Something Borrowed, Something Bleu Part 14

I went on with the story as Iad heard it. Tabby had said the boy on the bike came out of nowhere. The snow and cold no doubt had something to do with why he swerved out of the bike lane and in front of the truck. Maybe head been avoiding an ice patch, or had hit one and slid out of control. It had been early morning by then, two or three oaclock, and a cyclist on the streets at that hour and in that weather was unusual but not unheard of in bike-crazy Spring Creek.

Tabby had sideswiped him. Instead of stopping, shead roared away. Bobby Lee had wanted to go back; Joe didnat. He said he saw the cyclist getting up behind them. Head be fine, and they were already in enough trouble. So she drove them to Joeas apartment. The next morning, Joeas feet were better but not great. He dropped Tabby and Bobby Lee off at our house after Anna Belle and Dad left for work.

My parents had no idea Bobby Lee wasnat in his bed. That he had been gone all night.

I had to wonder whether that night didnat give Joe leverage over Tabby as well as Ogden. After all, he obviously didnat have a problem with using a little blackmail to get his way. Head always been sweet on Tabby, but she was Bobby Leeas girl. After Bobby Lee was goneahowever tragic the circ.u.mstancesashe was available. At least in theory. She didnat love Joe, but between the land for the dairy and the fact that he knew her secret, I could see how he had persuaded her to marry him. Shead spoken of a abonda between them. Indeed. And what a complicated thing that bond had been.

But I hadnat had a chance to ask Tabby whether any of that was true, so I didnat mention it. I also left out what Iad been thinking about as I drove home from the dairy. If the hit-and-run victim had lived, or maybe even if head been killed instantly, perhaps my brother would still be alive. If Bobby Leead had a chance to anonymously call 911 and get an ambulance to the site of the accident, maybe his guilt would have been a.s.suaged. But Tabby had been terribly upset, and Joe insisted the cyclist had only been bruised. So Bobby Lee never made that call.

aSo much death in order to cover the crimes of others,a Meghan murmured.

aNone of the deaths were intentional,a I said. aWell, Ray shoved Gwen Miller in the river in a fit of anger, but we canat know that he meant to kill her. Ogden will certainly argue that he didnat. Tabby will be tried for killing that young man so many years ago and for leaving the scene of the hit-and-run. But if shead stayed and called the police when it happened, she likely wouldnat have gone to jail. Even Ogden Dunner realized after head given in to Joeas blackmail demands that the law wouldnat have done much to his son if they had all told the truth in the first place. And in the end, Ogden killed Joe in self-defense.a It was all so sad. However, now that we knew the truth, a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I hadnat even realized how heavy it had become after all those years. When Tabby revealed that shead been the one driving, Iad been surprised at first. I really had thought it was Joe. But it made perfect sense. Joe was my brotheras best friend. Bobby Lee was as loyal as they came. Though mystified as to the connection between them, I could just barely understand why Bobby Lee would cover up for Joe. But it made oodles of sense when I realized he was covering up for Tabby, the girl he was head-over-heels in love with.

The girl with the ice-blue eyes.

_____.

The subject of protecting others for their own good came up later as Dad and I worked together in the kitchen. Wead grilled steaks with peppers, onions, zucchini, and tomatoes for dinner, as well as a foil-wrapped loaf of crispy garlic bread, so was.h.i.+ng the dishes was a snap.

aEverybody was protecting someone, werenat they?a I leaned down to put another plate in the dishwasher then stood and faced him. aOgden protecting Ray. Sheriff Jaikes wanting to protect his daughter. Bobby Lee protecting Tabby. Celeste protecting Tabby. And you, protecting Anna Belle.a My father blinked. aIam not sure Iaa aThereas no other explanation. Celeste Atwood returned Bobby Leeas letter as soon as she got it. You happened to see it before Anna Belle did. And you kept it from her all these years.a He licked his lips.

aWhy, Dad?a Hesitation. Then he nodded. aYou werenat here. You donat know what your brotheras death did to her. She couldnat have taken it then.a aDid you read it?a Eyes s.h.i.+ny with tears, he shook his head. aI couldnat.a His voice broke on the second word.

I put my arms around my father. He hadnat just been protecting Anna Belle; head been protecting himself as well.

aYou have to tell her, you know.a He nodded, and I felt the dayas stubble on his chin catch in my hair. aI guess maybe Iad better go do that right now, huh?a I gave him another squeeze and let him go.

aI love you,a I said to his retreating back. aSo does she.a He paused. Without turning around he said, aI know.a _____.

Snow drifted to the ground as night fell outside the main lodge at the Horseshoe Guest Ranch. Flames crackled around four-foot logs in the oversized fireplace, and guests perched on the elevated hearth and the eight-foot sofa in front of the fire. Others stood talking in small groups. The jazz quartet in the corner accompanied conversations as people munched and sipped. Tantalizing food smells issued from the depths of the kitchen and from the appetizer buffet along the back wall. Elk, moose, deer, and antelope heads mounted high on the walls looked down upon the festivities, but no one seemed to mind their skulking.

There were cl.u.s.ters of orange gerbera daisies everywhere.

Meghan shot a look at the grandfather clock and raised her eyebrows. I nodded, and she began quietly a.s.sembling the wedding party.

A quick and simple ceremony in the middle of a reception, then a sit-down dinner later.

Starting with the reception was a ba.s.s-ackwards way to do it, Ca.s.sie Ambrose said. But Barras mother wasnat opposed to doing things a little differently, and I loved the idea of getting married in the middle of a party rather than making a big production out of the vows. Everyone, including me, was relaxed and enjoying themselves, and that had to be a good sign.

And Anna Belle was having a fantastic time, moving from guest to guest, pouring Southern charm over them like honey. She wore a svelte, wine-colored suit and a matching pair of smas.h.i.+ng Italian leather pumps. Dad stood by the fireplace in a sedate black suit and watched her with an adoring gaze. Their relations.h.i.+p had rekindled over the last few months to the degree that Iad had to ask my mother to stop sharing details over the phone.

I hadnat dictated what any of my attendants wore, figuring they were smart enough to figure it out on their own. I wasnat disappointed. Meghan was my maid of honor, of course, and wore a stylish blue silk sheath. Erin had wanted to be my flower girl, but Iad nixed the idea. The disappointment on her face lifted when I asked her to be one of my bridesmaids instead. She looked beautiful in a light blue dress with a soft, twirly skirt.

My other bridesmaid was my good friend Tootie Hanover. The cold Wyoming weather wasnat good for her severe arthritis, but she was cheerful even in her wheelchair. She was elegant as always, tonight in a deep green satin tunic and long black skirt. Her boyfriend, Felix, hovered constantly at her side, and I wondered whether he was planning to stand up with me during the actual wedding, as well.

From behind the bar, Hannah Ambrose, Barras ex-wife and possible future sister-in-law, flashed a bright grin and waved when I looked her way. I bared my teeth at heraI think it came across as a smile. But if it didnat, that was okay, too.

My deep purple lace dress was something new, but Iad also tucked the key to our newly renovated house under my garter. The key wasnat new, but the house and living situation would be.

Iad borrowed a lace handkerchief from Erin that her Nana Tootie had given her. I figured that covered both old and borrowed. Then Barras mother had given me the string of pearls around my neck. Theyad belonged to her mother, and I was pleased to wear them in honor of being welcomed into the Ambrose family.

As for the something blue, it was really something bleu. And no, I wasnat wearing it. Meghan and I had started making our own fresh cheeses after returning to Cadyville from that adventurous week in Spring Creek, but my father had turned his culinary pa.s.sion to serious cheese making. Head supplied two small wheels of a young bleu head made, as well as flying in some of the well-aged good stuff from an artisan cheese house in New York. They were among the appetizers on the buffet table. The dinner menu also included bleu cheese dressing for the salad and guests would have the option of adding a dollop of bleu cheese b.u.t.ter on top of their filet mignon.

A friend of the Ambrose family, a local judge, waited to marry us. Meghan spoke to him, and he began moving toward the area in front of the fireplace where wead decided to exchange vows. The rest of us followed. The quartet quieted, and the ceremony began.

Barr and I had written our own simple promises to love each other and stick out the rough times. Yes, Barras actually said that. As long as he meant it, I didnat care how he put it.

Just before the exchange of rings, the judge asked if I wanted this man to be my husband.

I said, aI do.a And I really, really did.

The End.

About the Author.

Cricket McRaeas interest in traditional colonial skills is reflected in her contemporary Home Crafting Mysteries. Set in the Pacific Northwest, they feature everything from soap making to food preservation, spinning to cheese making. For recipes and more information about Cricket go to her website, www.cricketmcrae.com http://www.cricketmcrae.com/, or her blog, www.hearthcricket.com.

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