Chapter One
To say Cheyenne Steele Westmoreland had been surprised by the birthday party was an understatement. Her husband, Quade Westmoreland, told her they would be attending a joint fundraiser in the nation’s capital for his brother, Senator Reggie Westmoreland, and his cousin, Senator Jess Outlaw. She hadn’t suspected a thing. The shocked look on her face when she’d entered the ballroom to everyone’s shouts of “Surprise!” was priceless.
Now Clint Westmoreland stood with a group of cousins and friends. As he glanced around, he noticed the arrival of an unknown guest. “Holy Toledo!” he exclaimed in shock. “Who is that guy who just walked in?”
Everyone turned toward the ballroom entrance. Chance Steele, one of Cheyenne’s cousins, answered, “That’s Matthew Caulder, Dominic’s best friend since childhood.”
Everybody knew that Dominic Saxon—the wealthy industrialist, hotel owner and shipping magnate—was married to Cheyenne’s sister, the former Taylor Steele. “Dominic and Matt were raised together as brothers,” Chance added.
Clint’s brother, Cole, and sister, Casey, quickly walked up, both wearing the same shocked look as Clint. The three were triplets. “Do you see that guy, Clint?” Casey asked her brother in a voice filled with astonishment.
“Yes, I see him,” Clint replied, still staring at the man.
“Hey, you’re all interested in the guy, but I want to know about the young woman with him,” Alisdare Westmoreland said. “Is that his wife, girlfriend, sister or daughter?”
It was obvious to everyone that Alisdare, who was in his late twenties, single and employed as an FBI agent, was probably hoping it was the latter.
“The young lady with Matt is his daughter,” Sebastian Steele, another of Cheyenne’s cousins, answered. He turned to the triplets. “Why the interest in Matt?”
Cole glanced over at Sebastian and said, “He’s the spitting image of our Uncle Sid.”
“And we want to know why,” his sister, Casey, tacked on.
* * *
The triplets’ strong display of shock had captured the attention of everyone in close proximity. Not far away, at the buffet table, Iris Michaels, best friend to Pam Novak Westmoreland, stared at the guy whose appearance seemed to have created the excitement. He appeared to be in his early forties, very handsome and distinguished looking.
Suddenly, their gazes met and held a little longer than necessary. In that brief moment, the look she shared with him unsettled her nerves. Their eye contact ended when Quade and Cheyenne approached him.
Iris released a deep breath. Never had her attraction to a man been so instant and volatile. Not even with Warren, the man she was presently dating exclusively. The same man she was unhappy with for standing her up after promising to fly in from Philadelphia to attend this party with her. He had bailed at the last minute. But then, it wasn’t the first time. The one thing Warrenwasn’twas dependable, but he had promised to work on it. She tried to be understanding. When you were CEO of a major corporation, there were demands on your time. Hopefully, one day, he would take her advice to stop micromanaging and delegate more.
She glanced around the ballroom, looking for Pam. She needed her best friend to tell her everything she knew about the stranger who was causing quite a stir…even with her.
* * *
Quade Westmoreland, along with his wife, Cheyenne, greeted the latest arrivals—Matt and his daughter, Deena.
“Happy birthday, Cheyenne,” Matt said to the honoree. “Sorry, we’re late, but we encountered bad weather leaving LA.”
“No apologies needed,” Cheyenne said, giving both hugs. “Thanks for coming.”
“We’re glad you got here safely,” Quade said, giving both hugs as well. “Welcome to DC. When Dominic offered us the use of this Saxon Hotel’s ballroom, we decided to have the party here instead of in Charlotte.”
“Did I hear my name?” Dominic Saxon asked, coming to join them. He gave his best friend a bear hug. “Glad you two made it. I heard about the bad weather in LA.”
He then looked at the young woman at Matt’s side. “And how is my favorite goddaughter?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “I am youronlygoddaughter, Goddaddy.”
Dominic smiled broadly. “That’s true. Every time I see you, I feel like I’m getting old. I can remember when Matt and I used to take turns picking you up from daycare.” He looked over his goddaughter’s shoulder and saw the Westmoreland triplets—Clint, Cole and Casey—headed their way with serious expressions on their faces.
“What’s going on with your cousins, Quade?” Dominic asked.
Quade followed his line of vision and said, “Heck if I know, but we’ll find out soon enough.”
When the triplets reached them, Quade asked his cousins, “Is anything wrong?”
“We’re not sure,” Clint, the oldest of the triplets, said. Not waiting for an introduction, he turned to Matt and extended his hand. “I’m Clint Westmoreland. This is my sister, Casey, and my brother, Cole.”
