Coulson's Secret
Page 27
“Oh, I remember that. It was a big deal from what I recall.” Kim took another sip of wine. “Did they cancel it because of the murders?”
“Yes. At the time, the investigation was still going on.” Adam fidgeted with his glass for a moment before asking a question. “So, what is with you and Nick. Why haven’t you talked to him?”
“I imagine he is pretty busy this time of year.”
“You know he loves you,” Adam told her. He watched her face closely, noting her change of expression.
“He is a sweet guy, but we hardly know each other.”
“I think you love him, too,” Adam told her. “And I imagine Nick knows far more about you than any other guy you’ve ever dated.”
“Even you?” Kim asked with a quiet voice.
“I don’t count,” Adam told her. “I’m your cousin.”
His absurd comment brought a smile to her face and she began to laugh.
The moment Nick Myers stepped into the living room, he saw them sitting together in the far corner. Kim was laughing at something Adam was saying. Nick’s first impulse was to plant his fist in the center of Adam’s smug face. Instead, he started walking toward the couple, determined to stake his claim.
Adam noticed him walking toward them first. He was somewhat amused by the angry and jealous expression on Nick’s face, and for a brief moment had the urge to grab Kimmy and give her a big wet kiss. However, he figured Garret would find out and would do something to make his life hell. Knowing how his mother felt about Kimmy, she wouldn’t find the kiss amusing, either.
Instead of causing trouble, Adam stood up, catching Kim’s attention, as she still hadn’t noticed Nick approaching. He nodded toward Nick, and by the expression on Kim’s face when she spied him Adam knew Garret was right. Kimmy was in love with Nick Myers.
Adam mumbled something about seeing her later and then walked toward Nick. He gave Nick a friendly punch in the right arm before saying, “Don’t screw this up, Myers.”
Kim stood up but didn’t move. She waited for Nick to reach her. Each wore a serious expression. As Nick got closer, they both broke into smiles, and Kim leapt into his arms. He twirled her in a half circle before raining kisses over her face. Finally, he pulled away, slightly out of breath and looked into her eyes.
“I just got your email about an hour ago,” Nick explained.
“I don’t understand.” Kim frowned.
“Our Internet connection went out last night because of the storm. They fixed it a few hours ago. I tried calling you, but there was no answer.”
“My phone is upstairs. I… I was going to check my cell phone when I looked in on Jake a while ago, but I just figured…”
“You figured what?”
“Nothing,” Kim told him, not wanting to admit she intentionally had not checked her phone when she had looked in on Jake—not wanting to be disappointed again. She gave Nick another kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. When they finally moved apart she asked, “You drove down in the storm?”
“I had to,” Nick told her. “I wasn’t about to miss you. Since you left, I couldn’t think of anything else. Kimmy, we need to work something out. I don’t want to lose you.”
“I’m staying,” Kim announced. Until that moment, she hadn’t been sure what she was going to do. “I’m not going back to Arizona. I’m moving here because I want to be close to the people I love.”
“Do you love me?” Nick asked, his voice full of hope.
“I believe I do, Nick Myers,” Kim answered before kissing him again.
Epilogue
Kim waited patiently while the stable employees saddled the two horses. It was a warm and breezy June morning. Franklin was the one who had suggested the mountaintop at Clement Falls as the site to scatter Carol’s ashes. After Kim had moved back to Coulson six months earlier, she got to know Franklin. He told her how happy he and Carol had been when they first arrived in Coulson, both filled with the promise of their future together. The Saturday afternoon before Franklin had left for Germany, he and Carol drove up to Clement Falls for a picnic. Together, the two young lovers had hiked up to the mountaintop overlooking the valley.
Kim and Nick mounted their horses and began their trek up the riding trail. The horses plodded steadily up the dirt path, each with a rider sitting securely in a saddle that swayed gently from side to side in a steady rhythm. While they enjoyed the breezy afternoon, the limbs of the pine trees swayed softly overhead.
Carol’s ashes were contained in a sealed urn tucked in a leather pouch on the back of Nick’s saddle. When they reached their destination, they dismounted near a hitching post overlooking the crest. Kim stood by his side and waited for him to remove the urn. He paused a moment and turned to her.
“How are you holding up?” Nick asked with a whisper. He was surprised to find Kim’s eyes bright and her expression hopeful.
“It’s a beautiful day. I was hoping it would be a beautiful day for Mom.”
Nick smiled at her, dropping a quick kiss on the bridge of her nose before he turned and pulled the urn from the pouch. He handed it to Kim. Together they walked closer to the edge of the mountain’s ridge.
“Mama,” Kim said softly, looking out over the valley while she held the sealed urn in her arms. “I understand now. You did the very best you could. I’m sorry I didn’t make it easier on you. I know you loved me. I will always love you.”
Very carefully, Kim unfastened the lid of the urn and handed it to Nick. She moved closer to the edge of the mountain’s ridge. She wasn’t sure how she was going to pour Carol’s ashes over the side of the mountain without them blowing back on her. She didn’t dwell on it for long and instead tilted the urn downward and over the edge of the mountaintop.
Carol’s ashes spilled quickly from the urn, and in the next instant, a gust of wind, coming from behind them and moving out over the mountaintop, pushed the ashes up and out over the ridge until they seemed to gradually dissolve into thin air, as if Carol’s spirit was free at last.
The only sound was the gentle breeze rustling the treetops. Kim set the urn on the ground and just stood there a moment. She felt Nick take her right hand in his. He gave it a gentle and reassuring squeeze.
Coulson’s Reckoning
Return to Coulson in Book 5 of the Coulson Series
When Sophie Marino comes to Coulson looking for clues to the 1960 murder of her infamous grandfather—hitman Anthony Marino—her inquiries ignite a series of events, exposing three generations of Coulson family secrets.
* * *
It’s a time of reckoning for the Coulson family.
The Coulson Series
Coulson’s Wife - Book 1
Coulson’s Crucible - Book 2
Coulson’s Lessons - Book 3
Coulson’s Secret - Book 4
Coulson’s Reckoning - Book 5
* * *
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