Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
“When are they going to catch the guy?” Sully grumbled under his breath on Christmas Eve.
He and Charley were hosting a buffet-style dinner along with a gift exchange at his ranch this evening.
Back on Thanksgiving, everyone at dinner had drawn a name from a cowboy hat.
The kids had gone first, and even baby Dalton’s name had been included.
Then the adults had each picked out a name and no one knew who had drawn whose name.
Sully’s cousins, Roy and Randy Custis, had standing traditions elsewhere. Thus, Sully had given them gifts at his store before they’d closed early.
Hands on his hips now, with Wyatt asleep in his brand-new, big dog bed, Sully stood in the den before the crackling fire in the hearth. With the flatscreen on, he was listening to the newscasters and watching the footage on the early evening news.
“While Old Colorado Springs was teaming with happy folks out doing their last-minute Christmas shopping, the infamous Cave Killer has struck a seventh time,” a female reporter confirmed from behind a studio desk.
Sully frowned at the TV. The screen was split, with the studio newscaster on the left.
A male reporter, on the right, stood near the scene of the crime and said, “That’s right, Sarah.
With five dead in his wake and his sixth victim narrowly escaping, the infamous Cave Killer has struck a seventh time.
And this time the killing seems personal.
” The female newscaster replied, “Yes, Dave, we’re hearing from Detective Burt Groves this evening that the seventh attack, which appears to have happened within the last forty-eight hours, has resulted in the murder of victim six who avoided being strangled to death only weeks ago. ”
“Oh, no,” Charley said as she came up beside Sully and looped her arm through his.
Sully pulled his arm free and wrapped it around her. “I want this psycho stopped.”
“Me too,” Charley whispered.
Sully eased her back and let out a low wolf whistle.
Her glossy, long brown hair reflected the Christmas lights on the towering live tree.
Her thick black lashes batted playfully, and her ruby-red lips parted in a breathtaking smile.
She was dressed in a soft ivory sweater boasting a scooped neck and decorated with shiny red and gold stars.
She’d paired the sweater with snug red pants, and she wore them with the red cowboy boots he’d bought for her at Cash’s store.
She was the only gift he needed for Christmas.
“I love you, Charley,” Sully said for the first time.
“What?” Charley asked softly, her royal-blue eyes taking on a glistening glitter.
Smiling down at her, Sully repeated with conviction, “I love you, city slicker.”
“Sully, I—” Charley began, her voice breaking. With her hands folding over her heart, she looked him in the eye. “I love you, too, country boy. With all my heart.”
Sully lowered his mouth to hers and wrapped both arms around her.
Her slender arms twined around his neck, and she raised on her tiptoes as she kissed him.
He buried his hands in her hair, and his tongue played with hers.
Sliding his hands down her slender back, he cupped them to her rounded fanny and groaned.
“Do we have time to go to bed before the party?”
“No,” Charley giggled.
“I’ll make it quick.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“After the party?” Sully asked.
“It’s a date.”
With a grin, Sully turned the flatscreen from the news to a holiday music channel. He grabbed her hand, and they walked out of the den into the wide hallway. Every room in the house was decorated with professional touches made by the classy florist at his side.
Outdoors, Sully had strung lights across the porch for the first time and hung Fraser fir wreaths with red bows, which Charley had made in her shop, at the windows facing the main road.
Two more huge Fraser fir wreaths, also decorated with red velvet bows, adorned the oversized front doors.
In the foyer, mistletoe dangled from a chandelier.
Charley pulled Sully under the mistletoe and kissed him just before the doorbell rang.
Sully opened the door to his dad and a lady holding a huge white poinsettia from Charley’s shop.
“Dad and Henri, we’re so glad you could make it,” Sully said.
“Yes, please come in,” Charley said and hugged Owen, then Henri.
Right behind them came the Brevards, with their three children proudly carrying their gifts to be exchanged with their siblings or cousins.
Derek had two more gifts in hand as Chloe held a covered dish.
Arriving next, Chase and Jade had in tow not only Colton and Courtney but also Coop and Tammy.
More covered dishes were carted into the house and placed in the dining room, while brightly wrapped gifts were stowed under the living room Christmas tree.
Coats were placed on the king-size bed in the master suite.
“We’re here,” said little Carly, carrying her Rudolph reindeer and a gift, as she made her way into the living room ahead of Cash and Tracy. “We brought Dalton.”
The adults laughed, and Charley said, “I can’t believe Dalton is a month old already.”
“Neither can I,” Tracy said, coming to a stop beside her grandmother and Charley.
“May I hold him?” Charley asked politely. “Or does Tammy get to go first?”
“I had a turn earlier today,” Tammy said with a smile. “It’s your turn, Charley.”
Cash took Carly and their covered dish to the dining room.
Tracy handed the baby, with a headful of dark brown hair like Cash’s, to Charley.
Sully helped Tracy off with her coat and after hanging it up, his eyes lit on Charley.
In her ivory sweater, amid the glow of the Christmas lights, she looked angelically radiant as she cuddled the baby boy.
Sully walked to her and wrapped an arm around her.
His heart brimmed with happiness as he smiled down at the love of his life and pictured her holding the baby he wanted to have with her.
Charley smiled up at him and gently placed the baby boy in his arms.
“How right that looks,” Charley said, taking the baby’s tiny hand in hers.
“A couple of ’em,” Sully said as the baby cooed.
Coop announced he was hungry, and Owen chimed in that he was too.
The two older men, with their ladies beside them, were the first four in line at the dining room table, laden with prime rib and roasted asparagus, a spiral ham and scalloped potatoes, as well as sliced turkey and homemade gravy.
Sides of mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, green beans, buttery corn, and stuffing were overflowing.
Covering a buffet sideboard along the dining room wall were desserts of cherry pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and a German chocolate cake.
In line with Cooper tradition, no one would go home hungry or empty-handed.
Gifts followed dinner and dessert. The children squealed in delight as presents of video games, building blocks, dolls, boardgames, books, and clothes exchanged hands.
Then the adults surprised one another by presenting gifts to the person whose name they had secretly drawn.
Even Henrietta Culpepper received a gift from Charley and Sully in exchange for the beautiful poinsettia they had known she was bringing.
Charley, with help from Chloe and Jade, divvied up the leftovers and placed them into beautiful holiday to-go containers.
By the time the kids started yawning, the dishes were washed, and the dining room was back to the way it had been before the Christmas Eve festivities.
Gift bags holding food and presents were gathered up, and good nights were shared with heartfelt hugs and handshakes.
The children from all three of the Cooper households had already talked about waking up early the next morning to see what Santa had left for them underneath the tree.
Thus, the cars started pulling out of the driveway, and from the front porch, Sully and Charley waved good night.
Before heading out, Owen shared a kiss with Henri under the mistletoe.
Promising to touch base with his dad the next day, Sully closed and locked the front door.
“I think our first house party went well,” Sully said. “What do you think?”
“Perfect, and I think we have a private party waiting for us in the bedroom.”
“I’ll race you there.”
Charley took a step, but Sully caught her arm and pulled her behind him.
She giggled his name as he jogged down the hallway ahead of her.
Catching the back of his shirt, she slid her hand to his belt and curled her fingers over it.
When she tried to slow him down, Sully turned to her.
He tossed her over his shoulder and gave her sexy fanny a pat.
Laughing wildly, Charley smacked his butt with both hands.
Sully chuckled and carried her straight to bed.
Leon dropped into the pit of the dank cave.
Exploration and practice in the tunnels were crucial.
Most crawled with a cobweb of confusing turns and dead ends.
The voices were still furious over the incident at the flower shop the previous month.
How dare that cowboy throw him out of Charley’s life.
And she’d gone right along with it! He’d stormed back to Old Colorado City in a rage and searched for the streetwalker who’d escaped him.
It took so long to spot the noxious hooker that he’d almost decided she’d left town.
But no, she had surfaced, and he’d made her pay for the sickening kick to his groin.
Charley had delivered a mental kick just as crucifying.
He’d dragged the corpse inside a cave and inched his way home through the maze of rats and mud.
He was done wooing Charley. She would pay for her repeated rejections.
He’d be waiting and watching. For as long as it took.
Like the other whores, Charley would show up eventually.