At the Crossroads (Buckhorn, Montana #3)(84)
Helen seemed to realize it as well. She’d stopped crying and had grown very pale. She looked as if the only thing holding her up was Cline’s arm around her throat. Alexis knew she had to do something, but in the time it would take her to get to her gun, Cline could kill Helen. And yet she knew she had to take that chance unless—
The sound of boxes toppling somewhere in the shop caught all of their attention. Helen’s eyes had widened in alarm—and so had Cline’s. He’d half turned to look behind him—and Alexis made her move, knowing she might not get another chance. She grabbed her weapon and, leading with the barrel, swung back into the doorway of the dressing room to point it at any part of former deputy Terrance Cline that she could put a bullet into. With him half-turned, he’d given her clear access to his side.
She didn’t have time to think, to worry or to fear that she might hit Helen. She pulled the trigger.
THE MOMENT CULHANE heard the shot, he was moving, rushing Cline. He told himself that Alexis was one hell of a shot. She wouldn’t have fired until she had a target she thought she could hit.
As he came around the corner, he saw that Cline was still standing, still had a choke hold on Helen, still held the scissors too close to her face. Worse, he saw that he didn’t have a clear shot.
Alexis’s second shot took the legs out from under Cline. Culhane saw the man begin to slump. All that seemed to be keeping him upright was his hold on the older woman in front of him. Culhane closed the distance quickly, going for the scissors. He wrenched them out of the former deputy’s hand and tossed them away before he grabbed Cline’s arm and unlocked it from around Helen’s neck.
Helen stumbled a few feet away before her knees buckled and she dropped to the floor. Cline fell back, crumpling on the floor in his own blood. His eyes were wide with both anger and terror as Culhane stood over him. Had the man tried to do anything, he would have shot him, but he didn’t have to worry. Cline wasn’t going anywhere.
“Alexis?” Culhane called. He looked away from Cline to see that the dressing room curtain was closed. “Alexis?” Just as he was ready to go rushing in to check on her, she stepped out in her T-shirt and jeans. He let out of a sigh of relief. “You scared me.”
“Sorry, I had to change out of my wedding dress,” she said, sounding so wonderfully reasonable. “It’s bad luck for you to see me in it until the wedding.”
He shook his head as he heard the sound of sirens and turned to see Helen propped up against the wall with her phone in her hand. She was crying again, but they were tears of relief, he saw as Alexis went to her.
“Nothing is going to keep us from getting married tomorrow,” Culhane told Cline. But he realized that the former deputy was no longer listening. He was dead.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED,” Culhane said as he guided her up the stairs to the ranch house and across the porch. “Ready?” He’d met her at the bottom of the stairs when she’d arrived with her mother and father.
She would never forget the look in his eyes when he’d seen her step out in her wedding dress. She’d tucked that memory away for safekeeping as he’d taken her hand. “You are so beautiful,” he’d said, his voice breaking with emotion.
Her parents had hurried inside to join the other guests. She could hear Christmas music playing and smelled something sweet and warm on the air as they disappeared inside.
Now at the front door, Alexis could feel herself shaking, and not from the chilly December day. They hadn’t gotten their white Christmas, but there was a bite to the air that promised it wasn’t far behind. She swallowed and told herself she’d never been more ready for anything in her life.
Last night had been a late one at the sheriff’s department. It was the middle of the night before they made it to her parents’ house for Christmas Eve dinner. Her mother had filled plates for them and popped the food in the microwave, and they’d all sat around the table talking.
“You’ve both been getting arrested a lot lately,” her mother had said.
“Well, that is all behind us,” Alexis had promised as she looked over at Culhane. “We’re going to raise horses and kids. I’m going to bake and cook and decorate and maybe even have a garden in the spring.”
Her father had looked skeptical. “That certainly sounds like a change of pace.” Her mother had agreed. Then Culhane had left for the ranch to finish up getting everything ready for the wedding, and Alexis had taken her dress out of the box, hung it up and climbed into bed. She’d dropped off instantly only to be awakened this morning by her mother’s cheerfulness and her father’s blueberry cream cheese stuffed French toast.
It was her wedding day, and she was now about to see what her future husband had planned. She looked into his very blue eyes and nodded. “Ready.”
Culhane opened the door, and Alexis caught her breath. He’d promised that it would be a small wedding, with just friends and family. He’d also promised that the ceremony would be quick.
But she’d never been prepared for this. He’d made the huge living room into a winter wonderland for the most beautiful Christmas wedding ever.
“Oh, Culhane,” she said on a breath as she took it all in. “It’s amazing.”
“You like it?” he asked sounding worried.