“Cam-eee,” Zoe shrieked and ran up to her.
Zia followed right behind her sister. “Uncle Rhett got hurted.”
“I’ve heard.”
“You gonna sprinkle fairy dust like Tinker Bell and make him better?” Zoe asked, her eyes twinkling.
“Yeah, sprinkle dust,” Zia added as she latched onto Cami’s hand and tried to drag her towards the door. “I wanna watch.”
“I wish I had that kind of dust. Why don’t you show me what you’re coloring?” She held each twin by a hand, walked the girls to their mother, and eased onto a chair closest to them.
“Rhett’s hardheaded. He’ll be fine.” His sister joked, but her eyes showed worry.
A middle-aged man with thick spectacles and a white coat strolled in. “The surgery went well.”
“Yes,” Michael shouted and swung Violet around.
“Thank the Lord,” Rhett’s father said and embraced his wife.
The twins skipped around the room.
Rhett would live. She wanted to skip with the girls.
“He’s not out of the woods yet. The fractures on his fibula required three pins, the tibia another two. The next twenty-four hours we’ll watch for infection or other complications.” He went on to explain about the cast and future physical therapy, but all Cami could think about was that he was alive.
She slipped out the door, needing air. Taking the elevator to the first floor, she found a grassy area outside to sit and reflect. Had the accident been a signal for her to come back—a sign that Rhett needed her—perhaps a second chance for them?
She could hope.
~ ~ ~
Saline dripped from an IV bag into a tube inserted in Rhett’s left hand. His leg cast hung strapped to a preposterous contraption. A torture device disguised as a method to keep his leg elevated.
Doc said he’d been lucky. He’d cracked a few ribs, bruised his tailbone, and broke his leg in several places. He’d eventually heal. Still, he never should’ve got on that horse.
A blonde woman’s spiral curls bounced as she inched in. Her boots clicked. Groggy, he focused on the words across her T-shirt, Cowgirls Make Better Lovers. Must be an induced hallucination brought on by his pain meds.
“Is that you, Cami?” His throat felt drier than the Sahara Desert.
“Hi, Rhett,” she said, stationary at the foot of his bed. Definitely Cami’s voice.
“I had to see if you were okay. I’ll leave if that’s what you want.”
“No. Please stay.” He motioned to a chair next to the side railings.
She sat, her shoulders stiff, her lips pressed into a straight line. “You should be resting.”
“I’ve been resting most of the damn day.” As if he could nap between the hordes of doctors and nurses parading into the room to check on him along with his family smothering him with their concerned looks. “A little fall, suddenly I’m treated like an invalid.”
“This was all my fault.”
“You forced me to ride Terror?” He laughed, and his ribcage smarted.
“Well, no, but—” Her eyes were wide. “I’ve ruined everything.”
“You’re that powerful, huh?” He said, trying to get her to crack a smile.
Her mouth stayed somber. “You’d be better off if I wasn’t so weak.” She crossed her legs and jiggled her foot. “Before I left, I was supposed to give you an elixir, one that would erase all memory of me.”
“Erasing my memory? I don’t understand.”
“I told you that my arrow never should’ve hit you, and I was supposed to find your soulmate.”
“But you’re my soulmate.”
“Since the love potion in my arrows didn’t work properly, I was given an elixir for you to drink. Once you drank it, you’d forget me and be a lot happier.” Her shoulders drooped, her hand fell against her thigh. Very different from the sassy, confident woman he remembered.
“Yet, you didn't do it. What stopped you?”
“I fell in love with you. Instead of doing the right thing, I was selfish. I couldn’t stand for your memories of me to be gone forever.”
He allowed her words to settle in his mind and process what she said.
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” She stood.
He reached for her hand. “Don’t go. We’ve got things to discuss.” He gazed into her turquoise eyes and sensed her conflict. “Such as the fact that you still love me.”
“How could I not? You’re practically perfect.”
Perfect, only Cami would see him in that light. “What aren't you telling me?”
Her eyes welled with tears. “I’m still a Cupid.”
“I’ll live with that. I can’t live without you.” Tubes kept him tied to the bed unable to take her into his arms. “Can you stay?”
“As in forever? No. I have to go back, but I’m here now.”
“Then I’ll take whatever time you can give me.” He gripped her hands. The connection warmed his soul.
“Explain how it works, you know, becoming small. You poured glitter over yourself and shrunk.” It stunned him at the time, now he’d like to understand the process.
“Magic comes from my heart-shaped emblem.” She flipped over her wrist.
He ran his fingers over the heart. “Wasn’t this white, not light pink?”
“My magic replenished in the Cupid realm but won’t last long now that I’m in human form. Once it fades to white, the magic is gone.”
“That’s incredible.” The fact that she came when he’d been hurt was fantastic.
“Does it matter than I’m different—a fourteen-inch Cupid?”
“Not really. Although I do prefer you like you are now.” He threaded their fingers together. The simple touch jolted him wide-awake. “Cupids believe in love. Shouldn’t we have a future together?”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing. My community says humans and Cupids should never have physical contact, but what we have is special.”
“More than special, phenomenal.”
She fiddled with a lock of her hair and wound it around her finger, an indication of her unease.
“I can tell something else is whirling through your mind.”
“Are you psychic?” She bit her bottom lip.
“Just in-tuned to you.” He felt closer to her than anyone.
“I kinda snuck away from Cupid’s Corner when I heard you got hurt.”
“Think someone will come after you?” His macho attitude kicked in. No one would hurt her. “I’ll protect you.”
“With your leg in the air, not hardly.” She giggled.
That was his gal. “You're making fun of me?”
“A little bit.” He expected a broad grin, not a tentative smile.
“Might as well tell me what else’s troubling you.”
Her eyes darted to his face. “I’m presumably engaged.”
“What the hell?” Being kicked in the head by a mule would hurt a whole lot less than her marrying someone else. His heart monitor bleeped faster.
“I never said, ‘Yes.’” She placed her hand on top of his. “How could I, when I’m in love with you?”
He let out a relieved breath. “Good answer, sugar.” The bleeping slowed to normal.
“Visiting hours are over.” The nurse came in and added a shot of something into his IV.
“Let my girlfriend stay, please.” He couldn’t chance her leaving and getting pulled back into her world.
“Not tonight.” The nurse motioned to Cami. “He needs rest to heal.”
Cami kissed his cheek. “I promise to be back early tomorrow.” Her boots clicked away, leaving him alone and very sleepy.
~ ~ ~
Cami walked into the waiting room. Earlier it had been packed with Rhett’s friends and family. Violet left with Michael hours ago. His parents said that they’d be back in the morning. Exhausted, she thought about taking one of the benches and sleeping there until visiting hours.
A strawberry blon
de reading a magazine across from her looked up. “Hey, Cami.”
“Serenity, how’d you manage to find me?”
“Let’s talk outside.” Serenity stood wearing a short-pleated dress and four-inch heels. She seemed to maneuver the hallway with ease as they headed for the elevator.
“You walk better in heels than I do.”
“Take’s practice. I snuck these shoes from the clothing room in Cupid’s Headquarters months ago.” Serenity’s smirk said there was more to the story
If Cami did something like that, she’d get caught. “You’re nutty.” She pushed the down button.
“How’s Rhett?”
“Better than I thought.” She let out a sigh. “He still loves me.”
Serenity smiled. “That’s wonderful.”
The elevator door opened. They scrunched in between an older man and woman and descended to the first floor. Cami and Serenity let the others pass. They strolled through the lobby and walked to the side of the building where they sat on a bench under a weeping willow tree.
“There’s so much to say, I don't know where to start.” Serenity flipped her shoulder-length hair behind her shoulders.
“How’d you get here?”
“Same as you, but I caught the last sunbeam of the day. I have until midnight to take a moonbeam back.” She tightened her hands into fists then loosened them. “While I’m in Cupid’s Corner, I’ll cover for you and make sure you have a month or more to figure things out.”
“Thanks.” It sounded like an eternity to Cami. “Do me a favor and tell Belle about the letter I left for Zander on my desk. I put his ring inside. Think you could stash it in your safe for a while? He’ll be livid I picked a mortal over him.”
“Of course,” Serenity said. “You know, mortals and Cupids have relationships quite frequently.”
“After my time with Rhett, I can see why.” The man had been legendary in her book.
“They keep these affairs secret.” Serenity glanced around, most likely checking for a wayward Cupid who might be on assignment. “Most affairs occur with our male Cupids.”
“Okay, so how’d you figure this out?”
“Does it really matter?”
“Yes, but you can tell me another time.” Cami’s tired mind wouldn’t understand the techy explanation.
“Here’s the interesting part. Over the centuries, there’ve been Cupids who became outcasts and remained on Earth. Never allowed to return to the Cupid realm.”
“I’ve heard about this. It’s better than banishment to a high cirrocumulus cloud.”
“You wouldn’t mind living here for the rest of your life?”
Cami imagined what her life would be like if she went back to Cupid’s Corner. She’d be miserable without Rhett, inconsolable because she’d intentionally given him up. “I’d wither away if I returned.”
“I thought you’d say something like that. I think if you marry a mortal, your fate is set. The council will probably banish you from returning, but who knows?”
“I can live with that.” An image of her handsome cowboy and his adoring smile came to mind. Her love for him made her blissful.
“Isn’t it about time you introduced me to Rhett?” Serenity's mouth quirked.
“Visiting hours are over.”
“Like that would stop me. If we go in the back door and up the stairs, no one will see us. At nine, the floor desk nurse will be on break, so we’d better hurry.” Serenity’s intelligence was overwhelming.
A few minutes later, they were up the stairs, and inside Rhett’s room.
He was sleeping when Cami kissed him on the cheek. He opened his eyes, rubbed them, and smiled. “You came back.” His words were a little slurred.
“I did. I want to introduce you to my friend.”
Serenity stepped up close to the side of the bed. “Hi.”
“Are you a Cupid, too?” He squinted as if trying to picture a foot-tall person.
“I am.”
“Pleased to meet you.” He gave an endearing, lopsided grin. For a man on medication, he appeared rather alert. “Once I get back on my feet, you have an open invitation to stay at my ranch.”
“What about Cami?”
He took her hand. “I’m hoping she’ll be there for a long time, but she told me she may have to leave soon.”
“I’ll let you two deal with that. Just take good care of her, or you’ll be answering to me.” Serenity gave a tough-guy imitation.
“You have my word. I’ll treat her well.”
“I’d better go, but I’ll try to come back in a week or two.” Serenity hugged Cami. “I like him,” she whispered and walked out the door.
He crooked his little finger. “Kiss me.”
She brushed her hand along his chin and felt stubble. “You could use a shave.”
“Later. Right now, let me feel your lips on mine.”
“You heard what the nurse said. You need to rest.”
“Your kisses are the only medicine I need.” His voice came out low and seductive.
“You’re incorrigible.” Tentatively, she pressed her mouth to his.
He tugged her silky tresses and dragged her closer, deepening the caress and moaning into her mouth, “This is paradise.”
She edged away.
He patted the bed. “I need you by my side. Scoot in next to me.”
Her face heated as she skimmed her fingernails along his upper arm. “What if someone walks in? You just had surgery this morning.”
“I wanna hold you.”
“Did they put locoweed in your water bag?” She pointed to his IV.
“Might have.” Admiration shone in his eyes. “The only way I’ll relax is with you in my arms.”
“You’re impossible to resist.” Clad in jeans, she hiked her leg onto the bed, wiggled next to him, and propped her head against his shoulder.
“I’ve missed you. Did Serenity say when you have to leave?”
“I have a month or maybe more.”
“I vote for more.” He ran his fingers through her hair.
“Me, too.” She didn’t want to get his hopes up.
“What is it, sugar?” He stroked her arm. “Are you worried your father will come after you or maybe the guy who thinks you two are engaged?”
She glanced at his monitor and focused on heartbeats that kept up at a steady sixty-five. It was easier than dealing with the truth. “They might, but I’ll refuse to go.” She got lost in his sparkling eyes. “I’m willing to fight for the benefits here—you know—like kissing a mortal.”
“Any mortal in particular?”
“You’ll do.” She pressed her lips to his. “I love you.”
“Marry me, Cami?” His love-light reflected his devotion to her.
“What if ... I’m forced away?”
“Believe in us. Believe in our love. Say you’ll be my wife, please?”
Life meant nothing without him. “Are you sure you want me?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Besides, if you don’t marry me, I might tell everyone your secret.”
“Go ahead. Nobody would believe you.” She kissed his cheek.
“Put me out of my misery and say, yes.”
“Yes.” She caressed her way to his mouth and kissed him, slow and deliberate. When she stopped, she said, “You understand we’re not making love here.”
“Not a problem, tonight, but tomorrow’s a different story.” He nuzzled her lips.
“I’ll take my break after I check on Mr. Holloway,” a male’s voice carried from the doorway.
Cami ripped her lips from his. “I’m not supposed to be in your bed.”
“It’s fine especially now that we’re engaged.”
“If you say so.” Cami stayed. The last few months proved rules could be broken.
A dark-haired male nurse changed out the IV. “How are you feeling, Mr. Holloway?”
“Not bad considering a horse trampled my leg.”
Cami remained silent with
her head against his shoulder.
“Let me introduce you to my fiancé, Cami Calypso.” Rhett grinned.
The nurse held out his hand and gave her a firm handshake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Same here.” Cami smiled.
“Everything looks good. I’ll let you rest.” The nurse pointed to Rhett. “Nothing strenuous.”
“She’s already said the same.”
“Then you’d best listen to her.” The man winked and shuffled off.
“Thought he’d never leave. Now, about another kiss?” He grasped her hand. “You owe me one for thinking you couldn't stay next to me.”
“If you insist.” She moved onto her side, ran her hand across his chest, and brought her lips to his. When she pulled away, she accidentally tugged the strap on his elevated leg. He winced but didn’t utter a sound. “You don’t have to be a tough guy around me.”
“I’m not tough. Not when you own my heart.” He sure knew how to lay on the charm. “Let’s get hitched tomorrow.”
“I’d rather wait until you’re back at home and able to stand on your own.”
He groaned. “The minute I’m out of here, I’m making you my wife.”
She laughed, and said, “We’ll see.” While on the inside, she worried her father or Zander would discover her here and wreck her life.
Epilogue
Seven weeks later, Cami peeked into Rhett’s bedroom smiling. She’d asked to stay in the guest room and not make love until she became his wife. He had honored her wishes. His steady-tempoed snore meant he slumbered, and she slipped outside to watch the sunrise.
Tomorrow, she’d become Mrs. Rhett Holloway. The ranch would forever be her home.
Something fluttered above her. She glanced up figuring she’d see a moth or maybe a bat.
“Hello, Cams.” Zander floated in front of her, his blue eyes glaring.
She gasped. Did he discover her wedding’s tomorrow?
“You’ve had your fun. Now it’s time to go home.”
She remained calm on the outside when her visceral response said to run.
“Thought your little note would scare me away. You’re confused to think you don’t love me. You’ve always loved me.” He transformed into a human and took her hands in his.
“Zander, that’s not true.” Her heart pounded in her ears. Fearful Zander might use magic to force her to leave, she had to stay focused.
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