The Perfect Bride (17 page)

Adam began to turn away again. As he did, she finally saw the
person standing behind him.

Ed loomed in the doorway, his large body stiff and menacing.

Jillian tensed in alarm, opening her mouth to call out a warning to Adam.

From the way Adam froze she realized he must have seen him.

His eyes pinned beyond them, Ed slowly moved toward them, his heavily lined face sagging with grief and, most of all, weariness. Adam stepped to the side,
and Ed passed them as if they weren’t even there. They both watched as he came to a stop at the basement door. Slowly sinking onto the top step, he sat there, staring silently down at the bottom.

After a moment, Adam turned and started toward the door out of the kitchen. Jillian wondered if they should just leave Ed there, if he was still a threat, even as something told her he wasn’t. Either
way, she couldn’t manage to find the words.

Feeling so damnably weak, there was nothing she could do but let Adam hold her to him and carry her from the room. It was enough. More than enough. Relief gradually replacing the adrenaline pumping through her system, she closed her eyes, listening to the sound of his heart pounding, soaking in the strength of his body around her, safe in the knowledge
that the long nightmare was finally over.

Chapter Sixteen

The storm finally died down just before dawn. The pouring rain gradually subsided, then tapered off into nothing. The dark, heavy clouds remained, blocking out the rising sun. The world was still shrouded in grayness when the remaining occupants of Sutton Hall came outside to watch the police and the coroner’s van drive away.

Ed sat in the back of the police
cruiser. He hadn’t said a word since Rosie’s death. It had taken some time for the police to arrive due to the storm. The whole time Ed had sat quietly at the top of the stairs and watched over his sister’s body at the bottom. When the authorities had finally arrived, he’d allowed himself to be handcuffed and gone with them willingly, all without saying anything to explain or defend himself while
Jillian and Adam told their stories. As the cruiser finally pulled away, he didn’t even look at the people who’d come to watch him go, staring blankly ahead.

“He looks so lost,” Meredith murmured.

There was a trace of sympathy in her voice, and in spite of everything, Jillian couldn’t help but feel a bit of it herself for the man. “He spent his life taking care of his sister and trying
to protect her. I wonder if he even cares what will happen to him now. It must feel like he doesn’t have anything left.”

Standing next to Meredith, Adam said nothing. Jillian knew he was still angry with the man, but deep down she suspected he had to admit he understood Ed’s actions, even if he couldn’t excuse them.

“I can’t believe I didn’t know,” Grace murmured faintly, not for the
first time. Evidently the Warrens had kept up their pretense to the fullest, even filing their income taxes as a married couple. The only tip-off in retrospect was that they’d asked for twin beds in their room, claiming that Rosie couldn’t sleep with all of Ed’s tossing and turning at night. They’d never shown much physical affection toward each other, but given the clear tension in their relationship,
no one had ever taken that as odd. Otherwise there’d been no other indications they weren’t exactly what they’d claimed to be.

The two vehicles slowly headed down the driveway, finally cresting the curve and disappearing from view.

As soon as they were gone, Ray and Zack stepped off the porch and shuffled off toward the groundskeeper’s cottage. It had been a long night for all of them,
but for those two in particular, working to curb the damage from the storm in Ed’s absence.

Grace lingered a moment longer before silently turning and withdrawing into the house, leaving Jillian standing on the porch with Adam and Meredith.

It was the first time she’d been able to speak with Meredith since she’d found out the truth, and Jillian couldn’t help but give her an uneasy glance.

“Meredith,” she said, drawing the other woman’s attention. “I’m sorry for lying to you. About who I am, why I really came here.”

Meredith shook her head. “It’s all right. I understand. And if you hadn’t lied, we never would have known the truth about what happened and Rosie would have been free to hurt someone else. I’m just sorry it came to that, and that we allowed her to be in a position
where she could hurt you and your friend in the first place.”

“That’s my fault,” Adam said roughly. “I should have checked deeper—”

“No,” Jillian interrupted. “Unless you’re hiring for the government, no standard employment background check is going to dig into people’s families and relationships. There’s no reasonable way you could have known. They’ve been living this charade for twenty-five
years and found a way to pull it off and cover their tracks.” She swallowed. “And even if I had been here, I probably couldn’t have saved Courtney. I wouldn’t have been with her all the time, so Rosie would have been able to come through the passages and get to her in her room when she was alone anyway. So no more blaming ourselves for things we couldn’t reasonably control. Any of us.”

“Agreed,”
Meredith said pointedly, looking at Adam long and hard.

Adam met her gaze with surprising vulnerability, and it was clear he knew exactly what she was talking about. She was releasing him from the burden he felt he owed her. His strong face softened with such love for his sister that Jillian melted a little inside. Finally, he nodded.

Jillian turned to Meredith. “And now that it’s over,
you can make a go of your wedding business for real.”

A sad smile touched Meredith’s lips. “Somehow I doubt anyone will want to get married here now. It was bad enough when everyone thought a bride had accidentally died here. Now that we know it was murder, who would want to come here?”

“You never know.” Jillian leaned back and gazed up at the building. “This is still an amazing place.
I have to believe a lot of people would love to see it. I’m sure you could manage to find some way to make it work. If not for weddings, then something else. Maybe all it needs is a fresh start.” She smiled. “Sometimes that’s all any of us needs.”

Meredith nodded slightly. “I can’t argue with that.” Her gaze suddenly shifted from Jillian to Adam and back again, her lips curving knowingly.
“It’s been a long night. I think I’m going to try to get some sleep. I’ll see you both later.” Without waiting for a response, Meredith slipped into the house.

And Jillian was finally alone with Adam.

A tremor of anticipation rumbled through her. This was the first time they’d really had a chance to talk since he’d taken her into his arms after Rosie’s death.

The first time they’d
been completely alone since they’d made love in his office.

“Thank you for that,” Adam said softly.

“I meant it,” Jillian said. “You have something good started here. It would be a shame to give up on it so quickly without giving it a chance.”

Only when the words came out did she realize how they sounded, as though she was talking about something else.

Or maybe she was, she
acknowledged, as she breathed in the sight of him standing before her, her heart beating faster in response.

Adam eyed her seriously. “Now that you know what really happened to Courtney here, I imagine you’d want to get away from this place as fast as you can.”

“It’s not the place’s fault.” Jillian pictured Courtney the way she liked to remember her best, smiling, always smiling, and
she knew Courtney must have done plenty of that here. “And while it will always be connected to her death, I’ll always remember how excited she was to be here. She loved it, too.”

A lump rose in her throat when she thought of Courtney, so excited, preparing for her wedding. Whatever else had happened, her last days had been happy ones.

Suddenly she felt his arms go around her. She closed
her eyes and leaned into him, savoring his strength, his warmth.

“I know,” he said softly. “I remember. You’re right. She was excited to be here. And very happy.”

“Thank
you
for that,” she murmured against his chest.

“I really wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to leave as fast as you can.”

It wasn’t a suggestion. He wasn’t pushing her to go. Indeed, he actually sounded pained
by the idea, unable to completely keep the resignation from his voice. But he was saying it for her sake. Because he thought it was what she needed, what would make her happy. That was who he was.

And it reminded her exactly why she should stay.

Jillian leaned back and peered up into his face. “I’m not going anywhere. I think there’s a lot more here that’s worth exploring further.”

One corner of his mouth began to curve upward. Hope, excitement, relief flared in those fascinating eyes. “Oh, you do?”

“I do.” She smiled. “Haven’t you learned by now it’s not that easy to get rid of me?”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I no longer want to.”

“Like that would stop me.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “You really are impossible.”

“It’s a good thing
you like that about me.”

And he smiled, the sight of it there on that lean, chiseled, beautiful face making her heart lurch in her chest and start pounding faster. “I like a lot more than that about you.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

He started to pull her close again. Before he could entirely, she stayed him with a hand on his chest. “Oh, and one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s
take things slow. I’m not sure I’m going to be up for planning a wedding anytime soon.”

He laughed. “Understood. Like you said, I think there’s plenty for us to explore before then.”

As she took in the beauty of his smile and the warmth of his features, she wondered how she could have ever thought him cold.

Unable to resist any longer, she wrapped her arms around him.

As she
clung to him, a bright light suddenly washed over her, the glow glaring through her eyelids. She opened them slightly to find the sun had finally managed to break through the clouds, shining its warmth upon them.

And on Sutton Hall.

Turning her head to rest it on Adam’s shoulder, she looked up at the building. She saw no shadows in its windows and many corners, the light filling every
nook and crevice. Its walls still wet from the rain, the whole manor seemed to gleam, clean and fresh once more in the bright light of morning.

A new day had begun at Sutton Hall at last.

* * * * *

Look for Meredith’s story next month as
Kerry Connor’s miniseries
SUTTON HALL WEDDINGS
concludes in
THE BEST MAN TO TRUST,
only from Harlequin Intrigue!

* * *

Keep reading for
an excerpt of
Ultimate Cowboy
by Rita Herron!

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Chapter One

“This special news report just in—an amber alert has been issued for six-year-old Hank Forte. Hank was last seen at the county fair in Amarillo.”

Brody Bloodworth’s heart clenched as a photo of the boy appeared on screen. The little boy had blond hair, was wearing a black T-shirt, jeans and cowboy boots. He could be one of the kids on the BBL, the Bucking Bronc
Lodge he had started for needy children.

But he reminded him more of his own little brother, Will, and launched him back seven years ago to the day Will had gone missing.

Not from a county fair but from the rodeo where
he
was supposed to be watching him.

Self-loathing and guilt suffused him, once again robbing his lungs of air. He understood what the family of that little boy was
going through now. The panic. The fear.

The guilt.

If only they’d kept a better eye on him. If only they hadn’t turned their head for a minute.

What was happening to him? Had he just wandered off? Would they find him hiding out or playing somewhere at the fair? Maybe he had fallen asleep in a stall housing one of the animals...

Or had someone taken him? Maybe a desperate woman
who’d lost a child and was out of her mind? A child predator who’d do God knows what?

A killer?

The reporter turned the microphone to Hank’s parents, a couple who were huddled together, teary-eyed and frightened. A second later, they began to plead for their son’s return, and the mother broke down into sobs.

Brody hit the remote, silencing the heart-wrenching scene, but it played
over and over in his head. But it wasn’t the Forte family’s cries he heard; it was his own family’s.

His father who’d blamed him from the get-go.

Because it was his fault.

He glanced through the window at the sprawling acres and acres of land he’d bought, to the horse stables and pens and the boys that he’d taken in. All kids who had troubles, boys who needed homes and love and
guidance.

But no matter how much he did for them, it wouldn’t make up for losing his little brother.

The clock in the hall struck 6:00 p.m., and he stood, pulled on his duster jacket and headed outside. One of his best men, Mason Blackpaw, and his fiancée, Cara Winchester, were getting married on the ranch in a few minutes. He’d promised he’d be there, and he was happy for his friend,
but weddings always made him uncomfortable.

And he’d attended a hell of a lot of them lately. In fact, all of his original investors had tied the knot. First Johnny Long, then Brandon Woodstock, Carter Flagstone, then Miles McGregor, and now Mason.

Yanking at his tie to loosen the choking knot, he glanced at the field to the right where Mason had built a gazebo. Cara had rented tables
and chairs and had decorated them with white linens, bows and fresh day lilies.

Half wishing he could skip the ceremony, he started to turn and go back inside, but Mason strode up to the steps of the gazebo then glanced his way with a smile.

Brody forced one in return. He couldn’t let his foul mood ruin his friend’s day.

Still, it was all he could do to put on a congenial face as
he took a seat in the back row. Weddings made him think of Julie Whitehead, the only girl he’d ever loved.

The girl he’d snuck off to make out with at the rodeo, leaving his brother alone and unprotected.

In the panicked and horrible days after Will had disappeared, he’d lashed out at Julie. He’d blamed her.

But it was really himself he hated.

Dammit, that news report had stirred
it all up again, all the haunting memories. He needed to check the database for missing and exploited children, make sure Will’s information was still there.

Over the years, he’d focused on making sure local law enforcement agencies as well as statewide ones didn’t give up looking. Even all these years later, he still had hope he’d find his brother.

Although that hope was harder to hold
on to every day.

Worse, worry over what his brother had suffered ate at him constantly.

Still, he had to know if he was dead or alive.

* * *

S
PECIAL
A
GENT
J
ULIE
W
HITEHEAD
ran her finger over the embossed wedding invitation from Cara Winchester and Mason Blackpaw, then tossed it into the trash. She had worked with Mason on the Slasher case along with Detective Miles McGregor,
tracking down a notorious serial killer who’d committed horrific crimes against women. During the case, they’d made friends, but she couldn’t bear to attend the couple’s wedding—not when it was taking place on the Bucking Bronc Lodge.

Not when Brody Bloodworth would probably attend.

After all, he was the founder of the ranch for troubled boys, a project she whole-heartedly admired, but
he was also the man who’d broken her heart. Even after seven years, the thought of seeing him again tore her in knots.

Of course, she hadn’t blamed him for hating her after his little brother had disappeared. If it hadn’t been for her selfishness, her eagerness to seduce him away from the rodeo, he would have been with Will, and the little boy never would have disappeared.

She’d never
forgiven herself for that.

And she’d made it her sole mission in life to see that one day he was found.

The very reason she’d joined the TBI.

Agent Jay Cord, one of the agents who specialized in missing children cases, cursed as he strode over to her desk. “Dammit, did you hear that another little boy went missing?”

Julie’s lungs tightened. “Hank Forte. I feel so bad for that
family.” Memories of the torturous hours after Will’s disappearance flashed back. “Any leads?”

“We’re still questioning all the workers at the fair, but so far nothing.”

She squeezed the stress ball on her desk, knowing the routine all too well. The family was always suspect, a fact that appalled her on their behalf and made her sick at the same time because a large percentage of the
time they were guilty.

Next on their suspect list—their friends and relatives. The police and TBI would look into financials, search for motives, the whole time putting out feelers for pedophiles, ex-cons and mental patients. Then the wait for a ransom call. And what to do then?

And if one didn’t come...the terrible realization that their child might be dead. “The parents check out?”
she asked.

“So far. Both seem devastated. No financial problems. No custody issues. No enemies that they know of.”

Julie frowned, thinking of all the cases they’d seen. The first forty-eight hours were crucial. Every second after lessened the chances they would find the child alive.

“I’m headed to Amarillo now,” Jay said. “Want to grab a bite of dinner with me on the way? There’s
a great Italian place I’ve been wanting to try.”

Julie offered him a smile and considered the offer. She knew Jay wanted more from her than friendship or to be coworkers. But even though she liked and admired him, she didn’t have it in her heart to get involved with him.

Because your heart belongs to someone else.

No...because her heart had been broken, and she wouldn’t take the
chance on love again.

Still, maybe she should give him a shot.

Julie stood and reached for her jacket to go with him, but her section chief Lee Hurt, strode in. “Wait a minute, Whitehead. I’ve got another case for you.”

Julie frowned. What could take precedence over looking for Hank Forte?

He strode to her computer, inserted a flash drive, then a second later clicked to open
the file. Jay followed, probably wondering if it had to do with the Forte case.

“You’ve been looking for that kid William Bloodworth for years, haven’t you?”

Julie narrowed her eyes. Was he going to reprimand her? “Yes.”

“Take a look at this and tell me what you think.”

Jay leaned closer and the two of them watched as feed from a security camera filled the screen. Two teenage
boys wearing dark hoodies walked into a convenience store, combed the aisles until the few customers inside left, then approached the cashier. Their faces were shrouded in shadows from the hoods, but the taller one held a pistol on the clerk, then demanded all their cash.

“Why are we watching a petty robbery?” Jay asked.

Chief Hurt clicked an icon, and the camera closed in on the oldest
boy. Julie’s heart began to pound as his face came into focus.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered. “Is it possible?”

Chief Hurt punched another set of keys. “Something about the face seemed familiar so I ran it through our databases, cross-referencing with photos from our missing kids’ files and the facial recognition software program that keeps them updated.”

Julie’s stomach knotted as
she watched the computer work its magic. The yearly updates of Will’s picture as he’d progressed in age were displayed first, then a comparison shot of the boy at the convenience store and Will’s latest sketch.

They were so similar her instincts surged to life.

“I can’t believe it,” Julie said, stunned. “We’ve been looking for Will Bloodworth for years, and if this is him, he’s surfaced
as a criminal?”

“We think it’s a local gang,” Chief Hurt said. “A group of boys have been robbing stores across Texas.”

“Do you think someone bigger is behind it?” Julie asked.

Chief Hurt shrugged. “Maybe. That’s what we have to find out.”

“I have to tell Will’s brother, Brody,” Julie said. “He...never gave up hope that Will was alive.”

Jay arched a brow. “You’ve kept
in touch?”

Julie shook her head, a pang ripping through her. “No, but he sends an email periodically to the bureau asking for updates. He’s kept his brother’s name in front of us to make sure we don’t stop looking for him.”

Chief Hurt crossed his arms. “Cord, take Special Agent Harmon with you to Amarillo to work on the disappearance of the Forte boy. Whitehead, you’re right. Go talk
to this kid’s brother, tell him what we’ve discovered.”

Emotions pummeled Julie. She’d waited years for this moment, to be able to tell Brody that she’d found his brother. To somehow make right the wrong she’d done years ago.

“Maybe you can convince him to help us find his brother and bring him in,” Hurt said.

Julie’s chest constricted.

Brody was going to be relieved, even
thrilled, to know Will was alive.

But how would he feel when he learned the law wanted him? That once they found him, instead of coming home with him, he would probably go to jail?

* * *

B
RODY
’
S
CELL
PHONE
buzzed just as Mason kissed the bride. Laughter and cheers erupted, and the boys from the ranch shifted, anxious for the food. Miles gave his wife a big kiss, which started a
chain reaction with all the happy couples in the audience—once again, a reminder that Brody was alone.

Music echoed from the guitar, everyone cheered and clapped, but his phone buzzed again, spoiling the moment. He glanced at the number, ready to let it roll to voice mail. But then he saw the number on the caller ID.

The Texas Bureau of Investigation.

His heart stopped for a moment.
He’d memorized that number long ago.

It might not be about Will, he told himself.

Still, hope surfaced. Along with fear.

He knew good and damn well that the call might mean his brother was dead.

The phone buzzed again, and he headed toward the porch as the preacher introduced Mr. and Mrs. Mason Blackpaw and the couple danced down the aisle toward the reception area.

Gritting
his teeth, he punched Talk. “Brody Bloodworth speaking.”

A breath whispered over the line, making him tense. “Who is this?”

“Brody, it’s Julie.”

His breath stalled.

“Special Agent Julie Whitehead from the TBI,” she continued, her voice slightly shaky.

Jesus, he’d heard she’d gone into law enforcement. Even read that she’d helped Mason and Miles find the serial killer who’d
been cutting up women the last few months.

Picturing her in that role had been hard for him.

“Brody?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” he said. “Just shocked to hear from you.”

“I’m on my way to the BBL to see you,” she said. “It’s...about Will.”

He closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose to stem the emotions assaulting him. God help him, he had thought he wanted answers.

Now, he wasn’t so sure.

Outside, the festivities continued as Mason and Cara cracked open the champagne. Miles McGregor made a toast in celebration of the new life the couple were starting together. They were happy, smiling, looking forward to their future.

Something he hadn’t done since that horrible day seven years ago.

Finally, he cleared his throat, willing himself to be strong.
He’d waited years for this call; he had to know. “You found him?”

“Yes, we think so,” Julie said. “I’ll explain when I arrive.”

“Explain? What the hell does that mean?” All his pent-up anger, guilt and worry churned through him. “Just tell me, dammit, do you know where he is?”

“Not exactly,” Julie said. “Like I said, I’ll explain when I get there.”

It was on the tip of his
tongue to ask the question that had tormented him every night since Will had disappeared, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

Not yet.

Julie hung up, and he sat down on the porch swing and knotted his hands into fists and waited. There was no way he could join the celebration right now.

Instead, he watched for Julie’s car, knowing she had the answers that he’d told himself he needed
to move on with his life.

Only he’d been kidding himself.

The scenarios that screamed through his head did nothing but make him feel sick inside. And the truth, no matter what it was, couldn’t be pretty or Julie would have told him over the phone.

He had to brace himself for the worst. Trouble was he didn’t know what would be more horrible—finding out his brother was dead, or that
he’d been held hostage and abused for years.