Page 129 of At the Heart of It
Kate turned back to face the race course, glancing once at her watch. “I hope she’s okay,” Kate said. “I know Jossy was worried about the last part of the course. Something about technical terrain or hills or something.”
“Will you relax? She’s fine.” Jonah gave her another squeeze, aware that he was reassuring himself as much as he was her. Despite Jossy’s new independence and new leg, he still hadn’t stopped feeling protective. He’d probably never stop.
A clang of cowbells drew their attention to a bend in the road as the first pack of cyclists swooped into view. Jonah scanned the crowd, looking for his sister. Good Lord, how many bike racers were there? Big, burly guys with thighs the size of hams, and women who were almost indistinguishable from the men, aside from the pink and purple racing jerseys.
Suddenly, he spotted her. Jossy wore a yellow top, black bike shorts, and a grin so wide he could see it from two hundred yards away. As she surged ahead and then whizzed past, Jonah saw the Clearwater Animal Shelter logo on the back of her jersey.
He stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. “Way to go, Joss!”
“Woohooo!” Kate called. “Nice work, Jossy!”
His sister sped through the finish line in a blur of color and big smiles, then stopped to accept slaps on the back from her teammates and the crowd. Jonah’s chest felt too big for his shirt as he watched his baby sister beaming.
Beside him, Kate slid an arm around his waist and smiled. “She looks so happy.”
“Yeah. She really does.”
As the crowd began to thin, Jossy broke away and ambled toward them. Her limp was still there, but barely noticeable now. If Jonah squinted, he might not see the scars at all.
“Wasn’t that awesome?” Jossy gushed. “Did you see how I passed that guy at the end?”
“I did.” Jonah wrapped his arms around her and squeezed so hard he thought he might crush them both. “Nice work.”
“That was incredible,” Kate said. “I know it wasn’t a race, but if it had been, you would have kicked some serious ass.”
“Thanks!” Jossy stepped back and wiped her forehead on the shoulder of her jersey, then took a drink of water from a bright-red bottle. “It’s too bad you’ll miss the race next month in Tacoma.”
“You decided to sign up for that one after all?” Kate said.
“Yeah, but don’t worry—I promise I’ll still be an attentive pet sitter for Marilyn. Maybe I’ll bring her with me when I check in on the kitties at the bookstore. It’ll be like homecoming for her.”
“Oh, she’ll love that,” Jonah said. “Car rides are her favorite. They rank right up there with bath time and getting feline press-on nails.”
Jossy laughed and took another swig of water. “Okay, maybe she’ll stay home.”
Beside him, Kate tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you sure it’s no trouble? We could find another pet sitter if you?—”
“Please,” Jossy said, waving her off. “Now that I have help at the shelter, I’ve got extra time on my hands.”
“Well, it is Marilyn,” Kate pointed out. “She can be kind of demanding.”
“I love that I have that in common with my cat-niece,” she said. “Besides, we have fun together. We’ll sit around talking about owls and thinking judgmental thoughts about Jonah.”
Jonah grinned and reached over to thwack the side of her helmet. “Maybe you could teach her another word. Something besides owl.”
Jossy laughed and wiped her forehead again. “Did you guys decide yet where you’re going?” she asked. “Where’s the big, romantic getaway gonna be?”
Kate smiled at Jonah, and he smiled back, hoping his face gave nothing away. He forced himself not to glance at Jossy, afraid she might spoil it by accident. He’d picked up the ring just this morning, and had it in his pocket right now. Not that he planned to propose at a bike race, but he hadn’t had time to run home yet.
Jossy had gone with him to help choose it, and he’d asked for her input on how to propose. “Don’t say anything dumb,” she’d coached. “And don’t look at her boobs.”
“Thanks, Joss,” he’d muttered, ruffling her hair. “What would I do without you?”
“Fine, smartass.” She’d given the idea some thought. “Do it on vacation. Some special getaway just the two of you.”
Perfect. He couldn’t wait to set the plan in motion. Kate might be surprised, but not shocked. They’d talked about marriage, and they’d even discussed rings.
But this would be his chance to blindside her just a little, and in the best way possible.
