“Absolutely. I’m prime media bait right now. That’s why we want to do this as fast as possible.”
Getting through city hall took a while, but there weren’t many obvious stares. In an hour, they were at a minister’s home, ready to participate in the ceremony. David had found flowers for her somewhere, lovely white roses.
“Are you okay with this?” he asked at the last minute, leaning in close to whisper in her ear. “We could wait and have a big fancy shindig with helicopters circling overhead.” His quirky smile said he knew all too well the negatives of being in the media spotlight.
“I’m not a fan of heavy makeup and designer gowns,” she replied. “This is good enough for me.” She looked into his eyes. “If you mean the promises you’ll make.”
He stared back, sincerity in every line of his face and especially in his amazing blue eyes. “I do.”
Within a few minutes, they’d given their vows, and been pronounced man and wife. They gave the witness their phones to take a few photos. Then they thanked everyone. As they opened the front door to walk outside, David whispered, “Put a big smile on your face.”
Half-a-dozen people took photos of them as they left the minister’s house, David holding her left hand and she carrying her roses in her right. The crowd of about thirty people stared at them, but nobody called out in the fake friendly way of the paparazzi. David greeted people, saying hello, asking how they were, and accepting their congratulations, all the while shepherding her toward their Jeep. Once he put her inside, David turned and waved at the small crowd. “Thanks, everybody. This is the best Las Vegas ever.”
A delighted roar went up as he climbed in. They both waved goodbye, and zoomed out of town.
She sniffed at her lovely wedding bouquet. “That was sweet. But wow, does all that bull come naturally to you, or what?”
“I’ve learned a few tricks for keeping people happy.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
“Including me,” she smiled. “Now where?”
“Back to our cozy nest in Moriarty, a town I will always cherish.”
A minute or so later, he said, “You do realize because I’m kind of famous, what happens in Vegas will make the front page of the gossip rags rather than staying in Vegas.”
“We don’t have to be out in public much, do we?”
“Nope. Our hideaway should be safe for a couple of days at least.”
They laughed and joked all the way back to their hideaway in Moriarty. Then they fell into bed and consummated their marriage.
After another day and night of honeymooning, Sara had a pang of conscience. “We’ve blown off Desert Wind.” She sighed. “Very irresponsible.”
“Nah. We’ve saved ourselves annoyance. Who wanted to hang around waiting? By now, George should’ve talked Steel into opening his bank vault.”
She nodded. “I don’t feel ready to face the music, but I guess we have to go back and get on with the job.”
He put an arm around her. “Once the trailers arrive, we can live together in privacy. It’ll be better, and you can have your own editing booth.”
“Without dealing with Lucas's…
“Mental instability or his nasty habits and tricks,” David finished for her.
“Sounds good.” She fell into a happy daydream about their newly married life.
They checked out of the hotel a few hours later and drove toward Lucas's hideaway. As they traversed the barren terrain, Sara grew pensive. “It’s so strange. I desperately wanted to see him again, to be with him. Yet whenever he got even the slightest bit close to me physically, I pulled back.”
David nodded but kept his eyes on the road. “Your body knew what your mind didn’t yet.”
“All those years wasted.” She sighed.
“If you want to talk to a therapist about it, mine’s available on speed dial.”
“I can’t ask for a better wedding present.” She raised her flower bouquet, much wilted now, but very dear. “To my mental health.”
He chuckled. “I joke about it, but therapy helped me face up to the trauma of Jen’s death. Helped me stop marrying blondes, too.”
She rolled her eyes. “And it only took five years of weekly sessions.”
He made a grandiose gesture with one hand. “Two years and counting. I’m usually a happy man. I admit Steel rubs me on the raw.”
A while later, Sara said, “I feel guilty about leaving just when George arrived.”
“I’m the one who should feel guilty—not that I do. I distracted you from your laser-like focus on pushing Steel into cooperating.”
“What will they think of us?”
“That you’ve performed a public service by making an honest man out of me.”
She loved his quirky smirk. She kissed him for saying so.
Banishing thoughts of Lucas and Desert Wind was impossible. A few minutes later, she asked, “If Lucas doesn’t produce more footage, is what we have so far enough to show Jen’s talent?”
“She did very good work in other scenes.”
She asked in a low voice, “Do you think you’ll ever get over her?”
David kept driving. “I fought to make this film happen because Lucas wanted to lock away her memory, and I hated that. Now I have you, and the film will be the memory.”
“Don’t think I’m trying to keep you from holding a corner of your heart for Jen. I was jealous before, but now I see how wrong I was.”
“You are an amazingly generous woman and I love you and we will be very happy.” He looked in the rear view mirror, then pulled the Jeep to the side of the road and put it in Park. He reached out his arms to her. “No doubts, darling Sara.”
She threw herself into his embrace and lifted her face to meet his kiss.
Chapter 26
They walked up to Lucas Steel’s house boldly, leaving David’s car out front, and ringing the bell. Leona must have been on the lookout for them, because she opened the door and then showered them with rice and birdseed.
“Something old, something new,” she proclaimed.
“Ack! Leona,” Sara cried, fending off the hail while smiling in delight.
“Congratulations, you two.” Leona hugged Sara and gave David an approving nod.
“How did you know?” Sara asked.
They looked at her as if she was a naïve innocent. Leona went to the nearby hall bench and picked up a newspaper. Their wedding photo—one of the phone pics snapped outside the JP’s home—was on the front page. “You’re news.”
“Are they here?” George’s voice called from the living room.
They followed the sound.
He sat in his motorized chair, playing cards with Lucas. George looked them over, seeing their happy faces, and noting their rings. “So, it wasn’t mere gossip. You went and did it. Good for you.”
Lucas stiffly congratulated them. He even stood and offered David his hand, which David took reluctantly, at Sara’s silent urging.
“Time to let bygones be bygones,” George said.
“That’s quite a cliché, old man,” David replied. “The jury’s out on the past. Let’s talk about going forward, shall we?”
George nodded. “Fair enough. After I die, each of you should go into therapy. Ha! Meanwhile, let’s get on with finishing the film while I’m still alive.”
“It’s a tall order,” Sara said. “I haven’t even found a workprint yet. Only raw files, unconnected to each other.”
“I knew it wasn’t an easy task I set you. Each of you had to overcome some natural reluctance.” He glanced at Lucas. “Some of you, more so than others.”
His old friend shrugged. “Sara, you’ve made the worst mistake of your life. You’ve naively believed an actor’s enthusiasm for a part is real emotion.”
David tensed. “Take that back.”
George said, “Leave it be.”
Sara suddenly was assailed by doubts. Was Lucas saying David’s love for her wasn’t real? That he’d been acting a par
t? Pretending to be a man in love?
George growled. “I’d arbitrate, but I feel too out of it.” His hand shook as he raised it to his forehead.
Sara rushed to his side. “Are you all right?”
His speech slowed. “Doc gives me meds. Back in the day, we called ’em drugs.” He let out a rusty laugh. Then his face went slack and he sank back in his wheelchair. Within moments, he was asleep.
Sara looked up from her mentor, seeking reassurance from Lucas. “Will he be okay?”
“The doctor has him on heavy stuff. Old buddy George will be fine.” Lucas's dark eyes pierced her. “Better than you, hooked up to this lightweight.”
“Knock it off,” David interjected.
She put up a hand in protest. “Don’t…” she started, but neither man listened.
Lucas confronted his young enemy. “You’ve repeated the past,” Lucas said, curling his lip in a sneer. “You stole my woman again.”
David raised his fist, and made to leap at the older man, but Sara grabbed his upraised arm.
“Don’t,” she said urgently. “You know he’s lying.”
“Am I?” Lucas asked. “Didn’t Sara tell you how close we were?”
David slowly dropped his arm. “You swine. I know all about how you tried to seduce her six years ago.”
Lucas smirked. “Maybe Sara didn’t tell you about last week. At the pool.”
“It was only a kiss,” she cried. “David, I never—”
David’s muscles tensed under her fingers, but he kept his glare trained on Lucas. “You’re jealous, old man. Because Sara loves me. Not you, not anymore.”
David turned toward Sara, and put his arm around her. “And I love her.” He kissed her lightly, just enough to remind Sara how passionate their bond was.
His lips were so soft. She wanted more. Another kiss.
Lucas made a disgusted noise. “Sara, wake up. Don’t believe anything he says. He’s acting.”
“I-I…” Despite herself, she broke away from David and turned to look at Lucas.
Lucas's eyes burned with angry conviction. “Connor is still hung up on Jennifer. He married you to get revenge on me.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock. Could that be true? It would explain why David had swept her off her feet. Even why David had wanted an elopement.
Lucas's expression showed his satisfaction at having made her doubt David’s feelings. And her own. “As for you, Connor, you’d better face facts. You aren’t over Jennifer and you never will be. She got you when you were young, broke you open, and made you hers.”
David’s expression was troubled. “Don’t listen to him.”
Sara made to leave the room, but David put his hand on her shoulder.
She struggled in his grasp. “I have to think.”
Lucas's hectoring voice kept on. “Connor’s like all method actors. He gets reality confused with a script. He’s cast himself as the lead in this little play.”
Lucas walked over to them and took her hand, the one on which her ring shone. “You belong to me, so that made Connor think he wanted you. It’s not real.”
“Let go of her,” David ground out.
“Sara, you’ve got to listen to me. He’s using you. Maybe he even believes himself, but as soon as you finish this project, he’ll go on to the next woman. He’s an actor. His emotions aren’t stable.”
“Get away from my wife,” David snarled.
“You’re a fine one to talk about wives, Connor.”
David flushed a little.
Lucas dropped her hand, but not before smirking at David knowingly. “Your runaway marriage is all about possession and revenge, not love.”
“Take that back, you bastard,” David said.
No one seemed to hear her when she said in a low voice, “I’ve got to unpack.” Shaken by the doubts suddenly assailing her, she had to get away and think. The men confronted each other angrily as she left the room. Had she been on a weekend bender and now was finally sobering up? Could David have been caught up in the sexual thrill and so eager to score off his old rival that he’d mistaken desire for love? Or worse, had he been acting the whole time?
What about her own feelings? For the first time ever, she had let herself luxuriate in love. She’d held back nothing. All these years of not giving a new man a chance had ended with David. He had her heart. Did he truly want it? Had she made a terrible mistake?
The door to her bedroom was open. Her personal items had been stripped clean.
“I moved you in with Mr. Connor.” Leona’s voice came from behind her. “Come see.”
Sara gave the housekeeper a perfunctory smile and at her silent urging opened the door to the guest bedroom where David had stayed. She gasped. Every surface of the room held massive arrangements of flowers in crystal vases. Enormous white roses perfumed the air with their heavy scent, and one spray lay on the bed itself, festooned with white ribbons.
“How sweet. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” Leona shook her head. “Your new husband ordered them. They filled the entire delivery truck.”
The bed was covered with an opalescent white comforter and lace-edged sheets. Totally unsuitable for a bachelor. Bemused, Sara asked, “Where on earth did you find these?”
“That was another delivery.” Leona looked her over with shrewd eyes. “You picked the right man. Thoughtful. Wants to make you feel special. Now let me see your ring.”
She raised Sara’s hand and stared at the sparkling diamond. “Very nice.”
A few minutes later, Sara was alone in the quickly created honeymoon suite. From the sounds echoing down the main hall, David was still exchanging insults with Lucas. He enjoyed fighting with his rival more than he wanted to be alone with her right now.
She sank onto the bed. Despite the decorations in this room, the honeymoon was over.
Chapter 27
David finally came to the bedroom when Sara was in the bathtub. Even the bathroom had been decorated with flowers and perfumes and numerous expensive bath accessories whose names indicated they came from top boutique suppliers. She’d immersed herself in bubbles, hoping to regain her happy mood of earlier.
He looked in on her. “You look comfortable.” He raised an eyebrow when she automatically raised her arm to cover her breasts.
She was a married woman now. She deliberately lowered her hand. “There’s room for two.”
He shook his head. “I’ll just take a shower.”
Definitely, the honeymoon was over. Was David also wondering if he’d make a mistake?
***
Dinner was a tense affair. Although George was amiable, he clearly didn’t have much energy to spare. He said little. The doctor he’d brought with him contributed nothing. He ate quickly and excused himself immediately after the main course. David and Lucas both acted like dogs getting ready to tear at each other’s throats. Sara had the sinking feeling that if they did have another fistfight, it wouldn’t be about her. Jennifer Barnes was a powerful ghost.
After dinner they gathered in the living room and the mood changed again. David roamed the room, obviously tense. Lucas sat in a chair next to George. Both older men got mellower by the moment. George soon looked about ready to nod off, probably from all the heavy meds the doctor had him on. Lucas, oddly enough, seemed in the same condition.
Why wait for David and Lucas to tangle again? She said in a low voice, “Let’s go to our room.”
David looked up, and the frown fell from his face. He smiled that sweet smile. “Great idea.”
Chapter 28
In the morning, Sara sneaked out of the marital bed, leaving David sprawled sound asleep. The night before had been bliss once they’d been alone together. All her doubts had seemed to vanish in the sweetness of their renewed lovemaking. She wished she could stay with him this morning and wake him with a kiss, but today was about business.
She found George in the breakfast room. It might not be tac
tful to ask at this moment, but knowing George, he wouldn’t mind. “What’s the status on the missing footage?”
George nodded in approval. “Getting back to work. Good.” He rooted around in the messenger bag slung on the side of his wheelchair. “Lucas and I made a little trip to his bank vault while you were gone. Some of the film is here,” George said. He handed her a plastic-wrapped cylindrical package the size of a large tissue box.
“It’s not everything,” Lucas said, coming into the room and grabbing a cup of coffee. He didn’t sit down. Once again, he was dressed for riding. “The police confiscated film from the crane.”
Her eyes widened. Finally, he’d revealed details of that fateful day.
Lucas sketched a goodbye and took off.
She sat and unwrapped the package. Inside was a rigid plastic container filled with CD-ROMs. Outdated storage technology. Did they contain enough data?
“Excuse me while I check out what’s here,” she said, rising from the table.
George grunted. “Living on love. Don’t need to eat, huh?”
She smiled and patted his hand. “Nope.”
She stopped her rush to leave the room. “George, when Lucas returns from his ride, could you distract him? Keep his attention so I can concentrate on these?”
Her mentor’s face took on a sly expression. “You work. I’ll make sure Lucas doesn’t interfere.”
Sara hurried off to the editing booth. She began to open the disks and transfer their contents to one of the flash drives she always kept in a pocket.
An hour later, David came in. “You abandoned me. I demand reparations.” He leaned down and kissed her, a long, lingering kiss that made her head swim.
Minutes later, when they came up for air, she was sitting in his lap with her arms wrapped around him. She sighed. “Oh, that was nice.”
“Let’s go back to our room…” His eyes focused on what showed in the video monitor and he did a double take. “That’s from the last day footage.”
“Yes, but I haven’t looked at all of it yet.”
She shooed David out of the editing booth so she could examine the files more carefully. An hour later, her earlier estimate proved correct. There still was a missing part to the film. She left the booth, and went in search of him. She found him in their bedroom, lying on the bed, staring up at nothing.
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