Deacon Johns Read online

  Copyright © 2018, Ciana Stone

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, businesses, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Ciana Stone

  Cover by Syneca Featherstone

  All rights reserved.

  Deacon Johns

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Deacon Johns Copyright © 2018 Ciana Stone

  Cover art by Syneca

  Edited by Mary Harris

  Electronic book publication March 2018

  Print book publication March, 2018

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Syneca Featherstone.

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  Dedication:

  For my honeymoon – yeah, you know, but I’ll say it anyway-

  I’m gonna love you forever...

  Chapter One

  “A new blacksmith?” Cody stood from where she was stooped behind the bar, taking inventory. “When did the Dawsons decide to sell?”

  Hannah laid her clipboard on the surface of the bar. “Apparently when Mrs. Dawson won half a million dollars in a lottery drawing last month and talked Ralph into moving to Arkansas where their son, Robbie, and his family live.”

  “No kidding? Wow, wonder how that news escaped the Gossip Girls?”

  “Netta and Nellie Mae? You know they don’t have anything to with the Dawsons. No matter what they say, they’re not nearly as kind and accepting of others as they make out. They’ve never given Lena the time of day and you remember how they were about Lena and Ralph’s son, Robbie. Didn’t matter that he was class valedictorian or a star running back on the football team, or even just a damn good kid. All they could see what that he was biracial.”

  “Yeah, that used to piss me off something fierce.” Cody agreed. “He didn’t deserve that, but then neither did Lena. She’s a good, decent woman who’s been kind to folks around here. Honest to God, why do we keep letting those old biddies get away with that shit?”

  “We don’t, sister. But there’s nothing we can do about what others allow.”

  “Amen to that. So, tell me what you’ve heard about the new owner.”

  “Actually, they’re kind of interesting. I met them yesterday.” Hannah walked around behind the bar to take a soda from the cooler. “They’re brother and sister, Mathias and Mica Gray Horse. He’s this giant of a guy. Seriously, big. Taller than Grady and bigger, if you can believe that. He has to be a good six-seven or so and his arms are as big around as my body.”

  Cody gave Hannah the side-eye on that statement. “Those are some big arms.”

  “Are you implying I’m fat?”

  “Let’s just say since you got married, there’s a whole lot more of Hannah to love.”

  “Screw you, skinny.”

  Cody shrugged. “So back to the new owners. Where are they from? Gray Horse sounds Native American.”

  “Well, according to Lena they are. Mathias served in the military. She didn’t say what branch, only that he was Special Forces. He got out a year ago and moved back to the reservation. Their father died recently, and the Tribal Council took their property.”

  “Well, that was shitty. Why’d they do that?””

  “Because Mrs. Gray Horse was white, which makes Mathias and his sister not full blooded and so according to the Tribal Council they can’t own property on the reservation.”

  “That really sucks. Couldn’t they just have taken it to court or something?”

  “I don’t know. All I know is what Lena told me. Mathias heard about the Dawson place from someone he served with who also knew Robbie. Robbie enlisted after college, remember? Anyway, long story short, they contacted the Dawsons and struck a deal.”

  “Interesting. And they’ve already moved in?”

  “Yeah, Lena and Ralph pretty much packed their clothes and personal belongings into his pickup and headed out. They left the house furnished as well as the blacksmith shop.”

  “Good deal for the new owners. So, what are they like? Aside from Mathias being a giant.”

  “Mica is gorgeous. I can’t tell how old either of them is, but I’d guess late twenties or early thirties. Anyway, she has lighter skin than a full-blood but still the skin tone of a Native American with these really odd gray eyes that have kind of a green tint. She’s probably five-five and is seriously built. I mean curves and muscle. And get this. She makes knives. I mean, really amazing ones. They have a display in the shop. The weird part is that she doesn’t fit the part of a metalworker.”

  “What you do mean?”

  “I mean it’s almost like she works to be less well spoken, if that makes sense. Like she’s accustomed to a different lifestyle or—oh, I don’t know, you’ll see what I mean when you meet her.”

  “Which I am definitely going to do,” Cody said. “I’ll stop in, welcome them to town, and maybe offer them a meal on the house as a welcome to Cotton Creek.”

  “And satisfy your curiosity.”

  Cody laughed. “Well, duh. I swear it just gets more interesting by the day here, doesn’t it? And to think that we were all scared to death that Cotton Creek was going to dry up and blow away when the oil field shut down.”

  “Yeah, we got lucky that Legacy bought it and turned it into a natural gas production and built all those wind farms.”

  “Not to mention that big-ass facility that’s being built over at Sanctuary. Oh, that reminds me, Charli wanted to know if she could host Etta’s bridal shower here? I told her it was fine with me, but I’d check with you. And we need to add half a dozen bottles of Fireball to that order.”

  “Okay, Fireball, got it, and having the shower here’s fine with me. When are she and Jasper getting married?”

  “Next month.”

  Hannah looked down at the clipboard on the bar for a moment and made a notation. “You know there are a lot of people who thought she and Deacon Johns would end up together, but I guess she was telling the truth when she said they’re family.”

  “I believe it.”

  “It’s kind of a shame, though.” Hannah’s gaze returned to Cody

  “Oh, why’s that?”

  “’Cause Deacon is smoking hot.”

  “That’s the God’s honest truth. If I wasn’t married, I’d be on him like white on rice. But hey, nothing’s stopping him from hooking up and believe me, every time he’s here he gets hit on. Women are drawn to him.”

  Hannah sighed. “Yeah, he does have that I’m gonna take you there vibe, doesn’t he?”

  “In spades, little sister.”

  “It’ll be interesting to see if he ends up with someone here.”

  “Yep. Tell you what, let’s get this finished and I’ll treat you to lunch at the diner and afterwards we can stop in and say hello to Cotton Creek’s new residents.”

  Hannah chuckled. “And Cody can assuage her curiosity.”

  “Well, yeah, there’s no way I can pass up meeting a man whose arms are as big around as yo
ur body.”

  “Bitch.”

  Cody laughed. There was no rancor in Hannah’s insult. It was all just teasing between sisters. And Hannah was right about Cody’s curiosity. She couldn’t wait to meet the new people in town. Chances were, they’d end up the latest topic of gossip within a week.

  After all, this was Cotton Creek, the little town where nothing was supposed to happen but a whole lot did.

  Chapter Two

  “Mathias Gray Horse?” Etta lowered the remains of her sandwich to the plate.

  “You know him?” Cody asked. She and Hannah ran into Etta on the sidewalk near the diner and invited her to join them for lunch. Talk had been of the wedding and the upcoming shower Charli was hosting at the bar.

  When Cody brought up the new blacksmith in town, it shocked Etta. She did, indeed, know Mathias Gray Horse. He’d been ordered into a mandatory evaluation a couple of years ago. She’d found him to be sound and as far as she knew, he’d returned to active duty.

  “I do.”

  “And?”

  “And I’m surprised he left the service.”

  “Why?”

  Etta fiddled with a french fry, running it in circles in the puddle of catsup on her plate. “He seemed like a lifer to me.”

  “Well, he’s out and living in Cotton Creek now. We were going to stop by after lunch and say hello. You want to join?”

  “No, but thanks. I need to finish up errands and get back. In fact, I should get a move on. Thanks again for letting me have lunch with you. It was fun.”

  Etta put enough on the table to cover lunch and a generous tip. “Hey, we didn’t ask you to have you pay,” Cody protested.

  “After all you’re doing for me with this wedding and the shower? I owe you both more than I can ever repay.”

  “It’s what friends do,” Hannah remarked.

  “Then I’m very blessed. And I’m paying for lunch. Have a great day and thanks again. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Cody replied.

  “Have a good day,” Hannah called out as Etta headed for the door.

  Once on the sidewalk, Etta pulled out her phone and dialed Deacon. He answered almost immediately. “Hey, Etta.”

  “Remember Mathias Gray Horse?”

  “I do, why?”

  “He bought the blacksmith shop in Cotton Creek.”

  “I didn’t know he’d left the service.”

  “Neither did I. Do you remember him ever mentioning a sister?”

  “No, why do you ask?”

  “I just don’t remember him ever mentioning a sister. Father, yes, but not a sister. Anyway, I thought you’d want to know, since you were his commanding officer at one time.”

  “Thank you. Maybe I’ll ride into town one day this week and say hello.”

  “I was thinking the same. Anything you need from town today?”

  “Not that I can think of, but thanks.”

  “Okay. See you later.”

  She ended the call and continued on to her car. An hour later, she’d finished all her errands. As she drove back through town, she thought about Mathias and on impulse, made the turn that would take her to the blacksmith shop.

  It was located in one of the oldest sections of town, on a corner in a stand-alone building beside an auto body shop. She parked on the street and went to the front entrance. The moment she stepped inside, an involuntary “Wow!” escaped her lips.

  The walls were covered with displays of metalworks, mostly bladed weapons, but what weapons they were. They ranged from practical to fantastical, but all were stunning in their craftsmanship.

  Mixed among the blades were light fixtures, sconces with intricate metalwork, and lamps with lovely stained-glass shades that cast a swath of dancing colors around the shop.

  There were complete sets of medieval armor, chain mail, and elaborate metal helmets as well, all works of art, at least to Etta’s eyes.

  “Hello.” A lovely woman with hair the color of night that was pulled back in a long braid greeted Etta.

  “This is amazing,” Etta remarked. “And sorry, hello, but again, this work is amazing.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Who does it?”

  “We do. My brother and me, I mean. I’m Mica Gray Horse.”

  “It’s a real pleasure.” Etta extended her hand, thinking that Mica was an unusual name. Pronounced as Mike-ah, it sounded a bit masculine, but there was nothing masculine about the beautiful woman who smiled at her.

  Etta was the recipient of a host of comments about her eye color being so incongruous to her skin and hair color. Until now, she’d not met anyone else who shared that trait. Mica Gray Horse did. Her eyes were the color of storm clouds, pale gray with a slight tint of green and dark green rimming the pupils.

  Combined with a pale but distinctively native skin tone and that black silky hair, and the combination was rather breathtaking.

  “Etta Whitestone.” Etta introduced herself.

  “Dr. Whitestone?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh my. Dr. Whitestone. I never expected to meet you, but fortune sometimes smiles on us when we least expect it.” Mica extended her hand to Etta. “Thank you. You made it possible for my brother to continue his career.”

  “You’re welcome,” Etta accepted the handshake and smiled at Mica when it was over. “I didn’t do anything but given him an evaluation and spend some time talking with him. He’s a special man.”

  “He is.”

  “How is Mathias?”

  Mica gestured for Etta to follow, and they moved across the room. “Something went horribly wrong on a mission. Mathias has never gone into detail about it, and perhaps he can’t, but from what he has said, apparently a lot of people died, including some civilians. Whatever went down, it was bad enough for him to walk away and that’s huge. The SEALs were his life.”

  “I didn’t know that. How is he now?”

  “Quiet.”

  “I seem to remember him as being that way when I met with him.”

  “Now he’s the quietest person I’ve ever known. Whatever happened during that mission left him with a lot of ghosts to deal with and not all that are the spirits of enemies. All he will say is that the death of innocents plagues him.”

  “Maybe I could talk with him?”

  “Would you?”

  “Happily.”

  “I would be forever grateful. But please, accept my apology. You’re here to see Mathias and I’ve taken up your time. Come, please.” Mica led Etta through the showroom to a door in the rear wall. It opened into an enormous space with cement floors and walls and huge metal doors on two sides that were standing open.

  Mathias stood at a worktable joining links of a chain.

  “Hi, Mathias,” Etta said.

  His posture stiffened, then his head turned. When his gaze fell on her, a slow smile spread over his face. “Doc Whitestone.”

  “It’s good to see you, Mathias. How’ve you been?”

  “It’s good to see you Doc. What are you doing here?” She sensed that he was genuinely happy to see her, but that it also made him a little uncomfortable.

  “I live here now.”

  “In Cotton Creek?”

  “Well, outside of town. Sanctuary.”

  “I heard Commander Johns was there.”

  “You heard right.”

  “What are the odds?”

  She smiled up at him. “I don’t know, but I think it’s lucky we all ended up here. Mathias, this place is amazing. I had no idea you and your sister were such talented metalworkers.”

  “She’s the talent. She designs it.”

  “Not all of it,” Mica argued. “We’re a team. Sometimes my designs aren’t structurally sound and Matty corrects me. And he does more than ninety percent of the iron work.”

  “Well, it’s all amazing, and I’m really glad to see you again, Mathias. We should get lunch or a beer or something and catch up one day when you have time.”

/>   He nodded. “Sure, Doc.”

  Etta sensed he was through talking by the way he glanced at his workbench. “I should get on back. Mica, it was so nice meeting you. I hope I’ll see you again.”

  “As do I, Dr. Whitestone.”

  “Etta, please.”

  “Thank you. Please, come back anytime you like, Etta. This door and the one to the house out back are always open to a friend.”

  “Thank you and I will. You can count on it.” She looked over at Mathias, who was already back at work. “See you soon, Mathias.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied without turning around.

  Mica accompanied Etta outside. “He seems fully functional.” Etta commented. “And I didn’t sense any real anxiety from him other than perhaps surprise over me showing up.”

  “You wouldn’t. Matty has thick walls and is quite adept at hiding behind them. And honestly, he handles it all well most of the time. Maybe no one else would ever notice, but he rarely smiles. When we were kids, he used to smile all the time, and laugh. He had a great laugh. I just worry that he’ll never pull out of this.”

  “Maybe we can help. I know he has great admiration for Deacon. I’ll ask Deac to stop by and pay him a visit.”

  “I’d appreciate that. He’s often spoken of Commander Johns and always with great respect. Thank you, Etta. You’ve very kind.”

  “It’s what friends do,” Etta said and took Mica’s hand.

  “But we just met.”

  “That’s how friends start, isn’t it?”

  “It is.” Mica smiled. “Thank you again.”

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.”

  As Etta got into her car, she thought about Mathias and his sister. They didn’t resemble each other all that much. Where he was a towering brute of a man, nearly seven feet tall and well over three hundred pounds of brawn, she was shapely but slim and not very tall.

  Their Native heritage was more pronounced in Mathias than in Mica. His skin was darker, and his eyes were a brown so dark it was nearly impossible to distinguish between the pupil and the iris.

  When she last saw him, his hair was short, per military regulations. Now it was long, hanging in a braid down his back.