Page 1 of Been There Dragon That
ChapterOne
OCTOBER IN DALLAS, TEXAS…
Rylee Florence
Rylee Florence smoothed the lacy dress over her hips and held her breath. She looked into the bridal shop mirror, and all the stress she’d been carrying on her shoulders since last night melted away.
It was gorgeous.
The alterations made it like a second skin. Her breasts were perfectly accented by the sweetheart neckline. The dress nipped in above her hips and flared out beautifully into a short train covered in lace and pearls. It was flawless, but she hated the niggling thought in the back of her mind warning her it might all be a waste.
“If it wasn’t for that Sweetie Belle pony’s hair, I’d say you were picture perfect.” Her mother’s voice purred a soft Texan lilt from the couch behind her.
Rylee tipped her head and caught her mother’s gaze in the mirror. No judgment. Just a tease. Rylee’s room at her parent’s home was filled with collections of My Little Pony. And Rylee’s hair had been various shades of pink and purple for the last twelve years–since she was sixteen years old.
Up until then, Rylee and her mom had been a matching pair. Champagne blonde hair. Ice-blue eyes. And the prettiest cowboy boots money could buy.
“You like my purple hair.”
“You know I do, my Sweetie Belle.”
“Will it be too much for Grandmother? I could always have it dyed out and then put back later.” Concern crept into Rylee’s voice.
“Heavens no, your grandmother loves your hair too. She’d be furious if you changed it.”
A chuckle rolled up through Rylee’s chest. Grandmother Agatha was ninety-six, but she still lived alone in her own house and liked to brag to everyone that she could do everything she’d always been able to do.
“Do you think Jeff will like the dress?”
“Oh, sweetie. He’ll love it.” Her mother got up from the couch and approached the raised dais. “What about your name?”
“What do you mean?”
“Mrs. Jeffrey Douglass Harrington the third. Don’t you want to keep your name too? I’d consider hyphenating.”
“Mrs. Jeffrey Florence hyphen Harrington the third. Or Mrs. Jeffrey Harrington the third hyphen Florence.” Something shivered and twisted in the pit of Rylee’s stomach. Neither were right. Nothing had been quite right since she’d accidentally overheard her fiancé of nine months on the phone in the middle of the night, last night, ordering some guytaken care of.
Ordering someone hurt?
Ordering someone’s death?
His words and his tone had left her feeling scared.
And what about the other middle-of-the-night calls? The ones he’d given stupid excuses for when she’d asked.
But telling her parents she thought her soon-to-be-husband might be mixed up in criminal activity orbea criminal himself… How did a person do that? A week before one of the biggest weddings in Dallas society circles. The media had dubbed them the sweetheart couple of the year.
* * *
She’d knownJeff for years. Their families had vacationed together every summer since she and Jeff were in college. They’d seemed like decent people.
Jeff had always been sweet and kind and romantic, and she still couldn’t believe he’d said those words. As a couple, they had good chemistry. Plus, he had goals of being in the senate. Maybe more. They were a true power couple.
She could be wrong, maybe she heard wrong.
She could be ruining their lives and their future over a misunderstanding.
Sometimes it really sucked being rich and having the public so invested in her private life.
