“By the way, I made a last minute switch to our song. You’ll like it.” Once they checked in, they stepped inside the door where they were to wait for their cue to begin their stroll. At the first sound of the piano key, Gracelyn smiled at him. She took his arm along with a deep breath. They stepped forward together. No regrets.
Dane had a gleam in his eyes. “Thanks for the Elvis song switch. Hey, baby, our families are watching.”
I’m happy Mom and Dad. Be happy for us. She clenched her simple bouquet of red and white roses high above her waist, not shy or ashamed to have a belly protruding in a wedding dress as she walked down the aisle to marry her son’s dad. She placed her bouquet on the first seat. “I’m in love with you, Dane.”
At the altar, they faced each other. “I’m in love with you, Miss Clark. That’s the last time you’ll be called Miss.” He winked and squeezed her hands. “Okay, sexy, it’s time.”
Standing in front of him, she beamed with pride. As he spoke the words to her, the devotion in his eyes was true. Her eyes lowered to their hands as he slipped the marquise diamond ring over her finger without any dropping or fumbling.
She repeated vows to a man she’d grow with, and slipped the band over his finger in return. They faced forward as the officiant said his final words to pronounce them man and wife. Dane’s hands went to her shoulders to bring her close—his skin warm, a bit sweaty. She slid her hands around his waist and met a long, slow kiss.
When their lips separated, they turned toward the aisle. Gracelyn looped her arm through his. “We did it.” A cheerfulness radiated from her voice. “We’re married.”
“Yes, we did, babe.”
They were almost to the door when he stopped to kiss her again. The glint in his eyes said happiness—the kiss against her lips said sexy. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back with the same desire.
After finalizing their paperwork, together they went outside as Master Sergeant Dane Carlson and Mrs. Carlson. Gracelyn took in and blew out an anxious breath.
Dane took her hand and did a combined fist pump. Their hands still in the air, he asked, “On three, now what is it we say?”
Gracelyn nodded. “On three.” They counted one, two… On three they both yelled out, “Hooah!”
“The true wife of a military man. I’m proud of you, Gracelyn Clark-Carlson.”
Happiness abounded in her heart, and she hadn’t realized what he said, but it was true. Maybe marrying a soldier had been her destiny all along. Gulping, she forced out, “Are we still on video?”
He shrugged. “If you mean cameras throughout this whole city, then indeed we are, but if you mean our video stream, I don’t know.” Dane grabbed her into his arms to lift her off the ground and he kissed her right there on the sidewalk. Spectators stopped to take their picture before going on their way.
“Hold it there, you two,” said the photographer. “Excellent.” The limo driver opened the door for the photographer who climbed in first, taking the seat across from them, his camera up and ready to get them entering. Once they settled inside, they poured champagne for more pictures.
“This is amazing. What a fantastic idea for us to come here.” They posed as the photographer instructed until their first stop at the welcome sign, south of the Las Vegas Strip.
Dane suggested his own shot in front of the sign. Standing behind his bride with his arms around her, his fingers splayed around her belly, he whispered, “Later, when we show our son these pictures, I want him to know of the pride I had on the day I married his mama.”
She tipped her head back and he kissed her that way. The photographer kept clicking. They hopped back into the limo and drove off to the next venue. “Maybe this package wasn’t meant for a pregnant woman this far along. I’m worn out.” Dusk loomed over the city. The next and final shots would be sunset on the strip.
***
When the driver dropped off the photographer their time up with the limo neared. They sat wrapped up in each other on the way back to the hotel. Dane shifted to his side as he reclined across the seat, and she stretched out beside him. He grasped hair at the back of her head to hold her right where he wanted her for more heated kisses. “You don’t know what this means to me.”
Content in his arms, she replied, “I know what it means to me.”
The window rolled down. “We’re almost to the hotel, sir. Shall I drive around a few more miles?”
Dane grinned. One fingertip caressed the mounds of her breasts that protruded above the bodice of her dress. “Wedding night in a limo?”
“We better get to dinner. My little one needs nourishment, too.”
“Gotcha.” Dane said to the driver, “Thanks, but you better get us to the hotel.” He helped Gracelyn back to a sitting position. “I need to change out of my uniform for dinner.” When they pulled up to the hotel and were let out, they strolled inside. “We’ll make the dinner reservation if we hurry.” He checked his watch. “No time for a quickie either, this time.”
Too bad. “I’ll hurry. Let me slip into my little black dress and freshen up a little.”
***
Upon opening the door to their room, Dane immediately held her back. In a gruff voice, he spat out, “Wait. Stay here.”
The roughness startled her and she let him know with a glare. “What the hell are you doing?”
He stared into the room while holding her back. “Someone’s been here.” Taking a step in, he held his hand up indicating for her to stay back.
She attempted to enter anyway. “Housekeeping came in to turn the bed down. Don’t be paranoid.”
He wrenched her back toward him again. “Then they opened the safe. Stay here. Don’t be one of those women who has to follow anyway.” Gracelyn waited inside the doorway as he searched the rooms in their suite. When satisfied, he came back to the door shaking his head. “I’m sorry about that, honey.” Gently taking her by the elbow, he escorted her inside then locked the door behind them. “We’re changing hotels.”
With squinted eyes, she asked, “Why? Everything appears to be okay.”
“The safe is empty. Our tablets were in there.” He raised his hands then lowered them. “Take a look at the bedroom. Prepare yourself.”
“This can’t be happening.” She rushed into the bedroom ahead of him. “No…” Clothes in the closet had been shredded. Their opened suitcases were strewn across the room. “No way.” She pressed her fingers against her lips. “I have to check my suitcase.”
He held her and nodded no. Dane had hung up his phone before they reentered the front section of their suite. “The manager will be up, but I also called the police. Don’t touch anything,” he said and nodded toward the sofa. They sat and he smoothed his fingers over the top of her hand. “Honey, if there’s something else about Jamison you aren’t telling me, you better start talking now.”
“You suspect him?” Of course he did. So did she now that he’d mentioned his name. “There’s nothing to tell about him that I haven’t already told you. I never went out with him…never spent time with him alone. How many more times do I have to repeat this?”
“Shit.” Dane stood and paced across the room before going back to her side. “He was on the damn plane with us. I suggested to him he better back off, when you went into the bathroom.”
“You threatened him? No wonder he’s pissed, but it still gives him no excuse to do this.” Gracelyn stood and took her phone from the table after Dane removed it from his pocket. She turned it on and checked a voice mail message. “Where will we stay?” It was time to get law enforcement involved. Gasping, she handed the phone over. “Listen.” Omigod.
“It wasn’t a threat I made.” He took her phone. “What the hell is up with this man? He knows nothing about me and has no right saying you made a mistake marrying me.” After saving the message, he handed the phone back. “Do you believe that? Will you believe it after you’ve had time to think it over?” A knock on the door interrupted him so he c
rossed the room to open it. “You’re not answering my question.” The manager entered. “Don’t touch anything.” Dane peered back at her, his voice stern. “Gracelyn?”
His brows pulled down and straightened over angry eyes—lips pressed flat like he was ready to explode. Not a look she cared for either. The manager entered the rooms to look around. In a sharp reply, she said, “No, absolutely not.” She pounded a fist against her thigh. “Why would I believe anything he says? He infuriates me.”
When the manager came out Dane told him he had called the police.
“I’m sorry, sir, I have no idea how this happened. I’ll be sure to question our head of security.” The manager ran his fingers over the back of his head then crossed the room to check the window. Facing them, he said, “We’ll check the cameras in the hallway.”
Dane’s hands fisted at his waist. “We know who did this and why.”
“Please tell me,” said the manager, “because I don’t want a guest like that staying here. I’ll refund your money. Stay an extra night on us.”
“Bullshit. I’m not talking to anybody except the police. For sure I’m not staying another night here.” He glanced her way, but continued, “My wife’s more than eight months pregnant. She doesn’t deserve to be in fear, so we’re checking out.”
“Sir, I do understand, but please, give us a chance to make it right.”
Another knock on the door halted their conversation. The police this time. “Come in.” The officers shook hands with Dane, the manager, and next Gracelyn—eyeing her standing there in her wedding dress.
“Newlyweds. Such a shame to be robbed on your wedding night,” said the taller officer who introduced himself as Officer Brannon. They checked out the suite then returned to the main section.
“We know who it was, or have our suspicions.” Dane took Gracelyn’s hand and led her back to the love seat. He directed the officers and manager to take a seat across from them on the sofa. “It’s a long story, but to make it short, my wife has a stalker back home…” He told the story as he knew it before they questioned her.
Her nostrils flared. “I had no clue he’d go this far. He hadn’t done anything like this before, nothing to say he looked for trouble. In fact, I never suspected him as a stalker, as my husband seems to think. Until now.”
“We’ll need his name and any other information you have about him,” said the female, Officer Howard.
Her fingers shook as she picked up her phone to view his number, but it was blocked. “The number doesn’t show.” She dialed voicemail then handed her phone over to Officer Brannon. “This was on my phone when we got back. He seems to have gotten worse since my husband’s return.”
“He must be using a burner phone. We’ll study the video to see if we can find out who came into the room.” Officer Brannon wrote in his notebook. “We’ll check the room over more closely while continuing the investigation. I’m sorry, but I’m sure the manager can fit you into another room.”
Dane spoke. “We’re leaving this hotel anyway the minute we’re done here.”
After listening to the voicemail, Officer Brannon asked Dane, “Why would he warn your wife about you?”
“Hell if I know,” Dane said with a snap. “He didn’t want me to come home from the military apparently. I was sent back to the states over a month ago. Can’t you see he wanted my wife and I got in the way?”
Officer Brannon peered at Gracelyn. “Whose child are you carrying, ma’am.” He held eye contact with a condescending stare. “It’s my job to ask.”
Dane took a step forward. “That’s nobody’s damn business. She’s my wife.”
“You’re mistaken, sir. It just became our business.” The officer stared at Gracelyn as if she had done something wrong.
She stood, her hands going to her midriff to hug herself. “This is my husband’s child. How dare you.” She wasn’t sure if she was more embarrassed or angry by the question. Either way, she hadn’t liked the implication.
“Look, we’ve had a long day so you can see why we need to get out of here.” Dane wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “How soon before we can leave? By the way—the same asshole was also on our flight here.”
“You won’t be able to pack your things until our investigation is over.”
“Of course!” He peered at Gracelyn. “We’ll pick up what we need for the night. Relax.” Dane directed his attention back to the officers and manager. “Both our tablets are missing. They were in the safe.”
“Did you have anything else of value in the room, sir?”
Gracelyn’s shoulders shimmied in a shiver. “I had a gift for my husband. I can show you a picture on my phone. It wasn’t in the safe, so maybe it’s still where I had it.”
“Where was it?” asked Officer Brannon.
“In my suitcase, but everything is strewn all over the floor and I didn’t touch anything when I went in there to look, but it’s in a zippered side panel.” Her voice quavered. My red gown is right there spread across the bed. She pressed a fist against her lips. That wasn’t where she left it either. For sure she hadn’t left it with a big slice down the front. This was too upsetting and she had to leave. She pressed closer to Dane. “Please let me check the pocket in my suitcase.”
“Come with me,” directed Officer Howard.” In the room she used the tip of her pen to pull down the zipper and there it was. She handed the box to Gracelyn.
A quick perusal of the items dumped from her suitcase, didn’t look like anything was missing. Really, the only jewelry she brought was what she had on—a bracelet, Tammy’s earrings, the new locket, and this heirloom watch for Dane. “Thank you.” Opening the box to check that it was in there, her heart slammed against her chest wall. Thank God, it’s here. Sweat beaded on her forehead and between her breasts. The upset stomach she had earlier returned. Sit down, I have to sit down. Dane’s arm went around her waist and he led her back to the living room. Good thing because she might pass out. The box went into her purse.
“Come on, sit down.” He spoke to the officers, “She needs some water.”
“Better if you touch nothing,” said the officer who had accompanied her to the bedroom.
Dane got up to get it anyway. “My wife needs a drink.”
With a glare to the insulting Officer Brannon, he sauntered to the fridge, then took a bottle of water over. Dane dropped beside her.
She leaned against him and nervously brushed bangs from her forehead. “Thank you. I’m not feeling well again.”
“Do we have to be here?” Dane asked to anyone who listened. “We’ve given all the information that we have, but I need to secure another room for tonight.” Dane assisted Gracelyn up from the sofa. “We’ll come to the station tomorrow if you need us to, but we’ve had a long day. We’ve told you everything there was to tell.”
Officer Howard spoke to Gracelyn with compassion in her voice. “How far along are you?”
“In my eighth month. Like my husband said, we’ve had a long day. We flew in this afternoon, so yes, I’m worn out.” She rubbed her forehead and glanced off to the side. A shadow caught her attention to the long table against the wall in the front room. “I see something that looks like a tablet. Over there under that table.”
Officer Brannon went to it and used his pen to push it out. He removed a flashlight from his belt and shined it under the table. “There’s the other one.” He scanned the room then removed a loose hanger from the front coat rack to reach under.
“That one’s mine,” said Dane. “What the hell sense was that? Steal it from the safe only to leave it here?” His hands splayed as he lifted them.
The officer marked it. “The screen’s cracked. We’ll get them back to you after checking for fingerprints.” He stuck them into an evidence bag.
The manager spoke up when he ended the call he had been on. “I’ve arranged a room with another hotel at our expense. This should’ve never happened here.”
“Thank you,” said
Gracelyn, taking hold of Dane’s hand. She asked Officer Howard if they could finish the investigation in their new hotel, if necessary. She breathed a sigh of relief when they gave them permission to leave.
Dane put his jacket over her shoulders before checking his phone—afterward, he looked at the cops. “We need to get items for tonight so we’ll be stopping, but we need to go now before they close.”
Officer Brannon took down their phone numbers. “You’re free to go. How long are you in town?”
Dane peeked at his watch then explained about their flight to San Francisco the next evening. “We need to get to the airport no later than 5:30.”
“We’ll be in touch in the morning,” said Officer Howard. She nodded to Gracelyn. “Try to enjoy the rest of your evening. We’ll take care of things on this end. Congratulations on your wedding.”
Dane rolled his eyes and took Gracelyn’s arm as they walked out the door. At the elevator he punched the button with the heel of his hand hard enough for it to break. “This is a damn mess and far from over. Don’t expect me to sit on this.”
“What are you saying? Calm down.”
“Never mind.” He ushered her into the elevator when the door finally opened and kept hold of her hand. “We’ll stop at the desk for details about our hotel and get the hell outta here. The reason he left the tablets was to prove a point, to show us he could. When we go home, you’re learning how to shoot.”
“But, but—”
“When we get home, you’re learning how to shoot to kill. I want you to be able to protect yourself, Gracelyn. You need to take this serious.”
Chapter 16
They stopped at Kohl’s and an all-night party store to pick up other items like toothbrushes, makeup, hair brushes, aspirin—items they’d need for the night. They fought traffic along the busy and brightly lit, colorful strip all the way to the other hotel. Dane boiled with rage inside over not being able to do anything. To sit and wait wasn’t his calling. He lived to get the job done and that wouldn’t change.
Of The Cowboy's Own Accord (Double Dutch Ranch; Love At First Sight #3) Page 20
