Boone’s expression was hard to read in the darkness. “I don’t understand.”
“I dreamed this.” Hannah’s voice was muffled against Cooper’s chest. “It was the exact house, down to the stupid crooked photos. You were in the exact spot when he attacked.”
“You knew I was going to get attacked by a demon?”
“Demon?” Cooper’s eyes flashed as he glanced down at the man. “Are you sure?”
“His eyes were glowing red,” Boone replied.
“I didn’t see his eyes in the dream,” Hannah replied. “I was in the living room. You couldn’t see or hear me. You kicked in the door to enter, said something about neighbors calling and reporting screams.”
Boone dragged a hand through his hair and nodded. “Yeah, that’s basically what happened. Are you telling me you dreamed this and made Cooper get up in the middle of the night to drive you here to warn me or something?”
“Pretty much,” Cooper replied as he stroked her hair. She seemed mostly solid, if a little frazzled around the edges. She could’ve stood on her own two feet. He didn’t want to let her go, though. “She was a mess when she woke up.”
To Cooper’s surprise, Boone flashed a fatherly smile in Hannah’s direction. “I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but I’ve been taking care of myself for a very long time. You didn’t need to race over here.”
“But I did.” Hannah was earnest as she pulled away. “In the dream, you didn’t see him. He stabbed you in the back.”
Boone hesitated and then looked at the fallen man. “Are you saying he was supposed to kill me but you stopped it?”
Hannah held out her hands and shrugged. “I don’t know if he was going to kill you. He most definitely was going to hurt you.”
“And you stopped it.”
“I ... just had to get to you.”
Boone grinned, but it didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. When his gaze briefly connected with that of Cooper’s, there was worry there. Still he put on a brave face. “Then I guess I owe you a big thank you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.” Hannah closed her eyes and rested her face against Cooper’s shoulder, her adrenaline flagging. “You’re safe. That’s all the thanks I need.”
“I, on the other hand, am going to want breakfast in a few hours,” Cooper said dryly. “I want a big pile of sausage to go with my eggs.”
Boone nodded, his hand automatically going to Hannah’s shoulder to soothe her. “I think that can be arranged. What’s a little sausage between heroes, huh?”
The two men were silent for a beat.
“That went to a dirtier place than you envisioned, didn’t it?” Cooper said finally.
“Totally,” Boone agreed. “A gentleman wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“I’m not much of a gentleman.”
“So I’ve noticed.”
3
Three
Hannah and Cooper got home around the time they would normally consider getting up. Rather than pick up Jinx — the barn was quiet and they didn’t want to wake Tyler a second time — they left the dog with the animal wrangler and tumbled into bed.
Cooper made sure to secure Hannah at his side but was out within seconds. He was the first to wake two hours later and he forced himself to remain still so as not to jostle her. She needed her sleep ... and he needed to think.
He knew the moment Hannah landed at Casper Creek that she was going to change his life. He took one look at her, tried to ignore the way she made his heart race, and resigned himself that he was going to fall for her. He’d never felt anything like he did over the course of those first few days. Now, months later, he’d fallen head over heels. He wouldn’t trade her, or what they’d built, for anything.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t worried. Her magic was growing in leaps and bounds. It was almost a daily occurrence for her to whip out some new ability ... and he had no idea if that was a good or bad thing. He wanted to talk to Abigail, but the ghost had been keeping herself scarce of late. She was pouting her way through her afterlife, and it wasn’t a very attractive feature for the woman he considered something of a second mother.
Next to him, Hannah stirred. He watched her closely, waiting for the moment she would remember what happened. Rather than frown upon opening her eyes, though, she greeted him with a sleepy grin.
“Morning.”
He smiled and leaned in to press a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Good morning.”
She accepted the kiss and then stretched, inhaling deeply. There was little Cooper loved more than an extended snuggle before they had to get up and greet the day. Honestly, if they could find a way to stay in the bed for the rest of the week, he would be all for it. However, practical matters wouldn’t allow that.
“How are you feeling?” he asked when he pulled back, gentle fingers brushing her morning bedhead out of her eyes.
“I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?”
How should he answer that? He was legitimately unsure. “You pulled off something pretty amazing last night. Or, well, this morning.”
“You mean knocking the demon out? I’ve done that before. It wasn’t as hard as you might think. For some reason, my magic somehow knows how to respond. I can’t explain it.”
“That was impressive,” Cooper conceded. “I was actually talking about the dream, though.”
“Oh.” Hannah popped her lips. “That was different,” she said finally. “Maybe it was just a fluke.”
If Cooper had learned anything from spending time with Hannah, it was that nothing she did was a fluke. She was outright amazing when she wanted to be. “I don’t think it was a fluke.”
“I guess that would be too easy.” She sent him a rueful smile. “I don’t know that I’m comfortable being able to dream the future. That’s going to make getting a solid night of sleep pretty difficult.”
“It is.” Cooper chose his words carefully. “I’m going to guess that you’re only going to have the prophetic dreams when it’s really important. Or maybe I’m just hoping that’s the case.”
“Like making sure Boone doesn’t get knifed in the back.”
“Exactly like that. We’re going to have to be careful when it comes to interpreting your dreams. This new ability could end up being really helpful in the grand scheme of things.”
“Unless we come to rely on it and stop looking over our shoulders because we assume that somehow we’ll always know if something bad is going to happen.”
That was something Cooper hadn’t considered. Obviously Hannah had already been working things out when he wasn’t looking, though, and it made him curious. “You got some sleep, right?”
She nodded. “I did. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Well, I happen to like worrying about you. It’s one of the great joys of my life.” He poked her side. “I just want to make sure you’re okay. Last night was ... a big deal.”
“I thought all our nights together were big deals.” She was going for flirty, but given the state of her hair, it was hard to pull off. Despite that, Cooper found her adorable.
“I think that’s a given.” He gave her another kiss. “I’m being serious, though. We have a new bartender starting today.”
Hannah’s lips curved down. “Oh, right. How did I forget that?”
“Maybe because it seems as if we’re chewing up bartenders and spitting them out so often that it’s become commonplace.”
“Yeah.” Hannah rubbed her cheek against his chest. “I know this is difficult for you, the stuff about my magic. I’m still getting used to it so I don’t know what to say to make you feel better. I’m just as confused as you.”
He hated that she was so conflicted. “Baby, we’re going to figure this out. You have to know that you’re doing amazingly well. What you did last night ... it was nothing short of extraordinary. You saved Boone.” Suddenly, he found he was choked up. “I can’t imagine a life without him.”
“I can’t eit
her.” Hannah tilted her head and met his gaze. “I love him, too. I know he’s even more important to you, though.”
“We’re a family. Not all families are blood. Some, the ones you choose because they become a part of you, are stronger than anything you can imagine. That’s what we’re building here. It really is going to be okay. We’re going to figure this thing out with Bettina and her sister, get Angel back, help her family once they wake up, and then go back to being happy and in love.”
Hannah couldn’t contain her laughter. “That sounds like a pretty tall order.”
“And yet that’s what’s going to happen. Have a little faith.”
“Okay, but I’m going to want breakfast on top of that faith.”
Cooper checked the clock on the nightstand. “Boone will be here in about forty minutes. How about I wash your back in the shower? By the time we’re finished, breakfast should be here.”
“That’s pretty convenient.”
He winked at her. “I thought so.”
TYLER WAS THE FIRST THROUGH THE saloon door when they made it to the main floor. Cooper immediately went behind the bar to handle drinks and Hannah scurried to Jinx, who enthusiastically licked her face in greeting.
“Did you miss me?” Hannah cooed as she hugged him. “I’m sorry we had to leave you, but it turned out to be necessary.”
Tyler arched an eyebrow in amusement as he crossed to Cooper. “Everything okay?”
Cooper nodded as he handed Tyler a glass of juice. “Coffee is brewing. Thanks for taking Jinx last night.”
“It’s fine.” Tyler waved off the thanks. “He flopped right down and went back to sleep. It sounds like your trip was worth it.”
Cooper nodded, his eyes somber as they landed on his girlfriend. “Hannah saved Boone’s life.”
“What?” Tyler was clearly flabbergasted. “How did she manage that?”
“It’s a long story.” Cooper rubbed his cheek and then started rummaging in the refrigerator under the bar counter. “Basically she had a dream, and when we managed to track down Boone, everything she saw in the dream was playing out in real time.”
“Really?” Tyler had no idea what he was supposed to say. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, but it was close. Hannah took on an armed man who apparently had a demon inside of him.”
“No way.”
Cooper held out his hands and sighed. “She scared the life out of me. She jumped out of the truck when it was still moving. She got there at the exact right moment. It was terrifying.”
“I’m sorry.” Tyler clapped his hand to his friend’s shoulder. “She’s obviously okay now.”
“She is, and I’m grateful for it.”
“Still ... .” Tyler prodded.
Cooper lowered his voice. “Still, she could’ve been killed.”
“Boone could’ve been killed, too. Obviously he’s okay.”
“He is but ... I don’t know what to make of any of it. She’s growing so strong, and at a fantastic rate.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
“The faster she learns, the stronger she gets, the more of a target she makes of herself for people who want to steal her power.”
“Huh. I didn’t think about that.”
The two men lapsed into silence as they watched Hannah fawn over the dog. She seemed to be oblivious to the fact that they were holding a very serious conversation on the other side of the room. Cooper knew better, though. She was hyper-aware of him — just as he was of her — but she was struggling with how to explain what happened, how she magically managed to get to Boone in the nick of time. That meant she was disappearing inside herself rather than dealing with the fluttery emotions clogging her heart. The realization didn’t sit well with Cooper.
“Orange or tomato juice this morning, baby?” Cooper called out.
“Hmm?” Hannah furrowed her brow as she glanced at them. Before she could respond, though, Boone walked through the swinging doors with a huge box of takeout.
Cooper grinned when he caught sight of the sheriff. “Are you planning on feeding an army?”
“I might’ve gone overboard,” Boone conceded as he dropped the box on the table with a grunt, his gaze automatically going to Hannah. “I wanted to reward my hero, so I got her three breakfasts, a box of doughnuts, flowers, and perfume.”
Cooper pressed his lips together, amusement that seemed out of place given the circumstances bubbling up. Tyler was the one who swooped in and made things even more uncomfortable.
“You got another man’s girlfriend flowers and perfume? That seems ... weird,” the animal wrangler noted.
Boone merely shrugged. “I thought buying her a car was overkill.”
Hannah hopped to her feet and threw her arms around the sheriff’s neck. “You didn’t have to buy me anything. Having you here is present enough. Besides, it’s not as if I did all that much.”
“No?” Boone’s eyebrows hopped as he pulled back to study her. “You made sure my kid wasn’t an orphan. I didn’t know he was in there. If you hadn’t made all that noise, I wouldn’t have turned around. I swear I thought that corner was clear.”
“He was a demon,” Cooper noted. “He could’ve been shrouding himself somehow for all we know. There was no way of knowing he was there.”
“Hannah knew.” Boone was matter-of-fact. “Hannah put herself in harm’s way to protect me. I’m ... profoundly thankful.”
Hannah’s cheeks turned pink under the praise. “You don’t have to be thankful.”
“Well, I am.”
“But ... .”
“Oh, just stuff it.” Boone looked as uncomfortable as the blonde as he shook his head. “You saved me. Take your props.”
“Yes, take your props,” Cooper teased as he handed Hannah a glass of tomato juice. “You took two years off my life when you jumped out of the truck while it was still moving, but you’re a hero. You deserve to be rewarded as such.”
Boone chuckled. “I’m going to let you handle further rewards.” Despite the statement, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Hannah’s cheek. “Lindsey wants to see you and thank you, too.”
“You told her?” Hannah was horrified. “She’s probably really upset.”
“She is.” Boone sobered. “I had no choice. I was in bed when one of my deputies called to tell me some bad news and she knew I got in late and was listening. She heard my entire side of the conversation … the good, bad, and the ugly.”
Hannah straightened. She recognized his tone. “What happened?”
“That guy, the one in the house, he escaped.”
Whatever she was expecting, that wasn’t it. “What?”
“How is that possible?” Cooper asked as he walked out from behind the bar and slipped his arm around Hannah’s waist, a gesture of silent support. “I mean ... seriously.”
Boone held out his hands, a wave of despair washing over him. “He was in cuffs, in the back of a patrol car. At a light, he somehow managed to get out of his cuffs ... and through the cage. He attacked the deputy driving the vehicle and caused him to run into an electricity pole. He then escaped in the melee.”
Hannah’s hand clamped over her mouth, her mind busy as she tried to absorb the picture he was painting. “But ... how did he get through the cage?”
Boone showed his teeth as he grimaced. “That’s a very good question. I took a look when I got to the scene. It appears as if the metal had somehow been bent in such a way that he managed to get his hands through.”
“That shouldn’t be possible,” Tyler noted, shaking his head. “I mean ... a human doesn’t have that kind of strength.”
“We’re not dealing with a human, though,” Cooper pointed out. “We’re dealing with a demon in human clothing.”
“But ... .” Tyler kept shaking his head.
Hannah absently rubbed the side of her nose as she tried to make sense of what Boone was telling her. “Are your men okay?” she asked finally.
Boone nodded. “The deputy driving has a concussion, two broken ribs, and a broken arm. He’ll be in the hospital a few days. The doctors say that he’s not in jeopardy. The deputy who was in the passenger seat had superficial wounds.”
“And what did he say?” Cooper queried. “He must have seen what was happening in the cage, at least heard something.”
“He says no.” Boone exhaled heavily as he sat at the table and started rummaging through the box. The first thing he pulled out was the flowers, which he automatically handed to Hannah. “I hope you like lilies. I thought roses were a little too weird.”
Hannah accepted the flowers and walked behind the bar. She remained quiet as she rummaged through the cupboards, coming back with a vase shaped like a cowboy boot. “They’re beautiful. I love them.”
Cooper watched her, concern etching across his features. News that the demon escaped had obviously thrown her. She’d already been through so much. Briefly he wondered how much she could be expected to take before crumbling. Then he viciously shoved the notion out of his mind, refusing to entertain the idea that she would crack under the stress.
In truth, she was the strongest person he’d ever met. She was self-deprecating and often referenced bad choices she’d made in the past with the sort of amusement other people reserved for sitcom conversations. She was a resilient and determined woman, though, and he had no doubt that she would be okay. He would stand with her, act as a shield and a crutch if need be, but she would ultimately be the one to point the way to victory. That was becoming glaringly apparent.
“I should’ve bought you the car,” Boone muttered under his breath, earning a genuine smile from Cooper.
“I think that would’ve forced me to beat you up,” Cooper countered on a grin. “I mean ... she is my girlfriend. A car is a pretty extravagant gift.”
“Not as big as the gift she gave me last night,” Boone pointed out.
“I guess you have a point. I ... .” Cooper trailed off at the sound of footsteps on the walkway outside the saloon, his eyes automatically going to Jinx. Sure enough, the dog hurriedly moved away from the door and headed behind the bar to join Hannah. Whether it was a protective measure or fear, however, he couldn’t say. He wasn’t surprised when Bettina pushed through the doors and joined them. Jinx always reacted that way to the witch hiding behind the teenager’s face these days.
All the Pretty Witches (A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book 6) Page 3