Apparent Wind (The Forgotten Coast Florida Suspense Series Book 7)

by Dawn Lee McKenna

  “I want…I want to take care of you. I want you to take care of me. I want to make you sandwiches, and make you laugh the way you make me laugh, and just…be the place you go when you need to know how important you are.”

  Maggie’s eyes started to heat and she blinked a few times to clear them. “I know I loved David. I loved him for forever, and I loved him very much. But I wasn’t in love with him. He didn’t make me nervous or make me mad or make me feel this…urgency in my stomach every time I saw him. I only feel like that with you.”

  She blew out a breath and took a few steps toward the desk, then stopped. Wyatt’s face was unreadable, something that didn’t happen often.

  “I know I’m a pain, and I’m damaged and closed off and all kinds of less than ideal things, but I promise you that I love you more than I ever realized was possible.” Her throat felt dry and sticky, and she tried and failed to swallow.

  “Will you marry me, Wyatt?”

  He looked at her a moment, and she wondered why her heart was beating so hard. They had talked about this. This was not a surprise. It was all okay. And sometimes change was scary, but good.

  She was about to repeat the question when he shrugged one shoulder. “Yeah, sure,” he said simply, then turned back to his computer. She stood there for a second until he started jabbing at the keyboard again, then she spun around and headed for the door. She only made it two steps before she heard his chair squeak.

  “Wait a minute, you little idiot!” he said behind her, and she heard laughter in his voice. One huge hand plopped onto her shoulder as she jerked the door open. The other one reached out and pushed the door shut again. She turned back around and glared up at him.

  “I’m sorry!” he said, and she wanted to slap the grin right out from under his moustache. “I couldn’t resist, it was like the best straight line you’ve ever given me.”

  “You’re an ass!” she said.

  “I know, but we’re gonna get married anyway,” he said. His smile grew warmer, less mirthful. “I’m sorry. Yes. Of course.”

  “Why do you have to be a jerk?” she asked, as she looked down and fumbled in her purse. “I’m glad I just got you this crappy shell ring.”

  “You got me a ring?” he asked as she pulled out the little bag from The Shop.

  “Well, I didn’t know if I was supposed to. I mean, I’m the one proposing. It’s confusing.”

  “That’s so cute,” he said, as she pulled out the ring, a creamy color with swirls of pale orange.

  “It’s a shell ring,” she said.

  “I know. You told me.”

  She held the ring out on her palm. “Well, here. And quit looming.”

  “I’m not looming,” he snapped only slightly, as he took the ring.

  He tried it on his ring finger, but it didn’t go past his first knuckle, despite the fact that Maggie had dug through the entire box to find the biggest one. He slipped it onto his pinkie instead.

  “You don’t have to wear it,” Maggie said. “It’s just a symbol.”

  “I’ll wear it,” he said gently.

  “Okay,” Maggie said to his chest. “I don’t need an engagement ring. I never had one with David. We can just get wedding bands.”

  “You can’t make all of the decisions just because you proposed,” he said mildly as he turned and walked over to his desk. “I gave you permission to propose.”

  “You gave me permission—” she started as he leaned over his desk and opened a drawer.

  “You’re welcome,” he said over his shoulder. Then he turned and walked back to her, a small pale blue box in his hand.

  “What’s that?” she asked him.

  He opened the box to reveal a delicate silver ring with a small, square aquamarine stone.

  “It was my Mom’s,” he said quietly. “She sent it to me to give you.”

  Maggie looked up at Wyatt. “When?”

  “June.”

  “June?!”

  “I told you you were lagging behind me,” he said quietly.

  When she looked up at him, he looked her square in the eye, and his gaze was warm and kind and lacking even a hint of humor. “She wants us to have it,” he said.

  Maggie swallowed, then looked down at her hand as Wyatt lifted it, then slipped the ring on her finger. It was slightly big, but they could fix that.

  “Wow, we’re really going to do it,” she said as she looked up at him.

  “Yeah,” he said quietly, then leaned down and kissed her gently on the lower lip. He straightened and smiled at her for a moment, then patted her head.

  “So, that’s that, then,” he said.

  THE END

  I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Apparent Wind. If you’d be kind enough to leave an honest review, I’d be most appreciative. You can also sign up for my mailing list to be notified when the next book in the series is available. You can also follow my Facebook page. We have a pretty good time over there.

  I owe so many people so much, for their help, support and encouragement. Thank you to Debbie Maxwell Allen for her patience and lack of sighing while editing this book. Many warm thanks to Colleen Sheehan of Write.Dream.Repeat for the always gorgeous interior design and typesetting, and to Shayne Rutherford of Dark Moon Graphics for yet another beautiful cover.

  Thank you to John Solomon, formerly of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and now the Apalachicola Chamber of Commerce, for his willingness to answer questions, correct technical mistakes, and sign books for readers. He’s a star; go see him when you’re in town.

  Thanks, as always, to my dear friends and fellow authors in The Group That Shall Not Be Named, for their unfailing support, humor, and reality checks. Y’all are something else entirely.

  To my family, particularly my Mom and my amazing kids; you inspire and motivate me daily. Thank you for helping me live my dream.

  Finally, thank you to you guys—you beautiful readers—for sticking with me through delays and broken promises and the occasional asteroid. Your emails and Facebook posts are a constant source of laughter, warmth, and encouragement. I could write another book about how much every single one of you means to me.