“Why?” he asked, his voice level. “I was trying to get your mind off the fact that someone wants you dead.”
She took a deep, fortifying breath. “Tanner?”
“Yeah?”
“There are a couple of other things I need to tell you.”
His face registered mild alarm. “Okay.”
She twisted her hands in her lap, managing not to wring them like a heroine in a melodrama. “I didn’t trust you entirely at first, not even before I found out you and your partner wanted my house. I was alone, and I was trying not to let my good sense be blinded by fantastic sex.”
“Fantastic?” He seemed more pleased than insulted.
“Focus, please. I thought you might be behind the heater and the car wreck and the pizza. I know I downplayed that to you, but I had to at least consider the fact that you might be dangerous.”
He sobered. “How did you decide it was okay to trust me?”
She shrugged. “I had to go with my gut.”
“And?”
“It told me that you’re one of the good guys.”
He seemed troubled. “So even without proof, you decided I wasn’t out to get you?”
“Yes. You had plenty of opportunities to hurt me, if you had wanted to. It just didn’t make sense. And when I was in bed with you . . .”
He took her hand. “What, Nola?”
She smiled faintly. “I think being intimate with a man is revealing. You were gentle and generous, and when you made love to me, I never felt any malice in you at all. Maybe that’s not scientific. Maybe I should have been warier . . . but there it is.”
He stood up and paced, wearing only his slacks. Which made it hard to concentrate on serious stuff when she was already pondering how soon she could get him back in bed . . . or wherever.
Finally he faced her, his expression brooding. “I can’t stand knowing there’s someone out there who wants to hurt you. But I’m glad to know you trust me. I swear I won’t abuse that faith you have in me . . . ever.” He said it like a wedding vow.
She wrinkled her nose. “There’s more.”
“About me?”
“No,” she said slowly. “It’s kind of about me . . . though it will involve you, for sure.”
He folded his arms across his broad chest. “Hit me.”
“I’m not marrying you just to save the house.”
“I know,” he said, grinning cockily. “You love me.”
She gulped. “That, too . . . but . . .”
Now his face was a study in apprehension. “Spit it out, Red. You’re making me nervous.”
“As soon as we sign on the dotted line and become man and wife, I inherit sixty million dollars.”
He staggered and went for the nearest chair, his expression poleaxed. “Sixty . . .” His voice trailed off.
“Million,” she added helpfully, just in case he couldn’t say the word out loud. “Which I’m pretty sure is enough to restore Lochhaven to her former glory.”
He shook his head. “Yeah, and then some.”
He still looked dazed, but what worried her was his evident dawning distaste as he realized the repercussions.
She hastened to reassure him. “It doesn’t have to be a big thing.”
He choked out a laugh that didn’t really sound amused. “Oh, yeah, it sure as hell does. The whole damn county will think I married you to get my hands on that money. I’ll be the ultimate joke.”
Shoot. This was why she hadn’t told him in the beginning. “We’ll spend a bunch of it on the house, and we’ll give a lot to charity. Unless you plan to buy some fancy European sports car, no one will ever know that we’re rolling in it.”
“They’ll find out, Nola. Nothing stays a secret for long. Which is why I still think you might be in danger from whoever stands to benefit if you’re out of the picture.”
“As soon as we’re married, I’ll be safe.”
“Not necessarily. They might think they would get it anyway.”
“But you’d be my beneficiary.”
They stared at each other, playing the angles mentally. He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “God, I don’t know what to think.”
“Grandmother’s lawyer swears he’s never told them they’re in the will . . . whoever they are. I believe him.”
“Let’s hope he’s right. But think, Nola. Is there anyone at all who might have a grudge against you?”
Her stomach cramped in remembrance. “Maybe one person.” She couldn’t keep the secret any longer. “I’m not sure about Billy Inman. Come hold me, Tanner. And tell me what we should do about this.”
She didn’t go into all the gory details, but she alluded to Billy’s demeanor the night they had dinner together.
Tanner’s face went dark as he put two and two together. “That’s why you were so upset that evening when you came home.” He gazed at her with alarm. “He could have killed you that night.”
Nola shook her head stubbornly. “Billy is a gentle, good man. He was deeply hurt all those years ago when he thought I wanted my grandmother to pay him off. But I don’t think he would really hurt me. I don’t want to believe it.”
“Now who’s sticking her head in the sand?” Tanner was furious.
His comment stung, so she blurted out the rest. “His car has a long scrape down the side of it, but one of his employees told me his mother ran into the brick pillar that supports the Inmans’ mailbox.”
Tanner let out a stream of impressive profanity. He jumped to his feet and raked his hands through his hair, his chest heaving. “Why haven’t you gone to the sheriff, for God’s sake?”
“Because I don’t know for sure. His mother might have hit the pillar, just like the girl said.”
“Or she could have tried to run you off the road . . . ever thought of that? For hurting her precious son.”
“She’s in a wheelchair. When I saw her stand up, she was so weak, she could barely open the front door. She might get behind the wheel of a car, but I don’t think she’s capable of the control it would have taken to shove me that night.”
She sensed that Tanner would have checked out of the hotel in an instant, but she begged, “Can we please table this until we get home tomorrow? You were right about how being here is a reprieve . . . how it’s relaxing and safe. I don’t want to think about dying. Tonight, all I want to do is be with you and pretend we’re just like any other couple who just got engaged.”
At the end of her speech, a couple of tears made their way down her cheeks. She didn’t want to cry. She didn’t want to be sad.
Tanner’s scowl was black. “I don’t like it, but okay. And as soon as we get back tomorrow, right after we get our marriage license, we’re going to the sheriff’s. Right?”
She swallowed hard. “Right.”
Seventeen
The remainder of the night was magical, and Tanner managed to put aside his frustration, thank goodness. Their king-size playground was so comfortable and decadent that Nola decided right then and there to order a new mattress and bed for Lochhaven. One would do, for she had no intention of spending another night away from her sexy, soon-to-be husband.
The following morning he teased her unmercifully every time he caught her admiring her engagement ring. He kissed her fingers and drew them one at a time into his mouth to nibble. “I don’t know if you’re more excited about that ring or about me.”
The round of playful sex that followed nearly made them miss checkout time. Despite their erotic excess, they were back home by early afternoon. Procuring the marriage license in Grantham, the county seat, had taken no time at all, and when Tanner parked in front of the sheriff’s office in Resnick, it was barely two o’clock.
Given the size of Nola’s hometown, law enforcement was a small operation . . . only the sheriff and two deputies. Of course, Resnick’s population didn’t really warrant a bigger force. Nola’s situation was probably the most exciting thing they’d handled in several years.
&n
bsp; Tanner went in with her, but he let her do the talking.
Sheriff Parker wasn’t encouraging. He was in his late fifties, and he had a face that was more kind than menacing. He rubbed his chin, his expression apologetic. “May be a while until we get the lab report back. But I have to tell you, Miss Grainger, that even if we identify the poison, we’re at a dead end. The only prints on the pizza box were yours and the delivery boy’s. And there was no other physical evidence to give us leads.”
Nola’s heart sank, and she realized she’d been pinning her hopes to this man and his department. She bit her lip anxiously. “Sheriff, I need to tell you something in confidence.” She related seeing Billy’s messed-up car in the parking lot of his store.
The sheriff perked up, but Nola was adamant. “I’m begging you to check this out discreetly. I don’t think Billy . . . I mean Bill . . . or his mother would ever try to hurt me. The damage to his car may be exactly what the girl told me. Please do everything you can not to let them know you’re investigating the car. Promise me, please.”
Apparently, her urgency got through, because the man all but patted her on the head. “They won’t have a clue,” he said. “And I hope you’re right about Mr. Inman. I’d hate to find out he’s involved. Would he or anyone else in his family have any motive to hurt you?”
Nola flushed. “Possibly. He or his mother. Something that happened a long time ago. But I’m hoping this is no more than an unfortunate coincidence.”
Tanner’s expression was hard to read, but he kept his promise not to get involved. He ushered her back out to the car and sighed. “He’ll give us a call, I guess? When he’s checked it out?”
Nola nodded slowly. “Yeah. I hope this amounts to nothing.”
“But if it’s a bust, that means the guy is still out there.”
“It could be a woman.”
“Do you know any women who want you dead?”
“No . . . but I don’t know any men either.”
Back at Lochhaven, Tanner helped Nola unload the packages from their trip. It pissed her off that she found herself looking over her shoulder every two minutes. The situation was becoming intolerable.
She stowed the beautiful gown in her closet and put away her other purchases, wondering all the while if she should invite Marc to the ceremony.
If he truly loved her as he claimed, it would seem a cruel thing to do. But on the other hand, Marc had turned his life upside down to come to Resnick and make sure she was okay. It seemed cold to leave him out.
She made a couple of phone calls and then went in search of Tanner, finding him hard at work again. He had finished the side of the house and was now replacing sections of gutter at the back. For one man, he had accomplished an amazing amount in such a short time.
He looked down and lifted a hand. “You need me for something?” Sweat poured off him already. The afternoon was stifling, with hardly a breeze to alleviate the humidity.
She put her hands on her hips and looked up at him. “I called the minister and we’re good to go at the church.” Her grandmother hadn’t been big on organized religion, but she had been a member of the small, white-framed Presbyterian church not far from Lochhaven. She’d attended occasionally, and when Nola was young, Grandmother had made sure to take her to egg hunts and Christmas programs and, in the summer, vacation Bible school. Nola had fond memories of the historic building with the modest steeple. And given what she remembered of the minister fawning over Nola’s grandmother, it was a pretty sure bet that the old woman made significant monetary donations.
Tanner grinned down at her. “It’s all going to work out, Red. Stop worrying.”
She shook her head. “I’m not worried. I’ve got the ring, the dress, and the groom. What more do I need?”
She had barely taken two steps when she heard a car backfire. The sound was loud, really loud. That was odd. Lochhaven was too far back from the main highway for them to hear much traffic noise, what there was of it, on this rural back road.
A second backfire split the air, and Tanner yelled at her. She looked up and saw him pointing urgently toward the ground. She frowned, lifting her hands. “What?”
His next words were lost in the noise of a third backfire, and simultaneously, she felt a sharp dagger of pain in her right hip. Her breath lodged in her throat.
The world eased into slow motion. The blossom of red on her white shorts. The ragged thump of her heartbeat. Tanner’s frantic, suicidal descent from the ladder. Her legs crumpling beneath her as she watched the ground come up to meet her.
What was happening?
Her head felt funny, and her hands were numb. She hit the ground with a thud, landing on her back, and new pain joined the agony in her hip.
Tanner reached her seconds later. He was saying something, but even though she watched his lips, she couldn’t make sense of the words. The fire burning in her hip took over, and though she tried hard to fight it, she closed her eyes and slid into the blessed relief of unconsciousness.
She awoke in the ambulance. A familiar female face swam into view. “Lord have mercy, sugar. You might as well call me Velma, since we’re old buddies. But we’ve got to stop meeting like this.” Her tone was joking, but her eyes were serious. “How do you feel?”
Nola tried to assimilate a barrage of sensory information. “My head hurts.”
The EMT nodded, glancing over at one of the machines. “You gave that noggin a pretty hard crack when you hit the ground. Might have a concussion. What else?”
“Something happened to my hip.” She phrased it as a statement, but she was asking for information.
The woman’s hands were gentle as she checked Nola’s pulse. “You were shot, babycakes. But don’t you get your panties in a wad. Me and Dexter over there are pros with gunshot wounds . . . and heck, you can’t even brag about the bullet. It dug a nasty path, but went clean through, so once we get someone to stitch you up, you’ll be good as new.”
Nola licked her dry lips. “Tanner?”
Velma grinned. “He’s right behind us, honey. That man’s one hell of a driver.”
The pain hammered unmercifully, and Nola’s eyes leaked a few tears. She reached for the wonderful void of unconsciousness and let it pull her back under.
Pain. In her head and her hip. Thirst. A sense of foreboding. Waking up was not a picnic. But seeing Tanner’s face come into focus made the effort worthwhile.
He was haggard. And that was being kind. His eyes were dull and sunken, with dark smudges beneath them. The full, sensual mouth that could smile in such knee-weakening ways was a taut line, deep grooves etched around his lips.
He held her hand. “How are you feeling?”
Her bottom lip quivered, but she bit down on it, refusing to give in to the panic and distress that dragged at her from all sides. “Did they find out who it was?”
“The sheriff and his guys were on it first thing. And they called for backup from Grantham. There were footsteps in the woods beyond the house. And some food wrappers and trash that indicated he might have been waiting for a while.”
“Waiting for me to step outside so he could have a clear shot.”
The expression in Tanner’s eyes was terrible. “Yes.”
“But that’s all? They haven’t found him?”
“Not yet. But they will, Nola. You have to believe that.”
She looked toward the window and saw that it was dark. “Is it still Tuesday?”
He nodded slowly. “Your surgery went very well. The bullet grazed you . . . well, it was more of a gouge, actually. But they called in a plastic surgeon from Macon and he says you’ll be good as new. They’ve got you on antibiotics to ward off any infection.”
“When can I go home?”
His face changed from concern to discomfort, as if he knew she was going to be pissed. “You won’t be able to comfortably walk up any stairs for a bit. I’ve booked us a room at the motel where Marc is staying. But you’ll be in the hospital at least
through tomorrow afternoon. God knows, they cut you loose much too soon these days.”
“What about our wedding? God, Tanner, we’re running out of time.” Her head throbbed unmercifully. She couldn’t concentrate. She thought of her beautiful dress, the theoretical honeymoon he wouldn’t have had time to plan. And when she looked at her ring finger and saw it bare, she wept in earnest.
He leaned toward her. “What is it, darlin’? Tell me.”
“My ring.” It was practically a wail.
His expression cleared momentarily. “Damn, I forgot. They don’t let you wear jewelry into surgery. Here you go.”
He slipped it on her finger. The tears flowed even faster. Tanner dried her cheeks with the edge of the sheet, and the suffering on his face increased. She knew in that moment that he would have given everything to swap places with her. He smoothed her hair with a gentle hand. “The wedding can go on. I talked to both doctors about it and explained the situation. You may have to be in a wheelchair, but they gave permission as long as we get you back to where you can rest immediately afterward.”
Her heart quivered with disappointment. Even though she had originally envisioned getting married in an impersonal ceremony at the courthouse, once Tanner had said he wanted the church and the white dress, she fell in love with the idea.
She would postpone the wedding if she could, but they were dangerously close to the end of the will’s allotted time frame. She didn’t want to risk pushing the ceremony any nearer the end of the thirty days, because who knew what might happen in the interim.
“Did they say anything about Billy?”
Tanner sighed. “He’s in the clear. The sheriff went to the house and took a look at the pillar. There’s paint all over it, and the pattern matches the damage on the car.”
“Thank God.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You care about him that much?” He sounded more curious than jealous.
She closed her eyes. “He was a big part of my past. And yes . . . I care about him.” Maybe one day Billy would forgive her enough to make friendship possible.
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