Читать книгу Spend My Life with You - Donna Hill, Donna Hill - Страница 6

Lee Ann Lawson leaned toward her dressing table mirror and fastened the diamond studs into her ears, just as the booming voice of her father called out to her from the other side of the Louisiana mansion.

“Coming!” she called back, tightening the belt of her white silk robe around her slim waist and wondering as she padded barefoot along the winding hallway what it was that he couldn’t find. She smiled inwardly and prepared herself to fuss over her daddy for the next few minutes. She was stopped halfway when one of her twin sisters, Dominique, leaped out from her bedroom door, hands planted boldly on her round hips.

“Sis, would you please tell my darling dull twin that this dress does not show too much cleavage!” She flashed a scowling look at her mirror image, who sat demurely on a cushioned foot stool.

Lee Ann looked Dominique up and down. Of the two, Dominique was always the flamboyant one, ready at the drop of a hat to be the center of attention. And her dress definitely did that. Cut in the front to nearly her navel, the sparkling silver floor-length gown barely held her size Cs in place.

“You sure your dolls aren’t going to pop out and introduce themselves at the party?” Lee Ann asked, only half in jest.

Desiree covered her mouth and laughed. “Told you, Dom. And it’s the same thing Mama would have said.”

Dominique pouted. “I have a cover-up.”

“Be sure you have it with you,” she warned. She peeked around Dominique. “You look beautiful, Desi. And you, too, Dom,” she said with a big-sister wink.

“Lee Ann!” Branford bellowed.

The sisters exchanged a knowing look as Lee Ann hurried down the hallway. The voices of her brothers Rafe and Justin floated to her from the main room below. She couldn’t wait to see her handsome brothers all decked out. She tapped on her father’s door.

“Come in.”

She pushed the partially opened door and stepped inside. Even after five years, she still had not adjusted to the reality that every night her father slept alone and that their beloved mother was no longer with them. As the oldest girl, she’d stepped into the role of caregiver for her mother during her mother’s long illness and then the caregiver for her family—her father in particular.

“Hey, Daddy. Sorry, I got waylaid by those girls.” She laughed lightly and crossed the circular room to where her father sat on the edge of the king-size bed struggling with his cuff links. “Here, let me.” Her slender honey-toned fingers moved expertly to insert the onyx cufflinks and fasten them.

“You fix me up just like your mama, God rest her soul,” he murmured and affectionately patted Lee Ann’s hand.

The ache in his voice twisted inside of Lee Ann and settled where it always did—in the center of her heart. She leaned over and kissed her father’s cheek then sat back and adjusted his tie, turning her head right then left as she did.

Her father was one of the most powerful men in the state of Louisiana. Senior Senator Branford Lawson not only carried clout but respect across both sides of the aisle. Some of his closest friends were those who for the average person were only seen on television and in newspapers, but to her they were Aunt Hillary or Uncle Bill. At any given time, the Lawson mansion would become the epicenter for political gatherings. She remembered one day as a young girl waking up and seeing former president Carter sitting in the kitchen sipping coffee with her father.

It had been her mother, Louisa, who’d overseen the Lawson household and clan like the queen of England oversaw her country. She was the consummate Southern hostess, the nurturing but watchful mother and loyal and devoted friend. Lee Ann became the woman she was because of her mother.

Lee Ann pushed back the memories as they threatened to overtake her. With her mother’s passing, Lee Ann stepped into her mother’s role. It was a big responsibility, but she did it with love.

“Perfect,” she announced of her handiwork. “Now stand up and let me take a good look.”

Her father dutifully did as he was asked.

“Looking good, Daddy.”

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “That’s what all the ladies say,” he teased. Then he looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. He frowned. “Why aren’t you dressed?”

Her right brow elevated. “That’s what I was doing when I was summoned.”

He pretended to miss her point. “Well, don’t stand around,” he said, flinging his hand in her direction to shoo her out. “Get yourself together. You know how I hate being late.”

Lee Ann shook her head and grinned. “Yes, Daddy.” She returned to her room, took her dress from the walk-in cedar closet and was wiggling into it when her brother Rafe came knocking.

“Now look at you,” he hummed in that tone he reserved for when he wanted something.

Rafe leaned against the frame of her door, a glass of bourbon in one hand and his other hand tucked into the pocket of his tuxedo slacks, as smooth and sleek as a panther and just as deadly to the ladies. Raford James Lawson, the eldest of the Lawson clan, was a notorious playboy not only in the United States but abroad as well, although he swore, with a wink and a smile, that those rumors weren’t true. At thirty-six, he was unattached, wealthy, handsome, smart and came from a powerhouse family. He’d been profiled countless times in major magazines as one of the country’s most eligible bachelors, sexiest man and heir apparent to his father’s Senate seat. Rafe would agree to the first two, but the last stood as a bone of contention between father and son. He’d rather spend his days traveling, loving women and playing his sax. Politics weren’t in his blood. But his father wouldn’t hear of it.

Lee Ann pursed her cherry-tinted lips and ran her hazel eyes along the long lines of her big brother. “A little early for bourbon, don’t you think?”

“Never too early for bourbon, cher,” he teased, raising his glass to her in salute before taking a sip.

“At least make yourself useful. Come zip me.” She turned her back to him and waited for his real reason for descending upon her.

“Listen, sis…”

Here it comes, she thought. “Yes, sugah, what is it?” She turned around to face him, looked up into his bottomless black eyes, framed by silky lashes, and knew without question what women saw in her brother. And no matter how much warning they were given they kept coming.

“About tonight…”

“Yes?” She buttoned the top button of his shirt then began fashioning his bow tie.

“I know Daddy wants to show me around like some prized pony and have me glad handing all night, but there’s this new blues club down in the Quarter. If I can get there before midnight, I can get in on the last set.”

His smooth face and midnight eyes literally danced with excitement and matched the almost childlike urgency of his voice.

“Rafe,” she cautioned. “You know how Daddy feels about that.”

“I know, baby sis. That’s why I need your help…to distract him while I get out of there,” he cajoled. He leaned down to her ear. “Please.”

Lee Ann playfully pushed him away. “Don’t start your foolishness with me, Rafe Lawson. I’m not one of your starry-eyed ladies.”

He chuckled. “You wound me, cher.”

She put her hands on her hips and then wagged a warning finger at him. “I’ll do this for you…again. But I’m warning you, Raford. You get yourself in any trouble tonight and you’re on your own. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He leaned down and put a sloppy wet kiss on her cheek.

“Aggg. You know I hate when you do that! Ruining my makeup. Get on out of here.”

Raford laughed on his way to the door. “Love you, too,” he called out.

Lee Ann shook her head in affectionate amusement, walked over to her dressing table mirror to inspect the damage then touched up her makeup.

“Lee Ann.”

She turned. Her younger brother Justin had his head sticking in her door, the spitting image of their mother with his sandy-brown complexion, tight curly hair and to-die-for dimples. Although he was still growing into his looks, Justin was one handsome young man.

“Daddy said if you aren’t down in two minutes we’re leaving without you. I’m to make sure you get downstairs,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. They both knew that Branford Lawson was more bark than bite, and the last person he’d get on the wrong side of was Lee Ann.

“Coming. Don’t you look handsome?” She crossed the room and stood in front of him. Lee Ann was the only one who could make Justin blush. He, like his brother, towered over their petite sisters, and Justin, at twenty-three, beat his brother out by an inch of Rafe’s six-foot-three-inch height. By habit, she straightened his tie and smoothed her hands over his broad shoulders. “Let me get my purse and I’m ready.”

The family filed into the waiting limo, and it sped off into the balmy Louisiana night.

By the time they arrived at the estate of Congressman Jeremiah Davis, the reception portion of the evening was getting underway. Waiters glided between the bejeweled guests with platters of mouthwatering appetizers and flutes of champagne. The thousand-dollar-per-plate affair was a fundraising event for the incumbent congressman. And with the downward spiral of the economy on the watch of the Democrats, he needed all the support he could get.

Jeremiah and Branford had been friends since they were in knee-highs and had followed each other throughout their school years, served as each other’s best man at their weddings and were godfathers to their chidren. There was a bond between them that was stronger than most brothers, and the Lawson clan adored their Uncle Jerry.

“It’s about time you all got yourselves here,” Jeremiah said, kissing cheeks and shaking hands.

Jeremiah could only be described as round. Everything about him was round, from the top of his head down to his bowlegs. He often reminded Lee Ann of one of those children’s toys that rocked back and forth and rolled around without ever falling over.

“Hi, Uncle Jerry,” Lee Ann said, becoming enveloped in his hearty embrace. He held her back at arm’s length and looked her over.

“Looking more like your beautiful mama with every passing day,” he said softly.

Lee Ann smiled. What could she say? She’d run out of words from the often heard comment. A part of her felt so complimented to be compared to her mother, then there was another part that felt overwhelmed by the comparison that she felt she could never live up to.

Her sisters and brothers had already dispersed into the crowd. They’d been trained well, since they were old enough to be introduced to the world. They knew how to work a crowd, gain information without giving any, befriend newcomers and leave an indelible impression on everyone that they met. They were the epitome of the political elite family, which was often as much of a burden as it was a badge of honor.

Lee Ann slipped her arm through Jeremiah’s. “And where is Aunt Lynn? I don’t see her.”

“Probably worrying the waiters to death.” He chuckled good-naturedly. “You know your aunt. Walk with me outside. I need some air already.”

Lee Ann laughed lightly, and it stopped as if a cork had slid down her throat. A warm wave fluttered in her stomach as they drew closer to the group assembled near the balcony.

She’d only seen him from a distance in the past, although she’d watched him closely during his run for the junior Senate seat and listened to her father extol his virtues. Although Lee Ann worked closely with her father as his personal consultant, she tended to steer clear of the interactions of the power brokers, rarely visited Washington and worked out of the family home or occasionally at her father’s local office in Baton Rouge.

“Congressman,” one of the ladies announced. All eyes turned in their direction.

Jeremiah let out a hearty laugh. “Now that’s the way I like to make an entrance, introduced by a beautiful woman.” The group dutifully chuckled. He turned to Lee Ann. “I’m sure most of you know Lee Ann Lawson, the real power behind the senator.”

Lee Ann’s face heated. She looked from one to the other. “He gives me too much credit.”

“All deserved, my dear.” He slipped her arm out from his and patted her hand. “Senator Preston Graham, have you met Lee Ann?”

“I’m sure if I did I would have remembered,” he responded, his dark eyes doing a slow stroll across her face. He extended his hand toward her.

Lee Ann stretched out her hand, and he leaned down and kissed the top of it. “My pleasure.” A smile teased the corners of his mouth. “I feel as if I already know you.”

She tilted her head slightly to the side. “Why is that?”

“Your father talks about you all the time.”

Her gaze darted away for an instant. “He does the same about you.”

“Is that right? Hope it’s all good.” Light danced in his eyes.

“Yes, it is. He thinks very highly of you. And congratulations, by the way, on your win.”

“I’m still getting my feet wet. Your father is an excellent mentor.”

“That he is.”

“Can I get you a drink?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

After they both realized that he was still holding her hand, Preston chuckled. “Maybe it’s a sign that we should go out together.”

Lee Ann’s soft laugh brushed against him like a caress. He tucked her hand in the curve of his arm.

“I’m surprised we haven’t officially met before,” Preston said as they crossed the expansive room.

“I try to stay behind the scenes except when my father needs me front and center.” She smiled and tried to keep her feet moving one in front of the other even as the electric energy of Preston Graham bounced off her, short-circuiting her brain.

“You do a very good job of it, considering that you are his political adviser of sorts. At least that’s my understanding.”

“I do oversee his activities, but it’s more like a personal assistant,” she said.

They reached the bar. “What will you have?”

“A white wine spritzer.”

He gave the order to the bartender and ordered a bourbon for himself.

“My brother’s favorite drink,” she commented as they were served.

“A man after my own heart,” he joked. “And apparently the ladies, as well,” he added with a lift of his chin in the direction of her brother.

Rafe was in a close conversation across the room with a stunning woman who Lee Ann hadn’t recalled seeing before.

She shook her head in amusement. “Rafe does keep busy.”

“And what about you? When you’re not personally assisting your father, what do you do?”

She was thoughtful for a moment. “Running the house and keeping an eye on my sisters and brothers is pretty much a full-time job.”

“It doesn’t sound as if you allow time for yourself.” He stared into her eyes over the rim of his tumbler.

Her heart fluttered. “I find ways to enjoy myself,” she said in her defense.

Preston studied her for a moment and decided to let the topic go. “What’s it like growing up with a father like Branford?”

They walked together to an available table and sat down.

Lee Ann’s smile was wistful. “Where can I begin?” She gazed around the room. “My life has been pretty much like this for as long as I can remember,” she said with a sweep of her hand. “Politics and parties and entertaining and being in the spotlight has been a way of life.”

He heard something in her voice, a note of hesitancy, regret. He couldn’t be sure.

“I would think it was pretty exciting.” He sipped his drink and watched the muted light play across her finely etched features.

Her warm hazel eyes flickered across his face. “I suppose it would be looking in from the outside. But to us, all of the people who everyone else reads about were like family.” She drew in a breath, reached for her glass and realized that her hand was shaking. She concentrated on bringing the glass to her lips without spilling her drink. “What about you?” she asked, steering the conversation away from herself, a topic that she didn’t relish discussing.

Preston set his glass down, tilted his head slightly to the side, his full lips pressed lightly together and puckered out. “Well, I’m a product of a single teenage mom. Public schooling. My mama worked two jobs that added up to one most of my life.” His dark eyes drifted away from Lee Ann. “She would tell me every day that she expected me to make something of myself. She wasn’t working so I could grow up to be a nobody.” The corner of his mouth jerked as the images of those days of “have not” flashed through his head. “As soon as I was old enough, I got a part-time job after school, packing groceries, delivering whatever needed to be delivered, flipping burgers, waiting tables. You name it, I did it at one point or the other.”

“It must have been hard.”

He looked directly at her. “I suppose to someone looking in from the outside,” he said, playing with her statement to him. “But like you, it was the only life I knew. Sometimes I would see the other kids in their new sneakers or tooling around town in their daddy’s car, walking into fancy houses.” His face and voice took on a hard edge like a tide that suddenly rushed to shore pulling the sand out from under your feet—unexpected and scary. “I knew there was more out there than what was in front of me, and I had to find a way to get it. My life and my mama’s struggling made me what I am. Determined and focused to get what I wanted. And I did, but I’m not finished yet.”

Lee Ann held her breath anticipating what she wasn’t sure. And then he smiled and the tide slowly receded, and she was standing on solid ground again.

“Don’t mind me, I can get a little caught up in my own rhetoric sometimes,” he said, catching the look of apprehension in her eyes. “Come dance with me.” He stood and extended his hand, once again the dashing, gallant gentleman.

Lee Ann placed her hand in his, and he helped her to her feet. They moved onto the dance floor, and then she was in his embrace. And he was all around her, his arms, the lines of his body, his scent. Her head barely reached his shoulders, so she found herself resting it against his broad chest as they moved in harmony, swaying easy to the music of the band, and she had the oddest sensation that she had done this all before, with this man. It was all so familiar and right. But of course that couldn’t be true. She’d never met him before.

Preston didn’t want to give in to the urgent need to pull her closer, to feel her fully against him. The sensation of her being so close and still so far was messing with his head. The fresh scent of her hair, the barely there fragrance that she wore combined with the heat of her body had him coiled tight as a rattlesnake. He had to concentrate on the music, the aroma of food, the smatterings of conversation that floated around him to keep his mind off what she was doing to his body. In as much as he wanted her closer, there would be no doubt about her effect on him if he did. She’d be sure to think that he was some randy fool who couldn’t control his urges. He was almost thankful when the music ended. He needed some air and some space.

He released his hold around her waist and stepped back. She tilted her head up to look at him; the dewy softness of her lips, the light dancing in her eyes and the tiny pulse beating in her throat had him wanting to forget what was proper and simply take her mouth and sample it until they couldn’t take it anymore.

“Thank you for the dance,” he managed to say, his voice thick and jagged. “I’m going to go mingle a little.”

“Oh…of course.” She put on a practiced smile and wondered what she’d done wrong.

He took her elbow and walked her back to the table. “Thanks again for the dance and the conversation.”

She offered a tight smile while she watched him walk away, and for reasons that she couldn’t explain she felt like bursting into tears.

“Hey, baby doll, come on and dance with your big brother.” Rafe curved his arm around her waist before turning her petite body into his.

His arms were strong, familiar and secure, and for a few minutes she could forget how small and insignificant she felt, which of course was ridiculous. It was just a conversation, a drink and a dance. No big deal.

“You’re stiff as a board.” He peered down at her. “What’s wrong? Did he say something out of the way to you?”

She heard the sudden rise in his tone. The smooth easy cadence was gone. Lee Ann dared to look up at his piercing dark eyes.

“Don’t be silly,” she soothed. “I’m fine, and no, he didn’t say anything out of hand.”

Rafe took a hard look over his shoulder, seeking out the young senator as if seeing him would somehow validate what his sister said. He turned back to Lee Ann. “You sure, because I have no problem sharing a few words with him man-to-man.”

Lee Ann gently pressed her hands against Rafe’s hard chest. “I can take care of myself. Thank you very much,” she added with a slight smile.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead then skillfully moved with her around the floor. “All you have to do is say the word,” he said, his protective instincts kicking into high gear. He’d always been that way with his sisters, since they were all little. He took great pride in being the big brother, and yes, it was true that he loved women but none more than his sisters and of course his mother. Lee Ann was the one most like their mother, and he was sure that was one of the reasons they were so close, as children and as adults. “I’ll hang around if you need me to,” he said.

“No, please. I know your lips are itching to play, so whenever you’re ready just go on. It’ll be fine. I’ll tell Daddy something or nothing.” She grinned at him.

The dance came to an end, and they walked across the grand ballroom out to the balcony. The air was still heavy and filled with the scent of a hot spring night. Beyond the cove of streets, the lights of the city peeped in and out, and the soft sound of the Mississippi rolled gently in the distance.

For a fleeting moment, caught in the beauty of the evening, Lee Ann wished that she was peering out into the night, whispering soft words and sharing light laughter with her own someone special.

“Looks like everyone who’s anyone is here tonight,” Rafe commented, taking a brief look over his shoulder into the main room.

“Well, you know Uncle Jerry never does anything halfway.” She continued to stare out into the night.

Briefly Rafe put his hand around her shoulder, and she tilted her head to rest it against him. “Can I get you a drink, a plate of food?”

“Another spritzer would be nice, thanks.”

“Be right back.”

She inhaled deeply and reentered the ballroom, watched the milieu move around her and felt so apart from the activities. It was so unlike her she thought, not to be like a butterfly flitting from one guest to the next, enjoining and cajoling as if she was the hostess. Smiling, as was her habit as she passed familiar faces, she found herself back on the balcony, sure that her brother would instinctively find her.

She leaned against the balustrade with her back to the Mississippi, and her stomach quivered when she saw Preston heading with purpose in her direction. She tried to glance away, ignore his approach, but it was too late.

He walked right up to her, cutting off everything and everyone around them. He took up her vision.

“I’m usually much more the Southern gentleman than I was earlier,” he said. Thick lashes lowered over his dark eyes for an instant then settled on his face. A half-shy smile tickled the corners of his rich mouth. “I… You rattled me, Ms. Lawson,” he said. The soft twangy cadence of his voice was both charming and unnerving.

Lee Ann tilted her head slightly to the right, for the first time since they met having a sense of standing on firm ground without her legs wobbling beneath her. She smiled and, always the tactful lady being Louisa Lawson’s daughter, said, “Senator Graham, I have no idea what you mean.”

The imaginary rift they’d created was crossed with their relieved laughter.