With that, they headed to Kyra Lane Café.
A couple of hours later, weariness wore Abigail down, a weariness that signaled a good sleep on the horizon, hopefully. David walked her toward the hotel. “I can’t believe we got most of the planning done in two hours.”
She laughed, then groaned as her headache started coming back. “I told you we could do that. Kyra as maid of honor. Jonathan as best man. Judge MacKenzie will walk me down the aisle. Marti and Karen will read Scripture.”
“The judge agreed?”
“I texted him while I was in the bathroom, and yes, he did. He texted just a moment ago and said he’ll make plane reservations for him and his wife tomorrow.”
“Okay,” he drawled.
“Shep said it wasn’t a problem to have it at the ranch.”
“And we’re going to the beach for the honeymoon,” David said as he tucked her arm in his. “I’ve asked Jonathan if we can use the house. He was good with it.”
“So. Do you think he and Kyra might get together?”
“Maybe. I’ve seen her smile more in the past few days than she has in years. I take that as a good sign.” They pushed through the doors into the lobby.
Youch! The bright lights seared her brain. She groaned and put her hand over her eyes. “Get me upstairs. Quick.”
“Hang on.” David tightened his hand on her arm as he pushed the button for the elevator.
Once in the car, she leaned against him. His jacket muffled her voice as she said, “I’m glad Nabeelah and the others were there.”
“I’m not.”
“David!”
“She’s changed, Abigail.”
“Haven’t we all?”
“But not all of us got hardened. I like to think we’re wiser, not more pragmatic and less caring.”
“True.”
He shrugged. “And I don’t care where she goes. Frisco hinted that she’s in big trouble for running a mission off the books, even if it was successful. Unless she changes, I don’t care to see her again.”
She fell silent as the door dinged and opened to reveal the third floor. David walked her to her room. “I’m staying next door again since Jonathan was gracious enough to move across the hall.”
“David—”
“You may be up to your vampire ways again.” He grinned to show he was kidding.
She playfully shoved him. “Very funny, David Shepherd.”
He pulled her into his arms again. “But hey, we only have three weeks until I can share that bed with you.”
Her cheeks flushed. “On that note, I’ll see you in the morning—hopefully.”
He kissed her again, then let her shut the door to the adjoining room behind him.
She leaned against the door and stared at the diamond on her left hand. Oh, wow, how things had changed in the span of less than two weeks. She pushed away from the rough wood and strolled into the bedroom and to her dresser.
That gold bracelet. That wasn’t hers, and it definitely hadn’t been there when she’d left. Neither had the note tucked beneath it.
Abigail turned on a lamp sitting nearby. Surprisingly, her brain didn’t hurt. Another good sign. She stared at the neat handwriting and whispered the words. “Dearest Abigail, Congratulations on your engagement. Sergeant David is a good man. Our paths may never cross again after tonight’s supper, but I wanted you to have this as a token of my gratitude for your help last week. It is a bracelet from my dowry, the only thing I had left of my old life. May Allah bless you. Nabeelah.”
Abigail opened her mouth to call to David. No. She didn’t. Instead, she gazed through the floor-to-ceiling windows she’d left open. How on earth had Nabeelah beaten them back to the hotel? She shrugged. The woman had ways that mystified her.
She ran her fingers along the golden trinket. Sadness tinged her heart for a few seconds.
She set the bracelet down. “Godspeed, Nabeelah. Godspeed.”
With that, she closed a chapter in her old life and looked forward to opening a new one.
One that included David.
Her future was bright indeed.
From Abigail: “I’m so glad that David and I could share the story of how we overcame our differences so that we could finally be together. We had to learn the hard way to get rid of those things we view as idols so that we could see what was truly most important. If you found yourself somewhere in these pages, then all the better. I hope that you’ll head over to our Amazon page and leave a review. Anything you write, be it a paragraph or a sentence, will help.
Jennifer Haynie writes on-the-edge suspense for lovers of romantic suspense. She writes about strong women who not only survive challenges but learn to thrive in spite of them. Since 2014, she has published seven novels in the general indie market. She resides outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two Basenji dogs. Connect with Jennifer at www.jenniferhaynie.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter.
For more information, visit www.jenniferhaynie.com.
My next novel will be Book Three of the Last Chance Series, Operation Music Man. Here’s a short teaser:
Sana Jain is a reformed cat burglar with a distant past she has yet to share with her fiancé, Suleiman al-Ibrahim or with Victor Chavez, her boss and mentor. When the daughter of Victor’s former best friend goes missing, the desperate search to find her dredges up issues Sana wishes would remain hidden in the dark shadows of her former life. Now, as time winds down to find the missing teen, Sana must face choices she made long ago and vanquish them before they destroy her.
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May God bless you all.
It takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to bring a novel from concept to fruition. Oh, is it ever true with No Options. Many people deserve a hearty round of applause for their work to help me make this novel the best it could be. Thanks go to my trustworthy beta reader team of Rich Bullock, Jenny Johnson, Pam Vashaw, and my husband Steve. Their input played a valuable role in shaping the characters and plots. I also want to thank Linda Yezak for her eagle eye when it came to copy edits. And kudos again goes to Dafeenah Jameel for her wonderful cover designs. That’s what catches a person’s eye the most.
I also want to thank my friends and family in my life who prayed for me as I worked on this book and who provide the moral support I so badly needed. It wasn’t an easy road, and without them, I would never have made it to the finish line. Randy, Cathy, Nathan, Viviane, Garrett, Andrea, Bill, Chris, Tracy, Wilson, Matt, Lisa, Elizabeth, Mark, Cindy, Terri, Derry, Kate, and Jonathan, your prayers have meant so much to me and have pulled me through some very tough times. I also want to thank my parents, Tom and Dee McCutchen, and my brother’s family, Quinn, Phyllis and Avery. As always, I’m grateful for Steve’s support and his willingness to listen to my plot ideas, debate with me, and be my helpmate as I wrote and revised. Finally, my unending gratitude goes toward God for the providing the gift of writing. May I always use it wisely.
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