Page 63 of Blue Jean Summer

“Ah. So you reminded him that his daughter was about to be the matriarch of a hundred-million-dollar fortune?”

“We’re about to enter an election cycle and he’s a shoo-in for the VP nomination. The Grants might have political capital, but they don’t have the kind of capital Catherine’s about to have access to. He needs her, whether he wants to admit it or not. Virginia might believe that he has the picture-perfect family, but once he’s in the national spotlight, people will start hunting for skeletons. They’ll dig up his affair and find out about Catherine. He’ll be eviscerated if he tries to hide it. If he owns it, he looks like a modern father whose daughter can help bring in a hell of a lot of campaign donations.”

Mason let out a low whistle. “Damn. You’re one manipulative son of a bitch.”

I smirked. “You’re forgetting my granddad wasn’t just a nice old man. I learned from the best.”

Mason nodded. “And you think Catherine will play the dutiful daughter after he’s hidden her away all these years?”

“There won’t be pressure on her right away. I think she’ll be clear of it after we get the marriage annulled.”

Mason let out a sharp breath and downed the rest of his beer. “I hope you’re right. Women like Catherine are rare. Don’t hurt her.”

“I could say the same about Hallie,” I said pointedly.

Mason’s jaw tightened. “Damn right about that,” he muttered.

“You know, there are no rules forbidding workplace romances on the estate,” I said.

“I know,” Mason said calmly as he stared at the pond, like he was simply acknowledging a well-known fact the same way he would if he had to confirm he knew his birthday or who the president was. “It’s just not time yet.”

By my guess, Mason had been waiting for it to be time for years.

“Thanks for not making me drink alone,” he said as he stuffed the empty beer back into the case and tucked it under his arm. “Don’t stay out too late. Big day tomorrow.”

Understatement of the year.

I waved him off before lying back on the grass and closing my eyes, enjoying the gentle serenade from the crickets and the frogs as daylight began to dim. The dusky haze that settled over the grass was my favorite time of day. It was the moment when the sun dripped down from the heavens and touched the earth.

Footsteps neared. I froze and waited for the rustle of brush as whoever it was headed to the pond, but the steps passed by and faded into the distance.

Huh.

Mason had headed up to his place. All the vendors setting up for the wedding should have been working up by the garden. Hallie was likely at the estate house. Zach rarely left the west wing. Levi was working off property, but I had seen his taillights heading to his place when I was walking to the pond.

Which left my fiancée unaccounted for.

I eased up and let my curiosity lead the way.

I caught her blonde hair and blue jeans slipping into the stables and followed. My boots echoed as I set foot inside. Catherine whirled around, looking rather guilty.

“Hallie will never forgive you if you become a runaway bride after she put in all that work for the wedding tomorrow,” I teased.

Catherine popped open a bag of baby carrots. “I just needed to get some air. I was working on refreshing my résumé and gave myself a migraine.”

The sound of the bag was a beacon to every horse in the whole place. Overwhelmed with excitement, Maisey collided into her stall door in a tangle of limbs. There was a clumsy scuffle as she scrambled to get back up. Finally, she popped up onto her hooves and dropped her head over the partition.

I rested my hands on my hips. “You’re not very good at being a horse, are you?”

Catherine snickered, but I could sense the strain hidden beneath the beauty queen smile.

Maisey just craned her long neck in Catherine’s direction, trying to will the carrots into her mouth.

“She’s like a puppy,” Catherine said as she offered a single carrot in her flattened palm.

Maisey lunged for the bag instead of the carrot, then threw a temper tantrum, tossing her head and stamping her hooves when the bag wasn’t given to her.

Catherine sighed. “A really untrained puppy.”