A knock came at the door, and they turned to see Falk standing in the doorway.
“There he is.” A glow blossomed in her chest at the sight of him. His hair was a bit damp, which meant it was raining again, and the gold strands bent in waves.
Falk strode over and hugged Dad, and then he kissed Linda on the lips before sitting in the chair next to the bed.
“How are you feeling today?” Falk asked him.
“Fine!” Dad said. “I wish they’d let me out of here already. I can’t take much more of this hospital food.” He poked at the lump of mystery meat on his tray with his fork.
Linda chuckled. “I’ll bring you something for dinner tonight. The new cook we hired is the best we’ve ever had I think.”
Falk murmured in agreement and reached over to pull Linda’s left hand from the pocket of her coat where she’d been hiding it for the last half hour or so. They smiled at each other as the bright diamond ring settled there sparkled in the light.
“We have something we want to ask you, Dad,” Falk began.
“About the business? Or did we finally find a good candidate to take Jensen’s place?” He was in business mode within a second.
“Neither,” Linda told him.
Falk sat up taller in his chair and faced Father. “We want to ask for your blessing. I proposed to Linda last night, and she said yes. I mean, we’re going to wait until Linda finishes high school, but we wanted to make it official.”
Dad’s face lifted with joy. “Did you, now? Well, it’s about time! I knew it would happen sooner or later.” He pushed the tray away from the bed and pulled them both into a hug against his broad chest. When they sat back once again, he gestured to see the ring on Linda’s hand. “Oh, yes. What a beauty. Not bad, Falk.”
Falk grinned.
Linda was a little dumbfounded. “But I always thought you didn’t approve. I mean. We kind of are like brother and sister.”
He shrugged and squirmed a little where he sat. “Ah, well. When you were younger, I might not have known what to do about it. It’s difficult for a father to know what the right thing is in a situation like that. How could I have known then he was your soul mate? But over the years, I would have had to be blind not to see it. And now that you’re older…it’s different. Plus, he’s not actually your brother. Let’s say I’m glad it all worked out for the best.”
Relief filled Linda.
Dad fixed them both with a broad smile; his eyes twinkled with delight. “I heartily give my blessing.” He squeezed her hand and winked at her.
Linda’s happiness doubled. She beamed at her father and then at Falk, who stood up and pulled her into his arms.
“I told you it would be okay,” he said.
“You were guessing.”
“But it was a good guess,” he replied. The look of love shining from him was so strong Linda could feel it in her toes.
“Ahem,” Dad said. “So, I have tons of ideas for your wedding. We could do it at the house. Or we could set up a tent on one of the company grounds, plenty of parking if we do it there….”
But she didn’t hear the rest of his words because her lips connected with Falk’s in a tender kiss which promised a brilliant future to come.
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Stealing Cupid’s Bow by Jewel Quinlan
Chapter One
Alexander rolled the shaft of a glittering gold arrow back and forth between his hands. He had been standing outside the window for about an hour, but the couple never noticed. The glamour his ancient bow cast made him invisible to anyone who might glance in his direction. Which was a good thing, because cheating male mortals had a cunning instinct that made them harder to shoot. He’d been wondering for an eternity how they knew when to duck.
Sighing, he checked his watch. So far, the couple hadn’t shown the spark he was looking for. The telltale pop of pink in their auras was all he needed to make them fall in love. Even the slightest hint of it would do. But so far, nada.
After the order had come down from Mount Olympus, he’d had a man on the case for weeks. Watching, waiting for their relationship to grow until it was the right time. It had taken a while though. The target was a classic cheater, and Alexander had had to scrutinize the daily reports, assessing each encounter, until he felt it was time to make his appearance and seal the deal.
Today was the day.
There was no doubt. He’d witnessed the synergy of men and women since the beginning of time. This man was a smooth talker. He knew how to flatter women and make physical contact at the right time, in the right ways. But, sadly, his self-importance caused him to interlace those charms with his boasts about work. Which naturally turned women off. It caused a sort of two-steps-forward, one-step-back dance between them.
Still, Alexander knew what was coming next.
So far, the man’s girlfriend had almost caught him cheating on three other occasions. And here he was cheating again.
How could she not know what he’s up to? The man’s lies were pitiful. They had made Alexander want to chuck the transcripts across the room. This man is some great pawn in one of the gods’ games?
Whatever. What Mount Olympus wanted, they got. And they wanted this particular woman with the man. Not the one the man claimed was his girlfriend.
Alexander sighed again. Standing around waiting for their synergy to happen made him feel like Peeping Tom. How had he ever liked this job before? He sent a silent prayer to the gods that the signaling flares in the auras would appear soon.
The couple stood and headed upstairs.
Spreading his wings, he pushed silently up from the ground to see which room they went to. The bedroom, of course. Maybe now, finally, his waiting would be at an end. With deft thrusts of his wings, he headed around the corner of the house to the tree that conveniently grew on the side next to the master bedroom. He sat on a branch and watched through the window. It happened to be open just the right amount for his arrow to slide through unfettered. Good. He didn’t feel like standing inside the room. The proximity would just make the guy’s sweet-talk even more palpable, more disgusting. He could have followed them, but he preferred to do his work from a distance.
“You’re the only one for me,” said the man.
The man had no idea how true that would be in just another minute.
“You say that all the time. Why should I believe you really mean it? When are you going to tell her?” whined the woman.
“Tomorrow.”
Another lie; Alexander could see it in the color of his aura.
“Come on. You know you can trust me.” He pulled her into his arms.
“Do you promise? I don’t want our trip to be messed up because of her. Promise.”
“You have my word.” He nuzzled her neck. “Look, you’re the one here now. Do you even see hints of her anywhere around? I think that says it all.” He gently moved her toward the bed.
The woman scanned the room. “You know, you’re right. I’ve never seen anything of hers in your house.”
“Like I told you. It’s been over for a long time now. She’s not my girlfriend, you are.”
More lies. Alexander snorted in disgust. The guy was terrible at it. How does he get women to believe him?
But somewhere in all that bull he saw that the man did have some feelings for the woman in his arms because the faintest shading of pink began to glow from him. If only the woman would respond in the short window he had to do his work. He pulled an arrow carefully from the right side of his quiver, notched it, and aimed. The couple was perfectly in line with where he was perched in the tree and the crack in the window.
The woman gazed up at the man in adoration. “I am?”
Her voice was tinged with vulnerability. Alexander knew she would be sorry for it later.
The man kissed her and, as they fell back on the bed,
the woman’s aura finally shot through with the pink he had been waiting for.
He released the arrow without hesitation.
Bull’s-eye.
Eternal Oath Page 13
