Meadow's Keep (The Gatekeepers Series) (42 page)

BOOK: Meadow's Keep (The Gatekeepers Series)
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Tears of joy made Morgan’s eyes glisten like emeralds as she spoke.
“Dorian and I would like it if you, Jasmine, and you, Eryk, would consent to be our children’s godparents. Eryk, you need to understand that, for Ruthorford descendants, it’s a contract. You will agree to be a part of our children’s lives forever. We understand if you need to think it over. But we wanted to ask the two of you formally, in front of all of our families.” Sudden realization struck Morgan and she blushed, realizing that Eryk’s parents weren’t present. “Oh, Eryk…I didn’t mean….” She shut up and looked at Dorian.

“It’s all right.
It’s been some time since I was even a little bit close to the people that raised me. No offense taken.” He looked at Jasmine.

Jasmine could feel his heart beating fast.
Taking a chance, she reached out and slipped her hand into his, waiting for their hearts to acclimate.
I would love to, if you would.
She formed the words in her mind and willed him to hear her.

Eryk squeezed her hand. “We would be honored
,” he answered for both of them.

Mike Yancy stepped into the room, carrying a
tray with glasses and a bottle of champagne. He popped the cork, filled the glasses, and passed them around, giving Morgan a small amount. He raised his glass. “To our newest descendants.” The glasses were clinked and sips taken, followed by sounds of pleasure.

“Bask sent it,” Mike confessed. “You don’t want to know how much it costs.”

****

Jasmine was holding little Thomas when she looked over at the bed. Morgan was sound asleep. Becky was sitting beside the bed rocking Melissa, while
Talbot looked on, the movement of the rocker beating out a slow rhythm. Dorian and Eryk stood to the side whispering. The doctor reached over and eased Thomas from her arms. “I want to have a last look before I head home.”

From the doorway came Teresa’s voice
, barely above a whisper. “Why don’t you stay at the Bed & Breakfast tonight? That way you can check in on them in the morning. There’s plenty of room at the Inn,” she joked.

She turned to
Jasmine and spoke softly, watching Eryk as he paid attention to all conversations. “Food’s set up downstairs. Be sure and get something to eat before you head over to the cottage. Oh, I put some things in the fridge over there for tomorrow, in case you don’t want to come over here first thing. Becky and Talbot are planning to stay in the guest room to help out for a few days.” Eryk nodded slightly to acknowledge Teresa without turning away from Dorian.

The room had quieted and the
stress of the day finally took its toll on Jasmine. She swayed slightly, grabbing the bedframe. In a heartbeat, Eryk was by her side, holding her arm. “Let’s get you over to the cottage. I’ll come back for some food. If I remember correctly, there’s a great looking claw-foot tub over there calling your name.”

“I’d like that. Thank you.”

Dorian stepped over and kissed her on the cheek. He was still grinning like a fool.

“Congratulations, old man
,” Eryk whispered. “Give Morgan our love. If you need us, call. We can manage the shop for you.”

“I just might do that. Thanks for being here with us and thanks for consenting to help us raise our children.” He
turned and embraced his brother.

Jasmine felt the tears well and turned toward the door.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Eighteen

 

 

The light filtered in through lead paned windows, casting an early morning glow across the
quilt. She’d always loved the cottage, even though it contained the ever-present threat of the portal. She’d never felt threatened. Jasmine stretched out her cramped muscles. She’d nearly fallen asleep in the tub when Eryk helped her out, dried her with the lavender scented towel and slipped the nightshirt over her head. The last thing she remembered was him pulling the quilt up as she slipped into lavender scented dreams.

Now the smell of coffee teased her senses and she looked toward the open French doors. Eryk stood watching her, holding two mugs of coffee
.

He stepped into the room. “Feel better?”

She pushed the pillows back and sat up. “Much. Thank you.”

He handed her a mug of coffee and sat on the edge of the bed facing her. “Jenn called on your phone after you went to sleep. I hope you don’t mind, she told me about your day. Considering all you dealt with, I suppose running interference with my bullshit didn’t help.”

Jasmine’s first thought was to say she didn’t know what he was talking about. But she knew for a fact that more bullshit wouldn’t make things easier. “I’m better now.”

“We need to talk.”

Jasmine set her mug on the bedside table. It was always better not to have scalding liquid in your hands when you got bad news. Likewise, Eryk put his on the table beside hers.

“The
re was a reason I was acting so weird yesterday. I got here in the morning. I’d spent the entire day with Dorian and Morgan, watching them prepare for the birth of their children, watching them loving one another.”

Her gut clinched.
It was too much for him. He wants out. Oh God…there was no out.

Eryk grabbed her shoulders. “No! Don’t do that. Let me have my say.”

“How come you can read me so well and I can’t read you?” She knew she sounded childish but, suddenly all her defenses were flying up. And…he looked so gorgeous. His hair was still damp from his shower and he wore a teal colored sweater that threw blue lights into his eyes. He’d even shaved. She felt the lust start moving through her veins and she closed her eyes.

She felt Eryk lean his forehead against hers and felt his breath upon her face.
Please don’t give up, yet, she prayed.

“I’m not giving up, you little fool. I’m trying to tell you I love you.”
He whispered the words.

Her eyes flew open
. “You don’t want to leave? But, yesterday—it felt like you were backing off.”

“I was. I’d realized how much I loved you and was afraid you’d sense it and
rebuff me.”

“Rebuff? Who says that anymore?” She laughed and laced her fingers together behind his head, pulling him to her
as she scooted down in the bed. “Rebuff—my ass.” She pulled his mouth to hers and let all the passion she had stored rush from her and encompass him. Slowly the passion eased and she found she was making love to him, sharing her being and her soul. With every touch and taste, she gave of herself. She traced and memorized the hard grooves of his muscles and the texture of his skin. She inhaled the scent of him and stroked his velvet hardness. She moved on top of him and eased him into her body, making him her own. When the world exploded around them, they truly became one. “Eryk, I love you,” she whispered.

“Look,” he
whispered, with gentle fingers, turned her head toward the great room.

All the stones in the cottage glowed in a soft iridescence, as though
faeries had sprinkled their world with faerie dust. She smiled and nestled closer. They were one.

****

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Jasmine asked as Eryk helped her into the Jeep. The day was sunny and the wind light. A perfect “Jeep” day, meant to be spent riding through the country with the top down.

“It’s fine. Morgan’s up and about. Becky and Talbot are still here and Teresa’s on call, should anything happen. Relax. We’ll only be gone a couple of hours at most.”

“But where are we going?” She turned to him.

He smiled. She sat next to him
wearing brown pants topped with a rust colored cowl-neck sweater, slipping off one beautiful shoulder. Gold loops hung from her small ears. He leaned over and kissed her full mouth. God, he would never get enough of her. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, now would it.”

She shrugged and decided to enjoy the day and the ride with the man that continued to amaze her. Jasmine leaned back and glanced at the canopy of trees
stretching over the country road. The colors were vibrant, having come to their fullest when the cold snuck in several days ago, right after the babies’ births. It was even cool enough to have a fire in the fireplace.

She almost felt guilty. Everything was going so well, they were barely needed. Well, except to take pictures. They must have downloaded hundreds and
, with every phone call, Jenn wanted more. Lily had a million questions and had decided, like it or not, she was Aunt Lily and was awaiting, none too patiently, for an invitation to visit. Soon, they promised. Very soon.

Eryk stopped at a railroad crossing, easing over the rusted tracks. Farther in, he passed through an old covered bridge to emerge into a small, deserted town. The center of town was cobblestone
, heading off in four directions; each intersection had a handmade stop sign, now faded. Long forgotten overhead lines dripped with vines. He pulled the Jeep to the side and helped her out.

She looked around. An old brick building stood on one corner, its double wooden doors closed. Next to it sat a squat log
structure, proudly proclaiming itself the library. Across the narrow street was a row of shops, a hodgepodge of various designs, some cottages, a couple of brick, another log. Tall trees lined the streets for as far as she could see, their branches reaching toward one another to form a canopy. A smattering of buildings dotted the distance.

She turned to Eryk. “What a marvelous place. How did you find it?”

“Bask,” he said simply.

She stepped into the middle of the intersection, looking first one direction, than another, and heard the screech of a hawk. Looking upward, she watched the bird circle and dip before disappearing into the trees. Smiling, Jasmine turned to
Eryk. Her smile faded as she picked up the hammering of his heart. Tilting her head, she waited, suddenly unsure.

“When we were at Meadow’s Keep,” he began, his voice cracking ever so slightly, you talked about wishing there was a place where people could go to start over. Somewhere, other than a halfway place. You talked of what people needed and about second chances. I looked into some things. I pulled some strings. I took a chance with you as you took a chance with me. Let’s give it to others.”

Smiling, hope in his eyes, he held out a large, old-fashioned key. “Welcome to your own Meadow’s Keep.”

She looked from him to the key and back to his smiling eyes. In two strides, she was in his arms, laughing, crying, and loving the man who had become her other half.

 

 

To Second Chances

 

 

Coming in 2014

from Shanon Grey

 

Second Chances

The GateKeepers, Book Three

 

 

“The body’s gone.”

“What’d you mean, ‘the body’s gone’?”

“Did I sound like I stuttered?”

No. Definitely not. Kristoff Bask wasn’t one to stutter. Or mince words, for that matter. Mike Yancy squinted, his thumb and forefinger pinching the bridge of his nose, and tried to focus on the old wind-up clock sitting on the bedside table, atop a mound of dusty medical journals. 4:47 in the friggin’ morning. Well, at least it wasn’t 3, like the last time Bask had deemed whatever it was an emergency. Mike couldn’t remember what that was for the life of him and it’d been last week.

Bask was talking, as was his bent, never waiting for the other person to catch up.

“…when Jim left at 11 last night, it was still…”

“You had Jim work ‘til 11?”

“I did not…not exactly…I just thought it would be better to get the autopsy done as soon as possible.”

Was that hesitancy Mike heard in the old man’s voice? Couldn’t be he was getting soft. “I’ll be there as soon as I get some clothes on.”

The line went dead. No goodbye, kiss my ass, nothing. Mike pulled his aching body up from the side of the bed. God, what possessed him to up the weights last night? He rubbed the small of his back as he grabbed his khakis off the back of the chair. For a man in his fifties, he considered himself in good shape, especially for a doctor who had no life of his own. Why on God’s green earth he’d decided to beef up his workout…. Who was he kidding? It was because Teresa Abbott Ruthorford was a free woman. Well, almost. Once they recovered Bill’s body—again.

 

STAY TUNED FOR A RELEASE DATE IN EARLY 2014!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

 

Shanon Grey
weaves romance and suspense with threads of the paranormal. THE SHOPPE OF SPELLS was the first in her series, THE GATEKEEPERS, about the quaint town of Ruthorford, Georgia and its very special inhabitants. PENNYROYAL CHRISTMAS ~A Ruthorford Holiday Story~ gives another insight to Ruthorford’s special descendants. Under contract with Crossroads Publishing House, her books are available in e-format and print at most booksellers.

Shanon spent her life on coasts, both the beautiful Atlantic and the balmy Gulf. Hurricane Katrina taught her the fragility of life and the strength of friendship, family, and starting over.

She just found out that her son salvaged notes and pages of her original novel, Capricorn’s Child, which she thought had been destroyed with everything else. (Ironically, a neighbor found her marriage certificate in a tree.) She plans to resurrect her original novel one day.

She currently lives in Coweta County, Georgia, trading the familiarity of the coast for the lush beauty and wonder of the mountains, where her husband fulfilled her lifelong dream—to live in a cottage in the woods, where inspiration abounds.

 

 

Stay up to date on other Shanon Grey books and events by visiting her website at:

 

www.ShanonGrey.com

 

You can also visit Shanon on Facebook and Twitter @ShanonGrey
.
She would love to hear from you. You can write her at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

 

SHANON GREY's BOOK LIST

Pennyroyal Christmas ~ A Ruthorford Holiday Novella

The Shoppe of Spells ~ Book One ~ The GateKeepers

Meadow’s Keep ~ Book Two ~ The Gate
Keepers

Coming Soon

Second Chances ~ Book Three ~ The GateKeepers

 

 

 


Crossroads Publishing House thanks you for spending your time with
Meadow’s Keep.

 

We invite you to visit our website to learn more about our quality Trade Paperback and Digital Book selections at www.crossroadspublishinghouse.com

 

 

Nancy Naigle

Out of Focus

 

Johnson Naigle

inkBLOT

 

Sam Phillips

BATTLE OF MIAMI

and the

Rick Cunningham Suspense Novels

Deadly Voyage

Deadly Friendship

 

 

 

BOOK: Meadow's Keep (The Gatekeepers Series)
12.73Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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