Blossom Street Brides (23 page)

“Naturally, Katie would do this when she knew I’d be away,” Elisa said, and then sobbed once. “Yes, yes, I agree, we don’t want to lose our daughter. I’ll book the next flight back to Seattle.” Her voice caught as she spoke, and her hand trembled as she ended the call and returned her cell to her purse.

Lauren scooted the ottoman closer to the bed. “What’s happened?” she gently asked her friend.

Elisa covered her face with both hands and took a long moment to compose herself. “It’s just as I feared. Katie and Dietrich went to Idaho and got married. It’s a disaster, I tell you, an unmitigated disaster. They claim they know what they want, and that’s being together for the rest of their lives. Despite everything we said and his own parents’ advice, they defied us all and took matters into their own hands.”

Lauren gently squeezed Elisa’s hand. “You’re flying back to Seattle?”

“Yes, as soon as I can book a flight. Garry feels we need to go as a family to Pullman and assure Katie of our love and support.”

While Lauren didn’t approve of what Katie and her young man had done, she agreed with Garry. Now that the deed was done, they needed to work together and not allow this decision to rip apart their family. “Katie seemed to know what she wants.”

“The crazy part is,” Elisa said as she wiped the moisture from her cheeks, “I did the same thing. Garry and I were so young, and my parents were ready to string him up, and I defied them and married him despite what they wanted.”

Lauren wasn’t aware of that, but she knew the young couple had lived with Elisa’s parents until Katie had been born. Elisa’s parents seemed to have had a change of heart; perhaps Elisa would now, too. This certainly was history repeating itself.

“You and Garry made it work,” Lauren reminded her.

“We did, and later my father told me he couldn’t have chosen a better husband for me even if he’d had the opportunity. He came to love and appreciate Garry. After a few years, when it became clear my brother had no interest in the business, my father willingly brought Garry into the store. It was Garry my father took under his wing.”

“Is he as upset about this as you are?” Lauren asked.

Elisa reached for a tissue and dabbed it beneath her nose. “He might be, but for my sake he won’t let it show. Katie has always been a strong-willed child. I should have guessed she’d do something like this.”

Lauren hid a smile, knowing that the teenager and her mother shared more than one character trait. She agreed that the two college students were young, but she also felt
that with strong family support they would do their best to make their marriage work.

“Dietrich’s family sounds like they’re well-grounded people,” Lauren said, hoping that would encourage Elisa.

Her friend nodded as though in a daze. “I’m sorry to leave you,” she whispered as she stood and wandered aimlessly around the room, rubbing her palms together as if she needed to generate heat.

“Don’t worry about leaving me. I have a good idea what you want to order, and I’ll cover the rest of the show.”

Elisa dug her suitcase out of the closet and set it up on top of the bed, opening it. She emptied the dresser drawers, dumping clothes into the case without thought or order.

“While you’re packing, I’ll check flight times,” Lauren told her as she brought up the Internet on her cellphone, logging in with the airlines. She scrolled down the different time options. Because Las Vegas was such a popular destination, there were a number of flight choices. She read off the results, and Elisa chose one that left in a little less than three hours. While she finished packing, Lauren called and made the necessary itinerary changes.

“I’m sorry to do this to you,” Elisa said when she’d finished.

“I know; don’t worry. There’s only one day left. I’ll follow up on the contacts we made today and catch the early-afternoon flight out on Sunday the way we originally planned.”

“I can’t believe Katie would do something like this,”
Elisa moaned again. “Maybe I should have, seeing that her father and I did basically the same thing.”

An hour later, Lauren walked down to the lobby with her friend and saw Elisa off in a taxi. She sighed, and then because she was at loose ends she decided to take this opportunity to play a few slot machines. That had been their original plan: dinner and fun afterward.

Although she was tired and had gone without dinner, Lauren thought she would gamble awhile and then order room service rather than dine alone. She put her cellphone on vibrate because it was unlikely she would hear the ring above the ongoing noise and general racket taking place in the casino. It’d been a bit disappointing not to hear from Rooster. She hoped they’d be able to connect soon.

As she sat feeding money into the slot machine, it came to her that Todd had actually done her a favor by delaying their engagement and marriage. She realized now that she’d been fooling herself when she thought she was in love with the newscaster. What she’d been looking for was stability, a husband and children. Her priorities were askew. Instinctively, Todd must have felt it, too, because he certainly didn’t seem in any rush to get to the altar—well, not until recently. He’d tried several times to contact her, but she kept her responses cool and to the point. It was over. How thankful she was now that she’d met Rooster.

Her first twenty dollars disappeared so fast it shocked her. After wandering aimlessly through the casino, Lauren found what looked to be another fun machine. She sat down and placed another twenty-dollar bill in the slot and pushed
the button. After only a millisecond’s hesitation she watched as the figures spun around in a blur. One hit and she won ten dollars. Well, this appeared to be her lucky day.

She’d feel a whole lot luckier if Rooster were to phone about now. With effort, she pushed the thought of him from her mind, remembering something her mother told her years earlier: a watched pot never boils. If she were constantly looking at her phone, it was sure not to ring. Nevertheless, she kept it in her lap in order to feel the vibration.

Twenty minutes later, at about the same time as she was close to losing her second twenty dollars, her cellphone started to quiver. Right away she saw that it was Rooster and her heart raced with excited anticipation.

“Hi,” she said, so glad to hear from him that she felt breathless with happiness.

“Hi,” Rooster repeated.

Like always, he sounded crystal clear. It was hard to believe he was thousands of miles away.

“How was the convention?” he asked.

“Crowded, busy, nuts.”

“Are you exhausted?”

“I was,” she told him, but now, after hearing his voice, she felt a thousand times better. “What time is it there?”

He exhaled as though he, too, had gone through a long, hard day. “Late. I don’t know. I kept my watch on California time so I’d know when I could call you.”

Her heart melted a little. How thoughtful he was; it made her want to cry, missing him so. “Elisa left. Katie and
Dietrich decided they didn’t care what their parents said. They drove over to Idaho and eloped.”

“Without any family?”

“From the little Elisa said, the only ones there were their best friends from school.”

“I imagine Elisa is upset.”

Lauren grinned. “That is putting it mildly. Garry thought it would be a good idea if the family met with the young couple. They might not agree with their decision to marry so young, but it’s more important that they support them now, seeing that the deed is done.”

“That’s probably for the best.”

“I agree,” Lauren concurred.

“You’re by yourself, then?”

“I am.” Although she was in a casino filled with people, rarely had she felt more alone. It was an odd feeling, being disconnected like this from all that was familiar.

“What are you doing? Are those slot machines I hear in the background?”

Lauren laughed softly. “You caught me red-handed.”

“Are you winning?”

“Nope. Guess they don’t build these huge casinos by giving money away.”

“Would it be possible for you to come to the lobby?”

That was an unusual request. “Sure, but why?”

“There’s a surprise waiting for you there.”

Right away she withdrew the single dollar she had left in the machine and stood. “A surprise?” she asked. “What kind of surprise?”

“Wait and see,” he teased. “Stay on the phone, though, because I want to hear your reaction when you see it.”

“Okay.” She started toward the lobby, her steps lighter than they had been all day. Once she wove her way to the front of the casino, she paused and looked around. The first thing that caught her attention was a huge bouquet of flowers on top of the concierge’s desk.

“The flowers?” she asked. The bouquet was huge.

“Yes, but there’s more. Go to the desk and tell the man your name.”

“Rooster,” she said, laughing now, “what have you done?”

“Wait and see.”

She kept the phone pressed tightly against her ear. “Should I hang up first and then call you back?”

“No, stay on the line.”

“As you wish.”

Sure enough, the concierge seemed to be waiting for her. Lauren kept the phone against her ear. “Hello,” she greeted cheerfully. “I’m Lauren Elliott. I understand you have something for me here at the desk.”

“Ah, yes, Miss Elliott. If you’ll wait here, I’ll be right back.”

He left the desk momentarily, opened the door behind him, and held it open as Rooster Wayne walked out.

Lauren gasped and dropped her phone, and then before she had time to utter a single sound Rooster was around the desk and she literally flew into his arms.

The moment Lauren was in his arms, Rooster closed his eyes and exhaled a deep sigh. This was what he’d been waiting for, been longing to do since the moment he’d left Seattle. He’d been in the air more than twenty-four hours, unable to sleep or read or get caught up in an in-flight movie for the simple reason that he knew at the end of this journey he’d be with Lauren again.

In an amazingly short amount of time the warm, generous woman in his arms had won his heart. Holding her close, he felt giddy with a deep sense of rightness. He was dead on his feet, and yet he felt like he could fly. When Max met Bethanne his friend’s life had taken a complete turn. Until this very moment, Rooster had never fully understood or appreciated what had happened to his friend. He continued to hold Lauren tightly against his chest, needing these first few moments to deal with the complex mix of emotions assaulting him. The first one he experienced was unmitigated joy, followed by a powerful surge of relief and
excitement. Breathing in the light scent of her perfume, he resisted the urge to kiss her senseless right in the middle of the busy hotel lobby.

Lauren spoke first. “I don’t understand … I thought—”

He didn’t allow her to finish. Waiting a single instant longer to kiss her was beyond his control. He lowered his mouth to hers and was gratified to discover that she had tilted her head back, eagerly anticipating his kiss. After weeks of thinking of little else but seeing Lauren again, he lacked restraint. The kiss was urgent and hungry. For just an instant Rooster feared that he’d gone too far, taken too much, and then she grabbed hold of his neck and kissed him back as if she, too, had thought of little else in the weeks they’d been separated.

When the kiss ended, they stared desperately into each other’s eyes until Rooster could bear it no longer and squeezed her close. He could feel her heart pound against his chest, beating in unison with his own.

The concierge cleared his throat. Rooster had completely forgotten about the other man. Somewhat annoyed, he glanced over his shoulder.

“Would you like the flowers sent up to the young lady’s room?” the man asked.

“Please.” Rooster reached inside his pocket and peeled off a bill and handed it to him.

“How is it you’re here?” Lauren asked, her eyes delving into his.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, unwilling to be separated from her by more than a few inches. “My
obligation was finished, and I couldn’t see staying away from you any longer than necessary.”

“But you said you’d been planning this vacation for months. How often do you get to New Zealand?”

“Not often,” he admitted, and because she tempted him beyond reason, he bent down and kissed her again. “Nothing I could see, no sight, no natural phenomenon was worth being away from you a minute longer.” One day he would return to the South Pacific, but when he did he’d make sure Lauren accompanied him.

“Oh, Rooster.”

She leaned into him, and he bent down and inhaled the light scent of her hair. He’d dreamed of this moment, held the vision in his mind during the long hours of his flights, and fully intended to savor every second.

“When did you fly back?”

“Today. I came straight here, after changing planes in San Francisco.”

“How did you know where I was?” she asked, looking both confused and happy all at once.

“You told me.”

“I did? It must have slipped my mind, but I’m so grateful I did.”

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

“No. What about you?”

Rooster couldn’t remember his last meal. Although meal service was offered on the flight home, he’d turned it down. “I’m famished, but I’m more in the mood for breakfast than dinner.”

“I wasn’t hungry before, but I am now.” Taking his hand in hers, she led the way to the coffee shop, where the hostess escorted them to a table.

Rooster had a difficult time studying the menu when all he really wanted was to look at Lauren. The depth of his feelings for her had caught him in hurricane-force winds, sweeping him up in a whirlwind. Fearing his staring would make her uncomfortable, he decided it would be best to start a conversation. “So, your boss’s daughter eloped?”

“Yes. What’s ironic is that Elisa and Garry did the same thing when they were in college. Elisa was the same age as Katie is now.”

“And the marriage worked.”

“Yes. They’re a wonderful couple. Katie’s a great kid, but I understand Elisa and Garry’s concern. If she was my daughter I’d probably feel the same way, though Katie’s sensible and mature for her age.”