My Heart's Desire

by Jo Goodman

  "Your life's work, eh?" He shook his head, still chuckling, and turned on the bed so that his legs dangled over the side. "I'm getting up now, Miss Dennehy, and I'm going to get dressed. I feel a warning's in order since you appear rooted to the floor."

  Rennie was indeed rooted. The arrow of hair on his belly drew her eyes as he stood, and the outline of his groin in the towel held her attention. The words came rushing out hoarsely. "We've been invited to a wedding," she said. "My sister's marrying your friend within the hour." Turning on her heel, Rennie fled.

  "Wait a minute!" Jarret called after her as she disappeared into the hallway. By the time he reached the door, Rennie had already vanished into one of the neighboring rooms.

  Jarret dressed quickly and sought out Moira. He found her in the front parlor using the beveled mirror above the fireplace to adjust the brooch on her shawl. Her concentration was such that his first words frightened her.

  "I'm sorry," he said as Moira lifted her index finger to her mouth, "Did you hurt yourself?" He approached and drew out her hand, examining the injured finger.

  "A scratch," she said. A pinpoint of blood clung stubbornly to the tip. She accepted the handkerchief Jarret offered her as well as his assistance in fastening the brooch. She noticed his large hands were not at all clumsy when it came to delicate tasks.

  From the doorway Rennie took note of the same thing. Over Jarret's shoulder Moira caught her daughter's bemused expression; then she caught her daughter's eye. Moira was not surprised when Rennie's immediate response was to throw up her guard and pretend she had never been observed in a moment of vulnerability. Rennie liked to believe her thoughts were impenetrable. Perhaps that was the case in the boardroom, Moira thought, but not here, not with her family.

  Jarret smoothed the shawl over Moira's slender shoulders; then his hands fell to his side. "Your daughter told me Mary Michael and Ethan are marrying tonight. Can that be true?"

  Before Moira could answer, Rennie interrupted from the threshold. "I'm not in the habit of lying, Mr. Sullivan."

  Moira leveled Rennie with a stern look and a no-nonsense tone. "I don't think that's what Jarret meant, Mary Renee." She turned her attention back to Jarret. "Apparently it's quite true," she said. "I confess I was surprised myself when the messenger arrived with the invitation. Michael's timing leaves something to be desired."

  "Better now," Rennie said, quickly rising to her twin's defense, "than after you've all left for the summerhouse."

  "Yes," Moira said, sighing. "You're right, of course. It's only that I can't see the sense of rushing now."

  "She's seven months pregnant, Mother."

  "That's just it. Rushing would have been in order seven months ago." Moira went to the sideboard and poured herself a small glass of sherry. "I can't help but wonder if that man's marrying her because of the baby."

  Now it was Jarret who spoke up in defense of his friend. "Ethan's about the bravest man I know, save for where your daughter's concerned. That baby may have given him the courage to ask Michael for her hand, but don't think for a minute he's not stupid in love with her."

  Rennie smirked. "Stupid in love," she said, offering Jarret a sherry. "What an apt expression."

  Moira watched her daughter and Jarret over the rim of her glass. "No possibility of that happening to either of you," she said solemnly.

  Neither of them heard the faint sarcasm in Moira's tone or caught the mocking gleam in her eye. They answered in unison. "No possibility."

  As far as Moira was concerned, their chorus meant they were already working together.

  Chapter 2

  Everyone was gathered in the judge's darkly paneled chambers. Jarret appreciated anew the power and influence of even the illegitimate side of John MacKenzie Worth's family. Judge Halsey was a long-time friend of Jay Mac's as well as Mary Michael's godfather. He seemed to be taking circumstances quite in stride, as if it were not at all unusual to perform a wedding in his private chambers shortly before midnight.

  In the hush before the ceremony was ready to begin, Jarret asked Rennie, "Who's your godfather?"

  Rennie offered him a smug glance. "You should be anxious. He is at least as well-connected as the judge."

  Standing in front of them, Skye overheard the exchange and whispered to Jarret over her shoulder. "Don't worry, Mr. Sullivan, it's not the pope. Papa's a Presbyterian."

  Rennie wrinkled her nose at her sister as soon as Skye turned around. It would serve Jarret Sullivan right if he did think it was the pope.

  Jarret managed to temper his smile. Rennie may as well have telegraphed her thoughts; she was that easy to understand. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, and as her features softened and her hands grew still, he realized the judge was speaking.

  Of all the things Jarret had anticipated happening on his trip to New York, he had not been able to foresee standing in as best man at his friend's wedding. He listened as Ethan and Mary Michael exchanged vows and heard the solemn purpose and promise in Ethan's voice, the loving commitment in Michael's. At the final pronouncement they could only stare at one another, neither moving, as if they'd forgotten everyone else serving witness.

  Judge Halsey broke the expectant silence. "Well, go on, son, this is the time to kiss her."

  Ethan grinned. Bending his head, he touched his mouth to Michael's. Her lips were soft and pliant beneath his; her mouth tasted faintly of peppermint. Her beautiful smile was full of promise when he drew back.

  Jarret's gaze shifted from Ethan and Michael to the father of the bride. That very afternoon he had witnessed John MacKenzie Worth's stoic acceptance and deep regret at not being able to be present at Rennie's public wedding, but here, in the privacy of his old friend's sanctuary, there was a place for him with another of his daughters. Jarret could see the powerful man was powerfully moved.

  Jay Mac pressed a handkerchief into Moira's hand even as he fought to temper his own emotion. She gave him a sideways look, a watery smile, and squeezed his hand. Mary Francis saw the affectionate exchange between her parents, and her own heart swelled with love. No one who saw Jay Mac and Moira together could doubt the depth of the commitment they shared. Mary Francis poked Maggie in the side with her elbow just as Moira leaned into Jay Mac and his hand came around her waist.

  Maggie's smile mirrored her sister's as her eyes drifted from the wedded couple to her unwedded parents. She turned to Skye and saw that her younger sister had already observed the same thing. Simultaneously they glanced over their shoulders to look at Rennie. She seemed to have forgotten Jarret Sullivan's hovering presence for the moment because her mouth was curved in a gently wistful smile.

  Jarret also observed Rennie's rare and beautiful smile and suspected, like her sisters, that he was no longer on Rennie's mind. He watched as Michael turned away from Ethan and sought out the dear, precious faces of her family. In a moment they were surrounding her, smothering her with hugs and good wishes. Jarret heard Ethan's low laughter and was surprised at the twinge of envy he felt as his friend was similarly taken into the fold.

  "It's the right thing you've done," Moira whispered in Michael's ear. She drew back, took the measure of her daughter's glowing happiness, and nodded. "Sure, and you know it, don't you?"

  "I know it, Mama." Michael glanced at Ethan. "He's the one."

  Jarret intercepted Ethan's modest grin and laughed himself. He stepped out of the way as Mary Francis came forward to kiss her sister's cheek.

  "I suppose he knows you're willful and stubborn and can't possibly honor that vow you made to obey."

  Must be a family trait, Jarret thought, seeking out Rennie for a moment. She was eyeing the door, looking as if she was contemplating escape. Jarret caught her eye and gently admonished her with a shake of his head.

  Rennie managed to catch herself before she stuck her tongue out at him. The thought that he had nearly reduced her to such childish behavior gave her pause. Gathering her composure, she turned her attention back to Mary Francis an
d Michael.

  Mary Francis had just finished enumerating Michael's independent qualities. She was staring hard at the groom. "You know all of that, don't you?"

  "I know it," he said solemnly. "I don't love her in spite of that. I love her because of it."

  Rennie tried to imagine Hollis saying something like that and couldn't. Except for the slight heave of her shoulders, the faint rustle of her dress, her sigh was inaudible. She noticed that Mary Francis seemed to be satisfied by Ethan's response. Her sister's features were calm, her beautiful face serene. She was touching the crucifix that rested against her wide, white collar.

  "Good, because I'll break your kneecaps if you ever hurt my sister."

  "Mary Francis!" Moira admonished, shocked. She cast a significant look at Jay Mac as if to hold him responsible for his daughter's outrageous threat. Jay Mac held up his hands innocently, but his eyes were amused.

  Rennie drew Michael aside as the rest of the family spoke to Ethan. She searched the face that was so much like her own and found every nuance of expression that made it different. Michael's dark green eyes were radiant, illuminated by some deep happiness within her. There was a becoming blush of color on her cheeks, and the normally elusive dimples on either side of her wide mouth were fully evident.

  It was Rennie's mouth that had flattened seriously, her eyes that were dark and worried. "Say the word and I'll take your place," she said.

  Michael laughed, pretending to misunderstand. "With Ethan? Really, Rennie, don't you think he'd know?" She looked down at her abdomen, then back at her sister. "We're not so much alike right now."

  Rennie took her twin's wrists and gave her a little shake. "Don't you dare make light of me. I'm thinking of you and the baby."

  Michael's beatific smile disappeared. "I love you for that. There's no one else like you."

  "That's quite a compliment," she said quietly, "coming from my twin."

  Michael hugged her. "I mean it," she whispered back. "There is no one else like you. I don't want you to do anything that would place you in danger. I couldn't live with that, Rennie." She stepped back and searched her sister's face. Rennie was making a good show of being calm, but Michael knew better than anyone the strength of the anger that was being suppressed. "I'm sorry about your wedding." And lest Rennie misunderstand, Michael added, "Not sorry that you're not marrying Hollis, only sorry that it wasn't your decision. You believe that, don't you?"

  "You know I do." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder to indicate Jarret Sullivan's shadowy presence by the door. "I wish Mary Francis would threaten his kneecaps."

  Michael laughed. "And what about Jay Mac?"

  Rennie's emerald eyes shifted from Michael's face to where her father stood deep in conversation with Ethan and Judge Halsey. She shook her head slowly, her expression torn between admiration and anger. "I'm not one to back down from a challenge," she said. "I'll think of some way to outmaneuver him for the trick he's played me."

  Michael almost felt sorry for her father. "Good for you, Rennie." She squeezed her sister's hands, offering encouragement. "But don't marry Hollis Banks to spite Papa. You'd only be spiting yourself."

  Rennie opened her mouth to reply, but Michael was not letting her get the last word in. Before Rennie could say anything, her twin was moving away, rejoining Ethan, Judge Halsey, and Jay Mac.

  "She's right, you know," Jarret said.

  Rennie jerked in response to the unexpected voice at her ear. Her look was sour and her voice was tart. "If you're going to live in my pockets until Nate Houston is caught, then I suggest you do so quietly and with as little interference as possible. I'll thank you to remember you're no real part of my life, and therefore your opinion is quite unwelcome."

  "You know, ma'am," he drawled, "that's an awfully high horse you're ridin' now. A lady could get hurt fallin' from an animal like that." After delivering his set down, Jarret sauntered away.

  Rennie was stranded in the middle of the room. Her mother was talking to Mary Francis. Jay Mac was laughing over something amusing the judge had just said. Michael was encircled by her husband's arms. Skye and Maggie had been quick to include Jarret in their animated conversation. Rennie had never felt so isolated or so heartsick. For a moment she actually hated all of them. That feeling passed and she was left hating herself. While Jarret was occupied, Rennie slipped out the door.

  She made it down the courthouse steps before her elbow was seized in a bruising grip.

  "Don't you have regard for anyone but yourself?" Jarret asked.

  Rennie tried to shake him off. Her efforts only increased the pressure of his hold. Her chin came up challengingly. "What do you know about it?"

  "I know that the moment your family realized you were gone they were sick with fear."

  "Oh, you mean they actually missed me?"

  Jarret's fingers eased around her arm. "Feeling a little sorry for yourself, is that it?"

  Shrugging him off and turning away, Rennie hugged herself. "Feeling a whole lot sorry for myself. That's why I left. I'm not fit company."

  Her honest self-assessment surprised Jarret. He fell in step beside her as she began walking away from the courthouse. "We should take the carriage," he said. "It's safer."

  "I want to walk."

  "All right." He handed her the shawl she had left behind and watched her throw it carelessly around her shoulders. "The carriage is warmer."

  She ignored him.

  Burying his hands in his duster's pockets, Jarret shrugged. He knew she was cold, knew she was nearly shaking with it, and yet she seemed to accept the brisk night air as if it were a deserving punishment. Under the street lamps the delicate lines of her profile were starkly etched, and the expression in her eyes was somehow both empty and filled with hurt.

  It had seemed a whimsical thing to do, Jarret thought, to stop Rennie's wedding when Jay Mac made his outrageous offer. Now he wondered how many other women of his acquaintance would have acted with as much spirit and aplomb. He couldn't think of one. Hardly realizing his own intention until it was done, Jarret stepped a little closer to Rennie to protect her from the buffeting wind.

  "Your sisters would like you to journey with them to the summerhouse," he said.

  Rennie shook her head. "They're only hoping that if I go with them, I'll elect to stay. It will simply be another disappointment when I return to the city."

  "You won't consider changing your mind?"

  "I want to be close to Michael and as far away from Jay Mac as I can be right now. That shouldn't be so difficult for anyone to understand—even you."

  "I thought perhaps my presence here would tip the scales in favor of the valley."

  She stopped in the circle of light from a street lamp. The gaslight bleached the color from her face and turned her hunter green gown black and her emerald eyes gray. "Your presence here has little meaning to me now and even less when my mother and sisters leave."

  Looking down at her, Jarret was struck again by her resolve and the gravity of her tone. He was also struck by how very kissable her mouth looked. It was the more unsettling of his observations. He lifted the collar of his duster and turned away. "Let's go." When she hesitated Jarret slipped his arm beneath hers and gave her a nudge.

  Rennie almost brushed him off but then thought better of it. She would concede this small skirmish to Jarret, but she would win the war.

  Jarret was largely unfamiliar with the city, but he knew how to mark a trail. On his ride to the courthouse he had looked for landmarks that would help him find the Dennehy home again without assistance. Now, as Rennie took him past the St. Mark Hotel and Union Square, he knew he was not being led astray.

  Broadway was a busy thoroughfare even after midnight. The traffic on the street and sidewalks forced Jarret to remain hyper vigilant for any sighting of Nathaniel Houston or Detra Kelly. His eyes marked the features of every hack driver, flower vendor, and weaving drunk. His ears registered the noise as individual sounds. A milk wagon rattled d
own the street. A spritely pair of beautifully matched grays whinnied in unison. A fruit seller cursed his wife, and a whip snapped smartly behind him to his left.

  "Do you really think they'll just appear on Broadway?"

  It took Jarret a moment to realize that Rennie was addressing him. "What?"

  She sighed. "Do you really think Nate Houston and his consort are simply going to appear in the middle of the street in the middle of the night?"

  "Stranger things have happened."

  "I'd be hard pressed to think of one. Isn't it taking coincidence a little too far?"

  Without looking down at her, Jarret answered. The tension that kept him alert for more hours than he cared to think about was finally transferred sharply to his voice.

  "It wouldn't be coincidence at all, Miss Dennehy. Nathaniel Houston knows what he wants, and she's here in New York. It would be far stranger if the man never showed up."

  Rennie shivered, and this time it wasn't from the cold. Stepping around Jarret on the sidewalk, she raised her hand and hailed a hansom cab. She pulled the shawl more tightly around her shoulders as she sat down. "You shouldn't be here with me," she said, staring out the window of the hack as he joined her. "You should be tracking that killer down."

  Jarret leaned back in the leather seat, propped his feet on the bench across from him, and folded his arms comfortably against his chest. He closed his eyes. "It would be infinitely more difficult for me to find him than for him to find your sister."

  "It's a waiting game."

  He nodded. "Exactly."

  She itched to slap him. "Then, you should be with my sister."

  "You know how to make that happen."

  "I'm not leaving."

  Jarret opened his dark blue eyes and leveled Rennie with a hard, implacable stare. "Neither am I."