Veiled Eyes
Page 29
“Good,” said Gabriel. He sat down in the Adirondack chair and stared at Anna. She wore a blue dress that complimented her curving figure and he was suddenly reminded of how grateful he was to have her. A vision of her being pulled up by the Coast Guard’s rescue unit out of the crater came to him and she turned her head to look at him over her shoulder.
“That was hardly the worst part,” she said.
His lips tightened for a moment. It was all worst. “At least the tourists have started to trickle off now. The reporters have gone on to their next big story.”
Anna chuckled and turned her head back to look at the rain coming down. “I’ve heard more than a few of the family complaining about the sheer number of visitors to the area. Come to see the lake that drained away down a hole. Right in the middle of a Mardi Gras festival. It makes for a great story.”
“And Jane came charging up that very day,” added Gabriel. “Wanting to know why I’d thrown you down into a mine. She was determined that it had to be all my fault.”
“She thinks I’m keeping something from her.” Anna rested a hand on the column that supported the roof of the porch and smiled out at the rain filling the lake. “She was so shocked when she saw the footage of the Coast Guard getting me out. Didn’t even recognize me at first. Wanting to know who hit me in the jaw.”
Gabriel muttered something under his breath. Anna’s smile increased. She said, “I’m sure you could have rescued me, if you’d been given a little more time.”
He muttered something else.
Anna said, “What?”
“I said, I called the Coast Guard.”
“And a damn fine job you did, too,” she said sincerely. Anna continued to gaze at the lake, wondering if she should tell Gabriel a really big fish story. He caught the thought.
A really big fish story?
Almost as big as your ship.
Gabriel frowned. He looked around her lovely form at the lake. I don’t know how many fish are left in the lake, now.
One anyway.
Gabriel shrugged behind her. She felt his movements rather than saw them. Phideaux was playing on the lawn, trying to bite raindrops. The dog bit at a rain drop and then bounced off, all cream and cinnamon colored fur.
“You know, you haven’t fixed my truck yet,” he said.
“Uh – maybe if you could find it first.”
“Well, the elders have got you so busy practicing with your gifts anyway. Which reminds me, you know Lee Vildibill? He’s got a cancerous lump on his arm. You need to tell him about it. If he gets it taken care of in the next month, it won’t be a problem. I caught that the last time you were working with him.”
Anna turned around and plopped herself down in Gabriel’s lap. “That’s a useful gift.”
Gabriel made a face. He reached up and toyed with the black pearl hanging around her slender neck. “Sometimes. Last week you were talking to Jereme and you don’t want to know what’s going to happen to him.”
“What?” She poked his chest. “Something bad?”
“Let’s just say the next time he fools around on his girlfriend he’s going to wish he looked a little closer at the ‘girl’ he picks up.”
“Oh dear.”
“Oui.” Gabriel kissed Anna’s ear. “I’m going to have to learn to keep my mouth shut.”
Anna leaned back against his chest and let him nibble along her earlobe. “You know I dreamt of a funeral last night.”
Gabriel froze. “Really?”
“Yes. Maybe you did, too.”
“I admit nothing,” he said resolutely.
“Your mother hints every time she sees me. She thinks it’s me who’s holding back.”
Gabriel sat up straight and Anna almost fell off his lap. She grasped his biceps and pulled herself back upright. “It is you who’s holding back,” he protested vehemently. “I’ve asked you a half-dozen times.”
“You know,” she said as he settled back in the chair. One hand stroked her hair gently. “I’ve been wondering something.”
“What’s that?” Gabriel was eyeing her delectable earlobe again.
“So what happens when I give birth to a child?”
Gabriel turned her head with his hand and stared intently at her ingenuous face. “Are you pregnant?”
“Just wondering. You know. I felt your pain in your palm. You felt the scratch along my arm, among other things. They say that giving birth can be very…painful.” Anna was the epitome of innocence.
“I think I’ll visit China,” he said at last.
Anna smiled to herself. “Look,” she said. “A rainbow. You know, seeing a rainbow while it’s still raining is supposed to be good luck.”
Gabriel tightened his grip on Anna and muttered, “We’ll see about that.”
The End.
About the Author
C.L. Bevill has lived in Texas, Virginia, Arizona, and Oregon. She once was in the US Army and a graphic illustrator. She holds degrees in social-psychology and counseling. She the author of Bubba and the Dead Woman, Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas, Bayou Moon, and Shadow People, among others. Presently she lives with her husband and her daughter and continues to constantly write. She can be reached at www.clbevill.com or you can read her blog at www.carwoo.blogspot.com
Other Novels by C.L. Bevill
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Mysteries:
Bubba and the Dead Woman
Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas
Bayou Moon
Paranormal Romance:
Veiled Eyes (Lake People)
Disembodied Bones (Lake People)
The Moon Trilogy:
Black Moon (The Moon Trilogy 1)
Amber Moon (The Moon Trilogy 2)
Silver Moon (The Moon Trilogy 3)
Cat Clan Novella:
Harvest Moon
Shadow People
Sea of Dreams
Suspense:
The Flight of the Scarlet Tanager
Black Comedy:
The Life and Death of Bayou Billy
Missile Rats
Chicklet:
Dial ‘M’ For Mascara