Made To Love Her (5 page)

M
y hands are
steady as I clutch the steering wheel. I try to appear cool, calm and collected but inside, I’m as nervous as hell. I’m alone with Jack Lord’s wife? No man in the world would leave a woman as beautiful as she is in my care, let alone trust me to stay in his house alone with her. But just by her demeanor, I can tell that Daisy is not the kind of woman who would cross those lines, or at least I don’t get that vibe from her.

Daisy remains quiet as I drive down the highway. She has one hand on her pregnant stomach as she stares out the window. I shift nervously in my seat.

“So is this your first time in Colorado?” I ask.

I glance at her just in time to see her face me. She’s a rare beauty.

“No,” she says with a delicate smile.

That was a stupid question. Of course it isn’t her first time here. I’m suddenly hot so I pull at my collar.

“I heard your bakery is pretty happening,” I say, trying to recover from my previous thoughtless question.

Her smile turns broader. “Yeah, we’re doing pretty well.”

I wait for her to say more. Damn if she isn’t a woman of few words. “It’s a French bakery, right?”

“Right.”

“And your specialty is beignets?”

“They’ll melt in your mouth,” she sings proudly.

I toss my head back to laugh. I hadn’t expected her to say that. “And why is that?”

She goes on to enlighten me on what’s so good about her beignets then divulges her “secret” recipe step by step, adding that she learned how to make them from a French woman who lives at her father’s chateau in Bordeaux.

I find Mrs. Lord very interesting. She and Jack brought the French woman who taught her how to make perfect pastries to the States and set her up in the cottage of Jack’s vineyard in Montecito. The place looks just like her cottage in France, but within three days she was ready for them to put her on an airplane and fly her back to France.

“This is not too much,” Daisy says with a French accent. “But what she really meant was that it
was
too much.” Daisy chuckles and throws her hands up. “There was nothing around but grapevines, olive groves, and a horse stable. She didn’t even have to go to the restaurant to cook!”

I glance at Daisy long enough to watch her look off thoughtfully.

She smiles slightly. “I guess she missed her family and friends. So Belmont and I ended up spending two months in Bordeaux while Ines taught me everything she knows about baking mouthwatering pastries.” After a brief pause, she chuckles. “She was like a pint-sized drill sergeant. She would slap my hand when I put a pinch too much flour in the batter. But she would reward me with a wet kiss on the cheek when I did something right. It was the most strange, rewarding and intense training I had ever undergone.”

“Seems as though her method worked.”

“It certainly did!”

I smile. “Says your cash register.”

Daisy’s grin grows wider as she shrugs her eyebrows in agreement.

I toss my head back and laugh harder.

Regardless of the heaviness that had broken out surrounding Vince’s disappearance, I’m smiling from ear to ear. I want to ask if this is how she landed Jack Lord, by being charming as hell, but instead, I laugh some more at another story she tells me about pet-sitting a naughty little “purse dog” for one of her friends. The dog pissed on all her walls, gnawed on her furniture and jumped into the swimming pool.

“Belmont had to dive in and save him! Poor thing was so spoiled that he didn’t know how to dogpaddle.”

I’m still laughing when I stop in front of Vince’s mother’s house. Four cars are parked in the drive.

Daisy’s slight smile fades. “There are a lot of people here.”

“Anne prefers a full house, and she damn well makes sure she always has one,” I say.

Daisy turns to look at me inquisitively. “Interesting.”

I shift in my seat. It’s as though she can read deep into the comment I made.

“Just so we’re clear: Vince is with Maggie and Belmont. He and Maggie apologize for having to leave so suddenly, but the show will go on Saturday afternoon at five o’clock as planned.”

I nod. “Got it.”

Daisy looks back at the house with a frown. “Good.”

W
hen we walk inside
, everyone has already gathered for breakfast. At least thirteen people are sitting around the long table. I recognize just about everyone at first sight. There’s one face that I’ve seen before but can’t quite place. She gives me a strange smirk then stares at Daisy. Carter is watching me as I watch the familiar woman. But then she looks away as soon as I look at her.

Daisy smiles pleasantly as all eyes fall on her. She has the biggest presence in the room. I’m sure she’s used to being gawked at, which is why it’s no surprise that she’s not rattled.

I clear my throat. “This is Daisy Lord, Jack Lord’s wife.”

“Good morning,” Daisy says, in complete control. She places a hand over her heart. “Maggie will be gone for a few days, along with Vince and my husband. A serious emergency came up.”

“What—” Anne begins.

Daisy takes her hand off her chest and gently raises it to put her at ease. “It’s nothing dire, only work. The company is going through a difficult time right now, and they really need Maggie’s expertise to dig them out of this hole.”

Lexie snorts bitterly. “I’m sorry, but what’s her expertise?”

The green light switches on. Daisy will be facing Vince’s sisters’ bitchery starting right now.

Daisy looks Lexie straight in the eyes without flinching. “Maggie is a superior marketing expert, one of the best in the world.”

Lexie sneers for a moment, but then she straightens her face and sits back in her seat without a rebuttal. I’m shocked by how quickly Lexie backed down from an opportunity to belittle Maggie. She’s been spreading rumors about Maggie being a gold digger, even though not only is Maggie is successful in her own right but she’s got the Lord billions at her disposal. Both Jack and Charlie will stop whatever they’re doing to run and help her whenever she needs them.

Anne shoots to her feet. “Well, we’re glad to have you as our guest, Mrs. Lord. I’m afraid we’re out of rooms but—”

“That’s fine. I’m staying at our home here in town. It’s not far,” Daisy says.

Anne touches her chest. “Oh, Carlotta and Charles’ manor.”

“Yes.”

“I heard Jack did a lot of work to it.”

Daisy maintains her gracious smile. “Yes, he did.”

“Well, I guess that’s that.” By the look on Anne’s face, she really doesn’t like the fact that she wouldn’t have the opportunity to make space for another guest, especially Jack Lord’s wife. Anne points to an empty chair. “Well, why don’t you have a seat over there?”

“Thank you,” Daisy says, maintaining her pleasant demeanor.

“Robert, why don’t you sit between Carter and Allie?”

I really want to trade seats with Daisy. She’s sitting next to Maggie’s copper-haired friend. She hasn’t stopped smirking since Daisy and I arrived, and her name still eludes me. We met once at one of Maggie’s birthday parties. I remember admiring her long legs and beautiful eyes. I thought she was hot, but I didn’t want to hit on her or anything. Something about her screamed, “Stay away” and still does. So I can resist Maggie’s friend, but smelling the sweet floral scent of Carter’s perfume or shampoo and feeling her energy would make it harder to resist Carter.

Finally, I take a seat. “Morning, ladies.”

“Up early, I see,” Allie says. Her tone always insinuates that I’ve been out doing something wrong. However, I have decades of experience in handling Allie.

I wink at her. “Then that means I caught the worm.”

She looks off and mumbles, “Apparently, you went out and caught Mrs. Lord.”

I don’t let her get away with that one. Daisy doesn’t deserve her scandalous insinuation. “What are you trying to say, Allie?”

She sniffs and turns away to whisper something to the poor schlub she’s supposed to be marrying.

I shake my head and turn to Carter.

Carter rolls her eyes and mouths, “Ignore her.”

I smile, thankful for the obvious advice. “How did you sleep last night?”

Carter massages her neck. “On a pullout sofa in the den.”

Suddenly, Anne claps her hands to get everyone’s attention. Carter and I are forced to rip our gazes away from each other.

“Well”—Anne looks around the table—“the bride isn’t here. That’s what happens when your son marries a busy woman.” She smiles at Daisy.

Daisy maintains an indifferent expression.

Anne ruffles her eyebrows a little but continues. “But I promised Maggie that from this point on, we will thank Emily for her services, but we will no longer be using them.”

Maggie’s friend snorts cynically. “Emily? Emily Calhoun or Callahan or something? Isn’t that the bitch who tried to steal Vince from her?”

Everyone at the table looks at her in awe. Now I remember her name—it’s Monroe. She’s notorious for being irreverent.

“Well, I’m here to help move the wedding plans along,” Daisy says on cue.

“We’re glad to have you,” Anne says, seemingly thankful to Daisy for taking the sting out of Monroe’s comment. “This afternoon, we’re finalizing the cake and the venue’s decorations.”

“Perfect,” Daisy says.

Anne smiles at her. I’ve seen that smile many times before. Daisy has won her over—Anne will be putty in Mrs. Lord’s hands.

“I still don’t understand why we have to let Emily go,” Maddie says.

“You wouldn’t,” Monroe says.

My eyes expand in disbelief. Monroe just will not let up.

“Excuse me?” Maddie snarls, part insulted and part incensed.

Monroe shakes her finger at her. “You and your sisters have been making this shit hard for Maggie from the beginning. Now”—she points at me—“you’re Robert Tango, aren’t you?”

I’m tongue-tied for a moment. “Um, sure…”

Daisy puts her hand on Monroe’s shoulder and looks her dead in the eyes. “Could we not do this now, please?”

Monroe’s face goes through various expressions before she settles on an eyebrow shrug and a conciliatory, “Whatever.”

As breakfast ensues, everyone who isn’t involved in the wedding planning is forced to sit and listen to the sisters duke it out with Monroe over decorating the ranch for the wedding ceremony and reception. It’s sort of entertaining to watch Monroe not back down from Lexie and Maddie’s intimidating tactics, which are composed of whining, raising their voices, and asking questions in a snippy and sarcastic tone.

“Vince likes silver. He wants it draped over the top of the benches,” Lexie says.

Monroe whips her face around to glare at Daisy. Her expression asks, “Can you believe this?”

She turns her grimace back on Lexie. “Well, Maggie sometimes likes the rustic look, which I gather is the reason why she let you put her wedding in a fucking barn in the first place. But she doesn’t like tacky, and silver covers over wooden benches are tacky.”

Lexie rears back and expands her eyes as though she’s been slapped in the face.

“Hey, let’s watch our language,” Kevin, Lexie’s husband, chimes in.

Monroe scowls at him as if he just dropped in from outer space and is speaking a language she doesn’t care to learn. She guides her finger between Vince’s sisters and mom. “And about the catering and cake and shit like that—you know very well that Vince couldn’t give a flying fuck about it. What you have been doing is using his name to give my friend a hard time. Well, that’s
over
. I want to see every fucking thing from the cake to the rice you’re going to throw when Maggie and Vince run the fuck away from this cluster-fuck.”

“Monroe!” Daisy says sternly.

Monroe sits up straight. Her fury had made her lean forward. Daisy and Monroe glare at each other. For a second, I think Mrs. Lord and this crazy Monroe are finally going to turn on each other. That would make Lexie, Maddie, and Allie happy. I’m almost compelled to do something about it.

“Monroe is right,” Daisy says, shocking the hell out of me.

I quickly turn to Carter, who has also been following the interesting discussion. We smirk at each other.

“I’m here—we’re here—to make sure Maggie and Vince get what they want out of
their
special day. It’s not
our
special day.” Daisy smiles tightly at Monroe. “And we will make sure that happens. But we will all work together and keep cool heads.” She raises her hand. “I’m in agreement, are you?” She stares at Monroe.

After a moment, Monroe sighs and rolls her eyes. “Yes, as long as they stop the shit.”

Both women set their inquisitive expressions on the sisters. Maddie and Lexie do that thing where they communicate with their eyes.

To my surprise, Allie throws up her hand. “I’m in.”

I’m used to her going along with Lexie and Maddie’s program.

Carter raises her hand. “I’m here to help, so I’m in too.”

I raise my hand. “Hell, I’m here to chauffeur the pregnant lady around, so I’m also in.”

I wink at Daisy, and she smiles charmingly. It takes me a moment to look away from her angelic face. I’m positive that, to some degree, I’ve fallen for Mrs. Lord—not in a romantic way, though. I’m in love with the fact that someone so strong yet delicate, so very beautiful, and obviously clever and inviting is going to be part of my world for at least four more days.

Maddie’s and Lexie’s jaws drop as they glare at Allie as though she’s Benedict Arnold.

Anne raises her hand. “Of course I’m in.” She points to Maddie and Lexie. “And so are they.” She turns her Stepford smile on them. “Or you can choose to be out. I think we can handle it between the
six
of us.”

Finally, Maddie says she’s in, but Lexie, the most stubborn of the three, says she’ll stay out of it. Finally, the wedding drama ends, and my nervousness about sitting next to Carter returns.

Carter groans while circling her shoulders.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

She puts down her fork and massages her neck. “I’m thinking about staying in a hotel. Hell, why not? I can afford it now that I’m making the big bucks.”

I sniff a chuckle. “So is that why you left RT Creative? I didn’t pay you enough?”