“Yeah.”
Rafe pulled loose the duct tape, then reached behind the blanket. And pulled out a bundle of cash.
He let out a whoop and fanned the money in her face.
Rhianna’s heart pounded with excitement. “You found it.”
“We have to be sure.” Rafe pulled out a cigarette lighter and heated a hundred-dollar bill. “If the ink turns blue, this is the marked cash used to pay the ransom, and the serial numbers will match the FBI’s list.”
Rhianna held her breath. Rafe had to be careful. He had to heat the paper without burning it. The judge could have laundered the money, somehow exchanging the marked bills for clean ones. If they had just found money that couldn’t be traced to the ransom, their work would have gone for nothing.
As Rafe continued to hold the lighter near the paper, she peered at the bill. “It’s turning blue!” She threw her arms around Rafe and kissed him. “You did it.”
He kissed her back with enough heat to warm her to her toes, and then yanked the rest of the blanket away, exposing neatly stacked piles of cash. “Go get two of the suitcases upstairs.”
Rhianna frowned. “Aren’t we calling the cops?”
Rafe shook his head. “We found this money doing an illegal search.”
“So what are you going to do?”
Rafe grinned in triumph. “Give this money to the judge.”
“What? We’re stealing this money?”
“Yep. But don’t worry. We’ll give it back when we pay off the mortgage. Kind of ironic, don’t you think?”
“But—but is he going to get away with kidnapping me?”
Rafe gathered her into his arms. “He may not go to jail, but he’s going to lose everything that matters to him. His job, his reputation, his friends. We’ll leak the story to the press later and he can’t sue for slander since we’ll be telling the truth.”
Rhianna supposed she’d have to be satisfied, but a shiver of fear marred her excitement over their success. Would she ever really feel safe unless the judge was behind bars?
RAFE ZIPPED THE CASH inside two suitcases and locked them in the trunk of his car. Then he and Rhianna headed for Denver, since he had one important stop to make on the way home. He didn’t want to rush, didn’t want to fly.
Without telling Rhianna his intentions, Rafe parked in front of the bank. Thanks to his father’s connections, the bank president met him at the door even though it was way past normal banking hours.
Two security guards lifted the suitcases and carried them into the vault, while a photographer from a Denver paper took pictures that would headline the judge’s disgrace on tomorrow’s front page. The senator had seen to it that the story would make national news. The judge would be forced to resign in disgrace.
Rafe signed the necessary paperwork, took Rhianna’s hand, then turned to the bank president. “I appreciate your opening up for us. There’s one more item on my agenda. Would you mind if we looked inside the family box?”
The bank president nodded. “Not at all.” He held out his hand. “Your key, please.”
Rafe handed him the key to the Sutton vault and led Rhianna to their private box, while she eyed him curiously. Rafe pretended not to notice, nor did he explain. He just was grateful she didn’t ask questions.
The president used a bank key in one lock, Rafe’s key in the other. He pulled out the box and handed it to Rafe. “You can use the desk over there.”
Rafe, still holding Rhianna’s hand, led her to the private area the man had indicated. He opened the box and retrieved a black velvet jewelry pouch. Rhianna looked from the pouch to Rafe, but didn’t say anything, no doubt thinking he was simply bringing his father a trinket. Rafe slipped the pouch into his pocket and returned the box to its place in the vault, where the bank president relocked it.
Fifteen minutes later, they were on their way to an exclusive hotel between Denver and Highview. Rafe had picked the most romantic location he could think of for their evening, and hoped Rhianna would be pleased. While she’d freshened up in the bank’s rest room, he’d put his cell phone to good use.
Excitement thrummed through Rafe, and he didn’t feel the least bit tired. He wanted to drink champagne and celebrate. He wanted to twirl Rhianna around in his arms and spend the night together without the worry of losing the ranch. They’d defeated Judge Stewart, and though the man might not do jail time, he’d lose much of his influence and power. If he ever tried to threaten the Suttons again, Rafe would be there to stop him. Rafe still feared for Rhianna’s safety, but he’d rather live with her and his fears than without her.
As they drove along the highway, Rhianna cocked her head to the side, watching him with a slight smile. “You have a mischievous gleam in your eyes.”
“Do I?”
“Umm.” She crossed one leg lazily over the other. “I suppose we aren’t driving all the way back tonight?”
“I can’t wait that long.”
“Can’t wait that long for what?”
“To have you.”
Her eyes darkened, and her voice turned husky. “Do I have something you want?”
If she wasn’t careful, he wouldn’t make it to the luxurious hotel room he’d reserved. “You have lots of things that I want.”
“Like what?”
“Just that you’re you.”
Now that was real eloquent, he chastised himself, but then realized she looked like a cat who’d just feasted on a bowl of whipped cream.
She fluffed her hair over her shoulder, and the scent of her shampoo made him realize how accustomed he’d become to the little nuances that added up to Rhianna. But it wasn’t just her scent or the taste of her lush lips that made him forget every vow he’d ever made, it was her undaunted spirit. He’d never forget her willingness to give up her own happiness to protect their daughter’s future. Rhianna’s love was selfless and deeper than he deserved.
“Rafe?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“What did you take out of the bank vault?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“For whom?” she asked, and he realized she didn’t have a clue how much he had changed since this afternoon, when he’d thought he might lose her to Duncan.
“Hold on a second. We’re here.” Rafe pulled into the hotel without answering Rhianna’s question.
“Where?”
“It’s a private spa. The owner is a friend of Cam’s. While the minimum stay is a week, if they have an empty cabin, he lets the family use it. This is the first time I’ve been here.”
Minutes later, an efficient member of the staff had unlocked a door to their own private cabin and ushered them inside. “Dinner will be delivered in half an hour.”
Rhianna’s eyes widened at the art deco furnishings. A fire crackled merrily in the fireplace. Vases of fresh flowers lent the room an aromatic scent. A box of chocolates sat on the counter next to a bowl of fruit.
Rhianna sank into a plush chair and kicked off her shoes. “I’ll flip you for the shower.”
Rafe tugged her to her feet. “Come on. We’ll share.”
To their surprise, the bathroom didn’t have a shower. Instead a luxurious acrylic bathtub with jets sat on a podium overlooking a glass-enclosed terrace. Through the window, a full moon was just rising over a mountain peak.
While Rhianna lit the candles surrounding the tub, Rafe adjusted the water. She shyly turned out the lights before stripping off her clothes. She looked magnificent in the candlelight, and Rafe hurriedly removed his clothes to join her. But not before removing a certain item of jewelry from its pouch.
He slipped into the steaming water and snuggled next to Rhianna. She wrapped one leg over his to keep from floating away. “I could get used to this.”
He draped one arm over her shoulder. “Could you get used to me?”
“I suppose I already have.” She tilted her head at a cocky angle and teased, “It wasn’t easy, either.”
&
nbsp; “Is that so?”
“You can be quite demanding.” His hand curved around her breast. “Greedy, really.” She arched into him and let her hand do some wandering of its own. When she discovered how ready he was to be greedy, she chuckled with pleasure. “Oh, my. You’re really going to have to control yourself, darling. They’re delivering dinner soon.”
Rafe spied a phone conveniently placed next to the tub. Lazily, he picked up the receiver and dialed room service. “Could you please delay our meal another hour?”
Rafe didn’t even wait for an answer. Rhianna’s hands were too busy roaming all over him. If he didn’t slow her down, she wouldn’t be in the right position for his surprise. Slowly he shifted until he knelt between her open thighs. When he didn’t immediately reach for her, she looked at him with a fierce longing.
He ached to crush her to him, but refused to act like a heathen. A man of his age could restrain himself—especially for the woman he loved. Rafe kissed Rhianna’s forehead, her nose, her chin.
“You’re driving me wild,” she complained when he refused to deepen his kiss.
“I like you wild.” He tilted up her chin. “And I like you calm. I like you angry, and happy, and everything in between. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m crazy about you.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed.” She reached between his legs and caressed the length of him.
“Have you also noticed that I can’t stop thinking about you? Noticed that I don’t want to stop thinking about you? You’ve bewitched me.”
Rhianna chuckled. “If you’re calling me a witch, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“What I want to call you…is wife.” He whipped out the huge emerald that had been his mother’s and accidentally dropped it between her legs.
“Did you say wife?” Rhianna sputtered. “We have to get married for me to be a wife.”
“I’ve heard that’s the way it’s done.”
Face flushed, breasts floating enticingly, she leaned back against the edge of the tub and laced her hands behind her head. “Are you sure?”
“I’m scared to death of doing this wrong. You are going to say yes?”
“Was that a ring you dropped?”
“It was.”
“Well, I think you should find it and place it on my finger.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Rafe whooped in pleasure and started to gather her into his arms. But she remained plastered with her back against the tub, her voice husky. “I believe that ring fell in a very delicate place. It’ll probably take you a while to find it.”
So the lady wanted to play games, did she? Rafe couldn’t have been more pleased. He intended to take a very, very, very long time finding that ring.
Chapter Fifteen
The wedding had gone off without a hitch, and Rhianna looked radiant as she danced at the reception in Rafe’s arms. Laughter warmed her eyes. Rafe didn’t mind when she missed a few steps as she blew kisses at Allison and the senator every time they danced by.
Life had settled into a comfortable pattern of working with Rhianna and her father, who had moved to Highview. Sweetness showed the promise of a champion. The Rovells had been found unharmed in an abandoned truck alongside the highway and the Suttons had donated them to the museum in their mother’s name. Seeing Rhianna for breakfast, lunch and dinner and most of the hours between helped Rafe ease his fears over her safety.
The judge had seemingly disappeared after resigning when the scandal hit the newspapers. National networks picked up the story and shredded Judge Stuart’s character so that he would never hold another job as a public servant. Still, Rafe longed for justice. He wanted the man behind bars. He wanted to know his family was safe.
Rhianna leaned forward and nipped Rafe’s shoulder. The slight pain brought him back to the sounds of music and clapping hands, and the sight of his smiling bride. But she had an air of seriousness in her eyes as she looked up at him. “Having regrets already?”
Rafe vowed to hide his thoughts more carefully. He wanted nothing to spoil their wedding day, and Rhianna was too good at guessing what he was thinking. He kissed her lightly on the lips, then twirled her around the makeshift dance floor, which the hands had set up under the tent in the senator’s backyard. “My only regret is that we didn’t do this sooner.”
“The men in your family seem to have their babies first, marriage second,” Rhianna teased.
“I’m the exception.” Cam tapped Rafe on the shoulder and cut in, but spoke loudly enough to tease the groom. “But then Alexa says I’m exceptional. I made it to the altar before I had the twins.”
Rafe moved aside and let his brother dance with Rhianna. “That’s because you don’t think, you process—like a damn computer chip.”
Rafe missed Cam’s comeback, but it must of been a doozy because Rhianna’s peal of laughter drifted back to him. He headed for Allison, who seemed quite content in the crook of her grandfather’s arm.
Rafe smiled down at his daughter. “Looks as if you have things under control,” he said to his dad.
The senator nodded. “I like babies. And with Chase and Laura’s two kids, Cam’s twins and now Allison, I’m getting lots of practice.” The senator’s gaze drifted to Tyler, who stood with his back to a wall, leaning lightly on a cane. The daughter of one of the ranch hands was trying to tug him onto the dance floor, but Tyler kept refusing.
“He’s resisting awfully hard,” Rafe commented.
“Won’t do him any good when the right woman comes along.” The senator shifted Allison to his shoulder, but his gaze remained on Tyler. “I just hope I’m still around when he falls in love. Mark my words, he’s going to fall hard and be more stubborn about it than the rest of you put together.”
How like his father to want them all married off while he alone remained single. Rafe spied a local female real estate agent eyeing the senator as if he were a prime piece of property, so Rafe took Allison from his father. He winked good luck to the woman and twirled Allison onto the dance floor.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s find your mama.” Rafe stepped lightly among the dancers and heard a commotion on the edge of the crowd. At first, he figured one of the cowhands had had too much to drink.
But the music suddenly stopped. People screamed. Some fled.
Cradling Allison in his arms, Rafe shouldered his way through the crowd. Several gasps warned him that something was very wrong. Wildly he looked right, then left for Rhianna. Instead, he spied Laura, and placed the baby in his sister-in-law’s capable hands.
At the sound of a scream, Rafe spun and his blood froze. Judge Stuart had crashed the reception. He stood, holding a knife to Rhianna’s throat. Rhianna’s face had turned as pale as her beaded dress, but her green eyes blazed with anger as much as fear.
As a trickle of blood dripped down her neck and stained her gown, Rafe stepped forward, his blood boiling with anger. “Let her go.”
Tyler tapped forward from the judge’s right. “You heard my brother, let her go.”
Chase edged in from the left. “You don’t want to add murder to the charges against you.”
“Don’t tell me what I want,” Judge Stuart snapped, his mouth a sneer, his eyes gloating. “Every last Sutton is going to die from the explosives I’ve set in this tent.”
Rafe could see a glimmer of madness in the judge’s eyes. Apparently the man’s loss of face had been more than his tortured mind could stand. But what turned Rafe’s fright to pure horror was the dynamite strapped to the judge’s chest. He clearly intended to blow up everyone, himself included.
Suddenly the senator stepped out of the crowd. “It’s me you want. Let everyone else go.”
From out of the crowd, Cam let out a roar and socked the senator in the chin. The senator staggered, recovered, then jabbed Cam in the belly. Chase jumped into the fray and Tyler ended up in the pile.
Rhianna seemed to realize the distraction gave her a chance. She grabbed the judge’s knife hand, yanked the weapon
from her neck and thrust her high heel into her captor’s instep.
Rhianna’s moves gave Rafe an opportunity. Moving on pure instinct, he leaped over his brothers and father, landing within striking distance of the judge. Rhianna had freed herself, leaving the man a vulnerable target. He prayed the detonator wouldn’t set off an explosion, but figured he had nothing to lose since the judge intended to kill them all anyway. In one satisfying blow, Rafe smashed his fist into the judge’s chin.
Judge Stuart crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Rhianna flung herself into Rafe’s arms. For a few horrible minutes, he’d thought he would never hold her again. He needed to breathe in her scent, let her warmth and softness heat his core. She was alive. She was okay. And he was one damn lucky man.
Sheriff Noel Demory stepped forward and handcuffed the judge. “We’ve got him nice and legal this time. He threatened to murder everyone here. He’s going away for life. And it’s just a matter of time until we round up the criminals who helped him kidnap Rhianna and steal the paintings.”
Heart thundering in his chest, so loud he could barely hear, Rafe looked at Rhianna’s bloodied neck, still in disbelief that everything had turned out so well. “Are you okay?”
“It’s just a scratch.” She was shaking like a one-year-old filly under her first saddle. “But I can’t stop trembling.”
“Who taught you how to fight like that?” Rafe asked, vowing to make sure they both taught Allison how to defend herself.
As his brothers and father separated, climbed to their feet and surrounded them, Rafe tucked Rhianna under his arm and against his side. “It’s going to be all right. The judge will never bother us again.”
Cam brushed at some dust on his father’s shoulder. The senator rubbed his chin, but his gaze went straight to Rhianna and Rafe. “I asked for a diversion, not World War III.”
Cam massaged his knuckles. “I always knew you had a steel jaw. Had to make it look real.” Then he glanced at his brothers. “Why did you two jump in?”
“Didn’t want to miss the fun,” Chase replied sheepishly, ignoring his wife’s frown at him as she handed Allison to Rhianna.
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