by Becky McGraw
Wes stumbled to his feet and staggered to the liquor cabinet where he pulled down a full bottle of Whiskey that had been in there for seven years. When Laura left him, he had one drink from this bottle. A shot glass full. Tonight he was finishing it off.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
"Rox, help me," Wes slurred, as he fought to keep his cell phone to his ear. He was surprised in the state he was that he had even managed to dial the number. His head was spinning violently and his hands were shaking. Wes knew he would feel better if he just hurled, but he didn't want to feel better.
"Wes?" she whispered and he heard covers rustle, then a male voice grumble. "It's three in the morning, what the hell is wrong?"
"Your mama came and took Leigh Ann," he told her.
"What do you mean, took her?" Roxanne demanded loudly. "Wes, are you drunk?"
"Um, yeah..."
"You don't drink," she informed as if he didn't know that. "How much have you had to drink? Do you need me to come over there?" He heard the male voice, he assumed to be Ethan, curse in the background. Wes figured he must've interrupted something.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have called. I thought she might have called you, but don't worry, I'll find her." Wes went to disconnect the call but couldn't find the button. He heard Roxanne shout, so he put the phone back to his ear.
"Don't you dare go anywhere, Wesley Jepson, we'll be over there in a few minutes." The phone went dead, and Wes sat it back on the night table beside the empty bottle of whiskey and flopped back on his pillow.
A loud knocking woke him up and Wes's stomach lurched as he sat up on the side of the bed unsteadily. Had he passed out? Fallen asleep? The floor moved beneath his feet as he staggered to the bedroom door. Making it down the stairs had been dicey, and he had to sit down a couple of times before he made it to the bottom. The knocking got louder, and he hurried across the room to the front door. Fumbling with the locks, he finally got the door opened, and Rocky and Ethan stood on his porch not looking very happy at all.
"I told ya'll I'd handle it," Wes said as he pitched forward. Ethan caught him and then Rocky and Ethan led him to the couch.
"You think you could have at least put some clothes on Jepson?" Rocky grumbled as she jerked a throw blanket off of the back of the recliner to cover him.
"I barely got them off..." he slurred and covered his eyes with his forearm.
"What the hell happened over here?" Ethan demanded and came to stand beside the couch to glare down at him. The dark-haired man looked like he was ready to go a few rounds with Wes. He would be wasting his time, because Wes was already down for the count.
"Trudy Baker came over here and took Leigh Ann upstairs," Wes said and swallowed down the bile the next words had produced. "I don't know what she said, but when they came down again, Leigh Ann said she was marrying Lester Fallon on Saturday."
"She left with mama?" Roxanne asked incredulously.
"She sure did."
"Shit balls," Roxanne grumbled as she began to pace in front of the sofa. "We have to go to Dallas and stop her."
"I don't think anything is gonna stop her," Wes replied morosely. Him loving her hadn't stopped her. Oh, yeah, he hadn't told her he loved her. Wes sat straight up on the sofa to cradle his head in his hands. He groaned. "I didn't tell her I love her."
"You love her?!?" Both Roxanne and Ethan chimed together so loudly a pain split through his skull and he moaned.
"I do love her. I want to marry her, but she's marrying Lester Fallon."
"Get your crap together, Wes. We're going to Dallas to stop that wedding."
"I'm tired of fighting to keep a woman, Rox. Dog tired. If she loved me she wouldn't be marrying Lester Fallon," he muttered.
Lester Fucking Fallon. Five times married as of Saturday. Leigh Ann would be just another bead on his strand of pearls, not the jewel at the center of his universe like she was for him. But he hadn't told her that. And Was a drunk sentimental slob right now.
"How the hell have you fought for her?" Roxanne demanded. "And I know my sister, I think she does love you. After the way you treated her, she wouldn't still be here if she didn't. Mama is putting her up to this. For whatever reason, Leigh Ann must be doing it to help her, because she ran here to get away from Lester Fallon."
"My head hurts," Wes groaned and laid back on the sofa. Roxanne was right, he hadn't fought to keep Leigh Ann, he had done everything he could to run her away. It looked like he had done a good job of it.
"Stop your whining, and get your ass up," Roxanne demanded and jerked his arm.
Wes fell off the sofa and landed on his hands and knees. The perfect position to do exactly what he'd been fighting not to do for an hour. His stomach lurched, he gagged and both Ethan and Roxanne groaned.
"If you think that's going to stop her, buddy, you're wrong.
Ethan told him with a chuckle. "Trust me, if Roxanne wants you to do something, you better just agree."
Ethan helped Wes stand, then they took him upstairs and threw him in a cold shower that sobered him up really fast. By the time they dumped him on his bed and threw clothes beside him, Wes was too sober. He was also filled with determination. He was going to Dallas with Ethan and Roxanne and he would stop that wedding. At least long enough to tell Leigh Ann how he felt about her. Something he should have done long before now. If she still wanted to marry the old bastard after that, Wes would just have to accept it.
He called his mother first and told her what was going on, then he packed a few things and went back downstairs. Ethan and Roxanne were waiting for him in the living room. "Ya'll ready?" he asked as he walked to the front door.
He opened the door and walked out onto the porch, and bright light pierced his brain, sending a fresh wave of nausea through him. Wes swallowed it down, shaded his eyes and strode toward Ethan's truck.
He made Ethan stop at the gate, and he got out to talk to the agents in the black car. After filling them in that there wasn't a damned thing for them to do here now that Leigh Ann was gone, he got back into the truck. Wes didn't tell them where she had gone, he just said he didn't know, because he didn't want them to get their hands on her before he could talk to her. With her running off like she had, they would probably put her back in a safe house or something. He was sure that Susan Whitmore wouldn't be nearly as accommodating this time.
"What did you tell them?" Rocky asked as soon as he shut the door.
"That I don't know where she is, which is the truth."
"You know she's in Dallas," she countered.
"Dallas is a big place...if they want her they'll have to do their job and find her. I want to talk to her before they do."
They stopped by the R & R Ranch for Rocky and Ethan to grab some clothes and tell Joel and Terri where they were going, which turned into a two hour gabfest that frustrated Wes. Once they were on the road, Ethan and Roxanne took turns driving, but didn't let Wes have a turn until he was sober eight hours into the drive.
When he hit the outskirts of Dallas, Wes wanted to get out and kiss the ground. If they hadn't had a flat tire, and five bathroom breaks, they would have been there already. If Wes was a rich man like Lester Fallon, he would have just booked them tickets on a flight, so they could get here quicker.
If a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his ass when he hopped.
And if Wes didn't hurry, Leigh Ann was going to marry another man in about eight hours. His stomach rolled, and he pressed his foot harder on the accelerator. Roxanne stirred beside him, then sat up rubbing her eyes.
"Where are we?" she asked tiredly.
Wes hoped she wasn't going to ask for yet another bathroom break. He wasn't stopping, she could just pee her pants. "Dallas," he replied shortly.
She snorted and folded her arms. "Dallas is a big place," she volleyed throwing his earlier words back at him.
"Do you know where the wedding is supposed to be?" The word wedding left a bitter taste in his mouth, or it could be the stale coffee he'd drank abou
t fifty miles back.
"I didn't get an invitation, but I'm sure it's in the paper, or I can call someone to find out. Lester Fallon is newsworthy, so one of the papers or television stations would probably know. I'm sure they're all invited," she informed sarcastically.
"Where do you think she's staying tonight?" Wes asked, wanting to go straight there and confront Leigh Ann. He didn't want to wait and chance missing her, before she said I do, when she didn't.
"I have no idea. If I had to guess, probably at Lester's house. He wouldn't want her to escape again, and neither would mama."
Wes's stomach rolled again, and his fingers gripped the wheel tighter. He wished now he hadn't asked, because all he was going to think about Leigh Ann laying in a bed with Lester Fallon in his mansion. There was no way he would sleep tonight.
"We'll have to get a hotel somewhere. It's too late to find her tonight," Roxanne said looking his way with sympathy in her eyes. "First thing in the morning, I'll call the papers and see if I can get the information."
Wes saw a neon hotel sign of a decent looking chain, and pulled into the driveway then up under the awning. "I'll go get us registered. We can share a double room. That okay with you, Wes?" Ethan asked opening his door.
"Yeah, I'm probably not gonna sleep anyway," he said grumpily.
When Ethan shut the door and scooted around the front of the truck, Roxanne put her hand on his arm. "Wes, we'll find her before it's too late, I promise."
"Finding her might not be the only problem," he replied. If they found her, they couldn't physically stop her from marrying Lester Fallon. If she was dead set on doing that, he would be right there with a front row seat to watch it.
Wes didn't think he would ever recover if that happened. She had to listen to him, to reason. Leigh Ann was a smart woman, there couldn't be a reason strong enough for her to want to marry Fallon. Something else had to be going on, and he was going to find out what it was, and talk some sense into her.
Or that's what he planned to do anyway. If he could find her. If she would listen. There he went with the ifs again and they weren't getting him anywhere.
"She'll listen to us. If not, we'll hog-tie her and throw her in the back of the truck. She is not marrying that man," Roxanne assured him. He believed her, because Roxanne was just ballsy enough to do it.
Ethan came back outside and got up into the truck. "Room 309 around the back." Wes drove around the side of the hotel and parked in front of the room, and they all got their things out of the bed of the truck then went into the room.
"Hey, it's almost ten. Maybe there's something on the news," Roxanne suggested and grabbed the remote to flip on the TV. A blonde anchor woman was laughing about something with her co-anchor. The volume was muted though and Wes grabbed the remote from Roxanne's hand and pushed it up.
"Leigh Ann Baker, former Miss Texas, has been a busy lady. First, she embarrasses a Texas State Senator, and basically causes his divorce, then she goes missing and is presumed dead....and now..." she paused for effect before finishing, "Tomorrow she's marrying a billionaire. It's really an unbelievable story, something right out of a novel."
"Well you know Charmaine, sometimes life is better than fiction," the stodgy-looking man beside her replied with a chuckle.
"So true, Peter. We'll have details after this commercial break. You don't want to miss this, so stay tuned." The woman laughed then shot her partner a smug look.
Wes wanted to reach through the television set and choke her. She was enjoying the misery that Leigh Ann was going through. What he was going through. There wasn't a damned thing remotely humorous about the situation. He wanted to turn the TV off, but he couldn't make himself do it. He needed to know where Leigh Ann was, and what was going on. If this was the only way he could do that, he'd watch the reruns all night to see if he missed anything.
"Stupid wench," Roxanne said and sat down on the corner of the bed.
"My thoughts exactly. Why do those people have to make everything into a fricking drama-fest?" Ethan agreed sitting beside her to drape an arm over her shoulders.
"They're all idiots, but if we want information, we'll have to watch this damned tampon commercial, and that woman to get it. She better not drag it out anymore though, because I can find that station pretty easily," Wes threatened and Roxanne chuckled.
The story about Leigh Ann must be their main story for the night, because after the tampon commercial, there was a long Viagra commercial that listed so many possible side effects that any man in his right mind would be afraid to take it, very afraid. Finally, the news came back on and the anchors shuffled the papers in front of them, definitely dragging out their moment. Wes leaned his forearms on his thighs and waited impatiently, then sighed when she started talking.
"Leigh Ann Baker, former Miss Texas was reported missing a week ago. The representative for the Federal Bureau of Investigation said at that time they believed she was in imminent danger and might even be dead," Another pause for effect, and pointed stare into the camera then she continued, "Before that, Miss Baker met Allison Rooks, Mrs. Leland Rooks, Senator Leland Rooks wife and gave her a makeover. Mrs. Rooks friend, who was also at the R & R Ranch in Amarillo vacationing, along with Leigh Ann Baker, took Mrs. Rooks to a local bar where her husband, Senator Rooks, just happened to be with his latest mistress. It was quite a scene and before it was over, the women were taken downtown by Police. Police believed the two incidents might be connected somehow, but we have found out from authorities that Miss Baker was found alive and well. She must be, because tomorrow morning she is marrying billionaire oilman, Lester Fallon at ten o'clock at historic St. George Church in downtown Dallas."
"Wow, that is unbelievable, Charmaine," Peter piped in.
The woman nodded and shot him a smile, then segued, "Yes, it is and so is our weather for tomorrow. Shaun, won't you tell us about it."
Wes shut off the set and threw the remote on the dresser. "St. George Church downtown. Ten o'clock. What time do you think she'll be there?" Wes would go camp out there tonight, if he didn't think Roxanne would argue.
"We'll go around eight in the morning. Let's get some sleep," she said and grabbed her duffle bag to head to the bathroom.
Leigh Ann stood at the window of the dressing room upstairs at the church staring blindly out the window. The gray clouds that threatened rain, perfectly matched her mood.
If it rains on your wedding day, you'll have good luck in your marriage.
That's what her mother told her last night when Leigh Ann heard the weather report on the ten o'clock news. Right after the news after the reporters basically made her look like equally bad news for Lester Fallon. People must think she was an idiot now, since they thought she had single-handedly caused Allison Rook's divorce. Since they made it look like she had just run off and worried everyone, then miraculously showed up again alive and well. And now she was marrying a man old enough to be her grandfather.
All because her mother was an idiot.
Leigh Ann's biggest downfall was loving her and wanting to protect her family. She had spoken to Lester last night, and her mother was right. He wasn't kidding. If she didn't marry him, Lester would hang her mother from the highest flag pole in town. In the process, Leigh Ann knew she would get dragged through the mud too. Former Miss Texas would become an even bigger laughingstock than her crazy mother.
So Leigh Ann was about to make the biggest mistake of her life to save them all. Last night she had assured Lester she was going through with the ceremony today. She was going to become Mrs. Lester Fallon, the fifth in a series of young blondes to wear that title. The only difference is they were running up the altar toward him on their wedding day, because he was rich. Leigh Ann would be wanting to run back out the front door. She still wasn't a hundred percent sure that wasn't exactly what she would do.
If she did go through with it, her marriage would probably also be the shortest of Lester's previous marriages, because as soon as the 'I dos" were d
one, she was going to file for divorce. The man might pressure her into marrying him, by threatening her mother, but there was nothing he could do to make her change her mind about that. When her mother had that note in her hand, Leigh Ann was calling a lawyer.
There had to be some loophole about being forced to marry under duress. She knew there was a similar law about contracts, and marriage was a contract. Like the prenuptial agreement she had signed in front of Lester's attorney last night. Her mother had been there, and Leigh Ann wanted to strangle her as she made nice with the man, smiling and laughing at his stupid jokes and innuendoes.
Nothing about this fiasco was funny in the least. Her mother could stand there laughing, because she wasn't the one standing here at this window in a corset tight enough to stop her breathing. No, her mother was probably driving the wedding planner crazy downstairs. Almost four hundred guests would be downstairs to witness her stupidity. A thousand were going to celebrate at the reception.
Last night she had dreams about Wes that kept her sane this morning. She knew they would only ever be in dreamland though, she would only have him in her dreams, because this was drama he was never going to understand. Wes would never understand what she was doing here today. Hell, she didn't even understand it.
Those dreams had given her enough comfort though to get through the night with at least an hour's sleep. This morning she still had blue circles under her eyes. The makeup lady had to apply concealer with a putty knife to hide them.
What the cosmetologist wasn't able to hide though was the frown on her face. Leigh Ann had to look like the saddest bride in history. Because that is exactly what she was. Except for the dark ages when marriages were arranged, did a bride pine for a man other than her bridegroom on her wedding day. That is exactly what Leigh Ann was doing. She wanted Wes, so badly she felt like if she didn't have the corset on so tightly her heart might just shatter in a million pieces.
