groaned. “This isn’t like when I was a kid and I could be cute or invisible, depending on what your man of the hour wanted. It makes it sound like you’re trying to pimp me out.”
“Of course I’m not.” Maureen gave the suitcase’s zipper a hard pull, then let out a little cry. “The dress is caught in it. I’ve ruined it.” She turned and dropped to the bed, covering her face with her hands. “Caden Sharpe is going to ruin everything.”
“Don’t cry,” Lucy said when her mother’s shoulders began to shake. She’d always hated her mother’s tears. As a girl, she’d done everything in her power to keep Maureen’s spirit lifted. It was no easy task, especially after a breakup with whatever man Maureen had fallen in love with in any given month.
Lucy had too many memories of her mother in a weeping puddle on the bathroom floor, but even worse were the times when Maureen was quietly despondent. Those periods of depression had terrified Lucy because she never knew what her mother might do to end the pain.
Maureen was emotionally stronger now—at least, Lucy liked to believe she was. But the sound of quiet sobbing still tore across her chest, and she couldn’t seem to stop her panicked reaction that if things got bad enough, her mother might try something desperate.
Lucy gently pried the zipper open and smoothed her hand over the delicate fabric of the beautiful dress. “It’s fine. Not even a snag.”
“You don’t believe I love him.” Maureen kept her face buried in her hands.
“I believe you,” Lucy whispered. She believed her mother had convinced herself she loved Garrett Sharpe. But Lucy had seen Maureen head over heels too often not to have doubts about how this would end.
Maureen lifted her head and swiped her fingers across her cheeks. “I don’t care about his money.”
“We both know that’s not true.”
“It’s real this time, sweetie. I promise.”
“Have you told him everything?”
Maureen blanched. “I can’t. Not yet. He might not understand.”
Of course he won’t, Lucy thought. A year ago her mother had barely avoided a bigamy lawsuit when it was revealed her third divorce had not been finalized on the eve of what was to be her fourth wedding. Unfortunately, her wealthy boyfriend also happened to be the uncle of Lucy’s fiancé.
Lucy still blamed herself. She’d been in love with Peter Harmen and had erroneously thought Maureen would finally step into the role of supportive mother, allowing Lucy to have the happiness and security she’d craved for so many years. That didn’t happen.
Maureen had met Peter’s uncle, a famed fashion designer and owner of the exclusive boutique Lucy managed in Florida. After a whirlwind courtship even by Maureen’s standards—a whole eight days—the two had planned to be married, much to the consternation of the rest of the family.
Then the fact that Maureen was still legally married to Bobby Santino, her third husband and a former professional hockey player, had been revealed. Lucy had never liked Bobby, who had ended up being more of a scam artist than her mother in Maureen’s darkest moments. He’d returned before the wedding, attempting to extort money from Maureen to grant her the divorce she’d thought was finalized a year earlier when she’d sent her ex the papers to sign.
Her fiancé had ended the engagement, much to his family’s delight, but that hadn’t been enough. Peter’s cousins had wanted to make a public spectacle of Maureen, making an example of her to warn off any other potential women who thought their father might be an easy target.
To save her mom, Lucy had taken the blame, claiming she’d orchestrated the whole scenario by introducing her mother to the fashion designer and encouraging the courtship as a way to take control of the Harmen fashion dynasty. That couldn’t have been further from the truth.
The family had been happy to condemn Lucy as well, and Peter had been pressured to break things off with her by his uncle and cousins. She’d been fired from her job and blacklisted in the retail community. Lucy’s burgeoning career had been ruined, but she wouldn’t have changed her actions even to salvage her relationship with Peter.
Her role had always been protecting her mother. If she could eke out a bit of happiness or contentment during the times when Maureen was settled, so be it. Otherwise, she was constantly on call, ready to catch Maureen after her many inevitable falls.
Lucy had vowed that the fiasco with Peter would be the last time, but here she was, freezing her butt off in the high mountains of Colorado, the glass eyes of a stuffed caribou gazing down on her as she packed the rest of her mother’s things.
“Talk to him,” she said softly when she had the suitcase zipped up tight. “Garrett seems like a good man and he clearly adores you. Maybe—”
“Not until after the wedding.”
“Has Bobby signed the divorce papers?”
Maureen bit her bottom lip. “He will. He promised.”
“Mom, he’s a snake.”
Maureen stood and walked into the bathroom connected to the bedroom. Lucy heard the sound of drawers opening, then water running from a faucet. When her mother reappeared, a fresh coat of lipstick brightened her smile and she was pinching her cheeks to bring the color back into them. “Help me with Caden.” Her voice had returned to its normal raspy, girlish tone, somewhere between Marilyn Monroe and Betty Boop.
“Why didn’t you mention him to me before I got here?” Lucy asked, even though she knew the answer. “You made it sound like Garrett’s only son had died.”
“His older son, Tyson, was killed in a rock climbing accident two years ago. Apparently Caden had been estranged from them both before that.”
“Why?”
“An argument over a ‘no-good woman’ is all Garrett would say about it. I think he was ready to sell the ranch before that, but now that Caden’s running things, he feels like he has to stay out here.”
“Maybe he wants to stay,” Lucy offered.
Maureen shook her head. “He’s tired and this was the house he shared with his first wife. She died twenty years ago, and nothing has changed in all that time.” She glanced up at the mounted animal head and shuddered. “He needs a break.”
“With you?”
“I love him.”
It was difficult for Lucy to believe her mother could truly love anyone except herself. But there was no sense in arguing about it now.
“Promise me you’ll tell Garrett everything before the wedding, Mom. You can’t get married until Bobby signs the divorce papers.”
Her mom made a face. “Bobby’s my past, sweetie. Garrett is my future.”
“You can’t have a future until he knows. If your love is real, it will survive the truth.”
Maureen blinked. For a moment, her eyes lost their guarded quality, and Lucy could see so much hope and vulnerability
