Willow Smoke (50 page)

“You want deeper,” he
muttered, rising to his feet.

“Ah.”
Her
entire
body
smiled.
It
was
the
coupling
of
wild
horses.
He
slammed
into
her
with
a
fierceness
she’d
not
experienced.
She
greeted
each
thrust
by
arching
her
back,
taking
as
much
as
she
could
and
demanding
more.
She
wanted
to
swallow
him
up.
She
wanted
to
possess
him.
She
never
wanted
to
let
him
go.

It
couldn’t
go
on
forever.
He
let
out
ragged
breaths;
his
thighs
quivered
against
her
rear.
He
pulled
back
and
forged
ahead
again
and
then
her
world
exploded
into
reds,
greens,
and
whites.
No
longer
were
they
watching
the
lights.
No
longer
were
they transformed
by the lights. They
were
the
lights.

In some small corner of
her mind, she
was
aware
that
Nick
was
cradling
her
as
they
both
collapsed
to
the
sleeping
bags.
She
forced
her
eyes
open.
The
lights
were
gone.
They
had
disappeared
as
quickly
as
they
had
come.
She
couldn’t
be
sad
about
their
leaving,
for
she
had
been
royally
blessed
by
their
presence.

She
listened
quietly
to
Nick
struggling
for
breath. At last he spoke, “Now
that
was
primal.
Are
you
okay?
I
didn’t
hurt
you,
did
I?”

“I couldn’t be better.
Yes, that
was
memorable.
There
will
never
be
another
birthday
like
this
one.
You
can
stay
right
where
you
are
if
you
want,
but
I
think
I’m
going
to
sleep
now.”

“It’s a pretty little
town,” Daisy remarked,
peering out
at the main street and stores with old-time storefront facades.

Nick
nodded.
“Virginia’s
done
a
lot
to
maintain
its
small
town
charm.
It’s
a
mining
town,
actually.
Lumber
and
taconite
have
been
its
lifeblood.
Taconite
still
is.
This
whole
area
is
deservedly
known
as
the
Iron
Range.
According
to
old
timers,
the
Range supplied most of the iron ore needed
to support the World War II effort. Lot
of
Finns
and
Swedes
live
up
here:
hardworking,
nose-to-the-grindstone
kind
of
folk.”

“And
why
are
we
stopping
here?”

“I
want
to
say
hi
to
an
old
friend.
Missed him on my last trip
through.”

Daisy
grinned.
It
seemed
Nick
had
an
old
friend
just
about
everywhere
they’d
been.
They’d
stopped
at
an
Ely
outfitter
before
entering
the
Boundary
Waters
so
Nick
could
do
some
backslapping
and
find
out
what
kinds
of
bait
and
lures
the
fish
were
hitting.

Coming
back
from
Ely
on
their
way
to
Virginia,
not
far
before
the
divide
that
Nick
informed
her
was
the
point
where
waters
ran
north
instead
of
south,
he’d
pulled
off
the
main
road
onto
a
narrow
dusty
lane
and
stopped
at
a
small
farmhouse
seemingly
in
the
middle
of
nowhere.
An older
woman
had
come
out
and
greeted
Nick
like
he
was
a
long
lost
relative.
Turned
out
he
was.
She
was
an
older
cousin,
and
was
not
only
happy
to
see
Nick
and
his
friend
but
was
more
than
willing
to
have
Nick
collect
diamond
willow
branches
from
her
marsh.

After
sharing
a
glass
of
lemonade,
they were
on
their
way
again
until
he
turned
into
the
small
town
of
Virginia.
At
this
rate, they might not make it back to
Chicago
until
Christmas.
Idly,
Daisy
pressed
her nose
against
the
SUV
window,
trying
to
imagine what Christmas was like up here in
the north country. It must be pretty,
with
lots
of
white
snow.
She’d
always
enjoyed
the first snow of the season, but far
too
quickly
the
white
flakes
turned
into
blackened
mounds
that
she
had
to
climb
over
or
avoid
one
way
or
another.

Nick
angled
into
a
parking
spot.
“We’re
here.
Come
on.”

She
followed
close
behind
until
Nick
stopped
in
front of Witala’s Jewelry Store.
“You
have
a
friend
who
works
here?”

“Frank
owns
the
place.
We
go
back
a
long
way.”
Nick
grabbed
Daisy’s
hand.
She
allowed
herself
to
be
pulled
through
the
entryway.

“Well,
look
what
the
wind
blew
up
from
the
south,”
said
a
tall,
thin,
balding
man
standing
behind
a
counter
of
jewelry
displays.
He
was
beaming,
obviously
pleased
to
welcome
Nick.

The
two
men
shook
hands
and
slapped
shoulders.
This
was
a
man
ritual
with
which
Daisy
was
becoming
quite
familiar.

“Frank, want you to meet
my companion, Daisy.”

Daisy
shook
the
extended
hand
and
made
the
appropriate
grunts,
wondering
what
companion
was
supposed
to
convey.
Sounded
like
more
than
a
friend.
But
not
too
much
more.
She
could
live
with
that.
After
last
night,
Nick
could
call
her
most
anything
and
she’d
follow.

She
tried
to
plug
herself
back
into the
conversation.
The
men
had
gone
through
the
weather
and
sports.
She
figured
it
was
about
time
to
leave.

“So
what
do
you
have
in
necklaces,
Frank?”

Daisy
scowled.

“I can’t match your
taste or your billfold, Nick.”

“I’m not looking to
impress. I just want
to
see
if
you
have
something
that
can
be
a
memento of our trip.”

“I
don’t
need
another
memento,”
Daisy
protested.
“I have all kinds of memories.
And
you
took
loads
of
pictures.”

“How
about
something
with
an
opal?”

Frank
smiled
at
Daisy.
“The
man
can
be
stubborn.”

“I’ve
noticed.”

Frank
turned
and
walked
with
a
noticeable
limp
ten
feet
away
and
pulled
out
a
thin
oblong
box
which
had
not
been
on
display.
He
brought
it
back
to
where
they
stood
and
carefully
lifted
the
lid.
Five
pendants
were
richly
displayed
against
a
black
background
with
fine
gold
chains
tucked
underneath.

“Now
you’re
talking,”
Nick
declared.
“Looks
like
three
opals.”

Daisy
glared.
She
wouldn’t
know
an
opal
if
it
reached
up
and
bit
her.
They
all
looked
stunning.

Nick
plucked
one
from
the
box
and
held
it
up
so
the
light
played
off
the
jewel.
Daisy
gasped.
The
pendant
had
come
to
life.
Little
specks
of
red,
blue,
and
green
danced
across
a
white
background,
vividly
reminding
her
of
the
way
the
lights
had
danced
the
night
before
and
then
of
their
lovemaking.
She
knew
color
was
racing
from her ankles to her hair roots, but it
didn’t
matter.
Nick
was
right.
The
opal
was
a perfect memento of so very much.