Tread Softly (7 page)

Cady
felt a well of depression pull at her. Now was the time to explain about Rob
Ardmore. Now was the time to assure Rafe that Rob was a friend, sometimes even
a lifeline to her when she was trying to battle the frustrations of the Senate
and the unyielding wall that Emmett and his cohorts had erected against her.

Then Trock was there handing her the barbecue aprons. The
moment passed and she still hadn't said anything. She looked at Rafe as she
gave one of the aprons to him, seeing the shuttered look come over his face
again. What

was
he thinking? Could he read her mind? Did he know she was thinking of Rob
Ardmore? Did he misunderstand her friendship with the Iowan representative?
Perhaps Rafe was wondering what she knew about his private life before they
met. Would he guess that she knew about Durra and the parties there? Was that
why he had looked so flushed when he had talked to her moments before?

Lord,
if she didn't stop this infernal soul searching, she would go crazy.

She
turned to Trock and handed him the other apron, watching with intense
concentration while he tied it around his waist, then walked back to bring the
supplies to the two outdoor bars.

Rafe had still
not put his on when he took a step that put him directly in front of her.
"You seem to go into these blue funks often, Cady. It isn't too flattering
for a man when he finds that his wife is preoccupied much of the time she's in
his company." Rafe smiled, but the bones of his face seemed to be pushing
through the flesh as he watched her.

"Cady?
Cady, what are you dreaming about?" Rafe put one hand under her chin as
they stood beside the twin ovens of the outdoor cooker with the huge grills on
either side. "Were you thinking of your father?"

Cady
smiled, neither confirming nor denying it, eyeing the first arrivals with a
measure of relief.

"I
know you miss the professor and want to go home." Rafe leaned down, just
brushing his lips on hers. "When we talked to him on the phone on
Wednesday, I told him we would be coming home as soon as the Senate adjourns."

Cady leaned back, her eyes widening. "We're not
staying for those socials your father has arranged?" She felt her breath
catch in her throat at the warm look in his eyes, then exhaled in an audible
sigh of relief.

"No."
He grinned. "I feel we can do more good back in our state, campaigning. My
advisers tell me that we should hit the campaign trail early because the Harris
poll shows that my opponent, this man Salters, is gaining on me." He
stroked her jaw lightly. "Somehow I don't feel too worried. You did a very
good job for me, Mrs. Densmore, and the feedback from the state echoes that. I
don't know if I ever told you how much—"

Before
he could finish, a sultry voice sent a shiver down Cady's spine. Before she
could turn she knew that Lee Terris, the woman Emmett had wanted Rafe to marry,
had arrived. Instead Lee had married the junior senator from Ohio just weeks
after Cady and Rafe's wedding. Now divorced, she had resumed her maiden name—and
predatory ways.

"Well,
darling, are you going to ignore your guests?" Lee was ebony-haired and
tall. In black slacks and shirt, she looked like a very shapely piece of black
velvet from head to toe. Lee was a confident woman who had all the gloss that
finishing school and money could provide. She moved toward Rafe and took hold
of his arm, her long scarlet nails digging into his flesh as she reached up and
kissed him.

Cady could feel her own fingernails digging into her palms.
But instead of walking away, as she had done in the past when Lee had accosted
Rafe similarly at other functions, she stood her ground, keeping her eyes on
the couple and fighting to keep a bland look on her face.

When
Rafe lifted his head, he reached.out for Cady's hand. "I believe you know
my wife, Lee. Cady, you remember Lee Terris?"

Cady
nodded neutrally. "Yes, we've met. How are you, Lee?" When the
divorcee made no response, continuing to grasp Rafe's arm proprietarily, Cady
added demurely, "Would you mind moving back from Rafe just a bit? Heavy
perfume makes him sneeze."

"Really?"
Lee Terris gave Rafe a melting look. "He never used to mind my
scent."

"Since
his illness, his tastes have become more discriminating." Cady gave the
other woman a wide smile, taking note of the angry intake of air. She turned to
look up at Rafe. "Shall we greet the others? Trock will make the
fires." She couldn't tell if there was a hint of amusement on Rafe's face
as he inclined his head at her and excused himself from Lee Terris.

"I
do believe your mouse just roared, Rafe darling," Lee cooed at their backs.
"Perhaps she's planning on making her interim position in your office
permanent."

Rafe urged her
forward, but Cady balked, loosening herself very gently from his grip.
"Ms. Terris, my husband is the senator from New York and that's how it is
going to stay. We will campaign hard and he will win again. If there are any
other questions you would like to ask me, please feel free." Cady didn't
look at Rafe as she took his arm again, letting him lead her to a cluster of
people that were moving from the house to the lawn.

The barbecue
went well. It pleased Cady that so many of Rafe's friends in government came.
She was surprised when many of these men and women came up to her and
congratulated her on some work or another, or just came up to chat. It gave her
a warm glow to see how easily they accepted her now. Before Rafe's accident,
she had been too shy even to speak to many of them, but now, after her own
small stint as Rafe's stand-in, she had a newborn confidence in her ability to
tackle anything.

"I
don't suppose we'll have any more of those luncheons," Rob Ardmore
whispered behind her. "I really enjoyed them." He smiled at her as
she turned to give him her hand.

"There
won't be any need for me to be clued in on congressional strategies by the able
congressman from Iowa." Cady laughed at him, glad that he had come. She
considered Rob a good friend. More than once he had answered a question, dealt
with a problem, and otherwise given her support. "It's good to see you,
Rob. I feel as though I have one friend at this stampede."

He
didn't release her hand at once. "I am your friend, Cady, and your
admirer. No one could fault your devotion and care to a very ill man." He
stared down at her from his medium height, his dark brown hair almost the same
color as his eyes. "But Rafe is well now, and you have your own life to
think of. You told me once that Rafe would have divorced you if he hadn't been
in that plane crash." His hand tightened on hers. "No, don't look
away. Cady, I never spoke to you while Rafe was convalescing. I didn't think
that you could handle another crisis. But now he's well, and I want you to
think of me as more than a friend."

"I should never have discussed Rafe with you,"
she reproached herself.

"Who
else were you going to talk to? Emmett? Bruno Trabold? Hell, Cady, they would
crucify you if they could. Your father was too far away. You needed me. I liked
that, Cady. I need you now."

"Rob, I'm
married. Rafe is still recuperating." Cady swallowed. "Besides, he
hasn't mentioned anything about a divorce."

"Don't wait
for him to mention it. Ask him for one, Cady," Rob urged, stepping closer
to her.

She looked away
from him, her head whirling. Her wandering eyes looked right into the blue
steel of her husband's. "I have to go. I have guests, Rob." She
pulled her hand free and walked at an angle toward the portable bar that had
been set on a shady corner of the patio. She looked at the professional face of
the hired barman and ordered a glass of mineral water and lime.

"Well,
well, it looks as though the lovely ice maiden is branching out in all
directions," Bruno Trabold offered, his voice as smooth as the smile he
gave her. "First you take on the Senate so well that the word goes out
that you could become a senator yourself. Now you seem to want to try a
different man." He saluted her with his glass and leaned closer to her,
his unbuttoned sport shirt opening to reveal the thick mat of hair on his muscular
chest. "Let me offer myself as an alternative, Cady," he said,
leering at her. "I have always found you most appealing, even if the Old
Man doesn't."

"Thank
you." Cady let her teeth show in the smile she gave him. She leaned
forward and with one finger pulled the front of Bruno's shirt more open. She
looked up to see the puzzled but not displeased look on his face, and she let
her smile widen as she tipped the full glass of mineral water, ice, and lime
into the shirt. "Have a good day, Bruno," she whispered over the loud
yelp he gave. She turned at once and walked toward the other bar, set further
out on the lawn under a dogwood tree. Again she ordered a drink. This time she
sipped it with great relish.

"I
saw that." Rafe placed his hand at her waist, smiling at a couple who
waved to them. "What was it all about?"

Cady
wasn't going to say anything, but the words rose out of her of their own
volition. "That was Bruno offering himself to me as a worthy substitute.
He seems to think I'm on the prowl."

"And
are you?" Rafe rasped, the fingers at her waist clenching. "I watched
Rob Ardmore with you. He's in love with you." He spat the words like hot
rivets. "I once told you that I would let you go if you ever wanted
out."

"So
you did." Cady cleared her throat. "Perhaps we should see to our
guests and save this talk for another time."

"Are
you in love with him, Cady?" he snarled, his hand locking her to his side,
the lean face, still pale from his long confinement, taking on a granite look.

Cady
glanced up at him, all thought of responding in anger evaporating as she saw
the fatigue bracketing his mouth and pinching at his eyes. "You're tired.
It's been too much for you today." She slipped one arm around his waist.
"Why don't you lie down for a little while and rest?"

"Will
you come with me?" Rafe let his hand slide around her, then upward under
her breast, his chin resting on her hair.

Cady
didn't know what she was going to say until the words spilled from her mouth.
"Yes, if you want me to, I'll go with you."

"Oh,
I want you to, all right." Rafe gave a mirthless laugh.

"Damned
impolite of you, Cady, to stand here and let your guests shift for
themselves," Emmett barked, distaste twisting his mouth as he looked at
their entwined arms. "And Bruno says you were damned clumsy and spilled a
drink down the front of his shirt. Now he's had to go and change. Damned
inefficient, I'd say. It's about time you learned how important a political
machine is, Cady, and got your priorities straight." Her father-in-law
almost bit his cigar in half when Rafe only pulled her closer.

"You tell Bruno for me that if I catch him near my
wife again, I'm going to loosen his bridgework a tooth at a time," Rafe
said, his voice deceptively mild.

"What the
hell are you talking about, boy? Bruno don't mess with fancy skirts."
Emmett gave a harsh laugh.

"Bad
choice of words, Dad," Rafe snarled, his body a menacing curve as he
looked at his father.

"Eh?"
Emmett looked open-mouthed at his eldest son. "I didn't mean anything
personal. Don't be so damned touchy, boy."

"Good,
then apologize to my wife for being tactless," Rafe offered, his voice
having the hoarse sound it did when his temper was rising.

"Yeah?
Well, all right, I apologize for the poor choice of words." Emmett broke
his cigar, did a hundred-eighty-degree turn, and stalked away.

"You
didn't have to upset your father because of me, Rafe." Cady felt as if
multicolor balloons had gone off in her stomach. Rafe had never defended her
against his father quite so decisively before. Although he'd been supportive of
her verbally, there had always been a certain awe of his father that had
undermined his words.

"Yes,
I did." Rafe brushed his lips across her hair. "I never realized how
he attacks you until my stay in the hospital, when I saw him at you whenever
you met him. No wonder you always tried to be late so that you wouldn't run into
him." He sighed as Trock signaled to him. "No time for a rest now.
The fires are ready. Come along, lady, and watch me cook."

"I'll let
you do a little if you promise that you'll sit

on the high
stool while you do it." Cady felt her jaw push forward when Rafe grinned
at her. "I mean it, Rafe. I won't let you tire yourself. The doctor says
you're doing just fine, but he warned against overtaxing yourself."