6 The Wedding Read Online Free PDF Page B

were going to be keeping very quiet about his presence, at least for
a while. The kid was probably going to end up being homeschooled.
    “Did he tell you any more about what happened?” I asked,
breaking an unwritten rule of privacy. I figured that we were going to need to
know the basics of Ricky’s story so we didn’t say or do something to upset the
kid or put him in danger.
    “A little. The Snake had been
dating my neighbor, encouraging her to look after Ricky while he was doing
business.” The Flowers’ tightening face told me the business wasn’t legal and
probably dangerous. “I guess it all finally caught up with him. Thank God
Vanessa kept Gavin’s number and that he was willing to bring Ricky to Canada
for me. I just wish that I had been given some warning. I don’t have anything
for him—no clothes, no cereal, no toys.”
    “You will in a few hours,” I said calmly, thinking that this
Gavin had to be a very close friend to risk transporting a minor across
borders. “Ricky’s from the States?” I asked, setting out mugs.
    “Yes, Los Angeles.”
    This surprised me. I knew that the Flowers had been down
south, but not all the way to California.
    “The Snake isn’t a US citizen,” the Flowers said, watching
the mug and not me as I poured water into the teapot. “He isn’t … isn’t lots of things. But he’s beautiful and charming. So beautiful that it took me a while to realize what he truly is.” She stopped, searching for words. “There were no warnings—not that I saw. He
doesn’t rattle—just strikes out. Never at Ricky—he loves the
kid—but everyone else….”
    I nodded. Lucifer had been beautiful too.
    “I don’t know why I was so blind to what he was, but I was
blind. Completely sightless. Until
he hit me.”
    I understood and murmured sympathetically. Some attraction
is primordial and even reptiles can be appealing. Until they bite.
    “The pain woke me up quick enough. I saw everything very
clearly after that and got out.”
    Pain serves an important purpose. And it isn’t pointless
unless you fail to learn from it. The Flowers had gotten the message and left.
    It couldn’t have been easy though, especially leaving Ricky.
But life in the Gulch prepares you to do hard things, to make decisions without
a lot of emotion getting in the way. We haven’t much scope for melodrama here.
We are too close to the edge of extinction to act like we are in an opera.
    “Ricky’s mom was still alive then. I told myself that she
would look after him….”
    “It was her place,” I agreed.
    “But she died last year. A car accident. And with Ricky’s mother being dead now, and his father an illegal alien, I
don’t know what would have happened to him if Gavin hadn’t gotten him away. The
system isn’t the greatest for dealing with orphan kids.”
    “I know,” I said and then stopped there. This wasn’t the
time to tell stories about my own messed-up childhood. “But he isn’t orphaned.
He has you and Big John. And he has all of us.”
    The Flowers’ face finally eased.
    “It will be okay, won’t it? We can keep him safe.”
    “Of course,” I said firmly, pouring out tea. “The Snake is
in jail. And if he does get out … he doesn’t know how to find you?”
    “No. I covered my trail when I left. Vanessa might tell
someone about Gavin if she isn’t bright enough to leave town for a while
herself, but he won’t talk. Gavin is … an entrepreneur and spends a lot of time
in Mexico. He wants no official entanglements. I suspect it may be a while
before he’s back in California, or even in the States.”
    “Then everything is fine.”
    “Thanks. I needed to hear someone say that. I’ve been
imagining all kinds of horrible things—but what could happen to Ricky here?”
    “Nothing, not with the whole town looking
after him.”
    “So, do you think the Mountie will be back in time to hunt
for the wedding feast?”
    I shrugged. It was in the lap of the gods.