A Lover's Vow

The music began playing, and it was time for the newlyweds and their wedding party to exit the garden. At least Shana had the good sense not to pair him with Jules. Instead, he was coupled with her best friend and neighbor, Gloria McCabe, the perky, blue-eyed blonde he’d met last night. She smiled as she took his arm, and he escorted her from the rose garden.

He’d managed to get through the wedding and hoped the same would hold true for the reception.

* * *

Jules loved her sister immensely, which was why she had promised Shana that she would try like hell to be civil to Dalton Granger even if it killed her. Already, she felt like she was taking her last breath because it was killing her.

She’d been aware of him the entire time he’d been staring her down during the wedding ceremony, but she’d refused to glance over at him. Feeling the heat of his gaze scan every inch of her body, lingering in places it should not have, made her think how totally disrespectful he was, but then she wasn’t surprised. The man was so full of himself it made her teeth ache. He assumed he could get any woman he wanted and, on two occasions, she’d proven him wrong by ignoring his schoolboy pick-up lines. Of course, he was still furious about it and had placed her on his shit list. Good. No sweat off her back if he kept her there.

Snagging a glass of champagne from the tray being carried by a passing waiter, she glanced around the wedding reception. The botanical garden that overlooked Mammoth Lake was nice—pretty damned impressive, in fact. But then, so was the rose garden where the wedding had taken place. The moment she’d driven onto the sprawling grounds of Sutton Hills, the Granger estate, she’d been captivated. Shana had warned her, but she’d still been stunned by the two hundred acres of lush and beautiful countryside near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

She’d never ventured into this part of Charlottesville, Virginia, but she’d really had no reason to do so. People who lived in this area had money, and she was a plain old working-class girl. The number of people who’d attended the wedding—college friends of Shana or her close business associates—were mesmerized by the wealth surrounding them in the same way Jules was. She knew her sister was taking it all in stride, since she had married for love and not money. But Jules felt Shana had been lucky to get both.

She glanced to her right and saw Dalton talking to Gloria, no doubt trying to make a hit. She knew that Gloria was already in a committed relationship, so he was wasting his time. Good. But what if she was wrong about that?

Releasing a long breath, she wondered why she cared one way or the other. She couldn’t stand him. The very ground he walked on. The air he breathed. Whatever food he ate. The clothes he wore. The—

For some reason, her thoughts refused to move beyond his clothes. Okay, he wore them well; she would give him that. Each and every time she saw him; he looked like he’d stepped off the pages of some fashion magazine. But then, she had to grudgingly admit, it was more than the clothes. A lot more. For starters, he had the looks—chiseled features that were handsome beyond reason, eyes that could draw you in, a pair of fascinating brows...and lips that promised more sin than anyone could possibly indulge. Those things alone should have been enough. But unfortunately, they weren’t. He’d found favor in someone’s eyes, because on top of all that, he was so arrestingly male, so strikingly masculine with muscles in all the right places, broad shoulders and perfect abs—and he was tall, at least six-two. He had the ability to take any woman’s breath away and increase her pulse rate just by walking into a room.

He’d gotten a lot of feminine attention last night at the wedding rehearsal and was getting a lot of attention now. She noticed several women hovering on the sidelines, waiting for his conversation with Gloria to end so they could take their turn. Honestly, did they have no shame? Apparently not, she thought, noticing that as soon as Gloria moved away, another woman had taken her place.

This time it was Rosa Larimore. The divorcée was one of Shana’s friends from college and someone Jules had never cared for. She liked her even less now. The woman had been married twice already, and after eyeing the Granger wealth, was probably contemplating Dalton as a third prospect. Since Rosa was a known man-eater and Dalton a woman-lover, they should be great together. But Jules didn’t like the thought of that for some reason.

She frowned. Was that a twinge of jealousy she was feeling? No, it couldn’t be. There was no way she would ever succumb to such an emotion for Dalton Granger. The bottom line was that it bothered her when women acted so desperate for a man, wealthy or otherwise. There was absolutely no way she would sink that low. No man was worth it.

Deciding she had been standing in the same spot too long, she was about to turn to go find her father when Dalton suddenly leveled his gaze at her over Rosa’s head.

Jules drew in a slow breath. She couldn’t stand him, so why did just looking at him make her feel all hot inside? Why had her throat suddenly gone dry? It was as if his gaze were a heated caress, some kind of physical connection that was drawing her to him. She fought the sensations consuming her, sucking her into a sensual abyss. She shouldn’t be reacting to him, or any man, this way. It had to do with control, something she liked having; and she refused to let any man take it away from her. Especially a man like Dalton Granger. She knew all about him, including the fact he’d been a cub to numerous cougars while living in Europe. Yet, at the moment, her body didn’t care what she knew. It was operating on hormones and a need long overdue. And it was that need that had heat sliding up her spine, making it difficult for her to draw a full breath.

What finally broke the spell was the conceited gleam in the depths of his eyes along with a smirk. The arrogant bastard thought he had her, but she intended to prove otherwise. No man had her, now or ever. She was a woman who didn’t tolerate bullshit and, as far as she was concerned, he was full of it.

“You and young Granger are trying to stare each other down again, I see.”

Jules blinked and quickly broke eye contact with Dalton to glance up at her father. “Again?”

Ben Bradford smiled down at his youngest daughter. “Yes, I noticed you and him doing the same thing during the wedding ceremony.”

Jules wondered if the others had noticed, as well. “The man is simply horrid. Totally despicable. I hope Shana knows what she’s doing by marrying into that family.”

Ben took a sip of his champagne. “I think your sister knows exactly what she’s doing. She loves Jace. He loves her. I’ll be a grandpa come spring. I think you’re the only one not happy with the match.”

Jules moved quickly to correct her father’s assumption. “I am happy with the match, Dad. I like Jace. He’s wonderful and a dream come true for Shana. They were meant for each other.”

“Oh. Then it’s Jace’s brothers you don’t like.”

She knew her father was toying with her. “Of course I like Caden. Who wouldn’t? He’s a sweetie pie.”

“That leaves Dalton, and I know the whole story involving the two of you.”

She didn’t say anything, although she was tempted to tell her father he was wrong. He didn’t know the whole story, not even half. He only knew what she’d told him, and she had left out a few details he didn’t need to know about.

“So where’s Mona?” she asked, deciding to change the subject.

“She went to the ladies’ room.”

Jules raised a brow. “Alone?” Mona, who was legally blind, was the woman her father had been seeing for a few months.

“Yes. Alone. She’s very independent.”

“Obviously. And she looks beautiful today.”

Ben smiled. “I think Mona looks beautiful every day.”

Jules nodded. Her widowed father had fallen in love, and he’d made that clear to both her and Shana. He’d also made it clear that he intended to make Mona a permanent part of his life, and that anyone who had a problem with that needed to get over it. Since Shana had easily accepted Mona’s role in their father’s life, that comment had been mainly directed at Jules, and they both knew it.

“You know what I think, Juliet?”

She knew that line, especially when he referred to her by her full name. Her father was about to point something out to her that she would rather not hear. But she wouldn’t dare tell him that. She would do as she’d always done, just grin and bear it. “No, Dad, what do you think?”

“That there’s a thin line between love and hate.”

She hoped her father wasn’t intimating the possibility of something happening between her and Dalton. He was totally wrong if he thought there was a chance that she and Dalton Granger could ever be anything other than enemies. Just in case he was thinking that way, she knew she had to squash that assumption. He was so far from the truth it wasn’t funny. “You have it all wrong, Dad, trust me. I wouldn’t fall for Dalton Granger if he were the last man on Earth. Even if I were threatened with jail time, I would gladly take a life sentence. I would choose hell over heaven if I thought for one minute that he had already passed through the pearly gates.”

Her father didn’t say anything; he merely stood and stared at her for a long moment. She could handle his stare as long as it meant he accepted what she said as gospel. She knew he was thinking, giving what she’d said much consideration...a little too much to suit her. When he finally nodded, she released the breath she’d been holding. Had it been anyone other than her father who’d suggested such a thing, she would have given him the tongue-lashing he deserved.

“I can understand why you might assume that,” she said, breaking the silence after taking another sip of her drink.

Ben lifted a curious brow. “You do?”

“Yes. You’re in love with Mona, and Shana got married today. So, in your mind, love and happiness are ruling the day.”

“Possibly,” he said, still giving her that in-depth Ben Bradford stare. “Nevertheless, you and Granger need to resolve this issue and make permanent peace.”

Permanent peace? She doubted that was possible. In fact, she knew it was highly unlikely. “Why?”

“For your sister’s sake.”

Jules shook her head. She couldn’t see herself doing it, not even for that reason. “Dad, Shana’s fine. Besides, she married Jace, not Dalton.”

“He’s Jace’s brother.”

“And I’m her sister.”

Her father paused a moment then asked, “Do you want to force Shana to take sides?”

“Of course not.”

“You are twenty-six, not six. You and Granger need to stop behaving like children and start acting like adults.”