Page 18 of Kiss an Angel

There it was again, another of his maddening threats. Did that mean he wouldn’t spank her if she did as he said or that he simply planned to spank her in private? She was still mulling over the whole unpleasant concept when he started the truck. Moments later, they were back on the highway.

To her relief, the subject of spanking didn’t come up again, although, in a perverse way, she was almost sorry. If he’d physically threatened her, she could have been free of her sacred vows and at peace with her conscience.

The morning was sunny, the warm air coming in through the half-opened window not yet oppressive. She saw no reason for him to waste a perfectly lovely morning sulking, so she finally broke the silence. “Where are we going?”

“We have a date up near Greenwood.”

“I guess it’s too much to hope you mean the dinner and dancing kind of date.”

“Afraid not.”

“How long will we be there?”

“Just one night.”

“I hope we won’t have to get up this early tomorrow morning.”

“Earlier. We have a longer jump.”

“Don’t tell me.”

“That’s the way circuses like this operate.”

“Are you saying we do this every morning?”

“There are some places we’ll be staying for two days, but not many.”

“How long does this last?”

“The circus is booked into October.”

“That’s six months from now!” She envisioned an endless future of crooked eyeliner. Six months. The exact time span of their marriage.

“What are you worried about?” he replied. “You don’t seriously believe you’re going to stick it out that long, do you?”

“Don’t you think I can?”

“It’ll be a long six months,” he said with far too much relish. “We’ll be covering lots of miles. We have dates as far north as Jersey, as far west as Indiana.”

In a truck without air-conditioning.

“This is the last season for Quest Brothers,” he said, “so we’re well booked.”

“What do you mean, the last season?”

“The owner died in January.”

“Owen Quest? The name on the side of the trucks?”

“Yes. His wife Bathsheba inherited the circus, and she’s put it up for sale.”

Was it her imagination, or had his mouth tightened almost imperceptibly? “Have you been with the circus for a long time?” she asked, determined to know more about him.

“Off and on.”

“Were your parents circus people?”

“Which ones? My Cossack parents or the ones who abandoned me in Siberia?” He tilted his head, and she saw a gleam in his eyes.

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