To Love, Honor and Betray (15 page)

Gripping the photo, he whirled around, causing four construction workers to spit curses as he knocked past them on the sidewalk. Eduardo caught up with Sanchez just as his sedan was pulling from the curb. Yanking open the back door, Eduardo threw himself inside. “The airport!” he panted. “I need to see my wife—now!”

Sanchez gave him an enormous smile. “Yes, sir!”

He stomped on the gas, and Eduardo pulled out his phone to call Mrs. McAuliffe about the change in plans. Before he could, his phone rang in his hand. He saw Keith Johnson’s number. Scowling, he turned the sound to Mute. But after he hung up with Mrs. McAuliffe, as the car crossed the George Washington Bridge, his phone buzzed again. Looking down, he saw his lawyer’s number and a chill went down his spine.

His lawyer
.

Did that mean …

Could it be …

Eduardo narrowed his eyes. No. As the phone stopped, then urgently started to vibrate a second time, Eduardo rolled down the window, and tossed it into the Hudson.

It wasn’t too late for him to change. He wouldn’t let it be.

He made it to the airport as his jet was warming up, and took his place on the jet bound for North Dakota. Refusing his surprised flight attendant’s offer of his usual martini, Eduardo paced back and forth across the cabin for hours, planning what he would say to Callie. He tried to write down his feelings then finally gave up in disgust. He would pray that once he saw her, he’d know what to say.

Sitting restlessly in the white leather seat by the window, he felt like a jangle of nerves. Wishing the jet could go faster, he looked down through the wispy clouds and watched the green rolling hills of the East Coast slowly transform to the flat, brownish landscape of the northern prairies.

When they finally landed at the tiny airport outside of Fern, his legs were shaking as he went down the steps to the tarmac. The airport was just like he remembered when he’d visited so long ago, the day Callie had come to meet
him as the local office liaison. But this time, he had no staff. He was alone.

Eduardo had forgotten what it was like to exist without layers of employees and servants insulating him from the real world. He felt clumsy, trying to remember how to do things himself, with no assistants. No bodyguards. On impulse, he stopped at the airport’s single shop to buy Callie some flowers and an eight-dollar box of chocolates. The place was deserted, and it took five long minutes before the salesclerk even noticed he was there, and came out from the back to ring up his order.

But Eduardo didn’t chew him out. He didn’t try to throw his weight around. He no longer wanted to rule this town. He wanted to fit in. He was suddenly desperate to be part of Callie’s world, if only she would let him.

He didn’t go completely unnoticed. At the car rental counter, the female clerk looked at his face, then his credit card. Her jaw fell open, and her gum almost fell out of her mouth.

“Eduardo Cruz?” she said faintly. “The Eduardo Cruz? The owner of Cruz Oil?”

“Don’t hold it against me.” Impatient as he was to find Callie, he gave her his best attempt at a grin. “I, um, seem to have lost my phone. Do you happen to know the way to the Woodville farm? Walter and Jane Woodville’s place?”

“Of course I know it.” The young woman chewed her gum thoughtfully. “At the corner of Rural Route 12 and Old County Road. I went to school with their daughter.” Her eyes darkened. “I saw her driving around in the Rolls-Royce yesterday….”

“Thank you. She’s the one I came to see—”

“But she’s not at home,” she said. “I’m sorry to tell you this if you’re a friend, but she was in an accident. A car accident.”

Eduardo nearly staggered back. “What?”

“That car was smashed right up,” she said sadly.

Car accident
. Memories went through him of when he’d heard of his mother’s death in a smash-up on a treacherous road on the Costa del Sol. An icicle of stark fear went down his spine. “You are mistaken,” he said faintly. “That car is very safe….”

“Some kids were riding bicycles in the middle of the road. Her fiancé swerved, and the car smashed straight into a telephone pole. She’s in critical condition at County General …”

Eduardo reached across the counter, his eyes wild. “Who’s her fiancé? Who is he?”

“Brandon McLinn …”

He didn’t wait to hear more. He grabbed a map off the counter.

“Mr. Cruz, I really am sorry—”

Running to his rental car, he drove for the hospital, racing down the highway at a hundred miles an hour. If he got pulled over by a policeman, he knew he’d go to jail. But he didn’t give a damn.

He couldn’t lose her. Not now …

Anguish gripped his throat. He could have been with her all this time. He could have been chasing her the last two months, trying to make her forgive him, trying to be the man she deserved. Instead he’d let her go. Why couldn’t he have just treated her right from the beginning? Why had he wasted so much time trying to control their lives? Control was the illusion, not love. There was no such thing as perfect safety. No such thing as perfect control. You couldn’t make someone love you. And even if you did, you couldn’t make it last forever.

People left. People died.

But love endured. He could choose to love Callie with
all his heart and strength, love her with full knowledge of both her flaws and his own; love her with every ounce of his being until the day he died. That was his choice.

He’d once told her that love changed nothing. It was wrong. It changed everything.

Clutching the steering wheel, he prayed he’d reach her in time. Callie had to be all right. His daughter couldn’t grow up without a mother. He couldn’t live without his wife.

The afternoon sunlight cast the waving fields in a golden glow beneath the wide blue skies. He increased his speed to a hundred and twenty, as fast as the little rental car would go along the empty highway.

Don’t leave me
, Eduardo begged soundlessly.
Don’t leave me
.

I
T HAD
been a horrible night. And a very long day.

Callie rose achingly from the chair by her sister’s hospital bed. She needed coffee or fresh air. She was still wearing the same purple sweatpants and T-shirt from yesterday, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. They’d all been awake through the night, and now, in late afternoon, everyone had collapsed with exhaustion. Brandon was curled up in a chair on the other side of Sami’s bed, and Jane and Walter had fallen asleep on the couch, her mother’s head on her father’s shoulder, and baby Marisol snoring loudly against her grandpa’s chest.

Callie quietly left the hospital room. Once she was safely in the hallway, she took a deep breath and sagged back against the door, covering her face with her hands. It was all her fault. If she hadn’t given them the car they wouldn’t have taken the detour through town. They wouldn’t have been in the accident.

Tears burned Callie’s eyes. But the crisis was past. Her sister would recover.

She was grateful beyond measure, but the tears weren’t just out of gratitude. Callie had a good reason to feel an extra dose of anguish today. A private reason of her own …

She closed her eyes. She missed Eduardo so much. His handsome face. His glowing dark eyes. And his voice. She
could almost hear it now, rough with an edge of Spanish accent.

“Where’s my wife? Where is she, damn you?” The man’s voice echoed down the hallways of the small hospital. “I want to see her
now
!”

She knew that voice. She still dreamed about it every night. Slowly Callie turned.

And saw Eduardo arguing at the nurses’ station down the hall. His black hair was rumpled, and so was his suit. She’d never seen him so disheveled before, so completely out-of-place, so handsome and powerful and everything she’d ever wanted.

“Eduardo,” she choked out.

At the end of the hall, he turned and saw her. With a sob, she started toward him at a run, in the same instant he started running for her.

They fell into each other’s arms, and it was only when Callie actually felt him, strong and solid beneath her hands, that she knew for sure it wasn’t a dream. She felt his protective, steadying arms around her and all the fear and shock of the last twenty-four hours fell away. She no longer had to be strong for her family. She burst into tears.

“Callie, Callie,” he whispered fervently, kissing her forehead. “You’re all right. Thank God, you’re all right.”

Pulling back, he looked down at her, his eyes glistening suspiciously in the hospital’s fluorescent lights. Then he wrapped his powerful arms around her tightly, holding her as if he never wanted to let her go. Callie exhaled for the first time in two months, weeping with the joy of being again in his arms.

“You’re safe,” he breathed, stroking her hair as she pressed her face against his chest. “Safe.”

Wiping her eyes, she looked at him in confusion. “But
what are you even doing here? I thought you were in New York?”

“Would you believe me if I said I was in the neighborhood?”

She smiled weakly.

“I, um, brought you some flowers and candy.” Looking around, he cursed softly. “They are here somewhere …”

“Oh. Right.” Her heart dropped. With all the worry about her sister’s accident, she’d forgotten his week started today. She said dully, “You’re here for Marisol.”

Eduardo stared at her, his dark eyes infinite and deep as the ocean. “I’m here for you.” He took her hands in his own. “Come back to me, Callie. Give me one more chance.”

“What?” she breathed.

“Be my wife. Let me be your partner, by your side. Let me spend the rest of my life loving you. And striving to deserve your love in return.”

Her voice caught in her throat. “I …”

He gave her an unsteady smile. “I’m too late, aren’t I?”

“Too late?”

He looked past her ear. “You’ve moved on.”

Turning around, she saw Brandon peeking out of her sister’s door, his face questioning before he ducked back. Frowning, Callie turned back at Eduardo. “What are you talking about?”

“The girl at the car rental counter told me about your accident. She also told me that you’re engaged. You and Brandon.” His eyes were bleak as he tried to smile. “I guess I should offer my congratulations.”

Callie nearly staggered back with shock.

“You don’t know,” she whispered. Sudden rising joy filled her heart, choking her with hope. “The engagement announcement was on my mom’s web page days ago. It
was even in the newspaper this morning. But
you don’t know
.”

Eduardo shook his head, his jaw tight, his eyes forlorn. “I fired my investigator two months ago. Told my lawyers not to talk about you. I even threw away my phone.”

“Your
phone
?”

“I was mad at it.” He gave her a small smile. “I still do some stupid things. But my therapist says there’s hope …”

“Your therapist!” she cried, nearly falling over in shock.

“Talking about the past has helped me understand the choices I’ve made as an adult. And why I was so afraid to love you.” He took a deep breath. “Because I do love you, Callie. So much.” He looked down at the green cracked tiles of the floor. “Brandon is … he is a good man. I know he’ll make you happy.”

Moving closer, she reached up and lifted his chin. “Brandon and I aren’t together. He’s engaged to my sister.”

Slowly Eduardo lifted his head. Shock filled his expression, followed by savage joy. “Your sister?”

“I gave them the car yesterday and she was hurt in the crash.” She pressed her lips together. “We were worried. For a few hours last night the doctors weren’t sure she’d make it. She lost a lot of blood. But she came out of surgery this morning and the doctors say she’ll be fine. She just needs a lot of rest.”

“Thank God.” He hugged her close and whispered, “So she’s engaged to Brandon. I always knew I liked her.”

She pressed her cheek against his shirt, and her tears made the fabric wet as she sniffled. “Ever since it happened, all I could think about was that I wished you were here. So you could hold me and tell me that everything would be all right.”

“Oh,
querida
.” For a long moment, he held her tightly then he looked down at her. “I know I’m selfish and ruthless
and occasionally a jerk. There will be times in the future you’ll want to punch me. But give me one more chance to love you. Just say the word,” he vowed, “and I will never again leave your side.”

She started to speak, but he put his finger to her lips. “Before you give your answer,” he whispered, “let me finish my argument….”

Lowering his mouth to hers, he kissed her in an embrace so pure and breathless and true that it left her in no doubt of his love for her, and so passionate it left her dizzy and swaying in his arms.

She looked up at him.

“Stay with me, Eduardo,” she breathed, blinking back tears. “Don’t ever go.”

His dark eyes lit up with joy. “Callie—”

“I love you,” she whispered, and he kissed her again, so long and hard that several members of the hospital staff cleared their throats and made loud comments suggesting they
get a room
before Eduardo finally pulled away.

“I wish I’d done things differently from the start,” he said against her hair. “That I’d given you a real wedding, and asked your father for your hand …” He snorted, his eyes twinkling as he confessed, “Do you know I actually tried to write you a poem on the flight here?”

“You did?”

“A love poem.”

“A love poem from the great Eduardo Cruz.” Giggling, Callie shook her head. “Now that is something I really, really want to read.”

“Not in this lifetime. You’d laugh yourself silly.”

“I could do with a laugh.” Callie put her hand on his hard, rough cheek, then slowly traced down his throat, to linger against his chest. “And we both know you’ll give it to me sooner or later.”

She felt him shiver beneath his touch. “Yes,” he said huskily. “I will.” He took a deep breath as he cupped her face. “I will give you everything. Everything I have. Everything I am. Both the good and bad.”

“For better or for worse.” Rising on her tiptoes, she kissed him again, in clear and complete defiance of the hospital staff. She felt the hard, satin strength of his lips, felt the heat of his tongue brush against her own. She wanted to kiss him forever. And she could. She was his wife….

Callie pulled back with a horrified gasp, her eyes wide.

“What is it,
querida
?”

“I signed the divorce papers yesterday!” she wailed. She gave a choked sob as she threw her arms around him. “Oh, Eduardo. We’re divorced!”

He blinked then slow joy lifted his handsome features, like the rise of the first spring dawn after endless cold winter. He gave a low laugh. Lifting her chin, he stroked her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. “Oh, my love. That’s the best news you could have given me.”

She blinked in shock. “It—is?”

“Of course it is.” He smiled down at her, then leaning forward, he whispered, “This time we’re going to do it right.”

It was a warm evening in late July as Callie stepped out of her parents’ farmhouse to the porch, where her father was waiting in the twilight.

Walter Woodville turned then gasped as he saw his eldest daughter in her wedding gown. “You look beautiful, pumpkin.”

Callie looked down shyly at the 1950s-style, tea-length gown in ivory lace. “Thanks to Mom. She did the alterations from Grandma’s dress.”

“Your Mama always makes everything beautiful. And so do you.” Tears rose to his eyes as he whispered, “I’m so proud to be your father.” His voice was suspiciously rough. Clearing his throat, he held out his arm. “Are you ready?”

She walked with him the short distance across the gravel driveway. The rising moon glowed across the wide ocean of her father’s barley fields. The night was quiet and magical. Fireflies glowed through the sapphire night. As they went toward the barn, she could hear the cicadas at a distance, but even their eerie singing wasn’t enough to drown the loud drumbeat of her heart.

Clutching her father’s arm with one hand, and a bouquet of bright pink Gerbera daisies in the other, Callie looked back at the farmhouse. Her childhood home was a little careworn, with yellow paint peeling in spots. But it was snug and warm and full of good memories. She looked at the swing on the porch, at her mother’s red flowers in pots. So many memories. So much love.

“I just hope we do everything right,” she whispered.

Her father smiled. “You won’t.”

“Then I hope we do half as well as you and Mom.”

He put his hand over hers, his craggy face sparkling with tears. “You will. You two were made for each other. He’s a good one,” he said gruffly.

Callie resisted the urge to laugh. Her father had a new appreciation for Eduardo since their three days up at the fishing cabin in Wisconsin. Any man who could face Callie’s father, her four uncles and six male cousins, and Brandon, all with guns and hunting bows, was clearly man enough to be Walter’s son-in-law. The way Eduardo had humbly asked permission for his daughter’s hand in marriage hadn’t hurt, either.

Somehow, even Brandon and Eduardo had managed to bury the hatchet. The story she heard afterward was a
bit muddled, but apparently while they were at the cabin Brandon had nearly shot Eduardo in the foot with his hunting rifle. Callie was rather dubious about how this equaled friendship, but afterward the two men had drunk beer around the campfire. “Marrying you two Woodville sisters, we realized we needed to be allies,” Eduardo said with a grin, and Callie wasn’t sure whether she should be offended or not.

Eduardo had won Jane’s approval even more easily, simply through his vigorous appreciation for her cooking and fruit pies. “Although,” her mother had said coyly, “a few more grandchildren wouldn’t hurt.”

Eduardo had looked at Callie with a wicked grin, even as his voice said meekly, “Yes, ma’am.”

At the thought, Callie’s eyes welled up. She was finally sure about a question that had distracted her for days. She could hardly wait to tell Eduardo …

“Don’t cry!” her father said, aghast. He pulled a handkerchief from his coat to dab at the corner of her eye. “Your mother would never forgive me if she thought I said something that smeared your makeup.”

“I’m not crying,” Callie wept. Blinking back tears of his own, he patted her hand and led her past the outdoor reception area, which had a temporary dance floor lit up by torches and surrounded by coolers full of beer and the finest champagne. They reached the barn, and Callie stood in the huge open doorway in her wedding gown beside her father, who was beaming with pride.

The music on the guitar changed to an acoustic version of the Bridal March. All at once, her friends and family rose from the benches used as makeshift pews, gasping as they stared at Callie.

But she had eyes only for Eduardo.

He stood at the end of the aisle, handsome in a vintage
suit. His dark eyes lit up when he saw her, and he looked dazzled. He was flanked by the best man and maid of honor, who themselves were planning to wed in just two months’ time. Sami’s leg still hadn’t completely healed, and she used a crutch, but she glowed with happiness. So did Brandon, every time he looked at her. He’d cheered Sami throughout her hospital stay by talking about the small farm they would buy once they wed, using the insurance check from the wrecked Rolls-Royce. Callie felt a lump in her throat as she looked at two of the people she loved most in the world, who were both happy at last.

And so was she.

Today, she would marry her best friend. But Eduardo wasn’t just her best friend. He was her soul mate, her lover, the man she trusted, the father of her child. The man she wanted to sleep with every night. The man she wanted to wake up to every morning. The man she wanted to fight with, to make love to. The man she wanted to yell at and laugh with. The man she wanted to love for the rest of her life. Her partner.

“Dearly beloved,” the parson began, “we are gathered here today …”

As he spoke the magical words that would make them once again man and wife, Callie looked at her once and future husband. Swaying lanterns glowed above them in vivid colors as Eduardo looked down at her. Love illuminated his chiseled, angular face. His dark eyes were deep with devotion.