by Destiny Ford
I shook my head. “Why would you want a male voice with an accent?”
She looked at me like I was nuts. “Because it’s exotic! It’s like having James Bond in your back pocket giving you directions!”
Hawke laughed out loud.
“Maybe you should ask it what to do if we see a UFO,” Ella said.
“Good idea,” my mom said. She asked Siri, and Siri answered back: This is what I found.
My mom frowned. “It took me to the Wiki page for UFOs.”
“That’s not very helpful,” Ella said. “What if we had a alien standin’ right here? Wiki didn’t tell us what to do with it.”
“I guess we’ll have to rely on instinct,” I answered drily, scooping some dip onto a chip and eating it.
“I’d talk to it,” Hawke said.
I raised a brow. “That’s because you look like you could beat up Bigfoot, and the aliens would probably be terrified of you,” I said.
Annie laughed and Hawke’s lips lifted in an alluring smile. His eyes dipped down lower on my face and Hawke reached up, his thumb going over my bottom lip. “You had some dip there.”
“Thanks,” I said in a breathy voice as I slowly licked my lips and held his gaze. Heat seemed to be radiating off of him and I suddenly felt the urge to lose some of my layers. I was lost in Hawke’s pale green eyes and totally forgot anyone else was even there until Ella cleared her throat. “If you two want some privacy, there’s another campground down the hill.”
I flushed and glared at her. Annie snickered as she lifted her hand, trying to hide her grin.
I glanced up and noticed my mom watching us with blatant interest, a small smile inching up her lips. Great. No doubt she’d be asking me about wedding planning as soon as Hawke was no longer in ear range. I narrowed my eyes, warning her not to jump to conclusions. She smiled wider. This wouldn’t do at all. “Mom, why don’t we walk up the hill a little. Maybe we’ll be able to see the UFO from higher up.”
“Holy aliens!” Ella yelled, jumping up and pointing.
Everyone’s gaze immediately followed Ella’s finger, heads swiveling in the direction of the clearing. I heard a chorus of feminine gasps. Floating above the tree line was a shiny silver orb—just like Ella and my mom had described. I’d truly thought they were both delusional or on some sort of medication, but clearly, they weren’t. The orb shimmered in the twilight as it slowly rose a bit higher, and then just as slowly, moved back down.
We were all frozen in a state of shock, still staring at the trees, when Ella let out a yell. “Woo-eee! I told ya we weren’t lyin’! You saw it! You all saw it! Did you get a photo, Kate?”
Well, crap. No. I hadn’t gotten a photo. I didn’t even have my camera ready because I thought the most exciting thing I’d end up seeing tonight would be Hawke and maybe some spiders. “No,” I answered. “I wasn’t fast enough.”
“Dagnabbit, Kate!” Ella huffed. “You were supposed to get proof! You better be prepared when it comes back.”
“How do you know it’s going to?” I asked, still a bit shaken by the fact that I’d just witnessed an actual UFO.
“It’s been hangin’ around all day,” Ella said. “It sure as heck wouldn’t still be here if it had found what it wanted.”
She had a point. But still, I wasn’t sure what I’d seen. It was shiny and silver, like something right out of a movie. But it could have been anything. The reporter in me needed a heck of a lot more info. I turned to Hawke. “What’s your take on this?”
He was still staring at the tree line like he was waiting for it to come back, and doing a lot of complicated math equations about probability, wind, speed, and who knows what else in his head. Hawke’s experience and intelligence level was even more intimidating than his ability to bench press a small car. He bit the corner of his lip, slowly pulling it back with his teeth. “I’m not sure.”
“What do you think we should do?” I asked.
He folded his arms across his chest. “I think we should wait.”
“To see if it comes back?”
He nodded.
We all sat on the table, facing the location where we’d just seen the orb. It was in the exact same spot as Ella and my mom had seen it before. That alone made me suspect it wasn’t from another planet.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s talk this out rationally.”
“I don’t think there’s anything really rational about UFOs,” Annie said.
“Careful,” Ella warned. “They’re probably listenin’ to our conversation. Hey there, aliens! We’re just nice folk from a farming community. We’d love to chat if you aren’t mind stealers.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, so we know we saw it in the same spot as before. Did it behave the exact same way as when you saw it earlier, Mom? Ella?”
“Yes, the exact same,” my mom confirmed.
“Okay, so nothing changed. And we’ve had someone out here watching the spot since the first sighting, and this is only the second time it’s happened.”
“Come to think of it,” my mom put her finger to her lips, pursing them while she thought. “It wasn’t in the exact same spot this time.”
“It must’ve moved to find a better scanning location,” Ella said.
“How far did it move?” Hawke asked.
“Not far. Before it was closer to the tree on the right,” she said, pointing. “This time it was closer to the tree on the left.”
“Okay, so it’s staying in the same general location,” I said, thinking. “Maybe this is just an elaborate prank. Maybe someone is trying to make people think there are UFOs out here.”
“That’s dumb,” Ella said. “Who has that kind of time?”
I arched a brow. “Probably the same people who have the kind of time to sit around watching for UFOs.”
She scowled.
“So, that’s the extent of our knowledge?” I asked.
“Looks like it,” Ella said.
We sat there, staring at the UFO sighting spot in silence. All of us were on edge, waiting to see what would happen next when Hawke said, “Look.” He pointed to the area again. At first, I didn’t see anything, but then slowly, I saw the silver orb rise slightly above the trees for about ten seconds before falling back down again.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what it could be. “It didn’t rise as high this time.”
Hawke stood up, his eyes holding steady on the spot he’d seen the UFO. “No. It didn’t.”
“Where are you goin’?” Ella asked him.
“To see what’s out there.”
My mom’s eyes widened. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Yeah,” I said, concerned. “Are you sure?”
“Why don’t you all come with me and investigate,” Hawke offered.
“No thanks,” Annie said, wiping her palms on the front of her jeans. “I’ll stay here and wait for the report.”
“You’re as crazy as people say you are, Hawke,” Ella said. “No way am I goin’.” Apparently, faced with the prospect of an actual close encounter, Ella wasn’t nearly as proactive about finding answers to the unknown as she’d led me to believe.
Hawke’s eyes drifted to my mom. She shook her head with gusto. “I’m fine seeing it from here. I don’t need to get up close. Besides, I’m already going to have a devil of a time explaining this to Damon. I better not push my luck.” She was right about that. My dad would get a lot of work done on his classic Mustang as soon as my mom got home tonight—if he wasn’t already doing it.
Hawke focused on me. “You want to come, Kitty Kate?” His voice was deep, and thick with innuendo. I noticed the expressions of everyone else, and knew they’d caught the reference too—which was a bit uncomfortable considering one of the people who’d heard it had birthed me.
Innuendo aside, I wasn’t going to sit around waiting for something to happen and not knowing what was going on with Hawke. Plus, if aliens were around, I’d much rather be with Hawke than back
at camp with Ella, my mom, and Annie. I loved them, but they didn’t have Hawke’s bench pressing record and fighting abilities. I felt much safer with him. I stood up and grabbed my camera. “If aliens are out there, I better be with you to get some pictures.”
“That’s right!” Ella said, excited about the prospect of proof. “And make sure to get some of the space ship, too!”
I rolled my eyes and Hawke laughed as we left, making our way through the trees. “You don’t really think there’s a space ship out here, do you?” I asked as Hawke helped me over a fallen tree.
“I never rule anything out, but in this case, no, I don’t think it’s aliens.”
“What is it then?”
We came up over a hill and Hawke looked around, assessing the area. “I think it’s something much more identifiable. And,” he said, pointing, “I think we’re about to find out.”
Hawke pointed toward a tree about ten feet away. A flash of light reflected off of something that looked metallic. I lifted my camera and took some shots as we walked. I was paying more attention to the tree and the possible UFO than the ground, and I tripped over a fallen log, crashing into Hawke. Quick as lightning, Hawke reached out and grabbed my shoulders, steadying me. My face flushed. “Thanks,” I said, recovering my balance. I glanced up at him through my lashes. “I should pay more attention to where I’m walking.”
His hands slid down, brushing my chest. “I don’t mind,” he said with a grin. My breath was shallow as his hands dipped a little lower, moving under my shirt with an expertise that only comes with experience. “If you wanted me on the ground, you could have just asked.”
Heat rose in my cheeks again. “I didn’t know you were that easy.”
He held my gaze as his hand went up my back, and popped my bra clasp. “When it comes to you, Kitty Kate, I don’t have much self-control.” He smiled slowly as he laid me down on a grassy area next to a stream. I felt the warm breeze flit over my stomach as he lifted my shirt, his fingers trailing lightly up my chest. His lips touched mine, soft and warm, as his tongue traced my lower lip before he took it in his mouth, sucking. He pulled back for a moment to watch me, his fingers shifting under my bra, tracing the bottom of my chest. My eyes fluttered open, and just behind Hawke’s head, I saw the UFO. It was moving—like it was about to land.
I gasped and sat straight up, totally forgetting Hawke’s amorous intentions—which wasn’t an easy thing to do. The man oozed testosterone and promises of a fantastic time in bed—or on the grass, or anywhere, really.
“What?” Hawke asked, his corded arms bracing his weight on either side of me.
“I saw the UFO!” I yelled, pointing and pushing Hawke off of me. Hawke gave a long-suffering sigh at the interruption, then followed closely on my heels as I moved toward the trees where I’d seen the UFO land.
When we got there, I stopped abruptly, staring at the thing hovering a few feet off the ground. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said, eyes focused on the shiny object.
Hawke came up behind me, seeing it too. “That’s actually one of the things I suspected it might be.”
A Mylar balloon.
The word “Congratulations” was splashed across the front of it in bright green letters.
“It looks kind of deflated,” I said, noticing the collapsed edges. “I don’t know how it was flying at all.”
“Mylar balloons can change shape depending on the temperature outside. This one has probably been floating around a while. Plus, I think the wind had a lot to do with how the balloon was moving today.”
I took some photos and shook my head, staring at it. “This little thing wasted my entire afternoon.”
Hawke grinned. “I didn’t think the last ten minutes were a waste at all.”
That reminded me that I was still free-boobing. I leaned over, tucking myself back into my bra and reached around to secure it again at the same time I heard yelling coming from the trail. I recognized the voice of Ella, “Kate! Hawke! We saw it again! We saw it! Don’t let the aliens get you!”
“Don’t worry, honey,” my mom shouted, “we’re coming to save you!”
Hawke cocked a brow. “They’re coming to save you?”
I blinked. “Apparently they’ve forgotten who I’m with.”
He smiled, his grin widening even more as they came into the clearing, armed with the hot dog sticks we’d planned to use to make s’mores.
“What was it?” Ella asked! “Did you make contact?
I shook my head. “Nope. We didn’t meet any aliens.”
Ella looked me up and down, taking in my ruffled clothes, and hair. “Uh huh. By the looks of those leaves and grass in your messed up hair, it seems like you got acquainted with a dragon instead.”
Hawke’s mouth curved in a wide grin that offered no apologies for his handy work, or my new hair style. I got the distinct impression he was flattered by the dragon reference as well.
“I fell,” I muttered.
“Sure ya did,” Ella said, her eyes narrowed. “My falls gave me six kids. You should remember that.”
I could feel the heat rise on my cheeks and looked away only to see my mom’s expression: slight disappointment laced with amusement. I was fairly familiar with the expression.
“Where’s the UFO?” Annie asked. “Did you get photos?”
Hawke reached down on the ground behind him and picked up the half-deflated balloon. “This,” he said, holding it up, “is your UFO.”
My mom and Ella’s mouths dropped at the same time. “But that’s a balloon!”
Hawke nodded. “With the right light reflection, a little wind, and some distance, this could easy be confused for a UFO.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Ella said, putting her hands on her hips, incensed. “The UFO we saw was moving up and down! And it was huge! Like a flying saucer.”
“You were far away,” I pointed out. “You couldn’t tell how big it was. We found this floating up and down in the exact same area we’d seen it from the campsite. There’s nothing else around. No other balloons, people, or aliens.”
Ella folded her arms across her chest, displeased. “You can all think what you want, but I know what I saw, and it wasn’t some dumb balloon. We made contact with intelligent beings. I’m right. You just wait and see.”
“Actually,” Annie said, putting her finger to her lips in thought. “The balloon makes a lot of sense.”
Ella glared at Annie. “Now you’re on their side? Traitor.”
“We’re not saying aliens don’t exist,” Hawke said, trying to placate Ella. “We’re just saying they weren’t visiting Branson Falls today.”
Ella eyed him closely. “You think aliens are real?”
He held her gaze. “I think anything is possible.”
She pushed her brows together. “I think you know more than you’re sayin’, Ryker Hawkins.”
Hawke grinned. “That would be a fair assumption.”
“About everything,” I added. “Let’s go back to camp.”
“What if the aliens are still out there?” my mom asked, her tone a little worried.
“Then we’ll offer them a tamale—without the husk—and invite them to have s’mores with us. There’s no reason to waste marshmallows and chocolate.”
Ella, my mom, and Annie pushed past us down the trail. Hawke and I followed. I felt him lean down close to me, his voice barely audible in my ear. “Remember when you asked why I haven’t brought you any chocolate?”
I glanced at him. “Uh huh.”
“It’s because the chocolate I have for you requires less clothes.”
My lips curved in a smile. “Maybe you should come over to my house later,” I offered. “I was baking bread earlier.”
He cocked a brow. “You bake?”
I winced. “Not well. But I love fresh bread so I’m willing to sacrifice and learn how.” I wrinkled my nose. “So far, the bread has been winning the war.”
“I could teach you,” he s
aid.
It didn’t surprise me that Hawke could bake bread. Hawke could do everything. And I knew from experience that he was fantastic cook. “I’ll take you up on that offer,” I said, meaning it.
“You’ll have to wear an apron.”
I raised my brows.
He smiled. “And nothing else.”
“And what will you be wearing?” I asked.
“Whatever I’m wearing, I won’t be wearing it long. I can guarantee that.”
I grinned, biting my bottom lip. I couldn’t wait to learn to bake bread.
Turn the page to read the first chapter of
The Devil Drinks Coffee,
A Kate Saxee Mystery, Book 1!
If it wasn’t for the damn pig . . .
I shook my head as I looked out the window at mirror-like waves rising off the road. It was one hundred and two degrees—the hottest day of the year so far—and I was roasting.
Branson Falls, Utah, has a total of two stoplights. Since catching jaywalkers and light runners is one of the only things for Branson cops to do, Officer Bob had been hiding out between The Snow Cone Hut and Movie Mayhem like a turtle in a Crown Victoria shell. I didn’t see him until after I zoomed through a mostly yellow light on the way to cover my next big story: the birth of a bright purple pig.
It had taken Bob a mile to catch up, and me another mile to realize Bob had purposely turned his lights and siren on—I was surprised he knew where the buttons were located. I finally pulled over in front of the Branson convenience store, also known as the den of iniquity that sells beer, condoms, and coffee.
Like me, my Jeep Grand Cherokee doesn’t handle heat waves well, so I’d turned the engine off when Officer Bob stopped me. But I could see him relaxing in his idling, air-conditioned squad car, and I was getting angrier by the minute. There sat Bob, comfortable as could be, while the hair on my arms started to singe and the back of my legs glued themselves to my sticky leather seat. I was hot, cranky, and late for an important appointment with a pig. It was time to get proactive.
