Page 67 of Prophet
“Yeah, yeah.” Zed snorted. “I’m gonna step out, but if ya need me, I will be around.” He turned away and left the room.
“Well, there goes the President of the Jewel Fan Club,” Prophet said with a chuckle. Looking over at me, he added, “And here I thought I had that title all sewn up.”
I could not help it, I laughed and I was able to squelch any coughing. “He did most of the work. I just went along for the ride.”
“Not according to him,” Prophet replied as he stared at me. “And he’s right. If not for you…” His voice faded away.
I squeezed his hand. “I don’t want anyone grateful to me, Prophet. I’m the grateful one. Sometime soon when I feel like it, I’ll tell you about it. But for now, I just wanna know why you look like a bull-ride gone wrong.”
At my description, he raised his brows at me.
“And don’t try thatit is just a scrapecrap. Your dad has that one down pat.”
He stared at me and burst into laughter.
Oh, that sound. If there was a sound I wanted to hear for always, it would be Prophet's genuine laughter.
“Baby—”
I now reached up and pressed my fingers against his lips. “You look like you haven’t slept, haven’t had a good meal, and your dad told on you about how you’ve been. Tell me what happened to you.”
He kept shaking his head. “I admit it, I didn’t care. Not about anything but you. Please don’t make me tell you what… what it’s been like, ok? I just can’t go there.”
I let out a breath. “Ok, then what about that bandage on your arm. And are there more?”
Prophet raised my hand to kiss it and said, “I got shot at from a damn helicopter of all things and I wrecked a Ninja.”
I stared at him then blinked my eyes while feeling a little confused. “Well, I never expected to hear that.”
He smiled and shook his head. “Which part?”
“What the heck is a Ninja? Did Deacon have them after you as well as bullets?”
He paused to stare at me then he slumped forward with laughter.
“Dang it, Prophet this is not funny!”
He didn’t answer me. His laughter seemed to roll out and he couldn’t seem to stop laughing.
I reached down and smoothed my hand along his head as I caressed his hair. I just let him laugh... after all, it was the best sound in the world.
Epilogue
Prophet
A week later…
The Connor house and its new inhabitants had welcomed Jewel back with a party when Jewel arrived a few days ago. Ma’s cake, all the sweet tea we could drink and the day had been the best in my life. My dad of course, regaled them with her heroics and as he did, she went pink in the face. And such a damn pretty pink it was.
Cinnamon and Scarlet stayed at her side the whole time and I couldn’t even get in edgewise if I tried. Justice, I noted never took his eyes off of Scarlet. I wondered about this. The man was a straight up, briefcase toting lawyer. He knew she was a stripper, yet he didn’t seem to care. Not that it ever bothered me Jewel had been one, I never cared. She was mine and that was all I needed.
We all didn’t want to tire her out, but Jewel fussed about laying in bed all day for the last week. She claimed to be fine, but Ma being the concerned hen and head of the chicken pen, made her rest as long as she could.
Jewel was well now and it had taken days even after they released her from the hospital. As for me, I had developed a real problem. I had trouble letting her out of my sight. Yes, I even knew it had gone to the extreme when during the first couple of days she was home, I would sit on the bed in our room and wait for her to get out of the bathroom. When we went anywhere in the house, I held her hand. In fact, there wasn’t an hour when I wasn’t within sight of her or I wasn’t right by her side. I also would grab her up at unexpected times and kiss her breathless. Then I wouldn’t let her go for a few more minutes.
Jewel didn’t seem to mind it as she said it made her feel cared for and loved, but then on about the fifth day, she finally had to take me to task and asked me to back up a bit. Yeah, stalker me. I didn’t know when the feeling would leave me. I fully well knew it was because of what had happened the last time I allowed her to be out of my sight. If anyone thought about it that way, no one could blame me. And yes, I did get severely chewed out when my father found out the truth. Me allowing her to be used as bait. Yeah, that was not a good day.
Breakfast and dinners at the Connor House were just as large and loud as they were at the ranch, but now we had my dad in the mix. He was a character and I knew this from being raised by the man. But when we put him, Ma and Jarret at one table? It was a rip roaring meal for sure. Snorts southern barbs and comebacks. But no one could hold their own with Ma Walker and I was secretly amused by how she handled Zed. Well, maybe it wasn’t a secret, he caught me more than once laughing on his behalf, or rather not on his behalf. Dad had told Jarret, he’d better stay on his toes around that woman. The whole family had laughed when Jarret responded, ‘on my toes with a wing and a prayer, brother.’
