Randall Wedding (14 page)

“Hello?”

Jake didn’t indicate who was calling. He thanked the caller and promised to come into the sheriff’s office in the morning. Then he sat back down as if nothing had happened.

Pete, sitting near him, asked a quiet question.

“Yeah,” Jake said.

Russ protested. “Jake, tell us who that was.”

“Better not. We’ll talk later.”

Isabella spoke clearly. “You might as well tell them, Jake. Everyone has sacrificed their Christmas for me. I can stand more news.”

Jake looked at her consideringly. “I guess you’re right, Izzy. In spite of your father, you come from strong stock.” He drew a deep breath and said,
“That was the sheriff. The two men we caught confessed to setting the fire. But they wouldn’t confess to anyone hiring them.”

Isabella gave a sigh of relief.

Half an hour later the family had moved from the kitchen to the living room. Time to forget the earlier mess and open presents. Isabella was pleased that she’d done all the shopping she had. She’d received guidance from Samantha and Elizabeth, who’d encouraged her to search for special items, not necessarily expensive, but important to the recipient. It made opening the presents fun to watch.

When it was over, everyone began to pack up to go home. With no home to go to, Isabella stood in the living room, staring at the Christmas tree, trying not to cry. Strong arms slipped around her.

“Quit worrying,” Russ whispered in her ear. “Your aunt’s house was old and needed a lot of work. Now we can start over and build a good house for the future.”

“But where will we live in the meantime?”

“Well, we have a choice. We can stay here or we can move back into my apartment. We’d have
to share a bed, but we can do that and stick to the rules. And you’d be close to Sarah, Nick and Tori.”

Isabella turned in his arms so she could see his face. “What do you want to do?”

“It doesn’t matter, honey. It’s only a short drive into town.” He smiled, seemingly content with either choice.

“I’d like to live in the apartment if you don’t mind. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but—”

He stopped her by kissing her lips briefly and grinning at her. “I agree. I’ll explain it to my folks.”

“You might tell Red it’s because he’s too good a cook. I’ll gain a ton of weight if we stay here.”

Russ laughed. “Go pack your things. We’ll borrow one of the baby beds until we can buy one at the store. And tomorrow you can replenish your wardrobe at Sarah’s store. At least the beginnings of it. I bet she’ll want to come help you.”

“Do you think she will?” Isabella asked, her voice rising in enthusiasm.

“We’ll ask her.”

The thought of buying new clothes lifted Isabella’s spirits. Then she felt guilty for being so easily distracted from her real problems.

As if reading her mind, Russ whispered, “Keep smiling, honey. It helps to keep your spirits up.”

“What are we going to do about those men?”

“We don’t have to do anything. The sheriff has filed charges against them. I imagine the trial will
be held in Buffalo, the county seat. It will take at least six months. We’ll be in our new house by then.”

“We can build it before late spring?”

He took her by the hand and began pulling her in the direction of their bedroom so she could get ready to leave. “We’ll plan the house and hire the builder. Then he’ll start as soon as we get a break in the weather. How many bedrooms do you want?”

That question distracted her. “I guess four will be enough. After all, there are only three of us. That leaves us one bedroom for guests.”

“Hmm, we’ll see.” He waited until they were in their bedroom. Then he gave her a kiss on the lips again. “Gather up everything and I’ll go tell the folks.”

“Be sure you tell them how much I appreciate everything.”

“I will.”

R
USS’S PARENTS
and other family members had as many questions as his wife.

“What are you going to do about her father?” Pete asked.

Russ repeated what he’d told Isabella. Then he added the details about their new house.

“And we’ve decided to move back into the apartment until the house is ready. Izzy is afraid your feelings will be hurt, but I told her you’d understand.”

Janie smiled and squeezed her husband’s hand to be sure he voiced no objections. “That’s fine with us,” Pete agreed, “but you’re welcome here if you want to stay.”

“Izzy wants to start replacing things at once. It’s handy when the store is just across the street.”

“We’ll plan a trip into Casper when the weather gets better. Or we could even go to Denver,” Janie suggested, her eyes lighting up at the thought.

Pete groaned. “I’m going to have to work extra hard to pay for that.”

Everyone laughed because they all knew Pete could afford more shopping trips than Janie would ever make in her entire lifetime.

“Thanks to all of you for being so great, so supportive, for our first Christmas. Hopefully we won’t cause such a stir next Christmas.” He hugged his mother and his aunts, then shook all the men’s hands. Then he hurried up the stairs to help Isabella with the bags and Angel.

Meanwhile downstairs, Pete whispered to Janie, “Why did you squeeze my hand?”

“Because I think it’s a good idea for them to stay in the apartment.”

“Why?”

She smiled. “Because they’ll only have one bed.”

T
HE APARTMENT HAD BEEN
sitting empty for two weeks, so the newlyweds had some housecleaning to do. It was chilly there, too, because Russ had
turned the furnace down, just keeping it warm enough to prevent the pipes from freezing.

Isabella discovered that Russ had taken the sheets he used to the house in case they needed them. “We have no sheets!” she exclaimed after looking in the hall closet for them.

“Nope. I should’ve brought some from the ranch, but I didn’t think of it. Want me to drive back out there?”

It was already getting dark and Isabella was tired after the difficult day. “No, of course not. We can manage without sheets. I’ll buy us some more tomorrow.”

“Okay. I didn’t take much out of the kitchen when we moved except…damn, I took the coffeepot.”

Isabella dug into the pantry. “The jar of instant coffee is still here.”

“Okay. That will do for a day or two. Good thing we brought our supper with us.” Red had insisted on packing them some leftovers.

“Yes, because there’s not much in the pantry.” Isabella began arranging what was there. Then she suggested they eat first. Since Angel would probably wake up around six or seven, Russ agreed.

“I’m glad I left the television here. Your aunt had a pretty good television, but it was ruined in the fire. But at least we have one. There are some basketball games on tonight.”

Isabella shook her head.

“What? You don’t like basketball?”

“I like it fine. It just seems strange to sit and watch men playing with a ball when our lives have changed so dramatically. Three weeks ago, I wasn’t sure I’d survive the storm. A lot has happened in three weeks.”

“Yeah. I’m married.” He put his hands on his hips almost as if to challenge her.

“Well, so am I!”

On that note, they sat down at the small table and ate the delicious leftovers. Red had even cut sizeable pieces from several cakes for dessert.

Angel awoke right on schedule. “I’ll feed her while you put the baby bed together. Can we get it into the other bedroom without dismantling anything?” Isabella asked.

“Sure. I’ll have it ready in no time.”

When he came out of the second bedroom, Angel was sitting in her mother’s lap cooing at her.

“Hey! She’s talking!” Russ said. “Can she say anything?”

“Not unless you count ‘googoodada’ as anything,” Isabella said with a laugh.

Russ grinned. “She’s a joy, isn’t she?”

“Yes. Dad can have the stupid stocks if it means Angel is safe,” Isabella said vehemently, hugging her baby close.

“Right. But I don’t think we have to worry about him anymore.”

“I hope not.”

She carried the baby into the other room and laid her down in the baby bed. Then she tucked the
cover around her. The furnace was doing a good job of warming the place, but there was still a slight chill in the air.

Angel squirmed a little. Then her eyes fluttered closed and her even breathing indicated she was asleep.

“I guess she’ll sleep until one or two now. I like having her sleep six hours between feedings,” Isabella said.

“Yeah. ’Cause I can’t go that long without eating.”

“Go turn on the basketball game and I’ll cut our pieces of cake,” Isabella told him. They’d decided to have their dessert later.

“Good. I was hoping you’d take the hint.” He settled on the sofa, but he soon realized they’d need a blanket to keep warm. He pulled one from the hall closet and spread it over himself, leaving plenty of room for Isabella.

Soon they were both snuggled under the blanket, their body warmth keeping each other warm. Isabella ate her cake, but she didn’t have much interest in basketball. Soon she put her head on Russ’s shoulder and fell asleep. It had been a long day.

Russ settled back in the corner of the sofa and drew Isabella between his legs, her back to his chest, and wrapped his arms around her. He was more content than he’d been in a long time.

They both slept until Angel woke up at almost two o’clock.

“I’ll get her,” Isabella mumbled, still half-asleep.

“I’ll fix the bottle,” Russ called after her, thinking how content he’d been with Isabella in his arms, how good it had felt. How right. He thought he’d never love again. But Isabella was changing his mind. The thought scared him, but he already knew she was an important part of his life. He loved Isabella.

When Isabella came back to the living room, Angel in her arms, Russ was waiting with the bottle, having warmed it in the microwave. He settled on the sofa again and wrapped the blanket around all three of them.

“I didn’t intend to spend the night on the sofa,” she said. Then she gave a gigantic yawn.

“Don’t do that. You’ll start me yawning.”

“Who won the basketball game? Your team?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I guess I fell asleep before it ended.”

She chuckled, which caused the baby to fuss. “Behave yourself, Angel.”

“She is, Mommy. She’s perfect.”

Isabella chuckled again, a sound Russ loved. “I’m going to have to keep an eye on you or you’ll spoil her.”

“Yeah. But that’s what daddies are for.”

Which unfortunately reminded Isabella that her father couldn’t be included in that group.

Russ put his arm around her. “Don’t think about him.”

“You’re right. I won’t.”

When Angel had been burped, Russ offered to carry her to her bed.

“Okay. I’ll see what I can do with our bed.” Those last two words struck her as extremely intimate. Nonsense, she told herself. They were sharing a bed, but that was all.

She spread a soft blanket on the mattress, then added several more for covers. She put the two king-size pillows each in its place, leaving space between them.

Russ came in as she finished. “That looks good. I got some flannel pajamas for Christmas. Why don’t you take the top and I’ll take the bottoms?”

Without waiting for her agreement, he tossed the long top to her and went into the bathroom. She stared at the blue top. It would come to her knees. Okay, she’d wear it tonight. The nightgown she’d worn at the ranch needed to be washed.

Russ opened the door and came out, his chest bare. “You’re turn.”

“You need to find a T-shirt. You shouldn’t sleep with your chest bare in this weather. You’ll catch a chill.” She hurried past him, not waiting for his agreement.

After she’d disappeared, he rummaged in a drawer and found a T-shirt. He pulled it over his head. He had no intention of telling her to add clothes, however. He figured he could keep her warm. Not what he should be thinking. But he’d enjoyed their time on the sofa.

When Isabella came out of the bathroom, he was already under the covers, facing away from her. She turned out the light and slowly approached the bed, having misgivings now. They hadn’t actually shared a bed last night, as she’d initially thought. He’d never made it to bed. She lifted the covers and waited, but he didn’t move. Could he already be asleep?

She got in bed with as little disruption as possible. She felt the heat of his body, as she had on the sofa. He stayed in place and she turned her back to him and settled in. She was ready for some sleep.

It didn’t take long for the softness of the bed and the warmth to tempt her to relax and sink back into sleep. Just as she was losing consciousness, she felt Russ move. Next thing she knew, he was drawing her against him, his arms circling her. She was going to protest, but she forgot why. She was way too comfortable to do so.

W
HEN HE AWOKE
early the next morning, Russ didn’t move at first. He was too comfortable. Isabella smelled good and warmed him from his head to his toes.

About the only thing that could lure him out of bed would be a pot of coffee, but he remembered they only had instant. He’d take Izzy and Angel to the café for breakfast. He liked showing off his little family. That would give them a good start to the day.

He slid out of bed and took a shower. He pulled
on old jeans and a flannel shirt he’d gotten for Christmas. It was only eight o’clock. Did he dare wake Isabella? She could use the extra sleep. Then he remembered she’d been asleep by eight the night before. Twelve hours should be enough.

He sat down on her side of the bed as he pulled on clean socks. “Izzy?” he said softly. “I’m going to the café for breakfast. Why don’t you and Angel come, too?”

She opened one eye in surprise. Then she closed it again. He waited and sure enough, the eye popped open again, wider this time. “What time is it?”

“It’s a little after eight. But that’s almost twelve hours of sleep you’ve had. Are you still tired?”

“No,” she said slowly, drawing out the one syllable. “I don’t think so.”

“Will we wake Angel if we take her with us?”

“I hope not, because I refuse to leave her here alone,” Isabella said, but she was smiling.

“Good. Want a shower before we go? I can wait that long if you hurry.”

She pushed back the covers, laughing, until she realized the pajama top wasn’t around her thighs but had climbed to her waist, leaving her pink panties visible. She yanked the covers back up. “Why don’t you go make a bottle for Angel just in case she wakes up? We want to be prepared.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he drawled, and left the room, a big grin on his face. He fixed the bottle and waited. Then he decided to change Angel’s diaper. She fussed a little, but he got her back to sleep.

By then, Isabella reappeared in the skirt and blouse she’d worn the day before. Her hair was pulled back with a matching scarf tied around it, but a few curls escaped. She looked wonderful.