Page 103 of Wandering Souls

“You are one of a kind, Detective Ray Wells, and I am one hell of a lucky woman to have known you.”

He held her hips. “Promise me that if you come back to the Crossing, you’ll look me up?”

Her pretty mouth curved into a beautiful smile and filled him with joy. “I promise.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. Ray tried to commit every detail of her to memory but she pulled back too soon and began to climb back into the plane. He stumbled off the ladder and watched numbly as it disappeared into the belly of aircraft. The door closed and he was forced to put some distance between them as the engines revved into life.

A hand on his arm caused him to whirl around, but it was only Hollywood, standing with a goofy grin on his face. They watched the cargo plane taxi to the end of the airstrip and then pick up speed before it took off. Ray’s stomach dropped and reality set in.

She was gone.

“You okay?”

He shook his head. “How the hell do I get on with things, now?”

Hollywood slapped his shoulder and chuckled. “I knew you two were getting close, but that looked...” His mouth twisted as if he tried to find the right word. “Intimate.”

Looking beyond Hollywood, Ray was happy to see the crowd had dispersed though how much they caught of the Ray and Abi show was unknown. Standing beside the sportscar, Millie gave him two thumbs up. Bruce sat by her side, wagging his tail.

“I just poured my heart out and she still went away.”

“Love is never simple,” Hollywood advised. They turned and began to walk back to the cars. “Do you regret falling in love with her?”

“No.” It hurt like hell, but there was no regret.

“You have to have faith, Ray.”

He did, but faith wasn’t going to keep him company in the lonely hours of the night when all he could think about was making love to Abi. Nor was it going to be a suitable substitute for the sound of her laugh, or the way she bonded with Bruce. Hell, how was he supposed to console the dog?

“She’s not coming back, Hollywood. She’ll pass those tests with flying colors and pick up right where she left off. I’ll just be a pleasant memory she might look back on in a few years.”

Hollywood stopped moving and gaped at him. “You need a drink, or five.”

He didn’t see how getting drunk was going to replace the woman of his dreams, but he didn’t see how it would hurt either.

Chapter Nineteen

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