Unholy Blue by Darby Kaye

one heck of a Knight, with the manners to boot. Ann and Hugh think the world of him. And of Cor.”
And why the hell am I justifying all this to her, anyway
?
    â€œI’ll reserve judgment until I meet the man.”
    Shay massaged her neck at the memory of the conversation.
Gods, I hope I’m not like that with Cor
. Waiting for the coffee maker to finish birthing its brew, she steeled herself, then picked up the cell phone and tapped the speed dial number two.
    â€œMorning, Mom,” she said, keeping her voice low. “You up already? No, no, nothing’s wrong. In fact, something’s pretty
right
.” She held up her hand and examined her rings again as she took a deep breath. “I have something to tell you. About Bann and me.”

    Sliding the back door open a few hours later, Shay stuck her head out. The mid-morning sun shone with an unexpected warmth for the first of November. Hammering from the far side of the fence assaulted her ears. She winced, then called, “Bann?”
    Cor, holding a post for his father on the inside of the yard, turned and yelled over the wall. “Dad? Shay wants you!” The banging ceased.
    Bann’s head and shoulders poked up. “Aye?” He rested an arm on the gate he was installing, a hammer in one hand. Earlier, the father and son team had cobbled a makeshift entrance on the east side of the house.
    â€œI’ve got to make a house call. A Knight hurt his shoulder in a fall. I should be home in less than two hours at the most.” She started to shut the door when Bann called her back.
    â€œHave you your phone?”
    â€œYup.” She slapped her back pocket. “Okay, I’m out of here.” She rolled her eyes when he spoke again.
    â€œShay?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œWho is the Knight, and where does he live?”
    Oh, for Danu’s sake
. “I’ll leave the info on the counter. Gotta go.” This time, she ignored his next question and pulled the sliding glass door closed. Grabbing the backpack that served in place of a medical bag and her lightest-weight fleece jacket, she headed toward the front door.
I see we’re going to have to have a little talk
.
    After fixing the injured Knight’s dislocated shoulder, and swearing to keep the cause of said injury just between them, she climbed in her SUV. Still laughing over the fact that the Knight had tumbled off his roof while cleaning the rain gutters—
yeah, I would keep that a secret, too
—she started up the engine.
    Her cell phone chimed. Buckling up one-handed, she plucked it from the cup holder and checked the screen. Her heart skipped in place.
Score
! “Shay Doyle,” she answered. “Oh, that’s great news. And is it still okay for me to leave my car there for a few hours? Right. I’m on my way now.”
    Pulling out of the local Ford dealership forty-five minutes later, Shay inhaled the scent of shiny happy new truck as she drove through town toward home. The vehicle rolled along with a low, confident growl.
I hope he likes the color
, she thought. “They call it ‘Broadsword Gray,’” the salesman had told her; she had almost bought the truck based on
that
alone. She ran her hand along the steering wheel, admiring how well her rings looked against the leather trim.
Sometimes, being me is just too fun
. Stopping at a light, she glanced over when a horn beeped. Next to her, a grizzled man in a cowboy hat, driving a truck and trailer rig, nodded at her vehicle, then touched the brim of his hat in approval. She grinned back.
    I’m glad I splurged for a crew cab. More room for Cor
. A realization flashed through her.
This could be my betrothal gift to Bann. Ooh, double score!
She hugged herself in anticipation.
    After rolling to a stop as quietly as she could in their driveway, she grabbed her Healer’s kit and jumped out.Unable to contain her excitement, she honked the horn, then stepped to one