Before the Storm (The Cochran/Deveraux Series Book 9) Read online

  Before the Storm

  By

  Melanie Schuster

  Copyright © 2007 Melanie Schuster

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever including Internet usage, without written permission of the author.

  Ebook formatting by Maureen Cutajar

  www.gopublished.com

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Part One

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Part Two

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  On what seemed to be the hottest day Chicago had ever experienced, Paris Deveraux, soon to be Paris Argonne, made a discovery that would forever change the lives of her entire family. The discovery certainly wasn’t the perfect fabric for her wedding dress, although that’s why she and her friend Ruth Bennett were shopping like there was no tomorrow. The dress was being made by another friend of Paris’s, but time was of the essence since the wedding had been moved up from December to August. Ruth lived in Chicago and knew where all the wholesalers were, so she suggested Paris come up from Atlanta to look for material. Paris agreed at once since she adored Ruth and loved to spend time with her. But the heat was starting to get to both women and something cold to drink seemed like a great idea.

  “Ruth, that place looks cute, let’s try it,” Paris said, gesturing to a small cafe with an awning and window boxes full of flowers.

  Ruth looked where Paris was pointing and agreed. “They have good food, I’ve been there before. Let’s go before we melt right here in the street.”

  Soon they were seated in the cool dining room sipping iced tea while they looked at the menu. “What looks good, Paris?”

  Paris didn’t answer, as she was staring across the dining room with a dazed expression on her face. Ruth looked at her and waved her hand in her direction. “Hello, hello, are you in there? What are you looking at? You look like you’ve seen a particularly nasty ghost.”

  She still didn’t answer; she just picked up her glass of tea and tried to drink it all at once. She put the glass down and blushed as a loud. lusty hiccup escaped.

  “Please excuse me! That’s what I get for guzzling that tea, but I couldn’t help it. There’s someone here I haven’t seen in a long time. I didn’t even know she was in Chicago,” she said distractedly.

  Ruth turned in her chair as she tried to see what Paris was seeing. “Well, who is it? Is she visiting royalty or something? You look like Beyonce just walked in. If it’s somebody really important get me an autograph. Ooh, look, they have crab salad,” she said, as she turned back to her menu.

  “It’s not anyone like that,” Paris said softly. “Her name is Maya and she was married to my brother Julian. She was like a sister to me.”

  Ruth raised her eyebrows. “I always think of your brothers as bachelors; I forget that one of them was actually married once.”

  “Yes, Julian is the only one who married. It ended so abruptly that we were all shocked. They seemed so happy together,” Paris said sadly. “We all loved Maya and it was hard to accept that she wasn’t a part of our family anymore. But now...” Her voice trailed off.

  “Now what, sweetie?” Ruth’s voice was full of concern.

  “Now everything is about to change,” Paris said with determination in her eyes.

  “How are things going to change, sweetie? Just because you saw your brother’s ex-wife, something’s going to change?”

  “No, it’s not because I saw her, Ruth, but because I saw the person with her.” Paris put her napkin on the table and pushed back her chair. “Order the chicken salad sandwich on black bread for me and a cup of fruit salad. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Ruth watched her walk across the restaurant and suddenly it became clear where Paris was headed. She dropped her menu as she watched Paris reach her destination. Ruth saw everything and she knew at once that Paris was right. Everything was about to change all right; the Deveraux family was in for a big upheaval.

  There’s never a dull moment with this family, Ruth thought. And from what she was seeing across the small restaurant, there would be a lot of not-dull moments for some time to come. I just hope they can handle this one.

  Part One

  Chapter 1

  Five months ago...

  “Aunt Ruth, you look fabulous. Are you sure this is just for Paris’s benefit?”

  Ruth Bennett looked at the smiling face of her niece, Benita Cochran Deveraux, and gave her a crooked grin in return. Ruth traveled frequently since her early retirement from her nursing career and one of her favorite stops was her niece’s spacious and beautiful Atlanta home. She had just entered the great room of the house where Benita was relaxing with her husband Clay and playing with their five children.

  “I admit that I agreed to this meeting with Paris’s father just so that I could get her to invite Titus. Yes, it was interfering of me, but everyone knows those two belong together and I thought a little push in the right direction wouldn’t hurt anything,” she said. “But, I have to confess that the prospect of meeting her father is intriguing me. Me, the original I-hate-blind-dates woman,” she laughed. “Mark my words, this could be the worst mistake of my life and I have no one to blame but myself. I should have just said no when Paris invited me to dinner to meet her father, but I had to try and get cute by telling her I’d come if she invited Titus Argonne. And she was woman enough to take me on, too! So now I’m stuck,” she said ruefully. “But I’m still, oddly enough, intrigued. What could that possibly mean, do you suppose?”

  “It means you’re going to enjoy yourself tonight,” Clay drawled in the deep voice that often startled people hearing it for the first time. “The judge is a great guy. You’ll like him, I guarantee it.”

  Ruth looked at her beloved niece curled up on the oversized sofa with her handsome husband while their children played a noisy board game on the coffee table. Benita was radiant, as always, and it was obvious that her husband was a major part of the joy that surrounded her. Every Deveraux man Ruth had ever met was handsome to a startling degree, possessed of a keen intelligence and completely devoted to his mate. A sudden tremor went down her spine as it hit her that she was about to meet yet another Deveraux man and she wondered if he could possibly be as potent as his nephews.

  Benita accurately read her aunt’s thoughts and gave her a look of contrived innocence. “It’s just dinner, Aunt Ruth. Paris is a good cook and you love her company. And you really will like her daddy, that is, if you like handsome men who also happen to be brilliant and charming,” she said teasingly.

  If Trey, the oldest son of Benita and Clay, hadn’t brought her coat at that very moment, Ruth might have bailed on the whole evening. Instead, she slipped her arms into the cream-colored cashmere coat that Trey held out to her. She patted him on the cheek, thinking that he represented the next generation of gorgeous, engaging men of the Deveraux clan.

  “Thank you, darling. You all have a
wonderful evening, because that’s what I plan to have,” she said with her usual aplomb.

  Trey walked her out to the car she was using that night. He’d been schooled in proper behavior by his parents, but he didn’t have to be told to do things like that, it was just part of his nature now. His manners were excellent, even at his young age. He also had a word of advice for his great-aunt.

  “You’re going to have fun tonight. The judge is the coolest guy I know, outside of my dad and my uncles. And he’s really going to like you, Aunt Ruth, you’re just his type.” Making sure she was comfortably seated in the car, Trey kissed her on the cheek and said goodnight, then watched as Ruth drove down the long driveway.

  Now what does that youngster know about somebody’s type? Trey is too wise for his years, she mused as she maneuvered the Jaguar down the long drive. Ruth shivered a little as she drove, and it wasn’t just because of the cold winter night. As much as she hated to admit it, she was uncharacteristically anxious about the dinner party. Paris was a wonderful young woman and Ruth was very fond of her even though she knew Paris to be an enthusiastic and unrepentant matchmaker. Ruth had told herself that the only reason she’d agreed to the dinner was so she could make Paris invite the young man she was in love with. They’d had a spat and it seemed that the only way they were going to get back together was if the issue were forced. In truth, however, Ruth was rather looking forward to meeting a single, age-appropriate man, and Paris’s widower father certainly fell into that category. Why she was as giddy as a teenager she couldn’t begin to fathom.

  Ruth was fifty-four years old and looked ten years younger. She had resigned her commission as an army officer to care for the children of her late sister. After the last one was safely in college, she had resumed her nursing career. She had interesting hobbies, friends all over the globe, a condo in Chicago, which was her home base, and a beachfront home in Hawaii. She was absolutely in her prime and there was no reason whatsoever for her to be having butterflies at the thought of meeting a new man. She laughed out loud at the very notion.

  “I’m too old for this mess. That’s what I get for trying to be cute and getting in Paris’s business. And now I’m talking to myself. Whoever said no good deed goes unpunished was right,” she murmured as she turned the volume up on the car stereo to hear her Miranda Lambert CD better.

  ***

  Paris was busy preparing the salad greens for the meal when her father entered the kitchen. He turned around so she could view him from all sides, smiling as he did so.

  “Well, do I look to suit you?” he asked dryly. “I can go change if I don’t.” He struck a pose like Ben Stiller in Zoolander and got the expected laughter from his only daughter.

  “You look wonderful. Nice pleated trousers, nice Italian loafers, very nice sweater. Is that the cashmere one I gave you for Christmas?”

  Mac Deveraux looked down at the dark green pullover with the polo-styled collar and nodded. “Right on all counts, except the shoes came from Payless.”

  “They did not,” Paris contradicted him. “Can you lend me a hand so I can run and get changed?”

  “You’re right about the shoes. Kmart was having a sale,” he replied, ducking as Paris shook a fist at his silliness. Mac obligingly took over setting the table, although he pointed out that Paris looked perfectly lovely in what she was wearing, which was a pair of flannel drawstring pants and a Tulane sweatshirt.

  “Ha-ha. I look like a train wreck and you know it. Give me twenty minutes and you won’t know me. I want this dinner to be really nice, and that means I have to look good, too.” She looked at her father with contrition in her eyes. “You’re sure you don’t mind that I invited some people over?”

  Mac leaned against the doorway that separated the kitchen from the dining room. “Not at all, Cupcake, although I sense that your matchmaking proclivities are coming to the fore again. You’re trying to hook your old man up, aren’t you? When are you going to give it a rest? You’re a terrible matchmaker, baby.”

  Paris blushed pink as she protested. “That’s not true, Daddy. I’m an excellent matchmaker. Look at Marcus and Vera, see how happy they are? That was all due to me, thank you very much. And Maya and Julian, they were a perfect match,” she said with a sad look in her eyes.

  She had introduced her oldest brother, Julian, to Maya and they had fallen in love and eloped after a tempestuous and romantic courtship. Unfortunately, the marriage had ended in divorce five years earlier, something that caused a lot of pain not just to Julian but the whole family. Maya was a lovely person and Paris had loved her dearly. She was, in fact, she was much loved by the whole family. Her father sensed her distress and went to her side to put his arm around her shoulders.

  “Paris, all you did was to introduce them. Everything else they did on their own,” he reminded her. “They’re the ones who got divorced; you had nothing to do with it.”

  Paris hugged her father back, reveling in the comforting, familiar smell of his cologne. Her words were slightly muffled in his shoulder as she answered him. “But they were so happy together. And I still miss her, too. I haven’t heard a word from her since she left. I don’t even know where she is,” she mumbled.

  The chiming of the doorbell made Paris jump and stare at the clock on the kitchen wall. “Oh, shoot! Leave it to Ruth to be on time, darn it. Daddy, can you get the wine out of the cooler in the garage while I get the door?”

  She sped off, leaving her amused parent to go through the pantry to the garage which held a specially designed wine cooler. He selected two bottles that would go well with the roast capon Paris was serving and put them in the refrigerator for a few minutes so they wouldn’t lose their chill. He then went into the living room to greet Paris’s guest. The two women were engrossed in conversation when Mac entered. He was glad the introductions spared him from speaking for a moment because he couldn’t have gotten a word out if someone had paid him. Ruth Bennett was gorgeous. Drop-dead, heart-stopping gorgeous, in point of fact.

  She was about five foot nine and had a sleek, athletic figure with long, lissome legs. Her hair was short and sassy and she even had an audacious long lock in the back, a tail that curled around her neck and was tipped with gold. Her jade-green eyes were large and full of laughter, and the green color was highlighted by the dress she wore, a dark green knit that fitted her perfectly and allowed her shapely legs to show to their best advantage. Her smile was warm and genuine and it not only lit up her face, it made everything around her seem to glow.

  Paris was wise enough not to gloat; she merely said, “Daddy, this is my dear friend Ruth Bennett. Ruth, this is my daddy, Julian McArthur Deveraux.” It was hard for her not to give in to a big silly grin when she saw how they were looking at each other, but she resisted the impulse to shout “See? Told ya so!” Instead she excused herself to get changed, saying she’d be back in a moment.

  Ruth had extended her long slender hand when Paris made the introductions and Mac had taken it in his big capable one. Her hand felt warm and soft to his touch and he couldn’t think of a reason to let it go, so he didn’t. She said “Hello, nice to meet you” in a low, soothing voice and the sound of it was like the mesmerizing scent of sandalwood incense mixed with the seductive sound of jazz—melodic and smoky. He smiled down at her for a long moment before answering. “It’s my pleasure to meet you, Ruth. Let’s sit down and get to know each other, shall we?” And he led her over to the long, comfortable sofa in the living room to do just that.

  Ruth tried to discipline her face as she studied Mac, but it was difficult, even for a woman as worldly and sophisticated as she. Julian Deveraux was an unexpected surprise, and a very pleasant one at that. Of course, with a daughter as stunning as Paris, it was only logical that he would be good-looking, but it wasn’t just his classically sculpted features that drew her attention. There was something magnetic about the warmth of his smile and the intensity of his eyes. He looked like what he was, an intelligent, charismatic man who app
eared to share her pleasure in their meeting. She settled back against the soft cushions of the sofa and felt her whole body relax. She and Mac were looking at each other with appreciation and frank interest, which should have felt uncomfortable, but it didn’t. On the contrary, it felt as if they had known each other for some time. The ease with which they were conversing was pleasant and exhilarating at the same time. It was his eyes, she decided. Long-lashed, clear and sexy, they possessed a rakish twinkle that made her pulse jump.

  Look at me, she thought. The next thing you know I’ll be giggling like the proverbial schoolgirl. I’m too old for this kind of attraction.

  Ruth tried not to stare at Mac, but with him smiling at her like she was a movie star it wasn’t possible to ignore him or even feign indifference to him. So she got even more comfortable and gave him a brilliant smile of her own. There was no point in trying to be coy;

  Julian Deveraux was much more than she’d counted on. She was taking his measure in great detail, gradually assessing him, learning to enjoy the warmth in his eyes and his masculine scent, when she was suddenly accosted by a large cat with thick fur in an improbable shade of blue. Laughing in surprise, she allowed the big fluffball to lick her fingers in rapture as he savored her scent.

  “You must be Aidan’s cat,” Ruth told the handsome feline. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “This is Merlin and he does indeed belong to Paris’s roommate. He apparently approves of you heartily, which is a rare occurrence. Most people don’t pass muster with his highness.”

  Ruth raised an eyebrow when she heard the familiar phrase. “Pass muster? You sound like an ex-military man,” she said.

  “Absolutely,” Mac said with a smile. “My family couldn’t afford to send us to college, so I went into the Army.”

  “We have something in common there,” Ruth told him. “I was in the Army, too.”

  Mac’s expression changed at once. She could tell from his look of avid interest that he was about to begin asking the questions that would normally follow a disclosure like that, but just then Paris entered the living room with a big bowl of roses. She was followed by Titus Argonne, who was looking at her with an unguarded longing in his eyes. Ruth restrained her look of amusement. Young love was such a sweet and tender fruit, something to be handled gently, she thought. After the introductions were made, she left the room with Paris to help her put the finishing touches on the meal.