Falling for You

What the— “I understand getting hitched is the ‘mission.’” Barry used finger quotes. She deserved it. “Coming up with a story is my ‘mission.’ With a guest list, I can make a few calls ahead of time. Without it, I see who shows up and wing it.” He took a step forward and lowered his voice. “By then, I’m close to my deadline. A little desperate for a good story. A little on the edge. Not discreet.” He shrugged. “And who knows what my photographer might happen to catch on film.”

The secretary paled and handed him a stapled packet of papers. “Here, but you must promise you won’t bother the guests. Particularly—” She broke off. “Just don’t bother them.”

“I won’t bother them. They all love me.” Barry scanned the columns. Good grief. A cast of thousands.

“Here, Barry.” Paula supplemented the list with one of her signature peach pieces of paper. “The official wedding schedule. Subject to change.”

Barry studied the timeline. “Rehearsal begins promptly at noon.” He looked at his watch, then made a note. “Guess it’s going to be impromptly.”

“We’re waiting on the matron of honor.” Paula gave him a tight-lipped smile. “She’s pregnant and isn’t feeling well at the moment.” She glanced through the sanctuary door at the milling bridesmaids and sucked air through her teeth. “And it appears the best man is running behind schedule.”

“No prob.” Barry widened his smile to reassure her that he wouldn’t write anything sarcastic because he knew Paula, and he liked her. She fed him information that was ninety-five percent correct, and she was fun after a couple of post-wedding martinis. Since she was married, he could flirt and she wouldn’t take him seriously. Which was good, because he never meant his flirting to be taken seriously.

Barry slipped into one of the back pews and surveyed the scene at the front of the church. The bridesmaids, minus the country cousin who didn’t seem to be there, all wore the urban style of short skirts and tiny belly shirts, along with the mother-of-pearl white high-heeled shoes they’d wear tomorrow. Very excellent fashion choices.

Barry allowed himself several moments to enjoy the sight, prayed for Vera Wang silk tomorrow, then scanned the guest list.

The names weren’t in alphabetical order but were helpfully arranged by reception seating order. And in spite of what he’d told the secretary, Barry was very discreet. Otherwise, these people would never talk to him and he’d have to hang around parties to which he’d never be invited on his own. Which was exactly how he’d spent his childhood when he’d tagged along after his older sisters.

Most of the names on the seating chart were familiar to him. The Dallas old guard would be out in force tomorrow. Barry was struck by the number of the older generation who planned to attend. And then his attention was caught and held by one name—Donald Galloway. Congressman Donald Galloway.

Barry was instantly transported back to last fall and the investigation involving Representative Galloway. The same undercover investigation that Barry’s report had exposed and that had landed him on wedding detail. He hadn’t known Galloway was cooperating with the authorities. He hadn’t known publishing the story would blow a two-year investigation. If someone had just told him—but Barry had found evidence of bribery and blackmail and figured he’d stumbled onto a scandal. And he had, but he’d ended up in the middle of it, along with Megan Esterbrook, the police media spokeswoman. He’d made lucky guesses in his article and she’d been accused of revealing too much information.

Barry had few regrets in his life, but getting Megan into trouble was one of them.

Megan. Earnest and sincere Megan Esterbrook. The Megan Esterbrook who could make a Girl Scout look slutty. The Megan Esterbrook who’d watched him when she’d thought he didn’t know it. Who blushed, even as she grabbed for her gun. Potent combo, that. Barry stared off into the middle distance for an instant, then cleared his throat. He’d had thoughts about Megan—unprofessional thoughts he’d wanted to explore but the time never seemed to be right. And now she barely made eye contact with him.

Yeah, he felt bad about getting her into trouble, even though he’d just been doing his job. Megan was so heartfelt and so serious about everything while Barry had learned not to take anything seriously. Or not much, anyway. But her betrayed expression had stayed with him.

Right now, he was not going to think about Megan or her puppy-dog eyes. He was going to get back to business. Donald Galloway would be attending this wedding. Barry would not be chatting with him. Too bad, because he knew there was something behind the blackmail no matter what the official line was. Unfortunately, he had to play by the rules in order to reclaim his investigative-reporter status and the rules said hands off Galloway. Actually, the rules said Barry was to report society doings or never work in print journalism again. So that’s what he was going to do.

Barry went through the list and starred the guests who he wanted to approach for comments and who he wanted the society photographer to shoot.

And speaking of pictures, Barry noticed that the bridesmaids were restless. Now would be a good time for him to take a few candid shots of his own. Though he wasn’t the official photographer, the pictures helped him in writing up the gushy junk his editor wanted. Once he’d saved the day when the real photographer’s equipment had been stolen along with all the wedding pictures. If one of his photos was actually used, it meant more money in his pocket.

He recognized Mrs. Shipley speaking to her daughter. Ah. A lovely candid mother-and-daughter moment. Daughter, wearing a more demure outfit than her bridesmaids—the skirt was Prada and maybe the top, too—and the mother conservatively attired in St. John Knits.

Barry held his breath, took the photo, then exhaled. He recognized fashion designers now. No real man should be able to do that.

Barry snapped more pictures—gotta love digital cameras—then looked around for the groom’s family. Still none present, as far as Barry could see.

Paula and the secretary, both talking on cell phones, hurried down the center aisle. From the side entrance, the Whitfield florist began bringing in the now-assembled candelabra. Finally, some action.

Barry zoomed in on the face of the tough, serious-looking groom and a no-neck guy who looked like a bodyguard. Generally, the reactions of men as they’re confronted with wedding excess were always good for a laugh and blackmail-quality photos. But the expression of this groom and the man standing next to him was lethally cold—and aimed right at Barry.

Something told Barry to keep taking pictures even as the two men turned away.

And then someone told him to stop.

“Sir.”

The man without a neck thrust a hand over the lens. He’d moved fast for such a big guy. “You’ll have to come with me, sir. We are not allowing photographs.”

“Back off, fella, I’m the press.”

Barry carefully set his camera out of reach and dug for his press card—the real one. He had a feeling this guy knew the difference.

Mr. No Neck studied the ID card, then grinned, revealing gold-framed front teeth. “Lifestyle? You mean parties and clothes and girlie stuff?” And Barry had to endure The Look, the one that questioned his manhood.

“It’s a living.” He accompanied this with a category-one smile—the bland, I’m-just-doing-my-job kind.

No Neck spoke into his watch, or something that resembled a watch, as he pressed his ear. In the meantime, Barry palmed a blank photo disk, just in case.

“You can stay, but no pictures and give me the disk.” No Neck extended a hand the size of a catcher’s mitt.

“Aw, come on. Give me a break. The paper didn’t send a photographer with me.”

No Neck gestured to the balcony. “He’s the photographer.”

Barry hesitated just long enough to make it believable, fiddled with his camera and handed No Neck the empty disk he’d palmed earlier.

“Thank you, sir.” The man hulked down the aisle and stationed himself near the side entrance, hands in the classic fig-leaf stance.

Okay, this was getting interesting. That was more than annoyance he’d seen on the groom’s face. There was a reason he didn’t want to be photographed and there was a reason the groom and this guy had taken positions from which they could survey the entire sanctuary while leaving their backs protected.

Barry’s reporter’s instinct kicked in. He wanted to know those reasons.

While everyone milled around waiting for the missing matron of honor and cast anxious glances at the double doors behind him, Barry got on the Internet with his laptop to check out the groom’s background. He still had some active accounts at sites not publicly available, thanks to connections he’d made and kept.

Smiling to himself, Barry clicked through the information he found. According to what he read, Augustus Hargrove, he of the threatening stare and suspicious friend, had a background as pure as the driven snow. Not so much as a parking ticket showed up. Right. The guy had to have drifted somewhere. Barry knew his type and his type always had an excess of testosterone that leaked out in a bar fight or something similar.

The man was apparently a “security specialist” for pity’s sake. Everyone knew that was just code for ex-military or ex-secret agent. Really, once spies retired, what else could they do?

Hargrove Security Systems was a relatively new business, so what had Augustus Hargrove been up to before that?

The guy’s background had been whitewashed. Very nice job. The problem was that it was too nice. It didn’t fit a man who could look so threatening in a church.

Barry dug around some more. Any story he uncovered that was connected with this wedding was playing by the rules as far as he was concerned. The managing editor couldn’t expect him to just ignore a hunch, could he?

How had Little Miss Party Girl hooked up with the guy?

Barry started in on Sally Shipley’s movements for the past year, oblivious to when the wedding rehearsal began, coming up for air only when people passed him on their way out of the church.

Great. He’d pay for that later. But right now, he wanted to ask the groom some questions. So where was the groom? He hadn’t been with the bride and her friends as they’d passed by. Barry packed up his laptop and strode toward the front of the church.

He was supposed to be concentrating on the bride, her bridesmaids and this afternoon’s trip to the spa. Barry didn’t want to miss the trip to the spa. That’s where most of the society reporters went wrong. The gossip factor was incredible once women got together with mud, or whatever it was, on their faces. Although he would never admit it, Barry booked manicures for himself to gain entry. Usually just a nail buffing, but being around had paid off big-time more than once.

However, today, he was more interested in the groom. Too bad he couldn’t be in two places at the same time.