At the Crossroads

by B. J Daniels

  He checked his watch, surprised that she hadn’t been gone that long. When was he going to stop worrying about her? When Cline was caught. But then, he told himself, he would probably never stop worrying about her, and soon there would be a baby to worry about as well.

  * * *

  FOR A MOMENT, Alexis was afraid the bridal shop was closed. She felt a wave of panic. Her heart began to pound at the thought of not getting her dress today—especially with Culhane working so hard to make this happen.

  But when she reached the front door, she pushed, and the door swung open. Her pulse began to slow a little. Still, the main lights in the front weren’t on.

  As she started toward the back, she heard the door lock behind her and felt a moment of alarm until she realized they must have stayed open only for her. “Hello,” she called as she walked toward the rear.

  “Back here.”

  She followed the voice, thinking about her dress. She couldn’t wait to see Culhane’s expression when he saw it on her. She came around a rack of dresses and saw the seamstress and owner of the small shop, Helen, look up. She was in her late fifties, an elegant woman with a gray bob that framed a classically beautiful face and bright blue eyes.

  “I hope you didn’t stay open on my account,” Alexis said.

  Helen waved that off. “You’re my last fitting today, so I’ve locked up for the day. Not to worry. I still have things to do before I go home. Want to see your dress?”

  Alexis clapped her hands together. “I can’t wait.” The last time she was here, they’d made some changes that they both were excited about.

  “Step in the dressing room. I’ll bring it to you,” Helen said.

  Alexis took off her coat and hung it on the hook by the door before stepping in the dressing room. Once inside, she took off her shoulder holster and laid it down on the upholstered bench before she began to shed her sweater, jeans and boots.

  “Here you go,” Helen said and reached through the curtain to hand her the wedding dress. “You need help?”

  “No, I’m good,” she said as she held it up to her and looked into the mirror. She broke into a huge smile and hurried to put it on. It wasn’t until she stepped out to show Helen how perfectly it fit that she saw him reflected in the triple mirror.

  Cline had his arm locked around Helen’s throat and a pair of scissors in his other hand pointed at her face.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CULHANE HAD BEEN pacing the floor. He’d tried to call Alexis, but his calls went straight to voice mail. He’d told himself that she was probably still at her fitting and had turned off her phone.

  He started to call her again, but instead called his father’s lawyer. Thomas Quinn answered on the second ring. “I need your help.”

  A low chuckle. “That’s what I’m here for. Tell me what you need.”

  He did. Ten minutes later, Thomas drove up at the ranch and Culhane left him to sign for the deliveries while he drove into town. He told himself he was on a fool’s errand, but he didn’t care. He’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop. He feared it had.

  Driving too fast, he was afraid he’d get pulled over, which he decided might be all right, too. If his fears were warranted, he could use some backup from the law. He parked behind Alexis’s car and ran down the sidewalk through the dwindling shoppers to the bridal shop.

  She was still in the shop? It was getting dark. It wasn’t that long until they were supposed to be at her parents’ for dinner. He felt his concern jump when he reached the front door to find it locked.

  He thought about breaking the glass but decided going in the back might be the smartest thing he could do. At this point, Alexis might not even be in trouble, he told himself even as his heart argued just the opposite. Something was wrong. He could feel it. He should never have let her go alone.

  * * *

  “DEPUTY CLINE,” ALEXIS said, surprised how calm her voice sounded since her heart felt as if it was about to burst from her chest. Helen looked terrified and with good reason. “You really shouldn’t be seeing me in my wedding dress.”

  He looked confused as if Alexis hadn’t quite realized what was going on. He tightened his hold on Helen’s throat and shoved the blades of the scissors closer to her cheek. “I’ll kill her.” Helen began to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks, her lips quivering.

  “Why would you do that?” Alexis asked. “Helen’s never done anything to you.”

  “You almost killed me!” he cried, his voice shaking with anger. “You messed me up big-time. I... I can’t think straight. The doctor said I might never be able to think straight again.”

  Alexis wondered if Cline had ever thought straight. “You kidnapped me.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t hurt you.”

  “But now you’re threatening to hurt this woman who never did anything to you. Why don’t you let her go so you and I can settle this?” She saw him considering whether it was a trick. “I have no weapon. I’m in my wedding dress. What could I possibly do to you?” She could see that he still didn’t trust her. Maybe he wasn’t as injured as she thought.

  His arm seemed to relax a little around Helen’s throat, the scissors not quite so close to her face. “They’re going to put me in prison because of you. They had me cuffed to a hospital bed.”

  She hadn’t noticed the metal at his wrist until then. It made a tinkling sound, reminding her of the Christmas bells she’d heard ringing earlier. She had to swallow the lump in her throat at the thought but refused to let herself think of everything that would be lost here if this didn’t go her way. She couldn’t let him harm Helen. She thought of her gun on the upholstered bench only feet away in the changing room. But if she made a move for it, she couldn’t trust what Cline would do.

  “This is between you and me, Terry,” she said as calmly as she could. “Let her go so we can finish this.”

  * * *

  WHEN CULHANE REACHED the alley entrance, he stopped to catch his breath. He could see where the lock had been broken. Pulling his weapon, he slowly eased the door open, hoping it didn’t make a sound.

  It was dark back there in the storage area, but he could see a light in the distance. As he slipped in, he let the door close silently behind him. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. He didn’t want to fall over any of the boxes stacked along each side as he moved cautiously forward.

  He hadn’t gone far when he heard voices and someone sobbing. His heart dropped. He’d been right to come here. He’d been right about there being trouble. He knew who he’d find in the next room. He just prayed he could get Alexis out of it alive.

  As quietly as possible, he crept toward the sound of the voices as he tried to make out who was talking. He was rewarded by hearing Alexis’s. It was strong and assured. He smiled inwardly at the thought of her.

  It was the other voice he heard that had anger welling up like lava from inside him. He told himself he couldn’t blame Garwood for this, even though he did. Garwood cultivated men like Terrance Cline for his dirty work. He brought out the worst in them and then cut them loose on society.

  He stepped closer until he could see through a gap in the doorway into the dressing-room area. Cline had his back to him, one arm locked around a gray-haired woman’s neck and a pair of large scissors in his other hand that he was using to threaten both women.

  What Culhane couldn’t see was Alexis. She must have been in one of the fitting rooms beyond his view. He understood now why Alexis’s voice had sounded so reasonable. She was trying to get Cline to release the woman.

  “Let Helen go,” Alexis said. “Your problem is with me.”

  “Why don’t I just kill you both?” Cline asked. “My life is over. What do I care?” He tightened his hold on the older woman making her cry out.

  Culhane realized he couldn’t get a clear shot from where he was. He could try to get closer,
but if Cline heard him coming, there was no guessing what the man might do. Clearly he had nothing to lose at this point.

  He frowned, wondering if Alexis had her gun. He told himself that he knew this woman. She would have done what he’d asked her. She’d have the weapon. But if she were wearing her wedding dress right now, she wouldn’t have it on. However, if it was within reach... She would have already gone for it, possibly.

  But maybe she couldn’t reach it without a distraction.

  Culhane knew he was gambling on knowing his bride-to-be. If she had her weapon with her in the dressing room like he suspected, then she was just waiting for an opening.

  Praying he was right, he looked around for something he could use to give her that opening.

  * * *

  ALEXIS COULD FEEL everything going south. Cline was starting to lose it. He was realizing what his future held. He was already in so much trouble that his injured mind was telling him that another two deaths wouldn’t matter.

  Helen seemed to realize it as well. She’d stopped crying and had grown very pale. She looked as if the only thing holding her up was Cline’s arm around her throat. Alexis knew she had to do something, but in the time it would take her to get to her gun, Cline could kill Helen. And yet she knew she had to take that chance unless—

  The sound of boxes toppling somewhere in the shop caught all of their attention. Helen’s eyes had widened in alarm—and so had Cline’s. He’d half turned to look behind him—and Alexis made her move, knowing she might not get another chance. She grabbed her weapon and, leading with the barrel, swung back into the doorway of the dressing room to point it at any part of former deputy Terrance Cline that she could put a bullet into. With him half-turned, he’d given her clear access to his side.

  She didn’t have time to think, to worry or to fear that she might hit Helen. She pulled the trigger.

  * * *

  THE MOMENT CULHANE heard the shot, he was moving, rushing Cline. He told himself that Alexis was one hell of a shot. She wouldn’t have fired until she had a target she thought she could hit.

  As he came around the corner, he saw that Cline was still standing, still had a choke hold on Helen, still held the scissors too close to her face. Worse, he saw that he didn’t have a clear shot.

  Alexis’s second shot took the legs out from under Cline. Culhane saw the man begin to slump. All that seemed to be keeping him upright was his hold on the older woman in front of him. Culhane closed the distance quickly, going for the scissors. He wrenched them out of the former deputy’s hand and tossed them away before he grabbed Cline’s arm and unlocked it from around Helen’s neck.

  Helen stumbled a few feet away before her knees buckled and she dropped to the floor. Cline fell back, crumpling on the floor in his own blood. His eyes were wide with both anger and terror as Culhane stood over him. Had the man tried to do anything, he would have shot him, but he didn’t have to worry. Cline wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Alexis?” Culhane called. He looked away from Cline to see that the dressing room curtain was closed. “Alexis?” Just as he was ready to go rushing in to check on her, she stepped out in her T-shirt and jeans. He let out of a sigh of relief. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry, I had to change out of my wedding dress,” she said, sounding so wonderfully reasonable. “It’s bad luck for you to see me in it until the wedding.”

  He shook his head as he heard the sound of sirens and turned to see Helen propped up against the wall with her phone in her hand. She was crying again, but they were tears of relief, he saw as Alexis went to her.

  “Nothing is going to keep us from getting married tomorrow,” Culhane told Cline. But he realized that the former deputy was no longer listening. He was dead.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  “KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED,” Culhane said as he guided her up the stairs to the ranch house and across the porch. “Ready?” He’d met her at the bottom of the stairs when she’d arrived with her mother and father.

  She would never forget the look in his eyes when he’d seen her step out in her wedding dress. She’d tucked that memory away for safekeeping as he’d taken her hand. “You are so beautiful,” he’d said, his voice breaking with emotion.

  Her parents had hurried inside to join the other guests. She could hear Christmas music playing and smelled something sweet and warm on the air as they disappeared inside.

  Now at the front door, Alexis could feel herself shaking, and not from the chilly December day. They hadn’t gotten their white Christmas, but there was a bite to the air that promised it wasn’t far behind. She swallowed and told herself she’d never been more ready for anything in her life.

  Last night had been a late one at the sheriff’s department. It was the middle of the night before they made it to her parents’ house for Christmas Eve dinner. Her mother had filled plates for them and popped the food in the microwave, and they’d all sat around the table talking.

  “You’ve both been getting arrested a lot lately,” her mother had said.

  “Well, that is all behind us,” Alexis had promised as she looked over at Culhane. “We’re going to raise horses and kids. I’m going to bake and cook and decorate and maybe even have a garden in the spring.”

  Her father had looked skeptical. “That certainly sounds like a change of pace.” Her mother had agreed. Then Culhane had left for the ranch to finish up getting everything ready for the wedding, and Alexis had taken her dress out of the box, hung it up and climbed into bed. She’d dropped off instantly only to be awakened this morning by her mother’s cheerfulness and her father’s blueberry cream cheese stuffed French toast.

  It was her wedding day, and she was now about to see what her future husband had planned. She looked into his very blue eyes and nodded. “Ready.”

  Culhane opened the door, and Alexis caught her breath. He’d promised that it would be a small wedding, with just friends and family. He’d also promised that the ceremony would be quick.

  But she’d never been prepared for this. He’d made the huge living room into a winter wonderland for the most beautiful Christmas wedding ever.

  “Oh, Culhane,” she said on a breath as she took it all in. “It’s amazing.”

  “You like it?” he asked sounding worried.

  “I love it,” she said, throwing her arms around him. This from a man who’d never had a plan? She smiled over at him. “You’ve thought of everything.”

  “I tried,” he said with a grin. “You know me.”

  Oh, she knew him. Could a woman ever love a man as much as she loved this one? “Let’s do this,” she said as he took her hand and led her through the guests gathered to the podium framed in the window overlooking the creek.

  “Earl Ray?” she said when she saw who would be officiating the wedding.

  “I am a man of many talents,” he said humbly.

  “You certainly are. Is Bessie here?” she asked and looked around, spotting her in the crowd. She waved, delighted to see her.

  “She wasn’t about to miss this,” Earl Ray said.

  “Bessie made our cake,” Culhane whispered. “Wait until you see it.”

  Alexis felt tears sting her eyes. “You really have thought of everything. Thank you.”

  Earl Ray cleared his voice. The music died down, and the ceremony began. Throughout it, Culhane held her hand right up until Earl Ray said, “You may now kiss your bride.” And he did.

  * * *

  AS HE LOOKED AROUND the room, Culhane couldn’t believe that he’d pulled it off. Christmas music played in the background as friends and family visited. He’d kept to some wedding traditions and skipped others. Bessie’s cake was a huge hit. So was his mother’s punch. Alexis had seemed pleased, and that’s all he really cared about.

  “I can’t believe what the two of you have been through,” Al said shaking his head. “Are you sure
you won’t be bored stiff raising horses? Alexis told me that she’s closed her bounty-hunting business. That she’s looking forward to child-rearing and the domestic life.” Al looked skeptical. “You really think you can keep her on the ranch?”

  Culhane laughed as he looked across the room at his lovely bride. “I do like the idea of a houseful of children,” he said with a chuckle. “But you’ve known Alexis long enough to know that she will do what she wants to do. Whatever it is, it’s fine with me.”

  “Modern marriage,” Al said and laughed. “I never thought I’d see you succumb to it.”

  “Me either,” Culhane agreed. “But when you meet someone like Alexis...”

  * * *

  ALEXIS FELT AS if in a dream. Everything had happened so quickly, and yet there were moments that were imprinted on her memory as clear and in-focus as if they had just happened.

  “The wedding was so wonderful,” she said to Culhane as the last of the guests left. She’d insisted her parents take some of the cake. Her mother had gotten the recipe from Bessie, something Earl Ray said was nothing short of a miracle.

  “I’m glad you liked it,” Culhane said as they stood on their porch. “It was a bit unorthodox.”

  She shook her head. “It was perfect. All of it.” She was so glad that she had trusted him. She couldn’t have come up with a more beautiful wedding.

  Twilight had settled over the ranch, turning the pine-covered mountains a midnight blue. It reminded her of other evenings in the mountains, but none this vivid. The smells, the colors, the sense of the solid earth beneath her was so intense that it made her heart soar.

  “But I didn’t give you your white Christmas,” he said as he put his arm around her and led her back inside.