Caught in the Frame (Ponderosa Pines Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) by ReGina Welling (novel24 .TXT) 📕

even twitched when Chloe settled into the adjacent seat with a sigh. Though the winter air here was warmer than Ponderosa Pines at this time of year, EV had draped a blanket over herself while relishing the crisp, clean air.

Several minutes passed before Chloe spoke into the silence, “I never thought it was possible to dread seeing another bite of cake.”

EV groaned. “Five cake flavors, seven types of icing. That’s thirty-five different combinations. Thirty-five. By the end of it, I couldn’t tell the difference. I think I’m suffering sugar shock.”

“It was all I could do to keep from screaming, just pick one.”

“But not the rum cake.” They said it in unison then laughed at themselves for thinking alike.

“I actually think I’m a little buzzed from it.” Chloe said. “I’m surprised it didn’t slosh onto the plate.”

“And what about the one with the raspberry preserves between the layers? With that much rum in the cake, it tasted like cough syrup.” A shudder ran though EV. “Your mother is certifiable.”

“Could you believe the way she acted toward that poor florist? I had just been thinking how I hadn’t seen her blow up yet, and then…BOOM!” The first glimmer of Bridezilla-type behavior out of Lila had slipped through when the castle’s resident florist crashed the cake tasting by wheeling in a cart of fresh-cut flowers heavily laden with scent.

“She really ripped that lady a new one. As if a florist doesn’t understand that strong odors affect taste buds!” Lila’s condescending tone had driven the woman to tears, and only softened infinitesimally when it became clear that Lila herself had double-booked the two appointments.

Through the open balcony doors, they heard the shrill sound of the phone in their suite ringing.

“You get it, it’s probably your mother wanting us to taste forty different kinds of candy for the wedding favors.” Just thinking about it made EV feel nauseated.

“You get it, then. I can’t say no to her; you’ll have to do it.”

“We could just ignore it,” EV suggested.

“No! If we don’t answer, she’ll just show up here and drag us back to wedding hell.”

Not wanting to face that option right now, EV levered herself off the chair to go pick up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Miss Torrence, I have a gentleman here who insists he must speak with you immediately. Please hold the line.”

She hardly had time to run through the possibilities before Dalton’s voice rang in her ear. “EV, I had to come.”

Her pulse sped up; maybe from the edge of anxiety in his voice, but mostly from knowing he was here.

“What’s happened? Is something wrong back home?”

“No, it’s not that. Bring Chloe and come down here. Nate’s already on his way.” He hung up in her ear without providing any more info.

Pitching her voice to be heard on the balcony, EV said, “haul your lazy butt in here.” Given the urgency in her voice, Chloe wasted no time.

“What’s going on?”

“That was Dalton. He’s here.”

Chloe’s mouth dropped open. “He’s here? Oh, that’s so sweet. He couldn’t stand to be without you.” EV did an internal double-take as Chloe, ever-suspicious and generally skeptical, jumped to the most romantic of conclusions.

Could that have been part of his decision to come? A little flare of satisfaction washed over EV at the thought, yet she maintained an even, dry tone when she said, “He asked for you and Nate on his way downstairs as well, so I’m thinking he had another motive for flying halfway around the world.”

“That’s a load of bull, and you know it. If there was a break in the case, he could have picked up the phone. If he’s here, he’s here for you,” Chloe smirked.

EV scrunched her face into an exaggeration of Chloe’s smirk, “Let’s go find out.”

Nate beat them to the lobby by a good five minutes. His banishment to the farthest possible spot from Chloe’s suite put him on a more direct route to the front desk. Once there, he helped Dalton sort out the problem of not having a reservation when every room would be booked for the wedding. Antoine stepped in, swapping them to a larger suite with a second bedroom. Someone else would get bumped to a smaller room, but Antoine assured Nate he would make it work.

So much for Chloe embarking on any late night visits. He watched her walk down the stairs toward him and, even now, knowing only something major would drag Dalton here so quickly, all he could think about was kissing the breath out of his beautiful girlfriend. He did his best to banish the thought, at least for the time being.

“What’s going on?” Chloe demanded.

“Not here,” Nate hissed. “We’ll talk about it upstairs.” He pocketed the new room keys Antoine handed him, and led the way.

The door opened into a shared seating area of sorts. A pair of sofas in subdued, cream-colored upholstery flanked a black lacquered coffee table. Beyond them, a four-seater table sat in front of the stationary half of a sliding door leading to a balcony. Unlike EV and Chloe’s room, there was no kitchenette. Just a pair of bedroom doors opposite each other at the far end of the room. On the right, a coat closet took up the space behind the door, and on the left was a small, but elegantly appointed bathroom.

Stepping into the cozy suite, EV sensed undercurrents of strong emotion. She took in Dalton’s ramrod-straight back, tense shoulders, and clenched fists, along with Nate’s flat-eyed cop face, and jumped to the most obvious conclusion.

“Remy’s coming to the wedding.” Nothing else would have caused Dalton to leave Ponderosa Pines unprotected. Not that the job was enough to occupy anyone on a full-time basis; should anything happen, Gilmore PD was one quick phone call away. No, EV knew something else had brought him here. Despite their agreement to put their relationship on hold while dealing with Remy, he would have come in the first place, if she had asked.

“According to Marjorie.” Dalton deadpanned, his haggard face matched