Going to the Chapel: A Novella

by Herron, Rita

  “That’s a lovely story.” She couldn’t help but compare it to the way she’d met Ray. Bertha had broken down, and she’d been stuck in a muddy ditch. Even though he’d been dressed in a suit, he’d stopped to help her. She’d thought he was smart and charming and heroic, that he was her savior.

  Now she’d wrecked the same car running away from him because that knight in shining armor had been a rat disguised in fancy clothes paid for by another woman.

  “Do you have a picture of Elsa?”

  He looked startled for a moment.

  “Is there something wrong?” Izzy asked. “It’s probably none of my business, but was your fiancée in some kind of accident?”

  “Yes, an automobile accident, but she’s healing nicely.” He gestured to his cell phone. “My battery is dead, or I’d show you a photograph.”

  “Oh, well, maybe once you charge your phone.”

  He tilted his Stetson back and looked down at her, his dark eyes narrowed as if he could see straight through her. “How about you, Izzy? Do you have someone special in your life?”

  His question caught her off guard. She didn’t intend to discuss Ray with him or anyone else. “No,” she said. She really never had, at least not anyone who’d looked at her with the affection she heard in this man’s voice when he talked about Elsa. “But if I did, I’d want to get married in the little chapel. It’s so peaceful. Sitting on the hill like this, you can practically hear the angels singing their blessings.”

  Of course, she’d have to file for divorce first.

  A troubled look flickered in his expression, and she feared she’d gone overboard with her spiel. She’d have to be careful not to pour on the sappy stuff too thick. Women fell for it, but men’s minds worked differently. It was a mystery she’d never understand.

  But Levi seemed totally smitten by his fiancée. He was a rarity—strong and sensitive—and straight. What a lucky girl Elsa was to have found him.

  Levi pressed the silence button on his phone, hoping it didn’t buzz and alert Izzy to the fact that he’d lied about his battery.

  It hadn’t occurred to him that she’d ask to see a picture of his fake fiancée.

  Izzy climbed from the SUV and led him up the cobblestone path to the front porch of the chapel. With fresh white paint, the stained-glass windows shimmering in the sunlight coming off the mountain and the Christmas poinsettias, it looked like a postcard.

  “Isn’t it lovely?” Izzy said. “My aunt and her husband exchanged vows here forty years ago, and they’ve been happy ever since.”

  This would be the aunt who’d raised her after her mother’s incarceration.

  She gestured toward a gazebo to the left of the chapel, a silver bell hanging from the front. “In warm weather, we’ll host outdoor weddings. You should see the roses and wildflowers when they’re all blooming at once.” Her voice rose in pitch. “We could try your ceremony outside, but it gets pretty chilly here in the mountains this time of year.”

  “Indoors is fine,” Levi said, anxious to end this torturous discussion.

  “Good. Let’s go inside the chapel.”

  He nodded, gritting his teeth as they climbed the wooden steps. Double doors adorned with twin Christmas wreaths and bows opened up to reveal rows of stained wooden pews. The pine floor looked freshly polished, the altar painted white with silver candelabras on each side. Sunlight poured through the stained-glass window above the pulpit, creating a rainbow of colors across the interior.

  “Picture white bows on the end of each aisle with rose petals scattered on the floor, and vases of fresh flowers in front.” She turned to him. “Red roses are always a favorite, or we can stick with poinsettias. Lilies would also be nice.”

  He didn’t know a petunia from a daisy. “What do you think?” he asked.

  Izzy’s expression softened as she studied the front of the church. “For Christmas, I’d put red poinsettias up front with white candles, or you could use white poinsettias. The bride should carry red roses.” She angled her face toward him. “Red roses mean love.”

  His gut knotted. “Then let’s go with the red roses.”

  “How about the bridal party? How many bridesmaids does Elsa plan to have?”

  God, with the questions. “I . . . probably just one. Her best friend.” He needed a name for her.

  “Does the bridesmaid already have her dress?”

  “Elsa will handle that.” Looking at bridesmaids’ dresses would be murder.

  “Do you have family that will attend?”

  “No, no family.” Although if he really was getting married, he’d invite his brothers. After all, he’d attended their weddings, even if they had ended disastrously.

  “What about the best man?”

  “Why don’t you pick out a tux for him?”

  “You’ll want black?” she asked.

  He nodded. Black worked for funerals—er, weddings. Pretty much the same thing in his eyes. His father’s undying love for his mother had killed him.

  “I’ll need his measurements.” She raked her gaze over his body, triggering heat to flame in his loins. “And yours, of course.”

  He tugged at his collar as he imagined Izzy helping him dress. Or undress . . . “Of course.”

  She tapped her chin. “What time of day do you want the ceremony? Afternoon? Evening?”

  “Evening.”

  “Dusk would be nice,” Izzy said. “We can dim the lights and arrange candles all around the church. Candlelight ceremonies are so romantic. And we can add a Christmas tree in the corner and decorate it with lace ornaments. Or . . . maybe small silver picture frames with pictures of you and Elsa inside.” Her face glowed with excitement. “You can even give those out as your favors.”

  Levi shifted. Favors? “Elsa would like that.”

  Izzy practically bounced up and down on those stilettos. “This is going to be the best day of your life.”

  The best day of his life would be when he got his shield back. Then he wouldn’t have to spend his days chasing cheating wives.

  Although somehow, after talking to Izzy, he couldn’t imagine her as the conniving, money-hungry woman Ray had painted her to be. And he certainly didn’t see her being Ray’s accomplice.

  But . . . he’d made a mistake before.

  He couldn’t do it again.

  In Texas, Izzy had arranged garage sales for the rich women at the country club. She’d been in their homes, probably knew their finances. She could have been doing the grunt work, researching the couples Ray wanted to scam.

  Still, as Izzy’s blue eyes met his, her face radiant with the images of candlelight and roses, the urge to kiss her taunted him.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Izzy tingled all over. Standing in the chapel with the sunlight streaming through the stained glass, rays of colored light cast across the pews and gave the chapel an ethereal feel.

  And lent veracity to the chapel’s legendary magical powers.

  Lord help her. Listening to Levi talk about his bride-to-be in that husky voice was playing havoc with her senses.

  For a brief second, she could have sworn she saw a flicker of heat in his eyes.

  As if he’d zeroed in on her lips and wanted to kiss her.

  But that flicker disappeared so quickly she must have imagined it. Maybe he was staring at her mouth because she had something between her teeth.

  Oh, heavens. She ran her tongue over the inside of her front teeth to check, but didn’t feel anything caught between them.

  Drat. She’d had one of Daisy’s blueberry scones this morning. Were her teeth blue?

  Note to self—no more blueberry scones before meeting clients!

  “Okay,” she said, determined to breeze over the awkward moment. “We’ve discussed flowers. Do you want anything else for decorations?”

  “What else would there be?”

  He looked baffled for a moment, and she considered asking him
if she could call Elsa herself. But that might be overstepping.

  Although he was a romantic at heart, he still had that pesky Y chromosome and clearly hadn’t attended many weddings.

  Then again, that was why he’d hired her.

  Aunt Dottie’s rule number six taunted her: Always let a man think he’s in charge, even as you tell him what to do.

  “An arch decorated with ribbons or flowers or white lights would look nice. Some couples also display photographs of themselves chronicling their relationship beside the bridal guestbook. As far as the reception goes, you can use flowers on the table, or some couples prefer candles and mirrors, or hand-painted vases. You might also want a unity candle during the ceremony.”

  “A unity candle?”

  Izzy smiled. “Yes, the candelabra holds three different candles. The bride and groom each light a candle when they enter, then after the ceremony, they light the center one together to symbolize their union as one.”

  “Oh.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll ask Elsa.”

  “Good idea. Why don’t I put together a sketch of what we’ve discussed and e-mail it to you and you can forward it to her,” Izzy suggested. “Or if she wants, she can call me directly.”

  Levi looked out the window. “I don’t want to stress her with too many details, not while she’s still recovering. Send it to me first and I’ll share with her.”

  She patted his shoulder sympathetically. The woman must be worse off than he’d admitted. And here he was, taking ownership of the plans because he loved her so much.

  There were a lot of other details to discuss, too. “Will you and Elsa both stay at the B and B before the wedding? And what about family? We’ll need to know how many rooms to reserve.”

  And to get fixed up. Lordy, she was making this up as she went.

  “Actually, I’ve rented a cabin on the river. I’ll stay there, but I’m sure Elsa will want to stay at the B and B.”

  “Okay, just let me know.” Izzy’s mind raced. “Do you have a priest to perform the ceremony?”

  Levi ran a finger over the edge of a pew, then yanked it back as if he’d been burned. “No, no priest.”

  “I’m sure Reverend Hicks can perform the ceremony. He’s the preacher who married my aunt in this very chapel.” Of course, he was in his eighties now, had been retired for ages, and his memory was sketchy. But maybe he could get through the ceremony without wandering off. Twice she’d heard they’d found him lost in someone’s neighborhood. Another time he’d been combing the grocery store calling his dead wife’s name. Poor man had spells where he thought she was still alive.

  “That’s fine,” Levi said.

  “Now about the reception,” Izzy continued, mentally ticking down her to-do list. “If it were warmer, we could set up tents and have it on the lawn, but it’ll probably be too cold on Christmas Eve, and sometimes we have snow. There’s a large room at the B and B that the original owner created for special events. It would hold up to seventy-five.”

  “Good, let’s go with that.” Levi scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck again, his face flushing with sweat.

  Izzy’s heart squeezed. She must be overwhelming him.

  “Levi, are you all right?”

  He nodded, but a hint of green colored his skin.

  Worry made her reach out to touch him. “Do you need to sit down?”

  He shook his head and inched toward the door. “I think we should head back now.”

  “Of course.” She led the way outside. The cool winter air swirled around her, the trees shivering in the wind. Dead leaves crunched beneath her heels, the bare tree branches swaying.

  He paused to look up at her as they reached his SUV, and she offered him an encouraging smile. “I’m sorry I’m throwing so much at you. I know wedding details can be overwhelming.”

  “Yes, I didn’t realize there was so much to think about.”

  “Don’t worry, Levi,” Izzy said with a smile. “That’s what I’m here for. To make your life easier.”

  Make his life easier? She had done the exact opposite. Her questions triggered every instinct to run.

  And he wasn’t even getting married.

  Worse, there was probably a special chamber in hell designed to torture sinners who lied in church.

  Dammit, he couldn’t wait to leave the magical little chapel behind.

  Magical? No . . . that was part of her BS, an attempt to sell the business of weddings.

  But she was pretty convincing. For God’s sake, he’d actually thought he’d heard angels singing in the front of that little church. And the sunlight had created a radiant halo of colors across the sanctuary that did look magical.

  With her imagination, perhaps Izzy had been the brains behind Ray’s scheme. Not that she needed brains. That silky hair, satiny voice, and those beguiling eyes could seduce a man into doing anything.

  She touched his hand as he reached for the steering wheel, sending a spark of heat through him.

  “Tonight, think about the menu you want for the reception,” she said as he started down the mountain. “Daisy will compile some menu choices for you to look at. Again, we can serve traditional food or if you want a theme like Mexican or Italian, we can make that happen as well.”

  What he wanted was to find out more about her and Ray.

  But he had to figure out a way to extract that information without drawing suspicion.

  “We could arrange a tasting tomorrow if you want.”

  “Sure.” Maybe sometime between now and then he’d think of a way to work his questions into the conversation.

  “Elsa is going to be so happy.” Izzy squeezed his arm, and he nearly lost control of the car and skimmed the guardrail.

  Sparks flew as the edge of the ridge stared up at him.

  “Levi!” Izzy squealed.

  He jerked the car back into his lane, but the mile drop-off to the ravine below shook him up. One simple touch of Lizzie’s hand had nearly sent him plunging to his death. What would happen if he made love to her?

  He didn’t dare let her touch him again.

  She seemed shaken as well, and turned to look out the window while he forced his eyes back onto the road and his hands to remain at ten and two on the steering wheel.

  Thankfully, the ride back to One Stop Weddings took less than five minutes. When they arrived, he parked, his gaze straying to the window dressing of a bride in an off-the-shoulder antique dress. For a moment, Izzy’s face flashed on the mannequin.

  He blinked to clear the image. What the hell was wrong with him?

  The warmth of her hand as she squeezed his arm jolted him back to reality.

  “Levi, what you’re doing for your fiancée is amazing. The way you love her . . . I can tell your marriage is going to last.”

  Guilt shot through him at the sincerity in her tone. But he reminded himself that Izzy Sassafras was a liar, a cheat, and a thief.

  She climbed out, and he watched her hips sway as she tugged her scarf around her and rushed into the bridal shop.

  Dammit, he couldn’t let her get to him. Couldn’t believe a word she said.

  Could he?

  Determined to steer his mind back on track, he punched his ex-partner’s number. Three rings later, she answered.

  “Tell me you have something on LaPone.”

  “Not yet,” Elsa said. “But we think that he may be running some kind of scam.”

  “I figured.” He needed some concrete evidence, though. “What kind of scam?”

  “I’ve been looking into his activities, and I tailed him to the country club, where he had drinks with a female.”

  “He belongs to a country club?”

  “Not exactly. He was a guest. A waiter there said that LaPone frequented the place with several women. Widows.”

  Levi drummed his fingers on his thigh. “He’s preying on them.”

  “I think so,” Elsa said, “
although I don’t have proof. I questioned a couple of the women, but they sang Ray’s praises, said he was charming, kind, and was a good friend.”

  Levi made a low sound in his throat. “He’s sleeping with them?”

  “None of them admitted it, but I wouldn’t be surprised. They seemed quite infatuated with him.”

  So Ray was the cheater, not Izzy. No wonder she’d left him.

  “There’s more,” Elsa said. “One of the women commented that he’d saved her financially. Something about an investment he handled for her husband before he died. That investment was going to keep her comfortable for the rest of her life.”

  Levi silently cursed. “He’s swindling them with some phony deal.” And Izzy had taken some of that dirty money when she’d left.

  Did she know what he was up to? Was she an accomplice or a victim of Ray’s scheme?

  “I’m trying to find out specifics,” Elsa said. “I’ll keep you posted. What about the wife?”

  She was definitely a sex siren. But Elsa didn’t need to hear that his libido was acting up again. She’d warned him about Tammy and he hadn’t listened—a lesson he’d never forget.

  He’d been so caught up in believing the web of lies Tammy had spun—that her ex was using her, that he hadn’t realized she was helping the man sell drugs to children.

  Elsa had caught on to her, but Tammy had drugged Elsa and nearly killed her. Sure, he’d rescued Elsa at the end and arrested Tammy and her ex, but Elsa had suffered. He had no idea why she was still speaking to him.

  “Levi?”

  Her voice drew him back to reality. She had survived, and so had he. But not without scars. “I’m working undercover, so it may take time.”

  “What kind of cover?” Elsa asked.

  Levi pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers as he explained about Izzy’s wedding business and the legend of the chapel.

  Elsa’s mocking laughter echoed back. “You’re playing the doting fiancé? Oh, my God. I wish I was there to see that.”

  “It’s not funny, Elsa. I’d rather face down a serial killer than set foot in that chapel again.”

  Another laugh. “So who are you supposed to be marrying, Levi?”