Once Tempted (41 page)

“No, it’s you. You look beautiful, too.”

She’d been up before dawn, and the pale lavender linen shift she’d chosen to wear was probably a mistake. “I look like a rumpled bag.” Luckily she’d allotted fifteen minutes in her schedule to change her outfit.

“Sexiest rumpled bag I’ve ever seen.”

She snorted. “Stop. I have important things to do. I’m on my way to deliver the crowning touch for Carrie’s hairdo.”

“I’ll only let you go if you promise me a dance tonight.”

“I may be too busy.”

“Tease,” he said, laughing, but then added in a more serious tone, “I’m crazy about you, you know.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to dance with you.” She half-turned so she could brush her lips against his. “I’ve got to go. I don’t want Carrie to get nervous. And, by the way, I’m crazy about you, too.”

Ward’s parting grin was more intoxicating than the champagne Reid had ordered for the wedding. Tess walked, or rather floated, to the cabin reserved for Carrie’s special day, her elation tempered only slightly when she encountered Erica.

It was obvious she’d just had her makeup and hair done by Ava. She looked beautiful—quite an admission, but it was only right that Tess check any of her former hostility toward Erica. She’d been nothing but wonderful to Carrie this weekend. Gracious and relaxed. And although she may have smiled a few too many times at Ward, she hadn’t made any blatant overtures toward him. Really, Tess could almost like her.

“Oh, hi! Is everything okay? I see that Ava’s arranged your hair—it’s beautiful. Stunning.” The updo, an elegant twisted knot at the base of Erica’s neck, did look spectacular. Classic, it suited Erica’s bone structure to a T.

“Yes, she did a good job.”

“And I just wanted to say how terrific you’ve been with Carrie and Allie’s two little girls. Carrie’s so lucky to have you here for her today.”

A small smile curved Erica’s lips. “I love Carrie. Of course I want her wedding to go well and to make things as easy as possible for the Knowleses. They’ve been so generous to us all. And somehow I think this is going to be one of the most exciting weddings I’ve ever been to.”

An odd statement. Tess pondered it as she knocked and then, at Ava’s cheery call of “Come in, unless you happen to be Brian Nash,” pushed open the door. But all thoughts of Erica flew from her mind when she stepped inside and saw Carrie standing in the middle of the room, looking like a vision.

“Oh, Carrie,” she said, awed.

I
T HAD BEGUN
.

Tess had sent a radiant Carrie down the aisle on the arm of her proud father as the strains of the string quartet filled the air. Brian and Ward—Tess’s heart thudded at the sight of Ward in an impeccably tailored gray suit—were standing beside the Reverend Williams, a wiry, bespectacled man. The smile on Brian’s face was warmer than the afternoon sun.

As she watched Carrie walk toward Brian, moving with such grace and joy, Tess had daubed her eyes with a handkerchief. Then, collecting herself, she stole around the back row of the chairs, circling the assembled guests, to stop several rows from where Brian and Ward stood.

She could spare a few minutes before going back to the kitchen and ensuring the appetizers were ready and checking in with the bartenders and servers. The ceremony was too lovely to resist.

Reverend Williams was calling the gathered guests to worship, and they were listening attentively. Tess’s gaze swept over the faces of Brian’s and Carrie’s families, looking proud and happy and already a little misty-eyed, to the rows closer to where she stood. She hadn’t met many of Brian’s and Carrie’s friends, but by now
their faces, as well as those of the older family friends, had grown vaguely familiar. Then—her heart seemed to stop in her chest—she saw a face that was all too familiar. She knew that long, thin blade of a nose, with the bump that protruded just below the bridge. She knew the silver hair that was combed back to reveal a high forehead, knew the thin lips that had never smiled at her. How many times had that profile been turned toward her as she sat by David’s bedside those long weeks while the hospital’s pale yellow walls assumed the dingy gray of a prison and the tubes attached to David’s body began to resemble manacles?

Hope Bradford wasn’t next to him. It was bizarre that Tess should feel disappointed at her absence, but Mrs. Bradford hadn’t despised her quite so openly.

Oh God, she thought. She’d had her chance to tell Ward about her past, and now here was the very worst of it, sitting ten feet away.

Tess realized that she was shaking. A part of her longed to run away. But then a shift in the wind brought Reverend Williams’s words to her ears.

“And now Brian and Carrie will exchange their wedding vows.”

She heard Brian’s surprisingly strong voice. “Carrie, you are my moon and my stars. And though we may change, and things we can’t even predict may befall us, my love for you will remain constant and eternal. This I promise.”

The words pierced her. This was the kind of enduring and courageous love she wanted to have with Ward. And as her mind conjured up images of their time together, she knew that they could have something just as special. But it involved infinite trust. Tess knew she already trusted Ward on so many levels. With his help she had conquered long-standing fears. Because of him, she not only rode, she loped, her hand free of the saddle
horn. But now she had to trust him to believe in her—and in her goodness. That he might not was her greatest fear of all.

Once the ceremony was over she would have to steal a moment alone with Ward. Mentally she ticked off the schedule of events. Perhaps after Liz Reading, the photographer, had taken the bride and groom shots, she could find a way to tell him, at least warn him of the unexpected guest’s identity. She hurried away, intent on keeping as much distance from Mr. Bradford as possible. Would it be too much to hope that she could get through the night without a face-to-face encounter with him?

Ward still had a grin on his face from watching Brian kiss Carrie. He had wondered, and was sure that every assembled guest had wondered, too, whether Brian would ever stop kissing his brand-new wife. Luckily he had before Ward had to tug on his sleeve or Erica had to tap Carrie’s shoulder, reminding them that they had a pretty big audience. It had been a fine ceremony. He was so happy for Brian and Carrie, his two closest friends. And he was damn proud of how smoothly the wedding had gone. Not a hitch. He planned to get Tess alone as soon as he could—and when he did, he intended to put Brian’s kiss to shame.

“Ward.” Erica’s voice interrupted his reverie.

Collecting himself, he replied with a pleasant, “Erica,” as he kept his gaze focused on the newlyweds. Brian and Carrie were walking to a spot at the edge of one of the gardens, where tall cypresses formed a rich greenish black backdrop. The photographer was at the ready.

“It was a beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it?”

He smiled. “Indeed it was.” No need to be hostile. Erica had obviously gotten the message. She’d been
pleasant and gracious. Carrie had mentioned that Erica had been back east on business. Maybe she’d met someone to pique her interest during the trip.

She walked alongside him toward the newlyweds. “I’m glad so many people came here to celebrate Carrie’s big day. Christine and Dad’s friends, too. There’s one old family friend I think you’d really enjoy meeting. After the photographer’s finished with the wedding party shots, perhaps?”

“Why not?” Might as well kill time before he could go find Tess.

The photo session took perhaps twenty minutes. Liz Reading had a comfortable style that put everyone at ease. There was a lot of laughter as everyone changed positions at her bidding. Even Brian’s mother and father cracked grins.

When it was over, Erica turned to him. “Shall we go, Ward?”

He was surprised by the eagerness of her smile. Frankly, he’d already forgotten about the introduction she wanted to make. But he couldn’t see how he could wiggle out of it after agreeing earlier. “So who is this family friend?” he asked as she led him toward the tent, where guests were mingling and already drinking from champagne flutes.

“Edward Bradford.”

He’d thought he’d had the list of guests memorized. After all, he’d heard Phil muttering about them every time he and Tess sat down with him for a meeting. “I don’t recall his name.”

“Oh, he was Dad’s boss for years. Such an interesting man. And very wealthy.”

Ward gave a mental shrug. Here was Erica, reverting to type. As she led him through the throng of guests, he
thought for the umpteenth time that he’d dodged a bullet. Thank God he wasn’t engaged to Erica, and that Tess had entered his life. He’d shake the hand of this very wealthy captain of industry and then make his excuses.

“Mr. Bradford,” Erica said, laying her hand on the arm of a patrician-looking man in his midsixties. “I’m so glad that you were able to change your itinerary and come.” To Ward she said, “I made a special call to Mr. Bradford, knowing how happy it would make Dad to have him here. Mr. Bradford, I’d like to introduce you to Ward Knowles.”

Ward extended his hand, wondering about Erica’s seeming fixation with this man. Was she hoping to get a job at his company? “How do you do, Mr. Bradford?”

“Ward and his family own this ranch,” Erica supplied.

Mr. Bradford inclined his silver head. “Quite an impressive place. I won’t be able to stay long—I’m catching a flight to Japan. Are your parents about?” He asked Erica. “I’d like to say hello to them and offer my congratulations to the happy couple as well. It was a lovely wedding.”

“They’re with Carrie and Brian but should be here shortly.” Erica replied. “It
was
a lovely ceremony, wasn’t it? Tess Casari is Silver Creek’s events planner. She planned the whole thing. So very talented. I’m sure Ward would be happy to introduce you to her—”

Mr. Bradford had reared back in shock at Erica’s words. “Tess Casari?”

“Yes,” Erica said, smiling blithely as if she didn’t notice that the older man’s face had drained of color. “Oh, that’s right. Your son was married to a woman named Tess Casari, too, wasn’t he?” She turned to Ward. “Did Tess ever mention a David Bradford or how tragically he died? It’d be such a small world if this turned out to be the same Tess. I’m sure she’s around here somewhere,
making sure everything is running smoothly—she’s strikingly efficient.” She scanned the crowd. “Ah! I see her!” she exclaimed, lifting a slender hand in greeting.

Reeling from the sucker punch Erica had delivered, Ward turned in the direction she was waving. Tess was there, not more than fifteen feet away, her face an ashen hue to match Mr. Bradford’s.

Tess felt the blood leave her face. They were together—Ward, Erica, and Mr. Bradford. How had it happened? She had calculated how long the photography session would last and was sure she’d be able to find Ward and talk to him—at least warn him that Mr. Bradford was there and who he was. But Ward hadn’t been with the wedding party. Liz had still been snapping away because the light was beautiful and Brian and Carrie were a photogenic couple. It was Allie, Brian’s sister, who’d enlightened her to Ward’s whereabouts, informing her that he and Erica had left in the direction of the tent. They’d probably worked up a thirst, Allie said with a smile.

But Ward hadn’t been near any of the bars, either inside or outside the tent. And then she’d seen him. And them.

How could he have met Edward Bradford so soon when Carrie’s mother and stepfather—the logical people to introduce the two men to each other—were still standing and watching the young couple smile into the camera lens? The question was no sooner asked than the answer came to her. There was no need to look at Erica’s satisfied face for confirmation.

Cold lead settled in her stomach.

The shock and confusion were plain on his face. As his eyes met hers, she glimpsed the hurt, too. She stood only a few yards away but suddenly the distance between them yawned as wide as the Pacific.

Oh God, what had she done? She’d lost her chance to explain things fully, properly. To give him time to understand. It was impossible now to tug the sleeve of Ward’s suit and tell him she needed to speak to him urgently for about thirty minutes to an hour—because that’s probably how long it would take to tell him the story of that grim period in her life when her estranged husband hovered at death’s threshold.

It was too late. The thought hammered at her. She’d ruined everything by not being open with Ward. Though her heart shrank against the despair filling her, she fought for control. She couldn’t let her fear win. This was Ward, the man who loved her with such tenderness, such generosity.

As she reached the group, she said, “Ward, I don’t know what David’s father has told you—”

Edward Bradford cut her off. “Oh, I can tell him plenty, I assure you, but I’m much more interested in your version. Would you like to tell him how you seduced my son into marrying you?”

Why should she be surprised that his outsized hatred for her hadn’t diminished? She was such a fool. “I did no such thing. David was the one who insisted we marry. I thought he loved me.” Perhaps one day she’d find consolation in the fact that her voice hadn’t broken when she uttered those words. It would be cold comfort.