Travis

Her emotionless disclosure sucker-punches the breath from my lungs. She speaks of it like she is announcing she’s been to the market, but the pain rolls off her, waves of it slamming into me. I want to hold her and soothe her. I want to bear her pain for her. All I could do was close my eyes and absorb the agony that flows around her like a tangible entity.

“Christine, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t!” She sat up. This time I let her go.

“It was a while ago. I’m glad you know about it, because it’s part of who I am now. But Travis,” she says, her gaze showing no emotion, “I don’t sing the blues about it. And I’m not looking for you to sing them for me. Are you okay with that?”

Would she run if I told her I wasn’t? Very slowly, I nod once, and she settled comfortably back into my arms.

“I didn’t expect it to be so hot up here,” she observes suddenly, firmly closing the door on the subject of her lost love. “I’m thinking of wading in the calm part of that river over there.”

With a lazy turn of my head, I glance over at the bubbly stream meandering through the clearing. It was running fast but not deep. “You could do that,” I agreed. I lift my chin, indicating the white-topped mountains behind her. “But the water’s all runoff from the snow up there.”

She wrinkles her nose. “Never mind, then.” This time the silence was comfortable, broken only by the gurgling stream and the occasional call of a blackbird. I lace my fingers through her hair and comb down to the ends, eventually settling my hand at the nape of her neck. She sighs softly. It’s a contented sound. I watch her eyelids flutter downward.

* * *

“Hey, what kind of food do you like?” asks Mick. “We’ll go to dinner. Just tell me where you want to go.”

My breath catches as I hear the sickening rumble before I feel it. Aftershock! A bad one. It seemed to take forever, though it was probably less than a couple of minutes before I heard the radio squawk in my earpiece, but no voice came across the comm.

“Mick! Are you there?”

Another moment of silence, then, “I’m here, Angel. Dropped —the radio. Few more chunks fell.”

He sounded so normal and casual.

“So how about that dinner, Angel?”

“Italian. With breadsticks and we can share some cannoli. And… and when you pick me up, you can bring me flowers. I like daisies. The white and yellow ones growing by the side of the road near Big Bear Lake.”

His chuckle was laced with pain that I felt along with him.

“That’s a deal. Angel?”

“I’m right here.”

“You want to go to Vegas with me and get married? I figure we’ve already spent most of the night together.”

I giggled. “What kind of half-assed proposal is that? You do know how to sweep a gal off her feet.” Really, he did.

A breathy chuckle filled her ear. “Sorry… I can’t get down on… one knee just now with a building on top of my ass.”

The pain was exquisite, lancing straight through my heart. It was getting harder to do, but somehow I kept my voice light. “So, Mick, do you always just jump in with both feet?”

“It’s the only way, sugar.” I could hear his smile. “You’re not really living if you’re always looking at life from the outside.”

“Don’t you ever think about how you could get burned?” He was silent for a moment, then soft laughter filled her earpiece. “Every time I climb on the truck when we’re called out, sweet stuff.”

Color flooded my face. “I’m sorry —I didn’t mean —that was incredibly insensitive of me.”

His laughter grew a little louder. “Relax, honey, I’m messing with you. I knew what you meant. Look at it this way. If you don’t take chances, you won’t get any rewards.” He finished softly, “And right now, I’m thinking marrying you would be one really great reward.”

“You know, you’re taking a heck of a chance asking me to marry you when you don’t even know what I look like. I could be paper-bag homely.”

“Then I’ll have to lay up a good supply of paper bags,” he teased. His voice softened. “‘Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind.’”

I laughed. “It’s hard to fight with a man when he’s quoting Shakespeare.”

“That would be the point of doing it.” He laughed softly. “It doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside, Angel. I think you’re beautiful.”

I had no idea how to respond.

“Angel?” His voice was just a bit louder than a whisper. “I was serious about getting married. We don’t have to do it in Vegas. You can carry white daisies when you walk down the aisle to me.”

“I know you were serious,” I said. “I was mulling it over.”

He chuckled. “And?”

“Yes, Mick. I’d love to marry you.” I closed my eyes against the pain of knowing that day would never come.

* * *

Travis

I shift to get a better view of Christine while she sleeps. A week ago I hadn’t even known her. Now I couldn’t imagine not being with her. In sleep, her vulnerability touches me even more deeply than her sensual playfulness when she is awake. I’m at a loss to explain my reaction. I’d never expected to feel so strongly again.

“Travis,” she murmurs as she stirs. Sitting up, she throws back her head and raises her arms, stretching like a cat in the sun. The movement thrust her breasts against the soft, thin fabric of her tank top. Her body invites my touch, but I sit still, drinking in the sight and allow my hunger for her to spiral upward. Lowering her arms, she catches my eye and smiles.

“I know who I’m with, Travis. I’ve been alone in every sense of the word for a while now. It’s always going to hurt when I wonder about the might-have-beens. But I’m here with you right now because I want to be with Travis McGee, not because I’m looking to replace someone I can’t have.”

She bent to lay a tender kiss against my throat, lingered there for a breath, then moved along my neck to my chin and then on to my mouth. Her lips tempted; mine cried out for more. Hers teased; mine sought and found. My hand rested against her just above her left breast. Her heart beat like a hummingbird’s wings beneath my fingertips.

The guttural, bawling scream that broke the silence was not of the earth. Emanating from the thick woods, it echoed unnervingly across the once tranquil clearing. Christine leapt away from me, her eyes wide with alarm.

“What the hell is that?”

I was already on my feet, grabbing the Winchester from my saddle holster and sprinting toward the sound. “Calf in trouble! Stay here!” I shout over my shoulder before I push into the woods.