Forbidden Harmony (Harmony Falls #3) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,32
out his hand. “Hey, Sheriff.”
“Hey, Tom. Good to see you again. How’s Ronnie and the kids?” Gideon shook his hand.
Preacher sat back and waited patiently. He didn’t think he’d ever had a public conversation with Gideon that didn’t get interrupted. Gideon was a popular sheriff and people in the town were always eager to talk to him.
“Oh good, good. You should come by the farm sometime, have a visit. We got some new puppies looking for a home.”
Gideon laughed. “Tank’s enough for me. Say hi to Ronnie for me and tell him I’m still waiting for that drink he owes me.”
“Will do.” Tom glanced at Preacher. His face was permanently red from years in the sun and his big hand rough as sandpaper when he held it out for Preacher to shake. “Our oldest boy turns eighteen in January, says he wants a tattoo for a birthday gift.”
“Call the shop and we’ll get him booked in,” Preacher said.
“Ayuh, I’ll do that,” Tom said.
“Do it sooner than later,” Gideon said. “Preacher’s booking for…what… November?”
“Yeah,” Preacher said.
“Jaysus.” Tom made a low whistle. “You must be some good.”
“He’s the best,” Gideon said.
“Well, I’ll get Ronnie to book it in before the end of the week. Good seeing you.” With a tip of his hat, Tom strolled away.
Gideon took a drink of beer and picked up where they’d left off. “I though you said Nix lived in New Cassel. How the hell is he starting on Thursday?”
Preacher shrugged. “Don’t know and didn’t ask. I asked when he could start, he said right away so he’s starting on Thursday. Maybe he’ll drive in from New Cassel until he finds a place to live here.”
“Maybe,” Gideon said. “You see the way he looked at me?”
“Yeah. He’s probably an ex-con.”
“Probably. Will it piss you off if I do a background check on him?”
“Nah.”
“Cool.” Gideon looked around before fishing something out of his pocket. It was a ring box and he opened it and showed Preacher the ring inside.
“Holy fuck. Is that what I think it is?”
“Yeah. I’m asking Gracie to marry me this weekend.” Gideon tucked the ring box away.
Preacher couldn’t help but grin at the boyish look of excitement on Gideon’s face. “Congratulations, man.”
“You don’t think it’s too soon?” Gideon said.
“Fuck no. You’ve been in love with Grace Larken for years. I’m fucking surprised it’s taken you this long to ask her to marry you.”
Gideon relaxed in his chair. “If she doesn’t say yes -”
“She’s gonna say yes, you idiot,” Preacher said. “She looks at you and you can practically see those goddamn cartoon hearts in her eyes. It’s gross.”
Gideon laughed and Preacher clinked his beer bottle against Gideon’s. “All kidding aside, I’m really happy for you, buddy.”
“Thanks, Preacher.”
Chapter Nine
Addison, her tablet propped up beside her on a couch pillow and her laptop balanced on her knees, clicked through the pages on the Crimson Door Tattoo’s website, landing on the piercing information page again.
“You should probably go with a belly button piercing.” Harper was painting her toes and she wiggled them at Addison through the iPad screen. “What do you think of this colour?”
“I love it,” Addison said. “Paint your fingernails the same colour.”
Harper stroked the brush over her nail. “Seriously though, babe, a nipple piercing probably isn’t the way to go for your first piercing.”
“It’s not my first. I have my ears pierced.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant.”
“Navel piercing seems so pedestrian though. Like every girl has one, you know? It’s the safe choice.”
“Hey!” Harper lifted her shirt to stare at the small silver hoop in her belly button. “I like my belly button ring.”
“I don’t mean it in a bad way. I just mean – if I’m going to get pierced, go big or go home, right? Do something different.”
“Honestly, the fact that you want to get a piercing is blowing my mind,” Harper said. The screen on the tablet froze for a few seconds before returning to normal. “You still there?”
“Yes,” Addison said. “Hey, why aren’t you at work? It’s one in the afternoon.”
“Why aren’t you at work,” Harper said before laughing. “God, if being a teacher wasn’t so damn difficult, I’d totally become one. Summers off would be fucking awesome.”
“Why aren’t you at work?” Addison said again.
“Switched my days off with Antonio so he and Mark could go on some fishing trip,” Harper said. “Back to the piercing thing. You sure you want to do this?”
“I always liked the idea of getting my navel pierced, but Harrison freaked out