Chapter 36

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Wolf drove south along the Chautauqua River, rounding a bend in the road that had become as much a part of him over the years as the hair pattern on his arm.

He turned left and climbed the hill and through the ranch gate of his property.

Venus shone solid above the jagged silhouette of the Chautauqua range behind his house. Lights at the front and side doors were on; the interior darkened. Piper’s Toyota Highlander was parked underneath the carport.

He parked next to it and got out into frigid air, grabbing his bag from the back. Dew beaded on Piper’s car, streaking down along the windows. He walked to the house, stepped up the stairs to the kitchen door, unlocked it, and walked inside.

The silence pressed on his eardrums. The space was dimly lit by a bulb over the stove.

He walked into the living room, set his bag down, and paused. Piper was curled up on the couch, a feeble blanket draped over her shoulders .

He sat down next to her and kissed her cheek.

She started, then rose quickly, probing his face with her hands. “Are you okay? You have blood on your forehead.”

“Stay there,” he said, stroking her hair. “It’s nothing. Just a scrape.”

She laid back, looking up at him. Her eyes shimmered in the soft light coming in through the open blinds. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Me, too.” He smiled wanly.

“How was the drive?”

“Long.”

“You could have taken a helicopter ride,” she said.

“They had enough to deal with without shuttling me home.”

“How do you feel?”

He rolled his shoulders, twisting his trunk, feeling the ever-present tightness at an all-time high. But he was here. The brunt of the blast had been blocked by a thick tree, and he was here. With her.

“I’m amazing,” he said, kissing her again, this time on the lips.

“And the girl?”

Wolf nodded. “They brought her to the hospital where they had taken her dad.”

“And how’s he doing?”

“A hell of a lot better now.”

She nodded. “And the situation up there?”

“The feds have taken over.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

“I feel like taking a hot shower and crawling in between the sheets and waking up sometime next week. ”

They sat in silence for a while, watching the light fill the windows one photon at a time.

“We have to talk.” She pulled herself up and sat cross-legged.

“That was stupid of me to not be honest with you earlier,” he said.

“I know,” she said. “And I forgive you. I really do.”

He nodded. “Okay. So, what now?”

“Well…I’ve been thinking. I just don’t want to have this wedding.”

He blinked and then nodded, his head down.

She grabbed his forearm. “I mean. I want to get married to you. But this wedding? I want to…murder it. With a dull knife.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I’m following you.”

“I’m saying you don’t want to have a wedding that looks exactly like one of the worst memories of your life being reenacted on your front lawn. And I don’t want that either. So, we need to start from scratch. With a new venue. Which needs to be big enough to accommodate all the people we’ve invited. Of which none are available in town. Not at this late notice. Maybe we could do it on somebody else’s property.” She shrugged.

“Yeah.” He felt a familiar weight pressing on his solar plexus, one that had started every time the topic of conversation became wedding logistics. “So, what are you thinking?” He chuckled. “Eloping to Vegas?”

“Why even go that far?” She was dead serious.

“What do you mean?”

“How about the courthouse?”

He took in a breath, trying the idea. “O-kay.”

She kept speaking. “And then we keep one of the tents for next month. Some of the decorations. The catering. The music production company.” She outstretched her fingers. “And we put it in Margaret Hitchens’s backyard, and we have a wedding celebration. She already agreed to host for us.”

She grabbed his arm with both hands, continuing. “We wear normal outfits. We don’t take a thousand photographs. There’s no…” Her enthusiasm vaporized. “You hate the idea. Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. You want the ceremony.”

He kissed her fully on the mouth, then put his hands on her cheeks and looked her in the eyes. “I’ve never heard a better idea in my life. Ever.”

She laughed, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back, smiling with ecstatic relief and feeling a contentment he hadn’t felt in months. He could feel it replicated in her embrace as well.

After another kiss, they stared at each other.

“So, when do we get married then?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “We could do it whenever we wanted.”

He looked at his watch. “I’m sure if I go to sleep now, I could wake up in twenty-four hours or so. Monday morning? I’m sure there’ll be plenty of openings.”

“Tomorrow? Are you serious?”

“Why not?”

“Don’t you have to make an appointment or something?”

“No. Not when you’re me.”

“Oh. Aren’t we full of ourselves?”

“I am. I’m about to get married to the best woman in the world. ”

She contemplated, her mouth upturning, eyes lighting with joy.

“What do you think?” he asked.

She kissed him, grabbed his cheeks, and looked him in the eyes. “I think I’ve never heard a better idea in my life.”