Bachelor Auction (35 page)

caught Charlotte’s hand over her shoulder. “I’ll

never be able to repay this debt.”

The glow of her friend’s face and the love

shining in her eyes made Charlotte’s eyes burn. She

blinked against the threatening tears and failed.

Just as she had during the ceremony.

It had hit her all at once as she watched Melody

and Spencer repeat their vows. He loved her. Really

230

Bachelor Auction

loved her. Spencer would never betray Melody as

Charlotte’s father had her mother. He would remain

forever faithful.

That was when this particular stint of tears had

begun. Because, in that moment, she realized

Marcus was the same kind of man. Family meant

everything to him. He would never hurt someone he

loved, would cling to his vow once made. Glancing at

him across the steps of the altar, their eyes had met,

his stone cold, and she’d known the realization came

too late.

Seemed she was her mother’s daughter after all.

In love with a man who could never love her in

return. She’d seen to that. He’d never forgive her for

all she’d done to him.

“Oh, are you crying again, dear?” Mrs. Jamison

handed her a tissue.

Heat flooded her cheeks as she took the tissue

thrust into her hand. Geez, she really had to get a

grip. “I always cry at weddings.”

“Liar. You hate weddings.” Melody met her gaze

in the mirror. “I quote: ‘Love is only found in

fairytales. I give them two years and they’ll be

divorced.’”

“Yeah, well, I must be getting soft, because I

believe you actually found a genuine Prince

Charming.”

“Goodness, you are getting soft.”

“Don’t worry, dear.” Mrs. Jamison beamed as

she fussed with her daughter’s collar. “From the

looks passing back and forth between you and a

certain groomsman today, I’d say your prince isn’t

far away.” She stepped back and sighed, then

suddenly burst into tears.

“Now, Mom, don’t do that. You’re going to make

me ruin my make-up.”

Melody pulled her mother into her arms for a

hug that Charlotte would have envied if she hadn’t

231

Darah Lace

been so rattled. If Melody’s mother noticed how often

her gaze had strayed to Marcus, had anyone else?

Had
he
?

“We certainly can’t have that,” the older woman

teased as she released her daughter and dabbed at

her eyes. “I’d better go find your father so he won’t

miss saying his good-byes.”

“See if you can find Spencer and hurry him

along. I’m ready to go.” Melody waited until her

mother was gone before crossing her arms and

tapping her toe. “Well?”

Charlotte turned away and began packing

Melody’s makeup in her overnight bag. “It was a

beautiful ceremony.”

“How do you know? You cried through the whole

thing.”

“Don’t you start, too.”

“Charlotte Reese, I’ve known you since forever.

I’m your best friend in the whole wide world, and

I’ve never seen you cry. Ever. Then you return from

your trip with Marcus, and suddenly you’re crying

all the time.”

“Not all the time.”

“You went through an entire box of tissue and

half a roll of toilet paper Friday night.”

Charlotte turned to imitate Melody’s stance.

“May I remind you we rented six hours worth of

tear-jerker movies? And I wasn’t the only one

bawling.”

She had wanted Melody to have the best

bachelorette party possible, but truthfully, having

anyone else with them while they celebrated would

have felt like an intrusion. So they had spent the

night as only true friends could. Painting each

others’ nails, eating pizza and ice cream in their

pajamas, and watching movies until the early hours

of the morning.

“So what’s your excuse now?”

232

Bachelor Auction

She shrugged. “I’m losing my best friend.”

Melody frowned, as if wanting to broach the

subject Charlotte was determined to dodge, then

sighed and turned back to the mirror to fiddle with

an earring. “We’ll see each other as often as we do

now. And you know lunch on Friday will always be

yours. After my honeymoon, that is.”

Grateful, she squeezed in beside Melody and

smoothed her fingers over her own hair, readjusting

curls she had painstakingly arranged in a pile at the

back of her head. It was almost like they were kids

again, playing dress up, sharing the mirror, and

experimenting with make-up and hairstyles. Only

this time one of them was really a bride. “And

speaking of the honeymoon...did you pack my gift to

Spencer?”

“Uh-uh. I’m wearing it.”

“You better hope he doesn’t find out or you won’t

make it out of town, probably not even the parking

lot.” Several months ago Charlotte noticed her friend

stocking up on underwear every time they went

shopping, thongs in particular. She’d finally

wheedled the reason out of Melody; Spencer had a

tendency to tear them off during their more

passionate encounters.

Melody gave her a sly wink. “Hey, the

honeymoon can happen anywhere.”

Laughing, she backed up and moved across the

room to close the hanging bag that contained

Melody’s wedding dress. “Has he told you yet where

you’re going?”

“No, but I’m counting on your gift to help me

entice it out of him.” She swiveled a grin over her

shoulder. “Can you see him out there? Is he

waiting?”

Knowing she would see Marcus again, Charlotte

hesitated, then steeled herself and returned to the

window facing the parking lot. A crowd had gathered

233

Darah Lace

around Spencer’s silver Jag decorated with shoe

polish, streamers and something that looked a lot

like condoms. Still, the Preston brothers were easy

to locate, standing heads above most. “Yes. He’s

there.”

She heard Melody scurry around behind her but

couldn’t turn away when Marcus embraced Spencer

and laughed at something he said as he handed him

over to Chad. Then Mitch took his turn but wouldn’t

let go, which had them all laughing while Marcus

tried to pry them apart.

He was so natural with his brothers, so easy

going, just as he’d been with the children at the

hospital and throughout the reception with his

friends and family. It hurt to think he couldn’t be

that way with her, that he stayed guarded in her

presence. But then she’d never been open to him

either. Not entirely.

Melody joined her at the window and smiled at

the brotherly antics taking place. “They can be such

idiots when they’re together.”

Charlotte had never known what it was like to

have siblings. Melody hadn’t either, but at least

she’d had two loving parents. Charlotte hadn’t even

had that. Though she had to give her mother credit

for trying lately. “You’re lucky to be a part of that

closeness now.”

“Yes.”

“And I might have been whining earlier, but I’m

really glad you found Spencer. He’s a good man.”

“Marcus is a good man, too.”

“I know.”

“Then why don’t you talk to him? Try to work

things out?”

“Because it’s too late. I screwed things up.”

Pushing him away this time had torn her heart in

two. Not even the pain of her childhood had hurt as

much as this.

234

Bachelor Auction

“I wish you’d tell me what happened between

the two of you. He won’t talk to anyone either. Not

even Chad.”

“No, he wouldn’t. Marcus isn’t like that.”

“Then why—”

“Suffice it to say I was my usual self.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself. And so is

Marcus. He’s thrown himself into his work. He’s

there till all hours of the night. And when he’s not at

the office, he’s out at the ranch. Anybody can see he’s

hurting and holding everything inside. Just like

you.”

Charlotte suspected he wasn’t hurting so much

as he was punishing himself for what he thought

he’d done wrong, which only made her guilt increase.

“I hope this isn’t your way of trying to make me feel

better.”

“He loves you, Char. That’s what I’m trying to

tell you.”

Melody’s soft words slammed into her heart. She

wanted so desperately to believe them.

“I see it every time he looks at you. And Mom’s

right. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you today.”

“Funny, I stood five feet across the altar from

him, but I could have been invisible for all he

seemed to care.”

“Men act that way sometimes. I don’t know if

he’s too proud, hurt or just afraid, but I know he

loves you. Don’t ask me how. I just do.”

Even if he did, even if he could forgive her, the

fact remained she could never be the woman he

deserved. She had too much baggage, too many

issues to deal with. He’d do better to find someone

who could give him what he wanted.

All these years she’d pushed her reputation to

the limits, spitting in the face of propriety, her only

objective to remain safe. That same wall of defense

now held her prisoner. Society never forgot and

235

Darah Lace

neither would he. He would always wonder how

many there had been before him and how many

there would be when he wasn’t looking. He would

never trust her.

And she would never be good enough for him.

He deserved someone better. Someone good and

wholesome. A woman he could be proud of. She

might be acceptable to socialize with, but she could

never be family.

“Talk to him. Please. As a wedding gift to me?”

“Geez, I already gave you your wedding gifts,

emphasis on the plural. How many do you want?”

“Just this one more. Show him who you really

are.”

“I’ve been playing different roles for so long I’m

not certain
I
know who I am anymore.” She’d been

trying to figure that out since she got back from her

trip. One thing was certain, there was no point in

continuing the charade meant to keep anyone from

getting too close and breaking her heart. It was

already broken.

“Promise or I’m not leaving.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, I’ll talk to

him.”
Someday.

“Today.”

“Geez, Mel, I—”

“Today. The longer you put it off, the worse it

will be. I mean it. Promise me.”

“Okay. But not until everyone else is gone.” The

least she could do was apologize. Make him

understand he had done nothing wrong. She was to

blame. And to let him know he had nothing to fear

from her. She would never tell anyone.

“Melody, honey?” Connie Preston’s voice had

them turning to the door. Her warm hazel eyes lit on

Charlotte. “Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“I was just leaving.” Charlotte grabbed Melody’s

overnight bag, her heart racing around in her chest.

236

Bachelor Auction

Facing Marcus’s mother wasn’t something she

wanted to do. She’d caught the woman watching her

during the reception with eyes that said she was as

aware as everyone else in the family of her son’s

distant mood and who had caused it. “I’ll take this

out to the car and tell Spencer you’re ready.”

“Chicken,” Melody muttered under her breath.

“Please don’t leave on my account.”

Skirting the woman, Charlotte forced a smile. “A

maid of honor’s work is never done.”

She shut the door behind her and leaned against

it to calm her palpitating heart. Though why she

bothered she didn’t know. The promise she’d made

her best friend would grind the tattered organ to a

painful halt.

****

sister-in-law emerged from the gauntlet of well-

wishers lining the church steps. Spencer opened the

passenger door of the Jag then stood back, waiting

for his bride to finish her good-byes, the first of

which was to her maid of honor.

Charlotte’s face tightened with emotion when

Melody hugged her. After a few whispered words the