Linda S. North - The Dreamer, Her Angel and the Stars

by Linda S. North

  Kiernan hesitated, and Ariel saw uncertainty pass across her face before she said weakly, “Sure.”

  Kiernan took the chair, sitting alertly, and Ariel dropped across from her on the sofa. “Mom called and wants me to bring you over for Thanksgiving.” A surprised, shocked expression appeared on Kiernan’s face. Ariel said, “You know we’re coming up on the holidays and haven’t discussed any plans.”

  “I have Thanksgiving with Uncle Theodore and Jack. They usually have Jack’s family over. It goes without saying you’re invited. As for Christmas, I invite Theodore and Jack over on Christmas Day for dinner.”

  “I would really like for you to join me and my family for Thanksgiving,” Ariel said with sincerity.

  Kiernan looked away and pursed her lips as if considering her invitation.

  Ariel knew Kiernan would need more persuading and probably felt uneasy accepting the invitation given the situation with her mom, not to mention the whole deal with the marriage. “Mom wouldn’t have invited you if she didn’t mean it.” Ariel was surprised that the next words that popped out of her mouth were, “After all, you’re family.” But it was true. No matter the circumstances, Kiernan was her wife, and they would have a child, Joanna’s grandchild, together. That made Kiernan family.

  Kiernan’s eyes widened slightly, before she said, “I’d be honored to go. But only on the condition that Joanna, Leigh, and Seth come here for Christmas Day.”

  “I’m sure they would accept.”

  “Good. Ah—there’s something else you wanted to discuss?”

  “I was wondering whether you would like to go out with me—er—go riding with me Saturday.”

  There was excitement in Kiernan’s eyes and voice. “In your Ferrari?”

  “On my motorcycle.” Seeing Kiernan’s face freeze, Ariel hurried on to say, “I thought we could take a leisurely ride through The Cherokee National Forest.”

  “I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle. It seems quite dangerous.”

  “No, it won’t be. I’ll give you some pointers before we go. All you have to do is hold on to me and enjoy the scenery. I’ve taken the twins for a ride, even Mom, and we’ve never had any issues.”

  “Er—but I don’t have a helmet, or jacket.”

  “No problem, I can go over to Harley-Davidson in Chattanooga and get you those things.” Ariel saw that Kiernan was still hesitant. She put on her most winning expression and persuasive voice. “Come on, Kiernan, I know you’ll like it.”

  For a couple of seconds, Kiernan gnawed the bottom corner of her lip before a slow grin spread across her face. “All right—but I want a black helmet and a black jacket.”

  “That’s a given— when you ride a Harley.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  ROBERT PLACED TWO breakfast plates on the table in Kiernan’s sitting room along with a pot of coffee and a carafe of orange juice. He asked, “Is there anything else I can get you, ma’am?”

  “No. Thank you, Robert,” Kiernan said and he exited the suite. She was waiting for Ariel to join her before she seated herself. The smell of the bacon, scrambled eggs, and big, flaky biscuits made her mouth water, and she glanced expectantly toward the door leading to Ariel’s suite, debating whether she should knock. A light rap on the door, and she said, “Enter.”

  Ariel carried two boxes, both wrapped in black and orange Harley-Davidson gift paper. Ariel was dressed in riding boots, a pair of jeans, and a long-sleeved black shirt with the Harley Eagle clutching the logo emblazed on the front.

  Kiernan was already dressed in a black wool pullover sweater, black jeans, and a pair of her old, black, above-the-ankle flitter racing boots that she’d dug out from behind her shoe rack.

  Ariel placed the packages on the sofa and headed toward the table.

  “What’s in the packages—or need I ask?” Kiernan already guessed it was a helmet and jacket.

  “The necessary equipment for the adventure we’re about to embark on after breakfast.”

  Kiernan saw the eager look Ariel directed toward the plates of food, and said, “As you can see, breakfast is ready.” Kiernan took her seat, and Ariel sat across from her.

  Ariel chewed a piece of bacon. “Mmm, yummy.”

  Kiernan smiled at Ariel’s enthusiasm and forked up some eggs. After a few minutes, Kiernan took a sip of her coffee and said, “You’ll drive carefully, won’t you? I don’t want you whipping around the curves at ninety miles an hour and flinging me off the back of that thing.”

  Ariel swallowed her piece of biscuit. “This is coming from the woman who rode a rocket engine and won how many Asteroid Belt Runs—three?”

  “It was four Asteroid Belt Runs and three Moon Races. You must not have been one of my fans if you don’t know how many wins I had.”

  “To tell you the truth—I was a fan of Valerie Krantz.”

  “Fly-by-her-pants Krantz?” Kiernan placed both hands over her heart. “You wound me. She only won three events in the ten years she was racing. What was the big attraction?”

  “She had—”

  Kiernan hastily put her hands up, palms out. “Wait. Don’t tell me. Let me guess—it was those skintight black cat suits she wore that left nothing to the imagination.”

  “Geez, Kiernan, I was only twelve years old when she started racing. I didn’t think about those kinds of things.”

  “Ha! Sure you didn’t. Perhaps not at twelve—though I doubt it—but later on at thirteen, fourteen—twenty?” She waggled her eyebrows.

  Ariel’s face tinged pink and she giggled. Kiernan had never heard Ariel giggle and thought it adorable.

  Ariel said, “Well, yeah, maybe at fourteen. But that wasn’t the main attraction. The main attraction was her flitter—Darth Raider. At the time I thought it was mega supreme.”

  “What’s so mega supreme about black paint with some logo of a half-naked alien girlie holding a light saber painted on the nosecone? My flitter, Solar Flair, was prettier—and faster.”

  “It was pretty, I agree—”

  “And faster.”

  “That too. And that little dancing female flame thingy logo was—cute—but—it wasn’t kick ass.”

  “Well it sure kicked Krantz’s ass—and other asses too. She only beat me once. And that by a millimeter after I had to detour around a damn media ship that strayed into the race lane. The only other wins she had came after I retired.”

  “That’s true. And if you hadn’t retired, you’d have probably continued to beat her.” Ariel paused. “Do you mind me asking why you retired?”

  “Grandmother died, and it was time for me to grow up and take charge of Stellardyne. Besides, I had too many narrow escapes out there. I’m sure I squandered eight of my nine lives and it was only a matter of time before my luck ran out and something bad happened. God, half of my competitors, some of them were friends, are only so much stardust now. So, I quit while I was ahead of the game.”

  “Do you miss it?”

  “For a time I did, but not anymore.” Kiernan paused, moving uneasily in her seat, wondering whether it was the right time to broach a subject that had been on her mind for the last few days. No time like the present. “Ariel, there is something I would like to discuss with you.”

  Ariel cautiously asked, “Yes?”

  “I would really like for you to stop riding your motorcycle while you’re pregnant, and for a while after our child is born.” Holding her breath, Kiernan hoped it didn’t sound like an order. If Ariel refused, would she make it an order? No. She needed to remember she agreed to refrain from telling Ariel what to do.

  Ariel’s expression became thoughtful, and she dropped her gaze down at the tabletop before looking back up at Kiernan. “To be honest, I hadn’t considered doing that, but I think you’re right, at least on the pregnancy part. I won’t ride while pregnant. I’ll have to think about how long I would give up riding after our baby is born.”

  Kiernan stilled for a second. Ariel had said ‘our’ baby and not ‘the�
� baby as she had in the past. Was she seeing them together as a family? Dare she hope?

  But it was too early for that. She thought about arguing the point of Ariel riding after the baby’s birth, but since she looked forward to spending the day with Ariel, she didn’t want to cause any friction that might put a damper on their time together. To tell the truth, she didn’t want to do or say a thing that strained the amiable relationship they were developing.

  Smiling softly, she reached her hand across the table, took Ariel’s hand, and squeezed it lightly. “Thank you.”

  STANDING TO ONE side, Ariel watched as Kiernan put on the black Teflahide jacket in front of the mirror in her sitting room. “How do I look?” Kiernan asked as she spun from the mirror, giving Ariel a rakish grin.

  “Great! It fits you really well.” Ariel gave Kiernan the once over, thinking she looked better than great, much better. Her thoughts flashed to the memory of the well-toned and attractive body beneath the jacket—and beneath her. She blushed. “Er—you did put on some long underwear, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. And wool knee-high socks—extra thick. What about rain gear? There’s a thirty percent chance of rain today and sixty percent this evening.”

  “We should be back before it starts to rain. Besides, I have only one rainsuit, and somehow the rain always manages to find a way to get in. Here—try on your helmet.” Kiernan slipped on a black helmet that was identical to Ariel’s, and Ariel helped her fasten it. “How does it fit?”

  Kiernan moved her head from side-to-side and pushed the face shield down and back up. “Fits well.” She took the helmet off and studied it closely. “What’s this button on the chin area for?”

  “That’s for the com-unit built into the helmet. We’ll be able to communicate with each other while riding. I had the Harley shop program it to the frequency in my helmet so no one can overhear our conversations. You can also use it to call anyone’s telecom or IMP by saying ‘activate telecom’ and reciting their name or number.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  “You’ll let me know if you have to stop or anything.”

  “Sure.”

  “Let me go and get my jacket and helmet, and we’ll be ready to roll.”

  “I’m ready when you are—I think.”

  Squeezing Kiernan’s forearm, Ariel said, “You’ll be okay. I’ll take care of you.”

  “Of that, I have no doubts.”

  THE HARLEY TOOK another sweeping curve, and Ariel felt Kiernan’s hold tighten around her waist. After instructions from Ariel, Kiernan had caught on fast about leaning into the curves and not pulling against them. She had even informed Ariel that she found the scenery more enjoyable from her seat behind her than when she rode in a car.

  They had spent the day touring the Cherokee National Forest and riding along the Ocoee River, stopping at scenic sites. At a picnic area they pulled their lunch from the Harley’s saddlebags and enjoyed a Thermos of coffee and roast beef sandwiches Ricardo had made for them.

  They had ridden farther than anticipated and were trying to make it home before the rain. A rolling rumble of thunder bowled through the mountains, and the sky was heavy pewter, threatening to spill its collected moisture.

  A few drops of rain fell, dispersed far enough apart that the drops hitting them weren’t of too much concern, but Ariel knew this could suddenly become a frog strangler. Ariel knew by the scenery that they were approaching the east side of the mountain where Crestview was located.

  Over the earphones Kiernan said, “Ariel, slow down. I know a shortcut across the mountain.” She slowed the bike, and Kiernan continued, “Around the next curve you’ll see a post with reflectors on it that marks a road leading up the mountain.”

  “Okay. I’ll be on the lookout.”

  “The road is gravel and narrow, but I keep it maintained, so I don’t think you’ll have any problems navigating it.”

  Ariel geared down to third, slowing the Harley for the curve, and entered the straightway. Seeing the turnoff ahead, she slowed to second gear, smoothly entering the narrow gravel road, which was barely wide enough for a sedan.

  The darkened sky and the canopy of trees on each side of the road made it appear close to twilight. The light sprinkling of rain increased. Ariel figured they were in for a soaking before they could make it to Crestview.

  The road continued upward with a few twists and curves. Ariel was careful not to drive close to the road’s edge which overlooked the valley below.

  Kiernan said, “Turn in ahead at that clearing on the left side. There’s a cabin where we can stay until the rain passes over.”

  At the clearing ahead, Ariel put the bike into first, drove in, and carefully followed a rutted clay driveway. She stopped a few feet from the front porch of a rustic log cabin and turned off the bike. Once Kiernan jumped off the back, she put down the kickstand and slid off the seat.

  Ariel surveyed the cabin’s exterior, taking note of the aged, brown, square-hewed logs used in its construction. The porch extended across the front with a set of four wide wooden steps leading up to it. The front of the cabin had a plank door with an old-fashioned, paned glass window on each side.

  “Wow. This looks to be pretty old,” Ariel said in awe.

  “It was built sometime right before the Civil War. The exact date isn’t known, but we think it was in the late 1850’s. Let’s go on in. I’ll build a fire so we can dry off.”

  The front of Ariel’s jeans were soaking, but Ariel’s body had protected Kiernan from a drenching, and hers were only wet at the bottom where her feet had been on the foot pegs.

  Kiernan hurried up the steps and took her helmet off, setting it on the wood floor by the door. Ariel put her helmet and gloves beside Kiernan’s helmet.

  Kiernan lifted the wooden handle that opened the door latch and lightly pushed. A long squeak ensued as the door opened, and Kiernan allowed Ariel to go in before her. The interior was dark and Kiernan went to the windows, opening the heavy, blue plaid curtains to let in some light.

  After Ariel’s eyes adjusted to the gloom, she was able to see the generous fireplace at one end. An oval, braided rug done in browns, blues, and greens lay on the wooden floor in front of it. An old straight back chair with a wicker seat sat on one side of the hearth, and an ancient wooden rocking chair on the other. A stack of split wood leaned against the rock face of the hearth, and kindling strips peeked out of a tin bucket . Facing the fireplace was a well-worn sofa with upholstery decorated in brown and rust-colored autumn leaves. A folded forest green wool blanket hung over the back. An end table was located on the left side of the sofa.

  At the fireplace Kiernan reached for a battery-operated LED lamp on the mantel. She clicked it on, and the bright white light pierced the gloom and spilled into the dark corners. “After you remove your clothes, you can hang them on back of the chair. That way the fire will dry them. Use the blanket on the sofa to cover yourself.”

  Ariel hung up their jackets and took a seat on the sofa to take off her boots. Kiernan opened the screen to the fireplace, arranged wood and kindling, and reached for a box of matches on the mantel. She knelt and took a thin sliver of wood, lit it, and held it under the grate until the flame caught the wood on fire from the bottom and spread.

  Ariel set her boots aside, leaving on her dry socks. She unfastened her belt bag and placed it on the end table before pulling off her wet jeans and damp, black silk long underwear. She left her black panties on, and her jacket had kept her shirt protected from the rain. She rose and hung the jeans and underwear on the back of the chair. As she pivoted to go to the sofa, she caught Kiernan giving her legs a fast once over before the other woman turned back to the fireplace.

  Kiernan rose, grabbed a poker, and stuck it in the fireplace to move the wood around a bit, then replaced the screen in front. After moving the chair with Ariel’s wet clothes closer to the fire, she brushed her hands together.

  Ariel watched discreetly as Kiernan sat in the roc
king chair and removed her boots, belt bag, and damp jeans, leaving on her socks, sweater, and cream-colored flannel long-john bottoms. She hung her jeans on the rocker to dry, then swung the rocker around with the back facing the fire, and ambled over to the end table to place her belt bag by Ariel’s.

  “Brrrrr—” Kiernan said and hurriedly sat beside Ariel on the sofa. Ariel arranged the blanket to cover them both and drew her feet up on the sofa, as did Kiernan. Their shoulders and legs touched, and they both pulled the blanket up to their chins.

  A clash of thunder heralded an increase in the rain, which made a thrumming sound on the roof.

  Kiernan said, “I don’t think this is going to let up anytime soon.”

  “I think you’re right. Even if it does, it will be dark in an hour, and I wouldn’t want to ride the bike on this road, not with a passenger. We might be stuck here overnight.”

  “That wouldn’t be a problem. There’s food in the kitchen, and there’s more firewood on the back porch if we need it. This sofa lets out into a bed large enough so we won’t crowd each other. There are sheets, pillows, and another blanket or two in the cedar chest under the window on the back wall. We can make up the bed later. “

  Ariel’s first thought was she wouldn’t mind Kiernan crowding her. “I get the right side of the bed. And no stealing covers.”

  “I promise, no cover theft will occur.” Kiernan grinned.

  The light of the lantern and the fire were enough for Ariel to make out some details of the cabin’s main room. The cedar wall paneling’s dark areas made interesting designs in the wood. Against the wall, to the left of a door was an old cedar armoire. Over the fireplace a framed needlepoint of flowers surrounded the words Home, Sweet Home. There were various knick-knacks on the mantel.

  “This place is lovely, and cozy,” Ariel said. “Do you stay here a lot?”

  “Occasionally I spend a night out here when I’m in the mood for total peace and quiet and want to hear the breeze in the trees and have a real wood fire.”

  The atmosphere was cozy, but the cabin was too isolated for Ariel to want to stay in it by herself. She glanced at Kiernan. “You’re not afraid of staying out here by yourself?”