“Okay, Tate. You’re my witness, alright?”
Tate put his hand out and Jordan shook it. “Good or bad, man,” he said.
Theo’s eyes hadn’t left Jordan’s face. When he looked at her again, she waited for him to speak.
“Theodora Justine Murphy, I’ve loved you since I was ten years old. At eighteen, I was pretty sure that you were the only woman for me. That was a little more than ten years ago, and today, I’m absolutely certain you’re the woman I’m supposed to marry.” He opened the ring box, but Theo didn’t look down. She held Jordan’s eyes. “Before another tragedy strikes, will you please promise to be my wife?”
Theo reached up and took Jordan’s hand. “On one condition,” she told him.
“What’s that?”
“That you promise me that isn’t your great-grandmother Clementine’s ring. You’re the one who mentioned tragedy. It’s not at all intentional, but I seem to bring a lot of danger and drama to this relationship. I’m not sure how safe it would be to bring Tiny in on this venture with us.”
Jordan couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing and Tate looked from Jordan to Theo and then back to Jordan again, a look of confusion on his face.
“I agree one hundred and ten percent,” Jordan nodded. “This is your ring, T.J., not Clementine’s.”
Theo finally looked down at the ring nestled in the box and gasped when she saw it. The band was white gold and designed in an elaborate filagree design. There was a large diamond in the center, and in the swirls sitting on each side were two smaller blue stones.
“Oh, my god, Jordan … you’re right. This is my ring.”
“That’s different,” Tate commented. “I’ve never seen sapphires in an engagement ring before.”
“Those are blue topaz,” Jordan told him. “Sapphires aren’t the right shade of blue.”
There were a few urban legends in Whisper Creek and the surrounding areas. One of them was about unclaimed souls haunting the living world because they were lost and couldn’t find the eternal rest they so desired. One of the cemeteries in the area had gained infamy outside the county, attracting ghost enthusiasts from all over the U.S. The blue spots of light that had reportedly been seen for the last century or so had been documented in newspapers and magazines both big and small, including a write-up in an issue of the esteemed National Geographic. Some of those who claimed to have seen the glowing orbs dance among the headstones believed that they were spiritual, ethereal beings that represented past lives, while others believed they were Sidhe, or fairies.
When Indigo had been kidnapped, Theo went to visit her dad’s grave. She was desperate to talk to him, desperate to know that he could hear her. She begged her father to send her a sign. It was then that she saw the blue lights, or the Will O’ the Wisps appear, bouncing in the distance and getting closer and closer. It hadn’t been Owen. It hadn’t been a ghost light at all. Instead, it had been Jordan carrying his fishing flashlight—the only one he’d had in his truck at the time—trying to find Theo in the dark. She’d asked her father for a sign, and she believed he’d sent Jordan.
“Those are Will O’ the Wisps,” Theo said as her eyes filled with tears.
“What do you say, T.J.?”
“I say yes.” She looked up at Jordan and gave him a tired smile. He leaned over and covered that smile with a lingering kiss.
“You know, there’s a chaplain at the hospital. Maybe you ought to take care of it right away,” Tate teased. “You know, before anything else happens.”
“You’re a nice guy, Tate,” Jordan told him, “but you should probably stick to your day job. I know you mean well, but that shit isn’t even a little bit funny.”
17. KATIE WHO?
The lights above Theo’s head were bright, and the throbbing she felt behind her eyes had only increased. She’d been given something for the pain, but it hadn’t yet taken effect.
She felt the tug and pull on the underside of her chin as a nurse stitched the gash closed. They’d anesthetized the skin, but it hadn’t made her as numb as she would have liked. She tried to concentrate on her breathing when a wave of nausea washed over her.
“We’re nearly there,” Theo heard the nurse say. She almost nodded in response but caught herself. “Then we’ll take care of your arm and hand.”
Theo heard footsteps and opened her eyes, expecting to see Jordan. He’d left the room so he could make a call. He was rounding up the Reillys to go and retrieve his truck and Theo’s Jeep from the cabin.
“Funny meeting you in a hospital,” Delaney told her as she peered down at the stitches being placed in Theo’s chin. “What’s your name?” she asked the nurse.
“Lindsay.”
“Very nice work, Lindsay.”
“Thank you, Doctor Abbott.”
“When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?”
“It’s on her chart,” the nurse answered for Theo. “Doctor Cross has ordered that and antibiotics. He also wrote out a script for oral antibiotics and Vicodin.” She clipped the end of the nylon string and patted Theo’s shoulder. “All done. At least with that part,” she said standing up. “I’ll clean you up and get a bandage on it.”
“How’s Ashley?” Theo asked as soon as she was able.
“In surgery. He broke both of her ankles. The left one they set and cast, but the right one was much worse. Her left wrist is broken as well. There’s a long list of injuries, but she’s hanging in there.”
“She wasn’t breathing when I found her.”
“Ashley most likely would have died had you been much later. You did good, Theodora.” Delaney smiled at her and reached out to move the hair off her forehead.
“She was sexually assaulted.”
Delaney nodded. “A rape kit has been ordered. Evidence collection is available up to four days after an attack. When they brought her in, it was decided she needed to be taken to surgery right away, but they’ll take care of it.”
Theo noticed for the first time that Delaney was in her street clothes. Normally, when she saw her friend in the hospital, she was suited up in scrubs.
“Did Jordan call you?”
