Mason had left her at their engagement party to meet up with his ex-girlfriend? She didn’t want to believe it was true, but the evidence of where he’d been was right there in full color. She crumpled the paper in her hand and fought to breathe. He could have told me. What happened to not wanting to hurt me?
Her mother sat beside her on the bed and rubbed her back, soothing her as she’d always done. “I’m so sorry, Chelle. I didn’t want to believe it when I first saw it, but it’s all over the news.”
Her father didn’t say anything, and for that, Chelle was grateful. She knew what he was thinking, but if he’d said it, she probably would have broken down in tears.
Chelle threw the paper on the floor. It was too good to be true. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “At least now I know why he’s not calling.”
“Oh, honey,” her mother cooed.
Chelle blinked back tears she refused to shed. “I’ll be okay. The whole thing was wrong from the start. Who gets engaged and then tries to date? My mistake was forgetting it wasn’t real.”
Her father made an angry growling noise, then walked out of the room. Her mother stayed and continued to rub Chelle’s back. “It didn’t look like a mistake when I saw you with him. If he really did run back to California to party with that . . . that woman, then he’s the one who made a mistake, and it’s one he’ll probably spend the rest of his life regretting.”
Chelle sniffed. “If? Mom, that photo is pretty damning.”
Her mother bent, picked the paper off the floor, and smoothed it over her lap. She studied the photo. “I stared at this photo long and hard before we brought it in to show you. I don’t care what the article says. Everyone knows you can’t believe half of what is in the news. There’s no denying he left you to go to her, but he’s not happy about it. He doesn’t look like a man who just spent a wild night with that woman. He’s miserable. And sad. Take a look for yourself.”
Chelle glanced over and said coldly, “Or hungover.”
“Maybe,” her mother said gently and laid the paper down on the bed beside her.
“Mom, he hasn’t called me. Not once. Not a text. Not an e-mail. Nothing. It’s time for me to admit I am not as good a judge of character as I like to imagine I am.”
Smoothing her hands down the front of her jeans, her mother said, “Let yourself cry it out tonight, baby. But tomorrow morning you get up nice and early, and you go for a trail ride with your dad and me. Then we’ll come back, have a nice lunch, and decide where you want to fly off to next.”
That did bring tears to Chelle’s eyes. “Don’t you think I’ve made enough of a mess of everything already? Maybe it’s better if I just stay here and work on the ranch like we talked about.”
Her mother put a hand beneath her chin and turned her face so their eyes met. “Chelle Susan Landon, you will do no such thing. You think Mason is the only man out there? He’s not. He’s also not the reason you wanted to leave here. Your dad and I know you don’t want the same life we’ve had. We don’t need you to be a carbon copy of us. What matters is that you’re happy. Where are your cards with destinations on them? Pick another. You went riding into the wind, baby, and you fell off. What did I always tell you about that?”
Tears were streaming down Chelle’s cheeks, but they were the result of a complicated mix of feelings. There were some things she knew she needed to let go of, and other things she was so grateful would always be there. “How did you get so wise, Mom?”
After a final hug, her mother stood. “I guess it’s because I had a wonderful mother who understood that I fell in love with a diamond in the rough. Your father came back from Vietnam an angry man. It took time and patience to work through that. She made sure I knew the difference between being someone’s doormat and being someone’s rock. I love your father and the life we’ve made together, but I could survive if he left me. That’s what I want for you, Chelle. Don’t be afraid to love with all your heart, but know that no matter what happens, it doesn’t change who you are.”
Her mother closed the door behind her. Chelle lay back down without turning off the light. She spent a good amount of time staring at the photo of Mason and Ruby before she eventually conceded that the answers she sought couldn’t be found there. Why don’t you call, Mason? Even if it’s just to tell me it’s over? She rummaged beside her bed for the present Sarah and Melanie had given her. She closed her eyes, reached inside, and pulled out a card.
Niagara Falls. At least my tears won’t show there.
She fell asleep with the article and the card tucked beneath her pillow.
The next morning, Chelle woke to the sound of her cell phone ringing. The sun was streaming through the window, evidence she’d slept later than she normally did. The caller had a California area code. Chelle sat straight up in her bed and answered in a rush. “Mason?”
“Am I speaking with Chelle Landon?” a woman asked in a businesslike tone.
“Yes,” Chelle answered, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“I’m Millie Capri, Senator Thorne’s administrative assistant.”
Oh my God. He wouldn’t have his secretary tell me it’s over, would he? “What can I do for you, Mrs. Capri?”
“Senator Thorne is giving a statement to the press at four o’clock this afternoon. It would be a huge benefit to him if you were there by his side.”
Chelle shook her head in disbelief. “Are you serious? Or is this some kind of joke?”
“Considering the negative attention the press has given him regarding his association with Ruby Skye, your presence would go a long way in diffusing the rumor that he’s cheating on you.”
Chelle’s breath caught in her throat. “Are you saying he’s not?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny what Senator Thorne does in his personal life, but I can tell you the rumor may cost him not only the passing of the bill he’s been working on, but also his run for governor.”
Chelle’s temper began to rise. “Give me one good reason why I should care about either.”
Mason’s secretary fell silent for a moment, then said, “If you love him, get your ass on a flight out here. He needs you.” She cleared her throat and in a professional voice said, “I can make the flight arrangements if you’d like.”
Chelle held the phone away from her before bringing it back to her ear. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “If Mason wants me out there, he can ask me himself.”
In a no-nonsense tone, Mrs. Capri said, “He won’t, and he doesn’t know I made this call. I’ll text you the information you’ll need when you arrive. This number is my private cell. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to contact me.”
The line went dead.
She dug the photo of Mason and Ruby out from under her pillow and frowned down at it before waving it at the powers above. Is this a test? What am I supposed to do with this?
Mason was sitting in his office, answering e-mails and phone calls. He was winning back support for his bill, but it was slow going—one excruciating negotiation at a time. He had to prove to his colleagues that voters would not see supporting the protection of the state’s water supply as an endorsement of the lascivious lifestyle he had reportedly ditched his small-town fiancée for.
He hung up the phone on his desk and left his hand on the receiver. He’d almost called Chelle once or twice—okay, maybe a hundred times—so far that day. He’d even started dialing her number once, then slammed the phone down. There was nothing to say, not yet.
If he called her and somehow convinced her he’d been with Ruby for reasons other than what was in the news, what then? She’d want to come to Sacramento to be with him, and he wouldn’t put her through the media storm that was swirling around him. Right now, he was being vilified while Chelle was a martyr people were proclaiming public sympathy for.
That could change in a flash.
The paparazzi loved to build people up only to tear them down. He wouldn’t let that happen to
Chelle. He’d promised her that when they eventually did break up, he would do it in a way that would show her in a good light.
Well, he’d certainly done that. Photos of Chelle in Fort Mavis were popping up in the media. She was the poster child for good old-fashioned values. California was a progressive state, but even its citizens didn’t like the idea of a governor who spat on core American values like honesty and family.
Mason moved his hand to rub his tired eyes. The kindest thing he could do for Chelle would be to keep her as far removed from that insanity as possible.
His cell phone rang in his pocket. It was Charles. Mason let it ring through to his voice mail. He really didn’t want to hear Charles gloat about being right. Nor did he want to defend how he’d left or why he hadn’t called Chelle.
Mason had faced worse alone, and he knew he would survive this, too. At the end of the day, he wasn’t a hero; he was a survivor. Nothing less. Nothing more.
Chelle was better off without him.
Chapter Nineteen
Chelle had changed her mind at least three times by the time she finished showering and doing her hair. She reached for a pair of jeans, then stopped. If I’m doing this, I need to look the part. She dug through her closet for a simple dress and matching shoes. Conservative, yet attractive. When she met her eyes in the mirror, she thought about what her mother had said the night before. I am not afraid to love with my whole heart, because no matter what happens in California, it won’t change me.
Before heading downstairs to talk to her parents, she reached for her cell phone to make a call. It rang three times, then Charles answered. “Chelle? Is everything all right?”
Chelle took a deep breath before saying, “At four o’clock Mason is making a statement to the press regarding the photo with Ruby Skye. I want to be there to support him. I know you have a private plane. Will you fly me out there? There isn’t much time to decide, so I need your decision now.”
“Did you speak to him?”
Chelle closed her eyes, bit her bottom lip, then said firmly, “I didn’t need to. I trust him, and if he went to see Ruby, there was a reason. I’m not going to embarrass him. If I get there and he doesn’t want me at his side, I’ll come home. No one will know I was even there. But he’s under attack right now, and he needs all the support he can get. I want to show him he’s not alone.” She paused before plowing on. “You should come with me. He could use a friend by his side right about now.”
“We’ll fly out of the small airfield south of town in an hour,” Charles said, then asked abruptly, “Do you need me to send a car for you?”
“No, I can get a ride. One more thing.”
“Yes?”
“How many people can fit in your plane?”
About five hours later at a small private airport, Chelle met Mrs. “Please, call me Millie” Capri for the first time. Chelle introduced her to her parents, Sarah, Tony, Charles, and Melanie.
“How much time do we have?” Charles asked in a demanding tone that made most people jump nervously. “Can you guarantee Chelle won’t be seen?”
Millie didn’t flinch. “I could move the president of the United States in and out of the building without the press being aware; I’m confident we can sneak all of you in without being detected.”
Chelle’s father had agreed to come, but he wasn’t yet sold on the endeavor. “I don’t understand why we couldn’t call him to tell him we were coming.”
“Senator Thorne would have said it’s not necessary,” answered Millie.
“Are we sure it is?” Roger growled the question.
His wife took his hand in hers. “It is to Chelle.”
Chelle went to stand in front of her father. The closer they came to seeing Mason, the more anxious she became. It was too easy to start worrying about what his response would be to seeing her. What if he turned her away? What if he actually had chosen Ruby over her? She refused to let her fears win. “Remember what I said, Dad. This is about showing him we care, not pushing our way up there with him. He may not want us next to him when he gives his statement.”
“If I came all this way and he doesn’t want us here, I’ll give the press something else to write about.”
Chelle shook her head frantically. “Don’t, Dad. Please don’t make things worse.”
With a frustrated sigh, her father agreed.
Millie led them to a line of cars with tinted windows.
Sarah said, “This is kind of exciting, isn’t it?” When no one agreed with her, she added, “Say what you want, but when we all look back at this later, this is going to be one of the coolest things we’ve done.”
Melanie winked at Sarah’s husband. “If you can, you should probably keep her quiet in front of the cameras.”
Tony shrugged and smiled at his wife. Chelle wasn’t sure if that meant that he wouldn’t or that he would try, but Sarah would do what she pleased anyway.
The ride to the statehouse felt endless. Chelle knew she was doing the right thing, but her nerves were frayed, and her emotions were all over the place. She was pretty sure her parents had agreed to come simply because they didn’t want her to be alone if this went wrong.
Charles’s support seemed genuine. Melanie was there both for her fiancé and as moral support for Chelle. Sarah was thrilled to have been invited to watch what she was positive would be the day her brother’s best friend realized how much he loved Chelle.
When they arrived at the statehouse, Millie had the cars pull down a back alley that led to an entrance blocked off from the press. Plainclothes security men were scattered about, watching for anyone who shouldn’t have been in that area.
One of them opened the door to the building. Chelle hesitated before walking through it. She turned to Millie. “I’m not wrong, am I?”
“We’ll soon find out,” Millie answered and ushered her inside. She gave them all instructions to stay in the hallway she led them to. She pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. “Senator Thorne will enter through that door in about ten minutes.” She pointed to a second door on the other end of the hall. “The press is on the other side of that door. I’ll be in the back of the conference room. If I don’t see you walk out with him, I’ll have the cars readied to take you back to your plane. Remember, this is a press statement. You’re not to answer anyone’s questions. Let Senator Thorne say what he needs to say, and that’s it.”
Barely able to breathe, Chelle said, “Thank you, Mrs. Capri.”
Millie smiled. “I told you, call me Millie. I hope this works out. Mason needs someone like you in his life. You did good, Chelle.” She looked at Charles, then back at Chelle. “You did real good.” She looked down at her watch and said, “Five minutes. Good luck.” Then she left the hall through a door that led to the back of the conference room.
Mason adjusted his tie in the mirror and practiced his winning smile. He looked and felt like shit. That’s what three days without sleep will do.
He gave himself a mental shake and focused on rehearsing his statement. Rather than read a speech, he had points he intended to address. First, he would make it clear he wasn’t taking questions. Second, he would announce his breakup with Chelle and claim responsibility. He’d make a quick joke about discovering he wasn’t marriage material, then lead into how little relevance that had when it came to the current drought in California or unemployment numbers. If he handled it correctly, he’d sway the press back to his side. He’d done it before.
His biggest regret was that Chelle would hear about their breakup via his public statement. He took out his phone and called her. He hadn’t rehearsed what he would say to her, but he knew he had to say something. She picked up on the first ring. “Chelle, it’s Mason.”
“I know,” she said softly.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Mason, whatever you have to say to me, you should say in person.”
She’s right, but there’s no time now. “I would if there w
ere time. I was wrong to avoid having this conversation, but I’m just about to speak to the press, and I want you to be prepared for what I’ll say.”
“Mason, I’m at the statehouse. I’m in the hallway leading to the conference room. If you want to tell me something, you know where to find me.” With that, she hung up.
Mason tore out of his office. He wouldn’t believe she was there until he saw her with his own eyes. He hadn’t given her any reason to believe in him. In fact, he wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d refused to even speak to him. The photo of him with Ruby had been damning enough to sway public opinion against him. Why would she come to him now?
He didn’t wait for the elevator. He sprinted down the stairs and ripped open the door to the hallway where she’d said she was. He couldn’t breathe as he searched the hall for her. He recognized the other people there, but during that first moment, they didn’t matter. There she was, exactly as she’d said she would be. Waiting for him.
Every disappointment he’d ever endured, every wall he’d constructed around his heart fell away as he walked toward her. In that moment, he felt lighter, freer and was tempted to run to her. She met him in the middle of the hallway. Before they said a word to each other, they kissed passionately.
Emotions that had long been locked within Mason burst out and temporarily overwhelmed him. He broke off the kiss and simply held her to his chest. “What are you doing here, Chelle?” he asked huskily.