Here Comes the Bride

by Ragan, Theresa

  He finished putting the dishes away, and then walked into the family room to see if Sam or her father needed anything.

  They were both asleep.

  Mr. Johnston was passed out on the couch, his mouth hanging open. Sam was asleep on the Lazy Boy nearby. Sam had returned home exhausted after quitting her job and visiting with her mom. While she was gone, her father had consumed too much wine while pouring out his troubles to Dominic.

  Dominic felt a strange sense of satisfaction knowing Sam and her father were getting a chance to work out their past hurts.

  He’d listened to her father talk about all the mistakes he’d made over the years. Once Mr. Johnston opened up, there had been no stopping him. The good news was her father realized he’d let his family down and he was ready to make amends. He only hoped it wasn’t too late.

  Of course, Sam had been more than willing to give her father a second chance. As father and daughter talked about life goals, dreams, and fears, Dominic contemplated how empty his life had been before he’d met Sam. And yet the idea that he might need her in his life terrified him.

  Maria was right. His belief that most people were deceptive in some form or another was not a healthy one. It was time to think about changing.

  A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he watched Sam sleep. She looked so cute. She’d only been gone for a few hours today and yet, he found himself missing her, thinking about her, longing to have her all to himself.

  The high-pitched shrill of the phone prompted him to return to the kitchen, reminding him that he’d left his cell phone in his car.

  ***

  The ringing phone awoke Sam. She rubbed her eyes. It took her a second to realize she’d fallen asleep in the family room.

  Her father was asleep on the couch.

  She pushed herself from the recliner, but before she got to her feet she heard the click of the front door being closed. She went that way, surprised to see Dominic’s car disappear through the gates at the bottom of the driveway.

  It took her less than two seconds to decide what to do next. She needed to know, once and for all, where he went at odd times during the day and night. She rushed back to the kitchen, wrote her father a note, grabbed her purse and the keys to her father’s car and then made a mad dash out the front door.

  She trusted Dominic, didn’t she? Of course she did. She reminded herself that she was an investigative reporter at heart and that’s why she felt compelled to follow him. What woman wouldn’t follow her husband after being handed pictures of him in compromising positions and after receiving strange phone calls from women with husky voices? She’d called the number belonging to the woman with the husky voice and left a message saying they needed to talk. So far no one had returned her call.

  She had also planned to talk to Dominic about the message she’d seen in his car and the pictures Mitzy had given her, but having her father at the house had made talking to Dominic impossible.

  She pulled her notepad from her purse and glanced at the address she’d gotten from Dominic’s navigation system. Another pang of guilt stabbed her in the gut. As she waited for the gate to slide open, she glanced over her shoulder at the house. She could turn around and go back, wait for Dominic to return, and talk to him then. But the robotic voice in her father’s car told her to make a right, so she pressed her foot to the gas pedal and did as the lady said.

  Less than twenty minutes later, Sam pulled to the side of the road. It was dark, but thanks to a full moon, she could see a small ranch house lit up at the end of a gravely driveway. She got out and walked, her heels wobbling on the rocks and pebbles.

  The hoot of an owl caused her muscles to tense.

  She shouldn’t be here. This had nothing to do with good investigative reporting, she thought as she approached a wooden gate, and everything to do with not trusting Dominic.

  She might have turned around and headed home at that very moment if she hadn’t spotted Dominic’s car parked next to the house.

  She opened the gate, then tottered across clods of dirt and thick grass. It might have been helpful if she’d thought to grab her sneakers, but she hadn’t planned on trespassing or walking across gravel and dirt.

  Half hidden behind a row of overgrown rose bushes, she spotted Dominic and the same woman she’d seen in the pictures on the front porch of the ranch house. The woman appeared to be crying. She fell into Dominic’s arms and he held her close, comforting her.

  Sam took a moment to let the scene tumble around in her brain. Her heart lurched. The truth was right there in front of her. A golden retriever lay on the porch. A pug walked close by, sniffing the ground. If she called out, they would hear her.

  And now what was she supposed to do?

  Dominic had obviously gone to great lengths to keep the love of his life hidden from the world. Obviously there weren’t a lot of options when it came to the two of them finding privacy. He’d done a hell of a job keeping his love interest secret, too.

  Sam wanted to be angry with him, but she’d known exactly what she was getting into when she married Dominic DeMarco. She just hadn’t expected to fall in love with him. And despite everything they had shared, she refused to be the one to ruin his only chance at happiness.

  Turning around, hoping to sneak back the same way she’d come, she heard a low growl. She stopped, frozen in place. The pictures she’d looked at today flashed in her mind’s eye. There had been at least a dozen different breeds of dogs, including pit bulls and Dobermans. Afraid to look, she dared to peek over her shoulder, relieved to see that the growl belonged to a smaller dog, a breed she didn’t recognize. She lowered her gaze in an attempt to let the dog know she wasn’t a threat. The dog wasn’t born yesterday, though, and the animal knew she didn’t belong on the property.

  Sam took a step backward onto a fallen branch.

  CRACK!

  The noise set the dog into attack mode. The tiny thing came after her with a vengeance, going straight for her ankle.

  “Ouch! No! Stop it, doggy.” She shook her leg. The dog let go and she ran for it. Before she could get to the gate, the outside lights came on. Big blinding lights. She froze.

  “Sam, is that you?”

  “Afraid so,” she said, feeling like an idiot, afraid to move while the dog continued to bark and nip at her feet.

  “Winston,” the woman yelled. “Stop it. Come here!”

  The dog backed off. Sam tried to limp away, hoping they would let her go without further questioning, but that would be too good to be true.

  “She’s bleeding,” the woman told Dominic. “You need to help her.”

  “I can see that,” Dominic grumbled. “Why don’t you take Winston into the house and I’ll take care of this situation myself.”

  “Absolutely not,” the woman said. “Bring her inside so I can take a look at her leg. You two will just have to have your little chat in front of me.”

  Sam squinted into the lights, trying to see where exactly Dominic was, but it was no use. “I’m okay,” Sam said. “I can let myself out.” Sam tried her damndest to limp away.

  “Oh, no you don’t. You’re not getting off that easily.” Dominic swept her into his arms just as he had done after their wedding vows were spoken in New York and she’d almost been trampled. She had no choice but to wrap her arms around his neck as he carried her across the front yard, up the porch stairs and into the woman’s house, a beautifully decorated farmhouse with cushiony chairs and lots of antiques. A picture of three old dogs with gray muzzles hung over the fireplace.

  None too gingerly, Dominic set her on the couch. “What are you doing here, Sam?”

  “After the phone rang, I heard you leave the house, so I grabbed the keys to my father’s car. I needed to know.”

  “You needed to know where I was going?”

  Sam nodded.

  “You could have called my cell phone.”

  “Yes,” she said. “I suppose I could have, but you would have just made
up a story. I’ve asked you many times where you go, but you always expertly change the subject.”

  Before Dominic could respond, the other woman came into the room with a clean cloth and a bowl of water.

  “Dominic has told me all about you,” the woman said as she cleaned Sam’s wound.

  “He has?”

  She nodded, and then put down the damp towel and offered Sam her hand. “My name’s Linda. I’m Dominic’s sister.”

  Sam looked at Dominic. “I thought you didn’t have any siblings.”

  “Linda is my half-sister. Before Mom and Dad married, Dad had another child with his first wife…Carol.”

  “God, I feel like an idiot.”

  “Understandable,” Dominic agreed. He didn’t look angry, but neither did he look happy about her being there.

  Linda squeezed her brother’s arm. “You should have told her about me before it came to this.”

  “I was going to tell her today, but we didn’t have any time alone.”

  “The LA Beat has pictures of you two,” Sam blurted, “which means Dominic has been followed here before.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. We knew the media would find out about Linda eventually. They can think whatever they want.”

  Linda found bandages and used them on Sam’s injury. “Sorry about the leg. Winston can be overly aggressive, but you’ll be glad to know he’s had his shots.”

  “Do all of these dogs belong to you?”

  Linda nodded. “With Dominic’s financial help, I’ve been running a shelter for unwanted dogs for a few years now. Older dogs are not as adoptable and their health is at risk at shelters. I try to match them with people who can appreciate older animals and hopefully even benefit from their loyalty and gentle nature. Winston is the exception, but the poor thing has had a rough life and has trust issues.”

  Dominic raised a brow at Sam.

  “I guess Winston isn’t the only one. Winston and I need some serious therapy.”

  “At least you haven’t bitten me yet,” Dominic said.

  Linda laughed, but Sam could tell Dominic was hurt by what she’d done, coming here without talking to him first…spying on him.

  “I’ll go to the backyard and start digging,” Dominic told Linda.

  After he left, Linda explained that a German shepherd named Ginger had passed away. She’d called Dominic, hoping he could help her bury the old dog.

  “I shouldn’t have come,” Sam said.

  Linda patted her arm in understanding. “I would have done the same thing. Dominic cares about you. I would even say he has fallen for you. He’s never talked about anyone the way he talks about you.”

  ***

  Dominic arrived home just before midnight. Sam had been waiting for him.

  “How’s your dad?”

  “Still asleep on the couch. I don’t think he’s moved an inch.”

  Dirt clung to Dominic’s jeans, and sweat marks soiled his usually clean, pressed shirt. His eyes looked tired. Her heart went out to him. As it turned out, Ginger was the first dog he and Linda had taken in to the place they now called Old Dog House. Linda did the work and Dominic provided the money to keep the place running.

  Sam followed Dominic into the bedroom. “I’m sorry about tonight.”

  “We’re both to blame.”

  She sighed. “It would have been nice if you left a note.”

  “If I had left a note, you wouldn’t have followed me?”

  She scrunched her nose. “Actually, I found the address when I borrowed your car. Since you wouldn’t answer any of my questions, I took matters into my own hands.”

  “Anything else I should know?”

  “I saw a text from Julia: Every hour apart is a dagger to my heart. Looking forward to seeing you again. Julia.”

  “You memorized the text?”

  “It just sort of took root inside my head.”

  “And here I thought I was the untrusting troll.”

  She looked deep into his eyes. “Are you seeing Julia?”

  He shook his head. “The last time I saw her was when you met her in Hawaii. She’s been texting me since then.”

  “I feel like a jealous fool. This isn’t me,” Sam said. “If you don’t want to tell me what you do or where you go from now on, that’s fine. I’m done asking. We’re not really married. We’re just sleeping with each other to make the most of our time together, isn’t that right?”

  He pulled off his dirty shoes and socks and put them aside. “That’s right.”

  “I can handle this thing between you and me.”

  “I’m glad.” He pulled his T-shirt over his head and added it to the pile.

  “How do you feel about everything, you know, about me?”

  “You mean other than going through my address book on my phone and spying on me?”

  “Yes,” she said waving all of that away as if it never happened. “You’ve told me you liked me, but why do you like me?”

  “Are those old insecurities popping up again?”

  “Of course not. I know I’m funny and smart and beautiful.”

  “Okay,” he said with a smile, “I’ll play this game. You’re very silly and I like that about you—for instance, sneaking around Linda’s property in the dark in high heels.”

  “I didn’t think to bring my sneakers.”

  “I also like the way you dance. You have no rhythm whatsoever, but you just keep moving. It’s cute.”

  “Hey, we got third place thanks to my ability to do the Twist.”

  “True.”

  “Okay, great. I’m silly and I have no rhythm. What else?”

  He rubbed his chin. “Your left eye twitches when you get nervous. I like that.”

  “That’s ridiculous. My eye doesn’t twitch.”

  “It does,” he assured her. “The more nervous you become, the faster your eyelid moves.”

  “Oh, God.”

  “When you get excited, you talk really loud—”

  She crossed her arms. “How loud?”

  “Ear piercingly loud.”

  “I see,” she whispered.

  “I really like the little throaty gasping noise you make right before I bring you to that special place when we’re making love.”

  She moved her weight from one foot to the other.

  “Did you know that your left eye crosses inward when you get tired?”

  “Okay, that’s it,” she said. “I am sorry I asked. Let’s just stick with my being funny, smart, and beautiful.”

  “I don’t know. I think this whole opening up thing is growing on me.”

  “I think you just like me because I’m here at the house, which is very convenient for you.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that, but yes, you’re right, it’s very convenient having you here. It also makes perfect sense that we should have some sort of relationship while we’re trapped here in this big house together.”

  She plunked a hand on her hip. “Trapped?”

  “What would you call it?”

  “I call it fate, destiny, chance.”

  “Sure,” he said. “All of the above.”

  She poked him in the ribs. “Okay, that’s enough talking and opening up for one night.”

  “If I keep building you up,” he said with a chuckle, “you might get a big head and then what will I do with you?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, “but it would be helpful if you build me up a little before you list all of my not so charming traits.”

  Stepping forward, he pulled her into his arms. “There’s something about you, Sam Johnston. Maybe your naïveté is part of your charm. I like being around you. I like holding you close and inhaling your sweet smelling hair.”

  He smelled like dogs and dirt and sweat and she didn’t mind at all. If her father wasn’t in the other room, she would have dragged him to bed.

  Dominic pulled away. “No more secrets between us?”

  She nodded. “No more secrets.�
�

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Another week passed before Kate visited Sam at the house.

  Sam was happy to see her, hoping the two of them could start where they had left off before Sam flew to New York over a month ago.

  “It’s so good to see you. Come inside.”

  Sam introduced Kate to Dominic. They exchanged pleasantries before Caesar and Rex ran into the room, tails wagging as they competed for attention. Caesar had a limp and poor Rex had a tendency to bump into walls and chairs, but they made a happy pair, even when Shakespeare hissed and swatted, letting the dogs know who reigned supreme.

  Kate and Sam took a long walk on the beach and caught up on what was happening with family and co-workers. Twenty minutes later, they stood at the railing on Dominic’s patio overlooking the ocean.

  “Mitzy told me you quit. Is it true?”

  Sam nodded. “I’m going to send out my résumé. In the meantime, maybe write a novel…a romance. I’m not sure yet.”

  Kate chuckled. “I never would have pegged you as a romance writer.”

  “How about you?” Sam asked. “Are you happy with where you are?”

  “Are you kidding? I love working for the LA Beat and that’s one of the reasons why I’m here. I’m going to be perfectly honest with you. If I can get you and Dominic to give me an exclusive interview, Mitzy promised me a promotion.”

  Sam scrunched her nose. “Mitzy enjoys making promises she can’t keep. I don’t trust her, Kate. You’re a critical thinker and a good writer, two important ingredients to being a terrific reporter. You could get a job anywhere you wanted.”

  “Are you saying you won’t do the interview?”

  Sam’s shoulders dropped. “I can’t. My marriage is still too fragile and new.”

  “I’ve seen the commercials for the Barbara Fells Show. Surely if you’re going on national television, you can do one small local interview for his fans right here in Los Angeles.”

  Sam shook her head. “I need to disconnect myself from Mitzy and the paper right now. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know.”

  “Can you at least give me a tour of the house before I go?”