The Running of the Deer by Catriona King

Author:Catriona King [King, Catriona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hamilton-Crean Publishing
Published: 2018-07-09T23:00:00+00:00

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Eglantine Avenue, South Belfast. Ken Smith’s Apartment.

Constable Ken Smith removed his jacket and hung it on a hanger, then he did the same with the rest of his police uniform, straightening it neatly as he’d been taught in the army and wondering how many more years he’d be forced to wear someone else’s idea of style; although at least in the police the golden ring of being a detective lay ahead, and with it the chance of wearing a suit and tie that he’d chosen for himself.

He glanced again at the bottle-green jacket and trousers and smiled, remembering the olive-green ones he’d worn as an army captain two years’ before. It seemed he just couldn’t get away from wearing green at work, but at least this time it wasn’t such a bilious shade, and of course along with the darker green came the freedom to live in his own home and not get posted to a warzone at the drop of a hat.

He closed his wardrobe door with a satisfied nod; leaving the military had definitely been the right choice for him, even more so because of what he intended to do that evening. The restaurant was booked, the small box tucked into his pocket, and permission from Lucia’s father sought and given the week before, after some serious ducking and diving to avoid either her or Marc finding out. Lucia because it would have spoilt the moment and ignited her feminist ire, and Marc because, although he doubted that his future brother-in-law would tell anyone, he really couldn’t risk the secret getting out.

If Lucia discovered that anyone had known he was going to propose to her before she did, she would say no out of pure annoyance, eminently capable of cutting off her pert nose to spite her face. Even her parents had been sworn to secrecy for ever, never to reveal that he’d done the old-fashioned thing and asked permission for her hand first. He really didn’t need words like ‘chauvinist’ or ‘Victorian’ echoing in his ears for the next, hopefully, fifty years, and if that sounded like cowardice, well, the veteran of several armed conflicts was absolutely fine with that.

The ex-soldier smiled as he realised that he was more frightened of the woman he loved hurting him than he had ever been of bombs and guns. He supposed that if he had to then he might be able to survive without Lucia’s love, but the sudden ache in his heart at the very thought of it meant that he would never take the risk of putting it to the test.

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