Mal fetched it. “This is fascinating.” He swung it around a few times in an awkward motion and dropped it.
“Stop playing with that,” Asia said. “You’ll cut yourself. Enough wounds to patch up already. Now hurry up. It’s time to eat some food before my stomach eats itself.”
Staring out over the rippling black waters of the river, Smoke said to Sid, “Are you ready to go back to the real world?”
“I’ve never been more ready.” She pushed herself up to her feet and reached down to help Smoke up. “Let’s go. I feel like I need a month of sleep.”
Despite her tired appearance, Sid looked beautiful in the moonlight. Strength and confidence had returned to her dark eyes. Something about her demeanor stirred Smoke’s blood. It always had. He knew it always would. He grabbed her hand, fished something out of his second skin, and took a knee.
“What are you doing?” Sid asked with a look of surprise on her face.
“Yes, what you doing, raggedy man?” Asia said. “Let’s get going.”
Sam and Guppy approached, and with the others it almost completed a circle.
Smoke looked up into Sid’s eyes and showed her the engagement ring in his hand. “With God and our friends as witnesses, I ask you, Sid, will you take this ring and be my wife?”
Smoke Signals: Book 7
CHAPTER 1
Smoke still had one knee planted in the soft dirt of the river shore. In one hand he held the engagement ring and in the other hand was Sid’s palm. They were surrounded by Sam, Guppy, Mal, Asia, the breeze of the river, and the moon shining down in his eyes.
Sid’s brows were creased. Her eyes watered. She pulled a strand of long black hair from her mouth.
He said it again. “Will you marry me, Sid?”
“I—I,” she said, swallowing.
“Tsk, tsk,” Asia said. She sprayed more antiseptic on Smoke’s wounds. “What horrible timing to ask such an important question. Not very romantic. Just answer the man’s question, Sidney. Yes or no. I want to go. I’m hungry.”
Soft eyed and scholarly, Mal Gunderson got ahold of Asia’s arm and said, “Perhaps we should leave them alone for a moment.”
“Pfft!” Asia said. “She’s going to say no. I already can tell. She’s a difficult woman.” She patted Smoke on the shoulder. “You’ll find another, not so stubborn.”
Fists drawn up at her sides, Sam blurted out, “Will you shut up, Asia?” She glanced at Smoke, shrugged, and took hold of Guppy’s arm. The pair of them walked away.
Sid took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“It’s just the two of us now, Sid,” he said. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I’m tired and thankful. Also, Asia is right. Your timing is horrible.” She sniffed and wiped her face. Her eyes drifted over the river to the bank on the other side. “But I wouldn’t expect anything else from you.”
He could see the distant flames from the chopper in her eyes. She wasn’t there with him at the moment. She was back over on the other side at Kane Lancaster’s mansion. There was no telling what all Sid had been through. How much she’d been subjected to. How much suffering? Was there pain? Did she have a case of Stockholm syndrome coursing through her veins? He started to pull the ring back, saying, “I know my timing isn’t the best, but nothing in my life has felt right without you in it. You’re the one for me and I’m the one for you. Search your heart, look me in the eye, and tell me you don’t feel that way too.”
A tear ran down her cheek, but she didn’t look him in the eye. Without looking at him, she said, “What kind of life will we have together? This world is sick and full of monsters.” Her hand squeezed his. “They’ll come after us and destroy everything we have. Kane is vengeful. If he lives, we’ll be dead.”
Smoke tugged on her hand. “Get down here and look at me.”
Slowly, she sank to her knees. Her watery eyes were downcast.
Smoke tipped her chin up with his fingers until her eyes met his, and he said, “You aren’t the kind of woman who lets someone else dictate life to you. You’re strong. You do what you want. And you’re allowed to have what you want—unless you’re going to let those monsters stop you. But they aren’t going to stop me from having what I want. I want you. I need you. I love you.”
Her breath shuddered. She sobbed. “I’m a mess.”
“We both are.”
Trembling, she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight. Her warm tears dropped down his neck. She said, “I love you, John. You know I love you.”
His heart pounded. Sid was the one he’d give anything for. He wanted her more now than ever, and he was sincere about it. He’d go to hell and back for her no matter how many times it took. But doubt crept into his thoughts as soon as she parted her lips to speak again. Don’t say “but.” Don’t say “but.”
“But,” she said.
Smoke felt the fires racing through his body start to cool. Oh no. Of course, “but” is a conditional word. It could be a good thing.
“I need some time.” Cheek grazing his cheek, she slid her face across his, locked her fingers around his neck, and kissed him with grateful passion. She finished off with a gentle bite on his lip and added, “And I need some sleep too. I have to be clearheaded when I decide. You understand, don’t you?”
“I’m not pushy, Sid. But I don’t want to be alone forever.” He brushed her hair out of her eyes. “I’m tired of drinking milkshakes by myself.”
“Okay, stop before you get me all choked up again.” She eyed the ring, blinked, and said, “It’s gorgeous.” She closed his hand over it, forming a fist. “Just hold onto it for a little time.” She stood up and walked away to the car, opened the door, and disappeared inside.
As Smoke rose, his heart sank.
Asia walked over to him, batted her eyes at him, and said, “If it makes any difference, I would have said yes, bandage man.”
“He didn’t ask you though, did he?” Mal nudged Asia toward the car. “Let’s get you something to eat before you say something even more insensitive than that.”
“How is me saying I’d say yes being insensitive?” Asia asked Mal.
“Because you said yes to me, and I know how that turned out.” He and Asia got in the car with Sid.
Smoke was left with Sam and Guppy. Sam’s face was a mix of pity and anger. “Are you okay?”
“I’m sore, exhausted, and rejected, but I’m alive. What more could I ask for?”
“You deserve an answer.” Sam gave Smoke a hug. “But the truth is, your timing did suck.”
“Sam,” Guppy retorted, “go easy on the guy. He just had his heart broken, and after all that fighting.”
“She didn’t say no,” Smoke replied.
“No, you listen to me,” Sam said, wincing and holding her arm that had been grazed by a bullet earlier. “Geez, that stings. But as I was saying. What kind of knucklehead proposes like that? Her hair’s a mess, her clothes are in tatters, and she just escaped from God knows what. And you asked her to marry you.” She poked her finger at the ground. “Right here? Right now? It’s sad and stupid. I’m not sure which is more.”
Mal, Asia, and Sidney pulled away. Smoke watched until the red taillights were out of view. He looked at the ring. The round cut sparkled with the moon’s enchanting light. He took a quick glance at the moon. I could have sworn the time was right. He stuck it back inside his sweetheart suit and said, “Let’s go home.”
CHAPTER 2
Days went by without Smoke talking to anyone. He was back at his place, the old full-service gas station that had been modified into an apartment, working in the garage on his Camaro. The garage door was open and the sun was shining. The radio was playing country gold in the background. With his back to the sun, he leaned inside the open hood of the car. He cranked the ratchet, pulled it away, and twisted out one of the spark plugs. It read NGK Platinum.
“It looks like your days are over,” he said to it, then to
ssed it into a metal trashcan with a black liner in it. He reached over to his roll cart of tools and opened up another NGK Platinum sparkplug box. He stuck the new plug in the engine, twisted away, and tightened it up with the ratchet.
“One down, seven to go. And how about another oil change?”
He liked working on cars, especially the older ones that he could still work on. He’d never been a restless man, but that kind of work gave him satisfaction. It gave him peace. Cars were beautiful things to him. And women like Sid who shared his affection for cars were all the more beautiful to him for it.
Singing along to some Hank Williams Jr., he switched out three more spark plugs and took a swig of whatever from his Tervis tumbler. The throaty roar of a car engine caught his ear. He turned and looked down his driveway. A phantom-black Dodge Hellcat was coming up the drive. The engine drowned out the sound of the radio. A woman was behind the wheel. It was Sid.
Leaning against the hood of his car, he took a red rag and wiped the grease off his hands. He dabbed the sweat from his brow and checked his shirt. It was a night-grey tank top with a battle axe logo on it. It was soaked with sweat. He gave himself a little shrug.
Oh well.
The rumbling Hellcat engine was cut off. The driver’s door popped open and Sidney got out. Her long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her pretty eyes had the fire back in them. She wore a black spandex shirt that enhanced her athletic figure and matching pants with some neon pink patterns woven in.
Smoke’s throat tightened and his mouth started to water. He wanted to take her up in his arms and feel her body against his all day and all night. He dropped the rag on the engine and started to speak but held back as soon as her lips parted.
“Hi,” she said. She tilted her head a little to the side, staring at him, and added, “Are you okay? You look like I have a deader standing right behind me.”
“No, I’m good. I just wasn’t certain how you were feeling.” He rubbed the back of his neck. Her eyes glided over his arms as he did so. “I just didn’t expect to see you so soon. Not that I’m bothered by that. I’m glad you’re here. I just thought you would need more time than this.”
Crossing her arms under her breasts, she came closer. There was a playful look in her eyes. She said, “I needed time to rest. I slept almost an entire day. I’ve never slept more than eight hours before in my life.” She got closer. She chewed on her lip. “But there’s a first time for everything.”
“We’ve spent a lot of first times together,” Smoke said. He had to fight to keep his hands by his sides. “Werewolves. Deaders. Rat men.”
“True.” She started stroking her ponytail. “While I slept and when I awoke, all I’ve been able to think about is you. I wondered what that next first thing could be. Would we have another great moment like that together?”
“Meaning?”
Standing toe to toe with him, she took his hands in hers and placed them on her waist. Her gorgeous eyes met his. “Yes.”
“Yes, you’ll marry me?”
Sid nodded with a girlish smile over her chin.
“Uh, great!” He started to pat himself down. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the ring. “Here.”
“You still have the ring on you? Didn’t you have any doubts?”
“Yes, but I like to be prepared—oh,” he said, taking a knee and grabbing her hand.
She spread her fingers out. “At least you didn’t regurgitate it.”
“Well, not this time.” He smiled quickly at her and slipped the ring on. They looked into each other’s loving eyes for a long moment. Sid came to her knees and embraced him. Her body set his on fire, and before he knew what hit him, he was flat on his back and they were kissing.
Breaking it off and panting with passion, Sidney said, “Do you want a long engagement to think about it?”
“No.”
She started kissing him again and broke it off. “I want a church wedding where I grew up.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He kissed her hands and stroked her face. “Can I ask what gave you such certainty?”
“Life’s too short, and I want to spend as much of it as I can with you. Whether we fight together or die together, it doesn’t matter as long as I’m with you.” She started taking off his clothes.
“Hey now, not until after the wedding.”
“Geez! You’ve got to be kidding me.” She flashed him the ring. “We’re engaged now. It’s okay.”
He felt like his body was about to burst at the seams, he wanted her so bad. Leaning back on his elbows, he managed a shrug. “Hey, I’m a traditional guy. It’s going to wait until our wedding night.”
She kissed him several more times then stood up with the back of her hand to her forehead and said, “You big crazy virgin!” She headed back to her car.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving.”
“Now? Why?” he asked.
She opened up the Hellcat door and said with a huge grin, “Because I’ve got a wedding to plan!”
CHAPTER 3
After making quick work of the Camaro’s tune-up, Smoke showered, slipped into some clean clothes, got in the car, and headed down the road. His hands were tapping on the steering wheel and he was singing along to some Twisted Sister on the radio. He felt good. Better than good. He felt great, but he had to do one more thing. He had to stop by and see Sid’s parents.
I hope they’re okay with this.
Smoke had a shady past. It wasn’t because of any wrongdoing, but it still bothered him. Keith Shaw was a lawman, and Smoke was certain he wanted only the best for his daughter. And aside from what he could give of himself, he didn’t have that much to offer.
Great Dane. I live in a garage. I wonder what they’d think if they saw my place.
He squirmed in the Camaro’s seat. His fingers tingled. He’d always been even keeled, but now he felt a bit giddy. With butterflies in his stomach. Not much of anything had affected him this much before. The monsters, conspiracies, and flying bullets didn’t faze him one bit. But this was marriage. The commitment of a lifetime. Could he live up to those high standards? Would being married take away his edge or make it sharper?
The unknown. How exciting.
He pulled behind an old red Ford truck in the Shaw driveway and put the Camaro in park. As soon as his foot hit the pavement, Sid’s mother Sally came running out the front door. She had an apron on and looked as happy as she was pretty. Tears were in her eyes. “John! John! I’m so excited for you and Sidney!” She hugged him.
“You already know?”
Still hugging him, she said, “Of course I know. The mother is always the first to know.” She pushed herself back from him. “Why are you so surprised?”
“Oh, well, I was hoping to run it by you and Keith first. It was spur of the moment.”
Sally’s eyes started to flow with tears again. Sid had Sally’s eyes, but Sally was a shorter, home-cooked version of Allison. She dabbed her eyes with her apron and said, “You want to ask for me and Keith’s approval? That’s so sweet.”
“Yes, I do. So, how’s he taking the news?”
“Oh, you know Keith. He never gets too excited about anything, but I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you. Come on. He’s out back.” She took his hand and led him through the open garage and into the back yard. She was rubbing his hand the whole time. “You’ll be even more handsome in a tuxedo. I can’t wait.”
The backyard was over an acre of greenery at the bottom of a tree-filled hillside. It was a beautiful spot with a children’s playset and stone benches set beneath the shade of the trees. There were birdhouses on poles, several gardens, a fish pond, a big red storage barn, and stacks of wood beneath a metal shed roof with no walls.
Keith was on a John Deere riding mower. He wore a white T-shirt, work gloves, and sunglasses.
“Keith!” Sally yelled as she waved her arms. “Keith! We have company!”
The
older man started riding the mower right for them.
“Here he comes,” Sally said. She rubbed Smoke’s back. “I’ll get you both something to drink while you two talk.”
“That would be great, thanks,” Smoke said.
Sally cut through the grass, up onto the wooden deck, and through the sliding glass door into the kitchen.
Keith stopped a few feet from Smoke and turned the mower off. He got up, took off his gloves and glasses, and set them in the seat. “How are you doing, John?” he said, extending his hand.
“I’m doing great,” Smoke said, shaking Keith’s hand. The older man had an iron grip for a man in his fifties. His features were rugged, handsome and stern. You could see the decades of a seasoned law man in his eyes.
“Not to beat around the bush, but I came to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?”
“I suppose, but it was a moment, and I wanted to do this in person. You two snowbirds were in Florida.”
Keith picked up his cup of iced tea from the mower holder and said, “She already said yes, and she certainly doesn’t need any approval from me, not that she’d ask for it. As for you, John, I like you, and there isn’t very much reason for me to vet you at this point. You’re adults with your own lives, and I know little about what you do with your free time, but I know Sid, and she wouldn’t be with you if you weren’t one of the good guys. She has high standards.”
“I appreciate that,” Smoke replied.
Keith finished off his iced tea and set the glass in the holder. “If it makes you feel any better, I can still ask you some questions. After all, you did come all the way out here. Let’s go over there under the trees and have a seat while Sally brews up some more tea.” He walked toward the benches that sat beneath a pair of pine trees. “You ever had her tea?”
“No.”
“It’s great.” Keith sat down, and Smoke joined him on a separate stone bench. Eyeing Smoke, he said, “So, she wants to get married in our church. Are you okay with that?”
The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files: Special Edition Fantasy Bundle, Books 6 thru 10 (Smoke Special Edition Book 2) Page 14
