by Theresa Weir
She looked up and struggled with straightening her mouth into a semblance of sobriety. “Yes,” she said, and a bubble of laughter burst from her chest when she looked at him.
“Do you, Luke, take this woman…”
He turned and the same wild giddiness was in his eyes, on his mouth, but Jessie saw tears of emotion in his eyes, too. And unaccountably, she realized there were tears streaming down her face, no doubt smearing and streaking her careful makeup.
“Yes,” he declared.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the minister said. “You may—”
But he was too late because Luke had already drawn Jessie into his arms and he was kissing her, their tears mingling on their lips, with the cool taste of snowflakes. Giselle and Marcia cheered, and even Daniel made whooping noises.
Luke lifted his head. “At last.”
Jessie smiled up at him, holding still her secret close to her heart. “Oh, yes. At last.”
* * *
They waited, at Mary Yazzie’s insistence, to hold a reception until they returned to the land. There, in the same hall in Shiprock where the meetings had been held, they had a celebration, with drums and dancing.
As Jessie sat there listening to the heartbeat of the drum, watching Luke and Giselle dance, she smiled over the subjects she had to paint now—all the weavers and the grandmothers, the young dancing girls. But also the great stretches of desert with their jagged, shadowed arroyos and the yucca washed with fingers of sunsets. Oh, yes. There were many things she wanted to paint.
The dance ended and Luke came over, one of the grandmothers in tow. He was grinning with that mischievous expression in his eyes, and Jessie cocked her head. “What do you have up your sleeve?” she asked.
Playfully, he lifted his wrists and looked down. “Nothing.” He laughed. “Grandmother has something for you.”
The old woman smiled and gave Jessie a weaving. Surprised and touched, she shot Luke a quizzical glance. He lifted his eyebrows, but anticipation shone in his face.
Jessie unfolded the soft weaving and saw stylized blue jays woven into the pattern. Stunned, she glanced up to the old woman, who spoke in Navajo. “You’re a blue jay,” she said, and laughed.
Luke explained, “I asked her to weave it before we went back to the Springs. She thought I was crazy, but told me she was happy with it when she finished.” He grinned. “She started to like them after she watched them for a while.”
Jessie touched the brilliant blue of the birds in the weaving and thought with joy that blue jays were the right symbol for all of them—for Luke and Jessie and even the weavers, who all began outside and had come inside a circle of warmth and love, where they had all grown sassy and strong.
Jessie lifted her head. “Thank you,” she said in her still terrible Diné. The old woman patted her shoulder.
“Come on and dance,” Luke urged, grabbing her hand.
“Wait a minute,” she said, tugging his fingers. “I have a present for you, too.”
“Yeah? What?” He looked around for some package or something.
She chuckled and turned his hand to press his palm against her belly.
“A baby?” he whispered.
Jessie nodded.
He laughed and kissed her, then pulled back and made a whooping sound. “Come on and dance with me, both of you.”
And Jessie followed, to dance with him to a new song, a lasting song of love.
-THE END-
If you enjoyed this book, you will enjoy many other Ruth Wind titles, including RAINSINGER, which is Daniel's story.
About Rainslinger:
YOUR PLACE OR MINE?
Winona Snow came to the wilderness of New Mexico expecting to claim her inheritance and establish a new life for her and her troubled young sister. Love was the last thing she wanted. But the seductive man who had taken up residence in her abandoned house had other ideas…
Daniel Lynch paid little heed to Winona’s “expectations.” He was determined to work the land in the way of his proud Navajo ancestors, and just because they lived under the same roof didn’t mean she was going to get in his way… Until their hearts got involved.
About the Author
Barbara Samuel has written more than 50 books, all romantic fiction in some form or another. She is a 7-time RITA award winner, and a member of the Romance Writers of America's Hall of Fame. She writes women's fiction as Barbara O'Neal, young adult and new adult as Lark O'Neal and lots of things as Barbara Samuel.
Books by Barbara Samuel
In The Midnight Rain
Rainsinger
Jezebel's Blues
The Sleeping Night
Meant to Be Married
Rio Grande Wedding
& many more at http://www.barbarasamuel.com/bookshelf
Connect with Barbara Online
Twitter: https://twitter.com/barbaraoneal
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Barbara’s Amazon Author Page
Copyright
The Girl with the Cat Tattoo
Copyright © 2012 by Theresa Weir
Groomed for Murder
Copyright © 2012 by Blue Moon Creative, LLC
(The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Mercedes, Louboutins, Black Shack Burger)
It’s a Dog’s Life
Copyright © 2011 by Dale Mayer
Christmas at Angel Lake
Copyright © 2013 by Edie Ramer
The Mutt and the Matchmaker
Copyright © 2014 by Jennifer Baum
The Man, The Dog, His Owner, & Her Lover
Copyright © 2011 by Candace Carrabus Rice
Walk in Beauty
Copyright © 2010 by Barbara Samuel
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The scanning, uploading and distribution of these books via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the authors and publishers is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
ISBN: 978-1-939328-16-8
Formatting by Author E.M.S.
Table of Contents
The Table of Contents
The Girl with the Cat Tattoo
Groomed for Murder
It’s a Dog’s Life
Christmas at Angel Lake
The Mutt and the Matchmaker
The Man, The Dog, His Owner & Her Lover
Walk in Beauty
Copyright
