Teresa Southwick – His By Christmas (страница 2)

“Even more reason to congratulate you,” Cal said just as sincerely. “You really do have it all.”

“And you don’t,” his brother needled him. “In fact, you’re not getting any, either.”

So much for having a moment. “How can you possibly know that? Are you stalking me?”

“Don’t have to. I always know where you are. Working.”

“So you’re studying surveillance footage?”

“Don’t have to do that, either, now that you’ve set up an office for Hart Energy here in Blackwater Lake.” Sam slid his hands into the pockets of his tux trousers. “And, in spite of that, there was still some question at the last minute about you being here for the wedding.”

Cal felt a little guilty about that, but negotiations regarding a parcel of land for a wind farm were going south and he needed to be involved. “I made it, didn’t I? I should get points for that. I haven’t missed a Hart wedding yet. Except the one ten years ago Linc didn’t tell anyone about.”

“True. And you’re the last Hart bachelor. Here alone, I notice. Evidence that you work too much to have a life and a plus-one.”

There was more truth in that statement than Cal would admit. “Who retired and promoted you to relationship monitor?”

Just then Katherine Hart, their mother, joined the conversation. “Calhoun, this is your brother’s day. Be nice.”

And so, Cal thought, just like in football, it was the retaliatory hit the official penalized, not the inciting one. “He started it.”

“Sam—” The older woman stood between them, linking arms with them. She was ageless and still beautiful, even after raising four children. “What did you do?”

“I simply pointed out that Cal is a workaholic.”

“Not exactly how you phrased it.” Cal didn’t miss the gleam in his brother’s eyes, the one that dared him to tell her the disagreement was all about him not having sex in a long time. That would happen when pigs went airborne.

“You do work too hard,” Katherine said. “I was seriously thinking about staging a family intervention.”

“Isn’t that a bit dramatic, Mother?”

“No.” Her expression said she wasn’t kidding. Not only that, she’d left no room for rebuttal.

That didn’t stop him from trying to make an argument. “It takes time and effort to run a successful company.”

“No one understands that better than me. But some things are more important.”

Not when he was competing with Sam for the best bottom line of all the companies that encompassed Hart Industries. “Look, Mom—”

“No.” There was that rebuttal stopper again. “Working too hard is a flaw of the Hart men. It’s a trait that nearly destroyed my marriage to your father, as you both well know.”

Cal was aware that his parents legally separated when he and Sam were hardly more than babies. Because they were so close in age, she’d always called them twins the hard way. His dad worked all the time and she’d felt isolated and alone. Katherine’s one-night stand during the separation had resulted in her getting pregnant and his brother Lincoln was born. Against the odds, Katherine and Hastings Hart had reconciled and their union became even stronger.

“I’m not married,” Cal reminded her.

“You were once, but you never will be again if you don’t make changes in your life.”

Cal had left himself wide-open for that one. “Look, I just wasn’t very good at marriage.”

“That’s no reason to give up. It’s like vegetables. One taste doesn’t get you a pass from them. Your body needs them and they’re good for you.”

Kind of like sex, Cal thought.

“You’ll wither and die if you don’t get any.” Sam’s remark was a clue that he was thinking along the same lines.

“Seriously,” Katherine said, “there are studies that prove married men live longer. I want you around for a very long time, not working yourself into an early grave.”

“Come on, Mom. You’re exaggerating.” When her eyes flashed with maternal intensity, he knew that was the wrong thing to say.

“When was the last time you took a vacation?” she demanded.

He thought for a moment and drew a blank. “I’d have to check my calendar. Can I get back to you on that?”

“I already checked with Shanna and she told me you haven’t taken time off since she’s been with the company, so that’s at least four years.”

“You went over my head to my assistant about this?”

“You have a problem with that?” There was a warning expression in his mother’s eyes.

“No. Just wondering.” He couldn’t believe she’d done research on him. “She’s probably right. Excellent at her job.”

“She’s so good you never give her time off, either. She’s tired.”

“I have an idea,” Sam said. “Give her a vacation and you take one, too.”

“I don’t need a break—”

“Recharging your batteries would be good for you,” his mother interrupted. “Your father and I recently took a trip to an all-inclusive island. There were so many activities available, or you could just veg out on the beach, sit in a lounge chair by the pool.”

“Doing nothing would drive me nuts.” Cal could feel his stubborn streak kicking in. That was never good.

“You can do as much or as little as you want,” she insisted.

“I’ll check it out.” Again, when pigs took flight. Hopefully that response would get her off his back.

But Katherine’s eyes narrowed as if she was onto him. “You think I don’t know you just threw me a bone and have no intention of doing any research on a vacation?”

“Mom, can we talk about this later? Sam just got married and I’m sure he has stuff to do at this shindig.”

“He’s right. Faith just threw her bouquet, so it’s almost time for me to do the garter thing.” Sam’s eyes took on a calculating look. “But I think I know how to resolve Cal’s vacation issue right now.”

“I bet you don’t,” Cal said.

“It’s like you’re channeling me.” His brother looked way too self-satisfied. “I think you should take a week off for every year of avoided vacation. So, I’ll bet you that you can’t go to that island and stay for a month.”

“Of course I can. If I wanted to.”

“Ah,” Sam said. “Wiggle room. I knew you couldn’t do it.”

The tone and the words hit a nerve and started Cal’s competitive juices flowing. “Why would I want to?”

“For the Duchess.” There was a dare in his brother’s voice.

“But you love that car,” Cal protested.

“I do. But you’re not going to stay on the island for a month, so there’s no chance I’ll lose the car.”

It was like they were kids again, and Cal felt that honor challenge clear to his core. A double dog dare if he’d ever heard one. Plus, he really did love that car. It was a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and something that belonged to his grandfather, which made it priceless.

He stuck out his hand. “You’re on.”

“Excellent,” Sam said, shaking on the terms of the wager. “Mom, you’re a witness.”

“I am.” She pointed to the activity on the other side of the room. “Look, all the single men are gathering. Sam, I think you’re being paged. And, Cal, go catch the garter.”

“No way.”

“I’ve been looking forward to this.” Sam rubbed his hands together. “I’ll throw it right to you.”

“Don’t do me any favors.”

A few minutes later Sam removed the garter from his bride’s leg and threw it over his shoulder into the crowd of single guys. Unfortunately, Cal caught the blasted thing. The satin-and-lace symbol of the next guy to walk down ball-and-chain lane sailed just close enough that he couldn’t resist the challenge of snagging it. Damn his competitive streak. And he was pretty sure Sam had done it on purpose, to prove relaxing was too big a challenge for Cal, that he was going to lose the bet.

His brother was wrong, Cal thought.

The problem was going to be finding ways to fill his time for a month on an island. Or die trying. Really, what could go wrong?

* * *