Cullen's Bride (15 page)
Authors: Fiona Brand
Carter spun the men around and pushed them into the side of
the truck. He wasn't gentle. “And seein' as how your neighbours are so
friendly,” he continued, shooting a glance at Cullen, “maybe you should be
considering
your
wardrobe.”
the truck. He wasn't gentle. “And seein' as how your neighbours are so
friendly,” he continued, shooting a glance at Cullen, “maybe you should be
considering
your
wardrobe.”
Blade pulled a cell phone from the pocket of his cutoffs.
“Who do I call?” he asked Cullen.
“Who do I call?” he asked Cullen.
Cullen gave him Dan Holt's number.
Blade stabbed some numbers, waited, then spoke tersely
before flipping the phone closed and shoving it back into his pocket. “He'll be
here ASAP.”
before flipping the phone closed and shoving it back into his pocket. “He'll be
here ASAP.”
Trask's head came up at the announcement. The glazed look on
both the prisoners' faces was fading fast, now that the banter was over and the
prospect of an official end to their night's work was in sight.
both the prisoners' faces was fading fast, now that the banter was over and the
prospect of an official end to their night's work was in sight.
After a tense interval, a vehicles sounded in the distance.
Seconds later Dan Holt's police car crunched to a halt. His eyes narrowed on all
the firepower surrounding the two cowering men. He centred on Trask, then
glanced sharply at Cullen. “Looks like a war zone.”
Seconds later Dan Holt's police car crunched to a halt. His eyes narrowed on all
the firepower surrounding the two cowering men. He centred on Trask, then
glanced sharply at Cullen. “Looks like a war zone.”
“Just a few friends up for some hunting,” Cullen
replied.
replied.
Dan lifted his eyebrows. “Yeah, right. SAS I
presume?”
presume?”
Five faces went blank.
“Okay.” He sighed, dragging a notebook out of his pocket and
flipping it open. “Fill me in, boys.”
flipping it open. “Fill me in, boys.”
Cullen gave him a terse outline of events.
Dan produced handcuffs, looked ruefully at the expert rope
job cinching the prisoners' wrists tight and stashed the cuffs in his back
pocket with a fatalistic sigh. He herded the two men into the back seat of his
car and put the weapon they'd used in the boot. He nodded at Cullen. “I'll take
these two into Fairley for the rest of the night. I'll see you there first thing
tomorrow morning for a statement.” Lifting his hand, he drove up to the house,
turned around, then drove back and out onto the road.
job cinching the prisoners' wrists tight and stashed the cuffs in his back
pocket with a fatalistic sigh. He herded the two men into the back seat of his
car and put the weapon they'd used in the boot. He nodded at Cullen. “I'll take
these two into Fairley for the rest of the night. I'll see you there first thing
tomorrow morning for a statement.” Lifting his hand, he drove up to the house,
turned around, then drove back and out onto the road.
Blade gave Cullen a hard look as they all headed back to the
house. “I think you'd better tell us what's been going on here,
Cul.”
house. “I think you'd better tell us what's been going on here,
Cul.”
“I smell petrol,” Ben said sharply.
“Yeah, you're right,” West said. “Hey, Cul, those bastards
were gonna burn you out.”
were gonna burn you out.”
Carter examined the splash marks on the side of the house
and scratched his head. “Then why the hell did they start
shooting?”
and scratched his head. “Then why the hell did they start
shooting?”
Blade shook his head in disgust. “Accidental discharge,
probably. Man, do I hate amateurs. Someone could have been hit.”
probably. Man, do I hate amateurs. Someone could have been hit.”
Cullen located the petrol can the men had dropped in their
panic. “It's just as well they got careless,” he said bleakly. “Otherwise we'd
be watching this baby burn right now.”
panic. “It's just as well they got careless,” he said bleakly. “Otherwise we'd
be watching this baby burn right now.”
They were all silent, looking at the old house. Carter
ambled off to get the hose and began watering down the areas that showed splash
marks.
ambled off to get the hose and began watering down the areas that showed splash
marks.
Blade jerked his head at Cullen and walked a short distance
away from the others. “What's going on, Cullen?”
away from the others. “What's going on, Cullen?”
Cullen shrugged. “Some stuff's been happening. I got
involved with trying to help the son of one of those men, and he didn't take
kindly to my intervention. He beat up on the boy, then the boy's mother. And
then he threatened Rachel.”
involved with trying to help the son of one of those men, and he didn't take
kindly to my intervention. He beat up on the boy, then the boy's mother. And
then he threatened Rachel.”
“Doesn't seem motivation enough to risk something like
this.”
this.”
Cullen watched Carter turn off the water. Ben and West were
systematically checking all the outbuildings, making sure there weren't any more
surprises they should know about. Anger still vibrated through him, along with a
cold, sick feeling he didn't like at all. Trask's sidekick had mentioned “a
woman,” which meant they'd been prepared to burn the house down with Rachel
inside. “I haven't got to the bottom of Trask's motivations yet. I've got some
ideas, but no way to prove any of it. And besides, it's a little difficult
pointing the finger around here. I don't exactly have a pristine
reputation.”
systematically checking all the outbuildings, making sure there weren't any more
surprises they should know about. Anger still vibrated through him, along with a
cold, sick feeling he didn't like at all. Trask's sidekick had mentioned “a
woman,” which meant they'd been prepared to burn the house down with Rachel
inside. “I haven't got to the bottom of Trask's motivations yet. I've got some
ideas, but no way to prove any of it. And besides, it's a little difficult
pointing the finger around here. I don't exactly have a pristine
reputation.”
“I know the kind of stuff you did. It wasn't that
bad.”
bad.”
“Yeah, right,” Cullen said drily. “Running with a gang,
learning to survive on the streets. Just your usual youthful exuberance. Around
here, you spit on the sidewalk and they consider putting you away.”
learning to survive on the streets. Just your usual youthful exuberance. Around
here, you spit on the sidewalk and they consider putting you away.”
“So, the town thinks you're some kind of bad boy come back
to raise hell?” Blade shook his head. “Don't they know who you are? What you
are?”
to raise hell?” Blade shook his head. “Don't they know who you are? What you
are?”
Cullen shook his head. “This is small-town New Zealand,
Blade, and these people saw me at my worst. To them, I
am
the bad guy.”
Blade, and these people saw me at my worst. To them, I
am
the bad guy.”
Â
The next morning Cullen slotted his truck into a space
outside the police station in Fairley. He gave his name at the reception desk
before being ushered into an interview room.
outside the police station in Fairley. He gave his name at the reception desk
before being ushered into an interview room.
Ironically, it was the same interview room he'd sat and
sweated in fifteen years ago. Apart from a new coat of paint in a pale pink that
was no doubt supposed to soothe the savage breast, it was unchanged. The same
scarred furniture, the same feeling of claus-trophobiaâof being caged. The same
stale smell of defeat
sweated in fifteen years ago. Apart from a new coat of paint in a pale pink that
was no doubt supposed to soothe the savage breast, it was unchanged. The same
scarred furniture, the same feeling of claus-trophobiaâof being caged. The same
stale smell of defeat
Dan Holt joined him, along with another uniformed detective.
The formalities only took a few minutes. The young guy in uniform took the
paperwork and the empty fuel can Cullen had brought in, and left the
room.
The formalities only took a few minutes. The young guy in uniform took the
paperwork and the empty fuel can Cullen had brought in, and left the
room.
Dan sat back in his chair. “You and Trask seem to have quite
a little feud building up here. I'd be interested to hear anything you'd like to
tell me about it.”
a little feud building up here. I'd be interested to hear anything you'd like to
tell me about it.”
Cullen kept his expression blank. “You talked to him about
his claim that he hit my father?”
his claim that he hit my father?”
“Put the emphasis on âI talked' If Trask was as silent as
that in the pub, a lot of folks'd be relieved.”
that in the pub, a lot of folks'd be relieved.”
Cullen shrugged. “Maybe he was just mouthing off. I didn't
expect anything to come of it.”
expect anything to come of it.”
“Anything, hell. What he did last night looks like
retaliation.”
retaliation.”
“So what happens now?”
“With the load on district court judges, it'll be months
before Trask appears. He's been released pending trial, but I've slapped a court
order on him. If he approaches you or Rachel, sets foot on your property, or
tampers with any of your possessions, he goes into custody.”
before Trask appears. He's been released pending trial, but I've slapped a court
order on him. If he approaches you or Rachel, sets foot on your property, or
tampers with any of your possessions, he goes into custody.”
Relief unlocked some of the tension in Cullen's muscles.
“Thanks. I appreciate the protectionâfor Rachel's sake.”
“Thanks. I appreciate the protectionâfor Rachel's sake.”
“But not your own?” Dan met his gaze levelly. “I can
understand that. You haven't exactly had a lot to thank the law for. Believe me,
if I could've found out what happened to your father all those years ago, I
would have. I never thought you did it.”
understand that. You haven't exactly had a lot to thank the law for. Believe me,
if I could've found out what happened to your father all those years ago, I
would have. I never thought you did it.”
“Thanks,” Cullen said gruffly. He'd always thought Dan was
fair, but he'd never expected him to offer anything more than guarded
neutrality. Just as he was rising to leave, Dan put up a hand.
fair, but he'd never expected him to offer anything more than guarded
neutrality. Just as he was rising to leave, Dan put up a hand.
“Before you go, I'd like to get your slant on that letter
Rachel brought in yesterday.”
Rachel brought in yesterday.”
Cullen's senses went on immediate alert. Letter? He could
think of only one reason for Rachel to hand a letter to Dan. Fury tightened all
his muscles at the thought of someone threatening Rachel. The fury increased
when he considered that Rachel had clearly bypassed hum with her problem. He
found he didn't like that one little bit. Just as he hadn't liked her assertion
that she could cope with being a solo parent just fine. “Rachel didn't mention
any letter.”
think of only one reason for Rachel to hand a letter to Dan. Fury tightened all
his muscles at the thought of someone threatening Rachel. The fury increased
when he considered that Rachel had clearly bypassed hum with her problem. He
found he didn't like that one little bit. Just as he hadn't liked her assertion
that she could cope with being a solo parent just fine. “Rachel didn't mention
any letter.”
Dan fidgeted with the file on the table. Cullen's eyes
narrowed. Not much upset the middle-aged policeman. He had a cop's face, a cop's
cynical eyes. Something unusual had to have happened to have breached that
essential hardness.
narrowed. Not much upset the middle-aged policeman. He had a cop's face, a cop's
cynical eyes. Something unusual had to have happened to have breached that
essential hardness.
Dan flipped open the folder and produced a plastic envelope
with a sheet of paper displayed inside. “Rachel received this in the salon's
mail.”
with a sheet of paper displayed inside. “Rachel received this in the salon's
mail.”
Cullen read the terse, precisely aligned statement and
understood immediately why Rachel hadn't discussed the letter with him. She'd
been trying to protect him. His fury condensed into a cold knot in his stomach.
Ever since he'd reluctantly returned to Riverbend, he'd been encountering
problems. Mostly it was just simple bad manners, sometimes a refusal to do
business with him. The most frustrating difficulty was the ongoing problem of
finding anyone to work for him. Consequently, it was taking him months to do
what should have taken weeks. The sheet of paper was an abrupt escalation of his
difficulties. Gossip and speculation, even anger about his past, were one thing,
but apparently someone wanted him out of Riverbend badly enough to show their
hand. But they'd just made a serious error, because Cullen wasn't eighteen and
running scared. He was thirty-three and beginning to be seriously ticked off.
“Did you manage to lift any prints?”
understood immediately why Rachel hadn't discussed the letter with him. She'd
been trying to protect him. His fury condensed into a cold knot in his stomach.
Ever since he'd reluctantly returned to Riverbend, he'd been encountering
problems. Mostly it was just simple bad manners, sometimes a refusal to do
business with him. The most frustrating difficulty was the ongoing problem of
finding anyone to work for him. Consequently, it was taking him months to do
what should have taken weeks. The sheet of paper was an abrupt escalation of his
difficulties. Gossip and speculation, even anger about his past, were one thing,
but apparently someone wanted him out of Riverbend badly enough to show their
hand. But they'd just made a serious error, because Cullen wasn't eighteen and
running scared. He was thirty-three and beginning to be seriously ticked off.
“Did you manage to lift any prints?”
“Aside from Rachel's, not a one.”
Cullen grunted. He hadn't expected to hear anything
different. Just one look at the pristine paper, the carefully aligned letters,
provided the information that the person who'd put the letter together was
careful and intelligent and unlikely to do anything as amateurish as leave
prints.
different. Just one look at the pristine paper, the carefully aligned letters,
provided the information that the person who'd put the letter together was
careful and intelligent and unlikely to do anything as amateurish as leave
prints.
Dan leaned forward. “Is there anyone who might have reason
to...uh...”
to...uh...”
“To convince Rachel that marrying Riverbend's bad boy isn't
a great move? Take your pick, Dan. Half the town would like to see me
gone.”
a great move? Take your pick, Dan. Half the town would like to see me
gone.”
“Not many of 'em would go this far. And I don't think Trask
has got what it takes to produce something like this, either.”
has got what it takes to produce something like this, either.”
“It wasn't Trask,” Cullen agreed. “Not this
time.”
time.”
Dan sat up straighter, his tired gaze sharpened. “If you've
got any ideas, I want to hear them.”
got any ideas, I want to hear them.”
“I have ideas. Nothing concrete.”
“Damn it, Cullen, If you're withholding
informationâ”
informationâ”
“If I come up with anything you can use,” Cullen
interrupted, “I'll give it to you wrapped up with a bow.”
interrupted, “I'll give it to you wrapped up with a bow.”
“If someone's harassing you, it's police business,” Dan
warned. “Don't try to handle it on your own.”
warned. “Don't try to handle it on your own.”
“I won't start anything,” Cullen promised grimly. “But if
the son of a bitch who sent that letter to Rachel decides to get up close and
personal with me, I won't be backing down.”
the son of a bitch who sent that letter to Rachel decides to get up close and
personal with me, I won't be backing down.”
When Cullen stepped out into the hallway, he almost walked
into Trask and his cohort. And the elegantly suited figure of Richard Hayward.
The lawyer looked right through him, but Trask didn't. His gaze was triumphant,
as he strode past.
into Trask and his cohort. And the elegantly suited figure of Richard Hayward.
The lawyer looked right through him, but Trask didn't. His gaze was triumphant,
as he strode past.
Cullen followed them out of the station and watched the men
get into Hayward's expensive new Lexus and drive away. He wouldn't have thought
Trask made the kind of money Hayward would demand for defending him. Or to make
bail on attempted arson and firearms charges.
get into Hayward's expensive new Lexus and drive away. He wouldn't have thought
Trask made the kind of money Hayward would demand for defending him. Or to make
bail on attempted arson and firearms charges.
Unless he had someone with money backing
him.
him.
Chapter 10
W
hen Rachel arrived at the tiny church just outside of town, she was glad she'd insisted they have the wedding there.
hen Rachel arrived at the tiny church just outside of town, she was glad she'd insisted they have the wedding there.
The church was beautiful, perched on the top of a ridge, commanding a wide view of the checkerboard valley that fell away at its feet and the hazy, blue distance of the hill country. With its peeling paint outside and hushed darkness inside, the old building possessed a timeless grace and peace that conferred a subtle blessing on her hurried marriage.
“You don't have to do this,” Cole said bluntly, halting her at the front steps
Rachel sent him and the other three brothers who had popped up out of nowhereâminus girlfriendsâan irritated look. She adjusted her small, defiantly white silk hat and half veil and ran a last-minute check on her simple white silk suit. “I want to do this,” she said calmly. “Now, are you going to give me away, or do I have to do it myself?”
Cole released a strained sigh. “You could at least have waited until Dad could get here.”
“He's in Japan for a month,” she stated. “And I can't wait. There's no easy way to tell you this, guys, so...I'm pregnant.”
Four jaws sagged. Then an excess of testosterone surfaced in a rush. Ethan bunched his hands into fists, Nick's eyes slitted, and Cole had to snag Doyle as he made a violent move toward the doors of the church.
“That's it,” Cole said bleakly. “You're not marrying Logan. We'll look after the kid.”
Rachel shook Cole's hand off and resisted the urge to ask if the offer would still be open if she happened to have a daughter instead of a son? She stepped back, far enough away that she could stare each brother in the eye in turn They were all Viking-blond. all gorgeous, and each one of them sported the stubborn Sinclair jaw The one feature they all had in common. “I want to marry him,” she said firmly, not sparing herself. “This is all my doing. I've trapped him He doesn't want me.”
“Like hell,” Doyle muttered, giving her a look of supreme disbelief. “Why didn't he use aâ”
“It just happened,” she said flatly.
“Oh, yeah,” Nick drawled “It was still pretty damned careless of him. He should have been prepared.”
“Are you prepared ..now?” she asked with delicate precision.
Nick's ice blue eyes narrowed to slits. “This is my only sister's wedding,” he replied curtly. “I'm not planning on anything more strenuous than checking out this creep.”
“Exactly,” she agreed, holding out her arm to Cole and addressing him directly. “Do I go in alone, or are you coming with me?”
Cole shook his head, a faint smile adding a rueful edge to his simmering frustration. “Logan didn't stand a chance, did he?”
Rachel's cheeks heated up. “I told you, it
just happened.”
just happened.”
“Yeah, like the time you manoeuvred Jamie Hanson into a dark corner and kissed him.”
“That doesn't count. I was six years old!”
“And he was nearly twice your size and a manly eight, but you herded him in that corner and planted one on him just the same.”
“I'm surprised you remember that.”
“Oh, I remember,” he said softly. “We all drew straws, and I was the one that got to beat the living hell out of him.”
The smugness in Cole's voice was infuriating. “Then it's probably just as well I went to live in Auckland,” Rachel retorted. “With you lot circling me like a pack of hungry Rottweilers, I never would have got to meet anyone.”
“Yeah, well,” he returned in a low, irritated rumble, “we tried our best, but we never could stop you. Witness what we're about to do now.”
Rachel glared, jerking him with her up the first step As they entered the open doors, the first strains of the wedding march filtered into the late afternoon air, and Cullen turned, his gaze immediately settling on her.
She barely recognised him. He'd cut his hair and was wearing military dress uniform, and the four men lined up beside him were similarly dressed. The church seemed packed full of soldiers. Maybe because they were all so big and the church was tiny.
She heard one of her brothers mutter something, and then they were walking down the aisle, Cole's forearm tense as corded steel beneath her fingers. Finally she was standing beside Cullen, all her brothers belligerently lined up with her, glaring across and through her at the soldiers. She could feel them each selecting who they would fight first. Doyle, who had always been hottempered, would be picking the two largest, meanest specimens. She recognised the soldiers. They were the same dangerous crew who'd stopped for petrol across the road from her salon yesterday. They were here for her wedding.
Her wedding.
Rachel forced a shaky smile for the nice old vicar The same one who'd married her last time.
If anything, Cullen seemed even more remote in uniform, and her stomach tensed at the knowledge that he was still in the army, merely on extended leave. This whole cowboy routine was just a break for him, and his newly cropped military short hair, the cnsp olive uniform with its distinctive SAS wings, the gleaming row of medals running across his broad chest, all served to remind her that her hold on him, despite this ceremony, was tenuous.
The vicar began to speak.
Cullen let out a slow breath. Now he knew he was living a dream.
She looked like a dream in a soft, silky confection of a suit, that veiled hat tilted on her satiny head while she watched him with dark, grave eyes, as if this were what she'd always wished for. Always dreamed about.
And God help him, but she was wearing white and fulfilling every one of his hungry fantasies. He hadn't expected that. Just like he hadn't expected her to be carrying flowers. White flowers Roses, and something more heavily scented. Gardenias, maybe The fragrance filled his nostrils, and he knew that whenever he smelt it he would be instantly reminded of this moment.
He'd only given Rachel a few days to prepare, but somehow, despite the opposition she must have facedâand the shock of receiving that anonymous letterâshe'd managed to make this a wedding and not the expedient ceremony he'd wanted. Cullen's jaw tightened with a savage regret. Damn. This wasn't going to go away, no matter how hard he tried to lock it out of his consciousness. The images were too powerful the graceful old church with the sun slanting through tall, arched windows, the massed white flowers; the echoing sound of the vicar's voice intoning words that were ancient, binding. The sheer beauty of the woman standing beside him. And the child she was carrying.
This shouldn't be happening. Just like his throat shouldn't be choking up, and his gaze shouldn't be locked with Rachel's as he drowned in her mesmerizing combination of vulnerability and fierceness.
He wanted to be able to forget this. He was pretty sure he was going to need to forget this or go mad.
Rachel barely noticed when the vicar finished the first part of the ceremony. She was too intent on Cullen and the unaccustomed softness in his eyes.
The vicar asked for the ring. The soldier closest to Cullen, the one with the long hair and the earring, dug in his pocket and presented a ring. Rachel jabbed Cole in the ribs with her elbow, then snapped out her hand. Cole grudgingly dropped a heavy ring onto her palm. Rachel placed the ring on the vicar's open bible alongside the other smaller one.
Cullen stared at the two seamless circles of gleaming gold. He'd bought a ring for Rachel, as was expected, but she'd got one for him, as well. The symbolism of the ring slammed through him. The perfect joining. Oneness.
No, he would never be able to forget this, and now he knew he didn't want to. It would hurt, but he would keep the ring. Always.
He could hear the boys shuffling uneasily, and Carter's whispered, “Oh, man, where does
that
one go? Through Cul's nose?” then Blade's terse, “Shut it, Carter.” Then the ceremony was rolling on into the scary part. The part he knew he had no right to.
that
one go? Through Cul's nose?” then Blade's terse, “Shut it, Carter.” Then the ceremony was rolling on into the scary part. The part he knew he had no right to.
Rachel listened to the evocative power of the wedding vows, memories of her first wedding skating through her mind. She'd been filled with an innocent, carefree joy then. She'd been marrying the man she loved, the man she thought loved her. She'd believed they would be together all their lives.
The failure of that marriage pulled at her, made her stiffen her spine and square her shoulders. When the time came for her to respond, she did so clearly and firmly. Cullen's replies were firm, too, but quiet, rasping with the underlying strength that was so much a part of him.
When the brief ceremony was finished, he held her face between his hands and kissed her with a gentle purpose that brought tears to her eyes.
A collective sigh sounded from the soldiers, a kind of resigned exhalation from her brothers.
As the warmth of the kiss left her mouth, she began noticing just how many people there were in the church. Helen was near the front with her mechanic boyfriend, Gerry. Several of Rachel's customers and some longtime friends of her family had come. Dane was thereâlooking tanned and, after weeks of outdoor work, remarkably healthyâhis eyes fixed on Cullen with something like awe and hero worship all rolled into one. Rachel hadn't formally invited anyoneâthere hadn't really been timeâand she was profoundly touched by the unexpected support.
After signing the official documents in the registry, she and Cullen walked out into the softening light of late afternoon. This time her arm was enfolded by Cullen's. Even though she knew he was only doing what was expected of him, the warm clasp of his hand over hers was a bittersweet comfort.
As they reached the bottom of the steps, the SAS men lined up, two on each side. Blade barked an order, and they stood stiffly to attention. A shiver went down Rachel's spine at the sight of the big men forming an honour guard, their uniforms pristine, chests decorated with what she knew must be some of the highest military awards in the Commonwealth. As she and Cullen walked between them, they saluted.
Culen groaned. “I didn't know they were going to do this.”
Rachel surveyed the surprising gathering of people outside the church, all of them standing stock-still, quite a few of them with their mouths gaping at the military display. She smiled with grim satisfaction, thinking about the poisonous letter which Dan Holt was now investigating, and of all the malicious gossip and “advice” she'd been offered. “I'm glad they did.”
The long-haired soldier, who Cullen introduced to Rachel as Blade, was the first to shake Cullen's hand, and after that there was a steady stream of well-wishers.
Blade kissed her on the cheek, and Cole, who'd taken up a position next to her, eyed him coldly. “I know you from somewhere.”
Rachel jabbed Cole in the ribs again. Her brother's tone was deliberately goading. She would not allow him to start a fight. Cole ignored her, but Blade slanted her a surprisingly reassuring look. Surprising because he looked at least as untamed as Cullen did.
“I'm Cullen's cousin,” he said in a soft, dark drawl that held just a hint of menace. “Cullen's father married my aunt, Celeste Lombard.”
“Lombard,” Cole echoed. “That's an unusual name around here. Any relation to the hoteliers?”
“My family have hotels, among other things.”
“Yeah, right,” Cole said drily.
“And of course, Cullen,” Blade continued in that same soft drawl, “like every other member of my family, is a shareholder in Lombards.”
Cole's eyes narrowed. “Is that so?”
“Cullen doesn't choose to have anything to do with the running of the company, but he could if he wanted to. If he ever sold out his sharesâwhich he won't, because he's familyâhe could buy and sell this town.”
“Point taken. He's richer than us.”
Blade's mouth curled into a grim smile. “Considerably.”
This time, when Rachel jabbed Cole in the ribs he paid her some attention. “You asked for that,” she said tightly, suppressing her own dismay at the news. Cullen was a deeply complex man, but she'd thought she was coming to know him. Blade's information that Cullen was wealthy and connected to a powerful family seriously dented her perceptions. She was in love with Cullen, but the enormity of the vows she'd made still reverberated through her. Regardless of Cullen's intentions, she had meant every word, and she could no longer hide from what she'd done. She'd walked out of the ruins of one marriage and straight into another, and in doing so she'd linked herself to a stranger.
She almost groaned out loud. After what Cole had learned about Cullen's financial status, he and her other brothers were standing around, tense and thin-lipped, levelling cool sizing-up looks at Cullen.
And Cullen wasn't backing down.
“If you fight on my wedding day,” she said, loudly enough for them all to hear, “I will cook every night for the next month, and you, Cole, will be invited over for dinner.”
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