touched her lots of times, more lately, but this time it was somehow different. She shook her head at the crazy thought. It was just because there was so much love and happiness around them. The Graysons had what she’d always wanted and was destined never to have.
“I’m fine.”
“You wished to see me, Faith?” Henri, all five feet of him, in his chef’s hat and spotless chef’s jacket, looked formidable and austere.
He had an air about him that made you forget his size and think of his keen intelligence and culinary skill instead. He also had an ego as big as Brandon’s about his artistry as a chef. Brandon might have trained in France, but Henri was fond of saying he was French.
Henri stopped by Faith’s chair. She sent Brandon a stern look and stood. He came to his feet as well.
“Thank you for the excellent meal,” Brandon said, then coughed and reached for his glass of sparkling water as if the words had stuck in his throat. Faith crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze at him.
Henri was unfazed. He simply lifted a thick brow in that superior way of his. “That cough is probably due to the high fat content of the food you prepare.”
A low growl came from Brandon, a smothered laugh from his wife. He whipped his head around to stare at her.
“Brandon, you know Henri was just teasing you,” his mother said. Then she stepped forward to profusely thank the chef for their excellent dining experience.
“You and your guests are welcome,” Henri said. “We pride ourselves on the pleasure of our guests from the moment they enter Casa de Serenidad, the house of serenity.”
Faith beamed proudly at her executive chef.
Brandon had recovered by then. “My wife and I are going home.”
Henri had caught Faith’s hand and kissed it before Brandon could pull her away. “If you must. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He’d bested Brandon again, and Brandon knew it.
Blade had to hold Sierra to keep her from falling out of her chair, she was laughing so hard. Blade’s lips twitched. Obviously, he was having a tough time not joining his wife.
Brandon’s attention snapped to Sierra, who quickly straightened and wiped away the moisture from her eyes. “You know I’m on your side.”
“Because your chef isn’t flying back from vacation until Monday and neither you nor Blade can even boil an egg,” Brandon said. Then a gleam entered his dark eyes. “And I had some nice salmon ready for you to take back to the castle.”
“I also have salmon,” Henri said, then added, “but when food is prepared with love, it tastes better.” With a curt nod, he left.
“I think he definitely won that round.” Luke slapped Brandon on th
e back. “But you have Faith.”
Brandon instantly brightened. “Come on, you can go with me and make sure I don’t put anything vile in my favorite’s sister’s food. I think we might be out of dessert.”
“Brandon, you might not have Faith if it wasn’t for me,” Sierra said, seemingly not worried. Especially since she was his only sister and all her brothers spoiled her. “In any case, did I tell you about this gadget Rio has? It can ring a phone every ten minutes.”
“Phones can be unplugged,” he came back.
“Faith likes being available to her employees.” Sierra’s smile was sweet. “Besides, like Henri said, food tastes better when it’s prepared with love.”
Brandon shook his head, laughed, then slung his arm around Faith’s shoulders. “Bested twice in one day. That’s a record I hope never to repeat. Good thing I sort of love you, too.”
“And I love you right back.”
Ruth Grayson had looked at her children with a smile, then she sniffed. “I wish your father were here.”
All of them, her guests, her children, her daughter-in-laws, and Blade moved to her. When the crowd parted, Ruth stared straight into Rio’s unblinking eyes. He didn’t move.
Then he came to his feet in one fluid motion. “I’ll go get the car.” Long, graceful strides carried him quickly from the terrace. There was total silence for four seconds, then everyone erupted into laughter.
“Mrs. Grayson, I believe you’re the only person on this earth Rio might be afraid of and can’t figure out,” Blade said.
“One day I hope to change that.”
Naomi frowned, wondering if Mrs. Grayson planned on finding a wife for Rio. If so, she certainly had her work cut out for her.
Chapter 4
Thirty minutes later, Richard stopped at the concession counter of the movie theater for their usual: a large box of popcorn, Milk Duds, and soft drinks. Naomi didn’t think he should buy her or Kayla food because they had just eaten. He reminded her that it was almost five and gave his order to the cashier, well aware that she never stayed cross with him for long.
