Scarlet Nights: An Edilean Novel Read online

  “Was she?” Joce asked, for she knew some about being close to breaking.

  “Yeah,” Tess said. “She was.”

  So now, Joce reached out to take Sara’s hand. “Greg made you feel desirable, that someone wanted you.”

  “Yes, and that the town disliked him made me feel like I was fighting against … I don’t know. Maybe I felt like Shakespeare’s Juliet and I was struggling to retain True Love. Now I think maybe I just wanted to show people … I don’t know what.”

  “I know about rebellion,” Joce said seriously. “In that backwoods family of mine I caused a lot of anger because I absolutely refused to get a tattoo.”

  Sara laughed. “Not even one?”

  “Not even a butterfly on my left ankle.”

  “You are a rebel.”

  Joce waited a moment before she spoke. “So what about the wedding?”

  Sara put her hands over her face. “I don’t know. I mean, I really and truly don’t know!” She looked back at Joce. “Just days after I met Greg, we were in business together and traveling and—”

  “Working.”

  “Oh, yes,” Sara said. “Masses of work. Great mountain loads of things that I had to do that kept me busy seven days a week.”

  “And sex.”

  “At first, yes. I so very much wanted to prove that I was at least as desirable as Brian’s … as the woman he wanted to marry, that I was insatiable.”

  “What about now?”

  “Now I’m remembering Greg the man. He’s not easy to live with, and he’s impossible to please. But I didn’t have time to think about anything after I met him. We went from a blind date to marriage plans in what seems like minutes.”

  “So where does Mike fit into all this?”

  “Nowhere. Mike has nothing to do with anything.”

  “Oh,” Joce said.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Nothing. I just thought that you and he were—”

  “Friends. That’s all we are to each other.” When Joce said nothing, Sara gave in. “Okay, so maybe Mike has reminded me what it’s like to enjoy a man’s company. He and I do things together.”

  “Like what?”

  “Swing through trees.” Sara lifted her hand. “That doesn’t matter.”

  “Are you sure? That I liked the things Luke and I did together made me choose him over Ramsey.”

  “Joce, get real. You had the hots for Luke from the day he dumped mustard down the front of you. Ramsey never had a chance. Besides, he was in love with Tess but was too dumb to know it.”

  “You’re right,” Joce said. “I know it’s a cliché, but I think you should follow your heart.”

  “If I did that, then I’d marry Merlin’s Farm. It’s what I really love.”

  Joce laughed so hard the babies started kicking.

  15

  MIKE WAS DRESSED for the gym, it was still dark outside, and there was no light from under Sara’s bedroom door. The night before, as soon as Mike had pulled up in his car, Luke had stepped outside to speak to him in private.

  Quietly, Luke had asked how the case was going and if he needed any help.

  Mike felt his usual sense of caution, but with each day that was fading. “I can’t find what Sara has that the Vandlo family wants.”

  Luke showed his shock at Mike’s word of “family.” “There are more people here than just Mitzi?” When Mike just looked at him, Luke drew in his breath. “It’s Greg, isn’t it? How is he involved?”

  “He’s Mitzi’s son.”

  Luke gave a low whistle. “Does Sara know?”

  “No. I want her to trust me more before I tell her.”

  “From what I’ve seen, she couldn’t trust you more than she does now.”

  “Yeah?” Mike couldn’t stop his grin.

  Luke arched an eyebrow at him. “You are aware, aren’t you, that if you hurt our Sara we’ll murder you?”

  “And what happens if my heart is broken?” Mike asked.

  “I have a staple gun in the truck.”

  Mike laughed. “At least tell me it’s a big staple gun.”

  “A pocket-size mini.”

  As they got to the door they were laughing, and an adolescent young man came out. He was as tall as Luke, but outweighed him by about a hundred pounds—and all of it looked to be muscle.

  The boy didn’t say anything, but when he saw Mike, he stopped and stared. He took Mike’s chin in his hand, turned his face to the side, and ran his finger down Mike’s nose. It had been broken several times but rarely repaired. As a result, he had a slight hook at the top of it that he’d been told looked like an axe blade.

  The young man said nothing, just removed his hand, and kept walking. Waiting by the big pillars into Edilean Manor was a sleek little Mercedes convertible. Sitting at the wheel was a slim, extraordinarily pretty young woman with an abundance of dark red hair. She waved at Luke, stared at Mike, and waited while the boy got into the passenger seat, then spun away in a flurry of gravel.

  “Who the hell—?” Mike began.

  “Fraziers.” Luke went into the house.

  “The big kid …?”

  “Shamus. He’s drawing the gypsy cards.”

  “Why was he looking at me?”

  “He likes faces, but who knows what a Frazier is thinking?”

  “The girl’s a looker.”

  “That’s Ariel, and she’s a terror. She has the Frazier temper.”

  “I guess I’m better off with Sara,” Mike said.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “Does everyone in this town work at matchmaking?”

  “Not Mr. Lang,” Luke said instantly.

  As Mike laughed, they heard the voices of the women and went into the drawing room, where Joce and Sara were.

  As before, the evening was very pleasant. Mike could almost forget the case as they talked about food and Luke’s trip to the gym that morning.

  “Forty-six minutes of hell,” Luke was saying. “Who would have thought you could do so much damage in so short a time?” He put a hand on his shoulder. “My delts will be sore tomorrow.”

  “You have strong lats. I’m going to have to work to keep up with you.”

  “Right,” Luke said in sarcasm. “This from a man who cools down on a trampoline.” He looked at the two women. “You should see what this guy does in the gym. I swear half the people there stopped their own workouts just to watch him.”

  From there they went to talking about Merlin’s Farm. As Sara spoke of seeing the inside of the old house, Mike marveled at the rapture in her voice. He’d never thought about loving an inanimate object as she seemed to care for that place. But then, he thought Sara would probably say he loved his car that much. She’d already teased him for keeping it so clean, but he saw nothing wrong with daily washing and vacuuming, and people really shouldn’t eat inside a car. And what was wrong with keeping the tires oiled?

  “Then Mr. Lang returned and ruined it all,” she finished with a quick glance at Mike.

  She’d left out the part where she and Mike had sat in a tree, snuggled together like baby birds in a nest.

  After they’d finished eating, Sara and Luke went to the kitchen, while Mike sat on a chair beside Joce and went through her genealogy charts. They were incredibly detailed, and he told her what a great job she was doing.

  “Sara likes you,” Joce said quietly. “And you’re pulling her away from that horrible Greg.”

  “You’re one of the people who doesn’t like him?”

  “He works to make everyone feel bad. Unless you have money. He fawns over the women who go to the shop.” She leaned closer to Mike and lowered her voice. “If you can stop the wedding—”

  Mike picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “That’s why I’m here.”

  “Really?” Joce’s eyes widened. “I thought your concern was catching the bad guys.”

  “It’s all part of it. Say nothing to Sara.”

  Joce looked at him with