Chapter 1
Elizabeth Vaughn folded her arms over the top rail of the fence and watched the horse and rider canter toward the last series of jumps. A soft breeze lifted the few strands of sun-bleached hair that escaped from her pigtail, causing her to absently reach up and brush it away. Her eyes remained glued on the duo in front of her, but her hand dropped down by her side to rub the head of the dog that nudged her leg for attention.
“Whoa.” Liz’s best friend Katherine walked up from the barn and joined her at the fence. “Is that the bag-of-bones racehorse we rescued last year?”
Liz nodded enthusiastically. “Yep.” Then she straightened and clapped her hands with excitement when the duo sailed effortlessly over the last challenging sequence of obstacles.
“Perfect, Joann!” Liz yelled to the young rider as she opened the gate and entered the riding ring. “You’re doing a remarkable job with him.” Liz was so excited, she didn’t see the mud puddle in her path until it was too late. Cold water splashed onto her pants leg as her boot plunged deep into its muddy depths.
“He’s such a big sweetheart,” Joanne said as she pulled the horse to a stop and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I can’t wait for everyone to see what a transformation he’s made.”
Liz looked over at Katherine as the trio began to walk back toward the barn. “I’d really like to get some snazzy publicity photos, and feature him as a success story for the charity’s next gala.”
“What a great idea.” Katherine pulled out her phone and glanced at her schedule. “I leave for a shoot in Brazil tomorrow, but will only be gone a few days. We’ll firm something up when I get back.”
Liz jumped over the next mud puddle they came to, but the horse’s hoof hit it squarely, splashing water on all three women. None of them seemed to notice.
“It’s going to be a blast getting to show off a horse that was rescued, and is now going on the show circuit.” Katherine wiped the mud off her phone with her shirt and shoved it back into her pocket. “I know it took a lot of hard work to get him to this point.”
“Liz did all the hard work,” Joann said. “I just found the perfect horse for myself and bought him from the rescue.”
“No, Katherine did the hard work in starting this rescue.” Liz glanced over at her friend. “I did the fun part, bringing out his natural talents and watching him thrive.”
“Okay, I guess it was a team endeavor.” Katherine laughed as they entered the barn. “The important thing is that Apollo is going to be seen. The more attention he gets, the more attention the Lyons Equine Rescue Foundation will get.”
Liz nodded as she reached into her back pocket to pull out her buzzing phone. When she saw who it was, she smiled. But as soon as she read the message, the enthusiasm disappeared.
“Something wrong?”
“I’m not sure.” Liz clipped the chain that hung in the barn isle onto the horse’s halter and then pushed send to her reply message.
“It’s a message from Ethan. He says he needs to talk to me…in person. Right away.”
“Now?” Katherine stopped her search for a brush and looked over her shoulder, frowning. “In DC?”
“Yep.” Liz read the message again. “And no explanation why.”
“I’ll bring Jasper and Comet in from the paddock if you need to go change clothes.” Joann’s eyes lowered to Liz’s muddy jeans. “It must be important.”
“That would be awesome. But I don’t even have time to change. He said I should come right away no matter what I’m doing. It’s urgent.”
“Why didn’t he simply call you and tell you what’s going on?” Katherine’s voice held a hint of disapproval in it.
“He can’t always get away to talk on the phone. You know how I hate texting, but that’s the only way we can communicate sometimes.
“But he knows how you hate that drive,” she insisted. “And at this time of day, it will take you more than an hour.”
“Just go.” Joann patted the head of the German shepherd who stood obediently beside Liz. “I’ll feed Garth and drop him off at your place. He should be fine until you get back.”
“Yes, go,” Katherine finally agreed. “Call if you need anything.”
“Thanks, you guys! You’re awesome. Can’t wait for the photoshoot!”
Chapter 2
It wasn’t until Liz was just outside of Washington, DC that Ethan texted her about where exactly to meet. And it was then that Liz had second-thoughts about how she was dressed…in clodhoppers, barn coat, and a baseball cap.
He told her to use the South gate of the White House, which took her by complete surprise. Why do I have to meet him at the White House at this late hour? This must be pretty important if he’s still at work.
Her gaze drifted down to her clothes. Ethan said he would meet her, but she still regretted not taking the time to change into something more appropriate. In the few times she’d visited the White House, she’d felt out of place even when dressed up for the occasion.
She put on her brakes and rolled down her window at the barricade where a number of police cars sat.
“Name and identification, please.” A man with a clipboard was all business as she handed him her license. “Elizabeth Vaughn.”
He nodded and handed it back. “Yes, ma’am. Pull ahead, please.”
Liz drove around the grand entrance of the White House and parked where a man in a suit directed her to stop. The White House loomed large and intimidating in front of her, making her feel even more out of place.
“Hey, gorgeous.” The voice came from out of the dark as soon as she exited her Jeep.
Liz turned to see her fiancé striding toward her, impeccably dressed in a dark, wool coat. Even in the dim light she could see that his tie was straight and his shoes were polished to a shine. The only thing out of place was his smile, which appeared forced.
“Hello, Mr. Vice President.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. “What’s wrong? I came as soon as I could.”
“Thanks. I know you hate the traffic and drive.” He held her at arm’s length and studied her. “I see you left straight from the barn.”
“Yeah, sorry.” Liz thought she detected a hint of disapproval, but blamed it on the fact that something was bothering him. He’d said it was urgent, and she had come. It wasn’t a secret they made a strange couple. He was a dapper and sophisticated man of the world, and she—for the most part—preferred the company of horses over people.
“I thought it was something serious. I didn’t want to make you wait.”
“It is. We have very little time.” He took her hand in his and led her deeper into the shadow of a massive tree. Out of the corner of her eye, Liz noticed a man standing silently not far away, scanning the area around them. She knew that for every Secret Service agent she saw on the grounds, there were probably three or four more that she didn’t.
“There’s no easy way to say this.” Ethan cleared his throat, causing a surge of anxiety to prickle Liz’s spine. One thing about Ethan, he was never at a loss for words. He was the smoothest talking, most sincere man, she had ever met.
“Paul had a stroke today.”
“How terrible! Is he okay?”
“No. I’m afraid he’s not. I’ve been sworn in as acting president…it’s protocol of course, and probably temporary.” He paused a moment as if giving her time to absorb the information. “They’ve kept it quiet until we could get everything sorted out, but it’s probably breaking now. I wanted to tell you in person before it hit.”
Liz held onto the lapel of his coat and laid her head on his chest. “Ethan, I don’t know what to say. I know you can handle this…but it’s so sudden.” She gazed up at him. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you. Do you want me to stay?”
“I’d love you to, but I doubt I’d even get to see you. Things are…fluid right now, and I need to get up to speed and hit the ground running.”
Liz nodded in understanding. She could only imagine the myriad of issues he would have to be briefed on so that he could feel comfortable in this new role. In a matter of hours—if not minutes—all hell was going to break loose.
“Just know that I’m here for you,” Liz said. “I’ll support you however I can.”
“I know you will.” He pulled her out to arm’s length. “I’m, uh, not sure how this will affect the wedding.”
“It doesn’t matter to me. I mean, of course we can postpone it. You have a lot more important things to worry about now.”
He laughed and pulled her into him again. “Postpone? Not on your life. I meant we might have to do it quietly—and sooner.”
She tilted her head back to gaze up at him. “Sooner? Why?”
“Because…” He paused a moment as if thinking hard about how to answer. “Because the level of security is going to change, and my schedule is going to be heaven knows what—” He stopped and squeezed her shoulders. “And I’m going to need you…by my side…not an hour away and available only by phone.”
Liz nodded and relaxed into him again. “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do. I don’t want to add to the pressure you’re under.”
“I knew you’d say that.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re perfect. This is going to be as hard on you as it is on me…but together we can do it.”
At the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, they pulled apart.
“We need you inside for the announcement, sir.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Ethan pulled Liz into him again. “I’m sorry to run you all the way here for such a short time, Lizzy. I’ll make it up to you.”
“I’m glad you told me in person. It would have been terrible to find out through the media.” She shook her head again. “It’s so devastating. I hope he pulls through.”
“Time will tell. But if he doesn’t…” Ethan cleared his throat. “You’re still okay with all this, right?” He studied her intently. “I mean this is all really sudden. If you want to back out, or are having second thoughts, now is the time to do it.”
Liz held up her hand to remind him of the ring on her finger. “I’m engaged to be married. I wouldn’t have said ‘yes’ if I wasn’t good with it.”
“I know, but you weren’t expecting this—at least not so fast and so soon. It will be a significant change in your lifestyle, I’m afraid.”
Liz gazed into his worried eyes. It was just like him to be concerned about her when he had such a heavy load to bear. She’d never been treated so well or loved so much as when she’d met him.
But still, her heart thudded at the overwhelming magnitude of the news. A significant change in your lifestyle…
The statement kept repeating in her brain, like it was bouncing off one side of her skull and echoing onto the other. She shook her head, ignoring the warning signs that tugged at her from all directions.
“No, don’t worry about me,” she heard herself saying. “I want to help you as much as I can.”
He kissed her again. “I’ll call you as soon as I know anything more. I love you so much. Be careful driving home.”
“I love you too.” Liz watched him walk away, his tall figure dominating the three men who had materialized out of nowhere and appeared to be briefing him on some new development. Her heart swelled at the sight of him, and broke at the weight of responsibility he now carried.
She knew he could handle it—he thrived on this type of thing. From being appointed to a senator’s seat right before a primary election to being selected as a running mate for President Paul Cantwell, Ethan had always stepped up and shouldered the responsibility without so much as a moment’s hesitation.
Since the first day she’d met him, he’d been larger-than-life…the kind of guy who only comes around once in a lifetime. He was kind. Supportive. Compassionate. And despite his high-visibility position, he understood her shyness, never pushing her to do something she didn’t want to. Even when he was at a public event surrounded by smart, sophisticated—and often-adoring—women, he still looked at her like she was the only person in the room. He was her knight in shining armor, and now the rest of the country was going to see what a great man and leader he was.
As she made her way back to her car, Liz thought about what this would mean for her career and her schedule. She’d never had any political aspirations, and had so far been successful at keeping her distance from the tumult and turmoil of DC.
Well, not that far away by distance—only about forty-five miles. But the bucolic countryside in northern Virginia where she lived was a world away from the noise, mayhem, and motion of the city. She loved the isolation and seclusion her cottage on the large county estate of Lyons Gate provided.
Then her mind drifted to thoughts of the president’s wife, making Liz forget all about her own trivial problems. She’d met Rose a number of times and found her composed and unruffled during White House events. But how was she handling this horrible tragedy? And how was her husband doing? This was all so sudden and unforeseen. The president was in his mid-seventies but seemed in such perfect health. It didn’t seem possible.
Maybe I’ll wake up and find this is all a bad dream…
A very bad dream.
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