Cold Case Reunion
Page 18
“Cat got your tongue or are you shy all of sudden?” Angelo asked, his tone hard.
“I want a lawyer,” Joseph said stonily, refusing to meet Angelo’s stare.
“All right. Keep your secrets. I’ve uncovered the ones that matter. You’re going to prison. Enjoy your very long incarceration. I know I’ll sleep better knowing you’re behind bars.”
“You don’t know a thing about what it takes to run a business in this economy. We scrabble for every dime. We employ hundreds of people, some of whom are your tribe members who’ve had to leave the reservation because there’s no money to feed their families, and here you judge me because I did what I had to do to survive and protect not only my livelihood but that of hundreds of employees? How nice a luxury,” Joseph ended on a sneer that made Angelo want to put his fist through the man’s mouth.
Angelo stepped forward, his fists clenched, but he kept himself from punching Reynolds. Still, he said, “You can shove that sanctimonious crap. You poisoned the very water that gave your tribe life. You killed the fish, sickened Hettie and Bunny, and God knows who else. You’re a parasite, willing to suck the blood of others, so don’t try and paint yourself into anything other than what you are. Get him out of my sight,” he growled.
“On your feet,” Grace said, jerking Reynolds up and propelling him forward. “You’re going for a ride, courtesy of the government.”
Sundance came to Angelo and clasped his shoulder. “You did it,” he said, approval deep in his tone. “You found justice for Waylon and the others. He can rest now, and so can you.”
Angelo looked to Sundance and knew he was staring at a man who was integrity personified, someone he’d be blessed to call his brother. But would Sundance welcome him in the same way?
“I’m going to marry her,” he said simply.
Sundance nodded gravely, then broke into a grin. “It’s about time. She’s been waiting long enough for you to come home. Her heart has always belonged to you, even if I didn’t want that for her at the time. But you’ve changed. You’re the man your grandfather had hoped you’d be. I’d be honored to call you my brother.”
Angelo’s breath caught in his throat.
“And I, you.”
Sundance smiled. “Then it’s agreed. Now you just have to convince Mya.”
“I think I may have an idea on how to do that.”
Sundance clapped Angelo on the shoulder and they left together while Grace transported the prisoner.
Each step felt lighter as Angelo realized he’d finally achieved closure and he was ready to move on—only this time it was in the right direction.
Mya grew stronger every day and Angelo had been a constant source of encouragement, whether it was coaxing her to eat her pudding or sternly seeing to it that she got her nap. She loved the attention, but she had to get out of this place, and pronto.
Which is exactly what she had in mind when Angelo walked in and found her dressed and waiting.
“What are you doing?” he exclaimed, not the least bit happy to see her up and about on her own.
“I’m perfectly fine. I feel like a prisoner. I need real food,” she said without apology. “Besides, I can rest better in my own bed rather than this creaky hospital bed.”
“I could arrange a different bed,” he offered helpfully, a suggestion she waved away with distaste. He frowned. “The doctor said—”
“I’m a doctor and I say I’m fine. I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I’m fine.”
“You were legally dead for eight minutes,” Angelo said.
“And now I’m completely alive and bored out of my brain. Now, either take me home or I will find someone who will.” She wasn’t taking no for an answer. If she stayed one more minute in this hospital bed she was going to become one with the mattress. “What’s it going to be?”
“You’re a terrible patient,” he grumbled and she grinned.
“I know. And I’m starved for something juicy and artery-clogging, like a fat steak or a ridiculously big hamburger with French fries smothered in ketchup.”
“Got your appetite back, I see,” he said.
“Yes, I did, and I’m not eating another tray of hospital food. I just won’t. So will you take me somewhere with good food?”
“Of course,” he said, smiling, but she could tell fear for her health held him back. She took a bold step toward him and wrapped him in a tight embrace before lifting on her toes to press a kiss to his lips, startling him, but she was pleased when his arms automatically folded around her. “You don’t fight fair,” he murmured against her mouth.
“I never said I did.”
“Okay, but we’re not staying out late. You’re back in bed right after dinner. The doctor said you need to take it easy.”
She figured she wasn’t going to win that argument so she agreed for the sake of keeping the peace, but inside she was restless. Being dead for eight minutes had given her a new perspective and a thirst for taking what she needed from life. And she needed Angelo. She wouldn’t live without him. Not that she couldn’t, just that she refused to. They’d already lost out on fifteen years together, she wasn’t about to lose out on another moment.
“I want a baby,” she said, nearly causing him to trip on his own feet. “I want your baby. Will you give me a baby, Angelo?”
Angelo’s mouth dropped open and something that looked a lot like joy and fear all wrapped in one expression filled his face. She smiled, knowing how he felt. “You don’t have to answer right this second—”
He startled her when he crushed her to him, claiming her mouth with an intensity reserved for souls lost and suddenly found, kissing her to within an inch of her life, until she was drowning in happiness.
He broke the kiss, reluctantly it seemed, but he murmured with heart-breaking honesty, “The answer is yes. Yes, Mya. God, yes. I want you to be the mother of my children. And to be my wife.”
Tears broke loose as the well she’d been stuffing all her hopes and dreams into burst and flowed over her.
She jerked a happy nod, admitting with a laugh, “Good. Because I wasn’t going to take no for an answer and it would’ve been pretty awkward when I tied you to my bed to get what I want.”
Angelo’s mouth tipped in a sensual grin that made her want to eat him up as he said, “That’s my woman. Strong and willful. Just the way I like her. Now, let’s make some babies.” He gave her a playful push toward the door with a pinch to her rear and Mya thought she’d never heard a more endearing statement.
Well, with the exception of what he’d said to her after putting away Randy Willets and Joseph Reynolds. “I want to be the man you think I can be. It’s time for me to come home.”
Epilogue
One year later…
Angelo settled into his restored cedar canoe, the cold of the morning air deceiving. He knew once he started paddling and the sun hit the sky full-force, any lingering chill would be burned away. He ran his fingers through the water, feeling his brother’s spirit beside him.
Porter slapped him on the shoulder good-naturedly. “You ready for this?” he asked.
Angelo laughed ruefully. “We’ll see.”
They had a small crew compared to some of the other participants in the Canoe Journey, but as he saw Mya on the shore, her large rounded belly protruding beautifully, he knew she was proud of him. He was making this journey in honor of his ancestors and his family. He’d lived too long shunning his heritage and all it entailed. He was ready to embrace who he was, and that included embarking on the annual Canoe Journey. Mya had wanted to go, too, but he’d persuaded her to cheer him on from the sidelines in deference to her pregnancy. His son grew in her belly and he’d take no chances with the safety of their child.
He’d taken his rightful place as Tribal Chief and although he remained an agent, he wore dual hats now. He put the needs of his tribe in the forefront of his mind, fighting for tribal land so they could grow strong again. He wanted to teach his son
to cherish his Native heritage and to have pride in his ancestry.
He would do all the things he’d been meant to do and he’d do them with honor and with Mya by his side.
His eyes misted as he stared out across the shimmering water of his homeland.
White Arrow had finally flown straight and true, returning to where he belonged—his native country.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0956-5
COLD CASE REUNION
Copyright © 2011 by Kimberly Sheetz
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^Native Country
**Mama Jo’s Boys
*Home in Emmett’s Mill
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue