Page 26 of Dangerous Christmas Memories

“I thought you didn’t want my help!” her husband teased back as he led Luc to the living room, where a slender African American man sat on a worn leather couch tossing cards into an upside-down baseball hat. Seated on a matching love seat, Marshal Myers leaned back with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to reveal a dragon tattoo covering most of his left forearm and a rose encircled with thorns on his right arm. Definitely not what Luc thought a US marshal would look like, but if he kept Priscilla safe, Luc didn’t care how many tattoos he had.

Dr. Devins stopped beside the couch. “This is Luc, who got caught up in this mess with Priscilla.” Myers and the other man rose as Dr. Devins introduced Marshal Aaron Aldrich.

Aldrich shook Luc’s hand, sizing him up. Luc resisted the urge to explain his relationship with Priscilla under their scrutiny.

“Steven?” Laura appeared in the kitchen doorway.

“Coming, love.” With a wink, Dr. Devins disappeared into the kitchen.

“Those two make me sick.” Myers’s smile took the sting out of his words.

Aldrich raised his eyebrows. “Only because he’s happily married, and you can’t seem to find any woman to go out with your ugly self.”

“That may be, but at least I try.” Myers retook his seat. “You’ve given up on love after Darcy broke your heart.”

Aldrich chuckled as he sat down, his relaxed demeanor showing he didn’t take Myers’s remark seriously. “Pay no attention to him and his sob stories, Luc. He’s just sore because I beat him in rummy earlier. Now he won’t play another hand with me. I’m reduced to tossing cards into a hat for entertainment.”

Luc grinned and took the opposite chair. “You two must be partners.”

Myers nodded. “How did you know?”

“You’re bickering like unhappily married folk.” Luc settled back into the battered club chair. “Is Priscilla awake?”

“Yes.” Priscilla spoke from the archway that led to the bedrooms. Her hair twisted up into a loose topknot made her look even younger.

He gestured to his outfit. “We could be twins.” Priscilla’s clothes echoed his: jeans, white Converse sneakers and a loose-fitting flannel shirt.

When she smiled, his heart squeezed inside his chest, but he ignored the feeling. Better to concentrate on finding who was behind these attacks so he and Priscilla could discuss the best way to end their quickie marriage.

“I suspect someone went shopping at the hunter’s outlet store.” She stepped farther into the living room. “Hi, Myers, Aldrich. Nice to see you again.”

“Wish it were under better circumstances.” Aldrich retrieved the cards from the hat and reshuffled.

“Did I interrupt your card game?” Priscilla sank onto the couch next to Aldrich.

“Nah, I beat him earlier, so he quit,” Aldrich countered.

“Dinner’s ready,” Laura called from the kitchen.

Throughout the meal, Luc said little, but his eyes frequently strayed to Priscilla as she exchanged stories with the marshals and teased Aldrich and Myers about their lackluster love lives. After dinner ended, Priscilla said she would take care of the dishes, and Luc immediately volunteered to help.

In the kitchen, she washed and he dried, as the dishwasher was on the fritz. He didn’t savor the domesticity of the scene, as he might have if they had a real marriage, but instead wondered how he could bring up the idea of an annulment.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Priscilla cocked her head as she handed him a glass to dry.

Without thinking, Luc blurted out a version of the truth. “I was thinking of how many married couples wash dishes together.”

Priscilla bit her lip, her eyes troubled.

He should have kept his mouth shut.

“I’m sorry, Luc.” Her gaze slid away from his to stare down into the soapy water. “I don’t remember you, let alone marrying you.”

She swished the water around and pulled a plate out, dipping it into the rinse water and stacking it in the drainer. “You know what’s strange? This morning, while I slept, I did dream of a wedding.”

He tried to act casual, but inwardly, he couldn’t help but be excited. Hopefully, this would lead to remembering him. While it might be easier to ask for an annulment if she didn’t remember their wedding, pushing for it now smacked of taking advantage of the situation. He nodded encouragement, not trusting that he wouldn’t say something to break her train of thought.

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