Catch a Falling Star (21 page)

“You would have noticed,” Brianna repeated. “So this was, what, an exercise in self-actualization?” She sounded incredulous.

“That’s exactly what it was,” he said.

“Coulda been the Humane Society, coulda been Lawyers for the Arts, but just so happened you met Natalie so it’s leukemia research.”

“Pretty much,” he said. “The money was a burden.”

“Rich people are insane,” Brianna said. “‘The money was a burden.’ Only a rich person could say that.”

“True,” Matthias said. “And your point is?”

“I guess from now on you’ll be figuring out how to kite a check till payday, just like the rest of us.”

“I’m continuing as a well-compensated partner in my law firm,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I can find an apartment I can afford.”

“So don’t cry for me, Argentina?”

“Which reminds me,
The Quiet Man
is playing. You want to go see it tomorrow?”

She didn’t seem to be expecting that. “I’m sort of not done discussing the insanity which you have just undertaken. No wonder Donald is distraught. You never want to see one of your kind go over to the dark side.”

“Money is boring. There’s nothing to discuss. I’m expanding my law practice into something that isn’t patents.”

“Civil rights law?” she asked.

“Maybe,” he said. “We’re talking about this and that.”

“Now I totally understand Donald’s heartburn. There’s no money in justice.”

“Money isn’t everything.”

“I guess you’re about to find out if that’s true,” she said.

“Maybe you can show me the way,” he said. “Movie, tomorrow?”

“We’ll go dutch,” she said. “Seeing as you’re broke till payday.”

• • •

He laughed, and when he laughed, her heart turned over. Okay, so he wasn’t still stuck on Natalie, which was good, and he’d just given all his money away, which was insane, but also good because she really didn’t think it was healthy for anyone to have whatever they wanted just by snapping their fingers, a thing he had apparently come to realize.

And he’d asked her to the movies, but she had no idea what that meant.

“You should see what the event planner did out back in the garden,” he said and gave her a mischievous smile.

“I’m guessing she put a bunch of Chinese lanterns out there, and lit a few fire pots to keep down the chill.”

“It’s really beautiful.”

“I’ve seen it.”

“Come see it some more,” he said.

He reached for her hand, and she let him take it, and followed him out into the back garden, where the lanterns were alight and took her breath away. Even though she’d been the one to arrange them.

The fire pots burned brightly, lending a festive air to the garden. She and Matthias were the only ones out there. She had warned Matthias that everyone would stay inside where the drinks were but he hadn’t listened to her.

He went over to the French doors that led to the music room and opened them. Strains of a classical waltz reached her ears.

“There,” he said. “Perfect.”

“I’m glad you like it. We aim to please. Tell all your friends — ”

He took her hand in his again, then put his other palm on her back.

“I don’t dance,” she said apologetically. “Natalie says you’re a divine dancer, Mr. G, but I never learned.”

“My name is Matthias.”

“I know that.”

“Then
say
it.” He sounded a little irritated.

“Fine.
Matthias
,” she said, biting the name.

He pulled her into his arms. “You don’t need to dance. Just stand here and sway with me. That’s what people do when they don’t know how to dance.”

He was much too warm and she wanted to snuggle into him, and that seemed like a bad idea. “Maybe you should teach me a waltz. Natalie says there are some simple ones that are easy to learn.”

“Not tonight,” he said. “Tonight I just want to hold you in my arms and make you say my name until you can do it without sarcasm.”

Her heart bumped. That sounded … promising.

“And then?” She was a little breathless. She knew what she
felt
. She felt forever in his arms. But she wanted to hear it from him. She wanted —

“And then … events will proceed.”

That was a lawyer for you. She settled a little closer. “I’m looking for something a little more enticing than ‘events will proceed.’”

He was silent for a moment. “How about this? It was supposed to be you. It was always supposed to be you, but you had these Keep Out signs staked out all over the place.”

“Oh, blame
me
,” she said, outraged. “
You’re
the one who wandered off.”

“And then I wandered back again,” he said. “I gave all my money away for you, Brianna. And you think I’m not committed?”

“I think you should
be
committed,” she said, but that was just nerves, which he seemed to know, because he leaned down to kiss her. She reached up to kiss him, and overshot, and they bumped noses, and so she stepped back in a hurry and accidentally crushed his toes beneath her heel and he said, “Just hold still, will you?”

And so she did, and he leaned down to kiss her, a kiss full of knowledge and affection, a grown-up kiss. A kiss that took nothing for granted, a kiss that held all the joy and sorrow of two lives already well-lived. A kiss that made one promise only:
I will never leave you.

“Matthias,” she whispered.

“
Much
better,” he said. “Not a trace of sarcasm.”

She collected herself. “It’ll be back.”

“I’m counting on it.”

He looked down at her, tilted her face up to his. “I love you.”

“It took you long enough,” she said and that didn’t seem very gracious but he didn’t seem to be expecting graciousness because he said, “I should have known the first day I met you. I thought, ‘I have never known anyone like Brianna.’ You just didn’t seem to fit my life. Then I finally realized it wasn’t you that was wrong. It was my life.”

“I love you,” she said fiercely. “I’ve always loved you.
Always
.”

His arms tightened around her. Then he said, “Look,” and pointed up at the dark velvet sky. A shooting star streaked across the night.

“Make a wish,” she said.

“I wish Brianna Daniels would marry me.”

“Oh, you had to wait till
after
you gave all your money away.”

“You would have said no otherwise.”

That was true. Christ. He really had given his money away for her. That made her knees buckle a little but he had his arms around her, so that was okay.

“So?” he said, slightly tense. “Yes or no?”

“Yes,” she said. “Like there was ever any doubt.”

“Good. Know anyone who can plan a wedding?”

“I think I might.”

The star faded from the sky. Matthias’s arms were warm around her. She could hear Natalie laughing in the music room and Joe’s easy response.

Her feet in these heels were going to start killing her in about twelve seconds, and Matthias was going to have to go inside to mingle with his guests, and she didn’t know what the future held, but there would always be this moment to come home to.

Lucky us
, she thought, leaning in to kiss him again, just because she could.
Lucky lucky us.

Jessica Starre is the author of the Crimson Romance titles
A Certain Kind of Magic
,
Children of the Wolves
,
Date with the Devil
, and
Acts of Faith.
Find out more about her at
www.jessicastarre.com

(
From
Relentless
by Winter Austin
)

Of all the witnesses, in all the homicides, in all of Dallas, she would have to be one.

Detective Remy LeBeau stared at the cowgirl sitting in a chair in the far corner of the Stanton Enterprise Stadium meeting room. Cody Lewis hugged her body, gnawing on her lip. A coiled red lock slipped from her right ear and fell against her cheek. Lifting a trembling hand, she tucked the strand behind her ear and let her hand fall limp in her lap.

This wasn’t the same confident woman who strode into the homicide offices three days ago to hand him a pair of tickets to the Dallas Roundup. A rodeo that had now become a crime scene. Remy hated off-duty calls. The lieutenant better have a good reason for dragging him away from a hot bowl of gumbo and out of his dry condo.

Cody bowed her head and seemed to curl up on herself. Remy knew the disjointed sensations she was experiencing, the need to withdraw from the real world in order to maintain some kind of control.

He tugged the detective cloak about him and inhaled a long breath. No need to return to that place and time. Exhaling, he approached the unfortunate redhead.

His partner, Detective Heath Anderson, glanced up, fatigue circling his blue eyes. Another late night on the job. He combed his fingers through his sandy-blond hair, making a mess of it. “LeBeau.”

Cody’s head snapped back like she’d taken an uppercut to the chin. Pink stained her cheeks. “Detective?”

“Hello, Ms. Lewis.” He looked at Anderson. “Grab a coffee, I’ll take it from here.” When they were alone, Remy crouched in front of her. Close up, he compared her features to those of the victim’s. Why hadn’t he noticed the freckles on her nose and cheeks when they first met? Her scent, a mixture of spice and sweet — vanilla maybe — combated with the sharp odor of wet men and manure.

Her green eyes locked with his. “Guess you didn’t need those tickets.”

He gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry ’bout it.” He withdrew his notepad. “Why don’t you tell me what happened.”

Breaking eye contact, she slumped against the backrest. “Again?” The dusting of makeup couldn’t hide the fatigue.

“You’re a witness, Ms. Lewis. We need to make sure you remember what you can.”

She lifted her head. A wet sheen coated her eyes. “Witnesses see the crime as it happens. I didn’t. I found her like that.”

His armor cracked and compassion wiggled inside, wrapping around his heart like a warm embrace. He cleared his throat, desperate to hold the jagged pieces together. Stick to business. “Did you know her?”

She shook her head and drew in a hasty breath. “How could someone do this?”

How indeed? If Remy knew the answer to that, he wouldn’t be doing this job. “I plan to find that out. Just tell me how your night went before you found the body.”

“Body?” Red streaks spread from her flared nostrils to her hairline. “She’s not a
body
. She was a person.”

Cut right to the matter.
Merci
! This woman was a firecracker. “Ms. Lewis, I’m well aware of that fact. Until we know her identity … ” Why was he explaining himself to her? “We’ll continue this tomorrow. After you get some sleep.”

She straightened, stiff as a pirogue pole, and glared at him. Whatever rapport he might’ve had with her fled. She must be holding her emotions together with a thread. If he pushed any harder, he wouldn’t like the outcome.

Cody tilted her chin a notch. “As if I could sleep.”

Her hard line crushed his compassion. Clenching his teeth, Remy stood. “Thank you for your time.” He pulled a business card from the inside pocket of his jacket and scribbled on the back. “If you need anything, or remember something, don’t hesitate to call. Or show up. You know where I work.” He thrust the slip of paper in her direction.

Swallowing, she took it, careful to avoid contact with him. Her hand trembled a fraction, and she clenched her fist around the paper, pressing it to her chest. “When can I go? I need to take my horse home.”

“You’re free to leave, but you won’t be able to take your truck or the trailer.”

Her face blanched. “How am I supposed to get home?”

Remy stashed the notepad in his jacket and stood. “I’d suggest asking a friend.”

• • •

As Cody gaped at the detective’s retreating backside, the Lewis temper reared its ugly head. Her breath came in short bursts. The man was a cold-blooded prick. A woman died tonight. She wasn’t just a body. She had a family, people who loved her and would grieve for her. Good God, the woman had a name.

Bolting from the chair, Cody chased after him. “Detective LeBeau!”

He whipped around, his hand flashing to his right hip. Cody reined up short, choking down the prickly pear that catapulted into her throat. Her eyes locked on his hand. Gradually he inched away from the black gun butt, hooking his thumb behind his badge, fingers splayed to obscure the faceplate.

“What, Ms. Lewis?”

The irritated tone in his voice broke her trance. Cody’s gaze clashed with his dark glare. Ribbons of steel laced her spine. Handsome or not, the man needed a priority adjustment. “What’s wrong with you?”

A scowl marred his face, then his features smoothed out and his hand fell away from his coat. “Wrong with me?”

Her neck prickled and she glanced about the room. Her outburst had attracted the attention of LeBeau’s partner and the other cops. The fight drained from her body and pooled under her boots.

Looking around at his fellow cops, LeBeau took hold of her elbow and escorted her to the corner.

Cody tensed. The warmth of his hand seeped through her shirtsleeve, branding her with his touch. When he released her, she clamped her arm to her side and cupped her elbow to ward off the feel of him.

“Do you have something you wish to say to me?”

The soothing timbre eased her knotted muscles. How did he do that? Go from being a Grade A jerk to a civil human being in a flash? Detective LeBeau’s short dark-brown hair and black leather coat shone in the conference room lights. The scent of cedar and peppermint tickled her nose. Her first encounter with this man in his department kept replaying in her mind on a nightly basis. And tonight wouldn’t be an exception.

Avoiding eye contact, Cody buried her hands into her Wrangler’s pockets. “No.”

A cocky smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Really? It seemed you had a lot on your mind a second ago.”

Yeah, well, she’d been chastised enough. No way was she going to let him bait her. “She doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.” Open wide, insert foot. So much for keeping her trap shut. Cody refrained from slapping her palm to her forehead. She was such a bullhead.