Little Boys Blue

by Susan Kearney

  She was about to protest when his hands closed over hers. “The Senator wanted you to have it.”

  “The Senator gave me emeralds,” Laura said with a dreamy smile. “And I think it’s a lovely tradition.”

  “But—”

  Cameron bent down and his lips covered hers, swallowing her protest. His kiss had the usual effect on Alexa. Fire flashed through her veins and she forgot Laura watching them with interest, forgot she didn’t know this man, forgot she wouldn’t be spending her wedding night in his arms. All she could think about was kissing him back—and that she’d hate herself forever if she chickened out and canceled the wedding.

  Chapter Seven

  “Go ahead. Open them all,” Cameron insisted, looking handsome in a black tuxedo that accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs.

  Alexa, dressed in a sundress while Laura made a few last-minute adjustments to the wedding gown, looked at the huge pile of wedding presents in astonishment. Prettily wrapped boxes covered the kitchen table, overflowed onto the floor and onto the back terrace.

  “Where did they all come from?”

  Free from baby-sitting duties since Chase had taken all the boys for a ride and had yet to return, Julie, a vision in a scrumptious gold strapless gown that set off her tan, opened a pad of paper. “Guests have been arriving all morning. The Senator sent the gifts over. After you open them, I’ll record the names and addresses and note what’s inside so you can send thank-you notes, and then Leo and Cody will take them back to the Senator’s to put on display.”

  “You’ll have to hurry,” Laura said as she stitched closed a dart in the gown. “The Senator called and said we need to be there by four.”

  Alexa hadn’t thought through all the implications of a wedding. People spending hard-earned money on gifts for a fake marriage didn’t sit right with her. Feeling like a fraud, she hesitated, not wanting to accept the gifts. But she had no choice. Making a quick decision, she decided to open the gifts and thank everyone, but send the gifts back after the marriage ended. Meanwhile, she’d do what was expected of a bride.

  Julie placed a box in her lap, neatly removed the card and made notations on her pad. “Try this one first. It’s from Wyatt Smithee and his wife.”

  Laura must have seen Alexa’s fingers shaking. She carefully put down her sewing and leaned over. “Here, let me help you.”

  Get a grip. It was only a gift, Alexa told herself. But the admonishment didn’t calm her jittery nerves.

  And Cameron was looking at her with concern. He leaned over and massaged her shoulders, his warm fingers digging into and soothing tense muscles. “Relax, sweetheart.”

  Alexa almost slapped away his hands and told him she wasn’t his sweetheart. Just in time she realized this was her wedding day and how ridiculous she would look if she protested.

  Instead, she leaned into Cam’s strong hands. “Whatever you say, beefcake.”

  Laura chuckled. Julie looked annoyed and rolled her eyes. Both Leo and Bodine blushed. Each young man looked at Julie, and Alexa found it amusing to watch them vie for the oblivious young woman’s attention who seemed to hide from them by sitting very close to Cameron.

  Laura smoothed out the fancy wrapping paper, reached through the tissues and pulled out a ceramic tureen, hand-painted in the exuberant Tulavera style. “How lovely.”

  Alexa’s stomach finally settled and she swiftly and efficiently opened chaffing dishes, hors d’oeuvre platters, silk cocktail napkins, silver-plated bottle openers, stemless hand-blown champagne glasses. A Saudi prince, a friend of the Senator’s, had sent a remarkable collection of dinnerware, a set for twenty guests with each piece a different design and showcasing châteaux of the world and their gardens.

  Her favorite gift was from Rafe Sutton, Cam’s youngest brother. It was a framed watercolor by a local artist who had captured the spirit of a horse and its fluid speed. Against the background of Highview’s snow-capped mountains, a magnificent roan stallion raced across a verdant valley. Head up, mane blowing in the wind, mighty hind quarters bunched for the next bounding leap, the animal epitomized independence, achievement and boldness.

  Alexa lingered over the painting, reluctant to put it down. “It’s gorgeous.”

  Cameron placed the painting over the fireplace, and Alexa opened the next box. Julie tapped her pencil. “I hope a card’s inside. I couldn’t find one attached to the box.”

  Her thoughts still on the painting, Alexa reached through more tissue paper and uncovered the head of a porcelain doll dressed in a wedding veil. Carefully, she unwrapped the doll’s body, which wore full wedding attire. But something was horribly wrong.

  The eyes had been chipped out. A hunting knife poked out of the doll’s chest. Red paint had been splattered over the doll’s wedding dress.

  Heart icing at the sight, Alexa couldn’t speak. Laura gasped. Julie dropped her pad. Bodine and Cody, unaware of the problem, remained busy carrying the unwrapped gifts to the car.

  “Cameron!” Alexa held up the doll so he could see it. She couldn’t believe that someone had deliberately sent such a nasty thing wrapped as a wedding gift. What kind of sick mind was stalking her? As fear twisted through her, she straightened her spine, determined not to give in. It was only a doll with red paint splashed on it. She wouldn’t get hysterical. She wouldn’t overreact.

  From across the room, she watched Cam’s eyes narrow, his lips tighten and a muscle in his jaw work. “Put it down and don’t touch anything else.”

  As if she would. Wild horses couldn’t drag her into searching through the box.

  Cam had no such compunction. Leaning over her, he plucked out a card between thumb and forefinger. Touching only the edges, he read a typed message aloud: “‘Don’t marry him.’”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Laura asked, looking from Alexa to Cameron for an explanation.

  “Someone is trying to scare me away,” Alexa said softly, fear spiking through her. But along with the fear came anger. How dare someone try to manipulate her? Curling her fingers tightly into her palms, she drew a deep breath and released it slowly. If someone meant to frighten her, the scheme had worked. But she refused to give in to the fear.

  “But why?” Julie asked.

  Cameron looked at Alexa. “Our marriage will help me to keep custody of the twins. Obviously the Barringtons don’t like the idea.”

  Laura peered at the doll, resting atop the tissue in the box. “I don’t know, Cam. That knife looks awfully familiar. I could swear it’s Bodine’s.”

  The foreman? Bodine’s? Alexa recalled how the foreman had been near the bridge after the explosion. He’d also been around when that bull had gotten loose. But why would Bodine try to stop her marriage to Cameron? She’d never met the man before coming to the ranch. Did he have a motive he alone knew? Or could he be working for her grandparents?

  “Bodine,” Cam called out.

  Bodine came inside, and Alexa couldn’t read anything but honesty in his weather-lined face. “Yes, Doc?”

  “Do you have a knife with a six-inch blade and a blue handle?”

  “It’s missing.”

  “You mean you lost it?”

  “No, sir. I had it last night. Took it out to clean and left it on the night stand. This morning, it was gone.”

  Cameron motioned the man over to the box. “Is this your knife?”

  “Sure looks like it.” Bodine’s lips drew into a frown. “But I didn’t stab this doll. What would be the point?”

  “Someone doesn’t want Alexa to marry me.”

  Bodine shrugged. “Doc, I’ll pack up my things and leave if you want, but it doesn’t matter one whit to me who you marry.”

  Alexa watched Bodine’s eyes carefully. He didn’t wince or avoid Cameron’s gaze. He just looked surprised. Sounded sincere. But he’d as good as admitted the knife was his. Alexa wondered if her grandparents could have bribed him. Later, she’d ask the sheriff to look into his bank account, his background.


  She really had trouble believing her grandparents would go to such lengths as to hire the cowboy to frighten her, but she’d never have thought they’d take Cameron to court over the twins, either.

  Laura’s lips pursed in thought. “The doll must have been purchased somewhere.”

  “I don’t know,” Alexa eyed the material carefully. “It looks kind of old-fashioned.”

  “Maybe we can trace it.” Laura stood and shook out the wedding gown she’d altered and glanced at her watch. “Alexa needs to change.”

  Cam turned to Alexa. “You still want to go through with this?”

  “Of course.” With the court hearing less than a week away, she realized the timing couldn’t be better. Alexa looked at her nails, then back at Cam and shot him her best grin. “I just need one more coat of nail polish first.”

  NAIL POLISH? How could the woman think about nail polish after she’d just received a death threat? Cam had to admit she kept a cool head. Some women might have screamed or fainted, but Alexa was made of sterner stuff. He could almost see the cogs of her mind turning, first ordering herself to be calm, then sensibly going through alternatives, options and possibilities.

  His brother Chase strode in with Keith and the twins. According to plan, they’d ridden to his brother’s house, where Chase had bathed and dressed the boys, then he’d driven them back in his car so they’d stay clean.

  Looking none the worse for wear in his own tuxedo, Chase said, “You owe me.”

  Cam smiled and reached for his wallet as his sons and Keith raced by him into the kitchen. “What’d they break this time?”

  “I barely turned my back on them.”

  Cameron took out some cash. “How much?”

  “You must have eyes in the back of your head.

  Cameron took out all the cash he had.

  Chase shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it. They found my toolbox.”

  Cam turned toward a kitchen drawer, figuring the cash in his wallet wouldn’t cover the damage. “I’ll get my checkbook. What did they take apart?”

  “My computer.”

  “Jason! Flynn! Get your butts in here!” Cam shouted. Not only had they caused damage, they could have electrocuted themselves.

  Keith stayed in the kitchen while the twins skidded into the den, innocent looks on their faces. Jason eyed his father’s black suit, black shirt, black tie. “You look pretty, Dad.”

  Flynn scrunched up his nose. “Men aren’t pretty, they’re hand…dom.”

  “Handsome. And don’t try to distract me. What did I tell you guys about electrical appliances?”

  “They shock.”

  “We were careful, Dad. We took the plug out of the wall.”

  Why didn’t that news make him feel better? “Why did you destroy Chase’s computer?”

  “We didn’t.”

  “Didn’t.”

  Chase kneeled down to look his nephews in the eye. “My computer doesn’t work when it’s in ten pieces.”

  “We can put it back together, Uncle Chase.”

  “Maybe you can, but maybe you can’t. And in the meantime, how can I work?”

  Flynn took Chase’s hand. “We’ll help you work.”

  “Sorry, Uncle Chase.” Jason added, his expression a mixture of sorrow and a plea for mercy. “We just wanted to see the inside.”

  “Look at those faces,” Cam muttered. “They have this apology thing down pat.”

  “That’s because they screw up so often. They’d make terrific actors. Maybe you should send them to Hollywood.”

  At Chase’s words, Flynn’s baby-blue eyes clouded with tears. “Don’t send us away to the holly woods, Dad.”

  “We’ll be good,” Jason promised, his lower lip quivering.

  “I can’t afford to send you guys away.” Cameron shuddered. Just the thought of his sons around all that expensive movie-production equipment was enough to give him nightmares. But he didn’t think it would hurt them to be reminded that they could be punished for their actions.

  Alexa, a vision of a wrathful bride, swept into the room and scooped the boys into her arms. “No one is sending you two boys anywhere.” She turned angry eyes on Cam and Chase. “How could you two even suggest sending these two angels—”

  “Those two angels just disassembled my hard drive,” Chase complained. “And they even got Keith to help them.”

  Cameron enjoyed the sparkle that had returned to Alexa’s eyes. Her nostrils flared and her spine straightened as if she was getting ready to fight the enemy. Although she wore Laura’s wedding dress, she didn’t look virginal but sexy, and for a moment he imagined planting kisses along her bare shoulders and peeling down the zipper at her back.

  Would she wear frothy lace undies beneath the gown? Or nothing at all?

  At least the stabbed doll didn’t appear to have her too worried. But he wouldn’t take any chances. He intended to stay close by her side all day. And he suddenly realized what torture that would be, breathing in her scent, pretending they were the happy couple about to share a wedding night. Cam almost groaned aloud.

  “And where were you?” Alexa asked his brother. “Weren’t you supposed to be watching them?”

  “Dad called. He needed…” Chase threw his hands into the air. “Never mind. If we don’t hurry, you’ll be late for the wedding. And Laura will never forgive me.”

  “A fate worse than death.” Cam chuckled wickedly. “I’ll bet ten bucks you haven’t seen the dress she’s wearing.”

  “And you weren’t supposed to see this one until the ceremony,” Alexa complained.

  Cam picked up Flynn and slipped his free arm through Alexa’s. “I’m not superstitious. Besides, I don’t intend to let you out of my sight.”

  “I shouldn’t have let Laura out of my sight, either.” Chase’s brow furled. “I suppose her dress is cut real low?”

  “With a slit all the way up to there,” Cam taunted, knowing the slit only came to Laura’s knee, but he couldn’t resist teasing Chase. “Don’t worry. I thought she looked terrific.”

  “Keep your eyes on your own wife,” Chase muttered as he picked up Keith and led them out the front door.

  Behind his back, Cameron and Alexa exchanged grins. The twins high-fived, believing they’d gotten away without being punished, but Cam knew he would have to do something to contain their exuberant curiosity without stifling their creativity before they hurt themselves or created more havoc.

  Perhaps Alexa would have a suggestion. That is, if she stuck around long enough after the wedding to make a difference in their lives. He supposed he should count his lucky stars that she was still willing to go through with his father’s cockamamie plan and marry him after seeing that scary doll.

  Her courage gave her the right to be an equal partner, and he had no business holding back evidence from her—even if it made her unhappy. Cam leaned back in the passenger seat, willing to let Chase drive. “The sheriff didn’t get any prints off the bridge’s detonation device. However, he did learn something interesting.”

  Alexa looked at him over the heads of the twins, who were on their best behavior after the stunt they’d pulled that morning. “What’s up?”

  “The sheriff said that an automatic timer had been set to blow up the bridge. And it went off too early.”

  “That would mean…”

  “It means we should have been way over the bridge and safe before the explosion.”

  “So now you think the scheme was meant to scare us, nothing else?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “And you think my grandparents—”

  “Or someone they hired.”

  “—could be trying to frighten me away from you?” Alexa reached over and took Cam’s hand. “Well, I don’t scare easy.”

  Chase adjusted the rearview mirror. “Hey, you all. This is your wedding day. You two should be cuddled up and smooching in the back seat—”

  “And mess up my makeup? I don’t
think so.”

  “—instead of talking about plots and schemes and—”

  Cam grinned. “I wouldn’t want to mess up her makeup.”

  “Of course not,” Chase said in a tone that clearly indicated he thought Cam was crazy.

  “Or her hair,” Flynn piped up.

  “Lexi’s pretty,” Jason agreed.

  “She smells good.”

  “And clean.”

  Alexa smiled at the boys. “I do believe those are the nicest compliments I’ve received all day.”

  Chase shook his head. “You better hurry up and marry her before your sons get too much older and give you some competition.”

  Cam snorted. “Just remember you volunteered to watch these little guys for us tonight.”

  “Was I drinking when I offered?” Chase muttered.

  Alexa turned to Cameron, her eyes full of worry. “Chase, can we take a rain check on the baby-sitting offer? With everything that’s happened, I’d prefer to keep a very close eye on the twins.”

  “We’ll be good, Aunt Lexi,” Flynn promised.

  Alexa smoothed a stray lock of hair off his forehead. “I know, sweetie. But I’d like my new family all under one roof tonight. That way I won’t have to worry about you two boys.”

  Alexa seemed so poised and logical, it was as if she got married every day of the week. Cam decided she needed more color in her cheeks.

  He caught Alexa’s gaze. “We’ll all stay together, but the only one I want you worrying about tonight is me.”

  ALEXA KNEW CAM was teasing her, but thoughts of their wedding night made her uncomfortable. Luckily the view distracted her. Chase drove past a ridge and made a gradual ascent to the north, passing a brow of massive cliffs and heading into the rolling valley where the Senator had built his home.

  The house, although large, was not imposing on the land but blended into it. The design possessed a natural grace, a flowing grandeur that matched the vast lands and towering mountains that surrounded it. Solid stone walls, large picture windows with stunning views of the spectacular scenery lent an elegance to a house that the Senator could leave as an enduring monument to the future.