by Sable Hunter
“She burned her hands?” Jacob frowned with concern.
“Yea, I was welding on your trailer hitch and a piece of slag flew up on my back. She dashed over and knocked it off with her bare hands.”
“Wow. So, did she get some help with the burns?”
“Jonah and I fixed her up. They weren’t too bad. A few blisters.”
“Well, good.” Jacob laughed as he climbed into the cab of his truck. “Sounds like she and Cruz would be a pair.”
“I don’t think so.” He knew Jacob was teasing, but the idea of Seren hooking up with anyone else left a bad taste in his mouth. When he noticed Cruz had looped back and was climbing down from his vehicle with a big smile on his face for Seren, Canyon growled and made his way over to them, not liking the way she was looking up into the handsome, young cowboy’s face. “Seren, you shouldn’t be picking up things with those burns!”
“Oh, man. What burns?” Cruz approached Seren with outstretched hands. “Can I help?”
“No. You can’t help.” Canyon bristled and took Seren gently by the arm. “Come on. We’re going to lunch.” Looking over his shoulder at Cruz, he grimaced. “Bundle your trash next time and clean up your mess.”
Seren glanced back at the other guy with an apologetic face. He looked like he wanted to say something back to Canyon – but thought better of it. “You don’t need to tug so hard. I’m right behind you,” she murmured softly. “It’s a little early for lunch, isn’t it?”
“I’m hungry and I’m not on a schedule. I get paid by the job, not by the hour.”
“Oh. Okay.” After he opened the door, she allowed him to place her in the passenger seat, fastening her seat belt. “I can do that, Canyon. I told you my hands are fine now.”
“They can’t be.” He went around to the driver’s side to climb in next to her. When he did, Canyon saw she was removing the bandages from her hands. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Showing you I’m okay.” She turned to face him, holding out her palms. “See?”
To Canyon’s shock, she was fine. No redness. No blisters. “How is that possible? I saw those burns myself.”
To Seren’s dismay, he looked at her like she had two heads. “I guess there’s a little celestial left in me after all.”
CHAPTER SIX
“I don’t need so many things. I can only wear one at a time,” Seren protested over the mountain of clothes and toiletries in their shopping buggy.
“Okay, now I can believe you aren’t a human female,” Canyon muttered dryly. “The weird all-knowing, all-seeing ability didn’t convince me. Nor did your miraculous self-healing. For those, I’m sure there is a logical explanation. But…a woman who says she has enough clothes? Ha!” He barked a sarcastic laugh. “You just convinced me you’re extraterrestrial.”
“I don’t think I was ever extraterrestrial,” she commented, walking close to him as they moved down the frozen food aisle. “At least not in the way the word is normally used.” Her eyes bugged at the different varieties of ice cream. Of course, she’d been in the store before. Everywhere Canyon had gone, she’d been right there with him. But…like she’d explained earlier, it was different in this dimension, her awareness of surrounding details was more acute. “And I’m becoming more human every day.” She licked her lips. “Could we get some ice cream?”
Despite the twilight zone music playing in his head, Canyon couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sure. What flavor?”
“Hmmm…” She danced on her tiptoes next to the freezer compartments, looking at all the choices. “Let’s get your and Matty’s favorite. Neapolitan. You haven’t bought any in years.”
Canyon narrowed his eyes at the girl. He pressed his lips together, refusing to ask how she knew about the ice cream. A health nut, his ex-wife had been adamant about Matty not eating junk food. So, he and his little boy had stolen moments and opportunities to indulge. Looking back, he resented the hell out of depriving Matty of something he enjoyed so much. “All right, Neapolitan it is.” He opened the freezer door and extracted a half-gallon of the tri-flavored ice cream. “So, you’re becoming more human?” Canyon hoped to high heaven no one was eavesdropping on their conversation – they’d both be sent to the booby-hatch.
“Yes. I’m not sure why. I don’t know if this is something all the watchers are experiencing or not.” Seeing a forklift full of heavy boxes start down the aisle, Seren immediately took a position in between the machinery and Canyon. “I keep waiting for some clarification, but so far nothing has been forthcoming.”
“Uh-huh, I want to know more about that later.” Even though his tone was casual, his brain was firing on all cylinders. After taking Seren to a hamburger joint for lunch, they’d returned to Tebow where he’d put shoes on a dozen wild horses Aron acquired in a government relocation program. Several of the ranch hands assisted him, using head-gates to safely control the nervous animals. Still – he’d had to constantly worry about Seren who insisted on being as near to him as possible. At one point, she’d pushed her way in between him and a particularly high-strung stallion. When the animal managed a hard sidekick, she’d barely avoided being struck by the sharp hooves. Now, seeing her do almost the same thing with the fork-lift, he pulled his cart to one side and her with it. “You need to stop this. You’re ruining my manly reputation. Men are supposed to protect women. If we were walking down a busy sidewalk, I’d stay on the outside of you, next to the street.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “You’re asking me to change my purpose and who I am. I can’t do that.”
As they made their way to the front to checkout, Canyon let out a long breath. He felt so torn about the whole thing. Part of him thought he was doing Seren a disservice not seeking out help for her – and part of him wanted to protect her and accept her just the way she was.
“There’s an available checker.” She grabbed the front of his buggy and tugged it to the left toward an empty line.
Canyon watched her move. She was so graceful and so sexy. His mouth watered just looking at her and remembering her kiss. After the horse debacle, he’d managed to get the rest of his work done, in many ways thanks to her. Somehow, she’d managed to stay out of harm’s way, yet be ready to hand him tools or save him steps in anyway she could. At one point, she fetched a bar twister and had it ready for him even before he thought about needing it for the next step in a project.
While they unloaded the buggy and placed the items on the conveyor belt, Canyon made mental plans for the evening. “We have a lot of food here, but not a lot of time to cook it. Do you want to stop for Chinese on the way home?”
Seren grinned at the idea of him including her in the decision. “Chinese is great, but I’ll put a roast in the crock pot for tomorrow. I’ve watched you do it, I think I can follow suit.”
“Pretty simple. I’ll help.” He waited to pay the bill while Seren walked over to a magazine stand to peruse the covers. She returned just as he declined an offer for the sacker to carry their groceries out. “What did you find in the periodicals of interest?”
“Nothing much.” She giggled. “They were right about Bigfoot, but wrong about the Pyramids.”
“Oh, really?” He pushed the buggy into the parking lot and loaded everything as she handed him the bags. “So, what about Bigfoot?” He smirked, knowing the answer.
After they were seated in the truck, she answered his question, “Well, they’re real.”
A few seconds had gone by and his thoughts were straying. “What’s real?” He’d bet everything he owned that the pair of firm luscious breasts he’d just fastened the seat belt over were very real and spectacular.
“Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Yeti. The species is scattered across the globe.”
Canyon shrugged, turning to catch her expression, which was placid and serious. “So…what are they? And why haven’t they found any evidence of the animal?”
As always, Seren kept her eye on the road, scanning the wooded roadside and monitoring
the oncoming traffic. “They aren’t primates, they’re a subspecies of homo sapiens. A hybrid. Very intelligent. The reason no remains have ever been found is because they bury their dead. Evidence, when found, tends to be ignored, scientists are afraid to acquire the stigma of being associated with what is viewed as a fringe theory. One veterinarian in East Texas made a serious study and sequenced the DNA, but her findings were generally panned for the same reason. I’m not sure why people are so resistant to the idea. Eighty-six percent of the world’s species are yet to be discovered. Just in the last few years a North African spider that cartwheels out of danger was identified, as well as a pancake batfish from Louisiana that hops on its fins.”
“Wow.” Canyon didn’t know what to think about what she’d said, but he sure enjoyed hearing her say it. “What about the pyramids? Who built them.”
“Oh, that’s simple.” She gave him a wink. “Watchers.”
“Why, of course.” He winked back as he turned into the Chinese restaurant drive-thru. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Seren shrugged as she studied the menu board. “Everything sounds good.” She grasped her tummy as it rumbled, a giggle bubbled forth from her lips. “What do you recommend?”
“Mongolian beef is my favorite. How about that?”
“I think I’d prefer the vegetable eggrolls.” She licked her lips. “I’ve always wanted to try one.”
“Done.” He placed the order, not bothering to ask why she’d never tried the common appetizer. By now, he knew what she’d say.
As they waited, he propped his arm in the window and took a moment to indulge in just looking at her. She was so alive, almost vibrating with energy. Everything about this woman made his blood sizzle. He just wished he didn’t feel this mountain of guilt every time a longing for her arose within him. What if he was just making matters worse?
Feeling his eyes on her, she glanced toward him. “What? Do you want to ask me more questions?”
He shrugged. “Sure.” Twisting his mouth in thought, he asked the first thing that popped into his head, “What happened to Jimmy Hoffa?”
“He was murdered.”
“Well, duh.” Canyon laughed. “I need more than that.”
Seren sighed and smiled. “He climbed into a 1975 maroon Mercury in front of Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield, Michigan. An acquaintance of his, Frank Sheeran, was waiting for him inside the vehicle. He trusted Sheeran and thought he was going to a mob meeting. What he didn’t know was that his friend, a known mob hit-man, was being forced to carry out a lethal contract on Hoffa. They drove to a house just a few blocks away that was owned by a Mafia contact and Sheeran shot Hoffa in the head. His body was cremated at a nearby mob-connected funeral home. The motive was simple – to keep him from running to be head of the Teamsters union again.”
“Wow. Sounds reasonable.” As he accepted and paid for their food at the service window, Canyon had to admit she fascinated him. Even if she was just repeating things she’d read, her memory and depth of insight was amazing. While pulling away from the restaurant, he asked, “If you’ve been with me all these years, how do you know all this stuff?”
“Periodically, someone covers for me while I go back for training. There’s a hall of history where anyone can watch a recording of every conceivable event you can imagine. Most watch the tapes to be entertained, but there are lessons to be learned from the past.”
At this revelation, Canyon threw back his head and laughed. “A video hall?”
“Watch the road.” Seren cautioned him. “The driver ahead of us is undoubtedly drunk. And don’t laugh. There’s also a mammoth library and a massive computer system linking all of it – including information on every person who has ever lived.”
“Computers?” Canyon slowed down, giving the car ahead of him a wide berth. “You can’t be serious. I thought everything was magical there, not technical.”
“Technology is magical, in a way.” She spread her hands wide as if asking why. “Everything that exists here, existed in heaven prior. Where do you think the information for all the inventions on Earth come from? Like Scripture says, there is nothing new under the sun.”
“Yea.” He let out a long breath as he turned off the main highway and headed down the dirt road to his place. “Next, you’ll tell me there’s a cafeteria.”
“Actually…” She giggled and let it go at that.
Once parked, they unloaded the groceries to take them inside. Canyon wasn’t surprised when she knew where everything belonged. While she put the items requiring cold temps in the refrigerator, he readied the Chinese food for them to eat. “Well, are we going to talk about it?”
“Talk about what? The cafeteria?” She squatted to put salad makings in the crisper drawer. “I told you eating is not mandatory. It’s a way to socialize, the same as people going out for drinks down here. Although…” She lowered her voice. “I have to tell you the gossip goes on.”
Canyon chuckled as he opened the takeout containers and placed serving spoons in each. “I thought gossip was a no-no. There’s no sin in heaven, is there?”
Now it was Seren’s turn to laugh. “Well, it’s the fastest way to get a one-way ticket out of there.” She pulled out a chair to sit next to him. “I guess where talk or gossip is concerned, intent is key. If you’re just passing on news or trying to get information, that’s one thing. Doing it to be malicious or mean-spirited is another.”
Canyon frowned, knowing this discussion was just putting off the inevitable. As they’d unloaded and put up the groceries, he’d come to a decision. “I was wondering if you thought we ought to discuss the kiss.”
Seren gave him a look that could only be described as coy. Her dark lashes fluttered and flirted, her big blue eyes shining bright. “Which one?”
Something akin to a mule kicking him in the chest caused Canyon’s heart to stutter. “All of them, I guess.”
Excitement welled up within Seren. She felt…greedy, like she wanted to grasp him to her body and hold him tight forever. “I know I’m not supposed to be selfish…but I want more of your kisses.”
Canyon groaned. “Eat your eggrolls.” He sat at the table, his left fist clenched while he ate mechanically. Conflicting feelings almost paralyzed him. His body warred with his mind. There was no doubt he wanted her madly. Every cell in his body screamed for release. She wasn’t just a convenient opportunity to slake his lust, either. Something about Seren called to him, he felt comfortable with her. Canyon wasn’t being cliché when he felt that she understood him. But…he couldn’t shake the notion that acting on what he wanted wouldn’t be fair to her.
After sampling a bite, she moaned, “Excellent.” When he didn’t make any type of response, Seren glanced at him. He looked odd. Upset. “What’s wrong?”
Canyon cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully. “This is my fault. I take full responsibility. I should never have kissed you.”
“I kissed you first,” Seren stated, a stab of hurt making her throat feel raw.
“I shouldn’t have allowed it to go further. Clearly, you aren’t well. I’m taking advantage of you.” During this conversation, Canyon kept his head down. If he looked at her, he might lose his resolve to do what he thought was the right thing. Deny his own desire and put her welfare ahead of his own – the way she had done for him time and again.
“No,” Seren cried softly. “You would never hurt me. What we did might be wrong, but I did it willingly. Knowingly. The only thing I desire more than being in your arms is to keep you safe.”
Canyon raised his head, his eyes pleading. “Don’t.” He held his hand out. “Look. I’m shaking for you. I don’t know what to do.”
“Canyon,” she whispered, “I’m telling you the truth.” She felt her emotions churning. “What if I can prove it to you?”
“Prove what?” Canyon asked, his voice hoarse. “That you’re my guardian angel? My watcher – whatever? Do you realize how absurd that is?” He pushed
his food back, his appetite gone. “I can’t deny you’re…gifted. Psychic.” Waving his hand in the air, he shook his head. “You know things you shouldn’t know. You heal faster than most people. I don’t know how or why – genetics probably. Nevertheless, I can’t accept what you’re saying as fact. I can’t believe you’re from another realm, that’s just impossible. So, my only other conclusion is that you’re…”
“Crazy. Sick. Deluded. A liar,” Seren spoke quietly, wrapping her arms about herself. “I’ve existed for you. I would never hurt you.” She stood up. “But…I’m hurting you now.” Almost absently, she began to clear the remains of their meal. “If I could, I would leave you in peace. I just don’t know how. Things are different for me. I’m not as bound to heaven as I was, not as connected.” Folding her hands on the counter, she faced away from him. “Give me a little time. I’ll try to find your answers for you. Until then…” Turning, she met his gaze. The beauty of the man she adored stole her breath. “I’ll give you space. I have to watch over you, but I don’t have to interact as much.”
“Seren…” He watched as she moved from the kitchen to the living room, finding a place where she could still see him but be as unobtrusive as possible. “You don’t have to hover around like some ghost.”
Seren felt her heart clench. His observation was so true, that’s what she’d always done – watched over him unseen. Undetected. “I don’t know why I’m here like this.” Sorrow overwhelmed her. In all of her time, she’d never considered the possibility that if the human she served knew of her existence, he wouldn’t want her around. “I just wish I was invisible again.”
Canyon felt like a heel. He rose and pushed his chair under the table. “Well, I don’t know what else to do. I know I promised you could stay here until we figured something out.” Raking his hand through his hair, he exhaled harshly. “I’m afraid that’s not a good idea. Tomorrow, I need to find out if anyone has reported you missing. I’ll go talk to Sheriff Saucier and see if he knows anything.”