"And Deedee should know," Frankie said.
Deedee nodded. "It's going to be okay, honey."
Billie wanted to believe it. She really did. But she had this premonition of disaster. She checked her watch and looked out the front window. "Nick was supposed to be here hours ago. You don't suppose he's been in a car accident?"
"Nick is busy," Deedee said. She looked over her shoulder at Frankie. "That's why we thought we'd take you to dinner or something. Isn't that right, Frankie?"
"Yeah, Nick is busy."
Billie looked first at Deedee and then at Frankie. "What's Nick busy doing?"
"Things," Deedee said. "He had things to do."
Frankie averted his gaze. "Probably tied up at the newspaper office."
Billie pressed a fingertip lightly over her left eyelid and hoped she wasn't forced to do the same thing walking down the aisle. "Both of you are keeping something from me. I want answers. Now."
"Nick swore me to secrecy," Deedee said.
Billie crossed her arms. "I refuse to have secrets between Nick and me."
Deedee hesitated. "You'll have to promise not to rush over there. He's dealing with a lot right now."
Billie felt a sense of dread wash over her. "What has happened?"
Deedee looked at Frankie, who shrugged as though he had no idea what to do. "Someone torched the stable," she said.
Billie's heart gave a jerk. "What!"
"It happened late this afternoon, after the stable hands went home. Nick was taking a shower, getting ready to come over here. Luckily, there are smoke alarms in the stables that connect to the house, and Nick heard them go off."
"Is he—?"
"He's perfectly fine, honey." Deedee patted Billie's hand. "A couple of the horses had to be treated by the vet for smoke inhalation, but the others are okay."
"I should call him."
"Nick was pretty shaken over the whole thing. He asked us to keep you busy so he could, well, regroup. We were supposed to tell you he had a problem at the newspaper."
"Seems neither of us is good at lying," Frankie said.
Billie's eye began to twitch double-time, and her heartbeat accelerated. Max had returned to Nick's early that afternoon, saying he needed to get busy on his computer so he could design the necessary flyers for the marshland project. "Does Nick suspect Max?"
Deedee shrugged. "I don't know what Nick is thinking right now, except he's probably relieved those dumb horses are okay. The police are there." Deedee chewed her lower lip. "So, do you want to go out to dinner, or what?"
Billie shook her head. "No, thanks. I appreciate the thought, but I think I'd like to be alone."
Deedee and Frankie looked at one another, and Deedee shrugged. "At least we tried," she said.
* * * * *
At eight o'clock Christie and Joel came in from outside and found Billie sitting at the kitchen table. "How's your eye?" Christie asked.
"The twitching isn't as bad."
"Why are you just sitting at the table?"
"I'm resting. Just resting."
"Are you resting up for your marriage night?" Joel asked. "I hear it's exhausting."
Billie looked at him. "Where did you hear that?"
"Television."
She frowned. "Figures."
"Well," Joel persisted. "Is it exhausting?"
"I think the wedding and all the preparations beforehand are what's exhausting. By the time you leave for the honeymoon, all you want to do is rest."
"Is that why newlywed couples spend most of their time in bed?"
Billie arched one brow. "What shows have you been watching?"
"Some daytime shows with a lot of kissing."
"I think you need to stick to the Disney Channel, kiddo." Billie decided a change of subject was in order. She heaved herself to her feet. "How about we go to the video store and rent a movie? One where there's not a lot of, uh, kissing. We can grab some food on the way back and throw sleeping bags on the floor in front of the television set like we used to do."
"Can we make popcorn?" Joel asked.
"Sure. I'll even put real butter on it." Her children looked pleased. Billie wondered if Nick, who'd traveled all over the world, had dined at the most exclusive restaurants and seen all the best plays, would find as much pleasure as she did in the simple things.
The three of them piled into Billie's minivan a few minutes later. Already, Christie and Joel were arguing over which movie to rent. Billie didn't care what they watched as long as they were together. She longed for that feeling of normalcy.
Besides, spending time with her kids might take her mind off Nick's latest disaster.
* * * * *
At ten-thirty Billie sat alone in the living room and listened to the sounds of her house. The children were asleep. She had tucked them in and gazed down at them, feeling her heart swell with love. Sometimes she wished she could stop time and just enjoy these precious moments. The sigh Christie gave before she turned over and closed her eyes. Buffy sprawled across the foot of her bed, thumping her tail as Billie backed from the room. The wet kiss Joel gave her as she tucked him in, the cat curled on the pillow beside him.
Billie wondered what it would be like to carry Nick's baby, how he'd react the first time he saw the child they'd created together. She knew in her heart that he would make a wonderful father.
She jumped when the ice maker dumped more ice in the bin, a sound she was not used to hearing. It had not stopped making ice since Max had repaired it. She had already begun bagging it up and sending it to neighbors. She shook her head. For an ice maker that had never worked, it was certainly making up for lost time.
She stretched. She was getting married tomorrow. If the groom made it to the wedding in one piece, she reminded herself. She looked at her watch for the hundredth time in the past half hour and pressed her lips together in annoyance because Nick had not called. Her eye had resumed its twitching. Truly, she was more worried than anything. Nick had certainly suffered his share of problems lately.
Billie perked at the sound of a car pulling into her driveway. The headlights shone through her front windows and then blinked out. A car door slammed. Her heart began pounding in her throat when she looked out the window and spied Nick's car.
Get a grip, she ordered herself. He was going to be upset as it was, without her doing more fretting over the situation. Billie threw open the door just as Nick raised his hand to knock. He wore simple jeans and a T-shirt, and his hair was damp from a recent shower. "Are you okay?" Billie asked, stepping aside so he could come in.
He noted the worry in her eyes. "Deedee told you."
"I forced her."
"The stable is gone, but the horses are okay. The police have been questioning my employees most of the evening."
"What about Max?"
"Him, too." Nick gave a weary sigh. "I may as well tell you he's a suspect, even though nobody saw anything. They can't find hide nor hair of Arnie Bates, so they're just looking for someone to pin this on. I had to do a lot of talking to keep them from hauling Max in."
"Where is he now?"
"Out in the car. We decided to get something to eat."
"Max isn't responsible, Nick. You have to believe that." She paused before asking the next question. "What about Sheridan?"
Nick gave her an odd look. "Sheridan loves horses. She would never put innocent animals at risk." Nick felt a sudden chill. Sheridan had removed her horse from his stable, she'd said, on the advice of her father, who thought it time they made a clean break. Although the general accompanied his daughter to all her horse shows and proudly displayed her many trophies and ribbons, he was not a horse lover.
"We have police protection, at least for the next few days," Nick said, deciding to keep his thoughts to himself. It was ludicrous to think Sheridan or her father would get involved in something as serious as arson. "There will also be plainclothes detectives at the wedding tomorrow. Security will be tight." He frowned. "What's wr
ong with your eye?"
"Nothing, really. I'm just tired and hysterical. I think I'm having a nervous breakdown, but I'm not sure."
He bent over and kissed the tip of her nose. "It's just prewedding jitters."
Like hell, Billie thought. Their lives were suddenly falling apart around them. Someone had been tampering with her locks, possibly breaking into her house while she slept, spiders were breeding in her closets at breakneck speed, an infestation of German roaches was a possible threat, and Nick's life was in danger. The police were watching his house and obviously felt it necessary to attend their wedding because they were concerned about his safety.
Other than that everything was fine.
"Perhaps we should hold off on the wedding," she said.
He looked disturbed. "Is that what you want?"
She no longer knew what she wanted.
"I'm scared, Nick," she confessed. "It seems silly to hold a wedding with all that's going on."
"To me it seems silly to let someone think they can toy with our lives and our happiness. I'm sure, what with all the security, we'll be safe, so stop worrying."
"I don't like worrying any more than you do," she said. "I've always tried to be strong and optimistic about life. I was always the rock in my family. The one who managed to stay cool during emergencies."
He saw her eye twitch again and felt bad for her. They were to be married tomorrow, and he had wanted this night to be special for both of them. "Maybe your body is tired of being the rock," he said. "Maybe it's taking a well-deserved vacation now that there's going to be another rock in the family." Nick pressed his thumbs into the base of her neck and rubbed away the tension.
"I just had a thought," Billie said. "I know it's going to sound crazy, but could any of this be related to Frankie?"
"In what way?"
"It's just a thought, but what if a crazed fan knows he's about to be married to your cousin? Maybe that person doesn't know Deedee is presently living here. Frankie certainly wouldn't be the first famous person who was stalked."
"I think we should let the police worry about it," Nick said, trying to keep his own concern hidden from her. He had spent most of the evening wondering who could be holding such a grudge against him. Had Arnie Bates resented his firing enough to kill over it? Was it possible, as Max had suggested, that one of his readers was striking out over the fact that Nick hadn't publicly opposed the marshland project in his newspaper? The police had even questioned the Duffys and the high school boys Nick had hired to help with the horses, asking what they thought of Nick as an employer. It seemed everybody was a suspect, including Nick's polo students. Even Nick was trying to come up with possibilities. Who hated him that much?
All he knew for sure was that he loved the woman before him, and he was going to make her his wife the next day, come hell or high water. He had hired enough security so that the Pope would feel safe attending the wedding, but he wasn't about to let some nutcase spoil his and Billie's big day.
"Like I said, security is going to be tight tomorrow, so we have nothing to worry about." He paused. "I don't want to upset you, but I've got a couple of men watching the house tonight."
Billie felt the back of her neck prickle. "Do you think that's necessary?"
"No, but I'm doing it anyway." He took her hands and raised them to his mouth for a kiss. "I know everything seems all screwed up right now, Billie, but try not to lose sight of the fact that I love you deeply, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Nick, I'm scared for you."
"My place is crawling with cops, babe. Nobody gets in without a damn good reason for being there."
Joel shuffled from his room to the top of the stairs and stood rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?"
Billie glanced at her son and smiled. He looked so innocent standing there. Her determination to protect her children became stronger. She was glad Nick had someone watching the house. "Nick and I were just talking, honey. Is something wrong?"
"I had a bad dream. Would you tuck me in, Mom?"
Nick and Billie exchanged looks, and she was certain he knew what she'd been thinking. "Go ahead," he said, giving her a quick kiss. "I just stopped by to let you know everything is okay." He squeezed her hand. "I'll see you in the morning."
Billie locked the door behind him and followed Joel upstairs. She would see him in the morning.
She prayed he was right.
* * * * *
Billie paced the bedroom Deedee had slept in during her stay at Nick's as Deedee touched up her nails. It was a beautiful day for a wedding. The caterers had arrived at the crack of dawn to set up the tents and canopies that stood out stark white against the brilliant blue sky and billowed with the warm breeze that persistently flowed over the hills and meadows. Padded chairs had been arranged for the ceremony and reception; flowers and white satin bows adorned everything; the grass had been cut into a perfect green carpet.
Billie looked out the window at the circular drive where valets were parking luxury cars and directing the chauffeured limos to a separate area.
Nick certainly had his share of rich friends. Not that Nick was exactly impoverished, she reminded herself. Still, he seemed unaffected by it all. He didn't brag or put on airs, nor was he the flashy type. And while he was accustomed to nice things, he didn't seem to take them for granted. He liked hot dogs and ice-cream cones and chocolate-chip cookies; he wore goofy-looking hats, rode roller coasters with her children, and seemed to be well adjusted despite the power and wealth he'd inherited.
He was just Nick.
Christie ran across the lawn, the frilly skirt to her gown flying high above her knees, hair ribbons streaming behind her. Two other girls ran with her. They stopped short at the sight of Snakeman emerging from his Porsche, his boa constrictor draped around his neck. The girls screamed and ran toward the house, just as a man in a dark suit headed toward Snakeman. A detective, no doubt. The place was crawling with plainclothes detectives and uniformed security guards. The valet was a retired policeman, as were a couple of those helping the caterers.
Billie wondered how many weddings included wrestlers with snakes, not to mention plainclothes detectives and security checks at the front door.
"This is going to be some wedding," Billie said, unable to hide her annoyance. "Snakeman just arrived with his favorite pet and scared my daughter and a couple of other girls half to death." She shook her head sadly. "This isn't a wedding, this is a carnival." Billie thought one of the girls looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place her. "I hate when I can't remember where I've seen people," she mused aloud.
"Did you say something?" Deedee put the cap on her fingernail polish and joined her at the window.
"That little girl with the dark hair standing next to Christie. I've seen her before, but I can't remember where."
"Oh, that's little Julie Favor. She lives down the street. Her parents are friends with Nick. You've probably seen Julie riding her bicycle during one of your visits here."
"I don't know," Billie said. "There's something odd about her."
"Odd about Julie?" Deedee shook her head. "Honey, would you relax and try to enjoy yourself? This is your wedding day." Deedee sighed. "I love weddings. My second wedding was in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, and I got to walk down this huge long aisle. That was the best. My dress for that one cost more than Nick's new car."
Billie tossed a look at Deedee. The dress she'd chosen to wear to her latest wedding was a tea-length pink organza dress that made her hair seem outrageously red. It was Edwardian-style with a dropped waist and trimmed with long dangling crystal beads that tinkled when she walked. Her headpiece was a big pink pouf with a long train. It was held in place by a pink organza sweatband, which was also trimmed with the dangling crystal beads. She looked like a heroine from a silent movie, Billie decided. All she needed was Snidely Whiplash tying her to a train track.
It would never occur to the woman that a wedding was not a
good place for a boa constrictor or dangling crystal beads.
The sound of air brakes caught Billie's attention, and she gasped at the sight of a huge maroon-and-gold tour bus. The bus doors opened and Billie's father was the first to emerge. He stopped, looked at the house, and took a picture of it. Billie's mother followed, then her Aunt Kate, her Uncle Henry, and her sister Margaret's two kids, who took off at a run. They seemed very remote down on the lawn. They looked like tourists.
"Is that your family?" Deedee asked.
"Yeah."
"They look nice. I bet you're excited to see them."
Billie gave her a weak grin. "Excited" wasn't exactly the right word. Billie had reached the numb stage. She sat down on a window seat and immediately stood, because she didn't want to wrinkle her suit, which she was sure Deedee found boring compared to her own getup. She looked in the mirror and adjusted the hat covering her brown hair. Organ music wafted through the closed bedroom door, and Billie felt her stomach flutter. There was a knock at the door and Christie burst in with Billie's mother and father in tow.
"Grandma and Grandpa are here!" Christie said, cheeks flushed from running in the heat.
Billie hugged her mother and father and felt the tears spring to her eyes. They weren't remote anymore. They were here, and she hadn't seen them in a long time. She introduced them to Deedee. If her parents thought the woman looked strange in her dress, they didn't say anything.
Her father scraped a tear from Billie's cheek with his thumb. "You're not supposed to be crying," he said gruffly, although his voice suddenly choked with emotion. "You're supposed to be happy."
"You'll ruin your makeup," Deedee warned.
Billie ignored her. "Oh, Daddy."
Finally, she turned to her mother's outstretched arms. They hugged. "We had to pass through a metal detector," the woman said to Billie, "then some man actually ran a wand between my legs, and me wearing a dress. I thought your Aunt Flora would faint."
"There are a number of celebrities here," Billie said, hoping to put her parents at ease about the tight security. "Not to mention a few politicians. That's why there are so many policemen."
"I'm glad I brought this camera," her father said. He suddenly became serious as he put his index finger beneath Billie's chin and raised it so she was looking him directly in the eyes. "Do you love Nick? Do you really love him?"
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