Liberty (Flash Gold, #5) (18 page)

“While I’m wetter than
water?”

“Don’t you want to warm
up a touch?” He shifted closer, trying to make his chest look like
an appealing place to snuggle into for warmth.

“All right, but if you
distract me, and I drop this gold on your toe, I can’t be
blamed.”

Cedar slipped his arms
around her waist. “I didn’t realize you found me so
distracting.”

She leaned against his
chest. “You didn’t know that you’re almost as engrossing as an
engine in need of fixing?”

“Am I? Or is it just that
you’ve found your flash gold, your airship is about to be in the
air, and you can finally enjoy life? Life and… other things.” He
attempted an alluring leer.

“All of those things, I
think.”

“Good.”

He lowered his lips for a
kiss, which she returned with pleasing enthusiasm. The block of
gold lay wedged between them, throwing off little flashes.
Fortunately, Kali did not drop it on his toe.

• • • • •

The view was magnificent.
Kali couldn’t stop standing at the railing, looking down at the
Rocky Mountains, their peaks already sheathed in snow. The
Liberty
soared as high as the birds, whispering through
the clouds, only the soft whir of the fans stirring the air. The
engine ran seamlessly below the deck, powered by the last block of
flash gold in the world. At least for now. Kali had recovered
Amelia’s journal from the crashed gangster ship and would try to
make more of it someday. She had never used flash gold for extended
periods of time and had no idea how long it would last. Someday,
she might need another block of it to keep her airship in the sky
where it belonged.

“I can’t help but notice
that we’re heading east rather than south,” Cedar drawled from his
spot on a deck chair, his long legs stretched out and the
wide-brimmed hat he had found somewhere pulled low over his
eyes.

Kali leaned her back
against the railing and faced him. “Is it hard to notice those
things with your hat pulled over your eyes? I thought you were
napping.”

“Napping? I’m your chief
of security. It wouldn’t be proper for me to nap while on the
job.”

Kali had told him she
would need a security man if she started running cargo in and out
of Dawson, but she hadn’t decided if she meant to go back again
right away. She wanted to see the world first. As far as security
went, they should be able to outrun any military or pirate ships
they spotted, so she thought they would be safe—it wasn’t as if she
expected trouble from her crew. Tadzi was the only one who had come
along in the end, though Kali had offered Kéitlyudee and her
hard-working relatives a place on the ship if they wanted it. Only
Tadzi had truly felt like an outcast among the Hän, much as Kali
always had, and had left his family for the adventure. Kali had
gone to talk to his parents to see what they thought about their
son leaving, and had learned that they’d already decided he would
always be a burden on the tribe since he couldn’t run and hunt.
They had let him go easily.

“So… you’re just checking
your eyelids for light cracks?” Kali asked, noticing Cedar had
folded his hands behind his neck to pillow his head as he tilted
his face toward the afternoon rays.

“Precisely so. Letting
the sun revitalize my body after a harrowing summer. A harrowing
few years, truth be told. Wouldn’t mind if the sun were a bit
warmer. I can feel the arctic chill of winter coming on.”

“It’s still a week from
September.”

“What’s your point?”

“I figure we can risk
spending a few more weeks in the Dominion of Canada before
hightailing it south for the winter. I’ve got a closer locale in
mind for our first destination, but you’ll have to give me more
precise directions once we get past the mountains.”

“More precise directions
to what?” Cedar pushed his hat back and met her eyes.

“You once mentioned
wanting to return to your family to tell them that your brother’s
death had been avenged.”

Cedar lowered his hands
to his thighs. “You’re taking me home?”

“Since you’re not a
criminal anymore, I reckon it’s safe for you to show up there. And
if you’ve got kin back there that have been missing you and
wondering if you’re still alive… seems right to visit when you
can.” Kali wondered what it would be like to have kin who missed
her
and wondered if
she
was alive. With her
parents both gone, and neither of them being overly doting when
they’d been alive, she’d never known that feeling, but others
seemed to put stock in it.

“That’s right considerate
of you, Kali. I wouldn’t have presumed to ask, especially since
this is your maiden voyage, but I appreciate you thinking of me. If
my grandparents are still alive, I bet they’d like to meet
you.”

Kali nibbled on her lip,
not sure whether to be intrigued or terrified by the idea of being
taken to see his kin. How would he introduce her? As his friend?
His employer? His sweetheart? The crazy woman who’d blown him out
of jail?

Cedar patted the chair
next to him. “Why don’t you join me for that porch sitting we
talked about?
Deck
sitting?”

“I’m not sure that’s
wise. Tadzi is navigating. We might end up smashed into a mountain
if I leave him alone too long.”

“He seems to be doing an
admirable job. I haven’t heard any distressed squawks from birds
being sucked into the fan housings.”

Kali scowled at him. “How
was I supposed to know those swallows would all fly up in a fit
when we took off? That’s not my fault.”

“Might be that your knack
is for engineering and that we should find someone else to pilot.
Tadzi might grow into it well. Of course, I’m not sure professional
pilots are supposed to have to stand on a box to see where they’re
going.” Cedar patted the chair again. “Sit for a spell? Since
nobody’s trying to shoot us currently and the nearest Pinkertons
are a thousand miles away, I can start properly courting you.”

“Oh? And that involves
sitting… here?” She nudged the chair next to him with her toe, and
it wobbled on its uneven legs. He had built the two wooden loungers
with spare parts during their first day of flying, perhaps
envisioning his dream of deck sitting with her, but she was fairly
certain they were the first pieces of furniture he had ever
constructed.

“It’s sturdy enough.”
Cedar gripped the armrests of his chair and wiggled his backside.
Even though the seat wobbled, it did not collapse, and he did not
cry out or complain of splinters in his cheeks.

“Yours looks safer than
this one.” Kali nudged the empty chair with her toe again.

“Oh? Perhaps you should
join me in it.”

“I suppose I could.” Kali
looked toward the horizon. “It doesn’t look like we’re in danger of
hitting any mountains presently.”

Cedar patted his thigh
invitingly.

Feeling a little shy, and
less than confident in the soundness of the chair, Kali settled
onto his lap. He pulled her close, adjusting her so her legs
dangled over the armrest. She looped an arm around his shoulders
for support and because it felt nice. They had been so busy over
the weeks and months that she’d barely stopped to notice his
attractive attributes. They weren’t overly marred by the handful of
scars he sported or the tousled aspect of his dark hair. He’d
shaved that morning and she ran her hand along his jaw, enjoying
the sleek feel of it. She looked forward to the south, where a man
didn’t need a beard nine months out of the year to keep warm.

“You said I’d know it
when you started courting me,” Kali said, “on account of my heart
flopping around in my chest like a dead fish.”

“I’m quite positive those
were
not
the words I used.”

“It was something to do
with my heart.”

“Well, supposing I start
courting you, and you let me know what your heart does?”

“Reckon I can do
that.”

“Good.”

He rested his hand on the
side of her face, brushing her skin with his thumb, sending a
little shiver through her. Then he guided her mouth to his, their
lips touching as he nestled her against his chest. Her heart might
have done something, but she forgot to pay attention.

THE END

Thank you for following
along with the Flash Gold Chronicles. I hope you enjoyed this last
installment and will check out my other books if you haven’t
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