by Cheree Alsop
She nodded and kissed my forehead again. “That’s good,” she said with a warm smile. “Go back to sleep and dream of happy things.”
“I will,” I promised. I closed my eyes.
THE NEXT MORNING, I forced my sore body to the table. Aunt Lauren’s eyes widened when she saw me. “We would’ve brought you food,” she protested. “You really should lie back down and rest.”
I shook my head and eased down next to Cassidy. “I’m all right. I already missed the milking.”
“Milking?” Mom asked. She carried a pitcher of orange juice to the table and patted my shoulder when she went by. “You help milk the cows?”
Cole laughed flat-out. “He wasn’t much help in the beginning. He got kicked by Blackie because he renamed her Barbecue.”
Uncle Rick chuckled. “But he learns quickly.”
“I appreciate you watching over him,” Mom replied. She sat next to me at the table and dished several waffles onto my plate because my ribs hurt too much to reach that far.
“We would sure hate to lose him,” Aunt Lauren said. There was something to her tone that made both my mom and I look up.
“What do you mean?” Mom asked. “You want me to go back to California without my son?”
Aunt Lauren smiled at Uncle Rick. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “What my wife means is that we could use the help around the farm, and Kel’s fit into Sparrow nicely.”
“Another move would only upset his schooling,” Aunt Lauren put in.
Cassidy nodded. “And he’d have to make friends all over again.”
“He’d be going home,” Mom said with a small frown. “He already has friends there.”
Cassidy grinned at me. “But he’s got better friends here, like me and Sandy. And there’s Madelyn.”
My heart turned over at the sound of her name. I never thought about what I would do if I had to leave. I watched them uneasily, not sure where they were going with this.
“Kel needs to come home,” Mom replied. “It’s time we get our lives back together.”
Aunt Lauren nodded. “That’s exactly what we’re getting at.” She glanced at Uncle Rick again, then rushed forward, “We’d like to build you a house at the end of our lot.”
Mom stared at them and my breath stopped in my throat. “Build us a house?” Mom repeated.
Uncle Rick opened a beefy hand. “There’s a half acre on the other side of the road we’re not usin’. Lauren’s been wantin’ to do something with it for years.”
“It’s a beautiful spot,” Aunt Lauren continued. “It has a little stream, and—”
Mom shook her head, and my heart fell. “I don’t want to be anybody’s charity case.”
“That’s not it at all!” Aunt Lauren protested.
Uncle Rick took a deep breath. “Listen, Sarah, Kelson’s needed around here. Jagger’s gettin’ on in years and until the boys are old enough, I could use the help truckin’ hay come time to sell. Besides . . . ” This time, he looked at his wife. There was something secret about the smile they shared, something that reflected in the faces of Cassidy, Cole, and Jaren. Uncle Rick grinned. “Lauren could use the help, seein’ as she’s expectin’ another little one.”
“What?” Mom and I exclaimed together.
Aunt Lauren put a hand on her stomach and Uncle Rick covered it with his own. “We wanted to wait until we were sure, but she’s eight weeks along as of yesterday.”
“My goodness!” Mom said. “Lauren, I can’t believe it!”
Lauren beamed. “I’m so happy,” she said. “I just knew we’d be having another one. I kept telling Rick. Didn’t I, dear?”
He nodded with pride on his face. “She did keep telling me. I told her not to get her hopes up after the trouble we had almost losin’ Cole, but she never quit believin’.”
“So I need all the help I can get,” Aunt Lauren rushed on. “The doctor said I need to rest as much as I can to avoid complications.”
Mom nodded and I saw her answer in her eyes before she said, “I’d be glad to stay and help.” She looked at me and I nodded before she could even ask the question. “We would love to stay in Sparrow.”
I rose and went to the window. It was all so much. Everything crowded together: the shooting, the hospital, the little boy with the bullet in his arm, my nightmare that turned into my redemption, and now staying in Sparrow, the town that had become home when I had nowhere else to turn, and the place where Madelyn lived. I wouldn’t have to leave her.
Footsteps walked up behind me. “Are you all right?” Mom asked gently.
I turned and realized everyone was watching me. I nodded. “I’m fine.” I took a calming breath as I looked at my relatives. “Thank you so much for everything. I couldn’t have hoped for anything so amazing.”
“You’ve earned your place,” Uncle Rick replied. “We’re happy to have you here.”
“I’m happy to be able to stay,” I said honestly. I slipped an arm around Mom and hugged her as tight as my aching ribs would allow. “And I’m glad we’ll be together as a family again,” I told her.
She hugged me back gently, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face so like Zoey’s that I blinked back tears of my own. I was a son with a mother again, not a homeless stranger disguised as a small town superhero in search of a way to redeem himself. I had been given a new future in Sparrow. I was anxious to make it a life worthy of both Zoey’s memory and my own newfound belief in the good one person could do to impact the lives of others.
MADELYN’S FATHER OPENED THE door.
“Wait a minute!” her mom called. “Close your eyes!”
I did as instructed and listened to the sound of footsteps running to the top of the stairs.
“We have to do it like they do on television,” her mom said excitedly.
Her father gave a huff of exasperation, but I grinned with my eyes still covered. It made me happy that it meant so much to her mother that the moment was perfect.
Everything fell away at the sound of soft steps on the wooden stairs. I looked up to see an angel dressed in flowing dark purple that set off the green and gold of her eyes. Her brown hair was collected in a diamond clip on top of her head and flowed in gentle waves down her back. Her glasses were gone and her fingers toyed nervously at the waist of her dress. She met my gaze with a self-conscious smile.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” I said.
Her smile grew. I remembered my place and hurried up the stairs to her side. I held out my arm and when she set her hand on it, her eyes sparkled. “My lady,” I said.
A laugh escaped her. “A true gentleman,” she replied.
I chuckled. “Who would have thought?”
“I did,” she answered as we walked down the stairs.
I gave her a doubtful look. “I didn’t give you much to go on.”
“I didn’t need it.” She leaned closer and whispered, “It was the spying through the trees that convinced me.”
I laughed and looked over to make sure her parents hadn’t heard. Mr. West stood next to his wife’s wheelchair. “Take good care of her,” he said when we reached the living room.
“I will, sir.” I replied solemnly. “I’ll have her back by midnight without a moment to spare.”
He looked at me like I had lost my mind. Madelyn laughed and pulled me toward the door. “Let’s go, Prince Charming.” I was tempted to bow at the door, but figured that would be pressing the act a little too far. Maybe Mr. West would decide the blow I had taken to the head rattled me a bit too much to trust me with his daughter.
We hurried down the steps and Madelyn burst out laughing. “My dad doesn’t know what to think of you.”
“I don’t know what’s become of me either,” I admitted. I opened the door to Uncle Rick’s truck that had been vacuumed and cleaned until it smelled like lemon polish. “You definitely bring out a different side of me.”
“I’m glad,” she replied. She kissed me on the cheek before she climbed i
nside.
I shut the door, feeling lighter than air, and was barely conscious of anything besides Madelyn’s hand in mine on the drive to the dance.
When we pulled up to the gymnasium, I opened the door to the truck and was about to climb out, but Madelyn grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back. Surprised, I turned and her lips met mine. I closed my eyes and kissed her back, taken completely by everything about her—her vanilla scent, the feeling of her hands tangled in my hair, the touch of smile that danced in her kiss, the soft brush of her hair against my hand as I held her waist.
She was my world, my soul, my everything. Madelyn completed me in ways I never thought I would be whole. She loved me for my weaknesses as much as my strengths, and I wanted to be my best self when I was with her.
Tears filled my eyes. Surprised, I blinked quickly and took a calming breath.
Madelyn sat back and looked at me as if I was all that mattered to her. Her eyes shone in the starlight that drifted through the window. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Her hand touched my chest. “You are more of a hero to me when you’re not dressed as the Black Rider,” she said. She gave a soft smile. “I hope you know that.”
I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against hers. I breathed deeply of her scent. The taste of her kiss lingered on my lips and I slipped my hands through her hair and held her close. “You are the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me,” I said, feeling laid bare but also completely myself.
I loved her. I knew it was too early to say it aloud, but it was true. I loved the girl in my arms with all my heart, and I would protect her from anything and anyone who would harm her. I would be the hero she deserved.
I kissed her gently on the lips. “I’m so happy you came with me tonight,” I said quietly.
“Me too,” she replied with her special smile.
I climbed out of the truck and couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face when I hurried around to open her door. I held out my hand and assisted her down, then escorted her to the gym.
When we stepped inside the high school gymnasium, we found it made over completely for the “Royalty for a Night” theme. Red and gold crepe paper streamers lined the double doors along with silver balloons and rose petals. Two teachers dressed in fancy tuxedos opened the doors. “Enjoy the dance, my lord and lady.”
Madelyn’s smile grew when we saw that the gym had been overhauled to look like the inside of a castle. Flowing posters painted like tapestries lined the walls amid painted bricks and vaulted windows. Streamers had been strung from each corner of the gym and were caught in the middle of the ceiling in a mass of pink, gold, red, and silver. Balloons drifted along the ceiling and were strung from various arches lined with silk flowers and silver ribbons.
Round tables with silver and gold cloths and electric candles stood in one corner made to look like a small dining hall. Teachers dressed in gowns and tuxedos watched over the purity of the punch, cookies, and finger sandwiches. A photographer motioned students over to a background made to look like Juliette’s balcony.
“This is amazing,” Madelyn said breathlessly next to me.
“Shall we, my lady?” I asked.
She nodded eagerly and I led her onto the ballroom floor. I couldn’t believe my luck in dancing with the girl of my dreams after everything that had happened. By all accounts, I should have died when I stopped the shooting. Every moment after I crashed to the ground in the middle of the livestock building was one I almost didn’t live to see. Dancing with Madelyn was a moment I would never forget.
I held her in my arms and memorized the soft fall of light across her cheeks. She gazed at me through lowered eyelashes, and my heart pounded in my chest loud enough that I thought she would hear it. Her fingers fit perfectly in mine; her other hand rested softly on my shoulder while mine held her waist.
We turned in time to the music. It wasn’t a proper dance, but it was ours and we laughed as we worked our way around other dancers in time to our own steps. There could have been no one else at the Senior Ball, for all I cared. The girl in my arms looked at me like I was the only person in the world. I couldn’t help myself; I lifted a hand and brushed her cheek with my fingers.
“What was that for?” Madelyn asked quietly.
“Just making sure you’re real,” I replied.
She smiled the warm smile she saved for me. “That was cheesy, but cute.”
“Like me?” I asked.
She shook her head, her eyes alive with laughter. “You’re not cheesy at all.”
“Oh, yeah? What am I?” I asked curiously.
She answered, as serious as I had ever seen her. “My personal knight in shining armor,” she said quietly. “You whisked me away from the worst situation of my life and gave me a new one worth living. My heart is yours forever, Kelson Brady.”
I stared down at her. Her love showed in her eyes. Her hands held me with familiarity and trust. There was no one else I wanted to be with. “My heart was yours from the first stitch,” I replied.
She laughed, a light, sweet, musical sound. “My green thread stole your heart?”
“Painfully,” I said with a wince.
She smiled. “You’re such a wimp.”
I nodded. “Tell me about it. Nobody else runs to their girlfriend when they get hurt.”
Her eyes widened. “Am I your girlfriend, then?” she asked with only a hint of teasing in her voice.
I watched her carefully. “If you’ll have me.”
Her smile grew. “Of course.”
“Just make sure you have plenty of green thread. I’ve been told I’m accident prone.”
She laughed and we spun in a circle, the lights of the ballroom flowing around us like stars in a midnight sky.
“This is amazing,” Cassidy said as she and Jeremy danced past us. “Thank you, Kel.”
“Anytime,” I replied with a smile. I was glad to see Jeremy had survived his encounter with Uncle Rick. Jeremy’s tie matched Cassidy’s deep green dress perfectly, and they made a cute couple as they twirled around in careless abandon.
Madelyn and I danced one song and were waiting for another to begin when someone ran into us.
“Watch where you’re going, idiot,” he said.
I winced when the impact jarred my ribs and looked over to see Magnum laughing with a girl named Jocelyn from my English class. He grinned. “I thought you were light on your feet, city boy.”
“You ran into us,” Madelyn reminded him.
He paused, then nodded. “I did, huh.”
Jocelyn looked between us with wide eyes. I was sure she expected him to lay into me, and the pallor of her face said she didn’t look forward to a brawl. Magnum jerked his chin toward the refreshments. “Let’s go get our ladies a drink.”
Madelyn smiled and took Jocelyn’s hand. “Come on. We’ll find a table.”
“Our ladies?” I asked Magnum when we were out of earshot.
He nodded. “I was told by a crazy guy on a motorcycle to try being nice sometime. Thought I’d give it a shot.”
“And?” I prompted.
He shrugged. “It’s not bad,” he said lightly.
I grinned and balanced a small plate of cookies in the crook of my arm, then took two cups of red punch. When we were walking back to the girls, I took a chance. “Your brother’s in school with my cousins.”
He glanced at me. “Yeah, so?”
I kept my face carefully expressionless. “I hear he’s following in his big brother’s old footsteps.”
He thought about it for a second, then nodded. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Thanks.”
“Nice tux, by the way. Trying to give your disguise away altogether?” he asked.
I glanced down at my completely black tuxedo and grinned. “Not exactly.” I gestured around the room, where about forty more students in black tuxedos danced and talked. “I think black’s the color of the evening.”
He rolled his eyes. �
��And who do you suppose is to blame for that? Now I look like an idiot.” He nodded at his standard black-and-white tuxedo.
“How’s that different from the way you normally look?”
“I would hit you if I wasn’t carrying punch,” he said.
I grinned. “Too bad.”
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Although, as I recall, someone spilled punch on me at a dance recently.”
I shook my head. “It won’t show up on my black tux.”
“Wanna bet?” he asked, gesturing with a cup.
I held up both of mine. “Ready when you are, blunderbuss.”
He laughed so loud he almost dropped both his drinks. “I hate you.”
“I know,” I replied with a grin.
We reached the table and sat down to watch the other dancers as we sipped our drinks.
Cassidy dragged Jeremy to our table, with Sandy and her date close behind. “Did you see this?” she asked, handing me Sandy’s phone.
“Bulldog Bulletin,” the top of the page proclaimed. I glanced at Madelyn and found her fighting off a smile. I warily scrolled the page down.
“Really?” The picture Martin used was the one the mother had taken in the hospital. The photo from her phone wasn’t the clearest, but it showed my black helmet and my jacket open to reveal the angry bruises across my chest. The boy at my side looked positively thrilled to be near me.
“He’s so brave,” Sandy said breathlessly from behind Madelyn.
I rolled my eyes and Cassidy laughed. Magnum tried to hold a straight face. “Read what he wrote,” he said.
I scanned the page. “The glass shattered inward as the Black Rider dove through on his motorcycle like a heroic modern knight fighting to save his kingdom. Shots sparked and deadly fireworks struck the motorcycle with impacts that echoed through the arena, but the Black Rider didn’t falter. He sailed through the air—”