that his thumb had traced lazy patterns over the smooth material of the red dress. That his hand had been somewhere on her body at most points during the evening. Her lower back, her arm, her hand, her face. He’d touched her almost incessantly.
Almost possessively.
He’d felt sorry for her and his Southern good manners had demanded he rescue her. That had to be it, right?
“I couldn’t be more pleased.”
Both girls spun as their father entered the room.
Entered? Ha. More like invaded the room. Because when Senator Cole Aston entered a room even imaginary dust took cover. A trail of servants followed, all scurrying to serve the great man his breakfast and to meet any need he might have before he could even voice his desire.
“Morning, Daddy,” Brooke cooed, blowing an air kiss in his direction as she popped a bite of melon into her mouth.
Glamour girl Brooke had always been their father’s favorite. Eleanor couldn’t blame him. Although the “it” party girl, Brooke never went so far as to cause their father to do more than shake his head with an indulgent smile. Her, on the other hand, he just didn’t understand. Why would she want to work so hard getting her medical degree when her financial security wasn’t an issue? Why work such long hours at a free hospital that she collapsed exhausted into sleep night after night when she could live a life of leisure, travel at whim as her mother and sister did?
She knew she was a disappointment and had been for most of her life. She’d been the pudgy, geeky, plain-Jane misfit who’d had to stand next to her handsome, intimidating father, her elegant, classically beautiful mother and her glamorous, much-loved and ever-popular, beauty-queen sister.
Yeah, she was pretty sure she’d been swapped at birth.
There was some dull, plain, geeky family out there scratching their heads at how they’d ended up with a beauty-queen daughter who thrived on the limelight.
“I didn’t realize you were back,” Eleanor ventured. He’d been in Washington, D.C., in meetings all week, which was why he hadn’t been able to attend the ribbon-cutting himself.
“Daddy, aren’t you going to say good morning?” Brooke pouted, tucking her leg beneath her in her chair and turning more fully toward him.
For once, the senator ignored Brooke and smiled—or as close as he got when a camera wasn’t present—at Eleanor. “I flew in late last night. You’ll bring him to my campaign fund-raiser next week, of course.”
Him? Then she noticed what he carried. A copy of the same newspaper Brooke had shoved at her. The one with the picture of her and Ty. Her father was happy about that? Really? Then again, he was probably just amazed that some man had paid attention to his elder daughter.
“He’s just a friend. Not even that, really. More of an acquaintance.” At the arch of his salt-and-pepper brow, Eleanor rushed on. “We work together at the hospital. He’s nobody, really.”
“He’s somebody all right, and I want him with you at the fund-raiser.”
Eleanor’s gaze met her sister’s. A still-pouting Brooke shrugged, obviously not having a clue what their father was talking about either.
“His family owns about half the state of Texas. If I ever throw my hat in to run for president, he’ll be our ace in the hole.”
She didn’t know which shocked her more. That her father already had her paired off with Ty, that Ty was wealthy or that her father thought he might someday run for president.
That he’d plan her life choices around what best garnered votes didn’t shock her in the slightest. She’d dealt with that her entire life.
“How do you know anything about Dr. Donaldson?” she asked slowly, knowing she wasn’t going to like his answer.
Her father’s gaze narrowed slightly at her calling Ty by his proper name. “I figured the son of a gun was just after your inheritance so I called my attorney first thing this morning and had a background check run.”
Because her father hadn’t believed any man would want her for herself, only for her cut of the Aston fortune. Great. Had he ever had any of Brooke’s many beaus checked out?
Probably not, since her sister never seemed interested in the same man for more than a week or two. Then again, perhaps the senator did have each one thoroughly investigated and perhaps that’s why none of them lasted more than a week—because they weren’t worthy of his precious baby girl.
“He checked out,” her father announced, sounding somewhere between smug and surprised.
“You’ve already gotten a report on his whole life history? Wow. That was fast work.” Head spinning, she took a deep breath. “Well, you wasted your time and money, because Dr. Donaldson is a colleague from work.” Sure, they’d had a great time the night before, but it wasn’t as if she expected him to actually call and ask her out. They were friends. Sort of. “Nothing more.”
Not liking being ignored, Brooke tapped the newspaper picture again. “This doesn’t look like just work.”
Her father smiled in that way that didn’t convey happiness, just arrogance that he was right and that he would get his way because he was Senator Cole Aston. “I should have known you’d be contrary.”
Shocked at his comment, Eleanor stared at her father. Because she was known for her contrariness? Hardly, unless he counted her going to university, getting a medical degree and actually working for a living. If he counted that then, yes, she was quite the contrary child.
“No matter.” He waved his hand dismissively then took a sip of his black coffee. “I’ve already taken matters into my own hands.”
That didn’t surprise her in the slightest. However, the implications of his comment terrified her.
“What do you mean, you’ve taken matters into your own hands?”
“I sent the car for Dr. Donaldson. He should be arriving...” he glanced at the slim gold watch on his wrist “...any moment.”
Brooke squealed, her eyes widening. She jumped to her feet. “Daddy! You can’t invite people here when my face is all messed up.”
The senator ignored his younger daughter, his gaze instead boring into Eleanor. “Perhaps you’d like to go freshen up before he arrives?”
Heat rose to the tips of Eleanor’s ears. Her father had sent the car for Ty? How had her father even known she’d be here? Had he cared? If her father said that he would be arriving any moment, that meant Ty had gone along with her father’s request. Then again, Cole might not have requested anything. He’d probably demanded that Ty come.
Great.
She’d thought she was going to die of total mortification last night, but perhaps that honor had been saved for this morning.
* * *
Ty had ridden in a limo a few times during his life, but none of the luxurious caliber of Senator Cole Aston’s. Although he definitely preferred Ole Bess, his affectionate nickname for the Ford pickup he’d driven
