A Great Catch (24 page)

“Don’t fidget so.”

Emily stilled while her grandmother finished buttoning the tiny pearl buttons on the chiffon gown. In the light of the cabin, the dress looked more ivy than moss green, and even Emily had to admit the soft flounces of lace draped around the skirt and train would be lovely when she danced.

With a man who loved her.

Her heart skipped, and she pressed her hand to her chest. The open neckline, which Mary insisted was in vogue, left much more skin exposed than her day dresses. At least the seamstress had been generous with the lace draped over Emily’s shoulders.

Grandma Kate stepped back. “You’re a vision.”

“Thank you, Grandma.” Emily adjusted the garland of fabric roses trailing from her left shoulder to her waist. “You don’t think these are too much?”

“They look so real, I can almost smell them. You’re only missing one thing.” Grandma Kate reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a box. “Go ahead. Open it.”

Fingers trembling, Emily took the gift and removed the lid. Diamond ear bobs sparkled against a swatch of black velvet. “Aren’t these yours?”

“A gift from your grandfather.” She pulled one of the pieces out and held it to the window. It glittered in the sun. “He gave them to me as an anniversary gift, and I want you to have them.”

“Grandma, I can’t.”

She placed the ear bob back in the box and laid her hand on top. “Yes, you can. When you wear them, you can think of the love your grandfather and I shared.”

Tears beaded in Emily’s eyes as she slipped the ear bobs into the holes in her lobes.

“Carter told you he loves you, didn’t he?”

Wide-eyed, Emily turned from the mirror. “How did you know?”

“You nearly floated into the house when you came home. And now your face switches from joy to terror in seconds.” Grandma Kate smiled, the wrinkles crinkling around her eyes. “And what did you say?”

Heat infusing her cheeks, Emily licked her lips.

“Ah, he didn’t let you answer. Smart boy.”

“Grandma!”

The older woman waddled to the door. “It’s good to make him wait a bit for your declaration. You should pray about it before you say anything. Affairs of the heart need to be placed in the hands of the Lover of our souls. Only God knows what is best.” She tilted her head to the side to take in both ear bobs. “He’s a good man, Emily. Don’t be afraid.”

Her grandmother slipped from the room. Emily sat down on the bed and slid her feet into her black satin slippers. After easing her hands into her long white kid gloves, she took a deep, steadying breath. Fear tainted the thrill of Carter’s proclamation, and the memory of the bank discovery wouldn’t go away. What if Carter wasn’t as good a man as everyone thought? And what about the deal she saw him making in the ice cream parlor? He hadn’t mentioned a word about that.

But he’d said he loved her. Every time she replayed the words in her head, her heart danced. Surely her fears were unfounded. Even though she may not have said it at the moment, she knew one thing was true.

She loved Carter Stockton.

But when should she tell him? Maybe, like Grandma Kate said, she should pray about it.

Carter’s deep voice carried through the open windows. Well, that answered that. No time to pray now. He was here.

With a heart ready to burst, she grabbed her fan, checked her hair in the mirror, and stepped toward her future.

Robbed of his breath at the sight of Emily, Carter stood in front of the Graham cabin and let his gaze sweep over her appreciatively. Part of her hair was pulled up with a jeweled comb, which left the remaining soft tendrils trailing down her graceful neck. The green of the dress made her eyes gleam like emeralds.

Aunt Millie elbowed him in the ribs.

He jerked and swallowed hard. “Emily, you’re stunning.”

“Thank you. You look quite dapper yourself.”

He grinned and tugged on the lapels of his dark tailcoat. With the white waistcoat restraining his chest from moving, the stiff collar and the bow tie strangling him, and the hot kid gloves making his hands sweat, he longed for his baseball uniform. Whoever designed these things had never been to Lake Manawa in late June.

“Shall we go?” He offered his arm and waited until her hand was tucked in the crook of it before he nodded to her aunts and grandmother. “Ladies, have a wonderful evening.”

“You too.” Aunt Millie giggled.

Aunt Ethel shot Emily a look of warning. “Try not to trip and ruin your new dress.”

Grandma Kate kissed her cheek. “Make tonight special.”

The walk to the Kursaal was less than twenty minutes from the Graham cottage even at their leisurely pace. The tailcoat kept him hot as a pot of soup, so Carter welcomed the hint of a breeze drifting off the lake. Hopefully it would help keep the second-floor ballroom cool tonight. If it didn’t, he might have to whisk Emily off for a stroll.

As they approached the new snowy-white pavilion, he marveled at how it jutted out into the water. At nearly 180 feet in length, the Kursaal was now easily the biggest building on the lake. Only last week, workmen had completed the deck, which surrounded the building on all four sides, and yesterday he’d heard they’d put the final touches on the electric lights around the roof. Tonight for the first time, the lights would be turned on, and he couldn’t wait to see Emily’s face when they lit up.

“Something wrong?” Emily sounded concerned.

“No. I was thinking about the Kursaal.” He flashed her a grin. “Think we’ll have as much fun tonight as we did the first time we were there?”

She giggled. “I don’t know, but I certainly look better.”

“Different. Not better.”

Strains of music floated from the ballroom into the air outside the opulent pavilion. Carter escorted Emily up the few steps leading to the Kursaal’s double entry doors. He handed the doorman his tickets before they entered. They paused to take in the room, which had been only bare bones when they’d visited unchaperoned. He grinned. That night he’d held Emily’s mud-dappled face and kissed her thoroughly. Tonight the mud was gone, but the desire to whisk her away to kiss her senseless remained.

He shook his head and focused on how different the Kursaal now looked. Trimmed in dark wood, the walls sported the same crisp white as the outside of the building. The floor had been polished to a gleam, and dining tables lined the walls. In the center of the first floor, a long table filled with refreshments had been arranged for this grand opening.

“Did you want to get something to drink before we go upstairs?” He eyed the beverages on a far table. “I think I see something you’d like.”

“Yes, after the walk here, that would be refreshing.”

Two lemon ices later, they made their way up the wide stairway. Emily hesitated at the door.

“What’s wrong?”

“I should warn you I dance like I play horseshoes.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’ll take my chances.”

“But I can’t dance with only you all night.”

“Want to bet?”

Before she could protest further, he led her into the room and swept her into his arms. The woman who claimed she could trip over a chalk line danced and spun like a prima ballerina.

Something wonderful awakened inside her, and Emily let the music carry her across the floor. Giddy with love, she stopped thinking about the steps of the dance and started thinking only about the moment and the man who held her.

Carter spun her in a wide circle, and her dress swirled against her ankles. She giggled and he pulled her closer. Around them, other couples twirled, but she hardly noticed them. Colorful Japanese lanterns illuminated the room, yet they paled when compared to the glow in her heart. “I could do this all night.”

“Good, because I intend to do just that.”

When the song ended, he reluctantly released her to Ducky but claimed her only two songs later from another Owl for the next dance.

“Ladies and gentleman,” the bandmaster called. “I’ve been told that if you’d like to see the first electrical lighting of the Kursaal, it will occur in five minutes.”

Carter leaned close to her ear, and his breath made her quiver. “Ready?”

Whatever current there’d be outside, it would have nothing on the one he transmitted.

He led her down to a cleared area by the lake and stopped beneath a wide-girthed sycamore. “I heard we can see it best if we’re off the decking.”

The crescent-shaped moon smiled on them, and the stars winked in the sky over the rippling waters. Music and laughter blended with the chirping crickets and croaking frogs in a wild Lake Manawa symphony. Carter slipped his arms around Emily’s waist, and her stomach fluttered. Leaning against his chest, she sighed. What a truly magical night.

They stood cuddled in the spell of the lake for several minutes.

“Ten, nine, eight!” the people began to shout. When they reached “one,” a cheer went up, and a thousand lights outlined the roofline of the Kursaal.

The crowd oohed and ahhed, but the sight stole Emily’s breath. She blinked. “It’s so beautiful.”

“You can see all over—almost like it’s day.”

Emily swatted a mosquito on her arm. “Apparently we aren’t the only ones who like the lights.”

“Let’s get back inside.”

Carter conveyed her to the deck railing and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I need to go check on something. Will you be okay out here alone for a few minutes?”

“Of course.” She turned in his arms. “Where are you going?”

He tapped her nose. “I’ll be right back.”

The fears she’d laid to rest came to life like a nightmare as she watched him go back inside and speak to the man with the wide mustache from the ice cream parlor. She needed to stop this doubting. What kind of a relationship could they have if she couldn’t trust him?

“Hi, Emily.” Greta Wilson, dressed in a taffeta rose gown, joined her. “Elwood went in to get me a dessert. Is Carter doing that too?”

“He had something to check on.” Emily sighed. She liked Greta, but her tendency to talk too much intruded on the magical feeling of the evening.

Greta placed her hand on Emily’s arm. “You know, I admire you.”

“Me? Why?”

“You’re standing by Carter when even his brother thinks he’s guilty.” As usual, her words came out in a rush. “My brother says the clerks at the bank think this whole investigation Nathan Stockton is launching is ludicrous. But if Carter’s guilty, Mr. Stockton says he’ll have him arrested for stealing from your grandmother. Can you imagine having your own brother arrested?”

Emily grabbed hold of the railing. “Who’s investigating it? Is there any evidence?”

“Only rumors. The bank manager, Mr. DeSoto, is the one doing all the checking.” She raised her gloved hand to her lips. “You didn’t know, did you? Why am I always telling you things I thought you knew?”

“It’s all right, Greta.” Emily forced her voice not to waver. “I’m sure Carter simply didn’t have the chance to discuss the situation with me yet.”

“Here comes Elwood. I’d better get back. Take care, Emily.” She waved her fingers. “And I really do admire you.”

Emily turned back toward the inky water. Her stomach roiled. She was such an idiot. Even Carter’s own brother thought he was guilty. An investigation. Rumors of evidence. The contract. The money. The ledger. The lump in her throat grew with each thought, but it didn’t hurt as much as the one in her heart.

She was in love with a thief.