The bartender handed Sofia the drink, and she turned to see Erin heading toward the private area.
Since she was the groom’s sister, Sofia didn’t try to stop her, and she nodded to the security guard to let him know that Erin should be allowed to pass.
“Let me know if you need anything,” she said to the security guy.
He nodded curtly but didn’t respond.
Sofia went inside and stood near the back wall, surveying the festivities.More people than normal were on the floor, showing off their moves, and some were even snapping selfies.How they managed that, she wasn’t sure.
It was less than two minutes later when Erin returned, a pained smile on her face, her shoulders slumped a little.
Sofia thought about seeing if there was anything she could do for Erin, but the woman headed straight out of the front door.
Other than that, Julien and his date’s visit went smoother than she’d anticipated, but she still breathed a sigh of relief when the country club manager let her know that a limousine had whisked away the Bonds party.
Several times during the next couple of hours, she caught Cade watching her, and she had to force herself to concentrate on her job and not the wild, crazy things he did to her insides.
* * * *
“When is it your turn?”
In the waning hour of the reception, with strains of music spilling from inside the country club, Cade thumbed back his cowboy hat and turned to face his younger sister.Half-sister, really.But the fierce and loyal Erin Donovan would protest that distinction.In her mind, as well as those of his half-brothers Connor and Nathan, they were family, no arguments.
Cade loved all of his siblings, but Erin most of all.Ever since she’d been a toddler, she’d been a pest, smothering him with adoration and love even when he didn’t want it or deserve it.“My turn?”he repeated, stalling.
“Don’t play dumb.When is it your turn to get married?”
“Not happening,” he replied, even though he knew she would push the point.Erin worried about him living all alone on the ranch.As far as she was concerned, there was nothing but cattle, deer, horses and wilderness in South Texas.It didn’t matter to her that he employed dozens of people, many of whom he interacted with on a daily basis.He also traveled more often than he would like.He drove to Corpus Christi at least once a week, flew to Houston almost every month for family business meetings, and he spent more time in the nearby town of Waltham than he cared to.
“Are you at least finally seeing someone?”she pressed.
“You know the answer to that,” he responded.
“I keep hoping.”
His father’s death had devastated him, shattering his sense of self in ways he was still trying to comprehend.It was almost as if that event had divided the old Cade from the new Cade.In his late teens and early twenties, he’d been a bit reckless.The whispers about him, the way he didn’t deserve the life of privilege he’d ended up with, had gnawed at him.He’d set out to banish the voices as well as to prove himself.He’d lived hard, tried to make his mark on the world, taken unnecessary chances bull riding, racing motorcycles then eventually, cars.
When Jeffrey Donovan had been buried, Cade had resolved to be a better man, to live up to the expectations placed on him.He’d thrown himself into his responsibilities and obligations, letting them consume him as he attempted to redeem himself.
He’d shut himself off from distractions, including dating.At one time he’d been active in the local BDSM community.Until this evening, when he’d walked through the door and met the curvy, sexy Sofia McBride, he hadn’t had much interest in women lately.His attraction to her had jolted him and he wasn’t sure he liked it.Hell, it had been at least three months since he’d attended a leather party, even longer since he’d hosted a submissive at the ranch.
Penance was a bitch.
Realizing that Erin had rested her fingers consolingly on his wrist, he shook off the melancholy.Tonight was supposed to be a celebration of love, of marriage, of the future.He wouldn’t be the one to bring it down.“How about you?”he asked, redirecting the conversation.
“Me?Seeing someone?Are you kidding me?”She dropped her hand.“I’m too busy helping Julie get the corset shop going in Kemah.And trying to find someone to run the foundation.I’m pinch-hitting for now, but…”
“You’re exhausted,” he guessed.
She shrugged.“It’s a lot of hours.”
As head of HR for Donovan Worldwide, Erin didn’t have an easy job.Filling high-level vacancies was difficult at best, and their aunt’s decision to spend more and more time with her younger beau complicated matters.The Donovan Foundation had always been run by a member of the family, but now they would have to look to an outsider to fill her position.
And, in spite of their youngest brother’s objections, Erin had gone ahead with plans to assist a friend in opening a fancy lingerie shop.When the woman had admitted she didn’t have the funds to open the store, Erin had supplied that, as well.No matter the challenge, she accepted it.
“How are plans coming for the centennial celebration?”she asked, changing topics to one Cade hated only slightly less than the subject of his non-existent love life.
The Running Wind Ranch, which had been in the family for five generations, was going to be celebrating its centennial in early fall.He would have pretended it wasn’t happening, but his grandfather, the Colonel, had recently announced that he wanted the family to host a gala, inviting neighbors, friends, vendors and business associates.Many of them had never been to the ranch.Others remembered a time the Colonel and Miss Libby had hosted grand events, the last one about twenty-five years ago.It was a headache Cade didn’t want, but a duty he knew he’d fulfill.“My mother said I personally have to check out the caterers.”
