The Secret Wedding Wish

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  “Camp starts one week from tomorrow, and runs through the following Friday afternoon,” Thad said.

  Chris beamed, looking like every wish he had ever dreamed had just come true. “This is the best summer ever!”

  Janey only wished.

  “I’M TRYING TO AVOID being recognized again. What’s your excuse?”

  Actually, Janey had been trying to avoid running into Thad Lantz for fear of hearing him say “I told you so” or something similar. Not easy in an establishment the size of the Lake Pine Lodge, where there was only one restaurant and lounge.

  “What can I say? I can’t get enough of the rain,” Janey fibbed, as she leaned back against the side of the building that fronted the terrace, watching the rain pour off the overhang in sheets. There was just enough room for the two of them to stand there, side by side, without being seen or getting wet.

  “Now why aren’t I buying that?” Thad murmured, moving closer yet.

  Because it’s not true, Janey thought, taking a sip of scalding coffee, laced with both brandy and cream. She tried desperately to ignore his tall, broad-shouldered silhouette and warm herself up. Since coming in off the trail, she had taken a long hot shower and dressed in the warmest clothes she had with her—a long-sleeved yellow T-shirt and pair of olive green hiking shorts, knee socks, and her now cleaned-up boots. She had used the hotel blow-dryer to dry her chestnut hair, but because of the nature of the trip she’d had no styling products to put in it, and the continuing humidity had it curling wildly and uncontrollably to her shoulders.

  Not that Thad Lantz seemed to mind. The ruggedly handsome coach was staring down at her as if she were the loveliest creature on earth.

  Janey did her best to contain another shiver as she took a second sip of coffee and tried not to think about how deep down she had been secretly hoping she’d be forced to talk to Thad again this evening, despite everything.

  She tilted her head at him, noticing how masculine and at ease he looked in the glow of the terrace lanterns. He was wearing the same clothes he’d had on earlier—minus the windbreaker, of course—but it looked as if he had shaved again. Ran a brush through his own naturally curly hair, and somehow tidied—or trimmed—his dark mustache. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was on the prowl for some romance himself. But men on the prowl for romance didn’t hide on the outside terrace in the rain on a dark and stormy July evening.

  Wondering if his hair would feel as silky and thick as it looked beneath her fingertips, she turned her glance away and concentrated on her coffee. She wished he would quit contemplating her as if he wanted to kiss her. Wished she would quit wanting him to. Just to satisfy her considerable feminine curiosity, of course, since she had never been kissed by a man with a mustache.

  “Don’t you have something better to do?” she asked wryly.

  He shrugged and his smile widened as he spoke in a low, sexy voice that did funny things to her insides. “Don’t you?”

  So much for shooing him away.

  For the first time Janey noticed he had some coffee with him, too. Irish, if her nose was telling her correctly.

  He took a sip as he eyed her seriously. “Where’s Chris?”

  “Video arcade.” Was it her imagination or was this terrace getting smaller by the minute? She swallowed around the sudden parched feeling in her throat and tried to pretend being alone with him like this didn’t bother her in the least. “Since the storm knocked out all the cable TV for the evening, and the kids can’t swim or play on the tennis courts due to the rain, the management gave the kids free tokens to use.”

  Deciding she was much too close to him, she backed up a step.

  He smiled at her as if reading her thoughts, but stayed where he was, lounging against the rough-hewn log wall of the lodge. “Chris must have liked that.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Janey warmed at the caring in his voice. “There are probably fifty kids down there.”

  He turned, so his shoulder was bracing the wall, and let his glance drift lazily over her. His smile broadened as he returned to her eyes. “Enough machines?”

  Janey’s heart skipped a beat at the sexual awareness shimmering between them. She hadn’t wanted anyone in such a long time. She didn’t know what to do with the yearning. “They’ve got a couple of busboys down there, running some sort of competition and keeping order.” Everyone had seemed very happy when Janey left to find amusement for herself—or was it really distraction from all her ridiculously uncalled-for, unexpectedly romantic thoughts?

  He drained the rest of his coffee, then set the empty mug on one of the tables to the left of them. “You made the right decision—letting Chris go to camp after all.”

  “Yes, well…”

  He went back to leaning against the building, his muscular arms folded in front of his solid-looking chest. He studied her with narrowed eyes, then ascertained gently, “But you’re still not happy about it, are you?”

  That was putting it lightly, Janey thought. Chris was so much like his father. Ty’s unrealized athletic dreams and the resulting bitterness had poisoned Ty’s soul, as well as his marriage to her. The only saving grace had been Ty’s love for Chris, and his determination to shield his son from his own shattered hopes. She didn’t want Chris’s thwarted goals or frustrations in that regard poisoning their relationship, too. But she knew, with the odds against actually achieving the kind of pro career Chris dreamed about, that it was a definite possibility if he started on this track and did not get where he wanted. But loath to get into all that with Thad, she said simply, “He still has to get permission from his summer school teacher.”

  Thad continued regarding her seriously. “I imagine that can be arranged.” He edged closer. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, though. About your brother Joe’s stardom giving Chris unrealistic expectations of his own.”

  “And?” Janey drained her mug and set it aside, too.

  “All kids his age have stars in their eyes. But there’s a way to bring him back to earth.”

  “I’m listening,” Janey murmured.

  “He wanted to work off his tuition anyway, right?”

  Janey nodded.

  “So let him work at the practice facility, picking up towels and stuff in the locker room, for an hour or two every day. Let him see how grueling and demanding the sport is for professional hockey players.”

  “I agree that would definitely help, in that regard.” Janey bit her lip uncertainly as a gust of rain-drenched wind blew across them, making her shiver.

  “But?” Thad prodded, as he reached up to brush a strand of hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear.

  Tingling all over from just that light casual touch, Janey shoved her hands in her pockets and tried not to think how it would feel to be held against that broad chest as she turned her face up to his. “How is being around all those jocks going to help him stay serious about his schoolwork?”

  Thad gave her the slow and tender once-over. “I’ll talk to him, tell him how much I learned playing on a college team. And I’ll have the other players who went the university route talk to him, too.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So does this mean we’re not enemies anymore?” he teased, his electric blue eyes twinkling.

  Janey’s mouth dropped into a round O of surprise as she fortified herself against the sexy mischief suddenly in his eyes. Sensing that this commanding coach could be dangerous to her heart if given half a chance, she unlocked their gazes, vowing she would not let this shift into a flirtation. “I never said—”

  “Didn’t have to,” Thad murmured, coming so close she couldn’t help but inhale his clean, pine-scented fragrance.

  “I know your type,” he informed her softly as he wrapped both his arms about her waist, and guided her close.

  “And that is?”

  He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it, sending another tingle of awareness arrowing through her. Still holding her eyes w
ith provoking gallantry, he said, “You think you want Mr. Sensitive.”

  Janey’s heart raced as her arms flattened against his chest, holding him at bay. “I hardly find anything wrong with that.”

  “When what you really want is a Real Man.”

  Janey did her best to smother a laugh. The one thing she never had been able to resist was a sense of humor. “And what category are you in, pray tell?” she teased right back.

  “Kiss me,” Thad urged huskily, his head already lowering as he looked deep into her eyes. “And see.”

  Chapter Three

  Thad hadn’t planned this. He knew it would have been better had he not gotten involved with Janey Hart Campbell at all in a personal way, but there was just something about her that kept him coming back for more, that had him wanting to take her in his arms and kiss her passionately from the very first. And now that her soft lips were beneath his, and he could feel the sweet surrender of her body melting into his, there was no stopping with just one kiss, no pretending something incredible wasn’t happening between them. Planned or not. Passion like this came along once in a lifetime—if you were lucky. And though instinct told him that Janey hadn’t been well-loved in the past, Thad knew that was something he could easily change. All she had to do was give him a chance. And he would show her how wonderful an unscripted liaison like this could be.

  Janey had figured Thad’s mouth would be warm, his kiss as sure and utterly sexy as the rest of him. What she hadn’t counted on was the way it would make her feel—reckless and wonderful. Or how she would react to the silken warmth of his lips, the sheer male insistence of his kiss, the invasion of his tongue. She’d expected to resist his advances a lot more. After all, it had been years since anyone had wanted her like this, since she had even considered allowing something as simple as a kiss. And yet the moment he took her into his arms, and gave her a long thorough kiss meant to shatter her resolve, yearning swept through her in sweet, wild waves. Her middle fluttered weightlessly, and her knees trembled weakly as heat worked its way through each and every inch of her. She had been married, she’d had a baby, but she had never been kissed or held this way, like she was the most precious woman in all the world.

  It was a sensation Janey feared would be all too easy to get used to, a feeling that could just as easily be taken away. And right now, Janey’d already suffered all of life’s disappointments she could handle. Shaking, wary of giving her heart away much too easily, she drew away. Looked up into his face. Her only comfort, the fact he looked as stunned and overwhelmed by what had just happened between them as she was.

  The terrace door opened.

  As Janey got a good look at the person interrupting them, it was all she could do not to groan out loud. Of all the lousy timing…

  “What?” Thad asked, still looking mesmerized by her, instead of the interloper about to join them.

  “See for yourself,” Janey muttered as Thad reluctantly turned away from her and came face-to-face with Janey’s eldest brother. Darn it all. She should have known her family wouldn’t be able to let her be for long.

  “Well, my first question is answered,” Mac said, looking like he wanted to punch Thad out but good. Mac turned back to Janey, looking as much a law-and-order man as ever, even without his sheriff’s uniform. “You are here. And you’re safe from the elements.” Mac swept a hand through his close-cropped dark hair and scowled at Thad. “I’m not so sure about the rest—”

  “Mac, please.” Janey held out both palms, in a staying gesture. “This is not the time to go all protective on me.” She was so tired of her brothers doing that!

  Mac stepped beneath the overhang. He positioned himself between Janey and Thad and scowled from one to the other. “It looks like the perfect time to me.”

  Janey pushed past Mac. She took Thad’s hand in hers and rested her face against his shoulder. “I know what I’m doing,” she insisted stubbornly. Even if Thad—who had gallantly followed her lead and encircled her waist with his arm—didn’t. Yet.

  Mac arched a skeptical brow. “Do you?” he ground out, his look reminding Janey of all the times she had behaved recklessly in the past to prove a point with her smothering, overprotective family, and then regretted it later.

  “I think your sister has a point,” Thad interceded, tightening his grip on Janey as possessively as if they had something passionate and enduring going on between them to defend, instead of just a simple, highly experimental, flirtatious kiss. “She is a grown woman. A savvy businessperson, as well as a mother.”

  “Oh, my Lord.” As Mac stared at them, his face began to lose color.

  “What?” Janey said, wondering what completely unfounded conclusion her eldest brother had jumped to now.

  Mac gave her a frank, assessing look as rain continued to pour down from the sky in heavy sheets, just to the left of them.

  “You haven’t…” Mac said with a telltale lift of his brow. “Please. Tell me you’re not…”

  “Not what?” Janey demanded impatiently.

  “Trying to work off Chris’s camp fees that way, are you?”

  Mac was teasing, Janey saw finally.

  And he wasn’t.

  “Very funny,” Janey said stiffly, irritated her brother could even hint she would be irresponsible enough to use her femininity on some unsuspecting man to get her way. “And no, I am not.”

  Now it was Thad’s turn to look as if he felt like punching someone out on Janey’s behalf, Janey noted. She felt oddly pleased as Thad stepped protectively in front of her. “If you weren’t her brother,” Thad warned Mac, “you’d be eating a knuckle sandwich about now.”

  No less on guard, Mac shot Thad a warning look. “I’m glad you feel that way,” Mac stated bluntly. “Because if you didn’t want to defend her honor just now that would really say something about your character or lack thereof.”

  “Remind me to tell you about the ‘tests’ my brothers put all my prospective beau through.” Janey pushed out the words through tightly gritted teeth. Older or younger, it hadn’t mattered. All five members of the Hart posse had been perfectly capable of saying the wrong thing at the right time to ensure her romances with the guys she dated before Ty went absolutely nowhere. And Janey knew now what she had realized then—that her siblings’ “interruptions” and “interferences” had been as well planned as they had been executed.

  “Make fun all you want,” Mac told her smugly. “But they worked, didn’t they? No one tried to take advantage of you as long as the five of us were around.” It was only when she had gone off to Colorado, on spring break with her friends, that she had gotten herself into trouble by getting involved with Ty. And Janey knew her entire family still felt that wouldn’t have happened if they had been nearby to stop it.

  Mac looked back at Thad and continued with a candor that was serious now and strictly man-to-man. “Listen, I know my sister comes off as headstrong and impetuous, and I’ll be the first to grant she has a wild streak a mile wide. But bottom line, she’s a lot more innocent and naive than she seems at first look. None of us want to see her hurt. And I am speaking for every one of her brothers, as well as her mother now.”

  It was official. Janey felt as if she were back in high school. No. Make that junior high.

  “I understand,” Thad told Mac soberly as the two of them shook hands. “And I have no intention of hurting her.”

  Janey felt like stomping her foot. “Excuse me. I think I might have something to say about this!” Janey interrupted, mortified.

  Oblivious to her upset, Mac looked back at her. Now that he had extracted the chivalrous agreement from Thad, Mac was ready to move on to other subjects. “Mom has been worried out of her mind about you and Chris. You really should have called her to let her know you’d had sense enough to get off the trail,” Mac scolded.

  Janey released a sigh. You’d think the goings-on at The Wedding Inn her mother owned and ran would be enough to keep anyone busy. “She’s in the middle
of a wedding, isn’t she?”

  “That doesn’t stop her from worrying about all of us. You know that. She’s been checking her machine every five minutes. And had she known what you were really up to tonight—” Mac frowned, recalling the kiss he had walked in on.

  The kiss Janey would have given anything to have an instant replay of, before the passionate mood was spoiled, perhaps permanently. Not that she was looking for romance, she amended silently. Especially with a sports-minded man like Thad Lantz. On the other hand, there were principles to be adhered to. Ground rules to be set. And she had promised herself she would not allow any familial interference in her life when she left Colorado and moved back to North Carolina.

  Janey wondered what it would take to show her family she was perfectly capable of living her life, and even embarking on new romance if she so chose, without their constant commentary and interference. She smiled at her brother sweetly, then warned, “One more word, Mac, and I swear I’m going to punch you out myself.”

  “I APOLOGIZE,” Janey told Thad the moment Mac had left.

  “Why?” Thad turned to face her, nothing but gentleness on his handsome face. “He obviously loves you a great deal. All your brothers do.”

  Janey shrugged, wishing Thad wasn’t so understanding, so completely unruffled by the totally unnecessary family set-to he had just witnessed. It would make it easier for her to keep the emotional barriers up if he weren’t so darn wonderful in all respects. She drew a bolstering breath. “That doesn’t give them the right to interfere in my life,” she countered stubbornly.

  Thad took her hand in his and tugged her closer. “They’re just reacting to any perceived dangers to you the same way you react to threats to Chris,” he told her.

  Janey hadn’t really thought about it that way.

  “I know,” Thad continued understandingly, tightening his fingers on hers in a way she liked way too much, “because I have a younger sister, and I’ve been tempted to lock her up and throw away the key more times than I want to count.”