As Beth and Bill danced, Lang had drifted away from his sister’s side. Now Rose scanned the room, but she couldn’t find him. She headed toward the one of the smaller tents, and the bartender told her Lang had grabbed a bottle and headed down the lawn. She found him sitting on a teak bench under a grape arbor, one of the few on the property that grew jam and jelly grapes. The champagne had not been corked.
“Hey, son of the happy couple. Time for the cake and your toast.”
“I can’t, Rosie. You’ll have to do it.”
“Oh, no you don’t. You’re not pulling that on me.”
“Screw it.”
Rose sat beside him. “Lang?”
He turned and looked into her lovely hazel eyes.
“She sent him packing,” she said softly.
“What are you talking about?”
“You know very well what I’m talking about. The woman you love had one dance with her old boyfriend. It ended and she told him to get out of her life forever.”
“How the hell do you know that?”
“Body language, for one, and I was also standing about six feet away when the dance ended. I heard every word.”
“I’m not in love with her.”
“Lang Dillon, this is me you’re talking to. You forget, I can read you like a book.”
“Not anymore. I’ve changed.”
“Baloney. Now, are you gonna come back and give that toast or am I gonna tell all our guests that you refused to toast our dear mother and father on their special night?”
“Fine,” he said, setting the unopened bottle on the bench. “But I’m leaving this here and coming back right after the toast to guzzle the whole thing.”
When the toasting began, Rose spoke first and introduced her brother, a stranger to many who did not remember him as a youth or teenager. Then Lang stood, kissed his sister’s cheek, and moved to the mike.
“Rosie and I have been blessed with a beautiful home and loving parents. Our mother, Martha, is the most caring, generous person I know. For our entire lives, she has been an extraordinary role model, friend, and beloved caregiver. She is also a devoted wife to our dad, Jaybo, who built this ranch from scratch, with his loving partner at his side. Love is an alchemy that transforms the ordinary to the extraordinary, the mundane to profound, the average to the exceptional. I hope they continue to have it and that their next forty years find them cherishing the time they have together and cherishing each other. To Martha and Jaybo!” He raised his glass and smiled at his mother, then Rose, never once meeting his father’s eyes.
A few more people spoke. Then Martha and Jaybo cut the cake, and the caterers passed trays of desserts and coffee.
Lang found Rose as she supervised the cake cutting. “Can you handle things for a while? I’ve got a bottle of champagne waiting for me.”
Rose turned to her brother, fury in her eyes. “I never thought the day would come when I’d say my brother was a coward. Go ahead, get drunk. Drown your sorrows in a bottle just like dad. What a hypocrite you are, Lang Dillon.”
Rose grabbed a piece of cake and stalked off, leaving him alone. Lang watched the one person he could always count on fade into the crowd. To his recollection, he had never seen his sister lose her temper, much less at him. He didn’t notice Harley Langdon standing beside him until the other spoke. “She’s a spitfire, isn’t she?”
“Not usually.”
“She’s right, you know?”
Lang gazed at the man he barely knew, wondering at their strange conversation. “About what?”
“Whatever you were talking about. Buddy, if you haven’t learned it yet, time to wise up. If you want to survive in this world, you’ve got to wrap your head around one very important fact—women are always right.”
“That might be true if the women stuck with same story, but it’s been my experience that they change the rules every five minutes.”
Harley chuckled. “Yeah, there’s that, too.”
“You have someone in your life?”
“Not really.”
“Looked like you were having fun with Ruthie Morgan.”
“Like a little sister to me.”
“Yeah, right. I may not know much about women, but I know chemistry and attraction when I see them. Not all coming from her, either. You’re busted, buddy.”
Harley grinned and stared off into the crowd. “Maybe. So, what’s going on with you and Beth?”
“Did the Morgan boys send you?”
“No, but I’m of the same mind as they are. She’s like another sister.”
“For the last time, there’s nothing going on. We’re friends, but we got a little too friendly. She asked me to back off, and I have.”
“And now she’s mad that you did.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, you want my advice?”
“Not especially, but what the hell.”
“Not sure how long this shindig’s gonna last, but my advice would be to ask her to dance before it’s too late.”
“How is that going to work?”
“Look, she danced with her ex and she hates him. I think you’ll be safe.”
“You’re kidding, right? This is some elaborate setup to earn me a slap in the face, then a beating from her brothers, isn’t it?”
“Ask her. I’ll handle them. And if you get slapped, you can slap me.”
Lang laughed, looking over at the other man, uncertain whether he was serious or just setting him up. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Harley patted him on the back. “Good luck, man. You’re gonna need it.”
Yes, I am, Lang thought as he made his way along the edge of the crowd of dancers until he neared the table where Beth sat. Maggie and Emma were dancing with Ben, and Sam was once again with Rose. Kyle, Robbie, and Beth sat, eyes toward the dance floor, enjoying watching Emma skipping with delight.
“Uh-oh,” Kyle said, nudging his brother. “Look who’s headed our way.”
At that instant, Ben spied Lang and made a move toward the table until Maggie grabbed him. Beth was so intent on watching Emma that she failed to notice Lang’s approach until he stood next to her chair.
As the music changed and the band began playing Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” he held out his hand. “Dance with me?”
She took his hand and stood, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor. As he slipped his arm around her and pulled her close, every Morgan in the room as well as Harley and Rose watched their every move.
“Now I know what a fishbowl fish feels like,” he said, smiling down at her.
Beth looked like a scared rabbit, so he added, “Relax, it’s just one dance. You’re perfectly safe. If I make one false move, there are at least five men, maybe six, including your dad, who will beat me to a pulp.”
Gratified, he felt her relax against him as she rested her head on his shoulder. “That’s better,” he whispered as he drank in the scent of her, desert roses and sweet clover. He drew her against him and swayed to the music of Louis Armstrong, wishing that the beautiful ballad would never end.
“I wouldn’t let them beat you to a pulp,” she said, nuzzling his neck, happy and peaceful. He may leave you next week, Beth Morgan, but he’s here now, holding you. Let that be enough, at least until the song ends.
When the song was over, the band leader announced, “That’s it, folks. Have a great evening. It’s been a pleasure.”
As the crowd applauded, Beth and Lang held each other close for an instant before she pulled back, feeling a wrench at leaving his warmth behind.
“Thanks,” she said. “I think my ride is getting ready to leave.”
“Can I drive you?”
“I’d better go with my family. Besides, I’m sure Rose needs you here.”
“Probably.” He took her hand. “Listen, Beth, this is ridiculous. Can we get together, maybe tomorrow, and talk about this?”
“I don’t know, maybe. Let me sleep on it.”
The scared rabbit look was back. She was terrified of being hurt. Could he guarantee that she wouldn’t be? His feelings were inside out and upside down, and the last thing he wanted was to cause his beautiful desert rose more pain. “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you decide? If you’d like to do something, give me a call. Maybe a quick, casual lunch or dinner, a ride? I’m pretty much a tenderfoot, but it sure was pretty out there this morning, and Rose and I didn’t get far.”
“I don’t ride much.”
“So, does that sound good? You’ll let me know if you’d like to do something?”
“Okay. Good night.”
She let go of his hand, and his chest constricted as if someone had torn out his heart. Had he ever felt this way with Cilla? Not that he could remember.