Mute

Surprise!

        “Jace.” He didn’t realize he had closed his eyes and was nearly asleep when she softly said his name.

        “Yes, Sam?”

        “Did I do right?”

        “Of course you did Kitten.” He stroked a hand up and down her back, “did I do good for you?”

        “Yes.”

        “Hold that thought.” He sat up, she watched him in curiosity, and dug through his jeans pocket for something. “Got you.” He turned back to her then, he was sitting on one knee. “I need to ask you something Sam.”

        She nodded.

        ‘Will you marry me?’ He signed silently.

        ‘Me?’ She asked. He nodded. He opened the ring box she hadn’t seen and pulled the ring out. He held it out to her. “Yes.”

        He pulled her to his chest to kiss her longingly, when they pulled away he put the ring on her finger. He memorized how she looked at this very moment, satisfied and happy. His thoughts flitted back to a few short weeks ago, when he almost lost her and everything he had ever wanted.

        “Jace,” her hand on his cheek as she softly called his name drew him back to here and now. His gaze fell to her icy blue eyes. ‘Stop thinking about that.’ Her fingers chided him, he chuckled as nodded.

        “I don’t want you to sleep out here tonight, kitten.” He kissed her nose tenderly. “You could catch cold sleeping naked.”

        ‘I don’t want to sleep alone, any more.’ She pleaded.

        ‘You won’t.’ He kissed her slowly, “I cant sleep alone anymore either.” He watched her as she got dressed again, he had come entirely too close to losing everything. “Sam. Are you busy tomorrow?”

        ‘No.’

        “What about Dad?”

        ‘Not that I know of, why?’

        “We are getting married tomorrow, that’s all.” He said it casually, she nearly fell over trying to put her boots back on. She looked at him like he wore three heads. “I am serious. I already talked to the preacher in town, he will be here around eleven in the morning.”

        ‘But? I don’t understand.’

        “What is there to not understand. I love you, I refuse to go one more day without you carrying my name with you. Please tell me you will marry me tomorrow?” He pulled her into his arms, his eyes pleading with her not to break his heart.

        She searched his eyes, he was desperate. She had been scared to death that she had lost him as he had laid in her lap about to bleed to death. Sure they had only just gotten engaged, and had s*x, but she couldn’t bear to lose him either. Tears sprang to her eyes as she nodded, “Okay.”

----------One month later-------

        Jace was almost to the foot of the stairs when there was a knock on the door. “I got it.” He yelled back up the stairs, Sam and Jason had yet to emerge for breakfast yet. “Morning, can I help you?” He tried to fight the urge to bristle at the sight of the badge staring him right in the face, the badge of one the state troopers from the showdown with Sand.

        “Jace Cantrell?”

        “That’s me,” he felt Sam’s small hand gently touch his shoulder, he shook his head to her to wait. “What can I do for you?”

        “Jeremiah?” Jason asked from the stairs.

        “Morning Jason, Mrs. Cantrell,” The man cleared his throat. “I know it is early. I was hoping to be able to talk to Jace about something important.”

        “Come in, we were fixing to eat breakfast, care to join us?” Jace stepped back and invited the young man in with a wave of his hand. The man whipped the trooper hat off and tucked it under his left arm as he stepped inside and Jace shut the door.

        “Just a cup of coffee, please.” The trooper insisted.

        “Have a seat Jeremiah,” Jason took his coffee cup from Sam, taking a swig and asking. "What brought you out this far so early in the morning?”

        “Well, Jace it’s like this.” The young man sat the hat on the table and folded his fingers around the coffee cup. “I have been talking to your boss at the F.B.I, and…”

        “Former boss, I retired. Or didn’t they tell you that?” Jace sat back in his chair, one hand gripping the coffee in his hand to keep from wanting to wring the kids neck.

        “Yeah, they told me. It surprised me, to be honest. But that kind of makes what I got to say a lot easier.” The kid finally worked up the courage to look Jace in the face. “It seems that the state is in desperate need of a new sheriff for this county and pretty much the whole staff under him.”

        “Yeah?” Jace asked, his eyebrow rose in peaked curiosity. “What about it?”

        “I have been put in charge of trying to find a guy for the job. I was pointed in your direction. Since you are now a permanent resident of the aforementioned county and, after what I saw that day. I know that you are the man for the job.”

        “I thought they had finally gotten around to charging me for what I did to Sand that day.” Jace let out the breath he had been holding with a sigh. “The state really wants me to take the job?”

        “They sent me to you directly. They looked through all of the trooper eye witness reports from that day, and even the few deputy accounts reflected the same things. The official ones and unofficial ones. They want someone that the druggies and criminals would be afraid of.”

        “That sounds like you Jace.” Jason laughed, slapping the table as he chuckled. Jace couldn’t help but grin, word had gotten back to him several times of the stories floating around of him.

        “The truth is, I am taking over this district of the state. I want someone I know I can trust. Someone I know won’t get mixed up in stuff like the last sheriff did.” He looked up from the coffee in his hand,       “Someone I wouldn’t mind working with closely.”

        “You are looking to clean up this area then I take it?” Jace asked.

        “I am,” He cleared his throat when he looked past Jace and saw Sam watching him. “I know you just got married, but this needs done quickly. I will give you some time to think about it, I will be in touch.”

        “NO.” She startled them all, the trooper half way up from his seat. Jace and her father turned to her then, her hands flying a mile a minute.

        “Slow down, not so fast.” Jace stood and stopped her hands, “start over.”

        ‘Take the job. You should take the job, Jace.’

        “I told you I was here for you now. That’s why I retired from the agency.”

        ‘I can tell how antsy you have been. Daddy used to be that way, you need to do something with yourself, take the job. I think you would be a good sheriff.’

        “But, I would be right back in a world that could bring danger back into your life. Long hours and hard work aren’t the only thing that come with being a sheriff.”

        ‘I know that you would make this the safest place to live possible, especially for your baby.’

        “What did you just say?” Jason was on his feet, the trooper at a complete loss, and Jace was frozen in shock. “Sam, are you saying what I think you are saying?”

        She spread her fingers over her lower belly and stretched her arm out, the sign for pregnant. ‘I want a safe place for my baby.’

        “I’m sorry, I must be missing something here.” The trooper cut in, he looked uncomfortable.

        “I’ll take the job, I have a few provisions. But that can be discussed later.” Jace snapped back to himself, “my wife is right. We need to have a safe place to raise our kid.”

        “Oh.” The realization sunk in to the kid, “OH! Certainly, I will be in touch soon. Ma’am, Jason. Have a great day.” The kid high tailed it out and shut the door behind himself.