44 Cranberry Point. Debbie MacomberЧитать онлайн книгу.
a civil wedding. When she spoke her vows, she was committing herself, before God and the community, to love Jon for the rest of her life.
Jon’s eyes narrowed. “You want to be married in a church? You’re sure?”
“Either at the Methodist Church or perhaps on your property, if that’s all right?” Jon had inherited the land from his grandfather and had built a beautiful two-story house there. The acreage overlooked Puget Sound, with Mount Rainier as a backdrop.
“It’s fine,” he said. “What about the reception?”
“At the house, too.” All at once she wondered if she was asking too much of him. “I don’t imagine we’ll have many guests, just family and a few friends. All we’d need to serve is wedding cake and champagne. If the weather cooperates, we could be married outside.” With the rhododendrons, many of which grew wild on the property, and the azaleas in bloom, the place would be stunning.
He nodded. “Perhaps we should serve a few hors d’oeuvres. I can easily prepare them a day or two before.”
“Jon…”
“A friend of mine can do the pictures, but I want to take the ones of you myself.”
Maryellen could tell he was warming to the subject of their wedding. “Can we put all this together in two weeks?” she asked.
Jon didn’t hesitate. “Of course we can.” At her delighted smile, he added, “Any other requests?”
She had one, but wasn’t sure how to ask.
“What?” The question was wary, as if he sensed her mood.
“The guest list…”
“How many?”
“It’s not the number. Mom and my sister and a few friends, but there are a couple of people I’d like to invite and I don’t know if you’d approve.”
Katie squealed and dropped the heavy-bottomed cup on her tray.
Jon kissed Maryellen’s temple. “You know there’s almost nothing I can refuse you. Who do you want to invite?”
She leaned into him, not wanting to see his face when she told him. “Your father and stepmother.” Jon had only recently revealed how his parents had chosen to protect his younger brother at his expense. They had lied on the witness stand and, as a result, Jon had been convicted of dealing drugs. He’d served seven years in prison. Not once in all those years or the years since had he spoken to either his father or his stepmother.
Jon tensed and slowly released Maryellen. “No. They are no longer part of my life. They cast me aside and-”
“You’re all they have left.” His brother had died a tragic death and Maryellen was convinced that his family regretted what they’d done, both in betraying Jon and in not forcing his brother to face the consequences of his crime.
Jon clasped her shoulders hard, almost hurting her with the fervor of his emotions. “We will never speak of this again, understand? I have no family other than you and Katie.” Taking a shuddery breath, he let her go.
She wanted to argue and longed to help heal the relationship between Jon and his family, but she could see he wasn’t ready. His parents had a granddaughter they knew nothing about. Surely that was an opportunity for new beginnings. Still, it wasn’t Maryellen’s place to step in, especially since Jon’s feelings on the subject were this adamant.
“What about a honeymoon?” Jon asked. “Nothing fancy, but someplace we can get away for a night or two.”
“You want a honeymoon?” Maryellen had been so involved with plans for her move and for the actual wedding, she hadn’t given a honeymoon any thought.
“Damn straight I want a honeymoon.”
“What about Thyme and Tide?” Bob and Peggy Beldon’s bed-and-breakfast was said to be the best in town.
Jon shook his head. “I already looked into that, but they aren’t taking guests until this murder is solved.”
“Oh…” That was a disappointment.
“How about a night in Seattle? Just the two of us. Your mother will take Katie, won’t she?”
Maryellen laughed softly. “In a heartbeat.”
“Seattle, then?”
Maryellen nodded.
“The honeymoon will be the very best part.” Jon kissed her nose, and Katie giggled as if she’d never seen anything funnier. “That amuses you, does it?” Jon said, smiling. “I guess I see your point.”
“We’re going to have a beautiful wedding,” Maryellen said with certainty. The prospect of it made this chaos of packing and moving seem worthwhile. Within a couple of weeks she’d be Jon’s wife. The three of them would be a family.
Chapter Four
Charlotte Jefferson dressed nervously for her court appearance. She’d spent many an afternoon in the Kitsap County Courthouse, proudly watching her only daughter officiate as a family court judge. In Charlotte’s opinion, her daughter was one of the wisest judges in the entire state. She got a thrill just watching Olivia mete out decisions, looking so official in her black robe.
This afternoon, however, Charlotte wouldn’t be in Olivia’s courtroom but in Judge Robson’s. She wouldn’t be alone, either. Together with several of her dearest friends, she’d be facing the consequences of civil disobedience. Still, serving time in the slammer, if it came to that, would be a small price to pay if her actions got the town council to finally bring a health clinic to Cedar Cove.
Laura, Bess and the others, including Ben Rhodes, were scheduled to meet her in the foyer outside Judge Robson’s courtroom at one o’clock.
Charlotte donned her best Sunday dress, complete with the Easter hat she’d purchased back in 1966. It was a broadbrimmed yellow one with a single white plume tucked in the satin band. If Judge Robson decided to incarcerate her and the others, she intended to walk into that jail cell as finely dressed as she would’ve been for any church service.
Olivia and Jack didn’t seem to think a prison term was likely, but Charlotte had heard rumors about Judge Robson. He was supposed to be much more by-the-book than Olivia, more of a hard-liner, and-again according to rumor-fond of making an example of the occasional miscreant.
The doorbell chimed and Harry, her cat, leapt down from the foot of her bed with an uncharacteristic display of energy and trotted into the living room. Since Olivia and Jack were out of town on their honeymoon, Charlotte wondered who it might be. Embarrassment had prevented her from asking Justine, her granddaughter, to accompany her. Olivia, of course, was well aware of the entire situation, unhappily so. But Charlotte refused to let the rest of her family and friends know, although it was impossible to keep such news completely quiet.
The peephole in the front door answered her question. Ben Rhodes stood on the other side, looking as dapper and debonair as ever. Despite her age, her heart did a tiny flipflop at the sight of him. After all these years as a widow, she’d assumed she was too old and set in her ways to fall in love, but Ben had shown her that even long-held assumptions could be wrong.
“Ben!” She unbolted the four dead bolt locks on her front door. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, although she was more than glad to see him. “We’re supposed to meet at the courthouse, remember?”
“I know, but I thought I’d escort my favorite gal into court. Are you ready?”
Charlotte straightened the skirt of her floral dress, feeling, for just a second, like the heroine in a 1950s musical. Ben made the whole mess seem like an adventure rather than a scandal-or worse. “How do I look?”
A smile lazily crossed Ben’s full mouth. At times it was difficult to forget that he