not alone. Not if you don’t want to be.”
“Anyway.” She smoothed her hair and hoped her laugh didn’t sound as awkward as it felt. “Next time you’re just getting dinner.”
“And when will that be?” he said softly. “I’m happy to be patient, but I hope I won’t have to wait for very long.”
Sutton felt her brows rise. “Are you … asking me out?”
“Yes, ma’am. I do believe I am.” As she shifted her eyes away, Dagney laughed. “Too much? I’m sorry.”
“No, I, ah … no, I just …”
“Yes, I’m afraid my intentions were honorable, but not necessarily platonic, as I came here tonight.”
Damn you, Edward, she thought again.
And abruptly, she became aware of the three state police officers who were standing at a discreet number of yards away. As well as the fact that she was blushing.
“I didn’t mean to complicate things,” Dagney said as he took her hand. “And if I’ve made this difficult, we can forget I ever crossed that line.”
“I, ah …”
“We’re just going to forget this, okay?” the governor concluded without any edge at all. “I’ll chalk it up to experience and move on.”
“Experience?”
He rubbed his jaw with his thumb. “I haven’t asked a lot of women out. Since my Marilyn died, that is. And you know, statistically, this increases my odds of a ‘yes’ at some point, and since I’m an optimist, I’m taking that positive away from this evening—along with those four mountains.”
Sutton laughed. “So other people have told you no? I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, actually … you’re the first one I’ve asked. But as I said, I’ve gotten a rejection out of the way and lived to tell the tale.” He smiled and reached out to her face. “Your mouth has fallen open.”
“I am just surprised.” She laughed. “That I’m your first—I mean, oh … crap.”
The governor laughed back and then grew serious. “It was so hard when I lost Marilyn, and it’s been a long time since anyone else registered, to be honest. And even though this will not make me look like a stud in the slightest … it’s taken me two months to get the courage up to ask you.”
“Two months?”
“Remember when I saw you at the capitol building in March? That’s when I decided I was going to ask you for a date. And then I chickened out. But you invited me here tonight, and I decided to go for it. Do not feel bad, though. I’m a big boy, I can take it—”
“I’m in love with someone,” she blurted.
The governor recoiled. And then cursed softly. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were with anyone. I would never have disrespected your relationship—”
“We’re not together.” She waved her hand. “There’s no relationship. It’s not anything that makes sense, actually.”
“Well …” Dagney stared into her eyes. “Edward Baldwine is a fool, then.”
Sutton opened her mouth to deny it, but the man in front of her wasn’t an idiot. “There’s nothing going on between us, and I guess I still need to get that through my head. And also because of my new role, it’s not a great time for me.”
“At the risk of being forward, I just want to say that in the future, I’m willing to be your rebound.” He laughed. “Yes, that is desperate, but I’m way out of practice with all this, and you are a very intelligent, very beautiful woman who deserves a good man.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” He put out his palm for a shake. “But at least we’re going to see a lot of each other, especially with this new job of yours.”
“Yes, we will.”
She left his hand where it was and stepped in to embrace him. “And I look forward to it.”
He held her briefly and lightly and then eased back. “Boys? Let’s go.”
The state police escorted the governor over to the two black-on-black SUVs, and a moment later, the motorcade formed, a pair of police motorcyclists falling in line.
Sadness closed in on her from behind, giving a chill to the balmy night air.
“Damn you, Edward,” she whispered to the wind.
EIGHTEEN
The following morning, Lane stepped out of his bedroom suite at Easterly in a good mood. But that didn’t last as he looked down the hall, and saw luggage outside his grandfather’s room.
“Oh, no, you don’t.”
Stalking over to the stacked bags, he didn’t bother knocking on the partially opened door. “Jeff, you are not leaving.”
His old college roommate looked up from a prodigious pile of papers on the old desk. “I