BULLETPROOF BRIDE Page 13

  Tessa had plenty of experience with rejection. "I know how much that must have hurt."

  "I was devastated. Not only had I lost the love of my life, but also Colin. I'm sure he thought I abandoned him. I quit caring about everything and started sleepwalking through life." He shook his head. "Six months later, Mother met you at the children's charity. She convinced me to ask you out."

  She went cold. "You dated me to please your mother?"

  "At first, yeah." He gave her an embarrassed smile. "But then we meshed, and I genuinely began to care for you. I hold you in such high regard, and we have a lot in common. You're the best friend I've got. Lots of successful marriages have been built on less."

  She sucked in a shaky breath. "But your heart is elsewhere."

  He fisted his hands in his lap. "I haven't seen or talked to Maureen in three years. But after I spoke to Colin today, I called her, and got her to spill the truth. Apparently, Mother had a 'discussion' with her at Dad's funeral. I knew Maureen had had a hysterectomy years ago, but I didn't care. Colin was enough for me. But Mother convinced her that carrying on the Winter name was important to both of us, especially with Dad gone. Mother offered to pay Colin's way through Juilliard if Maureen moved to New York. Can you believe that?" Bitter laughter burst from him. "Maureen refused. But she didn't want to cause a family rift, so she ended our relationship."

  He leapt up to pace the small room, his rugged good looks incongruously masculine in the feminine environment. "She sacrificed her happiness for mine. If I'd only known, I would have walked away from everything for her." He turned to face Tessa. "I tried so hard to love you, Tessa. And I do love you, but like you said before, just not in the right way. I know now it's because I've never been able to forget Maureen."

  Her stomach clenched on a sickening rush of realization. For two years, they'd both been trying to force their relationship into something it could never be. How unbearably sad, for both of them. The only thing sadder would be if they kept up the charade. She swallowed hard. Even if she'd known what to say, the aching lump in her throat blocked the words.

  Thrusting his fingers through his hair, Dale dropped back onto the love seat. "Colin never lost hope. When he saw our wedding announcement, he started following you. He hoped if he explained, you'd step aside, and he could reunite his mom and me." He threw her a sharp glance. "He told me what happened in the park."

  She found her voice. "Gabe wouldn't have hurt him."

  "Val, Gabe, whatever his name is, he's not your cousin, is he? And if he's gay, I'll eat my violin case, buckles and all."

  Her face warmed.

  "I thought so. I saw the way he looks at you."

  The image of sparkling green eyes warm with promise invaded her thoughts. "We merely have … a business arrangement. He's leaving town." She frowned. "And none too soon."

  "I almost ruined four lives with my inability to act. If you have feelings for him, don't wait until it's too late. Not everyone gets a second chance."

  How did she feel about Gabe? The memory of lying under him in his bed burned through her whirling thoughts. She'd come this close to turning her back on everything she believed in last night. Tessa stared into the full-length mirror across the room and saw herself sitting there with Dale by her side. So right. And yet all wrong. If Gabe hadn't blasted into her life, she would have been standing in front of that mirror next week wearing her wedding gown.

  Icicles of fear stabbed into her. No-commitment, freewheeling Gabe was the opposite of her ideal man. And he had a marriage phobia, to boot. Self-preservation demanded she remain indifferent. She may have been short-sighted in the past, but she was no masochist.

  Dale held her gaze, his eyes tender. "Will you be all right?"

  She gave him a wobbly smile. "I'll be fine." As long as she didn't make the mistake of wanting something she could never have. She slid off her diamond solitaire and held it out to him. "I hope we can still be friends."

  "I'd like that. And I'd like you to keep the ring as a memento."

  She gently placed it in his palm and folded his fingers around it. "I don't need it to remind me. I'll never forget what we shared. Good times." Tears pressed behind her eyes, and she blinked them back. Though their relationship wasn't meant to be, letting go of him, letting go of all her hopes and dreams was so hard. "Like that concert we gave in Schubert Hall where the conductor's toupee kept slipping, and every time we looked at one another we almost couldn't stop giggling long enough to play."

  "Good times." His own smile crooked, he tucked the ring in his pocket. "I'm sorry, Tessa. I've known for a long time that things weren't right between us, but unlike you, I didn't have the guts to say so. You wouldn't be out of line to call me a few choice names. Or slap me upside the head."

  She forced out a chuckle. "Not my style, and you know it. Mel, on the other hand, just might take you up on that offer." She stood on legs that trembled. "I guess that's it, then."

  "Right. Let's go face our friends, and the Dragon Lady."

  She shook her head, her mouth wry. "You might have to buy bigger shirts to accommodate that new backbone of yours."

  Dale smiled sheepishly. "She may be my mother, but I'm not blind. I allowed her to lead both of us around by the nose."

  She rested her hand on his broad forearm. "Some of the responsibility rests on my shoulders. I should have tossed out the nose ring long ago."

  He studied her thoughtfully. "You have changed since the bank robbery. I hope you find happiness, Tessa. You deserve it."

  The choking lump in her throat returned with a vengeance. She cleared it away. "Thank you. Well … ready to get this over with?"

  He placed his big hand on the small of her back and they walked to the sanctuary. Dale stepped in front of the altar. "I appreciate everyone's patience. We need to speak to you."

  Mel, Phillip, and Lucille, who had apparently regained her chilly composure during their absence, gathered around them.

  Tessa glanced at Gabe. He returned her look, a question in his eyes. She motioned for him to join the group. Holding her gaze reassuringly, he walked to her side.

  Dale glanced at Gabe briefly, then her, before continuing. "Tessa and I have decided to call off the wedding."

  Lucille's mouth opened and closed like a beached trout, but only a small squeak emerged.

  Dale continued. "I'll refund everyone for expenses incurred, and I apologize. Tessa will explain to Melody and her … cousin." He turned to his best man. "I'll call you."

  Two spots of hot color surged into Lucille's cheeks. She clutched her chest. "My heart," she moaned.

  Dale flicked a resigned glance at the tiny woman. "Forget it, Mother. You've exploited that ploy for three years, and I'm not buying the act anymore. Go home. I'll join you shortly."

  "But, Dale, darling—"

  He held up his hand. "Nothing you say or do is going to change my decision. If you can't accept that, you're the one who will lose out, far more than you think. You'll spend the rest of your life alone, with nothing but your arrogance for company. Is that what you want?"

  Lucille's shoulders slumped. Without another word, she turned and trudged down the aisle, a defeated dragon with her fire quenched.

  With nothing more to be said, the solemn group trailed out behind her.

  Dale walked Tessa to the door, together for the last time. Fighting a hard-won battle against tears, she turned to him. "The best of everything, Dale. For you, Maureen and Colin."

  He placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "You're a real class act. Goodbye, Tessa."

  The tears threatened to burst free. "Goodbye," she replied, relieved when her voice quavered only slightly.

  A light caress brushed across the small of her back. She turned. Gabe was directly behind her. Brows lowered, his worried gaze searched her face. "Are you okay?" he murmured.

  No. Her dreams lay in shattered pieces at her feet. She clung to a thin edge of control, barely holding back the emotional storm. Not trusting her vo
ice, she nodded.

  "I'll get the 'Vette. Hang in there." Gabe disappeared around the corner of the church.

  Tessa waited on the front steps with Mel. With a last apologetic glance, Dale strode toward his car.

  Blinking rapidly, Tessa bit the inside of her lip and tasted blood. She yearned for a real family. But under the circumstances, her marriage would have been as hollow and unsatisfying as her relationship with Vivienne and Jules. She wanted a deep, emotional commitment, a true soul mate.

  Even though her aching heart now knew Dale wouldn't have been that soul mate, hurt and loneliness twisted like a knife in her chest as she watched him walk away.

  * * *

  Chapter 11

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  Gabe's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel as he followed Melody's dilapidated red Volkswagen. He'd broken the rules big time by directing Melody to the house and letting Tessa ride with her. But a girl needed her best friend at a time like this. He wouldn't be any help. He couldn't be any help. He didn't know how to give Tessa the comfort she needed. And for both their sakes, he had to keep his distance.

  When they arrived, he deliberately avoided looking at her. He could still see her standing on the church steps, pale and trembling, her spine straight, her chin high. Another up-close and personal glance at her brave misery and he'd be a goner. "I'll leave you two alone." He fled to his room. Cold wind rattled the windows, but failed to drown out soft sobs from the kitchen. Oh, no, not tears. Gabe rubbed his breastbone, trying to banish the piercing ache. Damn it! He had the awful suspicion Tessa's tears could bring him to his knees.

  Torn between the desire to go to her and self-preservation, he shoved a CD in the player and jammed on headphones. Kicking off his shoes, he flopped down on the bed. She didn't deserve a guy like him. No way was he sticking around. Letting her depend on him, and then taking off was cruel. She'd become involved with one wrong man, and Gabe was witnessing the consequences. He refused to be the next man to break her heart. He knew far too well how much damage abandonment caused.

  When the CD finished, he had another ready. Four CDs later, he tugged the headphones off his ringing ears. Thick silence surrounded him. He tiptoed to the threshold, easing the door open a crack. The house was dark.

  He hadn't had any dinner and he was starving. Without turning on the light, he cat-footed to the kitchen. He'd memorized the floor plan the first night and could navigate blindfolded. Opening the fridge, he grabbed an apple. As he swung the door shut, an empty carton of chocolate-chip ice cream and a bottle of chocolate syrup on the counter caught his eye. Melody must have made an emergency run. He shook his head. What was the deal with chicks and chocolate?

  He started to return to his room, and stopped short. Out in the dark, Tessa stood gazing into the backyard, huddled against the deck rail. She wasn't wearing a coat. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and she was shaking. She must be cold, or still upset, or both. His throat constricted.

  It wasn't his concern.

  He hurried to the living room to peek out the drapes. Melody's car was gone.

  Not his problem.

  Fists clenched, he marched down the hallway to his room.

  None of his business at all.

  He stripped, and then tugged on a pair of black sweat shorts. Normally, he slept in the raw, but since Tessa had moved in, he'd started wearing sweat shorts. If she needed him, he didn't want to get caught swinging in the breeze.

  After a quick trip to brush his teeth, he climbed under the covers and squeezed his eyes shut, determined to forget about Tessie and go to sleep if it killed him.

  In living Technicolor, the image of her alone on the deck, shivering and forlorn, projected on his closed eyelids. Even though common sense said she'd probably stopped crying hours ago, her soft sobs echoed in his ears. He spat out a curse and snapped on the lamp to rifle through his CDs. Something mellow to help him relax. His hand stopped on a Righteous Brothers CD. Man, he hadn't listened to that one for ages. He wrenched up the volume to ten. Snapping off the light, he flopped back into bed and shut his eyes again.

  He lasted through the first song.

  Two minutes and fifteen seconds.

  You're heading for big-time heartbreak, Bubba. In spite of the warning screaming through him, he flung off the covers and climbed out of bed. His bare feet sank into the thick carpet, silencing his steps. His throat tight, he stood with his hand gripping the patio door, wrestling with himself. You might as well stick your head in the garbage disposal, you chump. It'll hurt less in the long run. Heaving a resigned sigh, he slid open the door.

  The frigid night air snatched the breath from his lungs, and his toes curled on the cold wooden boards as he walked toward Tessa's shaking body. She was still huddled in the same spot. "Tessie?" He rested his hands on her shoulders. Her icy, quivering skin chilled his palms through the soft silk.

  She flinched and went rigid. "G-go away," she whispered through chattering teeth.

  Gabe burned with the desire to rip out Dale's eyeballs and feed them to him. He battled down his anger. She didn't need that right now. "It's cold. Come inside."

  "L-leave me a-alone. I h-have a lot of th-thinking to do."

  Ignoring her feeble resistance, he turned her around and pulled her into his embrace. "You're hurting." And he was hurting right along with her. Somewhere along the line, his objectivity had been blasted all to hell.

  Not good.

  Her icy, shaking hands shoved against his bare shoulders. "I don't n-need your p-pity."

  "How about comfort. Compassion." He stroked her cool, silky curls. "Friendship?"

  She made a soft, vulnerable sound that punched him right in the gut. Her arms slid around his waist, and she rested her cold cheek on his chest.

  He drew her trembling body closer. "You're freezing. How long have you been out here?"

  "D-don't know." She barely stammered the words. "A-after M-Mel left."

  Fear grabbed him by the throat. She was borderline hypothermic. He had to get her warm, in a hurry. "What are you trying to do, turn yourself into a human Popsicle?" He scooped her up, ignoring her startled squeak as he strode across the deck. He stepped down into the bubbling hot tub.

  Her arms constricted in a stranglehold around his neck. "Wh-what are y-you doing?"

  "Warming you up." He settled her on the bench, shoulder deep, and sat beside her. She continued to cling to him.

  "Does the deep water scare you?"

  Her face flushed in the moonlight and she jerked away. "No." Sighing, she slid down until her chin touched the fizzing water. Thick steam drifted upward, cradling them in an intimate cocoon of white vapor.

  Relieved to see color return to her pale face, he smiled. "Better now?"

  "Much."

  "You'd be a lot more comfortable with your dress off."

  She jerked upright. "My new dress! And my shoes!"

  "Sorry. I'll replace them. I had to get you warm in a hurry. You should get out of those wet clothes. You'll warm up faster."

  "I don't think so."

  "Why not? You've got skivvies on. Your underwear is as good as a bathing suit." He shifted to the bench opposite her. "I can't see you in the dark, and I'll sit way over here."

  "Well … these soggy clothes are uncomfortable." She nibbled her lower lip. "I … guess."

  He fixed his gaze on the diamond arch of stars in the black velvet sky and tried to turn his mind away from Tessa splashing and wriggling out of her clothes across from him. He heard drops of water rain down, her shoes thud, and then a slap of wet fabric. The Righteous Brothers serenaded them through his bedroom window. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'. Not quite. The exact opposite in fact. He'd wanted her to feel comfortable and relaxed, but he was paying with his peace of mind. Why, oh, why did he suddenly think this was a very bad idea?

  "Mmm. This is nice."

  Against his better judgment, he lowered his gaze. Her luminous eyes shone in the moonlight, a lingering edge of pain darken
ing the amber depths. His equilibrium shattered. He sucked in a breath of cold, crystal-clear air tinged with pungent wood smoke, desperately trying to relocate his center of gravity. Crickets chirped from the shadows, mocking his feeble attempt.

  She swirled her arms through the bubbling water. "I feel weightless, like I could float."

  He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, letting the tingling warmth caress his skin and loosen his taut muscles. He'd always been more at peace in the water than anywhere else. "Zero gravity. I've always loved this feeling. You should try scuba diving in the Caribbean, where you can see the tropical fish and coral clear as day. Incredible."

  He relaxed, letting his arms float. "Unchained Melody" began to play in the background. Drifting on the surface, he breathed in the tranquility.

  Tessa's soft whisper broke into the silence. "Kiss me."

  He sank like a rock. Hot water closed over his head and surged up his nose. He jerked upright, spitting water. "What?" he choked.

  "You said you wouldn't kiss me again until I asked you to. I'm asking."

  His stomach clenched. He wanted to. Too much. Which was why he couldn't. He shook his head. "I don't think—"

  "Please." Her voice trembled. "Please, Gabe."

  Her soft plea arrowed into his chest and wound around his heart. She was seeking reassurance after the debacle at her wedding rehearsal. Understandable. He could put his own feelings aside and give her that much, couldn't he? What felt like forever, in reality only took two steps to close the distance between them. He stopped inches from her.

  She reached up and touched his face, her fingertips tracing the droplets of moisture trailing down his cheek.

  In slow motion, his hands glided through the water and grasped her shoulders, warm and silky beneath his palms. "Are you sure?"

  She melted into his embrace, sliding her arms around his neck. He breathed in her tantalizing vanilla scent, and his pulse hammered erratically. She raised her face. He gazed into the soft, golden pools of her eyes. Open trust glimmered in the wide depths, sweet and welcoming. An invitation he couldn't refuse if his life depended on it.