Bobby Does Dallas: Hill Country Heart (21 page)

Scarlet walked up to her sister and pulled out a chair and sat down near her.  Now that she had married Alex, the future was a much brighter place.  It was time to tell
Annalise
the truth about her health.  “I’ve been hiding something from you.”

Cecile instantly felt uncomfortable.  “Do I need to leave?”

Scarlet stopped her.  “No, it looks like you’ll probably be a member of the family, too.  I want you to stay.”  sat beside the other two, pleased with the thought of family and sisters – and Bobby, of course.

Scarlet took
Annalise’s
hand.  “I have kidney problems.”

Annalise
didn’t say anything.  She stared at her sister, trying to read the gravity of the situation.  “What do you mean? 
A kidney infection?”
  That couldn’t be too serious.

“No, it’s more than that.  When I had the surgery to fix my foot, there was a complication.” 
Annalise
squeezed Scarlet’s fingers to the point it almost hurt.  “The anesthesia they gave me damaged my kidneys.  I was allergic to it.”

Annalise
shook her head.  “What does this mean?  How sick are you?”

Scarlet took a deep breath and smiled.  “I came to your wedding thinking that this was the last time that I would see you.” At
Annalise’s
horrified expression, Scarlet hurried to explain.  “Alex changed all of that.  He found out about my problem – it’s embarrassing, but he found my bucket list.”

“Scarlet!  Why didn’t you tell me?” 
Annalise
was about to have a conniption fit, so Scarlet hurried in her explanation. 

“I didn’t have insurance and I refused to be a burden to my family.”  At her sister’s vehement glare and sputtered response, Scarlet covered
Annalise’s
mouth.  “Listen – it’s okay now.  Alex is my knight in shining armor.  We are hopelessly in love and he has made it his business to save my life.” Scarlet’s eyes were shining.  “He gave me an insurance card for a wedding present.  Isn’t that the sweetest thing?  I’m going to live – because of Alex.”  By the time she got through talking, Cecile and
Annalise
were both shedding tears of happiness and relief.  Gathering their things, they headed to the pool house to finish all final touches before they got ready to march down the aisle.

“Has anyone seen the guestbook?” 
Annalise
fretted as she tossed first one thing off the counter and then the other.  Cecile picked stuff up as fast as she threw it down.

“Would you settle down!” she tried to calm her friend.  “Everything is perfect.  We’ll find your guestbook.”

Grabbing Cecile and hugging her, she took a deep breath.  “I know, I know.  I just can’t believe this day has finally arrived.  And finding out about Scarlet, it’s almost too much!”

Scarlet joined them in their huddle and hugged them both.  “Today is going to be a wonderful day.  I’ll ind the guest book.  You two eat some chocolate or something.”                    

*****

Scarlet threw her hands up, ‘Where did I put the guest book?’  She was very tired, but there was no way she wanted anyone to know.  Scarlet wanted
Annalise
, Alex and everyone else to enjoy the day, and not worry about her.    Heading into the house, she tried to remember where she had seen it.  Taking one step toward the hall, she walked straight into somebody.  It was a man.  At first, she assumed it was Alex, and almost put her arms around him.  But then her body, so used to Alex’s touch, instinctively knew that this individual was too soft and not broad enough.  Backing up a step, she looked up to apologize.  Recognition was her first reaction,
then
a wave of uncomfortable trepidation assailed her.  “Rick?”

“That’s right, church mouse.”  Rick didn’t give her a chance to get away.  He grabbed her roughly by the shoulder and spun her around, pinning her arm painfully behind her back.  “You and I have got some serious talking to do.” 

Alex had been watching the house and knew that Scarlet had already had ample time to find what she needed and return to the yard.  An uneasy feeling was niggling at his mind.  Unable to shake it, he went to see about her.

Scarlet gulped with pain and then she asked in a small, defeated voice.  “My childhood wasn’t anything to write home about.  You, of all people ought to know that.”  With another crashing blow, he hit her again.  Desperate, she asked.  “If I say what you want me to say, will you let me go?” 

“I can’t promise anything, but let’s try it, Sis.”  Rick’s mind was obviously affected.  He kept one hand around her throat and the other kept an unforgiving pressure on her arm and elbow.  “Say:  “I am nobody.”

“I am nobody.”

“Say:  No man will ever want me.”

“No man will ever want me.”

Entering the house, he heard voices.  Scarlet’s he recognized, and the other sounded oddly familiar.  Following the sound, he couldn’t believe his ears. 
What the hell?!?!
  When he rounded the corner and saw that monster
LeBeau
, with his cruel grip on Scarlet, he almost vaporized with fury.  And when he heard what that little shit was making her say, he lunged.

“You let her go, you piece of trash!”  Seeing Alex, the former Longhorn linebacker, rushing him,
LeBeau
slung Scarlet to one side like so much cotton batting.  “What do you mean treating her like that?  What did she ever do to you?”  Alex didn’t give him time or air to answer, he picked him up and flung him out in the hall, and when he landed in a heap, Alex followed him and repeated the process.  As soon as he got him outside the B&B, Alex called Bobby over to hold his ex-employee, while he returned to find his baby.  God, if that idiot had hurt her, he would kill him with his bare hands.

Bobby had called 911 and
LeBeau
had been arrested for trespassing and for assault and battery.  Scarlet had been cooperative, but Alex could tell that something had changed.  She was saying all the right things, but her heart wasn’t reaching her voice.  He hovered near her, touching her at every opportunity.  She never flinched from his touch, but she offered none of her own.  The timing was piss-poor.  There was no place and no opportunity to talk to her, he would just have to wait until after the wedding and reception to get her alone and get to the bottom of this mess.

The wedding was mere hours away.  Bobby, Ethan and Alex were already in their tuxes and waiting outside – out of the way – trying to stay out of trouble.  “I can’t believe that
LeBeau
idiot.  What was his problem?”  Bobby asked his brothers.

Alex shook his head, “I don’t really understand it all.  Rick grew up in the same town as Scarlet – bullied her all through school.  And today she found out that he was her half brother.  He had built up a life time of resentment against her and her family because her dad never publicly acknowledged him.  But little Scarlet had nothing to do with her father’s decisions.  She never deserved his abuse, that’s for sure.”

“How was the honeymoon?” Ethan asked with a sly grin.

“Too short,” Alex gave an arrogant smirk that told more than it
hid
.

“Scarlet
have
a good time?” Ethan just kept on with the egging.  Actually, he was trying to cheer Alex up – he knew that the idea of that idiot attacking Scarlet had Alex up in arms and feeling helpless.  He understood.  It had only been a few weeks before when
Annalise’s
first husband had attacked her.  It made them wonder what could possibly be next.

Alex had to smile.  ’I believe that she did.”  He sighed, “I know I did.  She’s the sweetest thing, guys.  I love her so much.  Being with her is the closest thing to paradise that I’ll ever know.  Now, if I can just get her some help.  I’m
gonna
count on all of your support.”

“You’ve got it,” they both assurep; Bobby’s cell phone vibrated against his leg.  He started to ignore it, but – knowing it might be the coach, he checked.  It wasn’t.  It was Mary Alice
Solice
.  Shit!  He hadn’t seen or talked to her since he had slept with her in Mesquite.  “I guess I’d better take this.”  He stepped to one side and answered the phone.

“Stewart.”

Bobby’s cell phone vibrated against his leg.  He started to ignore it, but – knowing it might be the coach, he checked.  It wasn’t.  It was Mary Alice
Solice
.  Shit!  He hadn’t seen or talked to her since he had slept with her in Mesquite.  “I guess I’d better take this.”  He stepped to one side and answered the phone.

“Stewart.”

“Bobby?” A tearful voice sounded in his ear.

Crap!  Nothing good ever came from a crying woman.  “Mary Alice, is that you?”

“Yes,” she sobbed.  “I need to talk to you, Bobby.  It’s important.”  Bobby didn’t like the sounds of that. 

“What kind of problem?” He probably didn’t want to hear this.

“I don’t want to talk about it over the phone.  Can I come over?”

“I‘m a little busy right now, Mary.  My brother is about to get married in a couple of hours.”

“Please, Bobby.  I need to talk to you. 
How about tomorrow?”

Bobby let out a mile-long sigh.  “Sure, I’ll meet you . . .” he had started to say at his condo, but changed his mind; “at the rodeo arena near my house at four tomorrow.” 
Ceelee
was due to leave at noon and he wasn’t taking one minute away from his time with her.  “
Wanna
give me a hint as to what this is all about?”

“No, I need to talk to you in person.” 

Shit!  That couldn’t be good. 
“All right.
  I’ll see you then.”

“What was that all about?” Alex saw Bobby’s worried expression. 

“That was Mary Alice
Solice
– buckle bunny extraordinaire.” Bobby said dryly.

“Isn’t that the one
you.
. . . ?”  Ethan dropped his voice.

Bobby answered anyway.  “Yes, that’s the one.”

“What did she want?” Alex asked.

“She wants to talk to me.”

Ethan looked at Bobby man to man – ready to give advice.  “What about Cecile?”

Cecile saw Bobby standing with the other guys.  She needed to see him for just a moment.  Her pink panties would have been perfect with this bridesmaid dress and she couldn’t find them anywhere – she had a sneaky suspicion that he had confiscated them.  The thought made her smile.  If he would let her use them – she’d be happy to give them back to him.  They didn’t see her and as she got closer.  She could they were discussing something – seriously. 

“This doesn’t have anything to do with Cecile.”  Bobby was emphatic.  What didn’t have anything to do with her?  She stopped.

“Do you plan on seeing her after this weekend?” Alex asked.  

Of course he did, they had plans.  Cecile started to walk on up to them and then the bottom fell out of her world.  “No, one way or the other – after this weekend it will be over.  I may have to let her down easy, but I definitely do not have plans to see her after tomorrow.”

No plans to see her?  She froze in place, trying to make what she heard mean anything other than what he said.  “No, please, no,” she whispered.  What had happened?  She fumbled with her dress, stepped sideways, almost fell – tears were blinding her so she couldn’t see how to avoid the larger rocks on the drive way in her spike heels.  She had thought that Bobby loved her.  Wasn’t that what he had said?  Self-doubt and confusion hammered at her soul.  How was she going to get through the wedding?  This was going to be one of the hardest things she had ever done.           

“Women like Mary Alice can latch on to you like one of them crabs at the beach that pinch like shit.” Alex was in a mood. 

“Believe me, I know.” Bobby knew what he had.  “I don’t want anything to come between me and
Ceelee
.  When you’ve got the best – there’s no use shopping around.”

The wedding went off without a hitch – except something was wrong.  Bobby could feel it in his bones.  Alex felt the same way.  “Look at them.  Neither one of them will even look this way.  What did you do?”

Shades of his teenage years washed over him.  “What do you mean, what did I do?  I’ve been with you all morning – ever since the fiasco with
LeBeau
.  I haven’t had a chance to do anything.  What did you do?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”  Alex took off after Scarlet, who was headed toward the house.