That christmas magic, p.10
That Christmas Magic, page 10
He seemed to imply things would grow easier with time. Jo Marie sincerely doubted that they ever would.
“You’ll come?” he prompted softly.
Slowly she nodded. Jo Marie hadn’t realized how tense she was until she exhaled and felt some of the coiled tightness leave her body. “Yes, I’ll…be at the party.” Her breathy stammer spoke volumes.
“And wear the dress I gave you?”
She ended up nodding again, her tongue unable to form words.
“I’ve dreamed of you walking into my arms wearing that dress,” he added on a husky tremor, then shook his head as if he regretted having spoken.
Being alone with him in the close confines of the car was torture. Her once restless fingers lay limp in her lap. Jo Marie didn’t know how she was going to avoid Andrew when Kelly seemed to be constantly throwing them together. But she must for her own peace of mind…she must.
* * *
—
All too quickly the brief respite of her trip to Mazatlán was over. Saturday arrived and Kelly and Jo Marie were brought to Andrew’s home, which was a faithful reproduction of an antebellum mansion.
The dress he’d purchased was hanging in the closet of the bedroom she was to share with Kelly. Her friend threw herself across the canopy bed and exhaled on a happy sigh.
“Isn’t this place something?”
Jo Marie didn’t answer for a moment, her gaze falling on the dress that hung alone in the closet. “It’s magnificent.” There was little else that would describe this palace. The house was a three-story structure with huge white pillars and dark shutters. It faced the Mississippi River and had a huge garden in the back. Jo Marie learned that it was his mother who took an avid interest in the wide variety of flowers that grew in abundance there.
The rooms were large, their walls adorned with paintings and works of art. If Jo Marie was ever to doubt Andrew’s wealth and position, his home would prove to be a constant reminder.
“Drew built it himself,” Kelly explained with a proud lilt to her voice. “I don’t mean he pounded in every nail, but he was here every day while it was being constructed. It took months.”
“I can imagine.” And no expense had been spared from the look of things.
“I suppose we should think about getting ready,” Kelly continued. “I don’t mind telling you that I’ve had a queasy stomach all day dreading this thing.”
Kelly had! Jo Marie nearly laughed aloud. This party had haunted her all week. Even Mazatlán hadn’t been far enough away to dispel the feeling of dread.
Jo Marie could hear the music drifting in from the reception hall by the time she had put on the finishing touches of her makeup. Kelly had already joined Andrew. A quick survey in the full-length mirror assured her that the beautiful gown was the most elegant thing she would ever own. The reflection that came back to her of a tall, regal woman was barely recognizable as herself. The dark crown of curls was styled on top of her head with a few stray tendrils curling about her ears. A lone strand of pearls graced her neck.
Self-consciously she moved from the room, closing the door. From the top of the winding stairway, she looked down on a milling crowd of arriving guests. Holding in her breath, she placed her gloved hand on the polished bannister, exhaled, and made her descent. Keeping her eyes on her feet for fear of tripping, Jo Marie was surprised when she glanced down to find Andrew waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase.
As he gave her his hand, their eyes met and held in a tender exchange. “You’re beautiful.”
The deep husky tone in his voice took her breath away and Jo Marie could do nothing more than smile in return.
Taking her hand, Andrew tucked it securely in the crook of his elbow and led her into the room where the other guests were mingling. Everyone was meeting for drinks in the huge living room and once the party was complete they would be moving up to the ballroom on the third floor. The evening was to culminate in a midnight buffet.
With Andrew holding her close by his side, Jo Marie had little option but to follow where he led. Moving from one end of the room to the other, he introduced her to so many people that her head swam trying to remember their names. Fortunately, Kelly and Andrew’s engagement hadn’t been officially announced and Jo Marie wasn’t forced to make repeated explanations. Nonetheless, she was uncomfortable with the way he was linking the two of them together.
“Where’s Kelly?” Jo Marie asked under her breath. “She should be the one with you. Not me.”
“Kelly’s with Mark on the other side of the room.”
Jo Marie faltered in midstep and Andrew’s hold tightened as he dropped his arm and slipped it around her slim waist. “With Mark?” She couldn’t imagine her brother attending this party. Not feeling the way he did about Andrew.
Not until they were upstairs and the music was playing did Jo Marie have an opportunity to talk to her brother. He was sitting against the wall in a high-backed mahogany chair with a velvet cushion. Kelly was at his side. Jo Marie couldn’t recall a time she’d seen her brother dress so formally or look more handsome. He’d had his hair trimmed and was clean shaven. She’d never dreamed she’d see Mark in a tuxedo.
“Hello, Mark.”
Her brother looked up, guilt etched on his face. “Jo Marie.” Briefly he exchanged looks with Kelly and stood, offering Jo Marie his seat.
“Thanks,” she said as she sat and slipped the high-heeled sandals from her toes. “My feet could use a few moments’ rest.”
“You certainly haven’t lacked for partners,” Kelly observed happily. “You’re a hit, Jo Marie. Even Mark was saying he couldn’t believe you were his sister.”
“I’ve never seen you look more attractive,” Mark added. “But then I bet you didn’t buy that dress out of petty cash either.”
If there was a note of censure in her brother’s voice, Jo Marie didn’t hear it. “No.” Absently her hand smoothed the silk skirt. “It was a gift from Andrew…and Kelly.” Hastily she added her roommate’s name. “I must admit though, I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Andrew extended the invitation personally,” Mark replied, holding his back ramrod stiff as he stared straight ahead.
Not understanding, Jo Marie glanced at her roommate. “Mark came for me,” Kelly explained, her voice soft and vulnerable. “Because I…because I wanted him here.”
“We’re both here for you, Kelly,” Jo Marie reminded her and punctuated her comment by arching her brows.
“I know, and I love you both for it.”
“Would you care to dance?” Mark held out his hand to Kelly, taking her into his arms when they reached the boundary of the dance floor as if he never wanted to let her go.
Confused, Jo Marie watched their progress. Kelly was engaged to be married to Andrew, yet she was gazing into Mark’s eyes as if he were her knight in shining armor who had come to slay dragons on her behalf. When she’d come upon them, they’d acted as if she had intruded on their very private party.
Jo Marie saw Andrew approach her, his brows lowered as if something had displeased him. His strides were quick and decisive as he wove his way through the throng of guests.
“I’ve been looking for you. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever get a chance to dance with you.” The pitch of his voice suggested that she’d been deliberately avoiding him. And she had.
Jo Marie couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze, afraid of what he could read in her eyes. All night she’d been pretending it was Andrew who was holding her and yet she’d known she wouldn’t be satisfied until he did.
“I believe this dance is mine,” he said, presenting her with his hand.
Peering up at him, a smile came and she paused to slip the strap of her high heel over her ankle before standing.
Once on the dance floor, his arms tightened around her waist, bringing her so close that there wasn’t a hair’s space between them. He held her securely as if challenging her to move. Jo Marie discovered that she couldn’t. This inexplicable feeling was beyond argument. With her hands resting on his muscular shoulders, she leaned her head against his broad chest and sighed her contentment.
She spoke first. “It’s a wonderful party.”
“You’re more comfortable now, aren’t you?” His fingers moved up and down her back in a leisurely exercise, drugging her with his firm caress against her bare skin.
“What do you mean?” She wasn’t sure she understood his question and slowly lifted her gaze.
“Last week, you stayed on the outskirts of the crowd afraid of joining in or being yourself.”
“Last week I was terrified that someone would recognize me as the one who had once demonstrated against you. I didn’t want to do anything that would embarrass you,” she explained dryly. Her cheek was pressed against his starched shirt and she thrilled to the uneven thump of his heart.
“And this week?”
“Tonight anyone who looked at us would know that we’ve long since resolved our differences.”
She sensed more than felt Andrew’s soft touch. The moment was quickly becoming too intimate. Using her hands for leverage, Jo Marie straightened, creating a space between them. “Does it bother you to have my brother dance with Kelly?”
Andrew looked back at her blankly. “No. Should it?”
“She’s your fiancée.” To the best of Jo Marie’s knowledge, Andrew hadn’t said more than a few words to Kelly all evening.
A cloud of emotion darkened his face. “She’s wearing my ring.”
“And…and you care for her.”
Andrew’s hold tightened painfully around her waist. “Yes, I care for Kelly. We’ve always been close.” His eyes darkened to the color of burnt silver. “Perhaps too close.”
The applause was polite when the dance number finished.
Jo Marie couldn’t escape fast enough. She made an excuse and headed for the powder room. Andrew wasn’t pleased and it showed in the grim set of his mouth, but he didn’t try to stop her. Things weren’t right. Mark shouldn’t be sitting like an avenging angel at Kelly’s side and Andrew should at least show some sign of jealousy.
When she returned to the ballroom, Andrew was busy and Jo Marie decided to sort through her thoughts in the fresh night air. A curtained glass door that led to the balcony was open, and unnoticed she slipped silently into the dark. A flash of white captured her attention and Jo Marie realized she wasn’t alone. Inadvertently, she had invaded the private world of two young lovers. With their arms wrapped around each other they were locked in a passionate embrace. Smiling softly to herself, she turned to escape as silently as she’d come. But something stopped her. A sickening knot tightened her stomach.
The couple so passionately embracing were Kelly and Mark.
Six
Jo Marie woke just as dawn broke over a cloudless horizon. Standing at the bedroom window, she pressed her palms against the sill and surveyed the beauty of the landscape before her. Turning, she glanced at Kelly’s sleeping figure. Her hands fell limply to her side as her face darkened with uncertainty. Last night while they’d prepared for bed, Jo Marie had been determined to confront her friend with the kiss she’d unintentionally witnessed. But when they’d turned out the lights, Kelly had chatted happily about the success of the party and what a good time she’d had. And Jo Marie had lost her nerve. What Mark and Kelly did wasn’t any of her business, she mused. In addition, she had no right to judge her brother and her friend when she and Andrew had done the same thing.
The memory of Andrew’s kiss produced a breathlessness, and surrendering to the feeling, Jo Marie closed her eyes. The infinitely sweet touch of his mouth seemed to have branded her. Her fingers shook as she raised them to the gentle curve of her lips. Jo Marie doubted that she would ever feel the same overpowering rush of sensation at another man’s touch. Andrew was special, her dream man. Whole lifetimes could pass and she’d never find anyone she’d love more. The powerful ache in her heart drove her to the closet where a change of clothes was hanging.
Dawn’s light was creeping up the stairs, awaking a sleeping world, when Jo Marie softly clicked the bedroom door closed. Her overnight bag was clenched tightly in her hand. She hated to sneak out, but the thought of facing everyone over the breakfast table was more than she could bear. Andrew and Kelly needed to be alone. Time together was something they hadn’t had much of lately. This morning would be the perfect opportunity for them to sit down and discuss their coming marriage. Jo Marie would only be an intruder.
Moving so softly that no one was likely to hear her, Jo Marie crept down the stairs to the wide entry hall. She was tiptoeing toward the front door when a voice behind her interrupted her quiet departure.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Releasing a tiny, startled cry, Jo Marie dropped the suitcase and held her hand to her breast.
“Andrew, you’ve frightened me to death.”
“Just what are you up to?”
“I’m…I’m leaving.”
“That’s fairly easy to ascertain. What I want to know is why.” His angry gaze locked with hers, refusing to allow her to turn away.
“I thought you and Kelly should spend some time together and…and I wanted to be gone this morning before everyone woke.” Regret crept into her voice. Maybe sneaking out like this wasn’t such a fabulous idea, after all.
He stared at her in the dim light as if he could examine her soul with his penetrating gaze. When he spoke again, his tone was lighter. “And just how did you expect to get to town. Walk?”
“Exactly.”
“But it’s miles.”
“All the more reason to get an early start,” she reasoned.
Andrew studied her as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Is running away so important that you would sneak out of here like a cat burglar and not tell anyone where you’re headed?”
How quickly her plan had backfired. By trying to leave unobtrusively she’d only managed to offend Andrew when she had every reason to thank him. “I didn’t mean to be rude, although I can see now that I have been. I suppose this makes me look like an ungrateful house guest.”
His answer was to narrow his eyes fractionally.
“I want you to know I left a note that explained where I was going to both you and Kelly. It’s on the nightstand.”
“And what did you say?”
“That I enjoyed the party immensely and that I’ve never felt more beautiful in any dress.”
A brief troubled look stole over Andrew’s face. “Once,” he murmured absently. “Only once have you been more lovely.” There was an unexpectedly gentle quality to his voice.
Her eyelashes fluttered closed. Andrew was reminding her of that February night. He too hadn’t been able to forget the Mardi Gras. After all this time, after everything that had transpired since, neither of them could forget. The spell was as potent today as it had been those many months ago.
“Is that coffee I smell?” The question sought an invitation to linger with Andrew. Her original intent had been to escape so that Kelly could have the opportunity to spend this time alone with him. Instead, Jo Marie was seeking it herself. To sit in the early light of dawn and savor a few solitary minutes alone with Andrew was too tempting to ignore.
“Come and I’ll get you a cup.” Andrew led her toward the back of the house and his den. The room held a faint scent of leather and tobacco that mingled with the aroma of musk and spice.
Three walls were lined with leather-bound books that reached from the floor to the ceiling. Two wing chairs were angled in front of a large fireplace.
“Go ahead and sit down. I’ll be back in a moment with the coffee.”
A contented smile brightened Jo Marie’s eyes as she sat and noticed the leather volume she’d given him lying open on the ottoman. Apparently he’d been reading it when he heard the noise at the front of the house and had left to investigate.
Andrew returned and carefully handed her the steaming earthenware mug. His eyes followed her gaze, which rested on the open book. “I’ve been reading it. This is a wonderful book. Where did you ever find something like this?”
“I’ve known about it for a long time, but there were only a few volumes available. I located this one about three months ago in a used-book store.”
“It’s very special to me because of the woman who bought it for me.”
“No.” Jo Marie’s eyes widened as she lightly tossed her head from side to side. “Don’t let that be the reason. Appreciate the book for all the interesting details it gives of New Orleans’ colorful past. Or admire the pictures of the city architects’ skill. But don’t treasure it because of me.”
Andrew looked for a moment as if he wanted to argue, but she spoke again.
“When you read this book ten, maybe twenty, years from now, I’ll only be someone who briefly passed through your life. I imagine you’ll have trouble remembering what I looked like.”
“You’ll never be anyone who flits in and out of my life.”
He said it with such intensity that Jo Marie’s fingers tightened around the thick handle of the mug. “All right,” she agreed with a shaky laugh. “I’ll admit I barged into your peaceful existence long before Kelly introduced us but—”
“But,” Andrew interrupted on a short laugh, “it seems we were destined to meet. Do you honestly believe that either of us will ever forget that night?” A faint smile touched his eyes as he regarded her steadily.
Jo Marie knew that she never would. Andrew was her dream man. It had been far more than mere fate that had brought them together, something almost spiritual.
“No,” she answered softly. “I’ll never forget.”
Regret moved across his features, creasing his wide brow and pinching his mouth. “Nor will I forget,” he murmured in a husky voice that sounded very much like a vow.
