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“Dalton,” she said again, lifting a hand to touch him, to trace his jaw, his chin, his lips with her fingers, heedless of their trembling. He pulled her into his arms then, and she heard the steady thud of his heart beneath her cheek. The heart she’d thought stilled for eternity.

  “They told me if I still felt guilty about Mick, they were going to give me a chance to make up for it, by doing what you do. But I told them you’d already made me see that I wasn’t really responsible for the accident that day.”

  “After—” the booming voice came unexpectedly from behind them; the big boss had condescended to once more come out of his tower “—he ‘read me the riot act,’ as you so quaintly put it, for putting you in the position of having to choose between those boys and the man you loved.”

  “You deserved it,” Dalton said flatly. “She went through hell.”

  “You believed me,” Angie said, her voice full of wonder and joy at how far he’d come. He’d faced down the most intimidating being she’d ever confronted, for her. Immediately Dalton turned back to her.

  “Yes, I believed you. I just had to work my way through a lot of things.” His mouth quirked in that way she so loved. “That was a hell of a story you told me.”

  Angie moved then, hugging him fiercely, thrilling to the feel of him, solid and alive and unscarred, in her arms.

  “I must say,” the big boss grumbled, “humans are most unpredictable. I made the mistake of telling him we couldn’t afford to lose you. So what did he do?”

  Angie, still lost in the wondrous discovery that Dalton was truly with her, and that he loved her, didn’t even look at the boss as she asked, “What did he do?”

  “He bargained with me. With me!” Angie nearly smiled at his outrage. “He told me we got both of you, together, or neither. And that he had something he had to be able to do first.”

  Angie looked into Dalton’s eyes then, curiously. And saw the answer there. “Linda?” she said softly.

  Dalton lowered his eyes and nodded. “I...she deserves to know I’m all right. I never thought about it that way, until you made me see that, too. They told me I’d be able to make her feel all right about it.”

  Angie’s throat tightened; he’d come so far, so fast, this man they’d written off as doomed.

  The boss coughed, an irritated little sound. “You mean you coerced me into breaking a cardinal rule.” He shook his head in a creditable imitation of exasperation. He glanced at Angie. “I can see already that he is going to be as big a problem as you are.”

  Angie was busy drinking in the sight and feel of the boss’s newest problem child, and didn’t say a word.

  “However,” the boss went on, never at a loss for words. “I can see some advantages to this arrangement. There are times when a pair of operatives who could go in as a couple would be quite useful.”

  “And?” Dalton prompted. “There’s one more part to the deal, if you recall?”

  The boss looked puzzled, then his expression cleared. “Hmm, er, yes. I believe I owe you what you call an apology, Evangel—Angie. I misjudged the situation from the beginning. And I once more underestimated the power of human emotions.”

  “Once more?” she asked, glancing at him curiously. “You mean something like this has happened before?”

  “Er, yes. It’s a very long story.”

  “We have lots of time, now,” she said sweetly.

  “Later,” the boss said gruffly. He reached into the pocket of his out-of-time brocade vest. “I believe you...forgot this.” He held up the gold steamboat.

  Angie winced at the reminder of the agony she’d been in at that moment. And immediately the boss’s hand curled around the pendant. An odd, golden glow seeped from between his fingers. After a moment he opened them, checked what he held, and smiled in satisfaction.

  “I think you may find these of more use now. I’m getting quite good at this.”

  Both Angie and Dalton stared down at the simple yet incredibly lustrous gold rings that lay on his palm. He tossed the rings at Dalton, who caught them with a quick snap of his wrist. Dalton shifted his gaze to Angie’s face. When he spoke, he sounded as if he were holding his breath.

  “Angie? Will you?”

  “Of course,” she said, taking Dalton’s hands in hers. “I love you.”

  She saw him swallow tightly. “I love you, too.”

  “I know. You told me.”

  His brows furrowed. “I never had the chance, after I finally worked things through, but—” He stopped, his eyes widening. “You mean...in the fire?”

  “Yes.”

  He let out a breath. “I didn’t think you got it. The last thing I remember thinking was that you’d never know....”

  He swallowed tightly, and she hugged him again.

  “I knew. It’s all right now. Everything will be all right.”

  “Thank goodness,” the boss said wryly. “At least we won’t be losing another one to this amazing affliction.”

  “Someday I want that other story,” Angie said. But her eyes never left Dalton’s face. His beautiful, now unscarred face.

  “Perhaps,” the boss said, and quickly changed the subject. “You’ll have to take her name, you know,” he told Dalton. “At least for a while.”

  “I’ll take it forever,” Dalton answered, looking only at Angie. “In anyone’s kind of time.”

  “Only because the name Dalton MacKay’s still well known—” the boss was still explaining “—and as far as the world knows, he died in that fire.”

  “Thank you for the rings,” Angie said politely but dismissively, her gaze fastened on the beloved green eyes she’d thought never to see again.

  “Well, I did owe you something—”

  “You still do,” Dalton said. “So don’t forget that little item we’re going to negotiate later.”

  “Yes, er, well—”

  “What item?” Angie asked, amused at the big boss’s disconcertedness, but not enough to look away from Dalton.

  “Babies,” Dalton said succinctly.

  “Oh,” Angie said, color tinging her cheeks. Had he read her in that moment when she had longed for his child? Whatever the reason, she was glad. “Oh, yes.”

  “Well—” the big boss actually coughed “—I suppose we can work something out....”

  “Good,” Dalton said. “Now go away.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Dalton didn’t answer. Neither did Angie. They were savoring the kiss they’d never thought to have. And it didn’t appear they had any intention of stopping with merely a kiss.

  For the first time in his lengthy existence, the big boss felt utterly superfluous. “Someday,” he muttered, “I’ll understand this.” But he knew when he’d worn out his welcome, and after weaving a protective shell around the oblivious couple, he said benevolently, “Later, children,” and vanished.

  As they went down to the sweet bed of grass that had mysteriously appeared at their feet, neither Dalton nor Angie even noticed he was gone. Or heard his pleased laughter floating on the breeze.

  * * * * *

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-8661-0

  Errant Angel

  Copyright © 1995 by Janice Davis Smith

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