Celeste followed him outside, and immediately noticed what he was talking about. Huge shrubs spanned the entire side of the plantation and were covered in red-tinged blooms-or bracts.
“They’re just starting to turn now, but in a couple of weeks, this will be a sea of red, and cover the entire perimeter of the house.”
“They’re incredible,” Celeste said, taking in the beauty of the shrubs, towering nearly to the second floor of the home. “How tall are they?”
“They’re only supposed to get to a maximum of ten feet or so, but I think ours are hitting twelve now.” He tilted his head and looked down at her. “You’ve never seen poinsettias growing outside?”
“I didn’t even know they’d grow outside of a pot,” she said honestly. “And I don’t think they’d grow at my parents’ house.”
He grinned. “Sure they would. They love the climate here.”
“But I don’t think they would there.” Her reply was drowned out by an older-model red Camaro that pulled up the driveway and then parked. A striking woman with shiny jet-black hair climbed out. She wore a black sleeveless mock turtleneck and black pants, and she looked like…a Vicknair. It wasn’t so much that her features reminded Celeste of Dax, but there was something about her eyes, and the way she studied Dax before she even spoke, that told Celeste this lady knew that this house, and Dax, had secrets.
“Who’s with you?” she asked, moving toward Dax and Celeste.
Dax grinned. “What makes you think someone’s with me?” He didn’t even look at Celeste when he spoke, so she remained silent. She wasn’t sure whether he wanted this lady to know she was here, Vicknair or not.
“For starters, you haven’t been out of your room all day, and that’s not like you, even on a Saturday, so I assumed you had company. Then there’s the fact that I haven’t seen you with a genuine smile in months, but you’ve got one now. And of course, there’s the other…”
“The other?”
“You’ve had sex and-” she tilted her head and lifted one brow “-I think you’ve currently got sex on the mind now. Yep, I’d say that’s a given.”
Dax shuddered. “How you do that is beyond me. And it’s not right.”
The woman smiled triumphantly, and she was even prettier when she smiled. “So, you must be Celeste,” she said, basically speaking toward the poinsettia shrub and not missing the mark by much; Celeste was only a foot to the left of where she was talking. “I’m Nanette Vicknair, the oldest cousin around, and evidently, one of the few who hasn’t found the means, or the desire, to become intimate with our guests.”
“Nice to meet you,” Celeste said, giggling. While Nanette was trying her best to sound as though she was issuing Dax a reprimand, the absolute glee in those sparkling green eyes betrayed her.
“She says it’s nice to meet you,” Dax relayed. “And by the way, she’s onto you. You can’t fool anyone into thinking you’re not glad that she’s here, and that she’s with me.”
Nanette shrugged guiltily. “You’re right. I’m glad you came back, Celeste. He’s been an absolute pill to be around since you left. And hey, I am getting more accustomed to ghosts in the family every day.”
Celeste’s chest clenched. Ghosts in the family. She wasn’t in the family and didn’t know whether it would even be possible. But wouldn’t that be nice…
She looked at Dax, and he looked at her.
Nanette cleared her throat-loudly. “So, what are you two doing out here?”
“I was showing her the poinsettias,” Dax said. “And then we’re going to take a walk on the levee.”
“Out of curiosity, have the two of you had a chance to discuss our list, or maybe check out the letters for more clues about what’s happening with you, Celeste? I’m sure Dax has told you that your situation is far from the usual of what we deal with around here.”
“We just finished discussing the list, and adding a few things to it,” Dax replied.
“And?” Nanette asked.
“And we know that something’s different, but we still can’t figure out what that is.”
“Well, I’ll keep thinking about it too,” she promised. “Don’t worry, Celeste. If Monique found a way to get Ryan here, Dax will do the same for you. He’s amazing at figuring things out, and believe me, he won’t stop until he’s got all the answers.” She paused. “And speaking of figuring out answers, I’m going to go through all of those letters again, see if we missed any that might have mentioned the Civil War without mentioning our unique guests.” She took a step toward the house. “You two enjoy the levee.”
“We will,” Dax said, and the slight quirk of his mouth told Celeste that he planned to enjoy more than its views.
“You know, it’s getting darker earlier now,” Nan continued. “So you shouldn’t waste time. You’ll want to see the barges on the Mississippi and the wildflowers that are still blooming near the cane.” She looked at the bounty of red-tinted leaves behind Celeste. “But then again, there’s nothing across the road that’s prettier than the poinsettias. In all of Grandma Adeline’s wedding pictures, these big shrubs provided a vivid red backdrop. She said she had a Christmas wedding just so she could show off the flowers.”
“Technically, they’re not flowers…”
“Oh, hush,” Nan said, interrupting Dax before he could get started. “I know they aren’t flowers, but they look like flowers to me, and they’re even prettier.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, saluting her as she started walking away.
“All right, smart-ass, that’s enough.” She climbed the steps to the mudroom. “And by the way, I am glad you’re here, Celeste. It’s nice to see Dax smile again. And if you do get the chance to come back, we’d love to have you.”
The door slammed as Nanette entered the house, and Celeste shivered.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
She smiled. “No. I don’t think I can get cold now.”
“Then what is it?”
“I guess I’m a little scared,” she said honestly. The fear wasn’t so much about what was going to happen, but from not knowing, and apparently having no control over, whatever would happen. “Do you know what’s funny?”
“What?” he asked, moving closer to her with his hands firmly stuffed in his jean pockets.
“I told Nelsa that when I got married one day, I would want a Christmas wedding. The bridesmaids would wear red, and they’d carry poinsettias. I didn’t even know they could grow this big, or I’d have wanted to get married in a place where they could surround me, like this one.” She squinted as she viewed the bushes and tried to imagine those red-tinged leaves turning even more boldly crimson and covering the old house like a floral blanket. It would be incredible to see, and a breathtaking location for a Christmas wedding, the kind of wedding Celeste had always wanted.
And now she didn’t merely see a Christmas wedding, with poinsettias and red dresses, but she also saw the image of her groom, waiting to give her everything she ever desired…Dax.
12
DAX TOOK in the beauty of Celeste’s shimmering hair billowing behind her as she looked out over the mighty Mississippi, its dark water churning steadily and splashing softly against the levee’s edge. It was an incredible image, the woman he loved standing in the midst of the place he loved.
Even with its shaky foundation, the Vicknair plantation stood prominently on one side of them, and the waters of the Mississippi bordered the other side. In the distance, large, flat barges noisily trudged their way down the river, and a late-afternoon breeze filled the air. The sky was gradually shifting to the typical shades of a Louisiana late afternoon and early evening, dark blue, deep purple and rose.