“I’m here.”
“We’ve arrested the man who murdered your family. You’ll need to testify in court, but I don’t expect anyone to come after you. We’ve got enough evidence to put him away for a long time. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow, once you’ve had time to let everything I’ve said sink in. Have you got someone with you?”
Todd looked across at Dylan. “Yeah, Dylan’s here.”
“Hand the phone to him.”
Todd passed the phone across to Dylan. He didn’t wait to hear what Detective Munroe had to say. He needed to stand up, walk away, and try to make sense of what he’d just been told.
***
“Are you okay?”
Todd stared into the creek. “No.”
Dylan sat down beside him. “Detective Munroe told me what happened. I’m sorry.”
Todd picked up a round, flat, stone and threw it into the water. “It was all a mistake. They didn’t need to die.”
Dylan bent his knees and rested his hands on them. “No, they didn’t.”
Todd wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. “For four years I thought it was me. I thought I’d killed my family because I’d seen a murder.”
“You couldn’t have done anything to stop what happened.”
Todd didn’t say anything. Dylan was wrong. There were a lot of things he could have done differently. He could have turned a blind eye, pretended he’d never seen the person being murdered in the street. He could have insisted his family join the witness protection program earlier. He could have made sure they’d taken the threat to their life more seriously.
It didn’t matter that his wife and son weren’t supposed to die. If he’d taken better care of them, they would have been gone from their home before the killers arrived.
Todd was lost in so many memories that he felt as though he was drowning.
Dylan found a stone and threw it at the surface of the creek. It skipped along the top, then sank, disappearing from sight. “The FBI are going to call you when they find out when the case is going to court. Until then, there isn’t a lot you can do.”
Todd nodded. They sat on the edge of the creek, throwing stones in the water and watching the current flow downstream.
“Where’s Max?” Dylan asked.
“He ran across to the tree house. He’s probably chewing on the rope ladder.”
“You need to get him some decent doggy toys.”
Todd thought about the type of things Max liked to play with. There weren’t many toys that his giant jaws wouldn’t demolish in a few minutes.
Dylan turned toward the tree house. “He’s on his way here now.”
Todd watched Max gallop across the field. He still couldn’t believe how someone could have abandoned the big Irish wolfhound. Sure, he was the size of a small pony, but he had a lot going for him.
Max skidded to a halt beside Todd. He watched Dylan throw another rock in the creek.
“You know that you’re going to have to find him a stick?” Todd asked Dylan.
At the word ‘stick’, Max’s shaggy eyebrows lifted in anticipation. His back legs started to tremble and he gave an excited bark.
Dylan stood up and started looking on the ground. “I wouldn’t do this for any dog, Max, but you’re special.”
Max looked so happy that Todd was surprised he didn’t start licking Dylan. But Max had more important things to consider. Stick chasing was serious business, and if there was ever a dog who was up for the challenge, it was Max.
With a quick flick of his wrist, Dylan threw a stick toward the pine trees. Max tore across the ground. He leaped over a fallen log, skidded to a halt, then held the stick triumphantly in his jaws.
With a proud tilt to his head, Max came trotting back to Dylan. He dropped the stick on the ground and sat on his bottom, waiting for the next throw.
Dylan smiled and rubbed Max’s head. “Good boy.”
Max looked down at the stick, then back up at Dylan.
“Okay, Max. But this is the last one.”
Max gave a short, sharp, bark, and then he was off, tearing across the ground, pouncing on the stick Dylan had thrown.
Todd pulled a bunch of tissues out of his pocket and blew his nose. Wallowing in self-pity wasn’t going to change what had happened. His wife and son had been killed. Whether it was intentional or not, it made no difference to the outcome.
He had to learn to live with the grief. Learn to live with the pain of knowing it didn’t need to happen.
Max and Dylan were busy playing tug-of-war with the stick. Max was winning. With one fast shake of his head, he pulled the stick out of Dylan’s hands and raced toward the pine trees.
“I think he wants you to follow him,” Todd said quietly.
“He’s out of luck. Are you ready to buy me dinner?”
“I thought you were going to the movies with Annie?”
Dylan shrugged his shoulders. “She’ll drag me along to a chick-flick. You’ll be saving me from two hours of boredom.”
Todd grunted. “You’ll get me into trouble.”
“No more than I normally do. And because you’re paying, how about we have Thai takeout?”
“Are you sure Annie won’t mind?”
Dylan grinned. “I’m sure, but I’d better call her. She’ll probably ask her friends if they want to go with her.”
They walked back to Todd’s home with Max running ahead of them. The sun was getting low, brushing the land in a soft, pink glow. Todd looked around his ranch. He’d made a good life for himself. He had a part-time job, a place that had become his home. For the best part of four years he’d kept to himself, did what he needed to do and ignored everything around him. But he wasn’t doing that anymore.
Max barked, reminding him that a certain Irish wolfhound had become part of his future. And that wasn’t all that had happened. He’d met Sally. She made him feel things that he thought he’d never feel again. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized that the life he was living was only part of who he could be. She made him believe in love again.
Dylan glanced across at him. “Everything will be all right.”
Todd took a deep breath and thought about Sally. “Yeah. I think it will.”
***
Todd knocked on the front door of The Bridesmaids Club. He’d waited all day before calling Sally. He needed to talk to her, tell her what had happened. He hadn’t slept well last night. Flashbacks had filled his dreams, images and sounds of the night his wife and son had died. After a full day working at the veterinary practice, he was exhausted.
“Come in.” Molly’s voice drifted toward him, her Irish accent almost bringing a smile to his face.
He opened the door and walked into the loft. The smell of coffee filled the room. A bowl of half-eaten fruit salad sat on the kitchen counter with a box of doughnuts beside it.
“You’re just in time,” Molly said. She was standing beside the big window overlooking Logan’s front yard, taking photos of someone. The shutter clicked and she smiled. “That’s grand. Turn a little to your right.”
A white screen blocked his view of her model. It was probably one of their brides. Sally had told him that Molly often took photos of brides in their dresses months before their wedding. They’d show the florist for their bouquet, the wedding venue people for ideas about themes and colors. It all sounded way too much detail for him, but he supposed that was what weddings were all about.
Todd looked around for Sally. She must be in the changing room. Or she might have gone somewhere else for a few minutes.
The shutter clicked again. “Perfect. Now turn to the left. I’ll get Todd in this shot as well.”
Todd frowned. “I didn’t come here to be…”
Molly rolled the screen away and Sally stood in front of him. She was wearing a wedding dress. A frilly, sparkly, frothy design that he wouldn’t have looked twice at. Except Sally was we
aring it. His heart rate doubled, his palms felt hot and sticky.
The smile on Sally’s face dropped. “Are you okay?”
He swallowed, tried desperately to sound as though he still had a brain between his ears. “I’m fine.”
Sally lifted the skirt of her dress and walked toward him. “You don’t look it.” She put her hand on his forehead and frowned. “You haven’t got a temperature. Did you get much sleep last night?”
Todd felt like an idiot. “Is there something you forgot to tell me?”
Sally looked down at her dress and smiled. “We do this with every dress. We tried putting them on mannequins, but the photo isn’t the same. Do you like it?” She swung in a circle, showing him a 360-degree reason why he should run away while he had the chance.
“It’s…it’s…”
Molly pushed him toward Sally. “Stand beside each other.”
He stumbled, almost tripping over his own feet. “But you don’t need me in the photo.”
“No, we don’t,” Molly murmured as she held a light meter in front of them. “But I’d like a photo of both of you.” She glanced at his face and frowned. “Wait here.”
Molly disappeared behind the screen. He glanced at Sally. She was staring back at him.
“Are you sure everything’s okay?” she asked.
Todd remembered another wedding dress, another day when he couldn’t string more than two words together. A day that had changed the rest of his life.
Molly dropped a big black box on the table in front of them. “Now I know big strong men from Montana don’t wear makeup, but you’ve lived in New York.”
His eyes popped open. Molly had taken the top off a tube of foundation. She had a dab of the color on her finger. A finger that was heading toward his face.
“Uh…Molly…I’m not really all that happy about…”
“Nonsense.” Her soft Irish accent hid deaf ears and a heart of stone. “You need something to cover the rings under your eyes.” Her sharp gaze skimmed his face. “We could add some bronzer to your cheeks, maybe a quick brush of mascara to those lovely long lashes.”
He looked at Sally. She had a smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes that he didn’t trust. At least she wasn’t laughing out loud at the predicament he was in.
“No makeup, Molly.”
Her hand hovered in front of his jaw. “Are you sure? It wouldn’t take much to make you look pretty.”
That was enough to make him move. Except he moved toward Sally and her big puffy dress. A dress that had a long train. A train that was under his feet.
Sally stepped back. Whatever she was about to say was lost in the madness that erupted. She fell to the ground, landing with a thump against the hard wooden floor. Her skirt billowed around her, the hoop and petticoat under the skirt flicking upward, giving him a wonderful view of her sweatpants.
He looked again. Yep. Navy blue sweatpants.
Sally sat up, rubbing the back of her head. “Ouch.”
Todd kneeled down beside her. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.”
He pushed the skirt down, holding it against the floor with his knee. “Do all of your brides wear sweatpants under their dresses?”
Sally’s face softened and she smiled at him. “Only the ones that wear four dresses in an hour.”
He reached out and pushed a lock of her hair out of her eyes. “Can’t make up your mind?”
“Spoiled for choice,” she whispered.
Todd heard the click of a camera, but didn’t care. He was lost in Sally’s gaze, caught in the warmth and kindness of who she was. He leaned forward and kissed her. She kissed him back, and the weight of last night slipped from his shoulders.
“That’s grand,” Molly said. “But I don’t know if I can use it in our catalog.”
Sally rubbed the side of her nose against his. “Do you feel better now?”
Todd stared into her bright green eyes. ‘Better’ didn’t go anywhere near to describing how he felt.
Molly switched off her photographic lights. “I hate to interrupt a very nice kiss, but we’ve got six bridesmaids arriving in ten minutes.”
The smile on Sally’s face made him smile, too. He kissed her once more, then stood up and helped her to her feet.
Sally rubbed her bottom. “Next time I’m falling on top of you.”
“I need a cup of coffee,” Molly said. “I may be happily single, but there’s only so much sweet-talking I can handle.”
Todd wasn’t paying a lot of attention to Molly. He was still thinking about Sally sitting on top of him. And just when he was getting too comfortable with the thought, Sally moved away, walking toward the changing room.
“I’ll be back soon,” she said over her shoulder. “Don’t make coffee for me, Molly.”
And just like that, he was left standing in the middle of the room, trying to understand something he never thought he’d feel again.
He’d fallen in love, and he didn’t know what to do about it.
***
Sally closed the door to the changing room. She hung the wedding dress over the back of a chair and slipped her t-shirt over her head. She heard Tess come into the loft, the sound of Molly making another cup of coffee.
She’d been worried about Todd. He hadn’t sounded all that great when he’d called her, but he wouldn’t say what was wrong over the phone. When he said he wanted to see her, she’d called Tess, asked if she’d come in and help Molly with their afternoon appointment.
She picked up her sneakers and walked back into the living room. Todd stood up, waiting beside the sofa for her. She glanced at Molly’s makeup case. The lid was closed, so at least he didn’t have to worry about being pushed into a modeling career.
“Are you ready to go?” Todd asked.
Sally nodded. “I’ve just got to give Tess something.” She hunted inside her bag and found the piece of paper she’d been looking for. “It’s my chocolate cake recipe.”
A blush skimmed Todd’s cheeks, put color where the bronzer would have sat, and Sally smiled.
“I’m still waiting for my baking lesson,” Todd said softly.
Tess looked up from the kitchen counter. “Come to the café anytime, Todd. If I can teach Logan how to cook, I can teach anyone.”
The blush on Todd’s face got darker. “Thanks.”
Sally handed Tess the recipe and grabbed Todd’s arm. If they didn’t get out of the loft soon, he’d burn up with embarrassment and never want to see any of them again. “Give me a call if you need anything.”
Molly picked up one of the chocolate chip cookies Tess had brought with her. “We will. Are you sure you don’t want to stay? These cookies are delicious.”
Sally glanced at Todd. “Positive. See you later.”
It didn’t take any prodding to get Todd to move. He was holding the door open for her before she’d put her jacket on. She walked through the door frame and waited for him at the top of the stairs. “Are you okay?”
“Better than I was.”
Sally supposed that was something, but it depended on how he’d been feeling before he arrived. “Mom and dad are planning a big dinner tomorrow night. Do you want to come out to their ranch with me?”
“Do you think I’d be welcome?”
“If you’re worried about Matthew and Sean, you don’t need to be. They think you’re okay. They were being overprotective when Mitch was around. Now that he’s gone, they’re not nearly as bad as they were. Inviting Matthew to have pizza with us helped, too.”
“If it’s okay with your folks, then I’d like to come.” He looked along the street. “Didn’t you bring your truck?”
Sally shook her head. “I walked. I’m in countdown mode for Tess’ wedding. Ten days to the perfect body.” She thought Todd might have laughed or even smiled at her half-serious joke, but he didn’t.
“You don’t need to worry about losing weight. You’re already perfect.”
He said the words with
such sincerity that all Sally could do was nod. It was kind of nice for someone to say she was perfect.
He pointed toward his truck. “I’m parked under the oak tree.”
They crossed the street. Todd unlocked her door and helped her inside. He was quiet. More quiet than usual. She waited until he was driving before asking him another question. “Where are we going?”
“Sorry. I forgot to ask if you want to go for a walk? Dylan told me about a track on the far side of Bozeman. It’s about a forty-minute round trip.”
“Okay.” Sally watched the passing scenery, waiting for Todd to say something about what was going on.
“I had a call from Detective Munroe yesterday.” He glanced across the cab. “He had some news about Emma and Josh’s murders.”
“Have they found more evidence against Mitch Zambezi?”
Todd shook his head. “He didn’t do it.”
“What?”
“He didn’t do it,” Todd repeated quietly. “It was a mistake.”
Sally tried to figure out what was a mistake. “Do you mean the police made a mistake when they arrested Mitch?”
Todd looked in the rearview mirror and pulled across to the curb. He turned off the ignition and stared down the street. “My wife and son shouldn’t have been killed. The men that did it made a mistake. They were supposed to be in someone else’s home that night.”
Sally’s mouth dropped open. “Are you sure?”
“Two of the men that were involved have been arrested.”
She wasn’t surprised that Todd hadn’t slept much last night. He must have been devastated by the news. “I’m sorry. How are you feeling?”
Todd took a deep breath. “Shocked. Sad.” He wiped his hands across his eyes. “The worst thing is that if it hadn’t been my family, someone else would have died.”
Sally took her seatbelt off and turned toward him. “At least the police can stop them hurting anyone else.” She opened her bag and pulled out a small packet of tissues. “Take these.”
Todd took the tissues and blew his nose. “Is there anything your bag doesn’t contain?”
“The kitchen sink?”
Todd’s mouth tilted up at the corners. “You must think I’m hopeless. It’s been more than four years since Emma and Josh died.”
Head Over Heels (The Bridesmaids Club Book 3) Page 22
