Attempted Matrimony Read online

  Good detectives didn’t have feelings like the ones gnawing at his insides right now

  “Let me walk you to your car,” Dallas offered with a reassuring smile.

  “As a cop, or as an old friend? Or are the lines all blurred, Dallas?”

  Blurred as hell, but that wasn’t the answer she needed. “As an old friend.” A hundred unwelcome thoughts tramped through his mind. He had a dead body on his hands. Nothing new, but the facts surrounding the murder were. What were the victim’s ties to Nicole? And why the devil had Nicole become so uncomfortable when he’d asked her about unusual calls?

  And what was he going to do about the desire that hit with the force of a boxer’s punch to the gut every time he came within twenty yards of the woman who’d just dropped in to the middle of the crime spree of the decade?

  Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

  We’ve got some of your favorite Harlequin Intrigue authors heating up the book racks this month—USA TODAY bestselling author Susan Kearney among them. Susan concludes her action-packed HEROES INC. trilogy with an exciting story about Saving the Girl Next Door. And look for more HEROES INC. titles in the future from Harlequin Intrigue and Blaze.

  Joanna Wayne pens another southern scorcher in her HIDDEN PASSIONS series. Attempted Matrimony explores the desperation of one woman who’s married a madman…and how one good man’s love for her is stronger than any evil.

  Veteran Harlequin Intrigue author Caroline Burnes winds up THE LEGEND OF BLACKTHORN duo with Babe in the Woods. We know our readers love gothic stories, and you get a double dose of classic enchantment in this terrific companion series.

  Finally, enjoy the allure of a true mystery lover in The Masked Man by B.J. Daniels.

  Sincerely,

  Denise O’Sullivan

  Senior Editor

  Harlequin Intrigue

  ATTEMPTED MATRIMONY

  JOANNA WAYNE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Joanna Wayne lives with her husband just a few miles from steamy, exciting New Orleans, but her home is the perfect writer’s hideaway. A lazy bayou, complete with graceful herons, colorful wood ducks and an occasional alligator, winds just below her back garden. When not creating tales of spine-tingling suspense and heartwarming romance, she enjoys reading, traveling, playing golf and spending time with family and friends.

  Joanna believes that one of the special joys of writing is knowing that her stories have brought enjoyment to or somehow touched the lives of her readers. You can write Joanna at P.O. Box 2851, Harvey, LA 70059-2851.

  Books by Joanna Wayne

  HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

  288—DEEP IN THE BAYOU

  339—BEHIND THE MASK

  389—EXTREME HEAT

  444—FAMILY TIES*

  471—JODIE’S LITTLE SECRETS

  495—ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

  505—LONE STAR LAWMAN

  537—MEMORIES AT MIDNIGHT

  569—THE SECOND SON*

  573—THE STRANGER NEXT DOOR*

  577—A MOTHER’S SECRETS*

  593—THE OUTSIDER’S REDEMPTION

  606—BAYOU BLOOD BROTHERS “Jules”

  621—UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER

  639—ANOTHER WOMAN’S BABY†

  662—BEHIND THE VEIL

  675—MYSTIC ISLE†

  714—ATTEMPTED MATRIMONY†

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Nicole Dalton—The twenty-eight-year-old daughter of recently deceased state senator Gerald Dalton. Her husband’s deadly secrets are destroying their marriage.

  Dallas Mitchell—A thirty-one-year-old homicide detective. He’s part of Nicole’s past. Now he fears for her future.

  Dr. Malcomb Lancaster—He is a prominent surgeon who swept Nicole off her feet and to the altar.

  Ronnie Dalton—Nicole’s autistic brother.

  Janice Dalton—Nicole’s cousin and best friend. She’s never trusted Dallas Mitchell, and she’s certain he has an ulterior motive for coming back into Nicole’s life.

  Matilda Washington—Nicole’s friend from the university. She wants only the best for Nicole.

  Fastidious Freddie—A killer with a penchant for cleanliness.

  Karen Tucker—A murdered nurse with ties to Malcomb Lancaster.

  Gerald Dalton—Nicole’s father and the late U.S. senator from Louisiana. He was charismatic, powerful and always larger-than-life.

  Dr. Jim Castle—He loves his wife, but that didn’t keep him faithful.

  Corky Brown—Dallas’s partner. He suspects Dallas has more than a professional interest in Dr. Lancaster’s beautiful wife.

  Penny Washington—Matilda’s sister-in-law and Karen Tucker’s friend. She knows secrets that can get her killed.

  To women everywhere who have gone through the heartbreak of a failed marriage and found the courage to love again.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Prologue

  Gloria Dalton’s voice quavered above the crinkly sounds of squashed satin as she gave Nicole a warm hug. “This is a magnificent reception, and you are such a beautiful bride.”

  “Thank you, Aunt Gloria.”

  “I can practically see Gerald now, strutting around like a peacock pointing out to everyone in heaven that you’re his daughter. And Malcomb is such a nice man. Not only successful, but thoughtful and considerate. That’s a rarity these days.”

  “I agree,” Janice Dalton said, walking up to join her mother and Nicole. “The last available, charming, rich bachelor in Shreveport and you got to him first. Just my luck.”

  Nicole linked her arm with her cousin’s. “As if you were ready to settle down with just one man.”

  “Hey, it could happen.”

  Gloria parked her hands on her hips. “I should live so long.”

  “Spoken like a mother,” Janice said, smiling. The smile faded the second her mother walked away. Then Janice studied Nicole’s face closely. “What’s up with you?”

  “A wedding.”

  She continued to scrutinize her cousin. “So where’s that lovin’ glow brides are supposed to emit?”

  Nicole stood in the middle of the posh University Club, forced a half smile to her face and wished Janice couldn’t always see right through her. It came from growing up together, being best friends as well as cousins, though the two were different in a lot more ways than they were alike. “What could possibly be wrong?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe you’re concerned because you just vowed to sleep with the same man for the rest of your life. That would frighten the hell out of me.”

  “I promised to share my life with a man who loves me.”

  “That’s what I said. But I must admit, if you’re going to tie the forever knot, the gorgeous and distinguished Dr. Malcomb Lancaster is the way to go.”

  “I’m glad you approve.”

  “I do. He’s a keeper. And he has no living family—which means you have no in-laws. How lucky can you get?”

  “I’m certain if Malcomb’s parents were alive, they’d be perfect dears, just as he is.”

  “So back to my original question. What’s eating you?”

  “You just don’t give up, do you?”

  “Only when it’s to my advantag
e.”

  Nicole sighed and glanced around to make certain no one was listening to the conversation before she answered. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but I have this crazy feeling that if everything seems this right, something bad must be about to happen.”

  Janice put an arm around her shoulder. “Nicole, you’re crazy. Just concentrate on the honeymoon and screwing your new husband’s brains out on some fabulous Greek island.”

  “That I can handle.” Nicole started to say more, then scanned the room in hopes of spotting Malcomb. She could use one of his reassuring smiles about now.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by the clatter of breaking glass and the sound of her brother’s grating distress signal.

  “Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh,” Ronnie was repeating, over and over.

  The music kept playing, but even the dancers on the floor stopped to stare. Grabbing handfuls of satin, Nicole held her gown up and rushed toward her autistic brother. “Please move back and don’t touch him,” she said, keeping her voice as calm as she could manage.

  The crowd separated enough so that she could see the problem. The top tier of the elaborate wedding cake had toppled to the table, landing upside down, and the crystal toasting flutes lay in shattered shards on the polished floor of the ballroom.

  Apparently Ronnie had bumped into the table or else become fascinated by the cake and tried to touch it or pick it up. Though twenty-one on his last birthday, he was short and scrawny, looking more like an awkward teenager than a man. His social functioning skills were almost nonexistent, and she was never sure what he might do in a stressful situation. He was rocking back and forth now, thick locks of his brown hair falling into his face.

  Someone stepped on the back of her gown. She turned to rescue it, but by the time she did, Malcomb had reached Ronnie. She breathed a sigh of relief, then felt her blood run cold at the sound of Malcomb’s strident voice.

  “Look what you did to the cake, Ronnie.” He clutched the back of Ronnie’s shirt collar and held his face over the splattered tier of cake and the huge gobs of white icing and smashed sugar roses that were smeared across the pink linen tablecloth.

  Ronnie flailed his arms like a crazed boxer as he tried to break from Malcomb’s grasp. Nicole forced her way through the stunned guests as myriad pent-up emotions exploded inside her. “Take your hands off of my brother,” she ordered, her voice shaky but her stance firm. “Let me handle this.”

  Malcomb’s gaze met hers. His dark eyes blazed, frigid and accusing. For a second, she thought he was going to strike her, and in that instant something strange and incomprehensible seemed to rip though her.

  “Let’s just take it easy. This was a little accident. No harm done,” her uncle John said soothingly.

  Nicole dragged in a quick, jagged breath as Janice’s father stepped forward and attempted to calm the situation. The room grew silent except for the rhythmic clunk and splat of Ronnie’s shoes as he rocked back and forth, his palms spread over his ears.

  The situation was surreal, like a nightmare that had sprung to life and taken total control. Then, just as suddenly as it had erupted, the nightmare began to subside. The muscles in Malcomb’s face and neck relaxed and his lips split into a tentative smile.

  “You’re right, John. No harm done.” He touched a reassuring hand to Ronnie’s shoulder. “Just a cake, Ronnie. Not important at all. I’m sorry I got upset with you.”

  Ronnie kept his hands over his ears, but his rocking slowed as the tension that had spiked the air began to abate.

  Malcomb stepped toward Nicole, took her shaking hands in his and met her gaze. The blind fury that had darkened his pupils a few seconds ago had gone, but a stony glaze remained, and she felt as if she were looking into the eyes of a stranger.

  “I’m sorry, Nicole. I just wanted our wedding day to be as perfect as my love for you. I guess I lost it there for a few seconds. Can you forgive me?”

  The mood of the guests changed, the sympathy shifting to Malcomb in palpable waves. Everyone was ready to forgive and forget. She should be, too, only something chilling and hard seemed to be choking her.

  “I need some time alone with Ronnie,” she whispered, her voice husky and strained.

  “I understand. But I’m here for you, darling, if you need me.”

  He dissolved into the crowd of well-wishers, somehow coming out the hero in all of this. He was there for her, and yet she’d never felt so alone. She stood with Ronnie, talking softly to him until he let her lead him away from the ruined cake, to a quiet corner where he could regroup.

  Perhaps it was her fault for bringing Ronnie to the reception. She knew he did best when his routine was unchanged, his setting familiar. And yet he’d seemed to understand that the wedding was important to her, and she’d believed that he wanted to be part of it.

  “Messed up your cake. Messed up your cake. Messed up your cake.” He was rocking again and staring into space.

  She ached for him, wished so desperately she could reach him through the opaque haze that always seemed to separate him from the world. “You didn’t mess it up, Ronnie. I like it better with the roses upside down. It looks funny.”

  “Funny roses, huh?”

  “Funny roses.”

  She gave him a hug and he hugged her back, an awkward, brief embrace. He didn’t always, but she was glad he had now. She’d never needed a hug more.

  “Are you guys all right?”

  She looked up into the worried eyes of her uncle. John was her dad’s younger brother and he looked so much like her father that people had occasionally mistaken them when her dad was alive. They were completely different, however. John was quiet and unassuming, whereas Senator Gerald Dalton had been commanding and so charismatic that he’d changed the climate of a room just by stepping inside it.

  “We’re okay,” she answered.

  “Does Malcomb lose his temper like that often?”

  “I’ve never seen him like that before.”

  “Good.” Her uncle nodded, clearly relieved. “Then I wouldn’t worry. Weddings can be stressful on the groom.”

  “They can be stressful on the bride, as well.”

  “I’m sure.” He put an arm around her shoulders. “Ronnie’s hard to take for people who aren’t used to him. I’m sure Malcomb’s basically a good man. And he certainly seems to love you.”

  “I know.”

  And she did. Besides, she was Mrs. Malcomb Lancaster. The vows had been said. The license had been signed. There was no room for doubt now.

  “Funny roses,” Ronnie said again.

  “Yeah. Funny roses.” So why wasn’t she laughing?

  Chapter One

  Ten months later

  Nicole skimmed the headlines of the Shreveport Times as she lingered over her second cup of coffee. “New Mayor Faces First Major Obstacles. Area Unemployment Down. No Leads In Serial Killer Case.”

  “Looks like the police have reached a dead end in the serial killer case,” she said as Malcomb walked back into the kitchen, straightening his tie.

  “Three women in eight months,” he answered. “And the police don’t have one lead. That tells you something, doesn’t it?”

  “It only tells me that the man is still out there.”

  He sneered. “And smarter than the police.”

  “I don’t think he’s smarter, just deranged. It’s frightening, though. He could be anyone. Could be anywhere.”

  “I wouldn’t worry. For all we know, the women he killed may have deserved it.”

  “How can you say something like that? No one deserves to be murdered.”

  “You’re right. They were probably all saints, just making bad choices about whom they pick up at their neighborhood bar.” He kissed the back of her neck.

  She liked the way he looked in the mornings—clean, confident; his short, thick, sandy-colored hair neatly combed. He looked like the man she’d fallen in love with. Looks were deceiving.

  “You better take a wrap when you
go out,” he said, stopping at the coffeepot to pour himself one last cup of the brew, so strong it was almost bitter, the way he liked it. “They’re predicting a cool front to move in by afternoon.”

  “I don’t have anywhere to go today.”

  “Isn’t this the day you’re volunteering at the Red River Revel?”

  “Tomorrow. I thought I might make that shrimp bisque you like so well for dinner tonight.”

  He waved his hand. “Don’t go to the trouble, sweetheart. I’ll just grab a bite at the hospital. I’ll be in surgery a good part of the day, and I have several critically ill patients in the ICU. I’ll be lucky if I’m home by bedtime.” He flashed a patronizing smile, obviously reading her mood if not her thoughts. “You know I’d rather be here with you, but it’s the life of a cardiothoracic surgeon.”

  “So it seems.” At least it was Malcomb’s life, though it hadn’t been when she met him or even the first couple of months after they were married. “Maybe I’ll give Janice a call and see if she can have lunch.”

  “I thought she was off on vacation again.”

  “She drove to Dallas on a buying trip for her boutique. But you’re right, she’s probably not back yet.”

  “Just as well. I’m not certain she’s the best of companions for you now that we’re married. She has a wild streak.”

  “I’m only talking about lunch.”

  “True, but I get the impression she’d like to cause trouble for us. I think she’s jealous of the fact that we’ve found each other while she’s still alone.”

  Janice was seldom alone, but there was no reason to point that out to Malcomb. Besides, if anyone was jealous, it was Nicole. Janice loved running her shop. Nicole was the one with no satisfactory outlet for her own energy.

  She hesitated, not wanting to taint the morning with conflict, then decided to risk it. “I’m thinking about registering for classes at the university next semester,” she said, as she stood and carried her plate to the sink. It wasn’t the first time she’d brought up the subject, and every time she had, Malcomb became irritated. The expression on his face now indicated this time would be no different.