There Goes the Groom (21 page)

“I’m sorry for beating on you like a heathen,” Nana Muller said, raising her head so she stood almost five feet now.  “I hope this will make up for it.”

Still wary, Marci lowered her hands and took the envelope the woman thrust at her.  “What is it?”

“Just a little something me and the ladies at the garden club threw together.” Nana Muller patted the bun at the nape of her neck. “We thought you deserved a little something for helping us get our money back.”

“But I didn’t – ”

“Oh, sweetie,” Nana Muller said with a twinkle in her eye.  “My grandson told me everything, how you lured that dickwad Paul Pendergrass to the cabin to trap him. How brave you were to stand up to him.”

“But –”

“Don’t be modest, dear. He also mentioned that the evil man took your money, that he was supposed to pay for your cosmetology classes but he didn’t.”

“Well, no, he didn’t,” Marci admitted.

“There’s enough in there to cover that and also a start for your own shop.” Nana Muller gestured toward her hair.  “There’s a bunch of us that would like to be your customers.”

Marci smiled and hugged the woman, then promised she’d have free perms the rest of her life.

Nana pulled out a bottle of vodka and the two of them shared Bloody Marys, then Nana Muller called a cab to take her home. But not before they’d become bosom buddies.

Still, that night as Marci crawled into bed that night, she still had an empty hole in her heart.

A hole only having someone special in her life could fill.

She closed her eyes, but instead of an image of the man she’d planned to marry flashing in he mind, Cade’s face did.

The temptation to call him nagged at her, but she reminded herself that Cade didn’t love her.

That even if he was the man of her dreams, that she wasn’t the woman in his.

*~*~*~*

Cade had had enough. Ten days of phone calls and apology notes and nothing had worked. His thoughts, his days, his nights, even his dreams were obsessed with making Marci his.

Maybe she didn’t feel the same way about  him…

Even worse, Georgia had told him that she was going to the salon where Marci worked, so apparently Marci had forgiven Georgia for her part in the interrogation, even though Georgia had played bad cop.

Marci had also forgiven Kim as well and they were closer than ever.

But
him
? No, he was still on her shit list.

He had never been so damn desperate for a woman in his life. For God’s sake, he’d even asked the tech assistant to run Marci’s phone to verify that it was working, and of course, it was.

She just couldn’t bother to call him.

Dammit, he had to see her.

He knew it was wrong, but he sneaked a peek at Georgia’s calendar on her computer and looked at the name of the salon. A quick search on his IPhone and he had the address.

Since they’d closed the Pendergrass investigation, his schedule had been relatively slow, so he strode to his car and drove to the salon. At least if he got into trouble with Marci, he’d have back up.

The short drive to Decatur only made his anxiety mount. He almost lost his nerve, but he remembered the last few sleepless nights and summoned his courage.

He was a cop. He’d handled hardened criminals.

He could confront the woman he loved.

His lungs squeezed for air, and he sucked in a sharp breath as he parked and strode into the hair salon. The moment he entered, a hush fell across the room.

For a second, he thought he’d stepped into a senior’s retirement facility, but then Dottie boomed toward him with her arms crossed beneath those humongous breasts.  “Detective Muller?”

“I need to see Marci,” he said, sweat dripping down his back.

Dottie narrowed her eyes, and the sumo guy from the jail appeared behind her, his big cheeks bulging with his scowl. “You hurt that girl again, you deal with us.”

Cade swallowed hard. Had they forgotten he had the gun?

Then again they must care for Marci which endeared them to him in an odd kid of way and made him cut them some slack.

“Where is she?” he murmured.

Dottie raised her chubby hand and pointed, and he spotted Marci leaning over a woman fiddling with some aluminum foil things in her hair. Then he realized the woman getting with the space cadet look was Georgia.

Marci patted her shoulder. “A few more minutes, and you’re gonna look like dynamite!”

Cade took a deep breath, then reached for his handcuffs and strode over to Marci.

“Marci Turner?”

She spun around, her luscious lips parted in surprise. “Detective Muller?”

His handcuffs jangled as he captured her wrist between his fingers.

“What are you doing?” Marci asked haughtily

“Arresting you for being so stubborn,”  he said as he clamped one handcuff shut.

“What?”

“I’ve called you a million times and you’ve ignored me.”

The hiss of hairdryers paused, the sound of whispers and murmurs reverberating through the beauty parlor.

“What’s going on?” a little white-haired woman with shiny teeth asked.

Another one pointed at Cade. “Isn’t that that detective that ruined Marci’s wedding?”

More gasps. “Is he arresting her again?”

Georgia suddenly jerked her head out from the hairdryer, her eyes glittering with some kind of sparkly eye shadow. She looked …pretty. Not like the tough cop he knew. “Cade, what’s gong on?”

But she still had the same bite.

“I have to talk to Marci, and this time she’s going to listen.”

Marci shrieked as he closed the second handcuff around his own wrist, handcuffing her to him so she couldn’t escape.

C
HAPTER
N
INETEEN

Marci squealed and dug in her heels as Cade pulled her toward the back room. She had hoped and prayed and fantasized about seeing him again.

But this wasn’t exactly how she’d imagined it.

Georgia yanked up the top of the dryer. “What about my highlights? I don’t want it to turn orange!”

“Dottie!” Marci shouted.  “Take care of Georgia! The timer’s set.”

“I’ve got it, sugar.” Dottie yelled.

Marci’s heart stuttered. She was terrified to get her hopes up. “What are you doing, Cade? Did Paul escape or something?”

Cade halted by the supply closet, his eyes steaming as he backed her through the beaded curtain that served as a door.  “This has nothing to do with Pendergrass. It has to do with us.”

“Us?” Marci pursed her lips as her butt hit the stack of rollers on the shelf.

“Yes, us.” He traced a line along her jaw with one finger. “Why didn’t you call me back?”

Marci bit her lip. “I threw my phone away and got a new one.”

His eyes darkened. “Because you didn’t want to hear from me?”

Marci sighed, determined to stand her ground. But the scent of his aftershave wafted toward her, suffusing her with the need to kiss him again.

No, no, no… She could not be that weak.

“I…was trying to stand on my own,” she said. “To get my life together and prove I could be somebody.”

He studied her for a moment as if considering her statement, his breathing labored. “You don’t have anything to prove, Marci.”

Hurt welled inside her again. “Don’t I? You and Paul and my father made a laughingstock of me.”

“I never did that,” Cade said, although she saw the truth in his eyes and regret followed. “But I am sorry, Marci. I…didn’t know you then. But I do now.” He stroked her palm with his finger. “And I’m glad. If it hadn’t been for the case, I would never had had the chance to find out what a great person you are.”

“Or to get in my pants,” Marci said dryly.

He pressed a kiss against her throat. “Or to fall in love with you,” he murmured.

Marci’s lips parted, her breath whooshing out. “You –”

“I am in love with you,” he said, more firmly this time.  “And I want to marry you, Marci. That is, if you can forgive me.”

“For throwing me in jail?” she asked softly.

“For that and …everything else.”

Marci relaxed against him.  “Not all of it was bad, was it?”

He rubbed his foot up her thigh. “No, some of it was good.  Real good.” He dropped down to one knee, pulled out a velvet box and opened it.

A gorgeous diamond surrounded by light blue stones twinkled in the light. “Will you be my wife?”

Suddenly hushed whispers and noises echoed outside the beaded curtain, and Dottie and two other women poked their heads in. “Say yes!”

Marci laughed and looped her arms around Cade’s neck.

“Say yes,” Cade whispered.

“Yes,”  Marci said softly. “I love you, Cade, and I would love to be your wife.”

He slipped the ring on her finger, drew her closer, then kissed her as he swung her around in his arms.

Clapping and cheers erupted from the women in the salon.

Marci savored the kiss. She couldn’t wait to plan her wedding to Cade…then again, after the way they’d met, maybe they should just elope.

E
PILOGUE

Marci fluffed her veil as Kim and her mother entered the bedroom doubling as the brides room.  She and Cade had discussed eloping, but they’d finally opted for a small intimate wedding.

This time around there was no country club, no society columnist there, just their friends and family in Kim’s backyard.

It was perfect.

Still, déjà vu struck Marci, but she banished any inkling of bad luck today.

Today was her dream wedding.

The past six months had been tough at times, but she had forgiven her father, and now he was walking her down the aisle.

“Dad
is
here?” she asked, a sliver of worry tugging at her. He’d said nothing could keep him from giving her away.

Although what if a big case came up?

“He’s here, honey.” Her mother hugged her, then touched the diamond necklace around her throat.  “That’s gorgeous.”

“It’s my something borrowed. It belongs to Nana Muller,” Marci said, a fondness for the woman in her heart.

“How are things between you and Dad, Mom?” Kim asked.  “Is it too awkward?”

Her mother’s eyes glittered with a smile. “Actually we were going to announce it after your wedding.”

“Announce what?” Marci asked.

“Your dad is retiring, and he and I are taking a trip together,” her mother said. “It’s not a proposal, but it’s a start.”

Kim squealed and the three of them hugged. Marci’s heart swelled with excitement. She’d never dreamed she could ever be so happy, much less have her parents reunite.

The sound of the guitar strumming echoed through the house signaling it was almost time for the bride to make her appearance.

 When they pulled away, Kim checked herself in the mirror. “Good heavens, my face is so swollen. You could have waited till after the baby when I could fit into a real dress.”

Marci laughed. “You look beautiful, Kim,” she whispered.

Kim wiped at her eyes. “Thank God for waterproof mascara.”

Dottie ducked her head in. “You ladies ready?”

“Yes.” Her mother cupped Marci’s face in her hands. “Honey, I’m so proud of you. You’re not only beautiful on the outside, but you are on the inside, too.”

Marci started to cry again, but Kim gave her a warning look. “Not now. We need to go get you married, sis.”

Marci stepped into her heels as her mother hurried to be seated.

“Mom’s right. You’re stunning,” Kim said. “And I really like Cade. Even if he did arrest you once.”

Marci shuddered at the memory. That would be a story for their grandchildren one day.

Kim led the way down the steps to the backyard, and Marci followed her in her new wedding gown. The scooped-neck satin gown was much simpler than her other dress, but perfect for today and the man she was marrying.

The backyard looked elegant with fresh flowers around the gazebo, and lawn chairs draped with white bows. Dottie and Charlie were there, close to planning their own wedding at the barbeque hut they both loved, and the hookers from the jail waved from the back row. Thanks to her make-up tips, they didn’t even look like working girls today.

Several of her regular customers from the salon sat with Nana Muller, their hairdos complimentary of her staff. Ever since she’d opened, she’d run a special on Thursday for the over-sixty crowd. She’d even started a program to provide house calls for ladies who couldn’t make it in to the salon.

Guitar music played softly as she walked down the aisle toward Cade. He looked so handsome in his dark suit and tie that her pulse raced. She couldn’t wait for their honeymoon night.

His brother Mitchell stood beside him as best man, although Marci sensed some tension between them. But she refused to dwell on it today.

They could tackle that problem later.

Today she had her family and friends with her, and she was marrying the man she loved.

*~*~*~*

Cade smiled at Marci, his legs shaking. He couldn’t believe he was getting married.

And that his father and brother were here.

To say that things were strained would not be lying. But he had noticed Mitch giving Georgia a flirtatious eye at the rehearsal dinner.

What was that all about?

Then he forgot about family as Marci marched down the aisle. She was breathtaking.

And she was his.

He felt so lucky he thought he might bust.

Her father slanted him a sharp look though, and he willed his pulse to calm. He’d been terrified Turner wouldn’t approve of the marriage, and had taken Turner’s warning seriously – if he failed Marci, Turner would use his CIA connections to make him disappear.

Of course he hadn’t told Marci about that conversation.

She smiled, and he reached for her hand as she and her father approached. For a moment, her father hesitated as if he might change his mind and not give Marci to him, but Marci raised on her tiptoe, whispered something in his ear, then kissed his cheek, and he released her.

“Take care of her, Muller.”

Cade’s gaze met the man’s dark one, the warning received. “I will, Sir.”