“Gonna light up the sky,” Mitchell agreed cheerfully. “Sure would like to be there when you spring it on ’em.”

“Forget it,” Rafe muttered. “You’re not going to be anywhere in the vicinity.”

“Ah—”

“Speaking of family reaction,” Hannah said firmly, “I’ll be planning this wedding. I’ve had a certain amount of experience in the field, but I must admit this particular event presents some unique challenges.”

Mitchell chortled. “Worried about a brawl in the church?”

Hannah gave him a repressive look. “I expect some cooperation, restraint, and civilized behavior from everyone. Is that clear?”

“Don’t look at me like that.” Mitchell contrived to appear deeply offended. “We Madisons aren’t going to cause a ruckus.”

“Damn right,” Rafe agreed. “If there’s trouble it won’t start on the Madison side.”

Hannah gave both men a steely look. “It better not finish there, either.”

The wedding was held two months later, in the Eclipse Bay Community Church. Everyone in town was invited, and virtually everyone came. In spite of several ghoulish predictions of carnage, the ceremony went off without a hitch.

Halfway through the reception, which was held at Dreamscape, Mitchell could no longer restrain himself. He sought out Sullivan in order to gloat.

He found his old partner and rival on the veranda. Sullivan stood alone near the railing, a glass of champagne in one hand, a cane in the other.

Well, shoot and damn, Mitchell thought. He’s lost as much hair as I have. Seemed like he was taller back in the old days, too. Guess we’ve both shrunk.

Looking at Sullivan was a little like looking into an old mirror. What had he expected? That they would stay young and dynamic forever? At least I’m not the only one here with a cane.

“Hey, Sullivan.” He came to a halt a few paces away. “What do you think of your new grandson-in-law?”

Sullivan turned slowly around to face him. Mitchell relaxed a little. His ex-partner might be showing some wear and tear, but a savvy gleam still burned brightly in his eyes. This was the same man who had fought at his side in a long ago military action that no one except those who had been involved in it even remembered. This was the same man who had saved his life in that miserable jungle and whose life he had saved in return.

This was the same man he had teamed up with to risk everything in a financial gamble that had made them both rich for a while. The same man whose teeth he had tried to knock out in front of Fulton’s Supermarket.

He met Sullivan’s eyes and knew that they were both aware of the truth. The bonds that joined them would never dissolve.

Sullivan glanced down the length of the veranda to where Rafe stood with Hannah. “He’ll do. Always said he had potential.”

“I sure as hell never heard you say that.”

“We haven’t talked much for a long time, Mitch.”

“Nope. Sure haven’t.”

“You did okay by Rafe and Gabe.”

Startled, Mitchell glanced quickly at him and then turned just as swiftly away. “Can’t take all the credit.”

“No, but you can take some of it.”

They stood together for a while, watching the crowd. Mitchell noticed that Sullivan made no effort to walk away.

“Looks like we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other again,” Mitchell offered finally. “I hear you Hartes are big on family gatherings.”

“Yes.” Sullivan looked at him. “We’re very big on that kind of thing. How do you feel about your new granddaughter-in-law?”

Mitchell smiled. “She’ll do.”

“This better work out, Mitch. I swear to God, if Rafe doesn’t treat her right—”

“Don’t sweat it.” Mitchell watched Rafe slide a protective arm around Hannah’s waist. “She’s his passion. You know how it is with Madisons and their passions.”

“Yes.” Sullivan sounded satisfied. “I know how it is with Madisons and their passions. Nothing gets in the way.”

Chapter 25

One month later…

The phone rang, shattering the moment. Rafe paused in the act of leaning over to kiss Hannah. She looked up at him from the pillow.

“The phone,” she said.

“I knew I should have switched off the ringer before we went to bed tonight.”

The instrument warbled insistently.

“You’d better answer it. Might be your grandfather.”

“All the more reason to ignore it.” Reluctantly he picked up the phone. “This better be important,” he said to whoever was on the other end of the line.

“Am I interrupting anything?” Gabe asked politely.

“Yes. Our one-month wedding anniversary.”

“It’s only nine o’clock.”

“Us old married folks go to bed early.”

“I’ve heard that,” Gabe said. “Actually that brings me to what I wanted to talk about.”

Rafe groaned and flopped back on his pillow. “I really do not want to talk about your thwarted love life tonight.”

“I haven’t got a love life to thwart.”

“Another date go south?”

“Big time.”

Rafe glanced at Hannah, who raised one brow. “Told you this idea of using a businesslike approach to finding a wife wasn’t going to work very well.”

“No, I know I’m on the right track. I just need to fine-tune the strategy. I realized tonight that what I have to do is approach this the same way I would approach a merger or an acquisition. I need to hire a professional consultant.”

A premonition of disaster shot through Rafe. “I hope you aren’t going to tell me what I think you’re going to tell me.”

“I’m going to call Hannah’s sister first thing in the morning and sign up with her matchmaking agency. I understand she’s fully computerized.”

Rafe shut his eyes. “This is a bad dream. I know it is.”

“I spoke with Lillian briefly at the wedding. She said she’s got a very high success rate.”

“Gabe, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Well—” Rafe hesitated. “I don’t know. It just feels sort of dicey for some reason.”

“What have I got to lose?”

“Uh, well—” Rafe felt a tug on his wrist. “I’m going to hang up now, Gabe. I want to go back to celebrating my one-month anniversary.”