Wedding Bells in Christmas

by Debbie Mason

  Ray shoved his hands in his tan uniform pants pockets, rocking on his heels. “Too bad. I was hoping you’d come over for dinner. Meet Lauren.”

  “Lauren? Sounds familiar. You’ve been dating her for a while, haven’t you?”

  “Yeah, ’bout five years now. Finally got up the nerve to pop the question.” He pulled a wallet from his back pocket, opening it to show Chance a picture of a petite brunette.

  “Pretty lady. About time you made an honest woman out of her.” Chance smiled, giving him the expected pat on the back.

  A hank of dark hair fell over Ray’s left eye, making him look about sixteen. So did the relieved smile he gave Chance. “Glad you think so. I was kinda worried about telling you, you know, on account of how you feel about marriage. You breaking up your dad and Liz like you did.”

  “I didn’t break them up. Liz called off the wedding. Besides, it’s not the same thing.” Ray took Chance’s proffered hand. “All the best to you and Lauren. We’ll get together next time I’m in town.”

  Ray’s face pinked as he shuffled his feet. “I don’t want to put you on the spot, but I was hoping you’d be my best man.”

  “Oh, I…” Chance paused, a little surprised by his former deputy’s request. He supposed he shouldn’t be. Ray’d been a rookie when Chance had been sheriff, following him around like an eager puppy. “Sure, Ray, sure, I’d be honored—”

  Ray drew him in for a man hug, patting him enthusiastically on the back. “That’s great. That’s just great. We haven’t settled on a date, but as soon as we do, I’ll send you the deets.” He pulled back with a grin. “Oh, man, Lauren is going to be as happy as all get out. Told her all about you, you know.”

  “Jesus, you’re worrying me now.” He smiled and handed him his card. They usually kept their exchanges to e-mail, but with the possibility Callahan was linked to the drugstore break-ins, Chance wanted Ray to be able to reach him anytime, anyplace. “You can contact me at those numbers. Keep an eye on Callahan for me. Let me know when you find the black Mustang.”

  Ray tugged his ear.

  “Something you’re not telling me?”

  He moved his head back and forth before answering, “Well, it’s just that Gage warned us the case was off-limits to you. How did you hear about the Mustang?”

  “Overheard Mrs. Tate talking about it.” He didn’t want to get Vivi involved, although it wouldn’t matter now. After last night, he figured she’d be leaving town. About the only good thing that had come from her finding out he’d played her.

  “Callahan’s kept his nose clean. Took real good care of his brothers. He’s made a name for himself. Don’t think he’s behind the break-ins. Might be time to let it go, big guy.”

  “Someone made that call to Kate, Ray.” The last call on their landline had come from a pay phone in the strip mall where Callahan had his automotive business. It had come in twenty minutes before Kate’s accident. Whoever made that call was the reason his wife and daughter were dead. They couldn’t get any clear prints off the phone. But after the threats Callahan had made against Chance and his family two days prior to the accident, that was all the evidence he needed. Only it hadn’t been enough. “All I’m asking is that you keep him on your radar. Follow the money, Ray. There’s something there.” Chance planned on doing the same.

  “Okay, you leave it to me. I’ve got your back, big guy,” Ray said as they made their way to the front of the station. “You take care of yourself now. No more drinking the hard stuff. Always did make you a little crazy.”

  “Thanks, Ray. I’ll keep that in mind. Take it easy.” As Chance left the station, he pulled his phone from his pocket. Ray was right. Chance and hard liquor had never been a good combination. He checked to make sure he hadn’t texted or called Vivi. There was no telling what he’d say to her in the state he’d been in. He relaxed when he thumbed through his call history.

  He hadn’t tried to contact her, and she hadn’t tried to reach him. A part of him wished she had—if only to give him hell. The muscles in his chest contracted painfully at the thought that she was out of his life for good. It felt like someone had ripped out his heart. Maybe she was right. Maybe he’d fooled himself into believing that she needed his protection when all along he’d been the one who needed her.

  * * *

  Chance stood on his brother’s front step with Princess tucked under one arm, her food and treats under the other arm, her pink doggie bed in his hand, and a bag of her clothes and toys slung over his shoulder.

  His brother opened the door. “Geezus, you’ve got as much stuff for the dog as we do for Connor when…” Gage’s eyes narrowed. “Hold it. This is just for a visit, right? You’re not planning on leaving her with us.”

  He shouldered past his brother. “Come on, the kids will love her. And it’s only until tomorrow. Natalee will pick her up in the morning.” At least he hoped she would. After how she’d acted at the bar last night, he’d put off calling her. He’d been hit on before and knew the signs. And if his sister-in-law hadn’t been hitting on him, she’d been doing a good impression of someone who was. Then again, maybe she’d simply wanted to practice her flirting techniques on someone who was safe. Whatever it was, it had been damn uncomfortable. Still, he’d have to call her to say good-bye.

  “Why? You planning on spending another night in jail?”

  “I wasn’t in jail. I was hanging out with Ray.” He put Princess down and unloaded her crap by the door. She sat in front of him, whining. He sighed and picked her up, following Gage into the kitchen. “Job came up. I’m catching a red-eye tonight.”

  His brother rounded on him. “No, you’re not. We have a family meeting scheduled to straighten out the mess you made. Have you told Dad you’re leaving?”

  “Just came from his place. Unlike you, he understands why I have to go.” Possibly because his dad had spent the entire time Chance was there staring into space. The band across his shoulders tightened at the image of his dad moping around the house on his own. Then he reminded himself what his dad was feeling now was nothing compared to what he’d deal with when he lost Liz for good. Besides, in the end, it had nothing to do with Chance. He hadn’t said anything to Liz, and she was the one who called off the wedding. Chance pulled out a stool and took a seat.

  Gage leaned his hip against the island with his arms crossed. “Maybe if you told me what you told him, I’d understand why the wedding is off and why you’re running away again.”

  “What am I, sixteen? I don’t owe you an explanation, little brother.” Gage opened his mouth, then closed it when Annie and Lily joined them in the kitchen. “Hey, girls,” Chance said.

  “Hey.” Annie gave him a chin lift. She reminded him of Vivi—all attitude and pretty eyes. Only Annie’s were pale green like his brother’s.

  “Hi, Uncle Chance,” Lily said, coming to give him a hug.

  “Shouldn’t you two be in school?” he asked his nieces.

  “We were supposed to go for our fittings today, so Mommy said we can take a mental health day.”

  How did he respond to that? “Uh… that’s nice.” His brother looked at him with a raised brow. At least Lily didn’t seem to hold it against him. She snuggled up to his side. “Are you and your doggie coming to stay with us?”

  “No, kiddo. I have to leave town. But Princess can spend the night.” The dog whined, nudging her nose into his shirt.

  “It’s okay, puppy.” Lily leaned in to cuddle Princess, then looked at him. “She doesn’t want you to leave.”

  Chance laughed. “She tell you that?”

  From her expression, his niece didn’t think he was funny. “You shouldn’t joke. Animals have feelings, you know.” She fixed the pink bow in Princess’s topknot. “Auntie Vivi’s going to be sad, too.”

  He scratched his forehead. “I think your auntie—”

  “No, she won’t,” Vivi Junior interrupted him with a sneer. “Why do you think Mom and Auntie Skye have been at her place all morni
ng? She’s leaving, too, and it’s all his fault.”

  “Annie, that’s enough,” her father said.

  “Superman, yeah right. More like Superjerk.” Annie stomped from the kitchen.

  “Really? That’s something you felt the need to share with a thirteen-year-old?” Chance asked his brother.

  Gage rubbed the back of his neck. “No, she must—”

  “It’s not Mommy and Daddy’s fault. We listened at the door.” Lily propped her face in her hands, those big eyes of hers zeroing in on his. “You shouldn’t leave Christmas. You need your family and Auntie Vivi to make you better. And Princess needs you.”

  He shot a help-me-out look at his brother, who shrugged in response. Jesus, he’d rather deal with Annie than Lily any day. She was killing him. He touched the tip of his finger to her nose. “Thanks for worrying about me, honey. But I’m fine. And you know what”—he glanced at his watch—“I’d better get going.” He’d hang out at the airport until his flight. “You take good care of Princess for me, okay?”

  He handed her the dog and stood up. Princess whimpered, squirming in Lily’s arms to get back in his. “See, she’s sad,” Lily said, her brown eyes filling with tears. “She doesn’t want you to go, and neither do I. And Daddy and Grandpa want you to stay, too. Right, Daddy? Tell him to stay.”

  “Come here, sweet pea.” Gage wrapped Lily and the now-barking dog in his arms. Chance met his brother’s eyes. Yeah, he got it. He’d upset pretty much everyone he knew in Christmas. Gage was still comforting his daughter and the dog when Chance took off. Deciding he couldn’t deal with any more drama, he texted Natalee instead of calling.

  He shut off thoughts of Vivi and his family as he left the small town in his rearview mirror. An hour later, the tightness in his chest finally released. So when his brother’s call came in, he let it go to voice mail. Gage didn’t give up. He called again… and again. Chance sighed and answered. “If Princess is giving you trouble, ask Nat to pick her up after work. I’ll give you her—”

  “It’s not Princess.”

  He didn’t like the barely-holding-it-together tone in Gage’s voice. “What is it?”

  “Ray. He… Geezus, Chance, they don’t know if he’s going to make it.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chance shoved his hands in his jeans pockets as he stared out the hospital waiting room’s window. Below, the midday sun sparkled on the water tumbling over the rocks in the fast-moving stream. A couple of old-timers fished off the wooden bridge while people biked and walked along the tree-lined boardwalk. Folks enjoying the unseasonably warm afternoon while a few feet away a man lay fighting for his life. Shit happened on idyllic spring days the same as it did in the middle of a blizzard.

  He turned away from the window. The room had steadily filled up since he’d arrived ten minutes ago. Ray had more friends and family than Chance realized. He wondered if his former deputy knew how many people cared about him. Doubtful, Chance thought, having known the man as long as he had. He imagined they’d bring some solace to Ray’s fiancée, who stood in the hall being comforted by Gage. Then again, no one had had as much support as Chance, and it hadn’t done him much good. Maybe if he’d stuck around, it would have.

  Gage caught his eye, raising a finger to indicate he’d be with him in a minute. He could take all the time he wanted, because Chance didn’t plan on leaving. Not until he found out Ray’s prognosis and how he’d wound up here in the first place. Looked like he was about to find out.

  As his dad joined Gage and Lauren in the hall, his brother said something to the petite brunette, gave her a one-arm hug, then walked to the waiting room. If anyone could answer Lauren’s questions and alleviate her fears, it would be his dad. Paul McBride was one hell of a doctor and one of the most empathetic, caring men Chance knew. He admired what his dad had done at Christmas General. Late last year, he’d been made chief of staff of the small, well-respected trauma center.

  From the door of the waiting room, Gage waved Chance over. He silently followed his brother down the hall. When they were well out of earshot, Chance asked, “How’s it look?”

  Gage bowed his head and gave it a slight negative shake. “They nearly lost him twice. He’s stable, for now. Both legs, his right arm, and ribs are broken, and there’s some damage to his spleen. But they’re more concerned about TBI—traumatic brain injury,” his brother said, giving it to him in layman terms. Gage had been a paramedic before realizing he wanted to go into law enforcement. “He has a cerebral edema. Right now they’re treating him with oxygen and IV fluids, but it’s possible they’ll have to do a craniotomy.”

  “What the hell happened to him?”

  “From what we pieced together, he was on his regular patrol route when he saw a black Mustang and decided to give chase. He radioed in for backup. Dispatch heard gunshots. They’d fired on him, took out his tires. He lost control of the car and hit a tree.” Gage scrubbed a hand over his face. “It should have been me out there, not him. He was…”

  “Say it. He was covering for you so you could be there for the girls while Maddie was with Vivi. If anyone has reason to feel guilty, it’s me, not you. If it weren’t for me, there’d be no need for Maddie to be at Vivi’s, and if it weren’t for me, Ray wouldn’t have been so hot and heavy to chase down the Mustang. I’m the one who told him to be on the lookout for the car.”

  “Knock it off. You’re not doing this again. I won’t let you take this on, too. Did you not hear what I said? He was on his regular patrol route. He called for backup. I’m the sheriff, and whether you believe it or not, I’m damn good at my job. The whole department has been told to be on the lookout for the Mustang. If you want to blame anyone, blame the bastards who did this.”

  “Might want to take your own advice, then, little brother.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. And do me a favor and knock off the ‘little brother’ shit. I’m only a year and a half younger than you.” He looked past Chance. “Here comes Lauren.”

  Chance turned. The woman gave him a watery smile, her dark eyes puffy and red-rimmed. She stuck out her hand. “I’m Ray’s fiancée.”

  Chance clasped her hand between both of his. “I know who you are, Lauren. Ray was showing off your picture this morning. Congratulations, he’s a great guy. You’ve made him a happy man.”

  Her eyes filled, and she squeezed his hand. “He called me as soon as you left. He was over the moon that you agreed to be his best man. You’re his hero.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I can’t believe this is happening. A couple of hours ago, we were planning our wedding…”

  Chance knew only too well how she felt. The shock, the numbness, the disbelief. Kate had changed her mind about how she wanted the nursery decorated the morning of the accident. Throughout the day and evening, she’d sent him pictures accompanied by sweet, cajoling notes to get him on board with putting a princess canopy over the crib, changing the paint color from lilac to pink and white stripes. He’d opened her last text two minutes before they told him she was dead. He still had the message on his phone.

  He pushed the thought from his head and gave Lauren’s hand a comforting squeeze in return. “He’s tougher than he looks, you know. He’s going to pull through this.”

  “Chance is right. There are a lot of people praying for him.” When an older version of Lauren called out to her from the waiting room, Gage said, “Go be with your family.”

  She nodded, then looked up at Chance. “Ray said you were leaving town. Are you—”

  “I’m not going anywhere, Lauren. I’m going to find whoever’s responsible for this.”

  She hugged him. “Thank you. It would mean a lot to Ray knowing that you’re here. That you’re looking into this.”

  Gage turned on him as soon as she walked away. “Do not even think about getting involved in my case.”

  “Sorry, little brother, I’m already involved.”

  “Damn it, Chance.” Gage speared his fingers thr
ough his short, dark hair. “Fine. You wanna be involved, I’ll deputize you. But you work for me, remember that.”

  Chance weighed out the pros and cons. He’d have access to everything Gage had. On the other hand, all he had to do was pick up the phone and call his baby brother. Easton was staying at Chance’s apartment in Virginia, recovering from the injury he’d sustained in combat three months ago. He’d recently been recruited by the CIA. Neither their father nor Gage knew about the posting or injury. Like Chance, Easton didn’t like to be coddled or worried over. He’d been putting off coming home for the wedding until the last minute. His baby brother would be glad of the reprieve.

  So when Chance factored Gage looking over his shoulder and second-guessing him into the equation, he decided he was better off going it on his own. Until he remembered Callahan’s threat against his family that frigid morning five years ago and changed his mind. He nodded. “I’ll pick up Princess. Take her home. I’ll see you back here in an hour. Call if there’s any change in Ray’s condition.”

  “That’s it? No arguments? No telling me you don’t play well with others in the sandbox and you like to color outside the lines?”

  Instead of answering, he headed for the elevators. Nothing Gage hated more than silence. It made him nervous. Chance could tell he was plenty nervous when he called. “Chance, this might not be a good idea after all. Chance!”

  Probably wasn’t. They’d drive each other nuts. And admittedly, Chance had a small problem with authority—he didn’t follow orders well. But he’d make it work. In his gut, he knew Callahan was the reason Ray was fighting for his life. And he’d be damned if he let Jake Callahan endanger any more of his family and friends. This was five years in the making, and Chance planned to end it once and for all.

  * * *