Ari did smile, she couldn't help herself. Marc, like Travis, was extremely charming, and it came so effortlessly. Even if it was all baloney. When she’d first met him, she hadn’t realized that and he’d intimidated the heck out of her. It was that whole super-wimp thing back then. Not so much now. Because deep down, Marc was genuine. In how he felt, in how he led the state, in how he was with his family.

He didn’t say things he did not mean.

Genuine. Real. And she trusted him.

He more than used his charm to his advantage, though. As did his children. Especially Isaac, who could bend a person into a pretzel with just his smile. "I don't think Luc and Rafe are ever going to get along. Last time they were in the same room together, Payton smacked them both upside the head with potholders. And Jillian threatened to chop off their…parts. They're constantly snipping and snarling at each other. Posturing. Jillian says they’re competing to see who can be the snarliest."

"To be fair, Rafe snarls at everyone. He always has been that way. But we love them, anyway."

"And sometimes Luc can be defensive. I understand. He's been that way since I met him. And overprotective. He and Houghton both." Luc and his best friend had taken great delight in maneuvering Banks Claireson around tonight, mostly to get back at him for what she’d told them about the other man. Banks had finally had enough—mostly of Houghton, who it seemed was behaving worse than Luc tonight—and drifted off toward one of his own sisters.

Apparently, Luc and Houghton believed that since everyone wanted their attention they could act like real buttheads. Mel was at the end of her rope with Houghton and had threatened to clobber him with her forearm crutch.

"From what I have heard, they have good reason to be. It's because they care about you. I understand that." He pulled her closer than he had the last time they’d danced.

Ari was appreciative of the fact that they were still partially hidden where they were. It was almost like they had a moment of privacy. He was easier to deal with than Banks Claireson, or any of the other men who had tried to get her attention tonight.

And there had been quite a few—old ones, young ones. Married ones; sometimes it was the married ones who were the worse. With hands that strayed into territory they definitely shouldn't. Some men had even been old enough to be her father. Ari would never find these kinds of events easy, though she was proud of the fact that she’d held her own tonight. If it hadn’t been for Luc and Payton, she never would have agreed.

He held her, but not uncomfortably. With him she could relax, and she did. She enjoyed the music and the man for a long moment.

"So why are Katie and Isaac grounded this time?"

"Yellow finger paint and Horace the Beagle. Brand-new leather sofa in the historic Governor’s Mansion. And one very yellow beagle. I hope Travis still has his sense of humor. He’ll need it. I just replaced the sofa a few months ago after they'd super-glued their previous nanny to it. I'm going to go bankrupt just buying new furniture for the place."

Ari laughed, easily picturing what he described. She had been on her toes whenever she’d been responsible for those two. "My brother Cowan is almost eleven. He's just like the two of them, drives my parents crazy. He's adorable, so it's hard to stay angry at him for very long."

"Yes, it is. To be honest, I'd far rather be at home with them than here right now. I've already discussed three House bills, spoke with four lobbyists, and been ripped a new one by a charming old lady who thinks we don't need to bring jobs to Texas. Because it might sully the landscape if we have another factory built. Never mind that it would feed more children and improve our economy. As long as we don't sully the landscape. Never mind the experimental drug bill that’s so hot on the agenda right now. It’s almost like someone is countering everything I say or do on that." He pulled her closer when another couple encroached on their territory. She may have been imagining it, but she almost thought he’d nuzzled her hair.

She shivered again. Marc, it’s just Marc.

Ari glanced over her shoulder quickly, then relaxed when she saw the familiar pair. Houghton had Mel tight up against his own chest, swaying slightly to the music. Protecting her from the jostling crowd as he talked rapidly. Making up for the horrible way he’d been acting, no doubt. The two of them were like a real fairy tale sometimes—complete with a horrible beginning. That had been all Houghton’s fault, and he was doing his best to make it up to Mel. Sometimes he went a bit overboard.

"People have definite opinions, sometimes silly ones." Marc had done good things for the state of Texas, no one could say differently. He wasn’t perfect, and there were several things that she didn’t agree with, but he was accomplishing great things. "To be honest, I'd rather be at home right now myself. Or with Jillian and Lacy. I haven't seen them much this week. Not since the flu."

His hands tightened around her. "Me, either. I know Jillian and Lacy and Rafe are all back at work now. I don’t think they were hit as hard as the kids and I were. Travis got hit pretty hard. The big weenie. I think he was just enjoying having Lacy to play doctor with. I usually speak with Travis every day. He insists."

She was accustomed to practically spending all her free time with one or the other, or both of them. Not so much now. Now they spent most of their free time with Travis and Rafe. She understood it, but...she missed them. And that hurt.

"We’ve all been so busy. Especially since Jillian and Rafe and I were hurt. That fire changed everything. I don't know what W4HAV is going to do now. Were still at Barratt-Handley’s auxiliary office, thanks to Houghton, and Travis has said something about getting us office space in the building next to the one that burned. But we’re going to have to hurry. We've already pushed back the grand opening a full three months because of it."

“But you’ve healed ok? That’s what important, everything else will catch itself up in time.”

Physically. But there were things she still didn't remember, and probably never would. It all seemed so random to her. She had been a victim of circumstance. No one could explain the why of it to her.

Or why the delivery guy had intended to kill Allen Jacobson and Jillian that day. It had left her nothing but confused. The explanation that she and Jillian’s involvement, and Rafe’s, had basically been random hadn’t made any sense to her. She shivered. What she did remember was some crazy man shoving a needle full of drugs into her. Of waking with Marc leaning over her while Lacy had been in the restroom once. She’d looked into his green eyes and known she was safe. Marc’s arms tightened around her. "My arm healed ok. No lasting effects. I just wish we had more answers."

He stopped dancing, his hand rose and cupped her cheek lightly, surprising her. She looked directly into his green eyes. “I'm still looking for those answers, Ariella. I'll find them, I promise you that. The person responsible for what almost happened that day, I will find him. And I will make him pay. You are all safe now. I can promise that."

The delivery guy—from Claireson Pharm—had doused the building owned by Travis in liquid Solpalmitraln, a highly flammable experimental drug. He’d lit it ablaze to kill Jillian, who he had tied up and drugged in an upstairs office.

Rafe had managed to save her, thank God. Ari had been in the building working on W4HAV’s office space when Allen Jacobson had told her that Jillian was in danger. Instead of going out of the building like Dr. Jacobson had ordered, she’d looked for Jillian instead.

She, Jillian, Dr. Jacobson, and Rafe had been extremely lucky to survive.

Marc had been trying to find the answers to who the second man that delivery guy had referenced was. He, Rafe, and the TSP.

He pulled her even closer than she would've thought possible and just held her, as he started swaying to the music again. She forgot the crowd surrounding them, forgot Luc and Payton, forgot all but the man holding her.

Until someone tapped him on the shoulder and he stopped moving.