Page 66 of No Bones About It

He slid the ring onto her finger and then kissed it.

Her tears spilled over, but she didn’t care. The ring was gorgeous. A striking gold with diamonds spread around the band. She’d be able to wear it while she worked and not have to worry about it being caught on anything.

“The ring is perfect. I love it.” Then she leaned forward and threw herself into his arms, knowing he would catch her.

“I love you, Garrett.”

He spun her around in a circle and then set her on her feet and swayed her into a dance. “Never did have that fancy date yet.”

“We have lots of time for that.”

He kissed her softly, and her body melted into his. “We do have lots of time. We have forever.”

Bonus Scene

Marcus Rivera

Marcus didn’t enjoy taking time off. Phail had become his home after his military career had ended. He liked taking care of the town and its people.

The town was growing, thanks in large part to Troy and Piper. A constant stream of ideas ran through her head, and Troy always found a way to make them happen.

A growing town meant more people, which always led to more fun but also opened things up to new problems. Some were little, likefinding places to park. Others were larger, like keeping the people safe from those who wished them harm.

Taking time off felt wrong. He was the only law enforcement officer in town. If anything major happened while he was out of town, the guilt would consume him and he didn’t need even an ounce more guilt.

Of course, that thought brought memories crashing down. An Afghani village. Strong and vibrant people. A school for girls. An American teacher who had more determination and courage than many of the people he’d worked with in the army.

Terrified girls. Scooby and Shaggy helped him find the last child who’d been too scared to move.

Elina returned to look for her student.

Then the explosions.

They’d lost Shaggy, but the dog had herded everyone else away from the danger in her final act of selfless bravery.

For a moment, he’d thought the collapsing roof was going to crush Elina. But he’d managed to get her out of the way, and she’d lived.

He hadn’t seen her again, but she’d lived.

Marcus shook off the memories. Every time he needed to upgrade his prosthesis, it brought it all back. Tansy Cheveyo had set him up with a team of specialists over in New York. She’d worked with them before and assured him they would have the best and most advanced tech.

He’d need to do physical therapy to get used to the new foot, and he’d be gone over a week.

It was probably time to upgrade more than his leg. It was time to upgrade his department and find a better location. Then he could hire a few more officers to help carry the load.

At least the busy work of finding the right place and the right people would keep the memories at bay.

He wondered what Elina was up to these days. Without knowing her last name, he didn’t have a hope of finding her. He just hoped she was happy.

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