“No, but I can make another one. They’re easy enough to make.”
“I’ll take first watch tonight,” Rubin said casually. “I’m not very tired. Jonquille, you may as well keep the loft and Diego can sleep down here. He can have the second shift. I’ll wake him in four hours and then he’ll wake you.”
Diego nodded. “That sounds good. I’m beat, I’m not going to lie about it. I think I’m getting old. We covered a lot of ground today to make it to the cabin before dusk.”
“That was a priority?” Jonquille asked.
“It’s my favorite time of day,” Rubin admitted. “The fireflies come out.”
Her face lit up. “I love that so much. I sit outside and watch them every evening. I know it sounds silly, but it feels like they bring the setting of the sun. I feel a kinship with them. You call them fireflies. I think of them as lightning bugs. They appear and dance along the edges of the grass in this beautiful, musical display. I tell myself it’s just for me. Some nights it makes me cry watching, it is that beautiful.”
Rubin studied her face as she lifted her hand self-consciously to her hair, shoving back the wayward strands. Her eyes had settled back to the deeper blue, but he could still see the rings of silver circling the darker color. She handed the bowl of unfinished cobbler to Diego and drew up her knees, as if she’d given too much of herself away and felt too vulnerable.
“When I was a kid, I would sit outside and tell my sisters stories about the lightning bugs. I’d tell them they were fairies and were magic. I don’t know how I made up such crazy tales for them, but they used to beg me for new ones all the time. I got the idea from hearing a traveling salesman telling stories. That started my imagination going. The girls would come outside with me and I’d want to transport them somewhere magical for just a little while.”
“He did a great job too,” Diego said. “I’d sit and listen. I’d pretend I wasn’t, because I was a boy and boys weren’t supposed to listen to stories about fairies and magic, but they were so fascinating. Mama had to have heard them, but she never said he had to stop. Magic would have been considered sinful and of the devil. He would have gotten a beating with a belt or worse if Daddy was alive, telling stories like that, but Mama never stopped him. She just pretended she didn’t hear.”
Rubin nodded. “She knew all of us needed something good, something bright. It was the only thing I could think of to give the girls. They were older for the most part, but they needed something to hang on to. We had some pretty rough times back then.”
Jonquille rubbed her chin on the top of her knees. “I wonder how many people those little lightning bugs have helped when they come out and dance like that, bringing in the evening. There’s a kind of peace that settles on the land itself and that helps settle into the people, or at least it does into me when I watch them.”
Rubin smiled at her. “We are a good match, Jonquille. I feel exactly the same way.”
Her gaze jumped to his face, her eyes enormous. “You have to stop thinking we’re a match.” In the dark room, her eyes seemed to glow.
“I feel compelled to point out,” Diego interjected, “you didn’t even char him. He didn’t spontaneously combust. He didn’t burst into flames, which was a bit of a disappointment. There was some electrical charge, which was cool, and the cabin did light up, but no shocking results as you’d hoped.”
Jonquille nearly fell out of the rocking chair, she turned on Diego so fast. “Hoped? You thought I hoped I’d fry him?”
“At the very least. All in the name of science, of course.”
She burst out laughing. “You’re outrageous. I think I really should try kissing you, all in the name of science. Rubin does have some electrical energy that seems to react with mine, but I don’t think you do. It might be much more interesting to see what would happen …”
“What would happen would be the wrath of hell coming down on you,” Rubin said. “You might not want to admit we’re a match, but you know we are. I’m not the kind of man to have my woman running around with other men. I don’t share well with others.”
Jonquille regarded him for a long time with her large blue eyes. She gave a little shake of her head. “I don’t suppose I would like it very much if you were kissing a bunch of other women. Whitney might actually know what he’s doing. Do you think he paired Diego with a woman who prefers swinging?”
Diego choked. “Swinging? How would you even know about something like that? Rubin? Did you hear her? She shouldn’t even know what swinging is. And my woman is not going to like swinging.”
“You want to kiss multiple women,” Jonquille pointed out. “If you enjoy kissing many women, I imagine your partner must enjoy kissing multiple men. Wouldn’t that follow?”
“No, it would most certainly not,” Diego declared.
“Why wouldn’t it? I don’t understand,” Jonquille said, sounding innocent. Maybe a little too innocent, Rubin thought, but he wasn’t going to help his brother out.
“Well, because,” Diego said. He ran water in the bowl, rinsing it out. “It just doesn’t work that way. If she’s intended for me, she doesn’t kiss other men.”
“So she’s happy to share her man with other women?” Jonquille asked, frowning. “What kind of woman enjoys that, but doesn’t get to share herself with other men? I must be odd because if my man wanted me to share him with other women, I would think it fair that I get to have other men as well.”
“You’re giving me a headache, Jonquille,” Diego complained. “Go to bed so I don’t have to listen to your nonsense anymore.”
“I’ll take away your headache. I was teasing you,” she said immediately. “But really, you shouldn’t have a double standard. If you’re going to go around kissing lots of women, you’d better expect that your woman has been doing the same with other men.”
“I’m fine with that,” he said. “I just don’t want to hear about it.”
“Good.” Jonquille sent Rubin a small little grin, then stood up and touched Diego’s temple with the tips of her fingers very briefly before turning away from them to head to the bathroom.
“Is it gone?” Rubin asked.
“Immediately. You were right about her being a strong healer.” Do you really think she’s a psychic surgeon?
I think there’s a very good possibility. She wouldn’t tell me if I asked her, which I didn’t. She might not even know what it is. We’re being cautious with her.
I’m being cautious with her, Diego corrected. You went all in.
Rubin didn’t respond. He hadn’t exactly gone all in. He was still being careful. He had his brother to protect. Had it been only his life, things would have gone differently, but there was Diego and he wasn’t about to risk another grave behind the house.
Jonquille emerged and started for the ladder. Rubin called to her and when she turned, he beckoned to her. She walked very hesitantly to him. He pointed to the spot between his legs.
She moistened her lips and took the necessary step to put herself there. “What?”