The Trouble With Love (40 page)

She breathed a sigh of relief when Cole and Gabe walked in.  Cole wore a frown and his eyes were wary when he sat down in the booth across from her.
  She told Susan goodbye and hung up the phone.  "What's going on, Sabrina?"

"That was Susan Whitmore with the FBI...remember the guy I met with that first day at the hospital?  Damon Sanders?"

He shrugged as if he wasn't sure then said, "Not really...was that the tall dark-haired guy with Napoleon Bonaparte?"
 

Sabrina chuckled at Cole's description of the shorter FBI agent who'd given him such hell.  "Yeah, that was him.
  They think he was a plant in the FBI to get information on their investigation into the cartel.  Cole, I swear he was the guy who drove the truck and gave the other guy the money in that weapons deal I saw go down.  I thought he looked familiar when I met with him at the hospital, but it didn't click until just now..."

"Oh shit, Bri--that's terrible
,
"
Gabe piped in and ran a hand through his hair. "That means the guy could be after
you
, because you're the only one that can identify him."

Sabrina dropped her chin to her chest and twisted the table cloth  in her hands then looked up at Cole, "He is after me...he called me a few minutes ago and wanted me to go with him to the FBI office and look at photos.  Asked if I could identify the guy in the weapons deal...he sounded funny, so I called Susan."

Cole launched himself up from the booth and slammed his hands on the table, "What the hell! I thought all that was over!"

"So, did I, darlin'...but evidently not.  Susan wanted to take me into protective custody until they can catch him, but I said no.  I told her they could send a protective detail if they wanted, but I wasn't going anywhere.  They're on their way here."

Sabrina huffed out a breath, "I don't need this crap right now...they need to catch him."

CHAPTER TWENTY

Cole was jumpier than a frog in a skillet when he woke up on Saturday morning
, and he was making Sabrina the same way
.  There were four FBI agents standing guard at the house, and three of his deputies.  It was her wedding day,
and
she wasn't supposed to feel like this, caged and uptight.  Sabrina threw back the covers and put on her robe then headed for the kitchen
and some coffee
.

Cassie had hired a couple of local women to help her get the ranch ready for the wedding, and the hands were helping set up chairs and stuff.  She felt terrible dumping all of that on her pregnant friend at the last minute.  Luke had picked up her wedding dress and other things and brought
it
out to Cole's house, as well as Cole's tux. 

It was unconventional, and supposedly unlucky, but they were going to the wedding at the last minute together with an FBI escort.
 
Cole
wouldn't let her out of his sight...not even for a second.  She was surprised he'd left her in the bedroom alone.

Damon Sanders had called her back four times on her cell phone after the initial call, but she hadn't answered.  Instead, she immediately called Susan Whitmore and let her know, so they could try and trace the call to find out where he was.  So, far they hadn't had any luck.

Cole was in the kitchen at the stove when she walked in and he was frying some eggs.  She pulled out leftover biscuits she'd made the day before and put them on a plate to reheat in the microwave, then pulled down a cup and made her some coffee.  She walked over and set her cup down on the counter then put her arms around him and gave him a hug. 

"Morning, darlin',
" she mumbled against his back then kissed him there
and teased, "
"Where's your apron?"

He forced a laugh then told her, "I have it packed for our honeymoon."
  He dropped the spatula on the stove then turned around to pull her into his arms and give her a long tender kiss.

When he let her go, she sighed and said dreamily looking up into his eyes, "It's our wedding day, sugar...
in just a few hours I'll be Mrs
. Jackson."

"I like the sound of that, darlin'," he said happily and gave her a grin, but she could see
his
tension in the whiteness around his mouth.  "I just hope we don't...nevermind," he said and shoved hand through his hair.

"Stop worrying, Cole...the FBI is here, your guys are here, and they'll all be at the wedding.  It'll be fine."

He nodded then turned back to the stove and flipped the eggs, his shoulders tense and stiff.
  She reached up and massaged them and said, "
Just think t
onight
it'll all be over
,
and
we'll be in Dallas
, then
tomorrow we'll be in
Hawaii, sipping fruity umbrella drinks and having massages on the beach.
...
just focus on that.
"

"Kind of hard to do when a crazy man is trying to kill my wife
and baby," he said in a low gravelly voice
, and dropped his head
.

Tears flooded Sabrina's eyes, because he sounded like he was about to cry too.  She rubbed his back and told him, "I'm not letting
anything
happen to our baby, darlin'. You can take that to the bank
," she told him fervently.  "Do you have a Sig P226 out in your stash in the garage?
"

He spun around and looked at her with raised eyebrows.  "You know about my stash?"

She snorted, "Well, yeah...
I
found it the second night I spent out here.  I was looking for something out in the garage and saw the door and got curious."

"But it's locked," he told her.

"And your keys were on the kitchen table..." She said and smiled at him. "I'm curious by nature, Cole, and a detective by profession...I thought you were a survivalist, remember?" Sabrina reminded him then chuckled and told him, "
Seeing what was in that room
pretty much sealed the deal on my opinion."

The tension in his face eased and he hooted, "You're something, darlin'...and yes, I have a Sig out there. Why?"

"I want it and a thigh holster, I'm going to wear it under my dress.
  I had to turn mine in when I got fired.
"

H
is laugh
started as a chuckle then worked itself into a belly laugh.  "Only you, darlin'.  I can see the wedding write up in the paper...and the br
ide wore a beautiful white gown, wit
h a thigh holster and 9mm strapped to her thigh in lieu of a garter."

"Seems appropriate for the kind of weddings we have out here in
Bowie
, don't you think?"
she told him with her lips twitching.

He snorted, "I'd say...and
you wearing
it would make me feel a little better too.  I'd rather you wear the body armor in there though."

"That would bulk up my dress, and I do want to look good for you, sugar
,
"
she told him with a smile.

"You could wear the body armor and a burlap sack, and I'd be one happy man," he told her then leaned down and kissed her.

"They were fresh out of burlap sacks at the bridal store, so I guess the white dress will have to do," she said and leaned up to kiss him again
, then picked up her coffee. "I've got to go start getting ready."

He looked at the clock on the wall, "This early?"

She winked at him
, and purred,
"Beautiful takes a lot of time, sugar," then headed for the stairs.

An hour or so later, Cole had come up to the bedroom and told her that Betty Lou
from the Cut Up Corral
was downstairs, and she'd better go get her.  The FBI agents at the door had about strip searched her. They had her duffle bag open and all of her hair doodads, pots and potions spread out on the kitchen table, and she was in a tizzy.  When Sabrina walked into the kitchen to get her, the woman's face was so red she was worried Betty Lou was about to stab them with her shears.

Sabrina ran over to them and said, "It's okay guys, I invited her here...she's my hairdresser," then
she
started stuffing Betty Lou's things back into the bag.

She mumbled, "I'm so sorry..." over and over to Betty Lou while she led her
down the hall.

"It's okay, sugar
, t
hose men were just
rude
,
"
Betty Lou huffed stomping up the stairs beside her.  "Their mama's must be ashamed."

"I doubt it..." Sabrina chuckled.
  "Sorry you had to go through that, Betty Lou."

"Aw, sugar, it's okay.  At least it wasn't cowhands I was weeding through like over at he Double B."

"Cowhands?" Luke only had five cowhands, so she couldn't imagine what the heck Lou Bell was talking about.  She'd have to ask Cole later.

"Yeah, musta been a hundred of them over there.  They were practically tripping over each other.  Cassie was in a
thither
, but she sure looks pretty in that dress ya'll picked out.  That yellow color makes her hair look like sunshine...she's glowing anyway with that baby on board and all."
  Betty Lou talked ninety miles an hour, non-stop,
as they walked,
so by the time they got to
the bedroom door
, Sabrina's
ears were practically bleeding.

The woman walked inside and gasped.  "Oh. my. god...this has to be the most beautiful bedroom, I've ever seen.  Come to think of it, this house is the most beautiful house I've ever been in.  Your husband must be well off."

Sabrina didn't know what to say to that, so she didn't say anything. It would probably just get Betty Lou cranked up again.  She went and sat down at the
beautiful
vanity against the wall and ran her hand over the marble top.  The large mirror had ornate grill work around it and Cole's mother's brush set was still sitting on it, along with a few  perfume atomizers.

"That vanity is just stunning..." Betty Lou told her breathlessly.

"It was Cole'
s mother's...this was her room," Sabrina felt a strange kinship with the woman today, even though she hadn't known her.  From what Cole had told her about his mama, she was a paragon, and loved his daddy with all her heart.  Just like she loved Cole.  She only hoped she would be half as good a wife to Cole, as his mother had been to his daddy.  And
half
as good a mother to his child.

Betty Lou evidently saw her getting weepy and walked over and patted her hair. "Let's get you teased up, darlin'.  I don't think we're going big with it, but you need a little volume.  What do you think about an updo with some daisies in it?"

Sabrina looked up and smiled at Betty Lou.  "My bouquet is daisies, so that would be perfect."

An hour later, Sabrina admired her hair in the mirror, it truly
was
perfect.  Betty Lou had formed pin curls all over the top of her head, interspersed with small white daisies.  She'd
attached
the chapel length veil Sabrina had picked out firmly to the base of her updo in the back.  She'd made tiny ringlets on the side of her face that made the look soft and feminine.  "It's beautiful, Betty Lou...thank you."

Betty Lou squeezed her shoulders and looked into her eyes in the mirror.  "You're beautiful Sabrina.  Cole is a lucky man," she said and gathered up all her tools to put them in her bag, "But I think that young man knows that...let's get your makeup done so you can get to the ranch on time."

It didn't take Betty Lou long to finish her makeup.  As Sabrina had asked, she'd kept it light, with only a little foundation and powder, some blush and light eye shadow, but she coated on the mascara pretty heavily.  After putting some nude-colored lipstick on her, Betty slathered on gloss then stood back to admire her work.  "Sugar, you look like a forest nymph."

Hoping that was a good thing, Sabrina turned toward the mirror to take a look and gasped.  Her eyes looked huge in her face...she looked ethereal.  "Wow, you sure know your business, Betty Lou...thank you."

Betty Lou waved her chubby hand at Sabrina then loaded up her stuff and told her, "
Let's get you in your dress, where is it?"

Sabrina got up off the chair, ran to the huge walk-in closet and pulled out the garment bag containing her dress.  She loved this dress, because it was simple, and skimmed across her body when she walked.   Unlike Cassie's wedding dress, she could breath in the flowing chiffon empire-waisted gown, she'd
chosen
.  The only embellishment on the dress was a band of daisy patterned rhinestones under her breasts and rhinestone straps.  As a new resident of the great state of
Texas
though
,
she'd given in and chosen to wear white cowboy boots, just like Cassie had.
 
As well as
Texas
fashionable, t
he
y
would be comfortable when she danced her feet off with
her new husband
at the reception.

Walking back to Betty, she handed her the garment bag then said, "Just a sec I have to put something else on.  She went to the nightstand and opened the drawer then pulled out the gun and holster that Cole had given her earlier.  She bent down and strapped it around her right thigh then slid the gun inside.  It felt weird, but it made her feel safer too...and Cole said it made him feel better too.  He just better not be reaching under her dress to fast, or he might blow her foot off.  She'd have to remember to take it off before they went to
Dallas
tonight.