Elly's Ghost (25 page)

“Isn’t it just
beautiful?” Elly said.

“It is.” Jay said,
putting his arm around her. “Come on.”

They held hands
and walked down into the middle of the valley, surrounded by the tall grasses
and flowers that extended in every direction. Part of Jay wanted to believe
that Ben had prepared this view for them, as a wedding present, as it seemed
too good to be a coincidence.

Jay pointed at
the southwest corner of the valley lined with ash and aspen trees. “That’s
where Ben died. They were walking through those trees toward the valley when it
happened.”

Elly put her arm
around him. “Are you okay?”

“I am, but I
will always miss him.” Jay picked a yellow flower and put it behind Elly’s ear.

“I love you,”
Elly said.

“I love you,
too,” Jay said.

They kissed.

Jay turned his
attention back to the trees where Ben died.

“What are you
thinking about?” Elly turned to face Jay.

“How happy Ben
would be for us if he were here.” Jay stared into Elly’s eyes.

“Do you remember
when you told me you blamed yourself for his death?”

Jay nodded.

“A thought occurred
to me,” Elly said. “If you had stayed home and started that guide business with
him, we wouldn’t have met, and I might have died after I was kidnapped.”

“I guess I never
thought about it that way.”

“Do you still
feel responsible for him dying?”

“No. I’ve had
time to think, and I know there are far too many things that are out of our control.”

“I wish I could
have met him.”

“He would have
had fun being in our wedding party,” Jay said. “I know he would really like
you.”

“And I’m sure I
would like him. Thanks for bringing me here.” Elly leaned in and rested her
head against his chest.

They walked back
to camp talking about System Override’s upcoming album release and Jay’s
remaining three years as an active-duty Marine. They ate a late supper,
grilling steaks on the campfire, then sat holding each other until darkness set
in and the stars came out.

Elly stood and
walked over to the other side of the fire. “Do you remember the last time we
were here and I told you I didn’t want to leave?”

“Of course I do.
Is that why you chose this place for our honeymoon?”

“It’s one of the
reasons, but not the main reason.”

Jay sat up,
noticing the growing smile on Elly’s face. He’d seen that smile many times,
most recently when she’d surprised him with the new floatplane.

“And what would
you say is the main reason?”

“This,” Elly
said. She turned her back to him and walked to the shore just a few feet away.
In quick motions she removed her shirt, shorts, and underwear. In the glow of
the fire, the naked Elly Tessier playfully smiled back at her husband and then
wasted no time running full speed into the lake as the darkness engulfed her.

Jay jumped up
and hurdled the campfire as he ran to the shore and quickly deposited his
clothes into a pile next to hers. He splashed into the darkness, following the
sound of her laughter.

Thank you!

Thank you so
much for reading Elly’s Ghost. I hope you enjoyed it. I love to hear from
readers and your feedback is most welcome. Please feel free to review Elly’s
Ghost at your favorite retailer, like me on Facebook, or contact me via the
options below.

-John

John R. Kess is
a thriller and young adult author from Minneapolis Minnesota. Elly’s Ghost is
his second novel. His first novel, titled “Finding Hannah” was published in May
of 2012. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota.

For more info:

Website:
http://www.johnrkess.com

Facebook Author Page:
https://www.facebook.com/JohnRKess

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/JohnRKess
@JohnRKess

Email: [email protected]

To Bob. Thanks
for always being there for me. I couldn’t ask for a better brother.

I’d like to give
a very special thank you to my editor Pat Morris who has put up with me and my
bad writing habits for many years. I want to thank the members of Writers Quest
and members of my Loft writers group for their wonderful constructive feedback.
I owe a big thank you to Alex for sharing his excellent aviation expertise and
to Teresa for all of her wonderful legal help. Thank you to the numerous people
who read my drafts and gave me feedback. You’ve all helped make me a better
writer.

The cover art
was designed by
Chris Jenkinson
@jenks_designer

Finding Hannah