Restore My Heart (24 page)

Tears threatened her makeup, but she held them back with burning eyelids. “Thank you, Dad.”

He shook his head, his expression softening. “You almost look like Maria. Your mother.”

“Do I?” Sally had often been told her eyes were like her mother’s, but the rest of her was Justin Clay, through and through.

“Don’t leave yet. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay. I’ll be in my room.” She needed to search through her keepsake box to see if she had anything to pass for jewelry. A good necklace and earrings would add the perfect touch to the gown and makeup.

She sat down at the bench in front of her old pine desk, which doubled as a dressing table. The mirror overhead caught her father’s image as he came into the room. His hands cradled a small box.

“These were your mother’s. She’d want you to wear them tonight.”

He averted his eyes when Sally gazed up at him. With trembling fingers, she accepted the box, a hinged jeweler’s case. She opened it. A gold serpentine choker lay beside dangling gold clip-on earrings. Sally fingered the earrings first, then attached one to each earlobe. They caught the afternoon sunlight filtering in the room through the window, the perfect accent to her swept-back hairstyle.

The necklace weighed heavily against her neck as she struggled to close the clasp. “Help me.”

Her father moved behind her, taking the gold ends and securing the clasp. His hands then settled on her shoulders. “I—I’ve been saving them for you.”

“Thank you. They’re lovely.”

“You’re lovely.”

Sally wasn’t certain she’d heard him right. But before she could respond, her father had fled the room. His footfalls on the steps announced his retreat upstairs.

He had said she was lovely. With her repulsive leg hidden from view, her father could see her as attractive. He seemed—oh, but it was hard to tell with him—
proud
of his daughter. But Sally knew better than that. Too many times in the past nine years she had wanted to hope. Too many times she’d been disappointed.

By the time Joe rang the front doorbell, Sally had convinced herself the exchange with her father hadn’t even happened.

Joe clutched the florist box, feeling like a kid picking up his prom date. After a minute, Sally pulled open the door. Joe worked his mouth but without sound. Sally looked absolutely stunning.

Her dark hair was swept away from her face, pulled back in what might have been a severe look on anyone else. But with her distinctive widow’s peak, Sally looked regal. Her creamy skin, plenty of which to look at with that slip of a gown, showed off her upper body muscle definition. Those workouts had paid off in athletic curves.

Incredibly sexy.

His perusal took in her distinctive eyes, glossy pink lips, then dropped where the aquamarine gown offered a tantalizing peek of her breasts. Gold earrings clipped to her earlobes matched the necklace that rested at the hollow of her throat.

“Come in, Joe. I guess I’m ready.”

He swallowed the lump stuck in the back of his throat. Following her into the living room, he finally found his voice. “You look fantastic.”

“Thank you.”

“This is for you.” He offered her the florist box. “It’s a wrist corsage.”

She opened it. Smiled. And his heart did a funny flop against his rib cage. Mustang Sally had morphed into one sexy siren.

“Roses.” She lifted the flowers from the box. “Can you give me a hand here?”

He held the white box while she slid her manicured hand through the elastic wrist band. “Since the Kentucky Derby is the run for the roses, I thought a rose corsage appropriate.”

“It’s perfect, Joe. Thanks.” She held her hand out to admire the delicate white roses and white satin ribbon.

“I guess we’d better leave. The dinner is at seven forty-five. Do you have a wrap?”

“No, but I don’t need one. It’s warm and we’ll be inside.”

And if she got cold, he’d wrap his arms around her and keep her very warm.

Joe and Sally sat at one of the round banquet tables in the cavernous ballroom. Brendan pulled out the chair beside her for Fia. Fia, willowy and glamorous, smiled. “Hello, Sally. I’m so glad you came.”

“Me, too. You look very elegant.”

“As do you. I was afraid we’d be stuck here by ourselves. It’s good to see Joe with a date.”

Sally bit back questions. The man was a magnet for females. Surely his sister didn’t mean he seldom dated. No, Fia meant she seldom saw her brother. He lived in Atlanta, a fact Sally needed to keep in mind. “It’s not exactly a date, you know. Grandma can be very persuasive.”

“She is that.” Joe reached across the table and patted Fia’s hand. “Grandma loves us all, but feels closest to you, Fia.”

Fia nodded. “Maybe because I was her first grandchild. I’m so relieved she survived the shooting.”

Sally’s mood darkened. She’d hoped to enjoy tonight without tainting it with thoughts of shootings, murder, and arson. “So am I, Fia.”

Brendan settled a hand over Fia’s. “Me, too, honey, although the woman clearly disapproves of me.”

Sally’s gaze zipped to Brendan’s. To her surprise, he was smiling. “Why do you think that?”

Fia and Brendan both laughed. “Grandma said so,” Fia said, then chuckled again. “She’s not one to mince words.”

“She thinks I’m anal retentive.”

Fia gave him a pointed stare. “Well?”

“All right, so I can be a bit focused.”

“A bit?”

Sally glanced at Joe, who stared at his sister and her fiancé.

Fia and Brendan were bantering. Maybe Brendan was a selfish boor, but his and Fia’s relationship seemed to work for them, although Sally was no expert on relationships. Far from it.

“Did I understand Fia to say you owned the animal clinic?” Sally asked.

“Yes, it’s a large animal veterinary clinic. Fia thinks I should re-name it The Horse-pital.”

“That’s clever. Why don’t you?” Sally asked.

“Because it’s not serious enough for Brendan,” Fia said.

“All right. I’ll think about it. I’ve worked hard to establish myself as a reputable veterinarian. I didn’t think ‘Horse-pital’ would sound professional.”

Joe spoke up. “I see a lot of catchy names like that on the most reputable of businesses. There’s a glass cutter in Atlanta who’s famous as the Glass Doctor who will fix your panes.”

Brendan groaned. “You aren’t serious.”

“Yes, I am.”

“‘Horse-pital’ is better than ‘Horses R Us,’ “ Fia added.

“Besides, you have an established clientele, don’t you?” Joe asked.

“He does.” Fia turned an admiring gaze toward Brendan. “I think the burglary has him worried about his image now.”

“How’s that?” Joe asked.

“How would you feel about leaving your valuable saddle bred overnight at my clinic knowing the alarm system had been compromised?” Brendan said.

Joe nodded. “I see your point. But wasn’t it a drug theft?”

Fia answered, “An odd one. Just two vials were missing from our supply. We inventory every drop of medication on premise.”

Sally fought a smirk.
I just bet you do
. Grandma would say it squared with “anal-retentiveness.” No wonder Joe thought the guy too old for Fia.

“What was in the missing vials?” Joe asked.

“Succinylcholine chloride, or SCH. Not a popular street drug. I think some punks lifted the wrong merchandise.”

“How did punk kids know how to bypass the alarm?” Brendan asked.

“Believe me, punk kids with time on their hands can hack into sophisticated computer systems.” Joe spread his upturned hands. “A simple burglar alarm circuit is a piece of cake to these guys.”

“Is the burglary common knowledge? I mean, do many of your clients know it happened?” Sally asked.

“Only if they read the police blotter in the newspaper.” Brendan sighed. “Nobody’s mentioned it.”

“And the alarm company’s upgraded the security system,” Fia added.

“All right, maybe I am overreacting. I concede.” He held up his hands in surrender, a sheepish grin curving his mouth.

Sally applauded and cheered. Joe and his sister joined in. Anal-retentive Brendan could laugh at himself and compromise. Perhaps Grandma had been premature in her judgment.

Brendan waved his hand, taking in the ballroom and decorations. “The Fillies do a good job of dressing up this barn, don’t they?”

Barn? Caught up in the formal dress and excitement of the occasion, Sally had taken little notice of the ballroom in the river-front hotel. The long, plain room with a row of doors off the corridor did resemble a barn. Clatter from the kitchen escaped into the ballroom with each swing of the door, reverberating off the high ceiling and windowless walls. But the curtained stage at one end, adorned with thousands of miniature white lights, gossamer drapes, and silvery celestial mobiles dangling from the chandeliers, transformed the ordinary room into a glittering fairyland.

“This is my first Derby festival event.” Except the time Mom and Dad had taken her to the Pegasus Parade. Sally barely remembered it, except that it was downtown.

“Yes, the Fillies are creative and hard-working,” Fia said. “This year’s theme is Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Sally smiled. Tonight was her dream night, mid-April if not mid-summer. Tonight made up for the fiasco of her senior prom, her last foray into formal events. Just for tonight, she’d be belle of the ball. Just for tonight, she’d be Joe’s. She met his heated gaze and blushed. Could he read her mind?

During dinner, couples lined up for professional photographs. Remembering Monette’s request, Sally agreed to pose with Joe for their Derby Ball portrait. Her senior prom date hadn’t bothered with having their prom picture taken, so this was another first for Sally.

Joe wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him beneath the rose-laden trellis. The photographer announced the pose perfect, but Joe didn’t release her. Prolonging the embrace, he kissed her lightly at the ear. He escorted her back to the table in a way that felt proprietary, possessive. God help her, Sally enjoyed every moment. She wouldn’t spoil her fairy tale evening with thoughts of Joe’s return to Atlanta.

“When does the dancing start?” Fia asked later, as waiters cleared away their dishes and utensils.

“After the Queen’s Coronation.” Joe winked at Fia. “You and Brendan eager to rock ‘n’ roll?”

Fia waved off her brother. “I’d rather rumba, if they’ll play anything with a Latin beat.”

“I don’t think I’m ready to rumba, Joe.” Heat crawled up Sally’s neck. She’d made rumba sound like a euphemism for the horizontal tango.

Joe wiggled his eyebrows and grinned. “Well, you just let me know when you are ready to rumba and we’ll flee this joint!”

Sally giggled in spite of her embarrassment. “We can’t leave until the Queen is crowned.”

“Darn, I forgot.” Joe turned toward the five princesses seated near the stage. “I have to do the honors.”

Sally followed his gaze. “Your grandmother says the lucky winner is chosen by a spin of a wheel.”

“That’s what she said.” Joe glanced at his watch. “It’s almost ten now. Guess we’d better make our way up there.”

“We?”

He helped her up, then whispered against her hair, “Don’t make me do this by myself. Partners, remember?”

After crowning the Derby Queen and Knighting two people to the Court of Pegasus, Joe breathed a sigh of relief. His duty performed, he could now enjoy the evening with Sally. The Kentucky Derby Festival had always been a big deal to his family, but not to Joe. Only Sally made his duties tolerable.

Fia’s expressions throughout dinner told him she’d seen the way he could hardly keep his hands off his beautiful date. He’d tried to conceal his body’s response. Sally was his friend, his cohort. He’d hurt her for sure if he allowed his hormones to take over. She deserved a happily-ever-after ending. Joe couldn’t give anyone happy-ever-after. His head knew that. But he had to keep reminding his body.

The combo orchestra announced its first dance number, a lively swing. For Sally’s benefit, Joe chose to sit that one out.

Sally turned to watch Brendan and Fia glide to the dance floor. “He’s not so bad, Joe.”

“I know. I think I just need to get to know him better. It’s like your Dad.”

“What?” Sally stiffened.

“I misjudged him. I don’t pretend to understand the undercurrents between you two. But one thing I do know. He’s very protective of you. He made that clear.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, unable to mask her curiosity.

“The other day when I dropped by Mustang Sally’s looking for you, he and I had a chat.”

“Dad? A
chat?”

“Not that he said all that much,” Joe added with a shrug. “He’s, er, economical with his words.”

Sally smiled. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“He doesn’t intend to leave you alone at the shop. I don’t know if he’d want you to know that, but he’s worried about you. He warned me off, too.”

“What?”

Joe smiled. “He said, and I quote, ‘I don’t want Sally hurt.’ That’s all he said. He gave me one of those father’s looks. He’s worried I’ll break your heart.”

“Yeah, right. Believe me, Dad doesn’t care about my love life, not that I have one.”