* * *
ROMAN SNATCHED HIS phone off the table the moment it rang. “Victoria?”
“Yes, Roman, it’s me.”
“Where are you, sweetheart?”
“I’m on my way to the airport. Uncle Jake is sending his jet for me. My boss managed to get me out of the station without any reporters seeing me. He also gave me a couple of weeks off. Hopefully things will calm down by then.”
Roman doubted it. When The Tattler got ahold of a story they thought was hot, they would run it to death. “I’m sorry about this, and I promise to find out who put out all these lies. Not only that, our privacy was violated by the cameraman stalking us and taking photos without our consent.”
“It doesn’t matter, Roman. This is the very thing I was trying to avoid. This is why I can’t become involved with you.”
He felt a sudden pain in his heart. “No, Victoria, you said you loved me. Was that not true?”
“Yes, I love you, but it doesn’t matter.”
“Sweetheart, love always matters. Please don’t let them win. You deserve to live your life whatever way you want to live it and with whomever you want. That tabloid printed nothing but lies.”
“But they lied about me, Roman. They slandered my character. Made it seem like I am a loose woman with no morals.”
“And we know that isn’t true, baby. Don’t let them get to you.” He drew in a deep breath, knowing they had gotten to her. He could hear the hurt in her voice and wished he was there with her. To hold her and make her believe that everything would be all right. “Have you heard from Tanner?” he asked.
“No, but I see he tried calling me. I wanted to return your call first and to tell you that I think it’s best for us not to communicate for a while. The article also implied that I’m a bad influence on you. The last thing I want is to cause harm to your reputation.”
“I don’t give a damn about my reputation, Victoria, and I refuse to let that damn tabloid come between us with lies.”
“Things happened just like I was afraid they would,” she said sobbing. “I never wanted to be in the limelight, so I am ending things between us, Roman.”
The sound of her crying tore at him, made his heart ache. “No! Please don’t do that.”
“There is no other way.”
“What about me, Victoria? Are you willing to turn your back on me?”
“I’m trying to save you from a scandal, Roman. People who read that article won’t care about the truth. They love the lies and sensationalism. Forget about me. Be with someone who can tolerate the sort of life you live. I can’t. Goodbye, Roman.”
She then clicked off the phone.
CHAPTER THIRTY
JAKE MADARIS PEEKED over at his grand-niece sitting across from him in the cabin of his jet. He’d originally planned to just send his plane for her, but then decided he needed to see for himself that she was okay. She wasn’t.
She hadn’t said much since boarding and he’d decided to let her be. Diamond would know what to say and do when they got to Whispering Pines. Understandably, that damn tabloid had upset her. Lies, especially twisted ones, were hard to take. The media could be brutal sometimes. He, of all people, should know.
For years they’d assumed Diamond and actor Sterling Hamilton were having an affair, not knowing Jake and Diamond were secretly married. Nor had the media known that Sterling was one of Jake’s best friends and that Sterling was the one who’d gotten them together.
When Jake heard a soft whimper, he looked over and saw she was crying. After unsnapping his seat belt, he went over to her, unsnapped her seat belt and then gathered her into his arms and then sat her in his lap. He recalled years ago when he had done the same thing when she’d been a preteen and the horse that he’d given her years earlier as a pony had gotten sick and died. He had been the one to break the news to her, and that night she had cried while he’d held her.
“I gather Tanner is not the man you love, Victoria.”
She looked up and he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. She shook her head. “No. I don’t know how Mama Laverne thought me and Tanner could be a perfect match. Tanner is not ready to settle down, Uncle Jake. He is all wrong for me and I’m all wrong for him.”
Jake nodded. “I can believe Mom got this one wrong. She’s not perfect, you know.”
“She’s got a hundred-percent track record. I’d hate to disappoint her,” she said on a sob. “But my heart belongs to Roman.”
“Then follow your heart.” He paused a moment and then said, “When I met Diamond, I didn’t think I was ready for love but soon discovered she was everything I needed and wanted.”
Victoria didn’t say anything for a minute. “I love Roman, Uncle Jake,” she said. “But I can’t handle being in the limelight. He’s a politician and with him, that comes with the job. Everything I do or say will be dissected. People will find fault and think I’m not good enough to be a politician’s wife. I wouldn’t be able to stand the heat.” She buried her face in his chest.
“Then I have to question if you truly love him, Victoria.”
She yanked her head up and looked at him. “Why would you think that?”
“Because I know that with love come sacrifices and compromises.” He handed her a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and said, “I was a rancher who loved being a loner. I had my family, Whispering Pines and an occasional hookup when I felt the need. I was happy. Content. Then I met Diamond and fell in love. As an actress, her life was about being in the spotlight. That was something I detested and definitely hadn’t planned for. However, once I fell in love with her, I knew I would gladly become part of her world, even if it included being cast in the limelight with her. I would accept it as one of the costs of loving her. She was worth it. I put up with the tabloid reporters’ lies, which they still sometimes print, by the way. Bottom line, falling in love with someone means falling in love with who they are, what they are and whatever problems and issues that come with them.”
He chuckled softly. “Last I read, Diamond and I are getting a divorce, but then according to the tabloids, we’ve been getting that same divorce now for close to twelve years. It doesn’t faze us anymore and we’re preparing and educating the kids, so it won’t faze them when they grow up,” he said of his son and daughter, ages eleven and eight.
Jake then said, “Roman is a well-liked and popular senator who is going places. What you have to decide is whether you want to be by his side. He will need a woman who loves him as much as he loves her. A strong woman who can take the heat. So I guess the main question is, if Roman being a politician in the limelight, and loving him the way you say you do, is worth it to you?”
* * *
TANNER GLIMPSED AT his watch. It was past noon and Lyric hadn’t called him back, and that had him worried. What if she’d already seen the article, believed what she read and now refused to talk to him? Hank had been right—there were a number of reporters camped outside the club waiting for him when he walked out. After giving them a terse statement of “no comment,” he had gotten into his car and left. His destination was the NOFD where Lyric worked. He didn’t know if she was there or out in the field somewhere doing inspections, but at least finding that out was better than doing nothing.
A short while later he walked into the building to find that same chatty blonde whom he’d spoken to the last time he was there. The same one who’d given him Lyric’s work schedule. He hoped that she was just as chatty today. He felt a semblance of hope when she smiled when she saw him. “You’re back.”
“Yes, I’m back. I have a question about the original inspector’s report. A Lyric Evans. Is she here? I need to talk to her.”
Still smiling, the woman said, “Lyric was here earlier but I think she got sick because she went home unexpectedly. Would you like to speak to someone else here who can help you?”
�
��No,” Tanner said, as he headed for the door. “There’s no one else.”
When he got into his car, his phone began ringing. He didn’t recognize the caller. If some reporter had somehow gotten his personal number, the person would regret it. “Who is this?”
There was a pause. “Tanner, this is Roman Malone. I got your number from Blade Madaris. I hope we can talk.”
Tanner nodded. “Yes, we can talk.”
“I guess by now you’ve seen the article.”
Tanner rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Yes, I’ve read it. And it’s all lies. Victoria and I are not engaged to be married. We never even dated.”
“I know. I spoke to Jake Madaris earlier and he said Alex Maxwell is on the case.”
Tanner nodded again. “That’s what I’ve been told, as well. I’m certain Alex will find out who started those lies.”
“I am certain he will, as well. In the meantime, this is my plan...”
* * *
A SHORT WHILE later Tanner was knocking on Lyric’s door. At first, when she didn’t open, he was beginning to think that maybe she’d gone to the gym instead of coming home, when her door suddenly swung open. One look at the anger on her face and he knew she’d seen the article.
“If you let me in, Lyric, I can explain.”
She glared at him. “What is there to explain? I asked if you were involved with anyone and you said you weren’t. That paper says otherwise.”
“And you want to believe a tabloid known to print lies over me? Will you not give me a chance to tell you the truth?”
He watched her nibble on her bottom lip, then she said, “Fine. Come in. You have exactly five minutes.” She moved aside to let him enter.
When she closed the door behind him, he turned around and shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. “First of all, Victoria and I were never engaged. She and I never even dated. She happens to be the sister and cousin to several friends of mine. That is all.”
Lyric crossed her arms over her chest. “Then why would your name be linked to hers? Why is that paper claiming otherwise?”
Tanner rubbed the back of his neck. “Because Victoria’s great-grandmother, who loves playing matchmaker, got it in her head that Victoria and I are well-suited and should one day marry.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. She’s been doing it for years and with good results, I might add. However, she made a major mistake if she thought Victoria and I should be together. The last time I saw Victoria was a few weeks ago when I was leaving the gym, which is right by the television station where she works. She was leaving, too, and told me that she was seriously dating someone, and I told her I was happy for her.”
“But what if she was lying and just told you that to make you jealous? What if—?”
“I refuse to believe that, Lyric. If you read that article, then you know it makes both me and Senator Malone seem like innocent pawns in some game Victoria is playing, and that isn’t true. I talked to Senator Malone on the drive over here and we both agreed that someone is deliberately trying to smear Victoria’s name and ruin her reputation.”
The thought of that angered Tanner because he knew what a nice person she was. “Senator Malone loves Victoria and will be holding a press conference in Washington today to address the allegations.”
He drew in a deep breath. “I’ve also contacted the press here, who are presently camped outside my club, to let them know I will be doing the same thing. What they are doing to Victoria is unfair and a slander to her character. And knowing the Madaris family like I do, they won’t stand for it. Nobody messes with Jake Madaris’s family and gets away with it.”
When Lyric still didn’t say anything, he took another deep breath. “I enjoyed the time I spent with you last week, Lyric,” he said. “It only confirmed what I’d suspected all along. I’ve fallen in love with you. You might not want to believe it, but it’s true. That’s why I wanted to prove to you that you were a keeper. My keeper.”
He paused a moment then continued. “If what they’d printed in the paper was true, then I wouldn’t be here. The old Tanner Jamison wouldn’t give a damn what you thought of him because all you would have been was another lay. But you’re way more than that to me. I love you, and I wanted to give you the chance to know me and hopefully reciprocate those feelings.”
When she still didn’t say anything, he tilted his head back and rotated his neck to work out the tension there. He returned his gaze to her. “Maybe this is a tryout for us and your trust for me is being tested. Hell, I don’t know. All I know is how I feel about you and if you decide you can one day love me back, then you know where to find me.”
He then turned and walked out the door.
* * *
HOPING IT WAS VICTORIA, Roman grabbed his phone before checking to see who was calling. “Hello?”
“Roman, this is Audria. I just read that article in the paper. How awful that someone is trying to ruin your reputation.”
He rubbed his hand down his face as he continued his pacing. “Don’t worry about it. I got this. I have a press conference scheduled for later.”
“That’s what Dad said, and he suggested I call to offer my services.”
Roman stopped his pacing. “What services?”
“I want to be there and stand by your side when you deny those allegations. When you admit there is nothing serious between you and Victoria Madaris. I figure when they see me at that press conference with you, giving you my full support, they’ll know all you shared with that woman was a meaningless fling and that you and I are back together. That should dispel the talk and salvage your reputation.”
Roman shook his head, knowing Audria had it all wrong if she thought for one minute that all Victoria had meant to him was a meaningless fling, or that he needed her by his side for anything. But whether she knew it or not, her words had made him suspicious of something. Namely her. “Like I said, Audria. I got this. Goodbye.”
* * *
VICTORIA WASN’T SURPRISED upon reaching Whispering Pines to find her brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles, grand-uncles and grand-aunts, there in the yard waiting for her. Nearly the entire Madaris clan. Although she appreciated the support, she figured they would be worse than the press with all their questions.
Uncle Jake reached over and touched her hand. “You don’t have to tell anyone anything you don’t want to. I think they’re mainly surprised that you and Roman are involved. They assumed the guy you would fall in love with was Tanner.”
She nodded. “I thought so, too, but evidently that’s not the case. I talked to Tanner after we landed while you were getting the car. He’s also met someone and fallen in love. She read the tabloid and it has caused problems between them. Problems he hopes they can work out. I hope they can, too.”
Uncle Jake released a deep sigh. “Mom is enjoying herself somewhere on her cruise, not knowing the two people she thought would be perfect for each other have fallen in love with other people.” He shook his head. “She’s going to be in for a big surprise when she gets back. Maybe this will shock her into realizing her matchmaking days might be over.”
Victoria smiled at her grand-uncle. It was the first smile she’d allowed herself since reading that tabloid. “Do you really think that, Uncle Jake?”
He shook his head, grinning. “No. She is determined to make sure all of you are married off before she takes her last breath. Honestly, I think she will be able to accept she’s made a mistake this one time, as long as the person you end up with is someone you love and who makes you happy.”
When Uncle Jake parked the car, she wasn’t surprised when all her brothers and cousins stood back, and it was her oldest brother, Nolan, who approached. Nolan, who’d always been her protector. Nolan, who’d been the last one to be caught in their great-grandmother’s matchmaking shenanigans.
And it was Nolan who’d called to warn her she was next. At the time, she hadn’t cared and had been so accepting of whatever Mama Laverne did and whomever she selected. Funny, how things had turned out. Now all she wanted to do was what Uncle Jake had suggested—follow her heart. And her heart was leading straight to Roman.
Instead of saying anything, Nolan pulled her into his arms and held her for a long while before he whispered, “It will be all right, Vic. Finding out about you and RJ threw all of us for a loop, but we want you to be happy. Your happiness means everything to us.”
She wiped the tears from her eyes, nodded and said, “Thank you.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
VICTORIA HEARD A knock on the guest room door. She had lied down for a nap after talking with her brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles, and assured them she was okay. She’d also told them the same thing she’d told Uncle Jake. She loved Roman and not Tanner.
Opening the door, she saw it was Diamond. “Jake told me to tell you that Roman is about to hold a press conference. Do you want to watch it?”
“Yes.”
Victoria followed Diamond downstairs, where their huge television was located in the family room. All her relatives, the ones who hadn’t left once they’d seen she was okay, were seated around the set. At some point when she’d been napping, Christy and Alex had arrived. When Christy saw her, she crossed the room and gave her a hug.
“You okay, Victoria?” Christy asked with concern in her eyes.
Victoria nodded. “Yes, I’m fine now. I needed to rest and make a few decisions.”
Christy nodded. “Do you want to watch the press conference with us or do you prefer watching it in private? There’s another television in Uncle Jake’s study.”
Victoria released a deep breath. She wasn’t sure what Roman would be saying. Would he take the out she’d offered him and say the two of them just had a vacation fling? That would certainly help save his reputation. Double standards were double standards. It was okay if a man slept around, but it was different when a woman did it.
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