Song of Life Excerpt

An Excerpt from Song of Life. Boss's orders. ;-)


Sunny left Cas sitting on the couch and retired to the kitchen to start the coffee perking. If there was one thing she’d learned about Cas over the past weeks, it was that he loved his coffee. She returned to take a seat beside him, but still she didn’t speak. She waited.

Cas looked over at her; his lips curved up in a smile. “I sang,” he said, sounding like he still couldn’t believe it.

“You did, and very well too,” Sunny responded.

“I sang,” he repeated.

“How did it feel?” she asked, curious.

“Did you see the Father’s eyes?” he asked, as if she hadn’t spoken. “That damn priest is uncanny. I’d swear his eyes were glowing. It was like he burned a hole through whatever was inside me, made an opening and it all came out. It just came out without me even thinking about it.”

“But how do you feel? Are you okay with it?”

“I’m more than okay, I feel…liberated. Sounds hokey I know, but I didn’t realize until that moment how much was pent up inside me. I feel light.” He laughed and Sunny had to smile with him. His laugh was deep, light hearted, so completely happy.

“I’m glad,” she said simply and laid her hand over his. “I’ll get your coffee. This calls for a celebration.”

He turned his hand and grasped hers, holding her in her seat. “It needs more than coffee to celebrate. How long is a courtship supposed to take anyway?”

“Well now, let me see. You took me out to dinner...”

“Three times,” he emphasized.

“A corndog at the Cornucopia doesn’t count,” she protested, trying her best not to grin.

“Okay, twice then, but snacks ought to count too.”

“All right, I’ll give you the corndog. This is a small town, not many places to eat. Now where was I? Oh yes, you’ve fed me and you did bring me flowers.”

“Mrs. McGregor’s probably sorry she met me. I think I’ve stripped her garden.”

“It’s her own fault. Where’d she hear about this courting thing anyway? Lila’s, that’s where, and she was just being nosy.”

“No, I think she was being kind. She was excited. Sunny, you don’t realize how people feel about you in this town. They want you to be happy.” He brought her hand to his lips. “Do I make you happy?”

“Good Lord, where’d you learn that? You’ve been watching too much TV.”

“Cottage doesn’t have TV. I made it up all on my own.”

He grinned and her insides did a slow melt. The green was blossoming in his eyes, a sure sign his emotions were involved. One black brow was raised, giving him a roguish look. Two dimples had popped out and his smile was so beautiful. The masculinity of his dark face with its high cheekbones was emphasized by the curls framing it, of so dark a black that they gleamed with highlights. Unthinking, she put up her free hand and brushed the curls off his forehead. He caught the hand in his and now he held both her hands, his grasp warm and strong.

“A gift, I haven’t given you a gift.”

“I don’t need gifts, Cas. You couldn’t give me anything that would mean more than…”

Her voice faded as he released her hands and removed the Celtic cross from around his neck.

“No,” she whispered.

“Yes,” he whispered back. “I’ve loved three women in my life,” he said in a louder voice, fumbling behind her neck to fasten the chain. “And two of them belong to this, or it belonged to them. However you want to look at it. I want you to have it. I love you, Sunny and right now it’s all I have to give you. Besides my heart, and I think that’s always belonged to you.”

“Oh, Cas.” She felt overwhelmed and teary. “You do know how to court a woman.”

“Good. It’s something you don’t want too much practice with.”