“Yes, well, all that’s thanks to her grandmother, I assure you.” He took a sharp breath, held it for a moment and closed his eyes. “After I lost Sienna’s mother...” He trailed off for a moment, grief clouding his gaze. “Do you know what it’s like to love so deeply, so completely, that everything else ceases to exist?”
An image of Sienna drifted through his mind and he ducked his head. “I have an idea.”
“When Sienna’s mother died, part of me went with her. She was my anchor. My guiding light. She kept me focused on what was important, and for me, that was her. She wanted a child so desperately, despite the doctors telling her she shouldn’t risk it. From the moment she discovered she was pregnant, it was as if her life, our life together, ceased to matter. All she wanted was to bring Sienna into the world. And all I wanted was to make her happy. The fear of losing my wife...” He pressed a hand against his chest that was currently covered in adhesive monitors and wires. “The fear of losing her overshadowed everything else. And then the anger after she was gone, I let it consume me. Now look what I’ve done to my life. To my daughter’s life. I withheld my affection, my approval, using it as some kind of reward because I couldn’t bear to love anyone else as much as I’d loved her mother. I deserve whatever is happening to me now.” Vincent’s eyes began to droop.
Monty saw the curtain flutter lightly.
“You should be saying all of this to Sienna, Mr. Fairchild,” Monty said.
“All of that...” Vincent waved his hand as if he could dismiss his confession. “On the dock.” He swallowed, licked his lips, as he tried to stay awake. “Sienna said she was sorry because she thought my business needed her to marry Richard to survive. That’s...not true.” He blinked, as if trying to focus on Monty. “He needs my money. My capital. And I needed to know...to know Sienna was settled and safe. For when...this happened.” He gestured to his heart. “I didn’t want my little girl to be alone. I thought Richard was the man to give her all the things she needed, but...now I fear...”
Monty rose to his feet as Vincent’s voice dropped. “Fear what?”
Vincent dropped his hand onto Monty’s. “Tell her I love her. That I’ve always loved her if I’m not...” His head lolled to the side. Alarms went off.
The curtain was ripped open. Sienna stood there, face pale, eyes wide with terror as she looked at the two of them. “Dad?” Tears welled in her eyes. “Daddy?”
“We need you two gone. Now!” Paige ordered, as she gently pushed aside Sienna and waved Monty out of the cubicle. “Paddles! Set charge for—”
Monty’s ears buzzed as Paige and the other nurses’ voices faded into the background. He pulled a struggling Sienna into the hallway, and when she tried to pull free and dive back to her father’s bedside, he wrapped her in his arms and held her as she cried.
* * *
“THIS HAS GOT to be the worst coffee I’ve ever ingested.” Sienna stared down at the sludge in the paper cup.
“Well, we could get some paper and draw pictures with it.” Monty’s continued attempts to bolster her spirits both amused and irritated her. “Or maybe the hospital has some spackling that needs doing?”
“Stop it.” She laughed, swiped at another tear she couldn’t believe she hadn’t already shed. They’d been in the waiting room for over two hours. Paige Bradley had popped in long enough to tell them her father had been stabilized. He was unconscious, but still alive, and surgery was looking more probable.
Monty reached over and took her hand. “How much did you hear?”
She dabbed at the corner of one eye. “You mean what my father said? Almost all of it. I’ve never heard...” She had to clear her throat. “I’ve never heard him talk about my mother. Ever. I guess now I know why. Even if I can’t understand it.” To think that all these years had gone by and her father still couldn’t let go of the love he’d had for his wife. “I wish he’d told me. Talked to me about her. The only things I know are what my grandmother told me and they weren’t that close. If something happens to him, I’ll never know. Even worse, I’d be alone.” She tipped her head back. More tears.
“Sienna—” Monty began.
“We got here as fast as we could!” Ezzie Salazar called out. The explosion of energy that had burst through the doors to the waiting area had Sienna jumping in her chair. Ezzie led the way, arms loaded with paper bags and trays of coffee.
Sienna slowly rose to her feet, mouth dropping open at the parade of people filing in behind Ezzie.
“Logistics and transportation held us up. Plus, we had to stop and get food obviously. And gracious, Sienna. Give me that garbage. You, too, Monty.” Ezzie plucked the paper cups from their hands and dropped them into a bin. “Here. Real caffeine. Unless you want a milkshake?” She handed Sienna a cold paper cup. “Holly’s mocha shakes make everyone feel better.”
“Ezzie, what are you doing here?” Sienna stared at the straw sticking out of the cup, then watched as Myra, Oscar and Eloise from the Cocoon Club pulled up chairs around the coffee table and produced a deck of cards. “What are all of you doing here?”
“Supporting our friend,” Myra announced as she pushed the cup closer to Sienna’s lips. “Now drink up. You look frightful. Sugar. That’ll help. Drink.”
The elevator dinged and Mandy appeared, pushing a wheelchair in front of her that contained a young man who had to be Kyle Knight. The couple emerging behind them looked familiar, as if she’d seen them in passing, but Sienna had yet to meet them.
“We heard about your dad,” Mandy said when she reached them. She parked Kyle nearby and made the introductions. “Kyle, this is Sienna Fairchild. Oh, and these are Kyle’s parents, Lori and Matt Knight.”
“You’re one of Luke’s deputies,” Sienna said, remembering.
“Guilty as charged. My luck I had to take today off. Totally missed my chance to arrest this guy for kidnapping.” Matt slapped Monty hard on the back. Sienna laughed, liking the big man immediately.
“How is your dad doing?” Lori, nearly as tall as her burly husband, asked.
“Stable for now,” Sienna said. “Thank you all for coming. You really didn’t have to. I know Kyle probably shouldn’t be moving—”
“Kyle’s ready to make a break for it,” Kyle told her. He had a collection of butterfly bandages on his forehead and temple, and the bruising around his face was significant. His leg was in a cast from toe to thigh and braced straight out like a lance. “Believe me, I was grateful for a reason to get out of that room. Hey, Ezzie, please tell me you brought burgers.”
“I did! Help yourself. Lori, you and Matt, too. And don’t you worry about Leo. Holly said Charlie is going to bring him to the diner after chess club at school. You can pick him up on your way home.”
“Thank you, Ezzie.” Lori gave her a quick hug. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“You really are.” Monty gave her a hug too. “But you’re still not getting your hands on Roman’s bachelor party.”
Ezzie raised an eyebrow. “The day isn’t over yet. Sienna? How are you doing? Okay? Holding up?” She rested her hands on Sienna’s shoulders. “You haven’t said much.”
Because she couldn’t. She couldn’t utter a word. Her heart, her soul, was too full.
“She’s okay, Ez.” Monty slipped an arm around Sienna’s shoulders and squeezed. “She’s just realizing that she was wrong.” He pressed his lips to her forehead as she burrowed into him. “You’re not alone, Sienna. Not even a little.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“HEY, MONTY.” Sheriff Luke Saxon dropped a file on Fletcher’s desk as he walked from his office with his eight-month-old daughter, Zoe, balanced in one arm. Monty stepped to the counter and peered over to see if he could peek into the holding cells. “If you’re looking for Richard Somersby, we had to let him go.”
“Figured.” Monty didn’t even try to hide his disappointment. “
Sienna didn’t want the hassle of filing charges against him. He leave town?”
“As far as I know.” Luke looked to Fletcher.
“Saw him heading for the highway yesterday in a red Mercedes convertible driven by a petite blonde who looked a bit dazed.”
“Good.” Hearing Richard was long gone was at least one piece of inspiring news.
“How’s Sienna’s father doing?” Luke asked as Zoe drooled around her fist.
“Better than expected. It was a pretty significant heart attack, but they’ve mitigated the damage. Another couple of days and he should be released.” What happened after that remained to be seen. “I came by to ask you for a favor.”
“Name it. Does this have to do with Roman’s bachelor party?”
“No. Everything’s set for Sunday. Six a.m. at the marina. Jason’s providing the food.”
“Man, six a.m. on a Sunday?” Fletcher groaned. “That’s inhuman of you.”
“I could call Sheriff Brodie from Durante and tell him we won’t need him or his deputies to cover for us if you’d rather,” Luke suggested.
“Nope!” Fletcher held up his hands. “Six is good. It’ll be the best bachelor party ever. Since mine,” he added with a grin.
“Did you by any chance do a deep dive on Richard Somersby while he was in custody?”
“No. Why?” Luke’s eyes flashed with interest. “Should we have?”
“Something Sienna’s father said to me the other day in the ER. Sienna told me she was marrying Richard because it would solidify some new deal between him and her father. She thought it was to save her father’s business, but according to Vincent, that’s not true. It’s Richard’s company that needs...” He trailed off, looking between the sheriff and his deputy. “What?”
“Sometimes I just love being right,” Fletcher said as he kicked his feet off the desk and dropped to the ground.
“Fletcher might have mentioned he got wonky vibes off him.” Luke grimaced. “Like that’s even a thing.”
“Apparently it is. Here.” Fletcher dug through one of the baskets on his desk, pulled a file free and gave it to Luke, taking Zoe in exchange. “Richard Somersby. Originally from Shrewsbury, Connecticut. Youngest of three sons born to Kingston and Ermetrude Somersby.”
“Ermetrude?” Luke asked. “Boy, she must have had a hard time in the schoolyard with that one.” He flipped open the file and began to skim. “Go on.”
“Oldest son is a neurosurgeon,” Fletcher said as he settled Zoe against his shoulder. “Middle son is lead counsel for an oil corporation overseas. Both megasuccessful, pillars of the community, yada yada. Richard, however, appears to be the family screwup. He’s started up multiple businesses, all of which have gone straight down the drain within six to twelve months. His latest attempt, RS Consultation, supposedly has clients ranging from mega-media groups to investment and real estate ventures.”
“Clients like Sienna’s father’s business?”
“Uh-huh. Which had me reaching out to Fairchild’s CFO, who informed me that Vincent set aside over three million dollars as an investment in Richard’s business once Sienna and Richard’s marriage was a done deal.”
“Three million dollars is a lot to lose, especially for someone like Richard,” Luke said.
Monty nodded. “Yeah. Guess that explains his desperation to get Sienna to the altar. Are there any other investors putting in that much cash?”
“None that I could confirm, despite the claims on Somersby’s website,” Fletcher said. “Nobody’s talking or admitting to any deal with Somersby. Add to that, Somersby’s father has apparently cut him off from the family fortune.”
“So he has no backup plan. Boy.” Luke let out a low whistle. “She really dodged a bullet with that marriage. You want us to keep digging?”
“Nah.” Monty shook his head and thought Fletcher was going to be a great dad to the baby he and Paige were expecting this summer. Either he didn’t notice the puddle of drool collecting on the shoulder of his uniform, or he didn’t care. “Richard’s gone and Sienna has enough going on—she doesn’t need to add this to the load.”
“You going to tell her?”
“That Richard was only marrying her for her money? Depends. It’s better than her thinking her father tried to pawn her off with a dowry. Thanks, guys. See you Sunday morning.”
* * *
“THANKS, CALLIOPE. I’ll drop off the decorations at your place on my way back to the inn. Gale’s delivering the cake for the shower Sunday morning, right?” Phone to her ear, Sienna glanced over her shoulder. “Perfect. Nope. He’s doing a lot better, thanks. I’ll talk to you later. We’re ahead of schedule for the shower, so nothing to worry about. Thanks. Yeah, bye.” Sienna clicked off her phone. “Sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Don’t be. I’m starting to bore myself in my dreams.” Vincent sat up straighter in bed. Sienna hurried over to help secure his pillows. “You’re enjoying all this party planning, aren’t you?”
“I am.” Somehow, in the days since his heart attack and ensuing surgery, they’d found common ground on which to tread. “It’s fun. And I get to help people I really like. It feels, I don’t know, almost like a calling. I bet that sounds stupid.”
“It doesn’t sound stupid at all. You seem happy, Sienna. Happier than I’ve ever seen you. Not that we’ve spent a lot of time together.” He sighed in regret. “I’m sorry for that.”
“It’s the past.” She didn’t want to ruin the peace they’d found. She knew he’d never be the father she wanted, but she could see he was trying. And that, at least, was progress. She pushed her notes back into her binder. With Frankie’s shower the day after tomorrow and the wedding the Saturday after that, time was getting tight. But so far she was keeping on top of everything. And thriving. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good. Honestly, better than I have in months. It’s good to have energy again.”
“It’s good to have access to my bank accounts again. Thank you for that.” It had been such a relief to finally be able to pay her own way. Thankfully Tabitha had done as she’d promised and sent Sienna’s purse and phone to her. Sienna had picked up the parcel at the front desk after her father’s surgery had been completed.
“The bank must have seen fit to do it themselves. I haven’t made any phone calls since I’ve been here, Sienna. You have my cell phone, remember?”
She did remember. She also remembered teasing him that he wouldn’t get it back until he walked out of the hospital on his own two feet. She had, however, contacted her father’s attorney, physician and CFO to tell them about her father’s condition and that she expected them to keep the business going until he was ready to come back. Thankfully her father had capable and responsible employees, which meant he could take an extended sabbatical without much impact on the company. They must have taken care of the bank issue.
“I just assumed.” She shrugged. It didn’t matter how it had happened. She had her finances again and she had a check already written out to Monty for what he’d spent on her during their journey.
“I’ve been in a fog for a while, I’m afraid,” Vincent admitted. “I never should have agreed to Richard’s idea to talk to the press. That article in the paper was garbage. And I don’t know how they found out about your time in the hospital. Attributing that quote to me is something I’m going to have my lawyer look into just as soon as I’m at the office.”
Sienna was glad she was sitting down because she felt her legs shake. “You didn’t tell them?”
“I didn’t. I wouldn’t. Never mind the fact that it happened when you were a child. Your grandmother would come back from the grave and never let me live it down if I ever did anything so despicable.” The horror on his face had Sienna rethinking almost every moment of her childhood. “But you thought I did it.”
“I...yes.” She di
dn’t want to lie or pretend anymore. “Yes, I did.”
“And it didn’t surprise you.” He shook his head and glanced out the window for a long moment. “Monty was right. We should have put this behind us years ago, but I thought I was too late. I thought if you were settled and comfortable with Richard, I wouldn’t have to worry about you anymore.”
“I heard what you told Monty the other day, Dad.” She managed a quick smile. “I was standing on the other side of the curtain. You don’t have to worry. And about you and... Mom.” She tried to hold back the tears. “I’ve wanted to talk to you about her for so long. I want to know her, Dad. I want to know the woman you knew. The woman you loved.”
He looked at her and then reached out his hand. When she took it, for the first time in her life, she felt wanted. She felt heard.
“First of all, to get rid of the notion that your party-planning abilities are silly. Your mother...” He cleared his throat. “Your mother had the same talent. Birthdays, weddings, showers, vacations—she could make all the complicated arrangements and plans look easy. Her friends were always asking her to plan for them. I used to tease her she should make a business of it, but she wouldn’t hear of taking money for doing something she loved. You are like her so much, Sienna. So much. But I think, most of all, you have her heart. Which means she’s never been very far from me at all.” He squeezed her hand. “I’m only sorry it’s taken me so long to see it.”
Sienna smiled through her tears. “So you’ll tell me about her?”
“Where would you like to start?”
* * *
“I FEEL LIKE I’ve been cooped up for weeks. Thanks, Lori.” Sienna sank into one of the upholstered high-back chairs in Flutterby Dreams, the inn’s recently designated four-star restaurant, and resisted the urge to kick off her shoes. Dinner overlooking the ocean with a man she didn’t want to be away from? Everything in her life seemed to finally be falling into place.
Bride on the Run--A Clean Romance Page 20