My mouth hung open all the way to the floor. Like cartoon all the way to the floor. It was Darby! He was all smiles and leaning in through the doorway. Tears started streaming down my face. I couldn’t speak. My breath started coming in gulps.

  “Susan, honey, what’s wrong?” he asked with bewilderment in his voice.

  I threw my arms around his neck and sobbed. “Darby, I thought you were dead. I thought you died beside me in the barn last night. Nobody told me you were alive.”

  He held me close and tried to comfort me. “Oh, Susan, honey, that’s horrible. I’m sorry.” He hugged me especially hard, and then stepped back saying with a goofy grin on his face, “Look at me. I’m fine. And believe it or not, I think I came through it all better than you did.”

  I looked at him through tears and asked with disbelief, “How? How could you have? You were so weak, and you could barely walk or help yourself.”

  “I know,” he said in amazement. “They didn’t hurt me, but they wouldn’t give me any food, and I had very little water since Tuesday morning. The doctor told me that prior to the fire and smoke, my breathing was already shallow. I took in less smoke than you did. Somewhere along the way, I simply passed out. After a night of IV fluids at the hospital, and a good breakfast this morning, I’m as good as new.”

  I was gaining control over my emotions, and I sat down on the sofa. Darby went looking for a box of tissues and brought one back for me. I blew my nose and wiped my eyes.

  He sat down beside me. “Detective Bentley thinks you and Samantha interfered in an F.B.I. investigation, and your plan was a hare-brained idea. But because they caught all of the people involved with the jewelry theft ring, and they found the microchip in the necklace with a ton of information on it, they aren’t going to press any charges. Detective Bentley is going to stop by today to talk to you, but I don’t want you to worry about it. If he tries to scare you, he’s just playing games.”

  I blew my nose again, nodded at him, and said, “Thanks.”

  “Susan,” he said putting his arm around me and pulling me close to him again, “I think you were really brave. There aren’t any words to tell you how grateful I am that you tried so hard to save me. I’m sorry all of this happened. If I wouldn’t have made you come with me to New York, none of this would have happened.”

  “Maybe,” I told him. “But I really did have a blast in New York, and if none of this would have happened now, something worse might have happened down the road as the Angelo Brothers got more deeply involved with the jewel thieves.”

  He looked down, giving that some thought. His head snapped up, and he said with a big grin, “I’ll tell you what. I’m going to run down to the market. You just stay put in your comfy robe and sexy underwear, and I’ll go get stuff to make us dinner this evening. I’ll make something special to celebrate that we’re both alive and well and ready for our next adventure.”

  Oh my gosh! I was never going anywhere with Darby again. It was simply too dangerous. I looked down and saw my robe had come open from all of the hugging, and Darby could easily see my underwear. This satin robe never did stay tied. For a change, I didn’t blush. At least I had underwear on, and it was Darby after all. I pulled my robe closed, laughed, and told him, “Dinner sounds wonderful, and I’m sure I’ll be dressed by then.”

  He gave me a kiss on the nose and let himself out with a cheerful, “I’ll be back in a little bit. Don’t go anywhere.”

  I leaned back against the sofa and closed my eyes. I couldn’t believe the roller coaster ride I had just been on. I had been in the depths of despair one minute, not wanting to face life at all, and on a high the next, my best friend come back to life. I was absolutely drained.

  There was a knock at the door. Darby had either forgotten to tell me something or it was Detective Bentley. I stood up and opened the door.

  There stood Mick with an armful of flowers. He was smiling with a smile that sent a warm sensation throughout my body. “Can I come in?” he asked hesitantly.

  Not trusting my voice, I simply nodded and stepped back.

  He came through the doorway and asked, “How are you feeling? Dr. Maxim said you’re going to be fine.” He handed the flowers to me. Not only were they beautiful, but there were Black-eyed Susans throughout. He knew they were my favorite flower.

  I set the flowers on the dining room table. I wasn’t sure what to say to him as I didn’t quite know why he was here. When I saw him at the hospital, and all he said was “I’m sorry,” and I thought he might be pulling away even more. I took his sorry to mean he simply couldn’t do this any longer.

  I was still turned away from him and facing the dining room table. He gently took me by the shoulders and turned me to face him. He was smiling at me, but there was sadness in his eyes, too. He reached his hand up to gently stroke my cheek where it had been bruised. I could tell it grieved him to see it.

  “Susan, I have to talk to you.” He said it with such heaviness, I braced myself for the end. “I know I appear deep in thought to you at times, and I am. You’ve been taking it as my wanting to leave you, or push you into sex, or both. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

  I stared deeply into his eyes, trying to determine if he meant what he was saying.

  “I didn’t want to come on too strong emotionally to you,” he said. “I was afraid if I tried to put into words how I felt about you, it might push you away. I wasn’t sure what type of a commitment you wanted from me.”

  I didn’t say anything. I kept searching his eyes.

  He put his hand up and slipped it gently along the side of my neck and under my hair. He said lovingly, “Sweetheart, I’ve been trying to find the words to tell you how madly, how desperately, how deeply I have fallen in love with you, and I’ve wanted to ask you if you feel some of that love for me.”

  I was stunned and relieved at the same time. “Oh, Mick.” It came out as a pent-up sigh. I must have been holding my breath. I couldn’t help the tears that slipped out, and I said softly, “I love you, too. I love you just as much.”

  He reached into his jacket pocket. My eyes popped wide, and my mouth fell open again. He was holding the simple, elegant solitaire from the Angelo Brothers store in New York. He dropped to one knee, gazed up at me and said, “Susan Hunter, would you do me the honor of making me the happiest man on planet and marry me?”

  I didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes!” I squealed through happy tears. “Yes, Mick, I will!”

  He stood up and slipped the ring onto my finger. His eyes had the amused look in them I loved so much. It was how he looked when he was especially happy. He was beaming. I looked at the ring and couldn’t believe it was on my finger. “How did you know?” I asked him.

  He shook his head, laughed, and said, “After our conversation when you were going off the deep end by a hot dog vendor, and then you wouldn’t answer my call later, I called Darby on Monday morning. We had a little talk, and he filled in some of the blanks for me as to why you were so freaked out about our relationship. Since he has the new job with the Angelo Brothers, I asked him about a ring, and he said he knew just the one you wanted. He helped me to get it here from New York. I had no idea both of you would try to get yourselves killed before I could ask you to marry me.”

  I sighed and leaned into him, putting my head on his shoulder. I was happy. In my bare feet, I had to go up on tiptoe just a bit to kiss him. He kissed me back, gently at first, then much harder. Fireworks shot off throughout my body. All of my senses were instantly heightened. He smelled wonderful, and I took a deep breath wanting to melt into his strong arms and never leave. I could feel his fingers slipping through the opening of my robe that was no longer tied. I could feel his warm hands on the small of my back pulling me closer to him. I didn’t pull away. Darby was right. It was time to put this fire out.

  ###

  Easy-breezy reading from Breezy Books!

  Sunshine Hunter, A Susan Hunter Mystery #1 – Athletic and attractive, Susan Hunter just wants to have a normal life. Working in a weight-loss center by day and a racquetball club by night, she enjoys her life, the sport, and her friends. … When she finds out her new boyfriend of three months is actually married, she bolts with her best friend to Florida for a week. But someone has followed them, and they are now being stalked. To make matters worse, a murder has been committed back home in Carbide City, and Susan is involved. … Humorous, sometimes ominous, Sunshine Hunter is entertaining and perfect for summer reading!

  Big Apple Hunter, A Susan Hunter Mystery #2

  Sin City Hunter, A Susan Hunter Mystery #3 – Working in a weight-loss center by day and a racquetball club by night, Susan Hunter enjoys her life, the sport, and her friends. … She’s in Las Vegas for ten days of work and play. Her parents come in from Dallas to spend some time with her and have their own fun. But fun turns to terror for Susan when a magic act goes wrong. … When a man is murdered, Susan knows who did it. Unfortunately for her, the killer knows that she knows. Her actions in Sin City ultimately put not only her own life on the line but that of Mick’s as well. … Humorous, sometimes ominous, Sin City Hunter is entertaining and perfect for summer reading.

  Big Easy Hunter, A Susan Hunter Mystery #4 – Working in a weight-loss center by day and a racquetball club by night, Susan Hunter enjoys her life, the sport, and her friends. … When Susan is accused of being a cat burglar, and a serial rapist is on the loose over by the mall, she takes off for New Orleans to attend a wedding and finds even more trouble in The Big Easy. … Humorous, sometimes ominous, Big Easy Hunter is entertaining and perfect for summer reading.

  Breezy Books - www.breezybooks.com

 

 

  Maddie Cochere, 2 Big Apple Hunter

 

 

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