“Ah, that’s why I thought I recognized her,” Zoe said. “Photos of her have recently been in the papers. She certainly looks different in person. She’s very lovely. Why haven’t we seen you with her before now?”
Thankfully, Wes didn’t have time to answer that question as the change in music gave the cue that the ceremony was about to begin. Everyone quickly fell into line, then promptly filed into the main sanctuary.
As Wes took his place next to his brother, he noticed the huge church was overflowing with family and guests. Up and down the massive hall and on either side of the altar, candles flickered, while red and white flowers seemed to be everywhere.
The music changed yet again, and to one side of the podium, a prominent singer with the Austin Philharmonic began to sing a song about everlasting love. As Wes tried to concentrate on the lyrics, his thoughts turned to Ben and Ella. His twin had always been focused on Robinson Tech and his career. He’d never expected Ben to make room in his life for a wife. But here he was, about to say his vows in front of hundreds of guests. Wes could only hope the words love, honor and cherish would hold more meaning for Ben than they had their father.
The song ended, and as another began, Wes’s thoughts drifted to his parents, who were sitting on the first pew, directly behind Wes and Ben and a row of groomsmen. It often amazed him that his mother and father had been married for nearly thirty-five years. The two appeared as a couple at family and social functions but never spent special private time together. In fact, Wes had never seen any sort of affection displayed between his parents. Bearing eight of Gerald’s children was proof that Charlotte had once loved her husband, at least physically. Whether she still held any sort of feelings for the man was difficult for Wes to determine. Sometimes he believed his mother suffered through his father’s roaming ways simply because it was easier than getting a divorce and fighting over millions of dollars.
Oh, Lord, Wes wanted no such cold arrangement for himself. If he ever lost his mind long enough to take a wife, he’d want their marriage to be nothing less than warm and loving.
The music finally turned into the wedding march, and every head in the church turned to see the bride make her way down the flower-strewn aisle. Because Ella had no father, her mother, Elaine, walked at her daughter’s side. Joining Ella on the opposite side was her little brother, Rory, who walked with the aid of braces and crutches. Yet his struggle with cerebral palsy was completely forgotten as everyone in the audience was focused on the pride and joy glowing on his face.
Moved by the sight, Wes watched Ben’s profile. His brother’s expression was an overflow of love and humility. In that moment, Wes realized for the first time how deeply Ben felt for Ella and her family.
The bride took her place next to the groom, and the minister immediately requested for all to bow their heads. After the long prayer, the singer stepped up for another song about love. By the time the couple finally got around to exchanging their vows, Wes’s mind began to drift to Vivian. Somewhere behind him, she was sitting in that beautiful red dress, watching the ceremony. What was she thinking? That My Perfect Match was going to find the right man to put a ring on her finger?
The questions were rolling through Wes’s mind at the same time Ben was pushing the ring onto Ella’s finger. And suddenly, a different picture swam before his vision. Instead of seeing his brother or new sister-in-law, Wes was picturing himself pushing a wedding band onto Vivian’s finger.
Stunned by the image, Wes snapped himself out of his daze just in time to hear the minister’s next words.
“You may kiss the bride.”
*
Something about seeing his twin become a married man must have done something to Wes, Vivian thought. Ever since the two of them had left the church and arrived at the reception, he’d been quiet and pensive, as though he was somewhere far away instead of in an elaborate ballroom at the Travis Grand Hotel.
“Hello again, Vivian. Would you care for a bit of company? It seems our twins have chosen to desert us, doesn’t it?”
Vivian turned to see the female voice behind her belonged to the new bride, Ella Thomas Robinson. During the elaborate wedding ceremony, Vivian had looked on in awe while thinking the beautiful princess was becoming the wife of her handsome prince. Now that she was up close, Vivian still found it hard to keep from gawking at the woman’s gorgeous wedding gown. Done in an intricate rose lace pattern, the dress had a close-fitting bodice with the back making a wide V all the way to her waist. Rows of tiny seed pearls edged the low neckline and the wrists of the long, tight sleeves, while the skirt hugged her hips before falling into a pool of rich fabric at her feet. A band fashioned of pearls and tiny white roses held a single tiered veil to her upswept auburn hair.
Even if Vivian had a whole entourage of beauty consultants, she could never look so lovely, she thought. Or was the beautiful aura surrounding Ella actually a product of love? If so, would she ever experience such a glow? Vivian wondered.
“It appears that way,” Vivian agreed. “Wes went after more champagne and got distracted by his mother.”
Ella’s dreamy smile landed on her husband, who was standing several feet away with his father and several other men Vivian recognized as groomsmen.
“And Gerald has cornered Ben with business, no doubt. I suppose my father-in-law has forgotten what it’s like to be just married.”
Vivian had met Ella earlier, before she and Ben had cut the giant tiered wedding cake and taken their first dance around the room. She’d been surprised that the COO of Robinson Tech had chosen to marry a woman as young and down-to-earth as Ella. But on the other hand, it was easy to see how he’d fallen in love with the warm-hearted beauty.
“The wedding was the most beautiful ceremony I’ve ever seen,” Vivian told her, then admitted with a rueful smile, “honestly, I was nervous about attending. I’m not used to rubbing shoulders with such important people.”
Ella laughed lightly. “Believe me, when I first started dating Ben, I felt the same way. You’ll soon find out that they’re just people, too. Have you known Wes very long?”
So Ella had the idea that she and Wes were truly a couple, she thought miserably. What would the new bride think if she knew her brother-in-law had brought Vivian to the wedding only because she was a safe date who expected nothing from him?
Vivian tilted a fluted glass to her lips and hoped the bubbly champagne would help ease her knotted nerves.
“About six years,” she answered, while instinctively turning her gaze back to Wes and his mother.
“That long!” Ella exclaimed. “Oh, my, he must be a slow worker. I—”
“Hey, can I join in on the fun?”
The British accent caught Vivian’s attention, and she looked around to see a tall woman somewhere in her twenties walking up to Ella’s side. Slender and elegant, she had straight brown hair, hazel eyes and a faint smile that held a hint of mystery. Vivian was instantly intrigued.
Ella quickly introduced the two women. “Vivian, this is Lucie Fortune Chesterfield. And Lucie, this is Vivian Blair, my brother-in-law’s lovely date.”
Vivian shook hands with the woman. “Nice to meet you, Lucie. Did you fly in for the wedding? Or do you live in Texas?”
“Lucie is originally from London,” Ella inserted, then laughed and gestured for Lucie to explain further.
“But I’ve been staying in Horseback Hollow with relatives,” Lucie went on. “My sister married a cowboy there, and they have a baby daughter. I can hardly resist spending time with my little niece.”
“Lucie is the one who helped Ben locate his half brother, Keaton Robinson—or I should say, Keaton Fortune Robinson,” Ella added slyly.
Totally confused by this information, Vivian looked from one woman to the other. “I don’t understand. Half brother? I didn’t realize there was a half brother.”
Ella and Lucie exchanged a pointed look.
“Well, the connection was only discovered a few week
s ago,” Ella told her. Then, with a curious expression, she asked, “Doesn’t Wes talk with you about family matters?”
Vivian felt her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. “Wes and I have been dealing with lots of work. I guess it slipped his mind.”
“Well, then, you don’t know that Ben is trying to prove their father, Gerald, is actually a member of the Fortune family?”
Clueless and not bothering to hide the fact, Vivian shook her head. “Fortune? Are you talking about the Fortunes who own the cosmetic company?”
“That’s right,” Ella answered.
Still perplexed, Vivian glanced at Lucie. “Then if your name is Fortune, you could be related to Wes and Ben.”
“We’re thinking that could be so.”
Stunned by this news, Vivian glanced through the crowd until her gaze landed on Wes. Did she really know the man at all?
*
Across the room, Wes stood with his mother, Charlotte, as she sipped champagne and commented about the wedding ceremony. Ben was the first one of her children to finally get married, and though Wes had expected her to be happy about the event, she seemed rather pensive.
“What’s wrong, Mother? The ceremony went off without a hitch. I don’t know much about these sorts of things, but I thought everything looked pretty grand. And everyone appears to be having a good time at the reception. Aren’t you happy for Ben and Ella?”
She touched a hand to her short platinum hair and Wes decided, for a woman in her midseventies, his mother looked at least ten years younger. Unlike the majority of female guests who’d worn red in some fashion today, Charlotte had opted to wear a pastel pink dress with a heavy dose of diamonds at her throat. He supposed she’d foregone wearing red in order to stand out in the crowd. Or, knowing his mother, she probably worried the color clashed with her complexion. Either way, nothing was missing about his mother’s appearance, he concluded, except a happy smile.
Charlotte said, “This affair today is hardly what concerns me, Wes. Anyone with money and good taste can throw a decent party. No, it’s Ben whom I’m thinking of now. I wish a thousand times he’d not jumped into this marriage so quickly. It’s hardly been a month since he and Ella first got engaged!”
Wes held back a sigh. “Ben never was one to waste time, Mother. But I wouldn’t worry about him. He’s fully aware of what he’s doing.”
She glanced sharply up at him. “Are you?”
Taken slightly aback by her abrupt question, Wes frowned, then finally chuckled. “I like to think so. Why do you ask?”
Her lips pursed with disapproval, and Wes could only wonder what was going on in her mind. He loved his mother dearly. She’d always been the glue that held the Robinson family together. She’d always been the one who’d made Wes feel special and wanted. But there were times he didn’t understand her way of thinking.
“Are you talking about the articles you’ve been seeing in the papers about my dates?” he asked. “Mother, those women have nothing to do with my personal feelings. They’re just a part of my job. It’s only business. That’s all.”
She rolled her eyes until they landed accusingly on her husband. “I’ve heard that line a thousand times,” she said with a heavy dose of sarcasm, then took a long drink from her champagne glass.
No doubt, Wes thought, his gaze straying over to his father. Over the years Gerald had probably given his wife endless excuses and lies to cover his deceitful tracks. And now, God help his family, Ben wanted to uncover all of them.
“It’s not a line with me,” he insisted. “It’s the truth.”
She turned her gaze back to Wes. “If you say so. I just don’t want you making the same mistake of marrying in haste.”
Wes frowned. “What are you talking about? I hardly have marriage on my mind.”
He followed the incline of his mother’s head to see Vivian standing with Ella and another young woman he didn’t recognize.
“Mother, Vivian is just a friend. We work together—that’s the sum of things between us.”
Shaking her head, she said, “I wasn’t born yesterday, Wes. I can see the signs—the way you two look at each other. You need to be cautious and take things slowly, son. Please take my advice.”
Wes was only half listening to his mother now. His attention was back on Vivian and the way she and her newfound friends were talking intently. Were they discussing him?
“I promise not to do anything rash, Mother. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my date.”
As he walked away, he could feel his mother’s eyes boring into his back. Poor woman, Wes thought. She might still look youthful for her age, but her mind was obviously slipping. Why else would she possibly connect Wes and Vivian in a matrimonial way? It was ridiculous.
Why don’t you survey the condition of your own mind, Wes? Right in the middle of the wedding ceremony, you were picturing yourself slipping a wedding ring on Vivian’s finger. That was worse than ridiculous.
Skirting the edge of dancers circling the enormous ballroom floor, Wes made his way over to Vivian. As he neared the three women, the loudness of the live band drowned out their conversation. But it was clear to Wes that whatever they’d been discussing was immediately dropped when he came to stand at Vivian’s side.
“Wes, I’m glad you joined us,” Ella spoke up. “I don’t think you’ve met Lucie, have you?”
He could feel Vivian watching him closely.
“No. I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure,” he said.
“This is Lucie Fortune Chesterfield. She—”
“Helped Ben locate our half brother.” He finished his sister-in-law’s sentence, then thrust his hand toward the Londoner. “Nice to meet you, Lucie. I hope your stay in Austin is a pleasant one.”
“Thank you. I’m having a great time.” Smiling, she studied him keenly. “You look exactly like Ben. It’s uncanny.”
Wes said, “Yes, but most everyone will tell you that the two of us are not that much alike. Now if you ladies will excuse us, I think it’s time I took Vivian for a whirl around the dance floor.”
Plucking the champagne glass from Vivian’s hand, he placed it on the tray of a passing waiter, then wasted no time in leading her to a vacant space on the dance floor.
As he pulled her into the close circle of his arms, he could feel her body determined to keep a respectable breathing space between them. Wes didn’t try to urge her closer. But he damn well wanted to. And the realization rattled him.
“That was rather abrupt, the way you left Ella and her friend, don’t you think?”
“This is one of my favorite songs,” he lied. “I wanted to dance to it before it ended.”
“Considering I’ve never heard the song, maybe you can tell me the name of it,” she suggested.
Sometimes Wes forgot just how clever Vivian could be. “I never was good with names.”
“You didn’t have any problem remembering Lucie’s.”
The hand on her shoulder slipped downward until it was lying flat against her bare back. The softness of her skin beneath his palm was all it took to yank his senses in all directions. All these years he’d never stopped to wonder what was beneath her modest clothing. But today he was seeing and feeling for himself, and the sensation was a heady one.
“I have good reason to remember her name. What were you three talking about, anyway?”
“The wedding. Girl things,” she hedged.
“And men?”
She frowned. “Not you. If that’s what you mean.”
Arching a brow at her, he waited for her to continue.
With a tiny groan of reluctance, she relented, “Okay. They were telling me about Keaton Whitfield. Your half brother.”
Wes’s jaw tightened. “They shouldn’t have mentioned any of that. Not today. Not to you.”
She looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, Wes. The women started talking and I had no choice but to listen or rudely walk away.”
A pent-up breath sli
pped out of him. “Forget it. Sooner or later, everyone is going to hear about Keaton anyway.”
Clearly confused, she said, “You make it sound like he’s not exactly a welcome member of the family.”
Needing to feel her body next to his, he instinctively drew her closer.
“Welcome,” he repeated ruefully. “Is that how siblings should react to their father’s illegitimate son? Tell me, because I don’t know.”
“Illegitimate? Are you sure?”
A curt laugh escaped him. “Well, since he was born about the same time as Ben and me, it’s obvious his mother wasn’t married to our father. And to make matters worse, there might be other children we’ve yet to learn about.”
“You mean Keaton Whitfield has siblings?”
“I mean children from other women,” he said flatly.
“Oh, my.”
The two murmured words connected his gaze with hers, and Wes was relieved to find nothing judgmental in the hazel depths, or any sign that she considered his revelation a juicy morsel of gossip to be whispered about the workplace. No, all he could see was concern and empathy.
“Yeah,” he said under his breath. “Oh, my.”
She gently squeezed his hand, and the unexpected gesture made him realize she understood part of his mixed feelings, at least. It was also waking up something inside him that felt a whole lot like desire.
He was trying to figure out how this sudden attraction for Vivian had started when her feet suddenly came to a stop.
“Uh, Wes, the music has ended,” she said softly. “We should probably get off the dance floor before we cause a traffic jam.”
With a shake of his head, he said, “Let’s wait for the next song.”
And the next. And the next one after that, Wes thought. And even then Wes wasn’t sure that would be enough time to satisfy his growing need to hold her in his arms.
Chapter Six
“I’m sorry, Vivian, for sounding so short a few minutes ago,” he said moments later as he guided her among the throng of dancing couples. “It’s just that, outside my family, I’ve never talked about Keaton Robinson, or Whitfield, or whatever the hell his name is, to anyone. It feels—well, pretty damn awkward.”
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