Against The Night Part 40

Frustration filled him. "She's a kindergarten teacher, for chrissake, Ellie. Look at me." He stood up, his dark hair rumpled, his black clothes wrinkled, the eagle tattoo standing out on his arm. He looked like the mercenary he'd once been. "She loves kids. If we...if we were together, she'd want some of her own. What kind of father would I be?"

"Probably a great one, since your dad was such a loser. You won't want to make the same mistakes with your own family."

Something tightened inside him. Secretly, he'd thought about having children. He just never really believed it could happen, not for him.

"Amy loves you," Ellie continued, beating at him harder than any drill sergeant he'd had in the Rangers. "Surely you know that."

His voice roughened. "I know."

"Then d.a.m.n it, do something about it before it's too late. You're never gonna get another chance, Johnnie. Not with a woman like Amy."

He swallowed past the tightness in his throat, sank back down on the sofa, tipped up the bottle in his hand and noticed the beer was warm.

Ellie stood up from her chair. "For G.o.d's sake, Johnnie, at least think about it!"

Johnnie made no reply. He'd think about it. He had no choice. Ellie was right. He was in love with Amy, over the top in love. And because he loved her, he couldn't take the chance he'd hurt her. He was better off leaving things alone.

Thirty-Six.

Amy looked up at the clock on the wall, saw it was almost midnight. First thing tomorrow morning, Johnnie was driving her and her mother to the airport. Ellie was supposed to do it, but something had come up and she had asked Johnnie to take her place.

Her heart squeezed. Their final goodbye would be at LAX, one of the busiest airports in the world. Thousands of people milling around, jostling them, giving them not an ounce of privacy. Amy couldn't bear it. She had to see Johnnie one last time and it had to be tonight.

Her mother was right. She couldn't leave without letting him know the way she felt. She couldn't go back to Grand Rapids without making her feelings clear. What Johnnie would say, she couldn't begin to guess.

He was home, she knew. In the past week, she had become so attuned to his comings and goings she knew every time he left the house, mostly on his Harley.

Dressed in jeans and a white cotton blouse, a pair of gold hoops in her ears and sandals on her feet, she headed for the guesthouse. Her mouth felt dry but her palms were damp. Inside her chest, her heart was throbbing dully, aching with every slow beat.

There was a light on in the living room, the soft glow leaking from the windows over the kitchen sink. Gravel crunched under her feet as she determinedly headed for the stairs leading up to the porch. She didn't know what she would say to him, only knew that the moment she saw him, her heart was going to crumble. She was nearly to the stairs when the door swung open and Johnnie walked out. His jaw was clean-shaven, his hair damp and s.h.i.+ning from a recent shower, a clean black T-s.h.i.+rt stretched over his powerful chest. He looked so handsome and dear, so beloved, she almost lost her courage, turned around and ran back to the house.

She straightened her spine and forced herself to smile. "Hi," she said lamely.

"Hi." His voice sounded gruff. In the light creeping out of the windows, she could see something in his eyes she had never seen there before. It was uncertainty, she realized. And something she thought looked like pain.

"I wanted...wanted to talk to you," she said, frozen where she stood, working to keep the smile in place. "If...if you have time."

"Sure, I ummm... Truth is, I was on my way over to your place. I...ummm...wanted to talk to you, too."

She tried not to hope. Hoping was a dangerous, heartbreaking thing to do. "You were?"

He nodded, his eyes moving over her, returning to her face. "There were some things I wanted to say, things I should have said before, but I... Ah, h.e.l.l..." Her eyes widened as he came down the stairs, strode over and hauled her into his arms.

Amy clung to him, trembling, wis.h.i.+ng so hard that she could make him change his mind, make him want to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him.

She broke away, took a step backward. She had to say it now or she would never say it at all. "I've been thinking, Johnnie. I know you think we're too different, that it couldn't work out between us, but-"

"I think it could work," he said, his eyes still on her face. "I think it could work, you know, just fine. Better than fine. I think it could be terrific."

Her heart slowed, seemed to stop. "You do?"

"Yeah, I do."

She made a little sound in her throat as he scooped her back into his arms and just hung on.

"I love you, baby," he said against her cheek. "I love you so d.a.m.n much."

Her eyes filled. "Ask me to stay," she blurted out, surely the wrong thing to say but she couldn't keep the words locked up inside. "Oh, Johnnie, please ask me to stay."

His hold tightenen around her. "Stay with me," he said gruffly. "I don't want you to leave. I don't ever want you to leave."

The tears in her eyes slipped onto her cheeks. "I'll never leave. Not ever. I love you too much."

He was trembling. She couldn't believe it. He eased back a little and brought his hand up to cradle her cheek.

"Marry me," he said softly. "Will you, baby?"

Love for him swamped her. A smile bloomed on her lips and fresh tears spilled over. "I'd love to marry you, Johnnie."

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, the sweetest, s.e.xiest, most tender kiss she had ever known. Amy let the thrill of it wash through her.

By the time the long kiss ended, everything seemed to have settled back into its rightful place. She looked up at him, her heart filled to bursting. "I can get a teaching job out here," she said, smiling and wiping her eyes. "I know you have to work nights a lot, but I don't care. I'll wait up for you. I'll be waiting when you get home."

He kissed her again, more softly this time. "I don't have to work late that often. I just do it because I get lonely."

An ache slipped through her. Going up on her toes, she planted soft kisses all over his face. "Not anymore, Johnnie. You'll never be lonely again."

"We can have kids if you want. I don't know what kind of father I'd be, but-"

"You'll be a wonderful father-the best."

Johnnie kissed her. "Your mother isn't going to like it."

Amy laughed. "Coming over here was her idea."

He grinned. "You're gonna marry me, right?"

She laughed. "Right."

"How about tomorrow?"

Her throat ached. "Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything. What I can't understand is why it took me so long to figure things out."

Amy went back into his arms and Johnnie just held her. She didn't know what had happened to change his mind, but she wasn't going to question fate.

Johnnie swept her up and carried her back inside the house. Instead of dreading tomorrow, she was looking forward to the future as she never had before. Amy reached up and pulled his head down for another slow-burning kiss.

Epilogue.

Johnnie slowed his Harley and pulled off the dirt road beneath the gnarled branches of an old oak tree. They were taking a day trip up the coast. He had a friend who owned a piece of property in the hills above Santa Barbara, the perfect spot for a picnic. They'd been married two weeks. The best two weeks of his life.

He and Amy climbed off the Harley. She pulled off the bright red helmet he had bought her, along with a set of black leathers. d.a.m.n, she looked s.e.xy.

He opened one of the saddlebags on the back of the bike, took out a blanket and tossed it to Amy. "You pick a spot and I'll bring the lunch stuff."

"Don't forget the wine," she said, smiling.

He'd brought a bottle of chardonnay, though he'd rather have beer, and didn't drink much anyway when he was riding. They'd enjoy the wine with lunch, and have time for a nap and a little lovemaking.

Johnnie smiled. They'd gotten married at Ellie's, out on the deck on a perfect Sat.u.r.day a week after his hasty proposal. Hannah had changed her flight plans and the women all pitched in to get things ready on such short notice. They did a bang-up job, setting up an arbor, then decorating it with white orchids and roses, and finding Amy the prettiest white lace dress he'd ever seen.

As she'd stood there beside him, he'd felt such a swell of love for her, he almost couldn't get the "I do" past the lump in his throat.

The guests were a motley crew. Tate Watters and his wife, Linda; and the girls from the Kitty Cat Club. Mrs. Zimmer and little Jimmy. Special Agent Kent Wheeler.

Trace and Maggie Rawlins had flown out from Texas. He'd been surprised when Jake said he was coming, too.

"Are you kidding? This is monumental," Jake said. "I was hoping you'd wake up and come to your senses."

Dev and Lark were there, Dev acting as his best man. Madman couldn't make it. Molly went into labor and Clive was beside himself. Molly had the baby the day after the wedding, a little boy named Clive, Jr. Mother, father and baby were all doing fine.

Ty Brodie was there, grinning like a jacka.s.s and giving him an I-told-you-so look.

Rick Vega stayed close to Rachael, who seemed to be loving every minute of having him there. Johnnie had a feeling down the road there'd be a Vega/Brewer wedding.

He and Amy made it through the ceremony, both of them grinning at each other as if they shared some private joke, which they did, since it was a wedding that wasn't supposed to happen and both of them were as happy as kids that it was. Amy tossed the bouquet. Ellie caught it and all of them whistled and cheered.

A surprise came as they finished opening their gifts when Ellie walked over and pressed an envelope into Johnnie's hand.

"What is it?" he asked.

"This property is actually divided into two separate parcels. That's the deed to the guesthouse. Now it belongs to you and Amy."

"Oh, Ellie," Amy said. "We couldn't possibly accept something so valuable."

Ellie just shrugged. "I left it to Johnnie in my will, so all I'm doing is giving it to him a little early." She grinned. "Besides, with the two of you around, life will never be dull." Everyone had laughed and the women exchanged tearful hugs.

"Thanks, Ellie," Johnnie managed a little gruffly. The lady was really something and he was grateful to call her a friend.

As for Rachael's abduction case, everything they'd pieced together turned out to be true. In an effort to cut a deal, Lansky admitted to planting a throwaway gun on d.i.c.kie Talbot after he'd shot him, and Meeks and Turner were singing like birds. The district attorney was prosecuting the case himself, which meant they were all going down hard.

It came out that Dan Turner had taken Rachael to the Vieux Carre a couple of times for dinner. It was likely Manny Ortega knew about Turner's connection to his father, but the kid was doing his best to stay out of trouble, and n.o.body wanted to press charges.

"Where's that wine?" Amy asked, dragging him from his thoughts. "I'm dry as dust over here."

Johnnie laughed and started walking, a bottle in one hand, a sack filled with cheese, different kinds of Italian sausage, olives, crackers, a fancy French pate that Amy picked out, fresh strawberries and chocolate eclairs for dessert, though they looked a little worse for wear after riding in his saddlebags.

Johnnie sat down cross-legged next to his tiny wife and set the food out on the blanket in front of them. He reached for her, dragged her into his lap and kissed her deep and thoroughly.

"Thank G.o.d you married me."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm crazy in love with you and I wouldn't want to have to go all the way to Michigan to bring you back home."

She looked up at him. "Would you have done that?"

"Probably. I can't stand to think of the alternative."

Amy laughed. It was the sweetest sound.

"I love you, baby."

"I love you, too, Johnnie Riggs."

And he kissed her again, and all seemed right with the world.

Uploaded for www.dpgroup.org.

Author's Note.

I hope you enjoyed Johnnie and Amy in Against the Night. I had such fun writing this book! If you haven't read Against the Storm, Trace Rawlins's story, I hope you'll look for it, as well as the first three books in the series, Against the Wind, Against the Fire, and Against the Law.

Up next is Against the Sun, Jake Cantrell's story, another tale of adventure, pa.s.sion and romance. All's fair in love and war, and when Jake meets Sage Dumont, the beautiful Texas socialite and vice president of Marine Drilling International, the sparks truly fly. I hope you'll watch for Against the Sun and that you enjoy it. Until then, all the very best and happy reading.

Kat.

ISBN: 9781459222786.