Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things

by Rachelle J. Christensen

  “Why do you say that?”

  I grabbed the binder of fabric swatches and settled on the couch next to Dallas. “Oh, it’s just been a particularly difficult year, and then to have those wedding gowns stolen . . .”

  “Do the police have any suspects?”

  “No, and things don’t look good for finding Sylvia’s gown.”

  “I keep trying to think of something I could do to help.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve done enough to get myself in trouble.” I laughed when Dallas lifted a brow. I definitely was not going to tell him about the diamonds. “I searched through the trash around my shop, and one of the cops wasn’t too happy when I called to tell him I found some of the wedding pages that had been stolen from my safe.”

  “But wasn’t that a good thing, to find something?”

  “Yes, but Tony doesn’t want me to do any investigative work on my own.” Too bad I was already in over my head by the time Tony gave me that admonition.

  “Will your business survive the loss?” Dallas asked.

  “We’ll manage. What I’m really worried about is Sylvia. She didn’t take the news of her stolen dress too well.”

  “I can imagine. I met the realtor who helped find her home. It was a lot of commission, but he wasn’t sure it was worth it in the end.”

  I tried not to laugh. Sylvia was a pain, but she was also my client, and I had learned that you should always be careful what you say because it could come back to haunt you. Thinking of Lorea, my smile widened. I could say whatever I wanted to my fiery friend, and it would never equal the grumbling she did about picky customers.

  Dallas and I hadn’t selected anything to watch, and the ten o’clock news rolled past. The weather report was on, and the forecast looked beautiful for the next ten days with just a couple of insignificant rain showers that probably wouldn’t amount to much. No matter how lush and green the lawns and golf course in Sun Valley appeared, we still lived in a desert. That fact was a great benefit and stress relief when planning an outdoor wedding, which is what Natalie wanted. Sylvia’s reception would be partly outdoors at the Sun Valley Club, but in the case of inclement weather, we could move indoors.

  A commercial for an online dating service came on, and I flipped through fabric swatches, fingering the textures and scrutinizing the weave that might work best with the fabrics and colors Natalie had already selected. Since most of Natalie’s wedding book remained in police custody, I didn’t have the full list of fabric ideas she had written down, so I marked several that I remembered.

  Dallas put his arm around me, and I enjoyed the level of comfort his presence afforded me that night. I glanced at his profile. His face seemed relaxed, devoid of the prominent cheekbones I’d admired on Luke earlier.

  My mind flashed to our chance meeting, and I still couldn’t get over the fact that Luke was “the hottie.” I thought of the times I’d noticed his toned chest and muscular build, but today I had been more focused on the emotion in his dark blue eyes. I frowned. I didn’t want Luke infiltrating my thoughts, especially while I sat by Dallas, who had finally gotten the nerve to show some affection.

  I hadn’t tried calling Tony again. With a sinking feeling, I realized time had slipped away after I moved the diamonds. Maybe it could wait until morning—the diamonds were safe now. Hopefully nothing would change before then. I marked a swatch and compared it to one I thought Natalie had selected. The cream-colored linen with a hint of blush would look perfect against the bouquets of pink antique roses we had planned.

  I worked for another twenty minutes, sketching the layout of Natalie’s wedding, and then I moved to another project—Sylvia and Elliott’s sparkler send-off. Lorea had found the idea on Pinterest, and Sylvia actually squealed she was so excited. Each four-by-six-inch piece of cardstock was printed with an announcement:

  Let the magic of true love shine!

  Light the way for Sylvia & Elliott

  The big send-off is at 11:00 p.m.!

  I cut two small slits in the top and bottom of the cardstock so that later I could slide a sparkler into each piece to be lit for the send-off. I caught Dallas smirking after he read the card. “Don’t laugh, or you’ll be enlisted.” I waved my scissors at him, and he smoothed the grin off his face.

  Dallas flipped through the stations until he settled on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives from the Food Network. My mouth watered over a barbeque chicken sandwich and fresh coleslaw while Dallas seemed particularly excited about a fried corned beef sandwich.

  “Boy, we’re exciting, aren’t we?” I said as the show ended.

  Dallas brushed my cheek with a kiss. “Do you have time this week to do anything more exciting?”

  My stomach flipped as I breathed in his closeness. “Maybe. I just have so much to do.”

  “It looks like you got something accomplished tonight.” Dallas motioned to the pile of fabric swatches and papers in my lap.

  Notes were scrawled all over my sketches, and I’d marked several pieces of fabric with brightly colored paper clips. “Anyone else would call this a mess.” I set my stuff on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch. “Thanks for understanding.”

  Dallas pulled me closer, smiling as if he knew a secret he wanted to share with me. He touched my cheek and let his fingers trail along my jaw line, and then he cupped my chin and pressed his lips softly against mine. He retreated enough that he could look into my eyes.

  “I really like you, Adri.”

  I lowered my eyes and tried to think how I would describe my feelings for him. I recalled what Jenna had said about Luke and thought of my own expectations for a man who measured up to my list of qualities. I still didn’t know enough about Dallas to make that call, but I did like spending time with him. “I like you too.” My voice wavered a little, and I broke eye contact.

  He wrapped his arms around me, and I relaxed against him, listening to his heartbeat thrum against my temple. His lips caressed the skin on my forehead, and I tipped my head back and allowed him to kiss me again. I let myself indulge in the moment—he was a pretty good kisser, and it had been a while since I’d been this close to a man.

  A flash of heat went through me when I felt his lips on my neck. His fingers tangled in my hair as he moved the blonde curls off my shoulder and pressed a kiss there. Each kiss lasted longer than the one before, and when Dallas lowered my head to the couch cushion, I noticed his breath was no longer silent and even.

  I was just thinking we’d better cool it when Dallas stopped kissing me. His face hovered above mine with a question.

  I answered it before he could ask. “Um, now would probably be a good time to let you know that I won’t ever invite you to stay over.”

  He hesitated, and his eyes softened. “I can respect that.”

  Relief flooded through me. I’d made decisions long ago about my future, and even though sometimes it was hard, I still knew that I wanted to wait until marriage to share the most intimate part of me. Some of my boyfriends had called me old-fashioned and prudish, but my headstrong nature had taken that as a challenge and made it easier to keep my promise to myself. Once I became a wedding planner, it seemed even more important for me to have the perfect wedding, and that included saving myself for the wedding night. I felt my face flush thinking about how close I was to Dallas at the moment.

  His face was almost touching mine, and he cleared his throat. “I care about you too much to do otherwise.” He nuzzled my cheek. “But I’ll admit, kissing you is like nothing I’ve ever felt before.” He kissed me once more, and for a moment as his mouth moved against mine, I wondered if he realized how serious I was about no sleepovers. He sucked on my lower lip and then broke contact. He pulled me to a sitting position beside him and stood up. I felt surprised that part of me wanted to keep kissing him, but I let him pull me to a standing position beside him.

  “Thanks for coming,” I murmured. I walked toward the front door. We stared at each other for a moment,
and I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “And thanks for that fine kissing.”

  “Have a good night, Adri.” His mouth curved into a smile that seemed irresistible, but his hand was already on the door knob, so I resisted the urge to kiss him again.

  “Good night.” I lifted my fingers in a wave. Then I closed the door, locked it, and hurried to get ready for bed before the feelings of euphoria were replaced with cold dread and diamonds.

  Chapter 16

  Garden Party Centerpiece

  Fill a Mason jar half to three-quarters full of water. Add slices of lemon and a bouquet of your favorite flowers—try white lilacs, daisies, freesia, or daffodils for a great contrast.

  Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com.

  Over breakfast, I considered my options for communicating with the diamond smuggler. My mother’s delicious homemade bread and a soft-boiled egg were one of my favorite meals, and it irked me that my worry over the diamonds was still giving me indigestion.

  I pulled out my favorite lunch bag and frowned. On a sticky note, I wrote:

  I don’t have any diamonds. What are you talking about? If you’re the one who stole my dresses, the police will find you.

  It was the best I could do, and I didn’t even want to think of what Tony would say to me when he found out. I tucked the note in the bag and zipped it shut. The list of things I needed to do buzzed like a ticker tape through my brain as I got ready for the day. At fifteen minutes to seven, I grabbed my purse and lunch bag on the way out the door. The ping of my phone and Dallas’s name next to a text made me smile.

  I’m in the mood for more kissing. Can we do lunch?

  His newfound confidence surprised me. Part of me wondered—was the shyness all an act to get me to fall for him? He seemed plenty forward now. It was okay with me, though. My toes were still tingling after last night’s makeout session. I sent a reply before I dashed out the door.

  Wish I could. I may need resuscitation by the day’s end, though. :)

  Roxy’s grocery store was less than ten minutes from my condo. The store was well loved by the tourists and locals alike for its wide selection of organic food, but it definitely wasn’t a location I would’ve picked for a diamond drop-off. I guessed that was why the thief had selected it. Trying to appear inconspicuous, I pulled into the parking lot and walked around to the back of the store. I saw a delivery van parked there, and a man pushed a cart stacked with crates of whole-grain bread toward the store. I nodded at him and made a beeline for the dumpster.

  Please don’t shoot me, I thought as I pulled the lunch bag from my shoulder and surveyed the area for anyone who might be a diamond-smuggler-turned- murderer. I didn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary, so I dropped the bag behind the dark green trash bin and hurried away.

  My heart pounded, and my breakfast was thinking of making a reappearance by the time I reached my vehicle. I was the girl who couldn’t deliver Secret Santa treats to the neighbors without having a panic attack. How had I gotten myself into this mess?

  The parking lot didn’t have any silver Toyota Camrys in residence, and I felt pretty certain that if he had any kind of criminal training, the man would have switched vehicles by now. The inside of my cheek was sore from clenching my teeth on it.

  I reached for the door handle of my Mountaineer but jumped back when I noticed Colton reflected in the window. I whirled around and watched as he jogged toward the store. He was in uniform, but he didn’t have any packages to deliver. Hurrying after him, I caught a glimpse of him as he passed by the carts and headed through the produce section empty-handed to the back of the store.

  My throat went dry, and it took several tries before I could swallow. I shook my head and returned to my vehicle. It’s a grocery store, Adri, you know—where people buy groceries. I tried to tell myself that Colton wasn’t involved with the diamonds, but my pounding heart disagreed. He probably wasn’t working alone if it was him. I jerked my head around, surveying the parking lot for an accomplice. I needed to get out of here. I started the engine, took a deep breath, and headed for my shop.

  On the way, I told myself to calm down. Colton was a delivery man who liked Lorea, that was all. I called Tony and grumbled when it went to his voice mail. If I was being watched or if my vehicle had been bugged, I couldn’t leave him a message, but I really needed to talk to him. I decided to call the police station directly. After waiting on hold for a few minutes, the secretary came back on to say that Tony was unavailable and would I like to leave him a message? I declined and ended the call.

  Where was he? I told myself that if I couldn’t reach him on his cell by that afternoon, I’d stop by the station on my way home and track him down.

  It was hard not to look suspiciously at every corner and trash can behind my building. My nerves were already frazzled, so when a black streak ran past me, I screamed. Telling myself to quit being jumpy didn’t help, and when I saw what had scared me, I felt like an idiot.

  The black-and-white kitten who had been my trash-digging companion waited by the shop door. He meowed and rubbed against my legs as I unlocked the building. His fur looked soft and clean, but he was skinny. I wondered how he had ended up behind my shop. He cried and gave me the same look that cats have perfected to get what they want. “Okay.” I relented and picked him up. He immediately began purring, and I rubbed behind his ears. “You’ve definitely missed a few meals,” I said to him as I walked inside.

  A mini-fridge and microwave stacked in the corner of the back room made up our “employee lounge,” and I rummaged around in the fridge, sorting through Lorea’s leftovers. The girl never threw anything out. The cat perked up, his whiskers twitched, and he squirmed in my arms. A Styrofoam box with last week’s burrito from the La Paparilla Mexican restaurant would do. I went back outside and set the leftovers and the kitten down. He pounced on it like it was a scurrying mouse, and I laughed when he made grumbling noises as he chowed down.

  I read the notes Lorea had jotted down on the instruction manual for the new surveillance camera that had been installed. It was digital and efficient, which pretty much ensured that the bad guys wouldn’t come back because why would I be that lucky? My computer hummed to life thirty seconds after I pushed the button, and I started checking the details of my task list for Sylvia’s bridal shower.

  “What is that cat doing out there?” Lorea demanded as she came in lugging a dress bag. “And why are you feeding him my leftovers?”

  I tilted my head to see around my widescreen. “He volunteered to save you from food poisoning. You know leftovers aren’t good after three days.”

  “Hmmph. I have a strong stomach,” Lorea countered. “You’re the one telling me I need to eat.”

  “Look, I’ll buy lunch today. You choose. Just have it delivered.” I hoped we would have time to stop for lunch.

  Lorea grumbled as she unlocked the closet holding Natalie’s dress. She hung the bag on a rack next to the gown, and her mood immediately improved. “What do you think?”

  I couldn’t resist checking the hem line. “It’s beautiful. This dress is perfect for her. And you did a great job on the hem.” The sheer frills hung gracefully over the skirt and trailed to the floor.

  “So how was your weekend in Rupert?”

  “Too short. I always have to remind myself why I decided to move here when I’m getting ready to leave.”

  Lorea stopped fussing with the gown for a moment. “Angels sent you my way. Don’t ever doubt that.”

  “Thank you.” My throat felt thick with emotion, and I tried to think of something to lighten the mood. “You’ll never believe what I did Sunday night.”

  “What? Another date with Dallas?”

  “Well, that too.” I could feel my cheeks heating up as I thought of the “date” Dallas and I had on my living room couch. I wasn’t going to share those details with Lorea yet. “I went running, and I saw ‘the hottie.’ ”

  “Oh, you still need to get a picture of hi
m for me.”

  “Turns out you’ve already seen him.”

  Lorea stood up and grabbed my arm. “You know who he is? Did you talk to him?”

  I struggled to keep a straight face. “You ready for this?”

  “Um, yeah. Is he available?”

  I thought about that for a minute, how Luke had confided in me. “I guess so. ‘The hottie’ is Luke Stetson, divorce attorney.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  I pressed my lips together and raised my eyebrows.

  “The jerk lawyer? Did you recognize him?”

  “No, he recognized me.” I didn’t tell her how I thought he was going to kill me for the diamonds. “I was just going to do my usual run-by admiring, but he stopped and told me he wondered why I had looked so familiar. Then, get this—he apologized.”

  “No. Freakin’. Way.”

  I laughed. “Way. And it was a sincere apology.”

  Lorea narrowed her eyes. “Did you tell him where to go?”

  “Actually, I’m thinking about forgiving him.”

  “He must have had his shirt off again, huh?”

  I knew my cheeks were pink, but I didn’t care. “He said he has a difficult time with dating.” For a moment, I thought about telling Lorea the truth behind Luke’s apology, but I swallowed the secret and kept his confidence.

  “So he asks you out and then is incredibly rude so he won’t have to go through with it?”

  “That pretty much sums it up.”

  Lorea unzipped the garment bag and pulled out two of Natalie’s bridesmaid dresses. “Are you going to go out with him if he asks again?”

  “I don’t think I have to worry about that.” A speck of lint on my computer keys drew my attention, and I busied myself with dusting off the keyboard.

  Lorea patted my cheek. “But you are, just the same.”

  I didn’t try to argue with Lorea, because she was right. I had been thinking about Luke and Dallas. Luke’s tortured expression when he told me about his wife kept haunting me. I could forgive him, but I didn’t know if I should go further than that.