A Decent Proposal (15 page)

It had only been a couple of days, but he craved the sight of her.

“How did ‘the kids' take the announcement?”

“They were all very happy for their dad. And me,” she added.

Don't say it, he warned himself, but the words came out anyway. “How's Syd?”

“She was the most pleased for her father.” The mayor's eyes narrowed. “Because she felt responsible for him hesitating on the proposal.”

“Right.” Not a news flash and not what he really wanted to know.

“In fact she was afraid her dad would call it off when he found out the two of you were over.”

“You know?”

“In this town good news travels fast. Bad news spreads at light speed.” She shook her head and gave him a pitying look. “Poorly played, Burke. I expected better of a hotshot like yourself.”

“I'm not sure what you mean.”

“You're not seriously going to make me spell out the pitfalls of what happened, are you?”

“I asked her to marry me,” he protested.

“And listed the perks as if a proposal was a job interview.” Loretta actually tsked. “And there were no flowers, dinner or grand gestures. This conversation happened just inside the door of her house. While you paced like a caged tiger. A very unhappy one.”

“Whatever happened to ‘it's the thought that counts'?”

“That's the thing. It didn't sound like you thought it through. Along with the houses, cars and trips, you offered to take her away from all this.” She held out her hands, a gesture that included all of Blackwater Lake. “Did it occur to you that she might not want to leave? That someday she'll be taking over the business Tom spent his life building? That she loves this town and it's in her blood?”

No, he hadn't thought about that. But it was a confession he had no intention of sharing. He was a man of action. The business wouldn't have exploded under his leadership if he'd been anything less than that. But apparently when dealing with women, being a man of action had its drawbacks.

As far as he could see, there was only one fallback position here. “I was sincere about wanting her to marry me.”

“Really?” There was no anger, frustration or sarcasm in her tone. Just pity. “You wanted her to marry you. But do you want to marry her?”

“I asked, didn't I?”

“It was the way you asked.” She leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table between them. “As if you wanted her to say no.”

A man of action never wanted rejection. Now he was starting to get irritated. “How did Tom propose to you? What did he say to get a yes?”

Her look was wry. “He certainly didn't leave out the three most important words. In fact, he led with them.”

He knew what she was saying. Those three words were all that stood between him and another failure. “It was a decent proposal.”

“Was? You're giving up?”

“What am I supposed to do? She turned me down flat and said don't darken her doorway again.”

“She actually said that?” The mayor's tone was skeptical.

He shrugged. “It was more like don't let the door hit you in the backside on the way out.”

“Can't say I blame her.”

This woman was an expert at sending mixed messages. First he was giving up and now she was validating Syd's reaction. “Whose side are you on?”

“That implies you expect special treatment because of the business your development project will bring to Blackwater Lake.”

Sydney was the only thing on his mind and if he could change that he would do it in a heartbeat. “Believe it or not,” he said, “I wasn't thinking about business at all.”

“I'll have to trust you on that, Burke. And trust me when I say that I'm not taking sides. Both of you are my concern.”

“Okay.” He met her gaze. “I suppose everyone in town knows about this?”

The mayor smiled. “A person in this town would have to be living under a rock not to. But everyone likes you and wants the best for you and Syd.”

“Glad to hear it.” If he focused hard enough on Liam and the job he came here to do, maybe he wouldn't miss Syd so much.

“I have to go meet Tom. And for the record he doesn't know I talked to you. I just stopped by to show Michelle my ring and she mentioned you were here.”

“So you decided to read me the riot act?”

“That wasn't the riot act. Believe me, you'd know if it was.” She met his gaze. “But I'm asking a favor. I'd like you to think about something.”

“Okay.”

“You don't strike me as the sort of man who gives up easily. It seems out of character.”

She was right about that. He was also smart enough to know when not giving up turned into beating your head against the wall.

“Syd made her feelings clear,” he said.

“Did she? I wonder. But that's for you to decide. This is my ‘buck up' speech.” She cleared her throat. “I've been in love with Tom for a number of years now, long before he was ready to move on from losing his wife. If I'd given up, I wouldn't be getting a happy ending now.”

“So that's the message? Don't give up?”

“We only fail when we fail to try,” she said. “For what it's worth, folks in Blackwater Lake are pulling for you and Syd.”

“Why?” he asked skeptically.

“You're good people. And she's one of our own. We want you both to be happy.” She slid out of the booth and stood. “Okay. That's all I have to say and worth what you paid for it.”

“Thanks, Loretta. I appreciate you talking to me.” Then he remembered the question that she'd skirted before. “How's Syd?”

She sighed and there was sympathy written all over her face. “She's as miserable as you.”

That information should have given him some satisfaction, but it didn't.

Chapter Fifteen

B
urke was sitting on the sofa watching a movie with Liam. On the flat-screen TV stuff was exploding and giant robots were morphing into cars, trucks and helicopters. It was loud and didn't require much concentration. That was fortunate since he couldn't concentrate, at least not on this.

All he could think about was Sydney and the void in his life now that she was gone.

Liam missed her, too. It had been over a week since they'd spent time with her and the boy had been asking questions. When were they going to see Syd? Could they go to her house for dinner? Maybe she and Burke could sit on the patio again while he practiced with his new soccer ball.

Burke was running out of excuses. Pretty soon he was going to have to tell his son that they wouldn't be seeing her anymore. And he knew why he was putting off that conversation. Saying the words out loud would make it final and that was going to hurt like hell.

There was a knock on the door and he looked at his watch. Eight at night was kind of late for a visitor. But he felt a small spurt of hope that maybe Syd had had a change of heart.

“I'll see who's there.”

Liam looked at him. “Do you want me to pause the movie?”

“No, that's okay.” He didn't know what was going on now and missing a minute to answer the door wouldn't make much difference.

He walked across the suite and looked through the peephole, but Sydney wasn't standing there. It was his father and for some reason that surprised him more.

He unlocked the door and opened it. “Dad. What are you doing here?”

“Granddad!” The TV sound stopped when Liam paused the movie, then ran over to greet the newcomer. “I didn't know you were coming.”

“That makes two of us. What's up, Dad?”

“Do you mind if I come inside for a few minutes?”

So he wasn't planning on staying long. Burke figured that was standard operating procedure for his father.

Liam grabbed the older man's hand and tugged him into the suite. “I'm so glad you're here. Aren't you glad to see him, Dad?” The boy looked up and frowned. “You don't look happy.”

It was more about not trusting than anything else, he thought. Walker Holden only showed up when it suited him, so there had to be a reason he was here.

“If I'd known you were coming, I'd have picked you up at the airport.” He met his father's gaze.

“I rented a car. I'll be very happy when you and Sloan get this resort project going and build an airport close by. It's nearly a hundred miles from the current one.”

None of that explained the reason for this visit. Burke figured he wouldn't know until his dad was ready to say what he wanted.

“Can I get you a drink?”

The other man nodded. “Scotch if you have it.”

“Of course.”

Burke had cultivated a taste for good Scotch because he knew that was Walker's favorite. It would be something they had in common. Maybe a bond. But that was many years and a lot of crushed expectations ago. He'd finally faced the fact that he would never be at the top of his father's priority list.

Burke walked over to the bar, where several kinds of liquor and glasses were arranged. He took two tumblers and poured a small amount of the amber liquid into each.

“Can I have a soda?” Liam's look was pleading. “You and Granddad are going to toast to something and I need something to drink, too.”

“Okay. But nothing with caffeine. You have school tomorrow and it's almost bedtime.”

“But Granddad is here. Can't I stay up a little later? It's a special occasion.”

Burke knew how he felt. As a kid on those rare occasions when his father had been home it had been special for him, too. “Maybe a few minutes—”

“But, Dad, I don't get to see him a lot now that we don't live in Chicago.”

Reading between the lines he would have to guess that at home the two had seen each other frequently. When had Burke missed that?

“I'll be here for a while, Liam. We'll spend a lot of time together.”

“O-okay,” the boy said grudgingly.

Clearly the old man was uncharacteristically patient and understanding. Even diplomatic. When did that happen?

As soon as everyone had their respective liquid, Liam said, “I think we should drink to Granddad's visit.”

“Okay.” Burke clinked his glass with theirs. “Where are you staying, Dad?”

“Here at the lodge. But I couldn't get a suite on such short notice.”

“When did you decide to come?” Burke thought a round of twenty questions might shed some light on the mystery.

“Two days ago. After using Skype with Liam.” He sat on the sofa with his grandson beside him and an arm around the boy's shoulders.

Burke sat across from them. They made an affectionate picture and he had an odd sensation that felt a lot like envy. He didn't remember sitting with his father like that. It was hard to do when the man was gone all the time.

“So, what did you two talk about on Skype?”

“You.” His father sipped his Scotch. “How unhappy you are.”

Burke looked at his son's expression that was just this side of guilty. “Liam?”

“It's true, Dad. You don't smile. You don't want to play ball. And when I ask if we can go to Syd's house your mouth gets all weird and your eyes are mad. Did Syd do something?”

She said no,
he thought, and was taken aback by the way his chest got tight at the memory. More pressing, though, was the fact that the conversation with his son about her absence from their lives was going to happen much sooner than he'd expected.

“Syd didn't do anything,” he said.

“Then you must have done something.” His father's voice was neutral, not critical or harsh. Just matter-of-fact.

Still, Burke felt defensive. “Why does it have to be my fault?”

“Because that young woman is sensible, practical and straightforward. Salt of the earth. Pretty, too. I like her.”

“I don't need your approval.” But Burke was annoyed that he still couldn't stop wanting it.

“Your mother would have liked her, too.” It was as if the man hadn't heard his son push back. “Sydney reminds me a lot of your mother.”

Liam leaned closer to his grandfather. “I wish I could have met her.”

“You would have loved her.”

There was a tone in the older man's voice, a wistful sadness. And the look in his eyes was an echo of the expression that had been there right after his mom had died. It was a mixture of fear and pain. Burke recognized it because he'd felt the same way.

“I'm sorry you never knew her, Liam.” Burke sipped his Scotch and waited for the burn in his throat to subside. “She was sweet and funny. She taught me to be kind, loyal and loving. That's who she was.”

“I didn't deserve her,” Walker said.

Burke stared at the man who was acting nothing like his father and wondered where the heartless bastard had gone. “Why do you say that?”

Instead of answering he looked at his grandson and smiled proudly at him. “More than anything I'm sorry that your grandmother never knew you. She would have loved you so much and been so proud of you, Liam. You too are kind, loyal and loving. Your father instilled in you all the qualities that his mother made sure he had. Everything he needed to be a good father he learned from her. Not me.”

“Dad?” Burke stared at the man whose voice and face were familiar, but the attitude was something new.

His father's eyes were bleak. “I should have been around more after she died. I'm sorry I wasn't. You're raising a terrific young man. In spite of my bad example, you're a wonderful father.”

Liam smiled up at him, then looked at Burke. “Yeah. You're pretty cool, but way cooler when Syd's around. Maybe you should apologize to her for what you did.”

“First, I think we should hear what he did to alienate the young lady.”

“Syd's not young,” Liam said.

“She is to me,” his grandfather pointed out.

“Why does everyone assume it's my fault?” The two just stared at him and Burke sighed. “Okay. All I did was ask her to marry me.”

“Well done.” Then his father's smile faded. “Yet the two of you are estranged.”

“Dad's not strange.” Liam looked confused. “Syd isn't, either.”

“It means they're not together,” Walker explained. “When Sloan and I were here, I saw for myself that she cares very deeply for you. It surprises me that she didn't accept your proposal.”

Burke figured he might as well confess and move on. Maybe even change the subject. “I told her about all the perks of being married to me.”

“You mean like a job interview.”

That's what the mayor had said to him. Had he actually proposed to her in a way designed to make her refuse?

“Yeah, it was pretty much like that.” Burke got up and moved to the bar to pour himself another drink.

His father stood and followed him. Behind them the TV sound came on, meaning Liam had lost interest in the men's conversation.

“Burke, I know I wasn't a very good father to you and I'm sorry. There's something about having a grandchild that makes a man examine the mistakes he's made and try to do better. I can never undo what happened or make it up to you. There's no reason you should hear me out now, except that I'm asking you to.”

Burke figured there was nothing left to lose. “Okay, I'm listening.”

“When your mom got sick I wanted to fix it because that's what I do. But this was out of my hands and I felt helpless. Then she died and I didn't know what to do with the pain. I had everything money can buy and lost the one thing it couldn't. Love. The day your mother was buried was the day I buried myself in work. I'm very sorry I wasn't there for you, son.”

Burke just nodded because there was a lump in his throat the size of Montana.

“I can't help thinking that you learned to run from love and that I'm the one who taught you to do it.”

“My ex-wife gets some of the credit.”

“Pinhead.” His father's voice dripped with loathing. “I knew she was wrong for you, but didn't say anything. Figured you wouldn't listen to me of all people. There's no place in hell low enough for a woman like that.”

They both glanced at Liam, who was intently watching the movie and paying no attention to this conversation.

Burke blew out a long breath. “He stopped asking about her a long time ago. But I'm sure at some point he'll want information.”

“When he's old enough to handle it, you and I will be there to help him deal with the repercussions.” His dad reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “And I hope Sydney will be there with you, son. I didn't say anything to you regarding my doubts about your first marriage. Whether you listen to me or not I won't make that same mistake now. Don't follow in my footsteps and isolate yourself from the people who care about you.”

Burke felt years of resentment slip away. “Why did you come all the way to Blackwater Lake, Dad?”

“Because I love you and Liam. In the event that you needed me, I wanted to be here to help.”

Burke knew he wasn't just talking about Syd, but everything that happened after his mom died. He could have sworn there was a cracking sound in his chest followed by ice falling away from his heart. His father was warning him that love was everything. If Burke lost the woman he loved while there was a chance of having her, he would turn into a bitter shell of a man.

He pulled his father into a hug and felt the heaviness he'd carried for so long lift from his shoulders. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Thank you, son.” They stepped away and looked at each other and his father said, “Now, what are you going to do about Sydney?”

“That's a good question.”

* * *

It was amazing how fast a wedding could be pulled together when the whole town pitched in to help. As promised, Loretta had mobilized and delegated, starting a phone tree to spread the word about when and where, and that the reception would be a potluck in the church multipurpose room right after the ceremony at the church located in Blackwater Lake's town square.

Syd's dad had asked her Uncle John to be his best man while her brothers would be groomsmen. Flowers were ordered, nothing extravagant, just simple and beautiful.

Now Syd stood in the back of the church. Double doors separated this area from the rows of pews. As instructed, she was wearing her favorite dress—a red number with a peplum that hugged her like a second skin and four-inch heels to match. Her heart hurt terribly, but she had to put that aside because nothing was going to spoil her father's big day.

Still, she thought that Liam might have liked to be here. Then she pictured his eager little freckled face that was so much like his father's. Once was a fluke. Twice was a pattern. It seemed that when she gave away her heart, she lost not one, but two people she cared about.

Fortunately, just then her two sisters-in-law joined her. Cam was wearing a royal blue dress with a draped bodice showing a hint of cleavage. Ellie had on a green number with long sleeves and a flirty skirt. The jewel-toned shade highlighted her beautiful eyes.

Syd looked them over and smiled. “You both look completely stunning.”

“Are you sure?” Cam smoothed the front of her dress with the hand not holding a bouquet of white roses and baby's breath. “In my wild heiress days, I was in charge of fundraising and fashion events where a designer's career could be made or marred forever. I even walked the runway on occasion. But I've never been this nervous.”

“No one would mistake me for the fashion police,” Syd said. “But in my humble opinion you look fantastic. You, too, Ellie.”

“That's a relief,” she said, her Texas roots strong in her voice. “Alex told me that, but everyone knows we dress for other women and he's a man.” Her eyes twinkled. “And then he tried to get me out of this dress.”