“I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Okay.”

“It’s kind of big, but I really, really need you to do this for me,” Dallas said. “Okay?”

“Well, what is it?”

“Promise me you’ll do it first.”

Dakota snorted. “Right.”

“Come on, Dakota, have I ever asked you for anything? You’re my sister. It’s my wedding, and I need this favor badly.”

“What already?” She waited, but Dallas’s chin stubbornly went up, and the truth was Dakota would never refuse her sister anything. “All right. I promise.”

“I need you to play decoy for me tonight after the reception.”

“Why?”

“You know how Eric’s friend Tom likes to play practical jokes. We’re pretty sure he’s going to try and sabotage our honeymoon.”

Dakota shook her head at her sister’s paranoia. “He wouldn’t do something so juvenile.”

“He’d think it was hilarious. I know him, and you need to help me out.” Dallas rubbed her bare arms. “It is cold out here.”

“So you want me to do what exactly?” Dakota asked as her sister linked an arm through hers and steered her toward the entry into the banquet room.

Dallas opened the door and the light inside illuminated her smile. “Go on my honeymoon for me. With Tony.”

DAMN THAT Dallas. As soon as they got inside someone called to her sister and she was off with no further explanation other than she’d already packed a bag for Dakota. As if the matter were settled.

Dakota headed straight for the bathroom, her thoughts spinning so quickly she literally felt dizzy. Or maybe it was the excitement of what lay ahead? The whole idea was crazy. And perfect. A weekend with Tony? She couldn’t have come up with a better plan herself. Except she had a lot going on at work, and it wasn’t as if she could just not show up on Monday.

Two older women, colleagues of her mother whom she vaguely knew, stood at the mirror talking and applying lipstick. Dakota smiled at them and then hurried into a stall, put the seat down and sat on the john. She hadn’t even asked her sister if Tony knew about the plan and if he’d agreed to go. Is that what he’d meant by “later”? She straightened. If he’d known about this before she had that would really tick her off.

She took a deep breath. Dallas had purposely waited to tell her. Just so she wouldn’t have time to come up with an excuse not to go. She was a coward. She admitted it.

Dallas was the independent one. She did as she pleased. Dakota, however, was the good little lamb. Always doing what she was told.

She still didn’t like it that Dallas had conspired with Tony. For that reason alone she ought to tell her sister to find some other flunky. Yeah, right. Like she wasn’t ready to leave the reception right now, get him alone and rip off his clothes.

Feeling a little flushed, she bent over, crossing her arms over her knees and breathing deeply. She was crazy for even considering doing this. But she’d be even crazier for refusing the opportunity. The ladies’ room door opened and she heard someone murmur about dinner starting. She had to go or someone would surely come looking for her.

Straightening, she smoothed back her hair, and then checked the front of her dress. Smiling, she stood, ready for the games to begin. She’d go but that didn’t mean she’d go easily.

“Guess what Mother wants.” Dallas met her partway.

Tony followed Dallas, who gave him an exasperated look.

Dakota sensed an undercurrent but they didn’t seem angry with each other. “What?”

“To change the seating.”

“I would’ve guessed that.”

Dallas snorted. “I’m having the big formal wedding like she wanted, and I kept my mouth shut when she invited half the legal and academic communities, most of whom I don’t know. But that’s it.”

“Calm down.” Tony slipped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed lightly. “That’s one of the first rules of weddings. Mothers get to show off their kids and put their husbands in the poorhouse. Just ask my pop.”

Dallas rolled her eyes. “Gee, if I’d known that was a rule I wouldn’t have gotten upset.”

“Now you know.”

Sighing, she smiled and kissed Tony on the cheek. “Entertain my sister, okay?”

“I don’t need entertaining,” Dakota said, but Dallas had already flitted over to another couple Dakota didn’t recognize. She turned toward Tony. “I don’t—”

“I know.” His mouth curved in a sexy grin that made her heart skip a beat. “So entertain me instead.”

“BETTER TAKE IT EASY with that stuff.” Tony eyed the brandy snifter in Dakota’s hand, her second cognac as far as he could tell. And that was after several glasses of wine with dinner. A different variety was served with each course. Him, he stuck to his beer. Two glasses of wine and he’d be kissing the floor. For some reason, the stuff really got to him.

“One mother is all I can handle, thank you very much.” She took a deliberate sip, smiled and said, “I’m fine. Really.”

“Okay,” he said without conviction. The fact that she’d said that a little too loudly was proof enough she better give the booze a rest.

Although he had to admit she wasn’t sloppy. If he hadn’t been sitting next to her at dinner he wouldn’t have known she’d had that much wine. Plus each course had been spaced out so that dinner had ended up being the longest, most quiet meal in history. At least for his family. When the San Angelos got together for a party, talking, eating and dancing were not mutually exclusive.

They’d finally finished dessert a half hour ago, and people had started dancing the moment the band struck the first note. He wanted to ask Dakota to dance but the song had to be just the right one. Despite his mouthing off, he wasn’t all that swift on the dance floor. The beat had to be slow and easy so he didn’t have to think too much about what his feet were doing.

He’d skip the idea altogether, but the way Mrs. Shea had been giving him the eye, he figured dancing with Dakota would be the only way he’d get close to her. Dallas and Eric were already out there and so were Trudie and Wendy who’d pulled Tom along with them. At the end of the table, Serena and Nancy seemed deep in conversation.

The song ended and the band eased into another, slower, moodier one he could handle. He turned to Dakota but her father beat him to it.

Mr. Shea was taking her by the hand. “Hope you saved a dance for your old man,” he said, smiling fondly at his daughter.

“Save a dance? No one’s asked me yet,” she said, with a teasing smile at Tony as she set down her brandy.

“My mistake.” He met her eyes. “I claim the next one.”

Laughing, she got to her feet and allowed her father to lead her to the dance floor. The way that dress hugged her curves bordered on illegal. Her hips moved with a little extra enthusiasm almost as if for his benefit. Hard not to stare, but he sensed someone over his shoulder and looked up.

“Mind if I sit with you for a moment?” Mrs. Shea didn’t wait for an answer. She lowered herself gracefully into Dakota’s chair.

“Gee, here I thought you were going to ask me to dance.”

She smiled and gazed out toward the dance floor. “Everyone seems to be having a good time.”

“Yes, ma’am. Free liquor does it every time.”

Annoyance flickered in her eyes. One blink and it was gone.

He tried not to smile and sipped his beer.

“Didn’t you like the wine we selected?”

“I’m sure it was just fine. I prefer beer.”

“Ah.” She turned again to watch the dancers.

The woman hardly looked as if she could have three adult children. Tall, blond and trim, she didn’t look much over forty. In fact, she could’ve passed for Dallas and Dakota’s sister.

She caught him staring.

Tony coughed. “I was just thinking how you look more like your daughters’ sister. They’ll be lucky to look like you in twenty years,” he said and meant it. She was a very attractive woman.

She looked annoyed again, her pinched expression adding a decade to her face. “Looks hardly make the person.”