We ate our sandwiches, sitting on the bank of the creek as the sun sped across the sky, nearing its descent. I pulled out a container of raspberries dotted with chocolate chips and handed it to Dallas. “Try these. It’s one of the appetizer ideas we came up with for our July wedding.”
He popped a few in his mouth and nodded. “Those are delicious. They look nice, too.”
I smiled and ate a handful. “Glad you like them.”
Dallas finished off his raspberries and then put his arm around me. “Do you have tons of work to do tonight? I don’t want to bother you.”
“It’ll be fine. I need to go over my notes and the pictures I took to put everything in line with the plans for the wedding, but I’m allowing myself some time off for you.” Hopefully, I could work up the nerve to tell Dallas that I didn’t see a future with him.
Part of me wanted to tell him how I felt right then, before I had a chance to chicken out, but it would be awkward to have to ride together another thirty minutes after that, especially if Dallas wasn’t too keen on breaking up. My nerves buzzed with my hidden worries as we got into the Mountaineer. If only he weren’t so sweet, it would be easy to let him go.
“Are the police still watching your house?”
“I need to call and check. I wonder if they’ve found out anything about that picture.” I brought up Tony’s number and waited for the call to go through. When he answered, I got right to the point. “Do I have the okay to go back to my house? Dallas is with me.” He wouldn’t be staying the night, but I didn’t want to go into details with Dallas listening to my end of the conversation.
“Do you trust him?”
“Obviously.”
“I’d feel better if you stayed somewhere else,” Tony grumbled. “I’ll still have someone drive by your place, but we’re short staffed tonight because of the ice show and a couple officers out sick.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“And, Adri . . .” Tony hesitated.
“Yes?”
“We found the area where the camera was set up. It was just outside Brock’s fence. Looks like the perp climbed a tree and probably used a high-powered zoom.”
“Oh.” The information sent a shiver down my spine. I was already creeped out. Why was Tony telling me this?
“We’re still operating under the suspicion that the photographer is a male, but that means he doesn’t weigh more than two hundred pounds. The tree branches couldn’t support more than that. Hamilton climbed partway up and broke a couple of branches.”
“So it could be a woman?”
“Anything is possible. I’m telling you this because I want to scare you in hopes that you’ll be extra cautious.”
“That’s nice of you,” I replied, letting an edge of sarcasm into my voice.
Tony laughed. “What would be nice is if we can figure out who’s stalking you and why, especially since the diamonds have been recovered.”
The unsettling feeling of the danger that lurked somewhere unknown sent a chill down my spine. “Okay, you win. I’m scared to death.”
Dallas raised his eyebrows, and I gave him a weak smile.
“I’ll call you as soon as we know more,” Tony said.
I ended the call and slowed to ease the bumps of the washboard road. “Tony said they’re not sure if the person taking pictures is a man or a woman.”
“I’m glad you trust me. I want to keep you safe, since the police can’t seem to do their job.”
“They’re doing their job.” I bristled at his comment. Tony had gone above and beyond to protect me and solve the crimes, and I didn’t want him discredited.
“Well, they’re not doing it fast enough to satisfy me.” Dallas put his hand on my knee and squeezed gently. “But you’re right. They’re doing what they can. The perpetrators must be smarter than they are.”
I bit my tongue because I couldn’t think of a good reply to his statement. “Can we change the subject?”
“Sure. Tell me more about Natalie’s wedding plans.”
I smiled and began talking. And Dallas listened. He really was interested in how hard I was working to make Natalie’s dream wedding a reality. That’s why I felt so wishy-washy about breaking up with him. He cared about me and had made a continuous investment in our relationship—working overtime to get to know me and the intricate details of the wedding business that made me who I am. That thought derailed my smile as I remembered that I still didn’t know much about him.
Dallas was a clever conversationalist. Every time I tried to delve into his background, he found a way to turn the question back at me. I kept thinking that maybe he’d open up more after we spent more time together. I decided to make another attempt to get to know him better before I let him go.
“Thanks for listening. I don’t mean to bore you, so why don’t you tell me your deep, dark secrets?”
Dallas licked his lips and rolled his shoulders back. “Now, that would be boring. You already know my secrets.”
“I do?”
“You know—the one about how I fell in love with a wedding planner?”
“And?”
His face reddened, and he focused on his hands. “I have another secret, but I planned to tell you later. That’s why I wanted to go to your house.”
“Gee, I’m not curious at all now.” My anxiety level ratcheted up a few more notches.
He touched my knee. “No, it’s something good—really good. I just wanted to surprise you.”
“Okay, I’ll be a good girl and be surprised, if you give me one hint.” I parked in front of his realty office so he could get his car.
“How about, I love you?”
“That’s a hint?”
Dallas jumped out of the car and hurried around to my side. I rolled down the window, and he leaned in and kissed me. “I won’t make you wait long.”
Chapter 26
Wedding Question Cards
Create six to eight questions that members of
