Carlos smiled. “I’ll bet she does.”

He looked around the room. He was surrounded by men who meant the world to him. His brother, his brother-in-law, and his sons. He was a wealthy man.

He wrapped an arm around each of his sons’ shoulders and headed toward the backyard, where, with one exception, each chair on the beautiful lawn was filled with someone who cared about him. It was time to move on.

Kathy stood at the door that opened to the garden, where she would walk among loved ones who had come to see her wed Carlos.

She let out a quiet sigh on the arm of her father. As the doors opened, she saw Carlos at the altar waiting for her.

She had to admit she wasn’t sure he’d be there. She’d seen the kiss he’d shared with Madeline the day before, but he’d kept his word. He was here, and all hard feelings drained away as she looked at him, so dapper and handsome flanked by his sons in matching tuxedos. Regan and Arianna followed her niece and nephew down the aisle, and her sisters followed them.

“He’s a very lucky man.” Her father touched her cheek, and a tear welled in her eye.

“Do you think so?”

“I know so.”

Kathy took a deep breath and looked at her beloved. The flutter of nerves hit her stomach again as the harpist began to play, and the guests rose from their seats as her father escorted her toward her husband to be.

Chapter Eleven

Madeline had indulged in two strawberry-and banana-concoctions that had her head swimming. She wondered how she was going to make it back to the room, but then again, she didn’t care if she ever got back. The sun was warm, the ocean was welcoming, and the lounge was comfortable. Madeline figured she was as happy as she could be.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” A man sat down in the lounge next to her. He sipped on a bottle of beer and lay back.

“Yes, it is.”

“First time in Mexico?”

“Yes.”

“On vacation with your husband?”

Madeline tucked in her smile and let the liquor in the drinks numb her to the fact that he was hitting on her. She relaxed and enjoyed the moment.

“I’m not married.”

“I’m surprised.” He turned his head toward her and lifted his sunglasses. “You are one beautiful woman.”

“Thank you.” She dropped her shoulders and let the smile surface.

Oh, what would the man think if she took off her hat or he knew she didn’t even have nipples under her swimsuit?

“I’m Corbin, by the way.” He’d sat up and was extending his hand.

“Madeline,” she said, reaching her hand—which she found incredibly numb—and gave him a firm shake, hoping to not be mistaken for just another drunk woman on the beach.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

He settled back in his seat, and Madeline did the same. No more was said between them for a while. She picked up her book, opened it, and found the words jumped around on the page. She gave herself a little chuckle. Who cared that rum swam in her veins? Sun, sand, and the ocean were at her beck and call. She had no children, husband, doctors, or anyone else who cared, at that moment, what the hell she was doing. They were all occupied at a damn wedding.

Her happy mood turned sour, and she suddenly wished for the cool retreat of her air-conditioned room.

Madeline swung her feet to the sand and started to stand, but the beach was unforgiving on her balance, and she wobbled as her feet sank into the uneven sand. Corbin looked up at her and had already reached out a hand to help her.

“Are you feeling okay?”

She let out a breath. “I think I’ve had too many of those cocktails.”

“Mix those fancy drinks with the heat and they’ll get your head spinning.”

“As a matter of fact they do.” She sat back on the lounge.

“Why don’t you let me help you inside.”

She contemplated for only a moment. “I would really appreciate that.”

Corbin stood and offered his hand. Madeline took it, but when she stood, he pulled her right to him. Her hands rested on his bare arms and her face pressed against his chest.

“You don’t drink much, do you?” This was one of those moments a mother would warn her daughter about. There she stood in a foreign country, pressed against a strange man, and she was inebriated. What if he tried to take advantage of her, or steal her money?

“No. I haven’t drunk in a very long time. In fact…” She hesitated and then figured she had nothing to lose, and if he was trying to hit on her, what she had to say would have him running. “I’ve spent the better part of this year on chemotherapy medication. So you can imagine those few drinks threw me for a loop.”

He nodded as he wrapped an arm around her, and they began their journey back to the hotel. Madeline had been wrong. Chemotherapy hadn’t scared him at all.

“Cancer?” he asked as they neared the lobby.

“Yes.”

“You deserve to be on a beach with a drink. I lost my sister last year to breast cancer. Undetected for too long, and we lost her within weeks.”

Madeline stopped and looked up at him, her eyes still shielded behind dark glasses. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you.” He opened the door to the hotel and held it open for her.

The cool air was like a drug. The moment it hit her, she felt her pulse slow, and the throbbing in her head began to fade. She slid her dark glasses off and let her eyes adjust to the light inside the lobby.

“Thank you for helping me inside.”

“It was my pleasure.” He bent toward her and kissed her on the cheek. Madeline felt herself swoon. That wasn’t good. She didn’t need a man thinking she was an easy vacation fling. She pulled away.

Corbin took a step back. “It would also be my pleasure if you would have dinner with me.”

She was sure her face registered her shock by the way his lips curled into a handsome smile. He lifted his glasses from his face and rested them atop his head. His eyes were dark, just like his hair. Sadly, the first thing that crossed her mind was how exotic he looked, much like Carlos. She shook the thought from her mind and looked at the handsome stranger who didn’t seem to be put off by her admissions of the last year.

Madeline twisted the strap of her bag around her fingers. Why go on vacation if not to step out of the everyday routine you have? She’d spent the last five years thinking of Carlos every day and what a mistake it had been to let him out of her life as her husband. At that very moment he was moving on and becoming someone else’s husband. So why did she have to analyze everything? If this man wanted to have dinner, then she should accept. Maybe, just maybe, she could let herself go a little. Wouldn’t it be the brash move she needed if she let another man hold her all night?