Waking Hearts (44 page)

Two months later

“ALLIE?”

“In the kitchen!” she yelled back, smoothing down one of the pretty dresses she’d bought for her new job and trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. She could hear Loralie and Chris giggling on the back porch, and she knew Kevin and Mark were probably having the devil’s time keeping them outside.

“Hey.” Ollie walked through the door with his toolbox, still grubby from work. He and Jim were working on revamping the pool room at the Cave. He grinned. “You look nice. Jim said it won’t turn on?”

She motioned to the garbage disposal. “I think there’s something stuck down there, but I can’t figure out what. I already unplugged it so you can look.”

He frowned and peered down into the drain. Then he opened the cupboard underneath the sink and bent down.

Allie said, “What are you doing?”

“If there’s something stuck in it, I need to get it out. Don’t worry. It’s not a big deal.”

“But can’t you just…” She bit her lip. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go! “Can’t you just, you know, stick your hand down there and see if you can feel anything?”

Ollie laughed and held up a giant paw. “Darlin’, you really think I can fit my hand down that little drain? Don’t worry. It’s not a big deal. Won’t take but a few minutes to get it off.”

“But—”

“Allie, don’t worry.” He stuck his head under the sink. “Man, you have the cleanest cupboards I have ever seen. Do you dust down here? That’s… kinda crazy, to be honest.”

“Ollie, stop!”

“What?” He bumped his head a little when he pulled his head from under the sink. “What’s wrong?”

Allie took a deep breath and plunged her hand down the garbage disposal, pulling out a small black box and holding it out to him with an embarrassed laugh.

Ollie’s face went blank. “What is that?”

“I wanted to be clever. The garbage disposal was Mark’s idea because you’re always fixing stuff. I didn’t even think about how big your hands—”

“Allie”—he came to his knees—“what is that?”

She cracked open the box to reveal the band she and the kids had picked out. Five gold strands woven together, one for her and one for each of them.

Her heart was racing. “I think, technically, I’m the one who’s supposed to be on my knees right now.”

“Baby—” His voice cracked.

“You said we could go at my pace,” she said. “Well, this is my pace. You’re already part of this family, Oliver Campbell. We all love you so much.
I
love you so much. I can’t imagine…” She started to cry. “I can’t imagine life without you. You promised to make my life sweet again, and you have. So much, Ollie. So much sweetness, I don’t know what to do with it all except give you some back. As much as I can. So will you do me the honor of being my husband?”

He rose and took her face in his hands, kissing her with wild, joyful abandon. He wrapped her in his arms and swung her around, laughing against her mouth when he finally set her down.

He smiled and blinked hard when he looked down at the ring she still held in her hand. “But I already have yours picked out. Kevin helped me.”

“Double-crossing kids.” Allie laughed and wiped the tears off her cheeks. “Does that mean it’s a yes?”

“Yes.” He picked her up again and kissed her slower, savoring her. “Yes, yes, yes.” He shouted over his shoulder. “Did you hear that?
Yes
. Now stop listening at the door and go play so I can kiss your mom.”

Loralie’s giggles burst through the air.

Chris shouted at the top of his lungs. “He said yes, guys!”

“I’m shocked. So shocked.”

“Are they kissing again?”

“Oh yeah. Lots.”

Allie ignored them and kissed her man. The finest man she had ever known. The man who loved her. Who made her heart race and her body sing. The man who lived in her heart. The brave, brave man who’d had the guts to say “Yep” to all her crazy.

The man she trusted to be hers for the rest of her life.

And that life had never looked sweeter.

Epilogue

SEAN QUINN WALKED INTO THE QUIET, velvet-walled club in Las Vegas. The soothing sounds of a quiet piano played in the corner of the room, and vintage French advertisements lined the walls. It was the kind of place that reminded visitors that once, Las Vegas had meant glamour with an edge of danger instead of giant mega malls, exploding volcanoes, and fading pop stars.

He slipped a hundred-dollar bill to the manager and hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his faded black jeans as he strolled past the booths.

Sunday afternoon was a quiet time, but there were still a few regulars. A couple of Vegas institutions, chatting over vodka tonics, and one of the headliners at a smaller casino.

And him. The man Sean had paid good money to find.

He was a man of no particular fame, of medium height and build. His face was nondescript. So were his clothes, which were fine, but not too fine. Well cut, but not particularly stylish. He was reading a newspaper and drinking a clear cocktail with three limes.

Sean slid into the booth opposite him, and the man put his newspaper down.

His eyes were notable.

Cool blue in a brown face. Notable.

“Can I help you?” His English had no accent.

“I believe we have a mutual acquaintance.”

“Oh?”

“He took a wrong turn in the desert. Didn’t find his way out.”

The polite mask fell away from Efrén Abano’s face, and the cool blue eyes turned frigid. “I see.”

“He had a young man with him.”

“He did,” the man they called Lobo said. “He was quite forthcoming when he returned. He told an interesting story. Unfortunately, he also took a wrong turn in the desert not long after that.”

An unexpected flare of anger rose in Sean. “That’s too bad.”

“Well,” Efrén said, “the desert is a vast and dangerous place. One wrong step can lead to death.”

Sean leaned his elbows on the table. “It’s good that you remember that,
Lobo
.”

Irritated eyes flickered around the room. “I wasn’t talking about me.”

“No? You should have been.”

“What is your name? Since you know mine, it only seems polite.”

“My name is Sean Quinn.”

Efrén chuckled. “Ah. A Quinn. If they had sent the wolf, I might have taken more notice.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. We prefer to be overlooked. Makes it so much easier to get what we want.”

The smile fled Efrén’s face. “What do you want?”

“Your man said you wanted revenge. On us. Why? As far as I’ve been able to find out, no one in our town has even heard your name.”

Efrén pursed his lips together. He almost looked amused. “That’s quite possible. But of course, you only have the word of a traitor that I want revenge, and you only have the word of old men that they’ve never heard of me. It’s a conundrum.”

Sean ignored the slight against the council. For now. “So you don’t want revenge?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Sean was silent.

“Am I irritating you yet?” Efrén asked.

“I’m the leader of the snake clan. It takes a lot to irritate me.”

“The leader?” Efrén’s eyes sharpened. “So the old man has finally curled up and died, has he?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Ah.” Efrén smiled. “So you are his chosen successor. Interesting.”

“Not really.”

“What do you want, Sean Quinn? It seems only fair to return the question.”

Sean leaned back. “I don’t know about your organization. I don’t really want to know. I just want you to leave the Springs alone.”

“Is that so?” Efrén’s face was a picture of innocence. “I’m sorry. There must have been a misunderstanding of some sort with our… acquaintance.”

“Oh?” A faint hope rose in Sean’s chest. Maybe Ashford had been exaggerating. Maybe he was just a liar. Maybe Efrén didn’t care two shakes about Cambio Springs after all.

“Yes,” Efrén said. “I’m afraid leaving the Springs alone is quite
impossible
.”

Sean’s face was a carefully impassive mask.
Damn
.

“Now,” Efrén said, picking up his newspaper and his drink. “I don’t have much leisure time, Mr. Quinn. I’d appreciate it if you respected that. Good-bye.”

HE used the drive back from Las Vegas to summon the internal fortitude to call his editor. Or his former editor? Sean wasn’t sure of anything anymore, particularly his job.

His life was a damn mess.

He’d never belonged here, at least that’s what he’d told himself. But with his great-uncle growing older, someone had to take over the family, and Uncle Joe preferred that it wasn’t someone with a criminal record.

In his family, that was a challenge.

If his cousin Marcus hadn’t been murdered, he would have been perfect. Marcus had loved his family but never deluded himself that they were upstanding citizens. He’d built a business. Had a family. Everyone had loved and respected him because he’d still been tough as nails. Marcus should have been the one.

And then he was dead.

Because of an ignorant human and fear.

It had killed a little bit of Sean inside when he’d heard Marcus died. Not only because it meant one of the few cousins he’d felt close to growing up was gone. Not only because he’d left a widow and children behind.

Selfishly, Sean knew the minute Marcus was gone, his bid for freedom was over.

He turned off the interstate and onto the state highway that would take him home.

Home.

It had always been a loaded word for Sean Quinn.

Home meant laughter and mischief and the loyalty of a hundred cousins who would have his back against anyone outside the clan. Home also meant fists and drunken fights and constantly looking over his shoulder to watch his back against those same cousins. Because while loyalty against other clans was a guarantee, within the clan, nothing was given.

And now he’d agreed to lead the rowdy lot of them.

A laughing voice in the back of his mind, overlaid by the sound of tambourines and singing.

“You’ll have to deal with them eventually, Spider. Family has a way of haunting you.”

He pushed the voice back into the mental box of things-no-longer-possible and called his boss.

“RANI, you’ve got to give me a little more time. You, of all people, understand how complicated family is.”

He’d been to her wedding in Bangalore. It was possible his editor had more family than he did.

“I love you, Sean, but you know this is getting ridiculous. Shooting off for an assignment once every three months or so is not enough to keep you on staff. Even if I’m paying you a fraction of your old salary. There are people who have been waiting years for a staff position, and you—”

“Send me more editing! I’ll do it all. That leaves everyone else on assignments. I’ll do all the editing you want.”

It would kill part of his soul to do nothing but edit other photographers’ images, but he had to do something. If all he could get was glimpses through the window of other people’s adventures, he’d take it.

Rani sighed. “I know that worked well for you and Juniper. Chati might take you up on it too. But you know some of them won’t let anyone edit their images, even if it is you. I’ll… see what I can do.”

He had great relationships with most of his colleagues, but there was always competition. No one was making a fortune, but everyone was doing what they loved.

“There’s a spa resort coming to my hometown. Very exclusive. Hellacious expensive. It’s beautiful, Rani. I can do a feature on that.”

“A spa?” She paused. “The new Cambio Springs resort?”

“Yes!”

“I didn’t know that was your town,” she said.

“I know the owner. I know this area. I grew up here. I’ll cover it. It’ll be a great feature.”

“Well… shit.”

“What? Shit what?”

“That would have been perfect, but I already assigned Juniper.”

He could almost hear her laughing in his ear.

“Juni?”

“Yeah. I guess she has family in that area.”

“Juni’s from Albuquerque. I’d hardly call that in the neighborhood.”

“She’s been in Southeast Asia for almost three years. She almost jumped at the chance. She probably needs the dry air.”

He knew she’d been in Southeast Asia. He could still see her laughing and soaked to the skin during Songkran.

“You’re saying our Juni is coming to Cambio Springs?”

“Yeah, just before the opening. She might already be there. She flew back to the States last week. You know she likes to wander.”

Jena and Caleb’s house came into view in the distance. The passel of kids his friends had produced were running in circles in the front. Chasing each other. Riding bikes. It was the kind of childhood he’d always envied. One he’d only glimpsed from the edges of his life.