Sealed With a Kiss (5 page)

Rachel saw her friend Molly move around the
dance floor. She was taking photos of Annie and Dylan. They would
be beautiful images, capturing everything that was special about
today.

“It will be our turn to dance soon.” Tess sat
in an empty chair beside Rachel. Her pale blue dress, an exact
replica of Rachel’s, fell in soft folds around her legs. “They look
so happy.”

Rachel nodded. “It’s been an amazing day. Has
Logan decorated their car, yet?”

“They finished what they needed to do about
ten minutes ago. I’m not sure Dylan’s going to appreciate the tin
cans and balloons attached to his get-away car.”

The get-away car was a Porsche. Logan had
decided that Dylan needed to start his married life in style. So
he’d replaced Dylan’s truck with a silver Porsche and made sure
that the hotel they were staying in had secure parking. Tomorrow
morning, the newlyweds were flying to Ireland for their
honeymoon.

The song that had been playing ended and Tess
stood up. “Come on, twinkle toes. Let’s find Jeremy so that you can
show everyone what a star you both are on the dance floor.”

Rachel jumped to her feet and looked around
for the groomsman she’d been partnered with. She loved dancing, and
Jeremy, after a little bribery, had agreed to practice with her.
After six weeks of intensive dance therapy, he’d perfected the
waltz and foxtrot as much as he was ever going to.

Tess smiled. “Logan’s walking toward us with
Jeremy. Sally’s already on the dance floor and Molly’s putting her
camera down.”

Rachel looked at Tess and sighed. Tess’ extra
height definitely came in handy when she wanted to look around a
crowded room. Rachel wasn’t exactly short, but at five-foot-four,
her friends all towered over her.

As soon as Jeremy was close enough, he swung
her into a turn. Rachel’s skirt billowed around them and she
laughed at the cheeky grin on his face. She squeezed his hand and
smiled. “Are you ready to dazzle all of the adoring young women
here?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Make me look
good.” And with that last remark, they were off. Jeremy stepped
into the 1-2-3 pattern easily, waltzing his way around the dance
floor like a seasoned pro.

Even though he looked relaxed, she could feel
the tension in his shoulders and arms. “Relax. You know what you’re
doing. Enjoy the moment.”

Jeremy’s shoulders dropped a little, but he
was still holding himself ramrod straight. “It’s easy for you to
say,” he whispered. “You haven’t got Debbie Adams staring at
you.”

“I take it Debbie is the girl you’ve been
dating?”

“Was dating. She decided there wasn’t a
future for us.”

Rachel could hear the disappointment in his
voice. “I’m sorry. I know how much you liked her.” Whenever
Debbie’s name had come up in a conversation, Jeremy changed the
subject and blushed beet red.

“It doesn’t matter.” He glanced at Rachel and
sighed. “Okay. It does matter, but I’m trying hard to hide it. Will
you do me a favor?”

“Is this on top of making you three batches
of triple fudge brownies and a Christmas cake?”

“That was for taking dancing lessons with
you. This is more important.”

“You want a dozen cupcakes, too?” Rachel
teased.

Jeremy shook his head. “No, but if you’re
feeling sorry for me, you could always throw some in. This is about
Debbie. If you see her walking toward me, come and save me.”

Rachel was having a hard enough time staying
away from John. Keeping Jeremy and his ex-ladylove in sight, as
well as John, would be a challenge. “You might have to dance with
me more often.”

Jeremy relaxed. “We’ll be each other’s
decoy.”

She glanced quickly at Jeremy.

“I can read you like a book. You’ve been
watching the tall blond guy all day.”

“I have not.”

Jeremy snorted. “Of course you haven’t. The
little girl he’s got with him is sweet.”

“That’s his daughter, Bella.” John had sat in
the front row of the church with his daughter beside him. Bella’s
attention had mostly been on Annie, but every now and then, she’d
grin at Rachel.

“I read a newspaper article about him a few
months ago. John Fletcher is one wealthy guy.”

“Money isn’t everything,” Rachel
muttered.

Jeremy’s shoulders tensed again. “Debbie
alert on your right. I’m heading left.” He did a quarter turn and
started moving away from the dance floor.

“You’re going to have to get used to seeing
her at some stage,” Rachel said softly. “Bozeman is a small
place.”

“I’m good at hiding.”

Rachel believed him. If Jeremy put his mind
to something, there’d be no stopping him. If hiding was the only
way he could figure out his feelings for Debbie, then maybe that
was okay. “You know that you can’t hide forever?”

“I don’t need to. Debbie told me she’s
leaving Bozeman next April.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I’m trying not to feel anything. Does that
answer your question?”

Rachel smiled at someone she knew. “It does.
And as long as you keep me away from John, I’ll be your wingman
with Debbie.”

Jeremy stepped into a sharp quarter turn.
“You gotta warn me sooner if you want to avoid someone. John was on
his way over here. Hold on tight, we’re about to move as fast as
this song can take us.”

And before Rachel knew what he was doing,
Jeremy had whisked them off the dance floor and straight onto a
covered balcony. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” she
asked as he opened the door.

Jeremy pulled her through the doorway and
closed the door. “This is a walk in the park compared to what I’ve
done.”

Rachel wrapped her arms around her waist. It
might be a walk in the park for Jeremy, but it was winter. Snow was
falling beyond the covered balcony and it was cold. If they didn’t
get back inside soon, they’d end up with hypothermia.

She felt something tug on her skirt. She
looked down at a little girl with big, brown eyes and knew that
John wouldn’t be far away.

***

John didn’t often panic, but he could feel
his heart thumping against his chest. Bella had been beside him the
entire afternoon. She’d sighed when the bridal party had walked
down the aisle, straining against his hand as she’d tried to get
closer. She hadn’t stopped staring at Annie’s lace and satin
wedding dress all afternoon.

While he’d been talking to one of Dylan’s
relatives, Bella had slipped away. She’d disappeared into the
middle of the reception venue as easily as a pat of butter melting
on a hot skillet.

For the first five minutes, he hadn’t been
too worried. Then five minutes stretched to ten and panic had set
in. He’d walked quickly around the room, peering under tablecloths
and behind the white curtains that had been draped along the walls.
He’d even checked the bathrooms, shocking an elderly woman as she’d
come out of one of the stalls. And he still couldn’t find
Bella.

He’d seen Rachel on the dance floor, drifting
through the other couples with one of the groomsmen. As soon as
she’d seen him, she’d disappeared. He didn’t have time to wonder
why she was avoiding him. Bella was missing and he needed to focus
on where she could be.

He took his cell phone out of his pocket and
hit speed dial. “It’s me. Bella’s missing. Watch all exits. Tell
Tank to check everyone leaving the building.”

He nodded at the short response he got from
Tanner and put his phone away.

“Are you okay?” John spun toward Dylan. His
mind was still on Bella, thinking of all the things that could have
happened to her.

“I’ve lost Bella.”

“How long has she been missing?”

He checked his watch.
Damn
. “Twenty
minutes.” She could be out of Bozeman by now, heading toward the
Canadian border in a truck, or sitting in a plane, ready to fly out
of the country. He looked around the room, then back at Dylan. “Are
you using any other rooms in the building? Maybe an audiovisual
office or a storage room that isn’t obvious?”

“Come with me.” Dylan started walking across
the room. “The AV room is over here. One of the staff set
everything up this morning. He’s coordinating the sound system,
lights, and data projector from in here until we cut the cake.”
Dylan threw the door open.

The guy sitting in front of the sound system
leaped out of his chair. “You nearly gave me a heart attack. What’s
wrong?”

John scanned the room. “Have you seen a
little girl? She’s eight-years-old.” He held his hand at hip level.
“She’s about this tall, curly brown hair and big brown eyes.”

The AV guy shook his head. “No kids have been
in here all day. Do you want me to call the front reception desk?
They could keep an eye on everyone who comes and goes.”

Dylan told him to make the call while John
left the room.

Within seconds, John was back on the dance
floor, weaving through the couples who were oblivious to what was
going on. On the far side of the room, a white curtain billowed
into the air. It was November and freezing cold. No one would have
been outside unless there was another reason they were there.

He rushed toward the curtain and frowned as
one of Dylan’s groomsmen walked through the French doors. Rachel
followed him.

For a split second, the skirt of her dress
caught on the wind, hiding the child beside her. John didn’t need
to see the face of the person holding Rachel’s hand to know it was
his daughter.

He ran to Bella and hugged her tight. “Where
have you been?” He didn’t wait for her to reply. She was shivering
in her dress. He took his jacket off and wrapped her in its warmth.
“I’m taking you over to the fire. Are you okay?”

Bella nodded. “I’m sorry, dad. I went outside
to watch the snow and the doors locked behind me. No one could hear
me knocking on the glass.”

He picked Bella up and walked quickly across
the room. Rachel and the groomsman didn’t follow him. He’d find
them later and thank them for finding Bella.

He sat in one of the high-backed chairs and
held his daughter close. “Don’t worry about being locked outside.
You’re safe and that’s all that matters.” With Bella sitting on his
lap, he called Tanner. “Stand down. Bella’s safe.”

A flash of blue silk caught his eye. Rachel
was walking toward them with a blanket and a takeout cup in her
hands. She put the drink on the floor and shook out the fluffy
blanket. “Put this around Bella. It will help keep her warm.”

When the blanket was tucked around his
daughter, Rachel handed Bella the cup. “It’s hot chocolate. It will
warm you up from the inside.”

Bella glanced at John. He nodded and she
carefully took the drink out of Rachel’s hands. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Rachel said softly. She
glanced at John and he saw the understanding in her eyes. If she
knew the full reason why he’d panicked when Bella had gone missing,
she wouldn’t be so calm.

“Are you okay?” Rachel asked.

John nodded. “I am now. Thanks for finding
Bella.”

A red blush hit her pale cheeks. “It was
lucky that Jeremy and I were outside.”

Disappointment dragged its heavy feet against
John’s heart. He’d never bothered to ask Rachel if she was dating
anyone. He didn’t know her any better than most of the people in
Bozeman. What she did with her personal life wasn’t anything to do
with him.

Her blush got a whole lot redder. “Jeremy was
helping me too…” Her voice petered out. “Jeremy’s gone to tell the
manager about the door. The lock’s broken. Bella couldn’t get back
inside.” She kneeled down in front of Bella. “Are you feeling
better?”

Bella nodded. “Dad’s keeping me warm.”

Rachel’s gaze locked on his. Her blue eyes
widened before she glanced at Bella. “Dad’s are good at that. Do
you need anything else?”

Bella shook her head. Her mouth popped open
when Annie rushed over to her.

“Dylan told me what happened. Are you all
right, Bella?”

Bella looked at Annie with such utter
devotion that John almost smiled. She pushed the blanket away and
slid off his legs. John took the drink out of his daughter’s hands
before it spilled over Annie’s dress.

“You look beautiful.” Bella’s voice was soft
and sweet. Her hand reached out to gently touch Annie’s dress.

Annie smiled and kneeled down. She held the
skirt of her dress toward Bella. “My dress is made from champagne
silk. My friend Emily made it for me. The lace came all the way
from Italy. If you look closely, you can see little beads stitched
in the pattern.”

Bella’s fingers ran across the lace on
Annie’s dress. John hoped like crazy that her hands were clean.

Annie didn’t seem to mind. She pulled her
veil forward and showed Bella the silver thread that had been sewn
along the edge.

“Did your friend make your veil, too?” Bella
asked.

Annie nodded. “She’s very clever. Would you
like to try and catch my bouquet?”

Bella looked at him. Her eyes were glowing
with excitement. He opened his mouth to tell her he couldn’t let
her out of his sight. He knew she’d be disappointed, but he’d
nearly lost her once and he didn’t want to lose her again.

“I could hold her hand.” Rachel caught his
gaze and held it. “She’ll be safe with me.”

John glanced at Bella, then back at
Rachel.

“Please, dad. I’ll be really careful. I’ll
stay with Ms. McReedy and I won’t move from beside her.”

Rachel didn’t say anything. She waited for
what he had to say. “Okay. But I’ll be on the edge of the dance
floor. We’ll go home after you’ve finished.”

Bella turned to Rachel and held her hand out.
“Let’s go, Ms. McReedy. Do you think I’ll be able to catch the
bouquet?”

Rachel smiled. “It depends on where you
stand. If you want to catch the bouquet, you stand at the front of
the group. If you don’t want to catch it, you stand at the
back.”