Randall Wedding

by Judy Christenberry

  They heard the car stop and one of the doors open.

  Jake greeted the new arrival. “Howdy. Can I help you?”

  A voice that Isabella immediately recognized answered. “I’m looking for my daughter, Isabella Paloni, or Nick McMillan. Someone in town told me they would be out here.”

  “They were. They’re not now. Want to leave a message?”

  “I need to pick up some important papers. When will they be back?”

  “I couldn’t tell you. They came over last night, but then they left. Haven’t seen them since then.”

  “This is important.”

  “Give me your name and if they come back, I’ll tell them.”

  “I’m Antonio Paloni. My aunt died recently and I need to pick up her things.”

  “What is your aunt’s name? Did she live here?”

  “Yes. Her name was Maria Paloni. You probably don’t know her. She kept to herself.”

  “I knew her. Heard her house burned down last night.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that. I assume no one was living in it?”

  Jake shrugged his shoulders. “You’ve come a long way from New York.”

  “Actually I was in Chicago on business.”

  “I’ll give Nick the message. He or your daughter will send you whatever is due you, I’m sure.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

  Isabella peeked out the window and saw her father’s face through the window of his car as it backed up and headed back down the driveway.

  Then, before she and Sarah could scoot back to the kitchen, Jake came through the front door. Isabella stood up, intending to apologize for disobeying him, but tears were streaming down her face. Jake pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. “You poor dear. He’s not worth a plugged nickel. Did you want to talk to him?”

  She shook her head no. Jake picked her up, carried her into the kitchen and set her down in a chair at the table. “Mildred, can you fix her a cup of chocolate? She needs something for shock.”

  B.J. and Janie came in from outside. They both hugged Isabella. “The man doesn’t even care about you and Angel. He just wants the stock,” Janie said.

  “What happened?” several of them asked.

  Jake gave a thumbnail sketch of what had happened, keeping it short for Isabella’s sake. In the meantime, Red and Mildred got busy putting together Christmas dinner. Then all the women joined in except Isabella and Janie, who talked quietly.

  “I thought he cared about me a little bit, but all he wants is the stock. I told him I was married and…he should’ve realized it would do him no good to come here.”

  “He’s not thinking straight, honey. He probably thought you were lying to him.”

  “I don’t know what to do.”

  Janie hugged her close. “Let’s wait and see what the men have found out.”

  As if on cue, the sound of several trucks coming down the road reached their ears. “The men are back,” Red announced.

  Isabella grabbed her ski jacket and ran for the back door.

  She flew into Russ’s arms when he climbed out of the first truck, more tears rolling down her cheeks.

  “Honey, what’s wrong? Are you crying about the house? Don’t worry. We’ll build another one.”

  She shook her head, then buried it in his chest, not offering an explanation. Janie, who’d followed Izzy out of the house, gave Russ a brief synopsis of their day.

  “Isabella’s father came here?”

  Jake, who’d followed the women out of the house, nodded. “Yeah, he was looking for Isabella or Nick. Nick!” Jake called, waving him over. “One of your clients came looking for you.”

  “On Christmas Day? Who?”

  “Antonio Paloni.”

  Nick’s eyes narrowed. “What did he want?”

  “He wanted you or Izzy to give him the papers for the stock. He still thinks he can talk you out of them.”

  Russ’s arms tightened around Isabella as she trembled against him. “Damn it! Did you hear him, Izzy?”

  She nodded again.

  “Did it upset you, Izzy, that he only wanted the papers?” Pete asked.

  Isabella finally pulled back from Russ’s embrace. “I guess he went to the house, looking for the stock and was surprised to find it burnt down. When he couldn’t find the company stock certificates, he came looking for Nick or me.”

  “Russ, we need to talk.” Isabella’s gaze was pleading.

  “Sure. Let’s get inside out of the cold,” he suggested. She turned and led the way. When they were inside, she headed upstairs, hoping he would follow. After stopping by Angel’s bed in the kitchen and kissing her soft cheek, he did so. When they reached the bedroom they’d been assigned, she closed the door.

  “I knew my father wanted the stock, but I didn’t think he’d try to steal it. This is all such a mess. He has a terrible temper. I don’t want your family to have to see that. Maybe Angel and I should go.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “No, Izzy. You promised to marry me and let me adopt Angel.”

  “Aren’t you convinced that my father will stop at nothing to get what he wants?”

  “Yeah, I’m convinced. But I don’t give up easily. You’re mine, you and Angel. Do you know how long it will take for Tori to sell those shares? Once she’s done that, you’ll have all the money you want for Angel, and your father won’t be able to do anything.”

  “I don’t know that I can avoid him for a month. And I don’t want to bring trouble to your family.”

  “Our family. We’re married. You belong to my family now. Do you know how much my mother loves you? My father?”

  She pushed herself out of his arms. “They love me because you’re alive again. But if I cause you anguish or harm, they won’t love me. And I don’t blame them. I’ll hate myself.”

  “I’m not going to get hurt. We found the men who set the fire.”

  “What? How did you do that?”

  “The motel operator took down their license plate. They came in from Chicago yesterday. They left the motel around two in the morning heading toward Rawhide. We caught up to them this morning. They’d just started back for Chicago. They had incriminating evidence in the trunk.”

  “But that doesn’t mean my father was connected. Besides, he wouldn’t have burned down the house without making sure the stock was safe.”

  Russ smiled. “We’ll see. The sheriff hasn’t had a chance to question the men yet.”

  Isabella blinked back tears.

  “It’s going to be all right honey. Go wash your face. I’m going downstairs to talk to Tori. Then we’ll have Christmas dinner.”

  As they both started out the bedroom door, she caught a glimpse of his right hand. “What did you do to your hand? Did you hurt it somehow?”

  Russ looked at his hand and then hugged Isabella once more. “I bumped it against something, that’s all. I’ll get Anna to clean it and put a bandage on it.”

  “I can do that,” she said, staring at his injured hand.

  “We don’t want to insult Anna. She’s our official medical person. Hurry down, though. I’m starving.”

  THE AMOUNT OF FOOD it took to feed the Randall clan was amazing. Instead of eating in shifts, as they usually did, extra tables were moved into the kitchen, along with chairs. When Isabella arrived in the kitchen, she found Russ’s hand neatly bandaged. She looked at Anna.

  “Thanks, Anna, for taking care of Russ. Was anyone else hurt?”

  “If they were, they haven’t complained. And Russ’s hand will be fine tomorrow.” Anna patted her gently on the back. “I think Russ saved you a place over there.” She pointed.

  Isabella found her chair and sat. She was opposite Tori. “Did Russ ask how long it would take to sell all that stock?” she asked her.

  “Hey! It’s Christmas,” Russ complained.

  Isabella was embarrassed. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  “I can unload it quickly, but it will affec
t the price. Still, in the circumstances, the faster the better. What do you think?”

  “I agree. Even if the price goes down, people are more important than money,” Isabella said.

  Tori nodded. “Let me see what I can do. There was strong interest from one particular investor the other day. I might be able to make a deal if the buyer realizes you’re selling majority interest. The price might even go up.”

  “Whatever you can do, Tori.”

  Nick and Sarah came to sit at their table.

  “Nick says I should apologize to you,” Sarah said.

  “For what?” Isabella asked, her eyebrows soaring.

  “For encouraging you to go to the living room to hear what was said,” Sarah said softly. “I know it was hard for you.”

  Isabella fought the tears that reappeared. “The truth is hard, but I had to know it.” She sniffed.

  Red came over to the table to collect their plates, which distracted everyone from Isabella. It gave her time to rein in her emotions.

  “Jake is going to carve the first turkey. Your table is first. Line up and take your turkey. Then you can fill your plates at the kitchen counter. And leave some for the rest of us!” Red ordered.

  Dinner was noisy but fun. The people at Isabella’s table found a lot of interesting topics to discuss, which kept everyone away from the events of the morning.

  When the telephone rang, Isabella was just forking up her last bite of stuffing. A silence fell over the room as everyone waited for Jake to answer the phone.

  “Hello?”

  Jake didn’t indicate who was calling. He thanked the caller and promised to come into the sheriff’s office in the morning. Then he sat back down as if nothing had happened.

  Pete, sitting near him, asked a quiet question.

  “Yeah,” Jake said.

  Russ protested. “Jake, tell us who that was.”

  “Better not. We’ll talk later.”

  Isabella spoke clearly. “You might as well tell them, Jake. Everyone has sacrificed their Christmas for me. I can stand more news.”

  Jake looked at her consideringly. “I guess you’re right, Izzy. In spite of your father, you come from strong stock.” He drew a deep breath and said, “That was the sheriff. The two men we caught confessed to setting the fire. But they wouldn’t confess to anyone hiring them.”

  Isabella gave a sigh of relief.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Half an hour later the family had moved from the kitchen to the living room. Time to forget the earlier mess and open presents. Isabella was pleased that she’d done all the shopping she had. She’d received guidance from Samantha and Elizabeth, who’d encouraged her to search for special items, not necessarily expensive, but important to the recipient. It made opening the presents fun to watch.

  When it was over, everyone began to pack up to go home. With no home to go to, Isabella stood in the living room, staring at the Christmas tree, trying not to cry. Strong arms slipped around her.

  “Quit worrying,” Russ whispered in her ear. “Your aunt’s house was old and needed a lot of work. Now we can start over and build a good house for the future.”

  “But where will we live in the meantime?”

  “Well, we have a choice. We can stay here or we can move back into my apartment. We’d have to share a bed, but we can do that and stick to the rules. And you’d be close to Sarah, Nick and Tori.”

  Isabella turned in his arms so she could see his face. “What do you want to do?”

  “It doesn’t matter, honey. It’s only a short drive into town.” He smiled, seemingly content with either choice.

  “I’d like to live in the apartment if you don’t mind. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but—”

  He stopped her by kissing her lips briefly and grinning at her. “I agree. I’ll explain it to my folks.”

  “You might tell Red it’s because he’s too good a cook. I’ll gain a ton of weight if we stay here.”

  Russ laughed. “Go pack your things. We’ll borrow one of the baby beds until we can buy one at the store. And tomorrow you can replenish your wardrobe at Sarah’s store. At least the beginnings of it. I bet she’ll want to come help you.”

  “Do you think she will?” Isabella asked, her voice rising in enthusiasm.

  “We’ll ask her.”

  The thought of buying new clothes lifted Isabella’s spirits. Then she felt guilty for being so easily distracted from her real problems.

  As if reading her mind, Russ whispered, “Keep smiling, honey. It helps to keep your spirits up.”

  “What are we going to do about those men?”

  “We don’t have to do anything. The sheriff has filed charges against them. I imagine the trial will be held in Buffalo, the county seat. It will take at least six months. We’ll be in our new house by then.”

  “We can build it before late spring?”

  He took her by the hand and began pulling her in the direction of their bedroom so she could get ready to leave. “We’ll plan the house and hire the builder. Then he’ll start as soon as we get a break in the weather. How many bedrooms do you want?”

  That question distracted her. “I guess four will be enough. After all, there are only three of us. That leaves us one bedroom for guests.”

  “Hmm, we’ll see.” He waited until they were in their bedroom. Then he gave her a kiss on the lips again. “Gather up everything and I’ll go tell the folks.”

  “Be sure you tell them how much I appreciate everything.”

  “I will.”

  RUSS’S PARENTS and other family members had as many questions as his wife.

  “What are you going to do about her father?” Pete asked.

  Russ repeated what he’d told Isabella. Then he added the details about their new house.

  “And we’ve decided to move back into the apartment until the house is ready. Izzy is afraid your feelings will be hurt, but I told her you’d understand.”

  Janie smiled and squeezed her husband’s hand to be sure he voiced no objections. “That’s fine with us,” Pete agreed, “but you’re welcome here if you want to stay.”

  “Izzy wants to start replacing things at once. It’s handy when the store is just across the street.”

  “We’ll plan a trip into Casper when the weather gets better. Or we could even go to Denver,” Janie suggested, her eyes lighting up at the thought.

  Pete groaned. “I’m going to have to work extra hard to pay for that.”

  Everyone laughed because they all knew Pete could afford more shopping trips than Janie would ever make in her entire lifetime.

  “Thanks to all of you for being so great, so supportive, for our first Christmas. Hopefully we won’t cause such a stir next Christmas.” He hugged his mother and his aunts, then shook all the men’s hands. Then he hurried up the stairs to help Isabella with the bags and Angel.

  Meanwhile downstairs, Pete whispered to Janie, “Why did you squeeze my hand?”

  “Because I think it’s a good idea for them to stay in the apartment.”

  “Why?”

  She smiled. “Because they’ll only have one bed.”

  THE APARTMENT HAD BEEN sitting empty for two weeks, so the newlyweds had some housecleaning to do. It was chilly there, too, because Russ had turned the furnace down, just keeping it warm enough to prevent the pipes from freezing.

  Isabella discovered that Russ had taken the sheets he used to the house in case they needed them. “We have no sheets!” she exclaimed after looking in the hall closet for them.

  “Nope. I should’ve brought some from the ranch, but I didn’t think of it. Want me to drive back out there?”

  It was already getting dark and Isabella was tired after the difficult day. “No, of course not. We can manage without sheets. I’ll buy us some more tomorrow.”

  “Okay. I didn’t take much out of the kitchen when we moved except…damn, I took the coffeepot.”

  Isabella dug into the pantry. “Th
e jar of instant coffee is still here.”

  “Okay. That will do for a day or two. Good thing we brought our supper with us.” Red had insisted on packing them some leftovers.

  “Yes, because there’s not much in the pantry.” Isabella began arranging what was there. Then she suggested they eat first. Since Angel would probably wake up around six or seven, Russ agreed.

  “I’m glad I left the television here. Your aunt had a pretty good television, but it was ruined in the fire. But at least we have one. There are some basketball games on tonight.”

  Isabella shook her head.

  “What? You don’t like basketball?”

  “I like it fine. It just seems strange to sit and watch men playing with a ball when our lives have changed so dramatically. Three weeks ago, I wasn’t sure I’d survive the storm. A lot has happened in three weeks.”

  “Yeah. I’m married.” He put his hands on his hips almost as if to challenge her.

  “Well, so am I!”

  On that note, they sat down at the small table and ate the delicious leftovers. Red had even cut sizeable pieces from several cakes for dessert.

  Angel awoke right on schedule. “I’ll feed her while you put the baby bed together. Can we get it into the other bedroom without dismantling anything?” Isabella asked.

  “Sure. I’ll have it ready in no time.”

  When he came out of the second bedroom, Angel was sitting in her mother’s lap cooing at her.

  “Hey! She’s talking!” Russ said. “Can she say anything?”

  “Not unless you count ‘googoodada’ as anything,” Isabella said with a laugh.

  Russ grinned. “She’s a joy, isn’t she?”

  “Yes. Dad can have the stupid stocks if it means Angel is safe,” Isabella said vehemently, hugging her baby close.

  “Right. But I don’t think we have to worry about him anymore.”

  “I hope not.”

  She carried the baby into the other room and laid her down in the baby bed. Then she tucked the cover around her. The furnace was doing a good job of warming the place, but there was still a slight chill in the air.

  Angel squirmed a little. Then her eyes fluttered closed and her even breathing indicated she was asleep.