You Know Who - Robin L. Deeter (books for new readers .TXT) 📗

had gone to Canada along with Constable Turnbull to aid in capturing Muldoon. When Ray informed Jessie that Fraser and Stan had headed to Canada she knew that her premonition was on target.
“I don’t think we’re going to see Ben or Stan for a while. I think once all of this is over that Ben is going to stay. He’s been so homesick lately.”
It was evening and they were seated on the sofa, Duke curled up on the floor at Jessie’s feet.
Ray held her. “I think you’re probably right. He deserves to go home, to be happy where he wants to be. I’m gonna miss him like hell again, though. He’s become like a brother to me.”
Jessie hugged him gently, mindful of his injuries. “I know. Me, too. I’m going to miss Stan, too.”
Ray stiffened in her arms. “You and him got close, huh?”
Smiling Jessie replied, “Yeah, like Fraser and me. You have nothing to be jealous about, Ray. Nothing at all.”
“Good.” He shifted so he could see her face. “Jess, I know things have been crazy the past few days and actually this whole past year, too. Being away for so long has taught me some things. I’m not gonna take things for granted anymore, like my family and friends. They’re the most important thing to me. Frannie once told me that I was afraid to take chances and she was right. But I’m not afraid any more, Jess. I don’t ever want to be without you again.”
He reached into his suit jacket withdrawing a black velvet ring box. Ray opened the lid and the diamond solitaire sparkled in the light. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife, Jessica Marie Samuels?”
In openmouthed shock Jessie’s gaze alternated between the ring box and Ray’s serious hazel eyes. Locating her voice she asked, “You’re serious?”
Ray nodded, his eyes holding hers. “I’ve never been more serious, Jess.”
A burst of love broke free inside her chest. She cupped his face, kissing him tenderly.
“Yes, I’ll marry you. I love you so much,” she said against his mouth. “I would be proud to be Mrs. Raymond Vecchio.”
Ray leaned his forehead against hers, the smile she loved curving his mouth. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He kissed her long and thoroughly. Holding her tightly, he didn’t care about the pain in his chest. Plucking the ring from its box, Ray lifted her left hand. The entire time he slid the ring on Jessie’s third finger he looked into her eyes.
Happy tears welled up in Jessie’s eyes. “It’s beautiful, Ray.”
“Not as beautiful as you.”
“You know, when you look at me that way I can almost believe it.”
“Believe it.”

Chapter Fourteen

Their wedding took place in June at St. Michael’s Church where the Vecchio family attended services. Lieutenant Welsh gave the bride away, Father Bayan officiating. Frannie made a beautiful maid of honor even if her skirt was a little short and Elaine Vespres had agreed to be a bridesmaid. Ben and Stan were able to make is as they’d returned from their adventure in the snowy outreaches of Canada. The Mountie was very handsome in his tux as he stood up as Ray’s best man. At Mrs. Vecchio’s request Ray had asked Tony to be a groomsman. Dief and Duke attended the reception and were quite well behaved as long as they were being fed. Duke had grown, now as large as Dief and the two made quite a stunning pair.
Ben was required to return to Canada in a few days so he was glad to have the time to visit with everyone before he left for his posting. Stan was keeping his job at the 27th only as himself now since Ray had been promoted to lieutenant of the 32nd division. The promotion was due in large part to the undercover work he’d done in Las Vegas and his assistance on the Muldoon case.
Being in charge was going to suit him he decided, especially since the only partner he’d ever gotten along with since Lori was heading back to Canada. Plus, as a lieutenant he wouldn’t be required to perform any undercover work. He’d leave that to the single guys from now on.
Frannie was extremely pleased that she didn’t have to pretend Stan was her brother any longer and Ray and Jessie’s wedding had given her the idea to lay some bait of her own. It had worked for Jessie so there must be something to it, right?
Ray and Jessie were leaving for Hawaii straight from the reception so Ben said his goodbye to Ray and Jessie in private corner of the banquet hall.
Jessie took Ben’s hand like she always did and looked into the azure gaze that she’d gotten to know so well. “You know, I missed you so much while you were gone and it’s been so good to have you here again. I want to thank you for being such a good friend to me and for being in our wedding. I’m going to miss you like crazy, Ben. Who am I going to play chess with?” She laughed with tears in her eyes.
Ben hugged her close, a lump in his own throat. “I’m going to miss you, Jessie. You’ve been a good friend to me, too.”
Jessie released him and Ray and Ben gave each other a manly hug. “Benny, you’d better call or write or send smoke signals-whatever you have to do. It’s not gonna be the same without you here sniffing and tasting stuff. I’m gonna miss you like hell,” Ray told him with a grin.
Ben smiled back at the man who had become his brother. “I’ll miss you, too, Ray, but I will be in touch.”
As Ray met Ben’s direct look, he heard the echo of a long ago goodbye. “As a friend, Benny?”
“Yeah, Ray. As a friend.”
The two men hugged one more time before Ray and Jessie started making their way around the room to say their farewells to everyone. Ben watched two of his best friends climb into a black stretch limo and ride away to start their future together. He smiled to himself as he remembered how it had all started and his part in it. Stan came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey, buddy. They seem really happy, huh?”
Ben turned and smiled at Stan. “Yes, Ray, they do.”
“I’m glad it all worked out for them, especially Jessie. She’s a class act.”
“She sure is.”
Stan laughed. “How long do you think before they have a kid?”
“Oh, probably not long.”
Frannie interrupted their conversation to ask Stan to dance. Ben smiled as Stan took her hand and followed Frannie, looking back at his Canadian brother with a wink.
Looking down at Dief Ben said, “That could be the next wedding we attend, you know.”
Dief gave a bark of agreement.

Stan and Jessie stayed fast friends and still traded coffee for dirty jokes at the 27th since Jessie had decided to keep working. The place was in her blood and she would have missed it too much had she quit. Puttering around the house by herself all day didn’t appeal to her at all. Ray and Stan’s relationship had grown, too, with Stan being a regular at Ray and Jessie’s house. Frannie and Stan had been dating ever since Ray and Jessie’s wedding and seemed to be doing well together. Ray and Jessie’s house became a hangout for several of the cops at the 27th and a few from Ray’s new precinct. Harding Welsh was always willing to give the new lieutenant advice. Jack Huey and Tom Dewey’s comedy act did fairly well and they came over when they weren’t performing or practicing.
Ray was always glad to see his buddies. Somehow a regular poker night on Fridays had developed without any official decision to do so. Good times ensued and laughter rang through the small Cape Cod. Fraser might be back home in Canada but he was in the memory of everyone who had worked with him at the 27th. Many conversations revolved around the Mountie and the time he’d spent in Chicago. Everyone had a story to tell about him and no one minded if a story was repeated.
Stan had been given an official partner. Welsh and he had argued about it but eventually Harding had told him that he could accept it, transfer, or quit. Stan had stayed. He’d come to love the 27th and didn’t want to be transferred anywhere else. And quit? What else was he going to do but be a cop? His new partner turned out to be a rookie detective who was a computer genius. Stan took Johnny Roberts under his wing and the “kid” as he was called was only too glad to accept Stan’s guidance.
Fraser kept his word, calling from time to time when he was near a phone and writing letters describing his experiences out in the wilderness. At night when he was alone, his memories of Chicago and everyone there kept him company. There were times when he missed the city greatly, and working with both of his former partners even more so, but he was happiest out in the frigid, wild places of the Northwest Territories. Ben planned to visit Chicago during his spring break the following year and was looking forward to seeing everyone. Diefenbaker was still Fraser’s constant companion and the leader of his sled dog team. When he was in town, however, Fraser made sure to buy the wolf some junk food which he doled out sparingly to the lupine.
October brought cold fall temperatures and the bitter winds for which Chicago was nicknamed. One afternoon Stan brought Jessie a fax, winked at her and headed back the way he came. Jessie looked down, recognizing her husband’s bold handwriting.
Hey, sexy. Just checking on you and the bambino. Call me when you get a chance.
All my love, you know who.
THE END
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Publication Date: 03-16-2010

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