by Aliyah Burke
She cleared her throat. “That’s not quite what I was talking about.”
“Can I persuade you to talk about them?”
“Focus, Sheriff.”
Stone walked into his kitchen. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I was calling about going to the Wounded Knee grave. I have a three-day weekend and wondered if you had some time on either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday to go with me.”
“Spend the weekend with me, waštelakapi.” He braced one hand upon the counter while he waited for her answer.
“You want me there the whole weekend?”
I want you here for the rest of our lives. “Yes. Will you spend the weekend with me? In my house. In my bed?”
“Yes.” Her soft reply fell between them.
Eyes closed in relief as he expelled a breath. “Wonderful. When can you come out on Friday?” Stone shook his head. “Scratch that. Come out Thursday after you get done with work.”
“Are you sure?”
“Waštelakapi, there is nothing I’m more certain about. Never doubt that.”
“Okay.” He heard some muttered voices. “I will call you before I leave then on Thursday.”
“Am I interrupting something, waštelakapi?”
“I’m on my way to dinner with Major Bolden.”
Jealousy exploded up within him, ugly and swift. “Why?” The word slipped out before he could stop it.
“Because he invited me to dine with him and his wife, that’s why. I’ll see you in a few days, Stone.” She ended the call.
He stared down at the receiver in his hand and swore. “Can’t believe I’m acting all jealous when she just finished telling me she was coming here to be with me all weekend.” Stone rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. “I have to calm down.”
It was Tuesday so he’d see her in less than forty-eight hours technically. He shifted on his feet. It seemed like forever. Still, a smile turned up the corners of his mouth at the thought of her being here with him for all that time.
“All mine,” he murmured, placing the phone back in its base. Stone closed his eyes and groaned when her amazing body popped up in his mind. “All mine,” he uttered again with much more conviction.
* * * *
When Thursday rolled around he was antsy. Even Rayne who was rarely rattled snapped at him.
“Would you just go home already? You’re driving me crazy pacing around here like a wild man. We don’t need you. Go. Just go.”
Giving her a sheepish grin, he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Rayne. I’m a bit…”
“I know. Your Navy girl is coming for the weekend. I promise we won’t call you unless absolutely necessary. But if you don’t get out of here, I’m going to kill you because you’re driving me up the wall.” She pointed at the door. “Get.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He grabbed his coat from his office and walked toward the door.
“I want to meet her. Make sure you bring her by,” Rayne hollered.
Stone waved his hand in acknowledgment and headed to the door. He’d buckled his belt when his phone rang. “Sheriff Black Hawk,” he said starting the jeep.
“Anything I can bring for dinner, Sheriff Black Hawk?” Jasira’s voice stroked along his skin bringing his shaft to life.
Shifting into gear, Stone smiled. “Just you, waštelakapi. Drive carefully coming here.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be there in a little bit. I’m on my way now.”
“Can’t wait to see you.”
“Likewise, Sheriff.”
The smile remained on his face as he drove home. One eye on the clock, Stone made sure the fire was roaring and dinner was cooking nice and slow so it would be ready when she arrived. His heart skipped a few beats when headlights swung into his driveway.
He waited on the porch, the falling snow making her vehicle’s wheels silent as it parked beside his. Bathed in the glow from the outdoor lights, he walked toward her and opened the door for her the moment she shut the engine off. Stone ran his gaze over her uniformed body and his responded. Her gaze was gentle when it met his and a slow smile lifted her full lips.
“Hi,” she murmured shyly.
“Hello, waštelakapi.” Stone cupped her jaw and pressed a gentle kiss upon her lips. “Supper is almost ready.”
“Great, I’m starved.”
“Me too,” he said, holding her gaze.
He carried her bag inside and remained downstairs while she headed up to his bedroom to change. Lasagna and garlic bread hot from the oven, he set them on the table. Feeling her presence over his shoulder, Stone turned his head and promptly lost his breath.
Jasira walked into his open kitchen dressed in a T-shirt and cotton pants. Total comfort attire and he was suddenly very uncomfortable with the way his body was reacting. Her hair was loose and he noticed thick socks on her feet.
“What can I do to help?” she asked.
“Salad’s in the fridge, and the wine is on the counter.”
“Great.” She smiled and moved further into the room, which seemed much smaller.
Before long, they sat at the table, two candles burning between them and the snow falling outside. Beyond their soft conversation, the fire crackled and hushed music played. Stone swirled his wine as he listened to her talk.
This is what I want forever. Jasira in his house and his life.
“Why do you keep staring at me?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“You’re beautiful. Wiwašteka. A beautiful woman.”
Her gaze dropped and he could see the blush scamper up her cheeks. “Thank you,” she muttered.
Reaching across the table, Stone lifted her chin so their eyes could meet. His thumb skimmed along her plump lower lip. “Dessert?”
“Please.”
One more pass with the pad of his thumb and Stone pushed to his feet and headed to the counter.
* * * *
Jasira stared at Stone while he messed with the fireplace then sat on the couch. The firelight shone off his onyx-black hair. He just looked so undeniably mouthwatering she didn’t know what to do. Spending the weekend with him had been a difficult decision for her. Sure, she was attracted to him. Very much so, but she’d never been one to take weekend trips with boyfriends or things like that. So when the yes slipped out she had been a bit surprised.
“You do know you can come over here, right?” he questioned in a teasing voice.
“I was enjoying the view.”
He turned his head and stared at her. “Can you enjoy it closer to me, so I can hold you?”
“I can handle that.” She smiled and walked from where she stood to join him on the couch before the fire.
Cuddling up along his side, Jasira tucked her feet beneath her. She rested her hand upon his thigh and sighed when he laced their fingers. Eyes closed, Jasira listened to the sounds of his deep breaths and the fire. Contentment flowed over her and seeped into the marrow of her bones.
“Thank you for coming, Jasira,” he uttered against her head.
“I’m glad I did.”
“Me too, waštelakapi, me too.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’ll tell you some day.”
“Okay. Are you sure you don’t have to work this weekend?”
“Jack can handle just about everything. They know they can call me if it’s an emergency.”
“So long as it’s covered.”
“Don’t worry.” He kissed the top of her head. “Come outside with me?”
Looking at him, she lifted a brow. “Where are we going?”
“I need to make sure the horses are bedded down.”
“Absolutely.”
She jumped to her feet and had her shoes on in no time. Bundled up, they moved through the snowy night to the barn. After visiting with Gypsy and her foal, Jasira headed off down the aisle to where Snips was stalled.
Reaching through the bars, she stroked his nose. “Hey there, Snips.”
She stay
ed there until his strong, warm embrace circled around her.
“I think my horse is smitten with you,” Stone said when the equine rolled an eye and snorted at the sight of him.
“He’s beautiful.” Jasira withdrew her hand and relaxed back into Stone’s chest.
“I think he’s saying the same thing about you. Ready to go inside?”
“Yes. Night, Snips.” She reached through and rubbed his nose one more time before walking out of the barn with Stone at her side.
“Tomorrow okay to go to the grave?” Stone asked while they made their way to the front door.
Her belly clenched nervously. “Yes.”
“It doesn’t have to be tomorrow, Jasira,” he said gently, swinging open the door and letting her enter first.
“No, it’s fine. I think my belly will be in knots no matter what day it is.” She smiled at him.
Stone stared at her, his dark eyes staring intently, seeing more than she was ready to admit. “Okay, your call.” He helped her out of her coat and murmured in her ear, “Ready for bed?”
This time it was a totally different reason in which her belly clenched. Capturing her lower lip in her teeth, she nodded. “Yes.”
He took her hand in his and led her upstairs where he undressed her and began making love to her. Jasira fell asleep exhausted, and the one time she woke, his strong arms were around her. Stone murmured to her and rubbed her back until she succumbed to slumber one more time.
* * * *
Jasira shifted on the seat in Stone’s truck. Her fingers were clenched so tight she figured they were as white as the snow falling from the sky and covering the ground. This morning, she and Stone had lounged around in bed, enjoying each other’s bodies until hunger became insistent. After taking care of the horses and a shower, they’d enjoyed a breakfast of French toast. Now they headed for the Wounded Knee grave. Against her heart, in her inside coat pocket, sat the wrapped item from Red Eagle.
The need to hold it in her hand was powerful, yet somehow she restrained herself from giving in. She could feel Stone’s sharp gaze upon her. Bless his heart, he said nothing more about her increasing unease. His touch on her hand was done in silence and her entire body relaxed when he interlaced their fingers.
Jasira stared at their joined hands. His were large and strong, having clean square nails with a faded scar along the length of his thumb. She’d never thought of her own hands as feminine, but that was the first word to pop up in her mind beside Stone’s.
“Thank you for accompanying me, Stone.”
“All you ever have to do is ask.
Slicing her gaze toward him, Jasira saw only honesty in his expression. Why do I assume he’s just trying a line? Stone’s never given me any reason to think that way. She squeezed his hand in thanks.
She stared out the passenger window and watched the snowy landscape go by. When Stone released her hand and the truck slowed, she snapped her gaze forward. Jasira fought the urge to fidget again. Instead she stared and fixated on a solitary white flag fluttering in the wind while she pulled on her gloves. Jasira jerked when Stone touched her.
“Ready?” he asked.
We can do this. “Yes,” she said with way more confidence than she felt.
“Just one thing,” he stated, drawing her attention from the door and back to his face.
Their eyes held until she questioned, “And that would be?”
“This.”
Stone reached across the cab and encircled the back of her neck, sliding her close to kiss. It was gentle, calming, and Jasira sighed at the familiar contact. When he backed away, she watched him from behind lowered lids. His eyes burned with more heat than the Serengeti and she smiled. He knew how to get her mind relaxed.
She slipped out, zipped up her coat all the way to her chin, and waited for Stone at the front of the truck. Side by side, yet not touching, they approached the small chain link gate, beside which the white flag still flapped in the wind. Wind that vanished the moment she stepped through. In her peripheral vision, Jasira watched the white material droop to the pole.
Her skin prickled, and her steps became hesitant. She accepted his eyes were upon her. Jasira forced one foot in front of the other until they refused to go any farther.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Deep within her soul, she could once again feel the beating of the drums. It tied in with every beat of her heart, pouring its haunting cry throughout her with each push of blood. She closed her eyes when the wind began to blow, the chill biting viciously at her exposed skin. With the sting came the cries of a people who were scared, in pain, and unsure of their future.
Jasira smelled the fear and smoke while each lamenting cry tore at another part of her exposed soul. But she couldn’t move. Louder and louder the cries grew, her legs trembled and she wasn’t sure how she remained standing.
A single shot rang out and in less than the space of a heartbeat pandemonium ensued. Shots, cries, screams. The sounds and smells of death assaulted her. The frigid wind tore at her eyes, making them tear even more. Jasira watched and her world shifted, seconds later shadowed figures flew around her. Her heart pounded and her chest tightened with each desperate breath.
“Jasira.”
A slow shaft of light, warmth, and safety streamed through the surrounding shadows and cold. She tried to reach it.
“Jasira.”
It seemed impossible, almost as if there were one thousand pound weights on her arms. Jasira struggled to get to it. Then just like that the warmth found her. Enveloped her. Curled around her like warm crushed velvet.
“Jasira.” Stone’s deep comforting voice wound about her. “Talk to me, waštelakapi.”
She blinked and shuddered. The snow-covered ground stretched out before her. Discombobulated, Jasira frowned. Arms tightened around her and she inhaled, drawing in the scent belonging to one man only. Stone.
“Stone?”
“Happened again, didn’t it?”
Turning so her face was against his chest and out of the wind, Jasira nodded. She struggled desperately not to shake.
“Do you want to go?” he questioned in her ear, one hand moving in slow circles on her back.
“No.” She took a deep breath and stepped from his embrace. “I want to stay.”
Stone stared down at her. His black hair blew around in the wind. In the depths of his dark eyes she could see warring emotions. She knew he was deciding on whether or not to take the choice out of her hands. Holding his gaze, Jasira placed the palm of her gloved hand upon his cheek, hoping her expression conveyed the words she couldn’t formulate.
“Okay.” His word was definitive.
Jasira lowered her hand and captured his. The remainder of her time there, she held on to him, as if he were an anchor keeping her from being drowned in the ocean of pain which existed there. Emotionally exhausted, Jasira rested her head against the door on the ride back to Stone’s ranch. He remained silent, but she didn’t miss the often and inquisitive looks he gave while driving. The snow had slowed but still fell when they reached the house.
Stone’s cell rang and with a kiss to her cheek he left her alone to take it. Jasira sat on the porch in the swing and dropped her head into her hands. Tremors still racked her body. I need to think this through. I feel almost overwhelmed. She snorted. No, almost about it. I am overwhelmed.
“Jasira.”
Lifting her face, she met Stone’s gaze. His jaw was clenched, and she knew. “You’ve been called to work.”
“Baby,” he said dropping to his knees before her. “I am so sorry. I don’t want to leave you alone, especially after today.”
Swallowing, Jasira shook her head. “It’s okay, Stone. I’ll be fine. I could use some time to think things through. Then when you get back, maybe we could talk.”
“For as long as you want, waštelakapi.” He leaned close and kissed her until it felt like summer along the equator.
“Hurry back,” she whispered against his lips.
/> Stone said something she didn’t understand and hurried toward where the vehicles were parked. Before long, he and his official jeep vanished from sight.
Jasira walked inside, grateful for the warmth and puttered about for a while. About two hours later, she still felt a bit anxious so with a sigh she headed back out. With sure steps she headed for the barn. The smell of hay, sweet grain, and horse filled the air. Welcoming whickers brought a smile to her face.
Her feet took her right to Snips’ stall. She frowned when she found it empty. Heading out to the pasture, she found him. With a sigh she moved through the fence rails and walked toward him. Within seconds, her arms were around his muscled neck and his warmth spread through her.
“I think I’m going insane, Snips.” A slight hysterical bout of laughter welled up within her. “I really do.” At least he’s not answering me, she thought closing her eyes.
Chapter Seven
Stone parked his Jeep and hurried in the house. “Jasira?” he hollered, stripping off his coat. “I’m back.”
He hadn’t wanted to leave her, not after how pale she’d become or how she had seemed to zone out. Maybe it was too much.
“Jasira?”
There was no answer. He glanced to the door and found her coat didn’t hang there. Where could she— His thought ended when a whinny floated to his ears. Coat settling over his shoulders as he moved, Stone headed around the barn to the back pasture. Snips was out there. He’d lay wager a hundred to one that’s where he’d find Jasira.
He would have won.
Over halfway down in the middle of the pasture he could see her standing with the large Appaloosa. Her arms held her tight against him and Stone couldn’t see her face. Long strides took him down toward the duo. He knew Snips knew he was there; his ears flicked toward him but the gelding never moved.
“Jasira?” Stone murmured when he neared.
She slowly turned her head toward him. The sight of her tear-rimmed eyes shoved a dagger deep into his heart. She needed me, and I wasn’t here.
“Hey,” she said. “Hope it’s okay I came out here.”
“Come here, waštelakapi.” Stone opened his arms and sighed when she moved easily to him. “I’m sorry I left you, baby.”
