Hot Sheets

by Jeanie London

  Directing her attention to one, he began clicking the images forward. "Here we go. Watch this."

  Reaching for her hand, he pulled her close so she could see an image of her mom, so exquisite with her sable hair and ivory skin, except for the expression that played across her beautiful face.

  "Do you see what I see?" he asked.

  Her mom's features reflected her emotions like a mirror in a look that would have been fleeting if Dale hadn't played it out frame by frame, an expression that arced from devastation to longing…to a sorrow so profound that Laura had never seen her mother look quite so sad, so alone…to a resignation that years had honed to knifepoint sharpness.

  Dale's hand tightened around hers, and she knew exactly what he saw—the ache in her mom's expression, a look this film had captured and immortalized.

  "Do you know what she was looking at when this footage was filmed?" Laura asked, but suspected she already knew.

  Dale flipped the viewfinder of the second camera around to reveal an image of Carolyn Ford, and, as she had earlier, Laura could see past her own self-consciousness and resentment to the incredible similarities between the two sisters. Not only in their features, but their expressions. Only this woman's face showed the painful hurt of a sister who'd never learned to deal with her loss.

  "Oh, Dale." She exhaled a sigh that made her heart ache, and Dale reached up to stroke her cheek.

  "I didn't want you to see this to make you sad. I just thought you might want to work some of that Falling Inn Bed magic on your family."

  "What are you talking about? What magic?"

  He traced the line of her jaw, stared down at her with such a thoughtful expression that her heart gave another throb. "I think what you do here at Falling Inn Bed is special, Laura. You do love and not just the romance kind. I don't know what caused all the problems with your family, but I do know what I see on these tapes. I think it would be a shame to miss an opportunity when you, Tori and Miranda are together and might be able to make things better somehow."

  I don't think those people have smiled since they let your mother get away, her dad had said.

  Laura had believed there wasn't much love in the Prescott family. She'd been wrong. This film proved there was more than enmity between sisters. She might not understand everything that had driven the family apart, but they'd all let past hurts and expectations blind them to each other…

  When she glanced up at Dale, at the concern on his handsome face, she knew he was right about something else, too.

  Falling Inn Bed did specialize in love.

  "Dale, I—"

  "Ms. Granger," a male voice interrupted and, turning, she found herself face-to-face with Ray Jay, one of the prep cooks. "Bruno asked me to find you. He can't get a hold of you on the radio, and he needs you in the kitchen."

  "I'm on my way."

  She turned to Dale, who only pressed a kiss to her brow and said, "Go on, we'll talk more later."

  After dealing with a crisis involving a raging Bruno and a few quick decisions about the second course, Laura was demoted from problem-solver to distraction and promptly tossed back out of the kitchen.

  She returned to the ballroom to find her parents dancing like Cinderella and Prince Charming. Dale had managed to get Ms. Cecilia out onto the dance floor, too, and Laura stood on the sidelines watching these people she cared for have fun.

  Most of her guests were having fun, too.

  Her bridal couple beamed, clearly enjoying their place in the spotlight. Even Delia's mother waltzed around smiling in her husband's arms, her face wreathed in smiles, another guest obviously caught up in the magic that was Falling Inn Bed.

  Remembering Dale's words, Laura glanced over at the table where she'd seated the Knights and the Fords. She watched as Tori got up and took off with her photographer, leaving behind a table full of unsmiling people.

  Laura couldn't remember ever seeing Miranda looking so unhappy. She usually managed to keep on a happy face in public…but apparently that wasn't the case when it came to dealing with Tori. And this wasn't the first time tonight Laura had witnessed a look of such loss and longing between sisters.

  Dale was right. She needed to give Falling Inn Bed a chance to work its magic because she couldn't close her eyes now, not when she might actually have a chance to make the situation better. She, Miranda and Tori were together for the first time since school. Could she ignore an opportunity to at least try?

  No. Not when she suddenly understood why her dad felt sad for his estranged in-laws. And she couldn't help feeling sad, too. Not only for the unhappy family watching Tori walk away without a backward glance, but for herself. She'd wasted so much of her time believing the grass was greener. The perfect Ford family suddenly didn't seem so perfect, after all.

  As Laura gazed out at that ballroom, at family members who didn't acknowledge their connection, she realized that she'd been right about one thing—blood and DNA didn't make a family. Love did. Good, bad and unusual, the Grangers loved each other more than anything else. That's why her mom had come to this function tonight. That's why her dad had shown up, too.

  There didn't seem to be much love among the Fords. The senator had given away a daughter. Nieces didn't know aunts. Sisters didn't have sisters. Why? Because one man's expectations for his family were more important than the family members.

  Laura thought about those expectations, knew in her heart that although she'd never met the senator face-to-face, she'd allowed herself to be guided by his standards, too. She'd believed she wasn't good enough, had molded her self-image based on his yardstick.

  And her expectations for others.

  She thought of Tori, who'd been up front with her about the Naughty Nuptials coverage when Laura had expected her to walk in and pan the event. While she still might pan the event, she'd promised to at least get the story first before passing judgment. She'd given Laura a chance.

  Laura hadn't been nearly so fair. When Carolyn Ford had named Tori as the one to pass along news about the guest list, she'd assumed Tori had snooped where she shouldn't be snooping.

  She'd expected Tori to be deceitful because she was Miranda's sister. Laura had been guilty of the same crime as those who'd always judged her as less than Miranda's family because she was a Granger.

  And Tori hadn't been the only one she'd judged unfairly.

  She glanced at Dale, who looked so utterly handsome with his silky black hair and dashing grin as he charmed Ms. Cecilia. She'd dismissed him from the start as a bad boy and had backed up her judgment with evidence. She hadn't gotten to know him or given him a chance to know her. She hadn't been honest with him or herself about her reasons for wanting a fling.

  Yet all along Dale had been honest with her. He'd taken her at her word, trusted her to play by the fling rules and had been equally forthcoming when he'd wanted more.

  I want to know more than what sort of atmosphere you are looking to create in the Wedding Wing and where I have to touch you to get you to breathe out those little sighs that make me crazy.

  Sure, he was a bad boy, but wasn't she learning firsthand that he was so much more?

  Yes.

  Since the day he'd returned to town, he'd been changing right before her eyes, and while she'd noticed, she hadn't appreciated what those changes meant.

  The right woman can make the difference.

  Was Laura willing to let expectations blind her to the perfectly wonderful man who'd smuggled her from the sex-toy shower and kidnapped her away for a worry-free afternoon? The man who'd dressed in an elevator to be by her side when she greeted the Fords? The man who'd gone on a fishing expedition with Tori to prove he could be supportive? A man who so obviously cared?

  No. She wouldn't let expectations blind her to this perfectly wonderful man, not when the man of her fantasies had turned into the man of her dreams. She didn't know if Dale would be interested in seeing her after the Naughty Nuptials ended—especially given their long-distance logistics�
��but she would be honest with him and see if there was any chance to turn their fling into a real relationship.

  Her mom had found the courage to follow her dreams and live life by her own expectations. A life filled with love. Yes, she'd had to make sacrifices, but to hear her mom tell it, the rewards had been equally great. Laura would do no less. Not if there was any chance to prove to this bad boy she could be his right woman.

  She caught up with him as the band slowed the tempo to a ballad, and he escorted Ms. Cecilia back to their table.

  "I'm free," she told him. "Would you like to dance?"

  Reaching for her hand, he brought it to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles that made her melt. "The pleasure will be all mine, my lovely Laura."

  She sighed a sigh that made him smile and turned around to lead him onto the dance floor…and found herself staring directly into a man's broad chest.

  "Oh, excuse me," she said automatically and glanced up to find her dad smiling down at her.

  "Go have fun, my lovely daughter."

  Laura blushed beneath his knowing gaze, but Dale didn't give her long to dwell on her dad's laughter. He sidestepped them both and led her onto the dance floor and into his arms.

  "So you didn't tell me why your dad showed up," he said. "Timing couldn't have been better."

  "He felt like he needed to be here. He thought mom might need him."

  "I like your parents."

  "Even though they reared a romantic idealist like me?"

  "The nut doesn't fall far from the tree. And I think there's a lot to be said for romantic idealism."

  "A convert?"

  He arched a dark brow. "You shouldn't be surprised. Between this place and a fling with the bedding consultant, I didn't stand much of a chance."

  She didn't reply, nor did she protest when he tucked her close against him, fitting every inch of his body neatly against hers, making her feel right. Once upon a time, she might have insisted on keeping a reasonable distance for appearances' sake. But tonight she mixed business with pleasure and hosted a celebration for guests, family and friends.

  Tonight, she had an example to set. It was her job—and her passion—to sell her guests on the merits of romance.

  And now she had to let herself experience it, too.

  "I want a chance to prove I can be your right woman, Dale."

  He tipped his face back to look at her, his gaze narrowing. "Really?"

  She nodded.

  He searched her face for a long time, and then his expression softened. He didn't say a word, just held her close while they swayed in time with the music, and she savored the feel of his arms around her, was grateful that she'd finally come to her senses and recognized him for the dream man he was.

  "It'll be tough but we can make it work if we want," she said.

  "What'll be tough?"

  "Having a long-distance relationship."

  He just shrugged.

  "You're not concerned?" she asked, surprised.

  He shook his head. "We won't be having one. I don't want a long-distance relationship."

  "Oh, well, I—"

  "All that jumping on planes to see each other. All that saying good-bye." He shook his head as if he couldn't think of anything worse.

  All she could do was stand there and try to reason through his reaction. Just because he'd been thoughtful and had talked about the right woman didn't necessarily mean he'd want to tackle a real relationship that had a serious logistical problem. And just because she'd finally realized he was the man of her dreams didn't mean she'd get her chance to prove she could be his right woman.

  But even as she tried to understand, something deep in-side rejected the reasoning. He couldn't dismiss her outright She wouldn't let him. What they had was special, and she simply wouldn't take no for an answer.

  "It's not impossible, Dale. In between visits, we can talk on the phone. Or e-mail."

  He scowled. "You think phone calls and e-mails will be enough after seeing you every day while I built the Wedding Wing? We've been together even more since I came back for the grand opening. I'm spoiled. I don't want phone calls or e-mails."

  "The little brat prince grew up to be a big brat prince?"

  "Damned straight."

  "Then what do you want?" She tried to sound casual, unaffected. She didn't want to put on any pressure, wanted to leave him an out to take if he chose.

  "I told you about my boss, the one who met the right woman, didn't I?"

  She nodded.

  "It so happens that when I talked to him the other day, he was moaning about something that gave me an idea."

  She waited, not sure what was coming but suddenly feeling breathless, her insides winding tight with anticipation.

  "As the owner of a large company, Nick has to spend a certain amount of time running his business. But ever since he got married, he'd rather be spending his time in the field with his wife. He was handling both ends until I talked him into branching out into construction with your project Now he's got so much on the business end that he can't keep up while he's in the field. It's making him nuts."

  "And…"

  "And…since I created the problem, it seems only fair that I help fix it."

  "How?"

  Dale smiled, took his sweet time answering her question to give her a chance to appreciate the full effects of his smile. "We'll split ADF into two divisions—preservation, which he'll run, and construction, which I'll run. But Nick only agreed to split up the company if I agreed to become a fall partner."

  "And?"

  "And he'll keep his offices on the West Coast and I'll open new offices."

  Her whole body gathered on the edge of a breath, and she could barely gasp out the question. "Where?"

  He chose that exact moment to extend her over his arm in a sexy dip that brought their hips together and his thigh wedged cozily between hers. "I was thinking that since we already had a West Coast office, I might open an eastern one. Say in…Niagara Falls."

  Laura just stared at him, torn between surprise and the urge to fling her arms around his neck and hug him tight. She stayed put, daunted by the idea of knocking him off balance and landing them both in a heap on the dance floor.

  "I thought you didn't want the hassle of running a business."

  "I didn't when I was twenty-five, Laura," he scoffed. "Times have changed. I've changed."

  "But this sounds so…permanent. Are you sure this is what you want?"

  He brought her upright so fast that she gasped at the collision of their bodies, all hard muscle and male energy against soft curves. He captured her gaze with eyes that left no room for doubts, and she stared back, studying his face feature by handsome feature, unable to deny the truth she saw there.

  "I've been gunning to get on the road since I was ten, and never once in all these years have I ever wanted to slow down. Until now. When I'm with you I feel like I've come home."

  She sighed, so caught up in the moment that she did loop her arms around his neck. lifting up on tiptoe, she brushed her mouth against his, and he caught her in a kiss that promised a chance for a future together.

  "I like being with you, Laura," he whispered against her lips. "When you're working and when you're upset and especially when you're feeling sexy." Another slow kiss. "Think about all that lingerie we bought I'm not going anywhere until I see you wear all of it."

  She couldn't help but laugh.

  "I'll still have to travel, but not all the time. Maybe you'll come with me sometimes, and when you can't, we'll miss each other and give phone sex a try. What do you think?"

  "It sounds perfect."

  "Are you sure?" He broke away and peered down at her with a skeptical look. "The last I heard you were looking for the man of your dreams to share your goals and bring out the best in you. I was pure fantasy stuff—good for sex but not much else."

  And she'd honestly believed that She'd judged him and had never once taken a closer look, had simpl
y expected him to behave as a bad boy and nothing else.

  "You're so much more, Dale," she said softly. "I was too blind to see it Forgive me."

  His arms tightened around her, and she rested her cheek against his shoulder, content to dance in silence, to absorb the possibilities between them, to enjoy being together.

  "There's nothing to forgive." His voice grew heavy and intimate. "You didn't miss a thing. I was everything you said I was. Except degenerate."

  "I never said that."

  He chuckled, a deep velvet rumble close to her ear. "I've been telling myself I was obsessed with you because we talked so much sex while building this place. But I was wrong. I'm in love with you, and I don't want the boot when the Naughty Nuptials is over. I want a chance to prove I can be the man of your dreams."

  His words filtered through her warm and solid, and Laura tipped her head back, needing to see his face, the promise in his eyes. She smiled at what she saw there, let him see everything she felt inside.

  "You already are."

  Epilogue

  Jackson and Delia celebrated an early afternoon wedding in the atrium. Sunlight flooded the forest setting and Dale felt confident that Falling Inn Bed would have no further trouble with the problem skylight If they did—he glanced over at the woman sitting by his side, crystal gaze misty as she watched the couple exchange vows—she'd let him know. He'd be right on hand to fix it.

  This wedding wasn't grabbing him by the throat the way it seemed to be grabbing Laura, but he knew the event was special. The bride wore white, the groom wore tails and they looked happy—all requisites for a decent wedding, according to the bedding consultant. What impressed him more was the contentment he felt sitting beside her in this place they'd created, his design with her vision, tangible proof they were good together.

  He thumbed away a tear from Laura's cheek when Jackson kissed his bride and the minister directed the guests to welcome the new husband and wife.

  Laura turned her head and pressed a kiss to his hand, and he smiled at the zip of awareness that shot through him.