before we announce.”
“Is this Buckmaster Hamilton’s doing?” He’d demanded, even though he could tell by her expression that it was.
“He will take a short break soon and come home,” she’d argued. “He wants to be here for our daughters when you and I announce our engagement. That isn’t too much to ask, is it?”
All he’d been able to do was shake his head. “If I were a suspicious man I might question if you were sincere about wanting to marry me or if this was just a ploy to win your husband back.”
Sarah had stepped to him and kissed him. “You know better than that. I’m nothing but a liability to Buck.”
He hadn’t been convinced. “Because if he left his wife and came back to you, it would hurt his political career. But if Angelina wasn’t in the picture—”
She shook her head. “Maybe you’re right, and he did something so horrible that I drove my car into the Yellowstone River that winter night so many years ago. Maybe I’ll never know the truth. But, for whatever reason, I see no future for me and Buck.”
Russell had taken her in his arms and held her, praying it was true but knowing Sarah still loved the man. If Buckmaster were free—
Fortunately, Buckmaster wasn’t free. Not only was he married to Angelina Broadwater Hamilton, but also he was wed to the idea of being the next president of the United States. Which meant Sarah was inconvenient. A liability, just as she’d said.
Russell was determined to give Sarah the life she deserved. “I understand why you’re upset,” he said now to his daughter. “Destry, I’ve gotten to know this woman. For her to leave her children like that...well, she had a good reason, just as there is a very good reason why she can’t remember.”
He didn’t dare tell her about his theory that Sarah’s brain had been wiped clean of the memories because Senator Buckmaster Hamilton didn’t want her to remember. “She’s the victim here, sweetheart.”
Destry shook her head. “Are you sure you aren’t just making excuses for her?”
Maybe he was. Late at night sometimes, he argued the same case with himself. He knew things about Sarah that would horrify his daughter. Like the way Sarah had returned to Beartooth. She’d parachuted from a plane at low altitude. She had no memory of it, but he was convinced that whoever was behind her memory loss was using her. If he had to name that person, it would be Senator Buckmaster Hamilton.
Since Sarah’s supposedly untimely return, his standings in the presidential race had only improved tenfold. He was a shoo-in for the Republican nomination now. His allegedly “crazy” first wife had taken a beating in the press, while Buckmaster had garnered all the sympathy.
“I just need you to trust me on this,” he said, stepping to his daughter. Destry hadn’t known that he’d fathered her until a few years ago. He’d worked as ranch manager at the W Bar G Ranch, so he’d seen her grow up. She’d always come to him with her problems instead of the man she believed to be her father, W. T. Grant. Russel and his wife, Judy, had never had any children. But now with her gone, he was lonely. He saw Destry and his grandchildren as often as he could, but it wasn’t the same as having a partner to share the rest of his life with.
“I want to get on with my life. Can you wish me well?”
Destry searched his gaze for a long moment. “I know you’ve been lonely since you lost Judy, and I can even understand how you might have fallen for this woman, but are you sure you want Sarah Hamilton around your grandchildren? Think about that, Dad.”
* * *
“YOUR DAUGHTERS HAVE been in my jewelry again,” Angelina complained as Senator Buckmaster Hamilton walked into their bedroom.
He groaned inwardly. “I really doubt—”
“My watch is missing. You know the one with my name engraved inside it. It was the first present you gave me. Don’t you remember? You said it was because I’m never on time.”
“I doubt you’ll miss it since you never looked at it. You’re still never on time,” he said.
“Why would one of them want that watch unless they knew how much it meant to me?” she asked, sounding close to tears.
“None of them would take your watch, especially with your name engraved on it. I’m sure it will turn up. Your missing things always do.”
“That’s because one of your daughters finally returns whatever she took.”
He sighed loudly, sick of this and the other arguments they kept having.
“It’s true,” she said, turning, hands on her hips. “You always take up for them.”
“And you always blame them for everything.”
His wife narrowed her gaze as she studied him. “You’ve been to see Sarah.”
He should have known that Sarah would be next. If Angelina wasn’t complaining about his daughters, she was complaining about his former wife. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take.
“Angelina, we just got home. I have barely gotten unpacked and I had a meeting this morning with some constituents.” He was doing his best not to lie. But if he told Angelina, they would have a huge row. If she had her way, he’d never see Sarah again.
She was eyeing him suspiciously. “If you haven’t seen her, then how do you explain that hangdog look you always get after one of your secret rendezvous? Come to think of it, you’ve had that look pretty much since the last time we were home.” She stepped toward him. Her gaze was like a laser as she prodded at him. “What’s going on?”
The woman was much more intuitive than he’d ever imagined. Sarah had also brought out a suspicious nature in Angelina that he’d never known existed. He knew she’d keep after him until he told her. He also knew how she’d take the news. That’s why he hadn’t told her about Sarah’s engagement to Russell Murdock.
In truth, he was hoping that Sarah would change her mind. He’d been shocked when she’d told him and had had a terrible time hiding how upset he’d been ever since.
His first love, Sarah still seemed like his wife. True, since her shocking return from the dead, he felt as if he had two wives. Legally, he had only one. But tell that to his heart.
Now Angelina would be over the moon with joy when she found out Sarah would be getting married to Russell. Angelina wouldn’t have to be worried about the other woman in his life anymore. In the fifteen years they’d been married, the woman had never shown even the slightest bit of jealousy.
That was until his first wife had returned. The worst part was that Angelina had every reason to be jealous. He’d thought he’d gotten over Sarah’s death and the anger he’d felt when he’d learned that it hadn’t been an accident. But the moment he saw her again, he knew he’d only been lying to himself. He still loved her. He’d never stopped loving her.
“Well?” Angelina was impatiently waiting for an answer. Just the mention of Sarah always set her off. Hell, she’d even hired a private investigator to try to discover not only where Sarah had been the past twenty-two years but also to dig
