Page 29 of Secrets of the Dragon's Heart

“Marie said you showed up about half an hour ago,” he said, helping her sit up. “How did your night go?”

“I wrote a press release and started on the article we’ll put out tomorrow explaining everything,” she said. “Then I spent several hours sending the press release to anyone I could think of. I even sent it to Steve, hoping he’d give me a tiny spot somewhere. I’ve hit every site on the internet I can think of. Hopefully, someone will pick it up, but I wouldn’t count on it; I’m not very good at the video thing.”

“Then we’ve both earned a few hours of sleep,” he said,helping her to her feet. “The blower is ready to go, and from the looks of things around here, Marie has the balloon under control. It was nice of you to bring them coffee; she seems to really like you.”

“She’s a sweet lady. She really loves you and the rest of the guys. She told me all about helping raise you all,” she said, a little smile on her face. “She told me a lot of stories about all the trouble you used to get into.”

“She’s exaggerating,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I was a good kid.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Marie said, walking up to them. “He was the worst of them all, always doing those experiments, always blowing something up.”

“That only happened once,” Cameron said, a guilty look on his face. “But I cleaned it all up.”

Marie just shook her head, then looked over at her. “This is for you,” she said, shoving a garment bag into her hands. “I knew that it was yours the first time I saw you in the village, I just didn’t know that you were Cameron’s, but now it makes sense. You’re going to need it soon, but for now, hang it in your closet and forget about it.”

She didn’t know what to say at first, a bit confused by what the older woman had just said, but she smiled at her. “Thank you, Marie. This is very sweet,” she said. “I’m sure that it’s beautiful. I hope I have a chance to wear it soon.”

“Oh, you will, I feel sure of it,” Marie said, then looked over at Cameron. “Take her home, son. She needs her rest, it will be an exciting day tomorrow.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Cameron said, taking the garment bag out of her hands. “I’ll carry this for you.”

The village was dark when they came out of the shop, but the moon was shining brightly as they made their way to her cabin. “I hope this works,” she said, interrupting the silence between them. “Does it bother you that there’s going to be analmost exact replica of you floating in the air for everyone to see tomorrow? I didn’t really think about it until Marie showed me the balloon. It might seem strange. I mean, you don’t exactly show that side of yourself to the world.”

“It might be a little strange, but to be honest with you, I’ve had other things on my mind,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “This is a really good idea, Kennedy. If I’m a bit uncomfortable, that’s a small price to pay to keep our secrets.”

She looked over at him. “When you’re unhappy, so am I,” she said. “Is that normal?”

“It’s the bond,” he said. “When either of us feel strong emotions, the other can feel it sometimes.”

“Okay, I just wanted to check,” she said. “It’s a strange feeling, but I’m sure we’ll get used to it.”

“Are you having second thoughts about us?” he asked, pulling her to a stop, a chill racing through him. “Because we should talk about it if you are.”

“Of course not,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. “This is where I want to be, with you. I have no idea what I’m going to do with the rest of my life, but what I do know is that we belong together. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

He wrapped his arms around her, and warmth spread through her. “You make me feel warm all over,” she said, burying her face in his chest. “And you smell like home.”

“You smell like wildflowers and cinnamon tonight,” he said, burying his face in her hair and taking a deep breath. “Now let’s go home, I should never have doubted you. I think I’m just tired.”

When they got back to the cabin, they climbed into bed, curled up together, and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows, exhaustion dragging them both into a deep sleep. Kennedy was the first one to surface the next morning whensomeone began banging on the door. She stumbled out of bed, dragged on her robe, and left the bedroom.

“What’s wrong?” she asked when she opened the door, not bothering to tie the sash, expecting it to be Max instead of the stranger standing on her porch. After letting out a little cry of surprise, she quickly tied her robe shut, feeling her cheeks turning pink. “I’m sorry…I wasn’t expecting…can I help you?”

“Kennedy, who is it?” Cameron called from the other room. “Get rid of them so we can go back to sleep.”

“Not going to happen, big brother,” the man called. “Get your sorry butt out here right now before I have to come get you. I didn’t travel all this way to let you sleep the morning away.”

CHAPTER 18

***CAMERON***

Cameron flew into the living room, pulling on his pajama pants as he went, then stopped when he saw his brother standing in the doorway. “Well, damn, it really is true,” Zach said. “You’ve finally gone over to the other side. I knew it was going to happen someday. Is this her?”

He rushed across the room and put his arm around Kennedy. “Yes, this is Kennedy,” he said, preparing himself for a battle with his brother. “And before you start in on me, what are you doing here?”

“Max called me. He thought you might need some support,” Zach said, shrugging his shoulders. “Dad’s going to blow a gasket when he sees that picture of you. I thought I’d come and see if I could run a little interference. I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye in the past, but I’ve grown up since then.”

Shocked, he could only stare at his brother. They’d never been close, never had the kind of relationship brothers should have had. “Cameron, invite your brother in,” Kennedy said, elbowing him in the ribs. “He came to help, isn’t that nice?”

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