The Ring of Fire: The Dragon Dream: Book Two Read online

  Angela played with the hair at the nape of his neck as their excitement slowly ebbed away. “Are you still going to the auction tonight?”

  “Yes,” he answered softly, lowering his head to hers. He hated leaving her any longer than he had to. “I’m not sure what time we’ll be back.”

  “Late, like usual.” Angela sighed. “Leaving after lunch, then?”

  “Yes, again.” He smiled, glad for this moment with her. As much for himself as for her, he reminded her, “Part of the business, honey.”

  “I know.” She smiled back at him. Once she used to see a shadow in his eyes when he was this close to her, but that had faded shortly before their marriage. Now there were only chocolate brown eyes shining with love for her. “I’ll wait up for you.”

  “You mean you’ll try,” he teased, the corners of his lips quirking with a smile.

  “I’ll try. You should set me down then, so I can dress for lunch. I doubt Nan would appreciate me showing up naked.”

  “Probably not,” agreed Craig. “I kind of like where you’re at though.”

  “Then you’ll be the one explaining to Nan why I’m late to lunch.”

  “I can do that.” His lips met hers again.

  2

  I t was nearing midnight when Craig and Rick Elliot, the ranch’s foreman, returned to the ranch. They hadn’t picked up much at the cattle auction, but the animals they’d chosen to purchase appeared to be good quality Angus steers. Expensive, but they did end up paying off in the long run. He especially appreciated the steaks which made their way to his own table.

  Driving up the long driveway to the ranch, Craig could see the faint glow of light from their bedroom’s second-level windows. He smiled, knowing Angela probably hadn’t been able to stay awake waiting for him. After dropping Rick off at the foreman’s house, the original ranch house before he’d built new, Craig traveled the rest of the way up to his home on the hill and pulled his pickup into the two-car garage as the automatic door finished swinging up. Angela’s car had been moved, he noted, and he wondered where she had been while he was out.

  Shutting the vehicle off and signaling the garage door to shut, Craig let himself in the side door leading into the kitchen. He took a moment to punch the needed code into the security system panel next to the door to let it know the opening of the door had been him, and to reset it. Twisting the lock in the door knob with one hand, he turned the deadlock bolt above it with the other.

  Nan had left long ago, her home one of the many buildings on the lower end of the ranch, and the rooms downstairs were dark except for the light above the sink. For reasons he didn’t dwell on for long, he had told Nan in the beginning to never turn the light above the sink off. It was best not to dwell on the past.

  He found Angela’s note on the refrigerator, where she usually left it for him on late nights like these. Notes left on the table still bothered her. He angled the note towards the light to read her smooth cursive penmanship.

  Craig, Hope the auction went well. I made a blueberry pie with a crunchy top. It’s in the fridge if you want a piece. I even ran out to 3Corners and got some of the French Vanilla ice cream we like to go on top. ♥ Angel

  Craig smiled as he folded the note and tucked it in the papers he was carrying. He wasn’t sure why he kept these little notes from his wife, but they always made him smile. Thinking it was too late for pie and ice cream, he headed upstairs after a quick stop in his office to drop the papers on his desk. He found his wife where he expected her, sprawled crosswise of the bed on her stomach; Angela’s hands still resting on her open laptop although she was asleep.

  Smiling gently, he pulled the laptop away from her and set it on her small desk in the corner. He woke it up long enough to see if she’d fallen asleep chatting with anyone. There was a chat window open to her sister Cassie, but nothing had been typed by either woman in over an hour.

  The last thing Cassie had typed was: You fell asleep on me – didn’t you? LOL!

  Chuckling, he typed a message back to Cassie since she remained online: That she did, Cass. She’s out like a light.

  He waited a moment to see if she’d send a reply.

  She did: lol hi Craig. Ange said you were at a cattle auction and you’d be home really late.

  “That I was,” he muttered softly. He typed: Yep. All ready for Jared’s graduation?

  There was a longer pause this time, but after a moment her reply popped up: Enough. Mom’s still upset b/c you and Ange are going to be staying in town, but she’ll get over it lol! Craig – do you mind if I ask you something?

  Wondering what he was setting himself up for, he typed his answer back and waited. He refrained from asking Cassie about the details of whatever was going on between Angela and their mother. He’d find out from his wife when she was ready to share. Although their marriage had originally brought all her walls down, some had come back up after her coma. It was hard for him, but he was determined to make his marriage work despite his wife’s limitations.

  Cassie sent: Well, I was wondering. It’s none of my business, but some people (you know who I mean) still run their mouths about my sister. When you two got married…was she really a virgin?

  “What?” muttered Craig in disbelief. Moving away from Tyler’s Grove was the best thing he’d ever done for his wife. Truthfully, the gossiping tongues of their small town had begun to wear on his nerves as well. Over half of his wife’s anxiety had eased within hours of leaving that place. Shaking his head, he decided to answer his sister-in-law’s question as truthfully as he dared: She was. We pushed the boundaries a few times, but we never crossed the line. Looking back, I’m not sure it was the right choice for us. I was more concerned with her reputation for her sake than with allowing us to love each other.

  Glancing at his sleeping wife, Craig waited for Cassie’s comment. He didn’t understand Tyler’s Grove’s continual obsession with his wife, especially since she hadn’t lived there in almost four years. Weren’t there other people to talk about? And why was his wife’s virginity ever their business?

  Looking back at the screen, he wondered if he should delete this portion of the conversation when they were done. It could do Angela more harm than good to see these words. Just the mention of Flo Jamenson was enough to set off a spraying fount of anger and spark a diatribe on gossip.

  Cassie’s reply popped up: Cool. But crap, I can’t even apologize to her for all the times I doubted her without telling her how I know! ☹ lol

  Craig smiled and replied: I’m sure she’s forgiven you anyway. She loves you a lot, you know. The dreamcatcher you gave her years ago for Christmas hangs in our bedroom by her side of the bed.

  Cassie: I hate that it took her accident for me to see how much I loved her, and to mend fences. She couldn’t help what she’d been through.

  Craig: Sometimes that’s what it takes for us to see what’s really important.

  Cassie: I suppose. Craig, can I ask you one more thing before I let you go?

  Craig sighed tiredly, looking at his sleeping wife. He typed: Make it quick, Cass. It’s late and I’d like to go to bed.

  Cassie: K.

  Craig waited patiently as she typed another message.

  Cassie: Did it ever bother you that people thought you were gay? I mean, obviously you weren’t, you were just waiting for the right woman to come along. But in a lot of ways, you kind of ‘came out’ as straight when you met my sister. Was it hard?

  Now there was a loaded paragraph. He tapped lightly on the keys, not pressing hard enough to type yet. Was it as simple as finding ‘the right woman’ before he could admit his sexuality? He doubted it. It wasn’t a conversation he’d ever have with his younger sister-in-law.

  Finally, he decided on an answer honest enough but didn’t reveal more than he wanted. He loved Angela’s sister as much as he did their brother Jared, but Cassie had no need to know any more intimate details than he’d already shared.

  He sent: What people tho
ught of me didn’t bother me because I knew the truth and the truth was none of their business. Was it hard to ‘come out’? Somewhat, but not because of what others thought. I worried more about what Angela thought about me because I didn’t want to lose her. Her opinion of me meant a lot to me. It still does, because she is my world. Is there a reason you ask?

  The pause stretched out, and while Craig waited for his sister-in-law’s answer, he left the laptop long enough to resituate Angela in the bed. She was limp with sleep and smelled like blueberries from her baking. His wife stirred slightly but didn’t wake as he drew the light covers over her. Quickly undressing to his boxers, Craig tossed his clothes in the hamper just inside the bathroom door before returning to the laptop.

  Cassie had sent a message, and then apparently gone offline. He wasn’t sure if it was because he’d taken too long to answer or because she was scared to face a reply. She’d sent: I’m just questioning things about myself…

  “Yeah, I bet you are,” murmured Craig. Knowing the message would be there the next time she logged on, he typed a response. What she needed to know was: Know that you’re loved by us no matter what answers you find.

  That accomplished, Craig turned the laptop off and closed the lid. Princess padded in from whatever corner she’d been hiding in, and Craig scratched the dog’s ears. She was the only shade of yellow he and Angela were able to tolerate, almost a dirty blonde had she been human. “Where were you hiding, girl?”

  The dog didn’t answer, of course, just accepted the affection before lying down in her dog bed placed at the end of their bed.

  Turning off the bedside lamp, Craig climbed into bed, drawing near to his wife. She turned into his embrace, and he smiled. Asleep or awake, he loved coming home to her.

  C raig was startled awake by his iPhone ringing. He didn’t remember setting an alarm. Half asleep, he flung out an arm to search for the smartphone as he searched the other side of the bed for his wife with his other hand. Angela was up and about; he knew she’d never wander too far, so he wasn’t worried. The ringtone faded away before he could find the phone, but instead of leaving a voicemail, the caller apparently decided to try again.

  His hand finally landing on the offending device on his nightstand, he answered it without looking at the caller ID. “What is it?” asked Craig, his voice thick with sleep.

  “Get down here now!”

  “Gary? What?” But the other had already hung up. Everything clicked at once, driving sleep from his brain more efficiently than coffee could.

  “Angela,” he breathed. Dropping the phone on the bed, Craig sprung to his feet and pulled on the pair of jeans he had placed in the hamper hours ago. Not bothering with a shirt, or socks, or shoes, he raced downstairs.

  It was early, not far past six. But if Angela’s anxiety was high, then time didn’t matter to her. And with the trip back to Tyler’s Grove looming, her anxiety had been at an all-time high despite the medication she took.

  Craig tore out of the front door of their home. Flying down the few steps of the porch, he immediately angled for the stables. Already he could hear a frantic horse, and before he was completely to the stables, he saw a bucking and angry horse released into the large pasture behind the stables. Recognizing the horse, his concern skyrocketed.

  Once inside the building, he knew where to go because everybody was standing around Buster’s now empty stall. For a moment he was worried he’d have to push his way through, but one of them noticed him and the small group of employees parted for him.

  Inside the stall, Craig’s heart thumped with new fear as he saw Gary helping Angela into a sitting position. Golden strands of straw stuck to her hair and clothing.

  “Don’t rush yourself, Angela,” Gary was saying as Craig knelt on the other side of the injured woman.

  “What happened?” Craig demanded, his hands brushing hair away from his wife’s face. His voice was tighter than he’d wanted. And no wonder, his heart was still pounding in fear.

  “Buster spooked,” answered Angela, clearly wanting to push both men away. “And I’m fine.”

  “Buster spooked,” Craig repeated blandly. He looked over at Gary, expecting more of an answer from his employee.

  The tanned man grimaced. “He spooked alright, and I have no idea why. When I got here, Angela was being crushed against the wall.”

  Craig looked at his wife, could see the embarrassment she was hiding beneath whatever pain she was in. “You’re fine?” he asked her. His fear was causing his voice to remain hard, and he couldn’t get it to gentle. “Nothing hurts, feels broken?”

  “Everything hurts,” the woman at the center of their attention admitted. “Nothing feels broken. I hit my head at some point – I have a headache. Does everyone have to stand so close?”

  Gary backed off immediately and set about dispersing the stable workers.

  Craig didn’t move. “Can you stand?”

  She shrugged and winced. “I think so. I haven’t tried yet.”

  “Let’s try,” he said, his voice finally gentling for her. As he helped her stand, he watched her face. “So, what happened?”

  Looking decidedly unsteady, Angela frowned up at him. “I wanted to go on a trail ride. I was going to try to leave before the grooms came on duty, so I was trying to put everything on in the stall. And I forgot Buster doesn’t like to be mounted from the left side.”

  “I see.” Why had he ever let her keep this horse?

  Gary grunted. “How hard is it to…”

  “Later,” commanded Craig. His voice turned hard when addressing the other man. “If I were you, I’d start working on breaking the horse of that trait.”

  The trainer’s face twitched in anger. “We have been working on it. It’s not my fault she…”

  “And I said later.”

  “Oh my God, I screwed up,” muttered Angela, hand to head. “I’m sorry.”

  Craig drew a deep breath, his eyes asking Gary to back off.

  “Leave Buster alone until I give you the go-ahead, Angela. Use Belle or Crescent for your trail rides,” snapped Gary. He turned quickly and strode away.

  Suppressing another sigh, Craig looked down at his hurting wife. Tension leaked out of him and was replaced with concern. “Let’s get you in the house, so I can put some clothes on and then we’ll go get you checked out.”

  Angela looked at her husband and saw for the first time his state of dress. Tears leaked out of her eyes as her lips trembled. “I woke you up. I was trying not to.”

  “Come on, honey.” He brushed stray pieces of straw off her as they walked out of the stall. It was a bad sign she hadn’t complained about going into the city to see her doctor. Tears of embarrassment aside, she must be hurting if she wasn’t complaining.

  “I want a shower first,” commented Angela.

  “No problem.” He should too. He’d skip showering with her, because if the way she was holding herself was any indication, she was hurting a lot more than she was letting on. He didn’t think she’d want any playing around in the shower.

  While Angela showered, Craig called Dr. Ryan’s home number. The doctor wouldn’t be in his office yet, but he’d long ago given Craig permission to call at any hour in the case of an emergency. The conversation was short and brief, with the doctor promising to see Angela as soon as they arrived at his office.

  Craig paused in the doorway to their bathroom as the shower shut off. “You’re going to bruise pretty badly,” he commented as he took in the marks already forming on her back.

  “Thanks for your assessment, Dr. Moore,” she teased, stepping out of the large shower and onto the thick blue bath mat.

  “No problem.” He watched her dry off, ignoring the hunger it sparked. There’d be time for that later. “If you were crushed up against the wall, how’d you hit your head?”

  His wife didn’t answer right away. She finished drying herself and tossed the towel into the hamper. “I fell when he reared. My head hit the floor. I
t’s my own fault. I was distracted, and I wasn’t paying attention like I should have been.”

  He had suspected as much. She was lucky she hadn’t been trampled beneath the horse’s hooves. “Why did you want to go on a trail ride so early?”

  “What is this? Twenty questions?” Angela started to walk past him, but his hands caught her gently. She turned into his ready embrace, tears falling on his bare skin as her arms slid around him. “I don’t want to go! Okay? I don’t want to stay in that town!”

  Running his hand gently over the back of her head, soothing her and feeling for a bump all in one motion, Craig said to her, “Your mom said we’re still welcome to stay at the farm. Something about a sleeper sofa?”

  “Yeah, I know. No chance of us having sex out in the open like that.”

  “What?” Craig asked, astonished.

  “Mom doesn’t want us having sex when we stay there. Which is a stupid rule because we’re married. It’s not like we never heard her and Dad when we were growing up. It’s why I talked you into going out to the truck last time we were there.”

  “Are you…” He didn’t finish his thought. How was he supposed to respond to something like this? Especially when he agreed with his wife. “We could cut the trip short. We don’t have to stay the entire time we were going to.”

  “That’s not fair to you,” replied Angela, trying to swallow her tears. “And Pat would give me grief. Can’t avoid our problems, and crap like that.”

  Craig chuckled. “I’ll do whatever I think is best for you, Angel. Not what Pat thinks is right, or anyone else.”

  “Oh, you think you know better than my doctor?” She looked up at him, a glimmer of humor returning.

  “Well,” he drew the word out. “I do live with you. I might not know all the medical terms, but I know you.” Angela smiled at him, and he knew everything was going to be alright. “Come on, Angel. Get dressed and I’ll shower. Dr. Ryan’s expecting us.”