“I’ll need to see some identification,” he said.
“It’s in my purse in the front seat, along with a copy of my marriage license.Want to see that, too?”
He unlocked her cuffs and opened the door.“No funny business,” he said shortly, as Casey leaned inside.
She handed him the marriage license, her driver’s license, as well as the title to her car.“There’s nothing funny about any of this, and when I get home, I’m going to have someone’s hide for this.”
The officer looked long and hard at the picture on the driver’s license and then at Casey.There was little resemblance between the cool, composed woman in the picture and the fiery-eyed hellion standing before him.
Casey could see he still wasn’t buying her explanation, but she wasn’t about to explain the mess she was in, thanks to her grandfather’s will.She opted for something he would probably believe.
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Casey snapped.“I’ve been on my honeymoon, okay?You try a wedding night in the back seat of a car and see how good you look!”
The patrolman flushed with embarrassment as he began to realize the seriousness of his situation.Unless he made peace with this woman now, he could be in big trouble.The Ruban name carried a lot of clout.
“Sorry, Miss Ruban…I mean uh…”
“Justice,” Casey said.“The name is Justice.”She pointed toward the cruiser.“About my husband…”
Moments later, Ryder found himself standing by the side of the road, watching as an officer of the law did everything but crawl as an excuse for his overzealous behavior.
“Thank you for being so understanding,” the officer said, as Casey brushed at the dirt on the back of her dress.
“We’ll call it even if you just don’t notify my family,” she said.“I want to surprise them on my own.”
“Yes, ma’am.I’ll just call this in to headquarters so you won’t be stopped again.”
“Fine,” she said, and didn’t bother to watch as he drove away.When she glanced up at Ryder, he was grinning.
“What’s so funny?”she asked.
“You’re hell on wheels, aren’t you, wife?”
“Don’t call me that,” she said, and slammed herself bodily into the seat behind the wheel.
Ryder was still grinning when he took the seat beside her.“Want me to drive?”he asked.“After all, I’m going to be your chauffeur.”
Her bottom lip slid slightly forward as she started the car, leaving the side of the road in a flurry of flying dust and gravel.
“I guess not,” Ryder drawled, and then settled back into the passenger seat.The longer he was around this woman, the more he liked her.She reminded him a little bit of his brother, Roman, who chose to believe that laws and rules were made by men with too much time on their hands.
* * *
There was a pasty white sheen on Lash Marlow’s face as he hung up the phone.He glanced at the clock over the mantel and swiped a shaky hand through his hair.It was almost noon.Time was running out.
His thoughts were jumbled as he considered the possibilities of where Casey might be.Damn Delaney for insisting on that forty-eight hour time frame.He’d told him from the start it wasn’t a good idea, but Delaney had insisted, claiming he knew his granddaughter better than anyone.He’d sworn she would never adhere to the terms of the will unless pushed.
Lash felt sick.It seemed obvious that he and Delaney Ruban had pushed too much.
“Any news?”Eudora asked, and not for the first time wished she’d sat beside her youngest granddaughter during the reading of the will.She was still convinced she might have been able to soften the blow Casey had received.If she had, maybe they wouldn’t have spent a sleepless night expecting the worst.
Lash shook his head and reached for another antacid.Instead, his fingers closed around the rabbit’s foot in his pocket, and he rubbed it lightly, making a bet with himself that everything would be all right.
Taking comfort from his superstitious gesture, he decided to forego the antacid.It probably wouldn’t help anyway.He was long past worry and far past panic.From the way his gut was burning, he was either starting a new ulcer or about to have a heart attack.He’d expected Casey to be difficult, but he hadn’t expected this.If she didn’t show up soon, it would be too late.
Miles lounged near the window overlooking the tennis courts, contemplating the party he would throw when he got his hands on the money.He was sick and tired of pretending to be worried about Casey.As far as he was concerned, she could stay gone.For the past six years, even if she was his sister, she’d been nothing but a judgmental little bitch, always harping at him and Erica to get jobs of their own.
Eudora paced back and forth, fanning herself with a dampened handkerchief.“I just can’t bear this suspense.Oh dear.Oh dear.”
