Home at Last [Davis Hollow, Davis Ranch 1] (Siren Publishing Allure) Read online

  Iona said nothing. There were no words. She hugged Cynthia, went to the bathroom and took a long shower, and shaved everything that needed it. She kissed Buster and Bunny good-bye and got into Cyn’s car. She stopped before she got too far down the road to turn around to look at the house that had held so many memories, both good and bad. She looked at the mountains that had held her pain in their beauty and she said good-bye to them all.

  * * * *

  Vanessa and Clint were chatting over coffee when Iona walked into the diner. “Damn, cuz, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Clint hugged her close. He shook hands with Vanessa, arranging for someone to drive the car back to Iona’s house and pick up Cyn. He bundled Iona into another rented Mercedes, an SUV this time. In the back were three stacks of warming containers that smelled like a variety of cobblers.

  By the time they reached Charleston, a storm front that had been predicted moved in. The plane waited for three hours before the pilot was comfortable taking off and even then, Clint and Iona spent most to the time taking tequila shots, and she smoked a lot. Once at DFW, the snow was drifting lightly but steadily down. They sang carols off-key and loudly for the three-hour trip to the ranch. Clint sat in back while a ranch hand handled the driving.

  Iona barely noticed their arrival at the ranch. Clint and Otis, the driver, stowed the cobblers in the kitchen before he came back to help her out of the Range Rover. She stumbled up the stairs, doing a drunken tiptoe into CJ’s room. She clumsily took off her clothes, carefully lifted the sheets, and settled into the bed.

  “You are gonna have such a hangover tomorrow,” CJ rumbled as he positioned her closer to him, snuggling her head under his chin. “What were you thinking, Lil Bit?”

  “That I can’t live without you. That I don’t want to try. That I want to come home wherever you are for however long you want me. But right now I’m thinking the bed is spinning.”

  Iona lurched out of the bed and hit the toilet just as all of her meals from the past few days came up.

  “You are so in trouble but I guess I can wait ’til tomorrow to spank your ass. You lost weight. You’ve been drinking and smoking to excess and not taking care of yourself, but, Iona, there is nobody else I want to spend the rest of my days with.”

  “Me either. I’d kiss you but…” Iona said. She sat on the floor.

  “I believe you, lover, but first let me get you a toothbrush, put you in the shower, and show you how we’re really gonna spend the rest of our lives.” CJ bustled in the huge bathroom, turning on the shower and gathering Iona in his arms. He stood behind her as she brushed her teeth and helped her into the shower, dried her off, and tucked her back into his bed.

  “This is where you belong,” he said as he drifted off to sleep.

  “I love you, cousin,” Iona said.

  CJ laughed, kissed the top of her head, and held her into the new year.

  THE END

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  JQ lives in Dallas, Texas with large bits of time spent traveling. An obsessive reader, JQ writes to release the voices so they will stop demanding so much attention. Contact JQ at [email protected] or twitter Jones_JQ.

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  About the Author