"She was so calm," Dani said. "I was terrified, but Bailey stood up to them. You would have been so proud of her."
"I am, and of you. You defended her."
Dani touched her swollen cheek. "I didn't do a very good job."
"You were amazing." Katherine squeezed her hand. "I can never thank you enough."
"Don't thank me. I swear, I feel so horrible about what happened. I was so scared for her."
"You care about her."
Dani nodded, then wished she hadn't as her head began to ache. "She's my sister."
More tears filled Katherine's eyes. "I have been so horrible. I didn't…" She swallowed. "There's no excuse for what I did."
Dani frowned. "I just hit my head and blacked out, which probably explains why I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Did you see a car, just before you hit your head?"
She caught herself before she nodded again and said, "Yes." *
"It was me. Julie and I had plans for this afternoon. I made her come to the mall so I could spy on you."
"What?" Dani knew she had brain damage for sure. Katherine couldn't have just said "spy."
"I was so hurt and bitter and stupid. I wanted to be the one to take her dress shopping." She covered her eyes with her free hand. "I'm so ashamed. I love her so much and I wanted that memory. In that moment, I saw you as the personification of everything wrong in my life. I lashed out."
"You followed us?" Dani said, not sure she was keeping up. "I would never hurt her."
"I know. I know. I'm so sorry. I was stupid and jealous and ridiculous. I just hurt. It was never about you-not really. I should have said something. I should have asked to come along." Katherine lowered her hand. "I'm sorry."
Dani stared at her. "Katherine, I would have loved to have you along. I admire you so much. There have been times…" She drew in a breath. "I've often wished you were my parent, not Mark."
New tears fell down Katherine's face. "Oh, don't. I'm not who you think at all."
"You saved us. I saw the car speeding toward us. You made those guys run away."
"I saw you defending my child with your life," Katherine said. "I can never repay you for that. Especially because of what I did before." She paused and looked away for a few seconds. "When you asked me about Fiona and Alex… If it was possible for them to still be together? I lied. I was hurt and I wanted to lash out, so I did. They're not together, Dani. They haven't been since he left her."
Dani pulled her hand free and pushed herself into a more upright position. She rubbed the side of her head, then winced when she touched the swelling in her face.
Facts and information swirled inside her fuzzy brain. They danced and came together like mismatched puzzle pieces. Nothing made sense except for the fact that once again, she'd hurt Katherine. And…
Wait a minute? Alex wasn't with Fiona? That was too much for her to take in. She went for the easier topic.
"I'm sorry I made things worse for you," Dani whispered. "I keep doing that."
Katherine made a sound that was part laugh, part sob. "Is that all you got from my confession? I was horrible. A disgusting human being. I lied."
"You reacted. I understand that."
"Oh, God. You're going to be sweet and understanding. Can't you please be angry with me? You could slap me. We could roll in a catfight like they did in those 1980s soaps."
"My head hurts too much."
Katherine leaned in and hugged her. "Dani, please forgive me."
"I do."
"It can't be that easy."
"Maybe it is."
"But I lied about Alex."
"I don't understand what happened with him," she admitted. "Fiona was so convincing and then when I accused him, he barely defended himself. It was almost like it was all true."
"Or he was shocked you'd think that and disappointed you wouldn't trust him. Alex is a proud man, Dani. Honor is everything to him. He's worth fighting for."
"He could have told me the truth," she said, wishing her head would stop hurting.
"Didn't he?"
"Maybe." She couldn't seem to remember anymore.
"I want to offer to help, but I think I've gotten involved a little too much lately." She touched Dani's arm.
Alex wasn't with Fiona. Was that possible? So why hadn't he tried to convince her? Why had he just walked away? Okay, so he hadn't cheated, but obviously he wasn't willing to fight for what they had. Better that it was over now.
Only she didn't feel better. She felt a whole lot worse.
"I've never been in an ambulance before," Bailey said from her place next to Dani. "I'm glad they didn't put on the siren. It would be really loud."
Dani was glad, too. The noise would probably finish her off.
"Are you okay?" Bailey asked. "You're real pale and your eye is all swollen. I can't believe you were in a fight."
"Me, either. My brothers are never going to stop teasing me about it."
"They'll be glad you're okay. I'm glad, too."
Dani reached out and grabbed Bailey's hand. "You were so brave. The EMT guy told me how you stood over me and kept those boys away."
"I wasn't going to let them hurt either of us."
Dani smiled at her. "I'm proud to have you as my sister."
Bailey beamed, then rested her head on Dani's chest. "Me, too. I love you, Dani."
Dani's throat tightened. "I love you, too." She stroked Bailey's hair. "You're not going to let this ruin anything, are you? I mean about the dress and the dance."
Bailey straightened. “I’m still going to the dance. I have a pretty dress and Mom is going to put my hair up. She said I could borrow some earrings, too. Do you think I'll be as pretty as her?"
Dani thought about Katherine's confession at feeling left out of her daughter's life. She wished the other woman were here to hear what Bailey was saying.
"I think you should ask her to make you as pretty as her. I think she'd like that."
Bailey nodded. "Mom's the best."
"I agree."
***
"There are too many visitors," the nurse said sternly. "There is a limit to the number of people in a room at any one time."
Reid walked over to the fifty-something woman and smiled. "But she's our family. We'll be real quiet and if the fire marshal shows up, we'll hide under the bed. How's that?"
Dani watched Reid Buchanan work his magic. The nurse glared at him for about two more seconds, then relaxed.
"All right, but you do have to be quiet. If my boss finds out…"
"Never," Reid promised.
"Amazing," Dani breathed.
"I agree" Lori said as she casually checked Dani's pulse. "He's the master. I just stand back and watch." Lori spoke with the confidence of a woman who was well loved. She released Dani's wrist. "You'll live."
"Was there a doubt?"
"No, but I wanted to be sure for myself."
Lori moved next to Reid-a bit of a trick in the crowded hospital room. The whole family was there, including Gloria, along with Katherine and several of her children. Only Mark, Alex and the three youngest Canfields were missing.
"Hi, I'm Julie."
Dani glanced at the beautiful, petite young woman who had moved next to the bed. She had long, wavy dark hair and skin the color of coffee.
Dani smiled. "Second oldest, you're in college. Do I have that right?"
"You do. I'm sorry we haven't met before. I've been hearing good things about you. It was fun reading about my brother's sex life in the newspaper. I'm going to be able to hold that over him for the rest of his life."
Dani winced. "I like your attitude. I need a little of that myself. I still want to crawl under a rock when I think about it."
"You can't let the bastards get you down. I don't." Julie pointed at Gloria. "Is that your grandmother?"
"Yes."
"She's a tough old bird. I've read about her. She built an empire from nothing. I'm doing a paper on powerful
women for one of my classes. You think she'd let me interview her?"
"I think she'd be flattered."
“Cool. Nice to meet you. I hope you feel better."
Julie made her way to where Gloria was talking with Katherine.
Dani rested her head on her pillow. Walker came over and kissed her forehead.
"I talked to one of the cops. They've caught all three kids. They'll be charged. One of the advantages of having a senator in the family."
"Good thing, otherwise you'd have to kill them."
He stared at her. "I wouldn't have killed them."
She knew her brother. "You would have gotten damn close."
"You're my sister."
She was getting a lot of that lately. A lot of connection, a lot of caring. Katherine was hovering, probably in an attempt to make up for lying about Fiona. When they were next alone Dani was going to tell her she meant what she said-she understood and forgave. She was more upset with Alex's reaction. Why hadn't he pushed back harder? Why had he let her go so easily?
***
Three hours later she still didn't have the answers to her questions, but at least she could wonder in silence. The nurses had finally shoved everyone out so Dani could rest. She'd just closed her eyes, prepared to finally go to sleep, when she heard someone walk into the room.
She opened her eyes and saw Alex standing by her bed.
The only light came from the hallway, so his face was in shadow. She couldn't tell what he was thinking but she was glad he was here. More than glad. It had to mean something, right? He hadn't just stayed away.
She was spineless where he was concerned, she thought. Spineless and weak and desperately in love.
"That's a hell of a black eye," he said as he lightly touched her cheekbone.
"You should see the other guy."
He didn't smile. Instead he bent down and gathered her in his arms. He was strong and warm and the second he embraced her she felt totally safe.
"God damn sonofabitch," he said his voice muffled by her shoulder.
She clung to him. "I'm taking that as a statement against those guys and not a comment on my lack of makeup."
He released her, then dragged a chair over to her bed. When he'd sat down, he took both her hands in his.
"I couldn't believe it when I heard," he told her. "I want to ask if you're okay. Stupid question. How could you be?"
"I'm fine," she said. "A little shaken, but okay. Assuming I don't fall into a coma or have a seizure or whatever else they expect when they keep you overnight for observation, I'm out of here in the morning." She pulled one hand free and touched her face. "I'll have a great story."
"You had to be scared."
"More than I've ever been in my life. But mostly for Bailey. I was terrified they were really going to rape her."
"You knocked 'em around. There are bruises."
"You've seen them?"
"I've been off intimidating them and their parents. Those teens have a history of making trouble. Nothing this bad, but they've always gotten off with light sentences. Not this time."
"Is Bailey okay?"
He smiled. "She's being treated like the heroine she is. She says she wasn't that scared. That she knew you'd take care of her. Then when they hurt you, she wanted payback." He squeezed her fingers. "She even confessed that she used bad language, but she was given a free pass this one time."
Dani chuckled. "I believe the phrase was 'butthead.' She's such a sweetheart. I can't believe how cruel those kids were to her. The things they said."
"There's no law against being stupid."
"Speaking of which," she said, staring at the blanket on her lap. "I believe I'm falling into that category." She forced herself to look at him. "I guess Fiona sucked me in."
He stared into her eyes. "I haven't slept with her. I'm not interested in her. I won't go so far as to say I hate her because that implies a level of energy I don't have where she's concerned. She's nothing to me, Dani. I want you to know that."
"I do. Really. I should have thought it through. I should have asked instead of yelling."
"No. I'm to blame for that. Your accusation caught me off guard. My pride got in the way. I thought you should have believed in me. Later I realized that given your past and how short a time we've known each other, believing what looked like real proof made sense."
"Yeah?" Did this mean he wasn't going to let her get away?
"Yeah." He leaned in and kissed her.
"It's just she knew stuff about the house. Like the fireplace being on a remote."
"She'd seen the place. She was pissed I'd left her so when she found out I was interested in that house, she bid against me. The irony is that because of the divorce settlement, she was bidding against me with my own money."
Dani sighed. "I never thought of her seeing it any way but with you. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I should have handled things differently. The pregnancy thing threw me. I was trying to figure out who she could have been seeing. After the fact I thought maybe you would have seen that distraction as guilt or surprise."
"Kind of."
He kissed her again. His mouth was warm and promising. She wanted to keep kissing him, but considering their location and how much her head hurt, it was probably not a good idea.
"I don't want her," he said. "I want you."
"Good answer."
"Are we okay?"
She nodded, then touched her head. "I have to stop doing that."
"What about the poll numbers?" he asked. "They were bothering you before."
"I don't know. You're the expert at this-not me. Do we ignore them and hope they go away?"
"You can't run your life based on the campaign."
Which sounded great, she thought. But was it reality? Mark was her father. What did she owe him?
"I don't want to ruin anything," she admitted. "I don't want to be the reason he doesn't become president."
"You'd walk away from me?" Alex asked.
She studied him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. "Are you saying you wouldn't? That if Mark asked you not to see me, you'd tell him to go to hell?" She placed her fingers on his mouth. "Be honest. He's your father. You value loyalty above everything else. This is his dream. Do either of us have the right to destroy that?"
“There will be other scandals."
But right now she was the scandal du jour.
"We don't have to deal with this tonight," Alex told her. "Get some rest. I'll be by to take you home in the morning."
"I look forward to it."
He kissed her and left.
She shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable. Her head still pounded and that would make it difficult to sleep, although she was plenty tired. Maybe she should-
Someone knocked on her door. She looked up and saw Mark standing in the shadows.
"You're still awake," he said.
"I am."
"Good. Good." He walked into the room and smiled down at her. "How are you feeling? That's quite a black eye."
"I know. I looked in the mirror earlier and frightened myself."
"You'll heal."
He was alone for once. No entourage, no family or staff. Just the man. He seemed less grand by himself, she thought. Still handsome and very much a stranger. Would he always be? Was that just who he was? Someone she couldn't get close to?
He settled into the chair Alex had just left.
"Do you need anything?" he asked. "They're treating you well here?"
"They're great and I'm doing fine. I'll go home in the morning."
"Good. Excellent." He patted her arm. "You made the news. You and Bailey are heroes. That's what's important. We're expecting this to play favorably with the voters. Show them my family has character. The numbers will be back up, especially now that we can leak that you and Alex aren't dating anymore. Interesting about you and Alex. Not a pair I would have put together. But it's over now. All's well."
All w
as not well. She and Alex were very much a couple. At least they were trying to be. The road of their relationship was rocky, to say the least.
She looked at the man who was her father. She knew in her heart he wasn't the fantasy she'd hoped for. But he was a good man who had plans. Big plans. He wanted to be president. She'd only ever wanted to run Buchanan's. Who was she to stand in the way of his future?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Alex showed up at his parents' house early in the morning. Katherine was still in her robe, making coffee in the kitchen, when he walked in. She looked up and froze. Her mouth twisted, her eyes widened, but she didn't speak.
He'd been more angry with her than he'd ever been in his life. He'd known that not talking to her was punishment because she hated to be disconnected from her children in any way. He'd wanted her to suffer.
But then he'd remembered who she was. That she'd found him, a half-wild boy who had screamed most of the night as he relived the nightmare of his birth mother's murder. He remembered how she'd patiently taught him how to read, how to add and subtract, how to take a shower, to function in normal society. She'd been the one to assume he would catch up in school and go to college. He still remembered the amazement of overhearing her talking with one of her friends.
"Alex is brilliant. I can already tell. He's going to do something special with his life. I wonder which college he'll go to."
He'd been ten at the time, still struggling to fit in. Her casual words had inspired him. She'd worked a miracle in him. He owed her everything.
But even if he didn't, he would still have come to see her this morning-because he loved her. He would always love her. Everyone was allowed to screw up-it made her human.
He held open his arms.
She rushed into them and he pulled her close. She was so small, he thought absently. He always saw her as such a powerful woman, but she was almost frail. On the outside-on the inside, she was a powerhouse.
"I'm sorry," she began.
"No," he told her. "You've apologized. I didn't come here to get you to say it again. I came to say I appreciate that you regret your actions and that we're okay."
She raised her head and looked at him. "Oh, Alex, I love you so much."
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