Now, Kent consoled himself that this was the doppelgänger that haunted most men about to be married—the alter ego taking a final backward glance at freedom before diving into monogamy.
Get over it, man.
But even now, as he chatted and joked with his mates, his brain flashed to the memory.
Of Zoe. Not Bella.
Damn it, if he’d seen Bella at the pub he wouldn’t be plagued by these memories now. He’d be thinking only of Bella, not Zoe with her shiny dark hair and soft smile. But now, instead of focusing on his bride, a treacherous part of his brain kept pressing rewind, kept replaying a picture of Zoe’s slender curves encased in a sunburst of silk.
Why the hell now? Why tonight?
‘Kent, old mate. Need to have a word.’
The voice behind Kent brought him swinging round.
Damon Cavello, glass in hand—a double shot of neat whisky by the look of it—greeted him with a morose smile.
They’d talked earlier, fighting to be heard above the hubbub, but it had been a superficial catch-up, skimming over the past decade in half a dozen carefully edited sentences. Now Damon held out his hand.
‘I’ve overlooked congratulating the lucky bridegroom.’
‘I’m sure you said something earlier.’ Kent accepted the handshake uneasily, wondering if he’d detected a hint of stiffness in Damon’s manner.
‘You know you’re a very lucky man,’ Damon said.
‘I do indeed.’
‘You deserve her, of course.’
‘Thank you.’
Why did he have the feeling that Bella’s old flame was testing him? Rattling his antlers, so to speak.
Damon offered a mirthless grin. ‘Bella’s a—’
‘Hold it!’ Kent laughed as he raised his hand. ‘There’s a penalty tonight if you mention the bride’s name.’
‘Damn, I forgot.’
Before Kent could let him off the hook, Damon tossed down the contents of his glass.
Kent inhaled sharply, imagining the fire lacing the other man’s veins.
‘So, where was I?’ Damon asked as he set the empty glass on the bar. ‘Ah, yes.’ Folding his arms across his chest, he sized Kent up with a knowing smile. ‘I was agreeing that you’ve made an excellent choice of bride. You and your future wife will be the toast of Willara.’
Kent accepted this with a faint nod.
Damon’s gaze shifted to a point in the distance beyond Kent’s shoulder. His chest rose and fell as he drew in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.
To Kent’s dismay, the other man’s eyes betrayed a terrible pain. ‘I was a fool,’ he said, his voice quiet yet rough with self loathing. ‘I was the world’s biggest fool to head off overseas, leaving her behind.’
A nightmare weight pressed down on Kent, crushing the air from his lungs and stilling his blood. He pulled himself together. ‘That may be true, mate,’ he said slowly. ‘You were famous for doing crazy things back then. You were legend.’
‘I was, but I regret it now.’
What was Damon implying? Was this some kind of mind-game strategy?
‘Are you trying to tell me something?’ Kent challenged in a deliberately exaggerated country drawl. ‘Are you saying that you would have married young and settled down with a mob of kids in quiet old Willara?’
‘Who knows? We can’t turn back time.’ Damon squared his shoulders, looked about him at the happy crowd, then whipped back to Kent. ‘Promise me one thing.’
Kent eyed the other man levelly, refusing to be intimidated. ‘What’s that?’
Temporarily, Damon lost momentum. Dropping his gaze, he tapped a short drumbeat on the smooth timber-topped bar. When he looked up again, his grey eyes were blazing ice. ‘Just make sure you don’t have any doubts, my friend, not the slightest shadow.’
The words struck hammer blows, but Kent refused to flinch. ‘Thanks for your advice,’ he said coolly. ‘It’s heartening to know there’s another man in town who understands how lucky I am to be marrying Bella Shaw.’
Looking Damon in the eye, Kent downed his drink.
It was well past midnight when Zoe heard the tap on her door. She hadn’t been asleep, although her body was worn out from the huge effort of running both the bridal shower and then the hen night. The functions had been proclaimed a great success, but now her brain couldn’t stop buzzing.
When the soft knock sounded, she slipped quickly from the bed, went to the door and opened it a crack. Bella was outside in the dark passageway, wild eyed and wrapped in a pink-and-blue kimono.
‘Can I come in for a sec?’ she whispered.
‘Sure.’ Zoe readily opened the door, but threads of fear were coiling in her chest. All night she’d been watching Bella with mounting alarm.
While the bride had laughed and chatted and joined in the silly, light-hearted party games, Zoe had been aware of the underlying pulse, a ticking time bomb of tension. Plainly, things still weren’t right for Bella. The strain showed in her eyes, in her smile.
Luckily, all the other party girls had been too busy drinking and having a good time to notice. But Zoe, who’d taken her hen night responsibilities seriously, had mostly drunk tonic water.
Clear-headed, she’d noticed plenty and she’d worried plenty. Most especially, she’d worried that Bella still wasn’t happy with the decision she’d reached last week.
Now, her friend collapsed into the only chair in the room. ‘I’ve just had a text from Kent,’ she said. ‘He wants to see me. To talk.’
‘Tonight?’
‘Yes, but I said it was too late. I rang back and talked him into leaving it till first thing in the morning.’
‘Do you know what he wants to talk about?’
‘He wants to make sure I’m totally happy about—’ Bella let out a soft groan. ‘He wants to discuss the wedding.’
Zoe’s heart thudded. ‘I assume this isn’t just a planning meeting.’
‘No. I’m pretty sure he wants to double check that we’re both still on the same page.’
‘About getting married?’
Closing her eyes, Bella nodded.
‘What are you going to tell him?’
A sob broke from Bella. ‘I have to be totally honest, Zoe. I don’t think I can do it.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
FOR ages after Bella went back to her room, Zoe tossed and turned, her sheets damp with sweat, her thoughts rioting. Eventually, she got up and shut the window and switched on the air conditioning, but, although the system was efficient and the room cooled quickly, she couldn’t settle down.
Everything was spinning round and round in her head. Bella’s distress, Kent’s ultimatum, the mystery surrounding Damon—and, of course, the beautiful wedding reception she’d planned….
Time crawled. It took for ever for dawn to finally arrive as a creamy glow around the edges of the curtains. Giving up any pretence of sleep, Zoe rolled out of bed and opened the curtains to a view down Willara’s main street. At this early hour the little town was empty and silent, and it looked a little faded, too, like a ghost town in an old black-and-white movie.
Was Kent already on his way?
She showered and shampooed her hair, then blow-dried it and packed her bags, shoving all the leftover party glitter, shredded cellophane, cardboard and felt pens into an outside pocket. She had no idea why she was saving this stuff, couldn’t imagine ever using it again.
There’d been no special arrangements made for breakfast—all the hen-night girls wanted to sleep off the party after-effects. But Zoe’s room had started to feel like a jail cell. She knew Bella wouldn’t eat until after she’d spoken to Kent, so she decided to go downstairs to dine alone.
As she went past Bella’s door she thought she heard the soft murmur of voices. Perhaps, even now, Bella and Kent were making a decision. Just thinking about it made Zoe’s eyes and throat sting with hot tears.
The hotel’s dining room was old-fashioned with dark panelled walls and vases o
f bright flowers on the tables. It was still very early, and the room was empty, but a girl was there, ready to take orders.
Zoe glanced at the menu. It offered a full country breakfast with bacon, scrambled eggs, mushrooms and fried tomatoes, but, while she’d been ravenous an hour ago, her anxious stomach rebelled now.
She ordered tea and toast and sat in a sunny corner near a window. She was drinking her second cup of tea and eating hot buttered toast spread with local orange marmalade when a tall, broad-shouldered figure appeared at the dining-room doorway.
Kent.
Zoe’s knife clattered to her plate.
Had he already spoken to Bella? If he hadn’t, what was she supposed to say?
Kent came across the room, weaving past the empty tables covered by clean white cloths. He sent her a cautious smile, but it was impossible to gauge his mood.
He didn’t look utterly heartbroken, but perhaps he was very good at masking his feelings. He was definitely paler than usual and there were shadows under his eyes, as if his night had been as restless and as tormented hers.
‘I was hoping I’d find you,’ he said when he reached her.
‘Have you seen Bella?’
‘Yes. We’ve been talking in her room for the past hour.’
A chill skittered over Zoe’s arms. She was still unsure how to handle this.
‘Can I join you?’ Kent asked.
Zoe nodded, and once he was seated she realised
she’d been holding her breath. The tension was unbearable. What had they decided?
Kent placed his hands squarely on the table. ‘I wanted you to be the first to know. Bella and I are calling off the wedding.’
Zoe’s heart gave a painful thud. Even though this wasn’t totally unexpected, she felt as if she’d stepped from solid ground into thin air. ‘I’m so sorry.’ Tears stung her eyes and her throat. ‘I can’t begin to imagine how you must be feeling right now, Kent.’
‘It had to be done,’ he said with a shaky smile.
Zoe didn’t know how to respond to that. She was dazed—and shell-shocked.
No wedding.
After all the excitement and planning and busyness of the past few weeks—now, nothing. Nada.
‘How’s Bella?’
‘She’s worn out from over-thinking this whole deal, but she’s OK, I guess, or at least she will be after a good night’s sleep.’
‘I should go upstairs to see her. She might want some friendly support.’
‘Actually, she’s not here.’ Kent lifted his hands in a don’t-ask-me gesture. ‘She had to rush off to Greenacres. There’s been some sort of problem there.’
‘No … not her grandfather?’
‘I think so.’
‘Oh, God. Poor Bella. As if she hasn’t had enough to worry about.’
‘I offered to go with her, but she said she wanted to handle it herself, which was understandable, I guess.’
‘Maybe there’s something I can do?’ Zoe was already rising from her chair.
‘I told Bella to ring if we can help.’
As Zoe sat once more she let out a sigh. Her mind flashed to her excitement when Bella first asked her to be a bridesmaid. Who would have thought it would come to this?
The waitress appeared at Kent’s side. ‘Would you like to order breakfast, sir?’
‘Ah, no … but perhaps some tea. Zoe, shall we order a fresh pot?’
Considering the awkwardness of their situation, Zoe found his politeness and self-control impressive. As soon as the girl had left she reached across the table and squeezed Kent’s hand. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, but for her the brief contact still sparked the usual silly electricity.
‘Thanks for being such a good friend to Bella,’ he said.
Zoe gave a rueful shake of her head. ‘My big chance to be a bridesmaid. Gone down the tube.’
‘You would have been perfect,’ he said warmly.
‘Well, for that matter, I thought you and Bella would have been the perfect couple.’
‘Did you really?’
Tension shadowed his lovely dark eyes as he waited for her answer.
Zoe found herself suddenly flustered. ‘You had so much in common.’
‘Maybe that was the problem.’
The waitress returned with the tea and a fresh cup and saucer for Kent, so they became busy with pouring and helping themselves to milk and sugar.
When they were alone again, Kent said, ‘Zoe, the decision to call the wedding off was mutual.’
She was almost giddy with relief. ‘Gosh, I’m—I’m—’
‘Mad with us both for messing you around?’
‘No, I’m not mad. If I’m honest, Kent, I’ve been worried for ages. The vibes weren’t right between you.’
Kent grimaced and rubbed at his jaw in a way that was intensely masculine.
‘But for what it’s worth,’ Zoe added, ‘I think your motives for proposing were honourable.’
‘What do you know about my motives?’
‘I don’t want to say anything out of place, but I’m guessing you wanted to look after Bella, and you wanted to put Tom’s mind at ease.’
Kent’s mouth tilted in a lopsided smile. ‘You’re not just a pretty bridesmaid, are you?’
Despite everything, Zoe drank in the sight of him sitting opposite her in his moleskin trousers threaded with a crocodile leather belt.
‘The truth is,’ he said, after a bit, ‘I had a revealing chat with Damon last night. We started off toe to toe like two duelling bucks, all bluster and bravado. But then I started really listening to the guy. He was talking about Bella, and I watched his face, his body language. I heard the depth of emotion in his voice …’
Kent paused and his impressive chest expanded as he drew a deep breath. ‘I don’t know if he’s the right man for Bella, or if she even wants him, but last night I found myself questioning—everything. I realised that I was denying Bella—denying both of us the chance to have a marriage based on something more than friendship.’
He was looking directly at Zoe and she felt heat spreading over her skin. She told herself to stop it. Just because Kent was no longer marrying Bella, she couldn’t start imagining he was going to dive into a new relationship. And even if he did, why would he choose her?
Suddenly, with her role as bridesmaid swept away, her old insecurities were rushing back.
She was relieved when Kent returned to practicalities.
‘I’ve told Bella I’ll take the heat as far as the wedding’s concerned. I’ll talk to our families and friends.’
What a task. Zoe pictured the girls upstairs. They’d be getting up soon and would have to be told the news, and there were so many others who would need to know. It was all going to be awkward and embarrassing, and Kent was shouldering the load. She felt a rush of sympathy for him, another layer to add to the emotional storm inside her.
‘Perhaps I could help with ringing the caterers and the hire people?’
Kent considered this. ‘I’d like to say don’t worry. You’ve done more than enough, and I’ll take care of it. But with all these other calls to make, I’d really appreciate your help, Zoe. As it is, I think I’ll be spending all day on the phone.’
On cue, Kent’s mobile phone rang and he quickly retrieved it from his pocket. ‘It’s Bella,’ he said as he checked the caller ID.
Zoe watched the concern in his eyes as he listened. She tried not to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help catching his rather alarming responses.
‘Do you think that’s wise, Bella? … What about the police? … Yes, I’ve spoken to Zoe. I’m with her now. Yes, sure.’
To Zoe’s surprise, he handed her the phone. ‘Bella wants to speak to you.’
‘What’s happening?’ she whispered.
He rolled his eyes. ‘Big drama. Bella will explain.’
Heavens, what else could go wrong? Zoe lifted the phone. ‘Hi, Bella.’
‘Zoe, I’m so sorry I dashed off, but
you won’t believe what’s happened. My grandfather and Damon’s grandmother have taken off.’
‘Taken off?’ Zoe almost shrieked. ‘You mean they’ve run away from Greenacres? Together?’
‘Yes. They’ve taken Damon’s grandmother’s car.’ Bella’s sudden laugh was almost hysterical. ‘It’s ridiculous, I know. It might only be a prank, and they’re not senile or anything, but we can’t let them drive off together without knowing what they plan to do. We have a lead, so Damon and I are going after them.’
‘Far out. That’s—that’s incredible.’
‘I know. I can’t believe it either. But, Zoe, I’m really, really sorry to be abandoning you. I wanted to talk to you this morning, to explain everything.’
‘Don’t worry about me.’ Lowering her voice, she said, ‘Kent’s explained about the wedding.’
‘Is he OK?’
Zoe sent a glance Kent’s way. Catching her eye, he gave her another crooked smile and she felt a flash of useless longing. ‘He seems to be bearing up.’
‘Zoe, can you look after Kent? Keep an eye on him?’
‘I—I—’ Zoe was so thrown by the thought of ongoing contact with Kent that she wasn’t quite sure what to say. And yet, she couldn’t overlook the pleading in Bella’s voice. ‘Yes, yes, of course I will.’
‘Thank you. Thanks for everything, Zoes. I’m so sorry you’re not going to be my bridesmaid after all, but at least we can be thankful we chose a dress you can wear to a nice party.’
Zoe rolled her eyes. The last thing on her mind was her dress.
‘I’ll stay in touch,’ Bella said. ‘But I’ve got to dash now. Talk soon. Bye.’
‘Bye. And, Bella—’
‘Yes?’
‘Be careful, won’t you?’
‘Um … yeah, thanks for the warning.’ Bella
spoke softly, as if she knew very well that the warning was mostly about Damon Cavello.
Dazed, Zoe handed the phone back to Kent. ‘I’m beginning to think I must be dreaming. Runaway grandparents, for crying out loud! None of this is happening, is it?’ She held out her arm. ‘If someone pinched me now, I’m sure I’d wake up.’
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