against the windows which looked down over suburban Orlando. His eyes were still glued to Tony.
“ Knock it off,” Jo muttered as she moved to sit down in the chair in front of where he was standing. “You almost killed the poor guy, you know. And you almost did it in front of my parents!”
“ He should not have put his hands on you much less his mouth,” Manota growled out under his breath, still keeping his eyes on Tony who was doing his best to ignore the huge warrior.
Tami reached over and patted Manota on his arm. “Don’t you worry, dear. It isn’t the first time someone tried to kill Tony for kissing Jo. He’s been in love with her for years.”
A deep rumble of a growl echoed at Tami ’s words. Jo rolled her eyes and shot Manota another dark look. She turned back to look at the hot drink Ricki had set down in front of her seat.
“ Thanks,” Jo muttered.
“ You looked like you could use it,” Ricki responded, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “Now, please tell us what happened.”
Jo couldn ’t help the small grin that escaped. Only Ricki could act like this was a typical day at the circus. She never got flustered. She just saw a situation that needed to be dealt with, asked for the facts, and went about solving the problem. That was what made her a priceless treasure to the crazy life of the circus.
“ Well,” Jo looked at her parents before carefully retelling everything that had happened since she, Star and River had disappeared almost six months ago.
As she finished, her eyes moved around the table, pausing on the other two figures sitting at the small dining table with them. Walter and Nema sat gazing at her with a look of incredulity on their faces. Well, Nema looked amazed. Walter looked like he was sizing Manota up and trying to decide where he was going to put him in the next act. Jo hoped she hadn ’t really heard Walter’s gruff voice announcing his idea for the next great act – The Amazing Alien Warrior from Kassis, Manota the Monstrous !
“ I like that, dear,” Nema said leaning over and squeezing Walter’s hand as he whispered the words Jo hoped she had only imagined.
“ No, no, no, no, no!” Jo said wanting to immediately nip Walter’s train of thought before he got on a roll. “Walter, Manota is not circus material,” she stressed with a look of warning at the small ringmaster and owner of the circus.
“ I think he is,” Walter said, stroking his thin mustache. “I saw the way he was holding that planter. He moved like lightning when Tony kissed you and he threw him a good twenty feet! That sword thing he has is magnificent! I bet we could build an entire act around him.”
“ Daddy!” Jo groaned out in frustration. “Say something! I… we can’t stay! We only came to get you and momma. We have to go back. Star and River are there. River is expecting her first baby,” she said looking at her dad with huge, pleading eyes.
Alan Strauss looked up at the dark man standing protectively behind his oldest daughter. He had always hoped his little girls would find good men who would love them like he loved their mother. He also hoped those same men would be able to provide and protect them but he never expected them to find anyone like the man standing stiffly against the wall. He turned to look at his delicate wife. She was gazing at him with a look of barely suppressed excitement in her eyes. He had spent the better part of his life with her. Her love of adventure was one of the things he adored about her. He never had to wonder if she would shy away from wanting to explore the world with him. From the look in her eyes now, there was not a single doubt that they would be exploring the stars next.
He released a soft chuckle. He had always been a sucker for the girls, all of them, when they gave him that puppy-dog look. He drew in a deep breath and looked at Walter and Nema.
“ Sorry Walter, we have some packing to do,” Alan said with a grin. “Seems
“ Knock it off,” Jo muttered as she moved to sit down in the chair in front of where he was standing. “You almost killed the poor guy, you know. And you almost did it in front of my parents!”
“ He should not have put his hands on you much less his mouth,” Manota growled out under his breath, still keeping his eyes on Tony who was doing his best to ignore the huge warrior.
Tami reached over and patted Manota on his arm. “Don’t you worry, dear. It isn’t the first time someone tried to kill Tony for kissing Jo. He’s been in love with her for years.”
A deep rumble of a growl echoed at Tami ’s words. Jo rolled her eyes and shot Manota another dark look. She turned back to look at the hot drink Ricki had set down in front of her seat.
“ Thanks,” Jo muttered.
“ You looked like you could use it,” Ricki responded, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “Now, please tell us what happened.”
Jo couldn ’t help the small grin that escaped. Only Ricki could act like this was a typical day at the circus. She never got flustered. She just saw a situation that needed to be dealt with, asked for the facts, and went about solving the problem. That was what made her a priceless treasure to the crazy life of the circus.
“ Well,” Jo looked at her parents before carefully retelling everything that had happened since she, Star and River had disappeared almost six months ago.
As she finished, her eyes moved around the table, pausing on the other two figures sitting at the small dining table with them. Walter and Nema sat gazing at her with a look of incredulity on their faces. Well, Nema looked amazed. Walter looked like he was sizing Manota up and trying to decide where he was going to put him in the next act. Jo hoped she hadn ’t really heard Walter’s gruff voice announcing his idea for the next great act – The Amazing Alien Warrior from Kassis, Manota the Monstrous !
“ I like that, dear,” Nema said leaning over and squeezing Walter’s hand as he whispered the words Jo hoped she had only imagined.
“ No, no, no, no, no!” Jo said wanting to immediately nip Walter’s train of thought before he got on a roll. “Walter, Manota is not circus material,” she stressed with a look of warning at the small ringmaster and owner of the circus.
“ I think he is,” Walter said, stroking his thin mustache. “I saw the way he was holding that planter. He moved like lightning when Tony kissed you and he threw him a good twenty feet! That sword thing he has is magnificent! I bet we could build an entire act around him.”
“ Daddy!” Jo groaned out in frustration. “Say something! I… we can’t stay! We only came to get you and momma. We have to go back. Star and River are there. River is expecting her first baby,” she said looking at her dad with huge, pleading eyes.
Alan Strauss looked up at the dark man standing protectively behind his oldest daughter. He had always hoped his little girls would find good men who would love them like he loved their mother. He also hoped those same men would be able to provide and protect them but he never expected them to find anyone like the man standing stiffly against the wall. He turned to look at his delicate wife. She was gazing at him with a look of barely suppressed excitement in her eyes. He had spent the better part of his life with her. Her love of adventure was one of the things he adored about her. He never had to wonder if she would shy away from wanting to explore the world with him. From the look in her eyes now, there was not a single doubt that they would be exploring the stars next.
He released a soft chuckle. He had always been a sucker for the girls, all of them, when they gave him that puppy-dog look. He drew in a deep breath and looked at Walter and Nema.
“ Sorry Walter, we have some packing to do,” Alan said with a grin. “Seems
Similar Books
