No Risk Refused

by Cara Summers

  Over Rexie’s shoulder, Adair saw that the guests had all turned in their direction.

  “Make some excuse. He’s in a wheelchair,” Adair whispered urgently. “Tell him you’ll make it up to him later. I don’t have time to explain. Just trust me.”

  Rexie nodded, then turned to her father and let him lead her away.

  All Adair could think of to do now was cross her fingers. When Vi joined her, she filled her aunt in on what had happened in the library. “Cam and Daryl have everything under control.” Now all they had to do was get through a fake wedding and the arrest of the groom. “One villain down and one to go.”

  She tried not to think about the devastated bride.

  Vi took one of her hands and squeezed it as Lawrence Banes took Rexie’s hand from her father’s. “I want to know what you told her before you sent her up the aisle.”

  “I told her not to kiss Lawrence. The marriage might not be real, but I just couldn’t let her kiss him beneath the stones.”

  Vi chuckled. “That’s my girl.”

  “Except I ran the risk of turning her into a runaway bride.”

  “She’s not running.”

  As soon as Winston Maitland returned to the first row of chairs to take his seat next to Bunny, the fake minister began, “We are gathered here together…”

  Adair hardly dared to breathe until he pronounced them man and wife.

  When Rexie gave her new husband a hug instead of a kiss, Adair clapped her hands in relief while the guests applauded their congratulations.

  The wedding party was halfway down the aisle of chairs when Cam joined her.

  “Good news,” he said. “Sheriff Skinner just got a call from his man who was screening the guests as they arrived, and it seems we have some party crashers.”

  “Duncan and Barry?” she asked.

  “I told my brother to keep Dr. Carlson in the car until we get the bridegroom and the father of the bride back into their suite. Daryl and Sheriff Skinner are running that show.”

  Vi looked from one to the other. “Dr. Carlson—you’re talking about Rexie’s first husband?”

  “Yes,” Adair said. “Cam arranged for Duncan to extract him from Montana. Can you distract Bunny for a bit while I talk to Rexie?”

  Vi’s eyes gleamed. “I know just what to do. I’m sure she’ll want to help me lead the guests into the ballroom.” She hurried away.

  Cam linked his fingers with hers as they watched Winston Maitland and two security men wheel Scalzo off to the groom’s suite. Vi was true to her word. She had Bunny’s ear. A moment later the two women were headed toward the castle and the guests were following them down the path.

  A photographer was posing the bride and her two attendants beneath one of the arbors.

  “You got a plan once you get Barry and Rexie together?” Cam asked.

  “I don’t have a clue,” she admitted, and tried very hard to ignore the nerves jittering in her stomach. “Any advice?”

  “Do what you’re good at. Jump in feetfirst and go with the flow.”

  That had never been what she thought she was good at, but she didn’t have a choice. “I’m going to send the maid of honor and the flower girl to the castle. Then I’ll take Rexie to the stone arch to talk with her. When I give you the signal, you call Duncan and have him deliver Barry. Then can you go and help Aunt Vi keep Bunny and the guests occupied?”

  “Will do.” He couldn’t have come up with a better plan himself, Cam thought as she walked away.

  Once she had Rexie alone, she took her hands and drew her toward the stone arch. “There’s someone here who wants to talk to you,” she said. “But first, I have a story to tell you.”

  Adair waited until she and Rexie were seated on the ledge that ran along the inside of the stone arch before she told it. “There’s bad news and good news,” she began.

  “You’re scaring me,” Rexie said.

  Adair took both of her hands and related the Lawrence Banes/Gianni Scalzo story, including the fact that he would be arrested any moment and taken to jail. Rexie didn’t interrupt, but Adair could read every emotion on her face—disbelief, shock, horror.

  “I married a crook.”

  “No,” Adair said. “I told you there was good news. You’re not married at all. The man who presided over the ceremony wasn’t a minister. He had no authority to marry you. You’re still a single woman.”

  A sheen of tears appeared in Rexie’s eyes, but there was relief, too. “Really?”

  Adair squeezed her hands. “Really. And I think I might have even better news. There’s someone here who wants to talk to you.”

  “Who?”

  Nerves knotted in Adair’s stomach. This part could go either way. But she turned and signaled Cam. Seconds later, a man stepped out of one of the parked cars in the driveway and ran toward the stone arch.

  Adair stepped a distance away to give the couple privacy. But the look in Rexie’s eyes when she’d seen Barry Carlson had told her everything. Hope and love. Those two things were what the legend of the stone arch were built upon. It had been what had worked for Eleanor and Angus One. And when Barry took Rexie into his arms and kissed her, Adair knew exactly what she was going to do next.

  In the rose arbor, Cam lingered long enough to see Barry Carlson kiss Rexie Maitland beneath the stones. They would find their happy ever after now.

  The question was: would he?

  17

  CAM WATCHED ADAIR for a moment longer, debating whether or not to join her. He’d told Duncan to hang around and keep an eye on things. And she’d asked him to keep the parents occupied. But first he had to check on how Daryl’s sting operation was going down. Not that he doubted for a minute that it would run smoothly.

  Turning, he wound his way down the garden path following the last of the guests. The terrace doors to the groom’s suite were open. Pausing, he used one of the trees in the garden for cover and looked into the room. Gianni Scalzo sat at a table in front of a laptop. It was running like clockwork, he thought. A couple of strokes on the keyboard and Winston Maitland was offering his new “son-in-law” a cigar. The moment that Daryl and Sheriff Skinner stepped into the room, Cam moved closer so that he had a clear view of Scalzo’s face. And the man was good. Even as Skinner read him his rights, Scalzo registered only innocence and confusion. He turned to Maitland. “They’re making a mistake. You have to vouch for me. I just made you and your clients very rich. I just married your daughter. I’m family.”

  Daryl stepped forward with the handcuffs. “You just tried to fleece him for every penny he’s got. And this time we’ve caught you in the act.”

  He clamped one of the cuffs to Scalzo’s wrists and the other to the arm of the wheelchair. Then he met the man’s eyes. “I told you back in Italy we’d meet again.”

  “You.” Scalzo yanked at the cuffs.

  “Yeah.” Daryl smiled at him. “Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it?”

  “You’ll never prove a thing,” Scalzo said, his voice rising.

  “We’ve got enough to put you away for a very long time,” Daryl said. “But even if we didn’t, your ex-partner’s going to turn on you just the way you turned on him.”

  Cam had the very great pleasure of seeing Gianni Scalzo turn pale.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You will,” Daryl said.

  Cam waited until the sheriff and one of his men wheeled Scalzo out before he strode into the room to join Daryl. “You okay?” he asked.

  Daryl grinned at him. “It was almost worth the wait to see the look on his face when he realized he’s not going to wiggle out of this one.”

  Cam turned his attention to Maitland then. The man’s face was nearly as white as Scalzo’s had been. He’d want to be with his wife and daughter. But Adair needed more time. He moved toward him. “Mr. Maitland, why don’t you come with Daryl and me?”

  * * *

  A HALF HOUR later, Cam sat with the Maitlands, Vi
and Daryl in a small anteroom that offered privacy as well as a view of the ballroom where guests were sipping champagne and enjoying the view of the lake.

  Daryl had filled them both in on Lawrence Banes’s real identity and the fact that he’d been discreetly escorted off the grounds by Sheriff Skinner and his men. Then Cam had told them about Barry Carlson’s arrival and the bare-bones sketch he’d received from his brother Duncan. Bunny’s complexion had paled considerably while he and Daryl were talking.

  As Cam wound it up, Maitland turned to his wife. “You actually conspired with Barry’s mother to engineer our daughter’s divorce? Why?”

  “Because I love her.” Bunny pulled a handkerchief out of her purse and dabbed at her eyes. “She was so unhappy. And he was trying to convince her to go back to Montana with him. I couldn’t let that happen. And then Lawrence came into our circle. He was just perfect. And that’s all I ever wanted for Rexie—a perfect wedding day, a perfect marriage.”

  Maitland shook his head, but he reached for his wife’s hand. “The only thing Lawrence Banes was perfect at was running a con.”

  Eyes sheened with tears, Bunny lifted her head and met her husband’s gaze, “You liked him. You were the one who thought up the business merger.”

  “Maybe not,” Daryl said, addressing Maitland. “I’m betting it was one of your clients who introduced you to Banes, and you only brought it up after you heard the buzz about how profitable his investments were.”

  Maitland frowned as he thought for a moment. “As I recall, it did happen that way.”

  Cam looked at Bunny. “Was it your idea to get Barry’s mother involved?”

  It was Bunny’s turn to frown. “Lawrence may have suggested it. He was so empathetic to Rexie’s unhappiness and my desire to change that. He mentioned that Barry’s mother might feel the same way. So I called her and we decided that they’d be happier if they stayed in their own worlds. She just wanted what was best for her son.”

  “And Banes—did he also suggest that you could help things along if you kept them from talking or communicating with one another?”

  “Yes,” Bunny admitted. “And it worked.”

  “Dammit, Bunny. Banes nearly ruined us,” Maitland said. “And think what it’s going to do to Rexie’s happiness when we have to tell her the truth about him.”

  “He’s damn good at what he used to do,” Daryl said. “I’ve been chasing him for over fifteen years.”

  Bunny glanced through the glass doors at the guests who were now casting curious glances at them. “He certainly ruined my daughter’s wedding day.”

  “Maybe not,” Cam said. He’d caught a glimpse of Adair threading her way through the guests with Rexie and Barry in tow.

  Once she’d entered the room, she beamed a smile at everyone. “Mr. and Mrs. Maitland, this is a first at Castle MacPherson. Today you are going to get two weddings for the price of one.”

  * * *

  IT WAS A double wedding day he would never forget, Cam decided. Two for the price of one is exactly what Adair had delivered. Cam stood with his brother at the edge of the ballroom terrace as Dr. Barry Carlson danced with his bride under the stars. Bunny Maitland was giving instructions to a photographer while Adair stood at the edge of the dance floor waiting to cue the bride’s father. The young couple had been remarried beneath the stone arch just as the sun had set on the lake. By a real minister this time.

  “Good work, bro,” Cam murmured to his brother.

  “I’d say it was good work all around.” Daryl joined them and passed out beers.

  “Compared to the two of you, my extraction mission wasn’t much of a challenge,” Duncan said. “All I had to do was explain what had evidently been going on to Barry. His mother caved right away and admitted to conspiring with Bunny Maitland. But she’d been having second thoughts for months because her son wasn’t happy, and he was still calling Rexie. The truth was he’d been planning a trip back to Long Island to see if she’d at least talk to him in person. I’m really sorry that I didn’t get him here in time to help out with the sting operation.”

  “You did play a role in that,” Cam said. “The fact that I was able to let Adair know that you were bringing Carlson back helped her to pull off the fake wedding. And you definitely played a role in getting Barry and Rexie their happy ending.”

  On the dance floor, Winston Maitland cut in on the groom to dance with his daughter.

  “Speaking of our little sting,” Daryl said, “I checked in with Sheriff Skinner and he says that MacDonald is still so angry with his old partner that he’s singing his head off. Which means that their victims will be getting at least some of their money back. The only thing he won’t admit to is breaking into the library. He admits that he knew about the missing sapphires, but never gave them much thought until he saw Adair and Vi unwrap the earring.”

  Cam frowned. “That means there’s still someone out there who has been sneaking into the castle on a regular basis.”

  “A new higher-tech security system will put an end to that,” Duncan said.

  “Not if what they’re after is the rest of Eleanor’s dowry,” Cam countered. “And now that one of the pieces has shown up, I’d be more motivated than ever to find the rest.”

  Duncan sipped his beer. “Since it looks like the two of you will be paying regular visits to the castle, you’ll just have to track them down first.”

  Cam nearly choked on his beer, and Daryl laughed. “We always have room for an FBI profiler. Why don’t you join us?”

  Duncan raised his free hand, palm outward. “Not me. I’m staying as far away from that stone arch as I can get.”

  “Good luck with that,” Daryl said. “I’m going to dance with my fiancée.”

  “Fiancée?” Cam murmured as Daryl walked away.

  Duncan clapped him on the shoulder. “I had a chat with Vi. Your boss doesn’t believe in wasting time.”

  No, Daryl didn’t waste time. A good CIA agent didn’t. And Cam felt he’d wasted seven years already. But it was impossible to get Adair alone. The cake had to be cut, the bridal bouquet had to be tossed, an endless number of pictures had to be shot. And everyone wanted to dance with Adair. He’d had to cut in on the groom to get a word with her.

  “You worked a miracle today,” he murmured as he pressed her close.

  “No, the legend did all the work,” she said.

  “You were the one who talked them into getting remarried here today.”

  Adair smiled up at him. “I got the idea when they kissed beneath the stone arch. I mean—why not? Their fate was sealed.”

  Hadn’t he thought the same thing when he’d seen them kiss? And his fate was sealed, too. For seven years he’d avoided accepting that.

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  “Sure. Later.” She smiled at him as the father of the bride cut in and whisked her away.

  Cam tried to use the time as the wedding wound down to come up with a plan. He needed a good one.

  * * *

  THE LAST OF the guests were locating their cars when Adair slipped away to her office. She needed a moment to think. Barry and Rexie were going to stay in Glen Loch in a bed-and-breakfast. She’d arranged that right after she’d made a call to Reverend Foley. And they were going to talk about their future. Before they’d left the stone arch, they’d been talking about perhaps spending part of the year in Montana and part in New York.

  The important thing was that they were talking. Nerves jittered in her stomach. They’d been dancing around there ever since Cam had told her they needed to talk. And he was looking for her even now.

  Adair sank into her chair and dropped her head in her hands. She knew what he wanted to talk about. They’d made a deal. They would enjoy each other until his work here was done. And it was. Scalzo and his partner were under arrest and her wedding problem was solved. The fat lady had sung.

  And she’d gotten just what she wanted—her Sutherland fantasy fling.

  Unl
ess you do something about it.

  Lifting her head, she looked at the metal box. Then she tore a yellow sheet of paper off of a legal pad and wrote down what she really wanted before she placed it with her other dreams and fantasies. Maybe it was time she tapped into that power again. Grabbing the box, she hurried out of her office.

  * * *

  AFTER SEARCHING EVERYWHERE, Cam found her in the stone arch on her hands and knees. The moment he called her name, she rose and turned. As he walked toward her, the nerves that had been skittering through his system all afternoon intensified. She was the only woman who’d ever made him feel this way. The only one he’d ever wanted to plan for. To plan with.

  He just had to pray that he could sell his plan to her.

  The air was perfumed with flowers and moonlight gleamed in a bright path across the lake as he joined her beneath the stone arch. For just a moment, Cam had the feeling that they were not alone. He thought of all the couples through all the years who’d stood right where they were standing and who’d found what the legend promised. Looking into Adair’s eyes, he knew he wanted what they’d wanted.

  “I want to talk to you about us,” he began.

  Adair felt something tighten around her heart. Maybe she’d tapped out all the power by getting her fantasy fling.

  “Things have happened very fast between us.”

  She couldn’t seem to get a breath. He was going to say that they’d had a great time and now he had to go back with Daryl to D.C. and she would have to get ready for the next wedding. He’d be in touch. And he probably wouldn’t be.

  She didn’t want to hear it. “I know what you’re going to say. You have to go back with Daryl. You’ll be in touch, but—”

  “No. Yes.” He took her other hand, gripped both of them hard. “Don’t put words in my mouth. I’m having enough trouble finding the ones I want on my own. I’ve tried all day to come up with a plan. And I’m really lousy at this.”

  “A plan?” She stared at him.

  “There hasn’t been enough time. I want more…I need more.…”

  “Time for what?” Then, because she saw some of the turmoil she was feeling in his eyes, she shut up.