Deadly Intent

by Valerie Parv

  Agitation raced through her. “About marrying me?”

  He smiled wryly. “Never. More that I might fail at the most important task of my life, being a good husband and father.”

  Thinking of his prowess as a lover and his gentleness with Sunny, she shook her head. “Have no doubts, you’re a worthy heir to Lizina. She’d be as proud of you as I am.”

  “And Jack of you,” Ryan echoed, palming both sides of her face and kissing her with such tenderness that tears welled in her eyes. “I love you and I can’t wait for us to marry,” he assured her.

  Ryan took her by the shoulders. “You know, Jack would approve of both their descendants fulfilling their dream of a future together.”

  As Judy leaned in to kiss him, she couldn’t have agreed more.

  Epilogue

  Four months later the seasonal rains were finally easing, a symbol of the brighter days ahead for her family, Judy felt. “You look every inch a bride,” she said, moving behind Jo Francis to fasten the shawl collar on her prospective sister-in-law’s romantic silk shantung dress. The dress emphasized Jo’s curvaceous figure, and the matching high-heeled pumps added graceful inches to her five-seven height. Judy brushed her hand down the beaded bodice and lace sleeves, settling them into place. “Has Blake seen your dress yet?”

  “You know it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.” Jo’s vivid blue-green eyes sparkled with happiness. She adjusted the delicately colored wild orchids in her upswept, streaky-blond hair, then extended her hand to admire the princess-cut diamond in the center of her engagement ring. “I can’t believe I’m wearing one of your great-grandfather’s diamonds on my finger.”

  Judy’s gaze went to the diamond twinkling on her own engagement finger. “If not for him, and you and Blake, this day wouldn’t be happening.”

  Jo smiled. “I can’t take credit for falling into the hidden valley by accident. Tom and Shara pointed the way by finding the Uru cave. If anyone’s a hero, it’s you and Ryan for making the actual discovery.” Finding the mine had allowed Des Logan not only to repay the mortgage over Diamond Downs to Max Horvath’s estate, but to start restoring the property to prosperity.

  Unfortunately, money couldn’t repair Des’s damaged heart, but less worry and stress and the latest medical treatments were beneficial. Des’s need to stay close to medical help was the reason they had chosen to hold the ceremony at Blake’s home in the center of his crocodile farm near Halls Creek, where Des was living at present, rather than at Diamond Downs.

  “I guess we all contributed,” Judy said. “I’m pleased Shara’s father arranged for her and Tom to fly back for the occasion. The private jet the king provided is really something. Although I don’t understand this ritual engagement thing she and Tom are going through. If they didn’t have to wait two hundred days, they could get married today, as well.” She shuddered at having to wait two hundred days to marry Ryan.

  “As a princess, she doesn’t want to buck the system any more than she’s already done by falling in love with an Aussie park ranger.” Jo hitched up her skirt so she could slide a blue lace garter up her leg before letting the skirt fall back into graceful folds. “Her country has its customs, just as we have ours.”

  Judy went to answer a knock on the bedroom door, opening it to admit Tracey Blair. The older woman looked stylish in a eucalyptus-green linen jacket and knee-length cream pleated skirt, a tiny gold crucifix around her neck. “Just checking that everything’s okay before I start the ceremony,” she said. “It’s the first time I’ve been the celebrant at a wedding in a crocodile park. I hope Blake has his pets securely under lock and key.”

  Jo laughed. “His staff are minding the crocodiles, and the park’s closed today so they have nothing else to do.”

  Judy hugged Tracey. “You’re a sweetheart to do this for us.”

  Tracey blushed with pleasure. “Part of my job. Since I retired from mission work, I don’t get many opportunities to keep my hand in.” She started for the door, then turned back. “By the way, the best man said to tell you he’s here.”

  Jo and Judy said in unison, “Which one?”

  Tracey looked at Judy. “Cade, of course. Tom is already here and holding Blake back from taking off into the bush.”

  Jo pouted. “Tell Blake he’d better not think about it. He’s taught me enough about crocodile hunting these last few weeks for me to track him anywhere.” Her loving tone said she wouldn’t hesitate.

  “I almost forgot. Cade asked me to give you this,” Tracey said, closing Judy’s hand around a small metal disk. “He said you wanted to wear it for the ‘something old.’”

  Judy nodded. Ryan had found the medallion made from an antique Latvian gold coin, alongside Jack Logan. They’d recognized it as one worn by Lizina Smith in the old photograph of the two of them with Ryan’s father as a little boy. Jack must have carried the medallion with him as a love token, and now Judy planned to wear it at the double wedding she was sharing with Jo. Cade had volunteered to fetch the token for her after it was left behind at Diamond Downs during the rush to get ready.

  Jo fastened the medallion in the sweetheart neckline of Judy’s short white sequined dress. Instead of a train, Judy had chosen a white taffeta overskirt, longer at the back and split in front, fastened at her waist with a bow.

  Jo stepped back to admire the effect. “Unconventional, but very you,” she said approvingly. She picked up Judy’s satin and pearl headdress and began to arrange it on her short ash-blond hair. “You’re going to knock Ryan’s socks off.”

  As Jo fussed with her hair, Judy’s mind drifted. Not long ago, she’d been positive this day would never come. After the discovery of the mine, she and Ryan had been lucky to get out before the water became too deep and fast-flowing. Torrential rain had drenched them on the way back to the helicopter and the homestead. Ryan had even been able to retrieve his beloved car before the wet season made the roads impassable.

  The following weeks had been taken up with the police investigation into Max Horvath’s death; it was finally judged death by misadventure. Then had come the flurry of excitement over the diamond find; early assays were proving that it was richer than anyone had dreamed. The stones in the leather pouch had taken care of Des’s immediate financial worries, although he’d insisted on reserving special stones for Blake and Ryan to give to Jo and Judy. Judy’s ring held a spectacular pear-shaped diamond set off by two brilliant-cut diamonds in a swirling, contemporary setting. The wedding rings they would exchange with their new husbands each had a row of small diamonds on a wide gold band.

  During a break in the wet weather, Jack Logan’s remains had been reverently removed from the cavern by boat, and interred in the Logan family plot on Diamond Downs. Ryan was in the process of tracking down Lizina’s burial site and arranging for her to be laid to rest alongside Jack. After Jack’s determination to ensure the security of the woman he loved, the family had decided they owed the couple this last consideration.

  She wasn’t sure who first suggested a double wedding, but with Des so ill, one occasion had been deemed stressful enough for him. Now, with Jo to share her excitement, Judy reveled in the romance of the day. “Are you nervous?” she asked Jo now.

  “More excited than nervous. I love Blake so much. You?”

  “I feel the same about Ryan.” She heard the recorded music start and picked up her bouquet, seeing Jo do the same.

  Jo’s older brother Curt waited to escort her to where Tracey stood with Blake and Ryan under a double archway threaded with flowers from Blake’s garden. Tom was Blake’s best man, with Cade acting as Ryan’s. All four men looked newly minted in white shirts, black pants and shoes that shone. Blake and Tom wore plaited leather bolo ties, while Ryan and Cade had settled on spotted bow ties. Remembering Ryan’s muttered curses as he’d wrestled with the tie earlier, Judy smiled. He looked amazing, she thought, having no eyes for anyone but him.

  Des was leaning on a cane, lookin
g pale and gaunt but determined to walk his daughter down the aisle. He beamed as he took Judy’s arm. “You look gorgeous, sweetheart. Ryan is a lucky man.”

  She covered her father’s hand with her own. “We’re lucky to have found each other.”

  Slowly she started toward Ryan, aware of his loving look and the buzz of pleasure from their guests, including Andy Wandarra and his family, and the other Diamond Downs’s workers who’d stayed out of loyalty long after the payroll ran out. Blake’s aunt and Jo’s boss, Karen Prentiss and her husband, Ron, were there, as well as Jo’s other brother, Patrick, some kind of computer genius, Judy gathered. Jo’s parents were committed to a medical project in Vanuata, but Jo and Blake would be going there for their honeymoon soon enough.

  Ryan’s friends Heather and Jeff Wilton had flown in from Lake Argyle, bringing their son Daniel and Sunny and his engaged parents. Most of the people from the region were there, too, and Judy saw café owner, Betty Cline, who’d once been like a mother to Tom, dabbing at her eyes.

  By mutual agreement, Tracey focused first on Blake and Jo, reciting the beautiful vows the couple had written between them. She was no more than halfway through when she was interrupted by a loud beeping sound.

  Des fumbled at his waist. “It’s me, sorry. I forgot to turn the darned thing off.”

  Judy went hot and cold as realization struck. “Dad, you’re not supposed to turn it off. It’s the hospital.”

  Blake squeezed Jo’s hand and she nodded in silent agreement. “They have a donor heart for you, don’t they?”

  “Damned fool time to call,” Des muttered. “Ignore it and get on with the ceremony.”

  “Like hell,” Blake muttered. Suddenly the older man was surrounded by four intimidating males and one feisty female, all glowering at him.

  Des threw up his hands. “Stand over me all you want, but explain to me how I’m supposed to get to Perth Hospital in time, when there isn’t a flight out until tomorrow?”

  Princess Shara Najran stepped forward, black-haired, five-seven and delicately built, but with centuries of royal breeding at her command. “I can do that. My father’s private jet is fueled and waiting at Halls Creek Airport.” Her regal tone dared her prospective father-in-law to argue. “We can radio ahead for emergency clearance to land and arrange to have an ambulance on standby to rush Des straight to the hospital.”

  Being royal had its advantages, Judy thought. The Branxton 700 executive jet flying the standard of the King of Q’aresh was fast, streamlined and the last word in luxury, Judy knew, having persuaded Shara to give her a tour soon after she and Tom arrived. “Shara, that’s the perfect solution. We can continue the weddings when Dad gets back,” she said.

  “What do you mean, when I get back?” Des groused. “If I have to go, you’re all coming with me. We’ll do this thing on the way.”

  Judy sensed his fear that he might not survive the transplant operation and wanted to see them safely married before he went into surgery. Her throat closed with emotion and she forced a smile. “You heard the boss.”

  A short time later they were airborne, with Tracey reading Blake’s and Jo’s vows again while steadying herself with a hand on the back of a wide leather seat. Understanding the situation, most of the guests had remained behind at the crocodile park to continue the reception without the key figures.

  This time, there were no interruptions when Tracey asked Blake if he took Jo Francis as his wedded wife. Her “I do” rang confidently through the cabin. Then it was the turn of Judy and Ryan to repeat the vows they’d written. “I’m no poet,” Ryan had protested, but to Judy the words joining them together as man and wife were the most beautiful she’d ever heard.

  “I do,” she said firmly, her eyes fixed on Ryan.

  He kissed her to the applause of the small group. “I’d expected to be on cloud nine after the ceremony, just not literally,” she said when he let her up for air.

  An attendant served champagne and canapés, with Des complaining about having to propose a toast with apple juice. Judy didn’t care. She and Ryan were husband and wife. All she needed was for her father to be well, and her happiness would be complete.

  Seeing Tracey settle into a seat beside Des, Judy raised an eyebrow in Ryan’s direction. “What do you think they’re saying?”

  “How nosy Des’s daughter has become now she’s a married woman,” he said, but so indulgently that she slid her hand into his and tried not to eavesdrop.

  “You’ve been a good friend through all this,” Des said to the former missionary. “More than a good friend.”

  “I care about you, Desmond.”

  He nodded. “I know. That’s become obvious with the time you’ve spent at the hospital, supporting me through all this medical hooha. I want you to know I appreciate everything you’ve done. If I had more to offer, I’d be suggesting a third wedding today.”

  Tracey blushed prettily. “That sounds suspiciously like a proposal, Desmond Logan.”

  “Call it advance notice. I’ll make it formal after we know what today holds.” He took her hand. “If I don’t make it, I want you to keep an eye on the family for me.”

  She made a shushing sound. “You’ll make it. I’ve had a private word upstairs. Besides, too many people need you to get well.”

  He looked around at the happy couples—Blake and Jo, and Ryan and Judy already married, and Tom and Shara preparing for a royal wedding in Q’aresh. Cade had informed Des he’d put in an offer to buy Willundina from Max Horvath’s estate, so he’d be settled soon, too. Not married, which troubled Des, but what could he do? The boy—man, he amended inwardly—was attractive enough and enjoyed the company of women. Maybe he just hadn’t met the right one yet. “Looks like my work is done,” Des said.

  “Nonsense, there’s always work to be done, For us both.”

  Looking into Tracey’s green eyes, Des smiled. “Maybe I do have something—or someone—extra to live for, after all.”

  As good as her word, Shara had pulled royal strings and they were cleared to land at a VIP area of Perth airport with minimal delay. An ambulance waited, lights flashing, to whisk Des to the hospital. Cars had also been organized for the rest of the party.

  In preparation for this event, Judy had been told there would be a final medical evaluation and laboratory work-up to complete; the actual surgery would take three to four hours. All they could do now was wait. The hours ticked by with infuriating slowness, it seemed to Judy. She looked around and giggled nervously. “It can’t be often that a hospital has to contend with two brides, two grooms and their attendants in full regalia in their waiting room.”

  Ryan squeezed her hand. “We are getting some interesting looks. But none of us is going anywhere until we have news.”

  Jo had already offered the use of the apartment she still kept in Perth, without any takers. She was sticking around herself, her long train hampering her attempts to pace, Judy noted. The same question hovered on all their lips: how much longer?

  A doctor walked into their midst, looking bemused at the activity. The nurses immediately scattered to their duties, recognizing the man’s authority, betrayed by his bearing and quiet confidence. He also looked tired, Judy noted. So many people were working to save her father. She couldn’t believe Des could be anything but fine.

  “Do you have news?” Blake asked for all of them.

  The surgeon’s face relaxed into a smile. “I’m happy to say there were no complications and Mr. Logan is resting comfortably. He’ll need to spend a couple of days in the recovery room, another few days in intensive care and about a week in the transplant unit. Then, with proper monitoring and after-care, he should be able to look forward to a normal, productive life.”

  Sighs of relief rippled around the room, and Judy heard Tracey murmur a prayer of thanks. “Amen,” she said from the depths of her soul. She blinked away tears instinctively reached for Ryan’s hand.

  He dabbed at her tears with a snowy handkerchief. �
��What’s this? The doctor said Des is going to be all right.”

  “They’re tears of happiness.”

  He pulled her head against his shoulder and she let them flow. He had a hard time holding his own emotions in check, and found he wasn’t the only one.

  In a corner of the room, about halfway to the ceiling, unnoticed by any of the other occupants, a diminutive woman watched in satisfaction. Her hair was rolled up at the front and curled under at the back, and she wore a peplum suit that had been in fashion sixty years before. Beside her, a man in an equally dated single-breasted jacket, white shirt and dark brown pants, gripped her hand as if he never intended to let her go.

  “I’m proud of them all,” the man said. “They’re living examples of the code of the outback. You don’t back down, you don’t give up, and you stand by your mates.”

  “What about no mushy stuff?” the woman asked coyly.

  “That wasn’t in the code when I wrote it,” he said.

  She regarded him in surprise. “I thought the boys made up the code.”

  He smiled at her fondly. “Who do you think planted the idea in their heads?”

  “I might have known.” She linked her arm with his and snuggled against him. “I’m still a bit concerned about Cade.”

  “No need, he’s going to be fine,” the man assured her. “Trust me on this. Didn’t I tell you the others would all work out?”

  “You did and you were right, my milais, my darling. Es tevi milu, I love you,” the woman said. “I think we can safely leave them to enjoy their happiness, don’t you?”

  The man nodded. Together they turned, walking slowly toward a shaft of sunlight.

  Had she really seen what she thought she’d seen? Judy asked herself, looking over Ryan’s shoulder. She blinked hard. The corner of the room held nothing but the rays of light from the setting sun spilling from a nearby window. Must have been a trick of the light making her think they were being watched. And some unidentified hospital sound she’d mistaken for the bell-like notes of a woman’s laughter. Even as she tried to focus on the sound, it faded like music heard in a dream, then was gone.