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Chapter Two
Two months later
It was a magical evening. Zoe swallowed against the lump in her throat. Her sister was now married to Don Cavallo. She still couldn’t quite get her head around the idea that one of her sisters was a married woman. But there was no doubt Caitlin was ecstatically happy—she hadn’t seen her without that huge smile all day.
The wedding reception was being held in the Cavallo’s luxurious boutique hotel on Mahé, one of the beautiful islands of the Seychelles. As far as settings went, one could hardly find a more romantic, fairy-tale venue for Caitlin and Don’s wedding.
The bridal couple were dancing. The music changed, the lights dimmed. Don pulled her sister closer to him, smiled down at Caitlin, and she simply beamed. Her sister made such a beautiful bride.
Hannah leaned across to Zoe. “Our sister looks so happy.” She sighed. “Though I still can’t believe she decided to marry the guy. Christmas morning we were all still footloose and fancy-free and by the next morning, we had a sister who was engaged to be married!”
“And two months later, we’re at their wedding!” Zoe giggled.
“But will it last?” Hannah said, her eyes on the couple. “What do you think?”
Zoe shook her head. “I wish I knew. How realistic is it to think you can love only one person for the rest of your life? Some animals mate for life, but from what I’ve seen, humans struggle with the concept.”
Hannah sighed. “Yep, sad but true.”
Male laughter reached them and Zoe’s heart lurched; her hands became clammy. Next to her, Hannah stiffened. That meant Dale Cavallo and his two other brothers were back at the table.
She and Hannah stared at the wedding couple for a few minutes. Don pulled their sister even closer and kissed her forehead before he cuddled her close.
“Caitlin believes true love is possible,” Hannah said. “She has apparently even conquered her trust issues and believes Don would never be unfaithful.”
“I know, and I hope she’s right.”
Dana, Caitlin’s best friend, who was the other bridesmaid, pulled her chair up and moved her head slightly in the direction of the three Cavallo brothers. “We’ve probably danced with every man at the wedding. Every man except them, that is. And they, in turn, have danced with every woman out there, except with us. Strange, don’t you think?” she asked.
“This is probably the last dance, the evening is drawing to a close, so hopefully we won’t have to dance with them at all.” Hannah just about snarled.
Zoe looked at her watch. She was very glad the evening was nearly over; she was tired of trying not to look in Dale Cavallo’s direction.
The last time she’d seen him was on Christmas Day, and he’d actually been quite civil. Probably because his mother had been around. But today, he’d been glaring at her ever since she and her sisters walked down the aisle earlier.
The groom and his three groomsmen waiting for the bride had been a sight to behold. All four of them were tall, dark, and sexy, and she could swear the testosterone levels around them rose by the minute in the small chapel.
That was when she’d noticed Dale’s eyes on her. And realized he’d been scowling. What had she done? Yes, she’d turned down his request, but that had been months ago, and this was a wedding, for goodness’ sake.
And damn it, why her hormones jumped to attention every time she saw him, she had no idea. Her body’s reaction to the man was downright embarrassing. Good heavens, it was not as if he was the first attractive man she’d ever seen. But even just a glimpse of the man was sufficient stimulation for her hormones to produce so much saliva she worried every time that she’d start drooling over him.
*
“So, Dale, you’rethe second oldest, when are you getting married?” David grinned.
Irritated, Dale looked at his brother. He swore and grabbed his glass of wine. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Well, you’ve been staring at Zoe all night long, I was just wondering.” David sniggered.
He glared at David. “I’m not staring.” When his eyes returned to Zoe’s back immediately, he realized how ridiculous he sounded. But then, ever since Zoe Sutherland had walked into his life, he’d been doing ridiculous things.
“I don’t know how you think that, David,” Darryn, their other brother, said. “You’ve been staring at Dana all night.”
David’s grin widened. “What’s not to stare at? They’re all beautiful.”
“I don’t know about Dana, but Dale, I’ll tell you what I told Don—stay away from the Sutherland women. They’re trouble.” Darryn had the usual scowl when the Sutherland sisters were mentioned.
“So that’s why you can’t keep your eyes off Hannah?” Dale was glad he could shift attention away from him. “Because you’re trying to stay away from her?”
