Caitlyn’s Prize

by Linda Warren

  “Could we not talk about my engagement party, please?”

  “Touchy subject, huh?” Sky looked around. “I wonder where Judd is?”

  “Maybe he has enough sense to stay away.”

  “Caitlyn.”

  “Oh, hi, Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield.” She shook hands with a neighbor and his wife.

  “You remember Sherry, our daughter?”

  “Yes, of course.” She smiled at the tall blonde, but the smile was not returned. “And I’m sure you remember my sister Skylar.”

  “Oh, yes,” Mr. Wakefield replied. “I’m always struck at how different Dane’s daughters look.”

  “Yes.” Caitlyn’s heart squeezed. “Dad said he marked us with his blue eyes so that he’d know we were his.”

  Mrs. Wakefield glanced toward her grandmother. “How is Dorie?”

  “She’s coping.” Cait didn’t want to discuss Gran in a room full of people. “If you’ll excuse us, we were going to the buffet table.”

  “Oh, yes, yes.” Mr. Wakefield waved them away.

  “That blonde was glaring at you,” Sky whispered.

  “Yeah. She thought Judd should have proposed to her instead of me.”

  “Well, the nerve.”

  They reached the buffet. There was prime rib, shrimp on ice and everything in between. Cait reached for two plates, one for Gran and one for her.

  Sky filled Maddie’s and her own.

  “Maddie trusts you to choose for her?”

  “She eats like a bird and I’m stuffing everything imaginable on here.”

  Plates full, the sisters headed to their table.

  “Why haven’t Judd and the blonde hooked up since then?” Sky asked.

  “I don’t know and I don’t care.”

  “Caitlyn?”

  She turned to Joe Bob Shoemaker, a rancher who bought hay from her.

  “Is that you?” He eyed her up and down, clutching a drink in his hand. “Hot damn, I didn’t know you had some of those things.” He gestured with his glass at her breasts.

  She sighed. “Yeah, every woman comes equipped with boobs. It’s pretty much standard.”

  “And, damn, you got legs, too. Never see ’em in those jeans and boots you wear.”

  “Is there a problem?” Walker, the constable and only law in High Cotton, strolled over. An ex-marine, he was big and impressive. Everyone called him Walker. Most people didn’t know his first name, and those who did never used it.

  “Just Joe Bob being an ass,” Cait replied.

  “Ooh, I’m wounded.” Joe Bob clutched his chest.

  “Excuse my husband.” Charlene, his wife, came up behind him. “Go get some food or I’m leaving.”

  Joe Bob saluted with the glass.

  Charlene yanked it out of his hand and pointed to the buffet. “Food.”

  The rancher stomped off, muttering, “Damn wife. Free booze and she won’t let me drink.”

  “I’m sorry, Cait,” Charlene exclaimed. “Liquor short-circuits his manners.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “You look gorgeous in that dress.”

  “Thank you. Nice seeing you, Charlene.” Cait held up the plates. “We better go. Our food is getting cold.”

  “See you later.”

  Maddie rushed forward to help with the plates, and since Walker still stood there, Cait felt she should introduce them.

  “This is Walker, our constable, and Walker, these are my sisters, Madison and Skylar.”

  “Nice to finally meet y’all. I do remember seeing y’all at the funeral, but I was on duty and didn’t get a chance to visit.” As they shook hands, he said to Maddie, “Ma’am, I must say you look as young as my daughter.”

  “How old is she?” Maddie asked in her polite manner.

  “Ten.”

  “Ten!”

  Unflappable, understanding Maddie glared at him, and Cait knew her sister was about to lose her cool. “Bye, Walker.” She shuffled Maddie toward their table.

  “He said I looked like a ten-year-old. The nerve of him!”

  “He was just being nice.” Cait brushed it off.

  “Yeah, and he’s not bad looking,” Sky quipped.

  They shared a chuckle as they joined their grandmother.

  “Here you go, Gran.” Cait placed her plate in front of her. “Prime rib, shrimp, roasted potatoes with parsley and grilled asparagus.”

  “Thank you, baby.”

  Maddie looked aghast at her plate. “Sky, I can’t eat all this.”

  “Just try.”

  The party wore on and Cait found she kept watching the door. Where was Judd? Was he not coming?

  What did she care?

  Once Gran grew tired, they were leaving. It couldn’t be soon enough for her.

  JUDD SAT AT HIS DESK in his bedroom, going over the feed ledger and inputting information into his laptop. He heard faint noises from downstairs, but ignored them.

  He wasn’t planning on making an appearance.

  His door swung open and his mother stood there. My God, she did look like a fairy godmother in that cloud of gold. She glanced at his tux, still in the plastic from the cleaners, on his bed.

  “Not coming to the party?”

  “Nope.”

  She walked in, her long skirt rustling like feathers against tinfoil.

  “Everyone in High Cotton is here, and some of our friends from Austin. Janna Durham came especially to see you.”

  “I didn’t invite her.” He turned back to his laptop. Janna was one of those women who tried her best to get him to the altar. She never understood that he wasn’t interested in marriage. He didn’t relish another foray into that minefield. Caitlyn had broken him of the marriage bug. He’d rather stay single.

  “And the Belles made it.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Madison and Skylar are lovely, but Caitlyn is causing quite a stir in a red strapless dress. Every man in the room finds he can’t take his eyes off her. The band is fixing to start playing, and she’ll be dancing the rest of the night. Enjoy your solitude.”

  “If that’s your subtle way of getting me downstairs, you’re out of luck. I don’t care what Caitlyn’s wearing or not wearing.”

  In his mind’s eye he saw her at the windmill with sweat and mud trickling down her cleavage. It irritated him that he remembered that so vividly.

  “My dear son, I would never pressure you to do anything. I’m not your father.”

  He turned to frown at her. “What are you talking about?”

  “Jack pressured you to marry Caitlyn.”

  He slammed the laptop shut and stood. “Dad didn’t force me to do anything I didn’t want to.”

  “Does Caitlyn know that?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” His voice rose as he talked. “It happened fourteen years ago and it’s over. Done. Kaput. Do you understand?”

  “Good.” She walked to him and slipped her arm through his. He stiffened; he couldn’t help it. His reaction was a reflex from years of pretending she didn’t exist. Much the same feeling he had for Caitlyn. “There are so many beautiful young women downstairs just waiting for you to make their night. I’d hate to think that Caitlyn has you hiding up here in your room.”

  “Caitlyn has no control over me, and I told you from the start I wasn’t taking part in this fiasco.”

  “Tut-tut.” Renee tapped his nose with an artificial, manicured nail. “You seem rather defensive.”

  “Go to your party,” he said through clenched teeth, “and leave me the hell alone.”

  “Whatever you say, dear son.” She swished out the door in a cloud of gold.

  He sat on his bed and the party noise vibrated around him. Something his mother had said stuck with him. Did people think he was hiding? And when had he ever cared what people thought?

  But it still stung.

  He jumped up. He was getting out of the house and away from the party. At the door, he stared back at the tux on his bed.
/>   Was he running?

  THE BALL WAS in full swing and the band was revving up to something lively. Some of the tables had been removed to make room for people to dance.

  Caitlyn thought this would be a good time to leave. She leaned over and whispered to her grandmother. “Gran, are you ready to go home?”

  “Where are your manners? We can’t leave in the middle of a party. It’s just not done.”

  Yes, heaven forbid.

  “Here comes a waiter,” Sky said. “Let’s have some champagne.”

  “And lots of it.” Cait reached for a glass.

  Renee appeared in the doorway and a hush fell over the crowd. “I would like to thank everyone for coming tonight and—”

  “My mother and I would like to thank you.” Suddenly Judd was there, and contrary to every sane thought in her head, Cait couldn’t look away. Not from his handsome face. And not from the years that stretched behind her like a path covered with thorns. Painful. And littered with what-could-have-beens.

  His tux fit like a movie star’s across broad shoulders and that long, muscled body. Expensive cowboy boots covered his feet—only in Texas could you wear boots with a tuxedo, but it suited the man as he gave a perfunctory smile to his guests.

  He was a rancher with money and power, and it showed in every chiseled Clint Eastwood-like feature on his face. It showed in the way he moved and in the way he spoke. He was a man to be reckoned with. A man only a fool would cross.

  Cait moved uneasily and realized she was spilling champagne into her cleavage. Good grief. She grabbed a napkin and dabbed, under several men’s watchful eyes.

  Old fools!

  A Texas waltz played, and Renee and Judd took to the floor, dancing round and round. And the night dragged on. Judd danced with every woman in the room, including Gran, Maddie and Sky. Not once did he look in Cait’s direction. Not once did he ask her to dance.

  That was fine with her. She had plenty of partners. And she didn’t want to dance with him. It was better if he didn’t touch her. Southern manners only went so far.

  She escaped to the powder room and turned on the gold faucets. Patting her face with a tissue, she soaked up the coolness and stared at the ornate wood trim, the crimson and soft pink walls. A fresh bouquet of pink irises graced the vanity, as did monogrammed towels and soaps. Everything was elegant. Everything was Renee.

  Cait yanked opened the door and ran into Brenda Sue. Someone up there was testing her patience.

  “Wow, Caitlyn, where did you get that dress? I want one just like it. I never knew you had it in you to wear something like that. You know, you never did in high school. But tonight you’re showing actual cleavage. I’m surprised your grandmother allowed it. She’s like, you know, rather high on morals and manners and things I’ve never heard about. Is anyone in the bathroom? I really have to pee. But I don’t want to miss any of the action.” She knocked on the door without taking a breath. “I’ll just use one of the other bathrooms. You know I have the run of the place and…”

  Caitlyn walked off down the hall and didn’t look back. She made her way through the dancing couples to the veranda. Japanese lanterns lit up the trees with a magical glow. In a dark corner, she sat down and took a deep breath. It was quieter out here. Couples swayed together and the night air was warm yet soothing.

  Feeling a chill, she ran her hands up her arms. She lifted her eyes and saw Judd standing in the shadows a few feet away. Her eyes locked with his and her heart thudded with the force of a nine pound hammer.

  Her first thought was to walk away, but this time pride wouldn’t let her. This time she was standing her ground and facing Judd.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “EVERYONE IS EXPECTING US to dance,” Judd said in a voice that flowed around her like a warm blanket and wrapped her in memories.

  The good ones.

  “Yes,” she managed to reply.

  He held out his hand.

  Go to hell. Not in this lifetime ever again. When hell freezes over. The comebacks were right there in her throat. All she had to do was say the words and walk away from him. She could do that. She’d done it before.

  Something stronger than her pride moved her forward. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her into his arms. Her soft curves pressed into the hardness of his body and they began to move to “Bluest Eyes in Texas.” Her forehead rested against his jaw and his sandalwood scent shot her estrogen levels up a few notches. The tautness of his muscles shot her levels through the roof. But she didn’t pull away. She was on autopilot.

  Still dancing, they moved out of the shadows and among the other couples. Out of the corner of her eye Cait saw Maddie, Sky, Gran and Renee watching them. Nothing registered but the male body pressed against hers. She had to admit she’d missed his touch. She’d missed him. That part of their relationship had been nothing less than fantastic.

  Some couples stopped dancing, but Cait and Judd danced on. In his arms she felt like a princess—the belle of the ball. He pulled her closer and there was nothing left to the imagination; every muscle, every sinew, she felt. And she floated away to a happy place where fairy tales came true.

  “Why wasn’t this enough, Caitlyn?” His throaty voice broke through the clouds to reality.

  She pulled back slightly to look into his dark eyes. It felt strange to have this conversation after fourteen years. “Because sex and love are two different things.”

  “They’re the same to me.”

  “They’re not to me. Sex is an act. Love is a feeling in here….” She removed her hand from his to place it over his heart. Her eyes holding his, she added, “Sex is fleeting. Love lasts forever.”

  He glanced down at her hand. “I didn’t know I had a heart until you broke it.”

  Her breath felt heavy at his admission. “You could have come after me.”

  “You could have come back.”

  “But that would have changed nothing. It still would have been an arranged marriage without love.” She pushed away from him then. “So go ahead and get even. Take your revenge. Hurt me if that makes you feel better. The sad part is that I’ve hurt myself more.” She tore away from him and ran from the room, past startled guests, out the front door, down the front steps and into the night.

  She lost a shoe and sank to the ground and began to laugh. Laughter turned to tears. Try as she might she couldn’t stop them, so she gave up and howled.

  Maddie and Sky eased down by her. She sat on the grass and wiped away tears with the back of her hand. Her sisters didn’t say anything. They just hugged her, which was what she needed.

  Maddie held up her red high heel. “Would Cinderella like to try on the magical shoe?”

  Cait burst into laughter once more. “Most certainly. Even though I’ve never heard of Cinderella in a come-hither red dress. She looks virginal, like you.”

  “Yeah, right.” Maddie ruffled her skirt. “That Walker guy had the nerve to ask me to dance. I told him my mommy doesn’t allow me to.”

  “He’s a hottie, so I danced with him.” Sky nudged Cait playfully. “I told him we only let Maddie out of the attic on special occasions, and that she’s a little gun-shy or man-shy.”

  “Hardy har-har.” Maddie made a face at Sky, then linked her arm through Cait’s. “Let’s go home.”

  “First Cait has to slip on the magical shoe.”

  “Hell’s bells, Sky, there’s no magic in it,” she protested.

  “I beg to differ,” Maddie said, holding it out.

  Cait slipped her foot in.

  Nothing happened.

  Same old heartache. Same old bizarre evening.

  “Okay.” Maddie wrinkled her nose. “Maybe there isn’t any such thing as a fairy tale.”

  “You got it. Let’s load up the Lincoln, pick up Gran and get the hell out of Dodge.”

  “Good plan,” Sky murmured as they got to their feet. “I guess y’all know we’re going to have grass stains on these dresses.”

  “
So? After tonight we’ll retire the dresses from hell.” Cait peered through the darkness at the sea of cars. “Now where is that old Lincoln?”

  “Whistle, Cait, like you always do,” Maddie suggested. “Maybe that guy who was ogling you will come running.”

  She put her fingers to her mouth and blew. Nothing happened. They burst into a fit of giggles. “We’ve had too much champagne,” Cait said.

  “May I help you?” The young man appeared abruptly, scaring the living daylights out of them.

  “Yes. We’d like our car, please. The Lincoln,” Cait told him, trying not to snicker.

  “The old one?”

  “Yes. The old one.”

  “I’ll bring it around.”

  The Lincoln rolled to a stop in front of them.

  “I’m driving,” Sky said, and rounded the car.

  Cait slid into the passenger’s seat and Maddie climbed in the back. “Make a circle so we can pick up Gran,” Cait instructed.

  “Yes, bossy.”

  She shot her the finger.

  Sky zoomed forward and came to a screeching stop at the front door. Maddie jumped out to assist Gran, who was waiting on the veranda with their hostess.

  Gran got in, and Renee waved. Cait did not wave back. Sky tore out of the driveway.

  “We’re going home, Gran,” Sky said, glancing in the rearview mirror.

  “Yes, my baby, we’re going home.” There was a long pause and then Gran asked, “Caitlyn, baby, are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “Did Judd hurt your feelings?”

  Her gut tightened. “Naw. He just bruised my pride. I’m tough.”

  “Women shouldn’t be tough, Caitlyn.” Her tone suggested Cait should mind her p’s and q’s.

  “Come on, Gran,” Sky said, negotiating a turn. “Belles are tough. We all are.”

  “That’s why you don’t have husbands.”

  “And that’s the name of that tune,” Cait whispered to Sky.

  They rode in silence for a moment.

  “It was a lovely party,” Gran said. “I kept waiting for your father to show up.”

  Cait and Sky exchanged a glance.

  “Before any of you say it, I know Dane is dead.”