by Debbie Mason
Claudia had told Liz that Skye was planning to attend the debate, and Ethan’s mother wanted to make sure that didn’t happen. No surprise there. But what she’d said next had been. She’d intimated that Ethan didn’t want Skye there, either, and it wasn’t only because of her blood pressure. He was worried what she’d say if the reporters got ahold of her, but he was too tenderhearted to tell her so himself.
Which was probably why Skye’s stomach was reacting like she’d gone skydiving without a parachute. Maddie, who sat next to her in the back of the Suburban, picked up the phone. “It’s Liz again. You should let her know you’re here.”
“Why? That’d just give her time to warn security to throw me out.”
“Even if she did, they wouldn’t recognize you. I didn’t.” Maddie unbuckled her seat belt and gave Skye a once-over. “I still can’t believe you let Hailey and Holly give you a makeover after I warned you not to.”
Skye touched her now poker-straight hair. “I thought they did a pretty good job.” Twins Hailey and Holly owned the Rocky Mountain Diner. They were Christmas’s self-appointed beauty experts and had arrived at Sophia’s once word got out Skye wanted a makeover.
“If you were going for classy and conservative, they did. You look like a blonde version of Claudia.”
“You hate it.”
“No, you look gorgeous. It’s just that you don’t look like… you.”
Skye glanced at the cropped faux-leather camel jacket she wore over the camel dress paired with brown pleather boots. She didn’t feel like herself. But that had been the whole point of the makeover. In the unlikely event that Jimmy the Knife tuned in to the Colorado news, Skye didn’t want him to recognize her. Vivi hadn’t been happy she planned to attend the debate, but had reluctantly agreed that it should be okay when Skye sent her a selfie.
Gage stopped in front of the entrance and turned, pointing a finger at Skye. “You behave in there.”
“Why does everyone keep telling me that? I’ve been in Christmas for over four months, and I haven’t done anything…” She probably should’ve stopped while she was ahead. There’d been that little incident back in June when she’d wound up in jail for breaking and entering, but the charges had been dropped. Besides, she’d been helping out Grace. “I’m here to support my husband. And whether you agree with me or not, he needs me. In the last two weeks, you can’t open a paper or turn on the television without seeing Bob Bennett and his wife with their perfect little mini mes. They’re promoting him as the responsible family man and Ethan as the too-gorgeous playboy. Me and Blossom are going to take care of that today,” she said, patting her baby bump.
Gage frowned. “Who’s Blossom?”
“My… our baby.”
“Oh.” He glanced at Madison. “How come you didn’t name our baby?” She raised her brows. “Right,” he said with a grin.
“Hey, are you making fun of me?”
“No, of course I’m not,” Maddie said, but from the amused glint in her eyes, Skye knew she was. Maddie leaned forward and gave her father-in-law a gentle shake. She pulled out his earbud. “Dad, we’re here.”
Paul McBride scrubbed his hands over his face. “Sorry, long night.” He shifted in his seat to look back at Skye. “You behave in there. I don’t want your blood pressure going up.”
“If one more person tells me to behave, it’s going to go through the roof,” Skye muttered, and went to open the door.
Gage’s father narrowed his eyes at her. “I should probably check your pressure before we go in.”
Okay, so maybe asking Dr. McBride to come along hadn’t been a good idea after all. Because Liz was being a royal pain in the butt, Skye had decided it was time to kick off her matchmaking plan and had encouraged Maddie to invite Paul. He’d just come off a midnight shift, but he had agreed once he found out both Skye and Maddie were going. The better to keep an eye on them, she supposed. But if her plan worked, it would be worth the aggravation.
“We’re going to be late,” she said, and was out the door before he pulled the cuff and stethoscope from his black bag. The three of them caught up to Skye as she entered the lobby.
“Don’t be mad,” Maddie said, catching her by the hand. “They’re just trying to protect Ethan. And you have to admit, you haven’t exactly been his biggest supporter.”
“I know, but I really am trying to help him now.”
“I can see that, and I’m wondering what’s behind the change of heart. Anything you want to share with your best friend?”
“It’s important to him.”
“It is, but I think it’s more than that.” Maddie pulled Skye aside before they reached the ballroom’s open doors and distractedly waved her husband and father-in-law on. “You’re in love with him.”
“What? No…” Skye trailed off as she remembered how she’d felt last night in his arms, how she’d felt waking up beside him this morning. And those warm, fuzzy feelings, the feeling of being cherished and protected, had nothing to do with how amazing he was in bed, how much he made her laugh, or how he wasn’t the uptight conservative she’d once thought him to be. No, as she examined her emotions under the bright lights of the hotel’s chandeliers, she had an uneasy feeling Maddie was right. She raised her panicked gaze to her best friend. “I can’t be. I can’t be in love with him.”
“Of course you can. He’s a great guy.”
“I know he is. He’s, well… he’s pretty much perfect, and that’s the problem. I’m not. It’d never work. For now, for him, I can pretend. But this”—she tugged on the cropped jacket—“this is who he should be married to. And I’m not that woman. I don’t want to be. Look at my parents, Maddie. I don’t want us to become them. I don’t want him to end up hating me. And I don’t want Blossom to grow up with parents who can’t stand each other. It’s horrible and scary, and I’d never do that to a child.”
Maddie put her hands on Skye’s shoulders. “Stop projecting. Ethan’s not your father, and you’re not your mother.”
“But I am. My father’s says I’m my mother reincarnated. And Ethan is—”
“Calm down. You look like you’re having a panic attack.”
“I think I am,” she said, her chest so tight she could barely breathe.
“Focus on what you came here to do. This is all about Ethan and proving to these people that you support him. You can worry about everything else later.”
“Right. You’re right.”
“You can do this. Are you ready?”
Skye put a hand on her stomach, taking a deep, calming breath. “Ready,” she said with a decisive nod.
“Good.” Maddie popped the ruffled collar of Skye’s jacket. “There, now you look more like my best friend. It’s just too bad you don’t look pregnant.”
“I do so,” Skye said, holding the fabric of her dress tight across her stomach.
“Vivi’s right—you look like you swallowed a golf ball. Come on, ten minutes until showtime.” Maddie cast her a sidelong glance and started to laugh. “Are you pushing out your stomach?”
“Yeah. How many months do I look now?”
“Three.”
“Ha-ha. You’re so funny,” Skye said as she entered the ballroom, taking in the packed room and the podiums at the front. Ethan and Bob Bennett had yet to take their places on the stage. They were shaking hands with their supporters at the front of the room. Claudia and Liz stood with Ethan. Bennett was joined by his wife and children and his campaign manager, Ted Vargas. Ted had been at Bennett’s campaign office when Skye had signed on as a volunteer in August. Another reason for her makeover—she didn’t want the man to recognize her.
With her shoulders back and her chin lifted, Skye walked down the red-carpeted aisle. She wasn’t nervous. She’d had it drilled in her head how to behave at these events. For once she was happy for the training. Ethan, looking gorgeous in a navy suit that fit his tall, broad-shouldered frame to perfection, shook a curvy twenty-something’s hand. The brunette appe
ared about to faint. Of course Ethan didn’t realize the effect he had on the woman, but he did notice Maddie as they drew closer and flashed his movie-star smile. His gaze moved to Skye. He blinked, then simply stared at her. His mother nudged him to get his attention before following his gaze. Liz’s jaw dropped and so did Claudia’s.
Maddie mouthed Good luck to Ethan, then said “Knock ’em dead” to Skye before heading for the front row, where Gage had commandeered seats.
Skye held Ethan’s gaze as she walked toward him, relief coursing through her at the warm, appreciative look in his eyes. “Surprised?” she asked when she reached his side.
A slow smile curved his lips as he leaned in to brush a light kiss across her temple. “What did you do with my wife?”
“Left her at home. You need Kendall tonight, not Skye.”
Before he could respond, Bob Bennett, a short man with a florid complexion, approached. “I hope this pretty gal is your wife, O’Connor, or you’re gonna be in a whole heap of trouble.”
Ethan laughed and slid his arm around Skye’s waist. “Bob, this is my wife…” Skye surreptitiously nudged him and mouthed Kendall. Ethan frowned but did as she directed. “My wife, Kendall.”
“Nice to meet you, little lady,” Bennett said. “We were all beginning to think you didn’t exist.”
And from the look on Bennett’s face, he wasn’t happy she did. “My husband’s overly protective of me and the baby,” Skye said with a thick Texas drawl. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
As she shook Bennett’s hand, someone called out, “Mr. O’Connor, Mrs. O’Connor, look this way please.” Word spread quickly that Skye was there and reporters shouted questions while photographers jockeyed for position. She cast an apprehensive glance at Ethan before answering a reporter’s question about the baby. He didn’t seem overly concerned, laughing when she shared how much the baby loved her daddy’s voice. It seemed Liz had been talking about her and Claudia’s fears, not Ethan’s.
“All right, folks. We have to get this show on the road,” Ted Vargas said a few minutes later, shooting Skye a disgruntled look as he ushered Bennett to the podium.
“I don’t think your opponent is happy I’m here.”
“Who cares? I’m glad you are,” Ethan said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Really?” She got that warm, squishy feeling inside her again.
“Yeah. Really. Now go sit down and try not to get too worked up.”
At least he didn’t tell her to behave. “Okay. Good luck, Mr. Senator,” she said, going up on her toes to kiss his cheek.
“Don’t worry, honey. I’ll make sure she behaves,” his mother said, and patted his arm. “You can sit with me, Skye.”
“Kendall,” Skye quickly corrected, glancing to her right to be sure Ted Vargas wasn’t within earshot. Thankfully, he was busy giving last-minute instructions to his candidate. Skye didn’t relish the idea of sitting beside Ethan’s mother all night, so when they reached the front row, she said, “Liz, you look a little pale. You’re not having another dizzy spell, are you?”
Gage’s dad, who sat two down from Maddie, stood up and gave Ethan’s mother a concerned look. He took her by the arm. “Come sit with me, Liz. Don’t argue. You don’t want to upset Ethan, do you?”
Liz shot Skye a peeved look and plunked herself down. Feeling pleased with herself, Skye took the seat beside Maddie. “That was mean,” her best friend said with a grin.
Skye laughed. “Yeah, I know.”
* * *
As the debate drew to a close, Skye fanned herself with the program. “Is it just me or is it hot in here?”
“Since ninety-nine percent of the women in here are fanning themselves, and less than thirty percent of them are pregnant or going through menopause, I’d say it’s the Ethan effect. Your husband is smoking hot, or hadn’t you noticed?”
“Little hard not to.” Skye had been attracted to Ethan from the moment she’d laid eyes on him, but tonight it was more than his extraordinary good looks that set her libido into overdrive. In her mind, there was nothing sexier than a confident, intelligent man. Ethan had it all, including that elusive it factor. He spoke eloquently and persuasively, a talent honed during his years in the courtroom. In comparison, Bennett came across as a bumbling fool.
Claudia looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. Ted Vargas looked like he was choking on one. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind who’d won the debate. As they were about to open the floor to questions from the audience, Skye noticed Bennett’s campaign manager pass a note to a man two rows behind him. Vargas lifted his chin in Skye’s direction, a smug smile on his face.
“You do not want to go there with me, Vargas,” she muttered under her breath as she quickly sent a text to Vivi. During the debate, Skye had been waiting for Bennett to attack Ethan’s involvement with Albright Energy. When he didn’t, she’d smelled a rat and texted Vivi to look into her suspicions.
“What are you muttering about?” Maddie asked.
“I think Vargas is going to use me… Hang on,” she said when her cell vibrated with an incoming text. She read the information Vivi had dug up on Bennett and smiled. She’d been right. As the moderator went to hand the mic to the curly-haired man Ted had passed the note to, Skye sent a text to Nell. Glancing to the end of the third row where Nell sat with Evelyn and Stella, Skye prayed the older woman had her cell on. She released the breath she’d been holding when Nell glanced down, then raised her gaze to Skye and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Brad Jones,” the man introduced himself before saying, “I read that your wife is a Democrat. How does it feel to know she’ll be voting for Mr. Bennett instead of you?”
“Dear Lord, you were right,” Maddie murmured.
Skye’s chest tightened in an anxious knot as she tried to ignore the furious glares from Claudia and Liz. She understood their anger. She didn’t want to be the reason Ethan lost the ground he’d gained tonight.
But her husband seemed unfazed by the question when he responded, “I don’t care who she votes for, as long as she does.” Ethan then went on to talk about how hard people had worked and how much they had sacrificed to ensure that everyone has the right to vote. How lucky Americans are to live in a democratic society where they get to choose their representatives, and how it’s their civic duty to exercise that right.
“Be that as it may, it’s still gotta be tough to convince other people to vote for you when your own wife won’t.”
Skye stood up. There were several groans to her left, and she thought Ethan might’ve muttered, “Aw hell.” She said, “Mr. Jones, I’m Kendall O’Connor, Ethan’s wife. I don’t know how the other women here feel, but when we won the right to vote, I think we also won the right to speak for ourselves.” Feminine laughter erupted on both sides of the aisle, and a “Preach it, sister” came from the back of the room. “You have a couple misconceptions about me that need to be cleared up. First, I’m more an Independent than I am a Democrat. My husband occasionally calls me a bleeding-heart liberal, don’t you, honey?” She smiled up at Ethan, who gave her a where-the-hell-are-you-going-with-this look.
Liz leaned across Gage to tug on Maddie’s arm. “Stop her. Make her sit down,” she said in a frantic whisper.
Maddie, of course, knew better than to try and shut Skye up.
“Second is your assumption that I’d vote for Mr. Bennett,” Skye went on. “I understand how you’d come to that conclusion, given my political affiliations, but you’re wrong. Even if I wasn’t married to Ethan, after what I heard here today, I’d vote for him.” Then she went on to tell them why. Vargas turned red, and Mr. Jones slowly sunk in his seat while Bennett tried to gain the moderator’s attention.
“Thanks for letting me clear that up,” Skye said with a smile to the audience and sat down. Applause broke out on both sides of the aisle. She wasn’t sure if it was because she’d finally sat down or because they agreed with her. She was hoping for the latter.
Maddie leaned into her. “Now that, Mrs. O’Connor, sounded like a woman in love with her husband.”
“A woman supporting her husband,” she corrected as she sent a text to Nell, telling her to hold off on the question. Skye had handled Vargas’s attempt to sabotage Ethan; no need to show all their cards just yet. And she didn’t want to paint a bigger target on her back. If Vargas dug deep enough…
“Well, if the expression on your husband’s face is anything to go by, he’s head over heels in love with you.”
Skye jerked her gaze from her phone to Ethan. He smiled, a look of pride in his eyes. No one had ever been proud of her before, and the thought that Ethan was sent a cascade of emotions through Skye: confusion, joy, desire, and… a hint of worry. Worry that maybe her best friend was right, and they were falling in love with each other. With her emotions jumbled up inside her, Skye barely registered the questions being asked or Ethan’s and Bennett’s responses.
“Earth to Skye,” Maddie said, nudging her.
She looked up to see Bennett grudgingly shake Ethan’s hand. Liz and Claudia converged on Ethan as his opponent left with his family and team. None of whom looked happy with the outcome. Ethan crooked his finger at Skye as he accepted his mother’s and Claudia’s congratulatory hugs. As she made her way toward him, she was stopped by a hand on her arm. Skye turned to see a stunning blonde accompanied by a silver-haired older man and a very handsome dark-haired man.
The woman smiled. “Hi, I’m Sam Reinhart, this is my father Jordan, and this is Adam Blackwell. I’m so glad you made it. I’ve been telling Ethan that he needed to bring you on the campaign trail with him.”
Skye shook their hands and introduced them to Maddie. Ethan came up beside Skye and took her hand, warmly greeting the Reinharts and Adam Blackwell.
Sam reached up to kiss Ethan’s cheek. “We’ve got to get going. We just wanted to congratulate you, and I wanted to rub it in that I was right. I was, wasn’t I? Admit it, your wife is exactly what you needed to electrify your campaign. She was amazing.”
“I admit it. You were right,” he said, smiling at Skye as he brought her hand to his mouth. “She is amazing.”