Once Tempted (31 page)

Tess was amazed at the progress Quinn had made with the gelding. He already looked like a different horse from the abused, half-starved creature who’d arrived in late February.

“It’s okay. Have fun with Tucker,” she said.

“I’d wish you the same, but I’m thinking that’s impossible.” With a wave, she called out a cheery goodbye to the rest of the group before sauntering off toward the farther corrals.

With a sigh, Tess went over to the rail to document the happy foursome. Somehow with every frame she clicked, Erica always managed to be next to Ward, her head tilted just a little toward him, her smile shining with happiness.

Tess didn’t need a zoom lens to see what was going on.

Erica was interested in rekindling her relationship with Ward. And the moment she understood that there was something between Tess and Ward, she’d decided to up the intensity of her campaign to win him back. The melting glances she sent his way became more frequent, as did the compliments she sprinkled into her observations about the ranch. Tess had to suppress a snort of disgust when Erica oohed and ahhed over the “darling lambs.” One would think all she dreamed of was being a rancher’s wife.

It was difficult to judge whether Ward was falling for the act. He had his poker face on. But could she blame
him if he did find himself softening toward his ex? Erica was lovely, and Ward had obviously found her lovable.

Tess tried to imagine how she would feel in his place. She wasn’t sure she’d have been particularly clear-eyed if David had ever chosen to reenter her life after storming out of it. How would she have reacted if he’d behaved as if he still felt something for her?

Would she have recognized it was just another game—that he was trying to win her over because he could? Or would she have been charmed and seduced all over again? Not simply by his clever lines, but by the fantasies she’d spun in which he returned to her, begging her to forgive him his idiocy.

Missing him as desperately as she had, she’d imagined plenty of such scenarios between bouts of crying over him or cursing him for having left her heart in ragged pieces.

Would she have forgiven the hurt he’d inflicted, and fallen all over again?

She wasn’t sure, to be honest. Everything with David was complicated by unanswered questions. Had marriage to her really been akin to a prison sentence for him? Or had his abrupt sea change been the result of the malignant tumor growing in his brain?

What Tess remembered most vividly was David’s undeniable charm. It was a trait Erica possessed, too. Tess could see how she could have won Ward’s heart with her bright intelligence. Then there was her beauty and the confidence that came with her perfect blue-eyed blond looks.

Could Erica win him back? At the thought, a band squeezed her heart, because she couldn’t answer with any of Erica’s abundant confidence. And though she’d never felt as close to someone as she did to Ward, or as awed by the sensations storming her as when she was in his arms, she had explicitly told Ward that she wanted
to avoid a complicated relationship, that she wasn’t looking for an emotional commitment.

He’d accepted those rules all too happily.

She knew he liked her. Perhaps even a lot.

But he’d loved Erica.

The weekend could not end soon enough.

“W
ARD, DO YOU
think we’ll have time to ride this afternoon? I’d love to go over some of the old trails with you,” Erica asked, smiling at him over the assortment of pastries and wedding cake in the lodge’s dining room.

Ward fought the urge to growl his reply that he had an even better idea. He’d love to stuff her into Ralph Cummins’s taxi, slam the door, and instruct Ralph to hit the gas and not slow down until he reached Palo Alto, where Erica was currently living. Once the taxi was out of sight, he’d go down to the bottom of the road to Silver Creek Ranch and lock the gates. With a padlock.

Instead, he shoveled in a forkful of the wedding cake Roo had baked and pretended not to hear. He’d been doing a lot of that.

The lunch was supposed to be devoted to sampling the menu Jeff and Roo had devised for the wedding dinner, complete with hors d’oeuvres and a mini version of the wedding cake that Ward was currently masticating. The Silver Creek chefs had gone all out for his friends. The broiled salmon seasoned with bread crumbs, lemon, and garlic butter was delicious, as were the pan-seared boneless chicken breasts stuffed with sundried tomatoes and goat cheese, and the vegetarian option, a
spring vegetable risotto. He wasn’t much of a dessert man, but the moist yellow wedding cake with its rich white chocolate buttercream frosting was unbelievably good.

If the rest of Brian and Carrie’s wedding was just as amazing, it would be a smash. And damn, it would be nice to break the lousy streak of luck they’d previously had holding weddings at Silver Creek.

Seated next to Carrie and Brian, Tess was doing her best to make it happen. She’d helped them narrow the choices of hors d’oeuvres down to the most interesting and tastiest, being sure to keep some traditional favorites so that everyone would be happily. She’d done the same with the side dishes and salad.

He, too, was helping when he could. But each time he opened his mouth, Erica seemed to think that it was her cue to speak as well. Only instead of pitching in with an opinion for Bri and Carrie that might actually guide them, she preferred to engage him exclusively. Like a spring stream after the winter melt-off, she babbled questions and gushed with coy invitations to take an intimate tour for two down Memory Lane.

It was leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

Moreover, his deaf and mute act weren’t having the desired effect. When he ignored Erica, she either repeated the question or appealed to Carrie or Brian.

This time, she resorted to the latter tactic. “Wouldn’t it be fun to go riding, guys?” she said with a bright smile.

Brian smiled affably. “I’d be up for it—depending on whether Tess and Ward think we have enough time. What’s next on our schedule of events?”

“The photographer will be arriving in forty-five minutes. Then Ava Day is coming to do a hair and makeup consultation.”

“I doubt I’ll want to go riding after I’ve just had makeup applied and spoil whatever Ava’s managed to do with this ridiculous mess.” Carrie fingered her thick,
wavy hair, which Ward had never noticed anything ridiculous about. It was pretty and shiny, with hints of coppery red and gold mixed with blond.

Of course, he now had a distinct preference for brunettes with long bangs that ended in a sexy hook just above the jaw.

Tess smiled at Carrie’s comment. “Ava will love your hair. I can’t wait to see what kind of style she suggests for you.”

“And while Carrie’s having her consultation, you and I have an outing with Reid,” Ward told Brian, who perked up at the news, sitting straighter in his chair. “We’re going to one of the local vineyards. Reid likes the wines they’re producing, and their prices are reasonable. He’s just negotiated a deal with them so I think they’ll offer a nice discount for your wedding.”

Brian grinned. “I can totally get behind that plan.”

Ward gave an answering grin. “Thought you would.”

“I think I’ll accompany you guys to the wine tasting,” Erica said. “You don’t mind, Carrie, do you? You don’t need me to advise you on your hairdo, and I’d enjoy bringing home a new vintage to share with my friends. Remember how much fun we used to have going to vineyards, Ward?”

Wasn’t there some sacrosanct maid of honor code that forbade them from ditching these key sessions? Ward wondered. He quickly looked over at Tess, but she’d reverted to the Tess of old, damn it. Polite and reserved, she revealed none of her thoughts.

Would a little show of jealousy be asking too much? Surely she’d noticed that if Erica continued any further down her chosen road, she’d soon suggest that for old times’ sake he and she should have a sleepover tonight. Pajamas optional.

If Tess was carefully masking her thoughts, Carrie was like an open book.

“Feel free to go with the guys, Erica. I’ll be fine with Tess and Ava.”

Bri, too, was easy to read. He looked crestfallen at the prospect of his future sister-in-law tagging along but then rallied with a “Sure, great!” that rang a shade too heartily. To cover the slip, he quickly raised his cup of cappuccino to his lips and drained it.

While it pleased Ward no end that Carrie liked Tess so much, and while he was relieved that Erica’s selfishness hadn’t hurt her feelings or caused any problems for Tess, he was nonetheless tempted to put a wrench in Erica’s plans. It’d be easy. He could simply say this was a guys-only expedition, part of Reid and his pre-bachelor-party gift to Brian, and that after the vineyard they would be heading to a strip joint.

He reluctantly abandoned the idea. The last thing he wanted was to have Erica gush about how fun watching pole dancers with him would be.

Amazingly, ditching her stepsister for a wine tasting wasn’t enough for Erica. She immediately returned to her earlier demand.

“So what about taking a horseback ride tomorrow? Surely there must be some point in the day when we can go. I mean, it’s not like this wedding is such a big or complicated affair.”

At the other end of the table, Tess’s lips tightened, her only sign of irritation. He tried to imagine Erica ever showing such self-discipline and couldn’t. Indeed, he couldn’t picture Erica ever working as hard on an event as Tess had without loudly soliciting praise.

He honestly couldn’t remember if Erica had always been so self-centered or whether it was so obvious now because he was viewing her through the crystal-clear lens of disenchantment.

Tess had opened her notebook to answer Erica. “Tomorrow Carrie and I will be meeting with Samantha
Nicholls, the floral designer. Her place is in—” She paused and flipped through her notes, searching. “Sorry, I’m not from around here. Oh, yes, here’s the address. She’s located in Mendocino. Adele thinks she’s fabulous, so it’s worth the long drive.”

“Obviously, you can’t be from around here if you think that’s any kind of distance,” Erica said. “So where are you from?”

“New York.”

“Oh, where’d you work?”

“I worked at a full-service events company called La Dolce Vita.”

Erica smiled. “It must be one of the smaller ones. I’ve never heard of it.”

All right, he’d had it with Erica’s crap. “My mother was quite impressed with the company and how well the boss spoke of Tess. It’s why she hired Tess.”

That stopped her.

Tess sent him a look of silent thanks, then shifted her attention to Carrie. “Our appointment with Samantha Nicholls is in the afternoon. Phil Onofrie, who’s in charge of reservations, was hoping to go over the guest list with you tomorrow morning. And George Reich, the restaurant’s manager, wanted to show you his ideas for the table settings so you have a sense of what might work for centerpieces when you meet with Samantha—”

Erica cut in. “Can’t this Phil Onofrie meet with us another time? After all, he’s an employee.”

Carrie and Brian looked appalled at the carelessness of Erica’s comment but remained silent. They probably knew from experience how little effect their protests would have.

Ward wondered where he could find a short pier to suggest Erica take a long walk off it. What could possibly make her think he’d tolerate these kinds of comments? His voice carried the icy censure she deserved.
“Yes, and as an employee Phil has a legal right to a day off. It happens to be on Sunday.”

Tess directed her words to Carrie, her own cut to Erica. “I’ll speak to Phil and see whether he can make a Sunday morning meeting before you leave.”

Considering that she was getting her way, Erica should have looked much happier. Then again, she didn’t like any resistance to her plans. Shifting her attention to Carrie, she said, “It’ll be fun to go for a trail ride, won’t it?”

But even mild-mannered Carrie was proving contrary. With a small laugh, she fiddled with the spoon resting by her coffee cup. “Actually, I’m a little nervous at the prospect. I haven’t been on a horse in years. Graduate school and working on my doctorate didn’t leave a lot of time for riding. I may not even remember how to make the horse go.” She turned to Tess. “Do you ride a lot?”

“No, not at all. I don’t ride.”

“Not true,” Ward said. “Tess has got the walk down pat and was a quick study at neck reining. I plan to have her loping by June.”

He loved Tess’s blushes. “Don’t believe him, Carrie,” she said, shooting him a quick admonishing look then shaking her head when he grinned widely. “Ward’s exaggerating big-time. I very much doubt I’ll ever graduate from a walk.”

“I’m not going to attempt anything faster tomorrow, either. I have no desire to be married in a body cast,” Carrie said.

Tess laughed. “Especially when you have one of the loveliest wedding dresses anyone will ever see.”

“And no matter how many hooks and buttons and layers her dress has, I figure it has to be easier to remove than a body cast,” Brian joked. “So yeah, sweetheart, you stick to a walk, okay?”

“Will you come for the trail ride with us?” Carrie asked Tess.