by Tena Stetler
The butterflies in her stomach were back accompanied by a titillating desire that swirled through her. Acting on it was not an option—right now. Too soon.
As his cheek rested against her forehead, the only sound in the room was the crackle and occasional pop of the fire racing around the pine logs. She glanced over at their glasses. The red wine sparkled in the firelight with unusual bubbles rising to the surface. A giggle escaped her lips, and she said, “Maybe you set the glasses too close to the fire. I believe they are simmering.”
Reluctantly releasing his hold, she slid out of his lap, and he lazily reached for the glasses grasping them by the stem. “Wooo, these are warm, bordering on hot.” He moved the glasses to the side away from the fire. “Guess we better get a couple new glasses. Glad I moved the bottle over there.” He grinned. “That’s never happened before. You distracted me.”
“You’re actually blaming me?” she teased. “You pulled me into your lap. How’s that my fault?”
“You fell into my lap, after getting tangled in the pillows.” He got to his feet. “You stay put. I’ll get new glasses.”
She watched him walk into the kitchen, glance at the cupboards, and pick the one with the door ajar. Lined on the second shelf sat the wine glasses. He took two and returned to the living room and settled on the pillows, next to her.
Glasses refilled, Lathen touched the rim of his glass to hers making a tinkling sound. “To your new endeavor and to—us.” He took a sip as she stared at him.
“Us?”
“Yes, us. I’ve never known a woman like you. I want to see where this leads. Don’t you?”
“My luck with men…There’s so much to do…I don’t think it’s wise to become involved.”
“Don’t overthink it. Let’s see where this goes.”
She paused for a couple of beats. “What if it doesn’t work out…Assuming the wildlife center comes to fruition, working together would be awkward if we could do it at all. I’d lose the best handyman in Lobster Cove. Then what would I do?”
He swirled the wine in his glass and took another sip. “What if it does? You can’t rule out that possibility. Tell you what. I believe in this project, so I’ll guarantee I won’t abandon the center regardless of the outcome of our relationship. Does that put your mind at ease?”
“You’ve never broken your word?”
Lathen looked her straight in the eye, never wavering. “No, ma’am. I’m a man of my word,” he said seriously.
She sighed. “Okay—we’ll see how it goes. I’m not good at doing that—but I’ll try.” Pepper picked up her wine and took a couple of sips.
“Good.” He glanced at his watch. “I can’t figure out how time goes so damn fast out here. Tomorrow is going to be a nightmare. My day starts at 5:00 a.m. Got a problem at the old McClintock place. Promised to be there before first light. What’s the rest of your week look like?” Lathen finished the wine and set the glass on the floor.
“My furniture is supposed to be delivered tomorrow. Said they’d call in the morning with a window of arrival time. So I guess I’ll finish unpacking and familiarize myself with the property. Friday is supposed to be a nice day, thought I’d bike into town and spend the day exploring. Last time I tried, it rained.”
“Mind if I check in with you around noon on Friday? Maybe we could catch a bite at Mariner’s Fish Fry.”
“I’d like that.”
She walked him to the door. He leaned down and brushed a kiss over her lips, lingering a moment, then sauntered down the path to his truck, whistling. He started the engine and waved to her before guiding his vehicle out the driveway.
Stepping out the door, she followed the wraparound porch to the back of the house. In the middle of the clearing stood the black dog staring at her. The bowl of kibble she’d put on the bottom porch step was empty. Taking her time, she picked up the bowl, took it in the house, exchanged it for a clean one filled with kibble, and returned to the back porch. The dog ventured closer and now was only a few yards from the porch.
Pepper chewed on her bottom lip while deciding whether to put the bowl on the step and go inside, or stay on the porch but give the dog some space. Finally, she left the bowl on the bottom step and backed away, settling in a chair at the far corner of the porch. The big furball took two steps forward and stopped, watched her intently, then took a few more steps. She remained still. Eventually, the dog came to the step, ate the food, and sat down eying her for several minutes before loping toward the trees. We are making progress.
“Goodnight, Ember. See you in the morning,” she said quietly. The dog turned at the edge of the trees and looked at her before disappearing. Wow. She hugged herself and spun around on one foot. The thrill of earning an animal’s trust—there was nothing like it in the world, especially when it needed her care. Rather than feeling only fear and hunger from the dog, now there was curiosity. She raced into the cabin, found her phone, and scrolled to Gwen’s number
Chapter Six
Furniture, New People, an Attorney, Oh My
No one knew the excitement of a breakthrough like another rehabber. So when it took several rings before Pepper heard Gwen’s sleepy voice, it didn’t dampen her spirits.
At the sound of her voice, Pepper’s words tumbled out. “Just had a break through with that feral black dog outside the cabin. I talked to him, and he looked at me. Even came within ten feet of me to get food out of a bowl, all while I sat there.”
“Whoa, whoa, Pepper?”
“Of course.”
“Okay…slow down, let me get woke up.” She yawned into the phone. “Now, what about the dog?”
“Remember when you called with the Internet sites for state and federal permits?”
“Oh, yeah…that fuzzy black dog.”
“Yep, that’s the one. He has a blue tongue.” Pepper filled her in on the progress to date. A little about Lathen and the town. “Hey, any chance you can be here by next Friday? We appear before the town council, to see if I can get their blessing. Lathen got the paperwork and put me on the schedule.”
“Sounds like Lathen has a thing for you.” Gwen laughed. “Jodi should be back by then. I’ll do my best.”
“Thanks. I’ll let you get back to bed. Sorry, I didn’t realize how late it was.”
“Sure. Spending time with the hunk, huh? ’Til well after midnight?”
Pepper couldn’t keep the smile out of her voice. “Guilty as charged.”
“Oh, that’s it. I’m going back to sleep. See you soon.”
“Bye.” Pepper ended the call and checked on Kaylee in the cabin’s attached aviary. She yawned wide, then stopped to stretch her legs before trudging up the stairs to her bedroom. Not used to climbing stairs, her legs had cramped up the last couple nights after crawling into the bed.
The warm water felt so good as it ran in rivulets down her body rinsing away the soap and grime of the day. As she let the water cascade down her back, she thought of Lathen, his arms wrapped around her, and the way-too-short make-out session this evening. He caused tingles in all the right places. Was she falling for him? Stepping out of the shower, she shook her head, flinging water all over. It was too soon to even consider that. Still…She made sure the windows were locked before falling into bed. Would Kaylee enjoy getting out and seeing the property tomorrow?
****
The rain pattered against the window as Pepper wiped the sleep from her eyes. The phone vibrated across her night stand. She picked it up and checked the caller ID, the furniture store.
“Hello.”
“Calling to let you know our truck will be there within thirty minutes. You’re first on the schedule.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Shock set in after she glanced at the clock. Good God, it was quarter past ten. She jumped out of bed, yanked on jeans and a sweatshirt, ran a brush through her hair, then raced down the stairs to the aviary and tossed Kaylee her morning fish. Kaylee eyed Pepper irritably and let the first fish fall to the ground.
“Come on, Kaylee, don’t be difficult. I’ve a surprise for you later today.” Kaylee spread her wings and took flight, just as Pepper tossed a fish into the air. The bird swooped, caught it midair, and returned to the perch, fish in one talon while ripping it apart with her beak.
“I’ll be right back,” Pepper said sprinting back to the living room.
The pillows were scattered all over the floor from last night. She poured a bowl of cereal and shoveled a spoonful into her mouth, then picked up the pillows and returned them to their bags, stuffing them in the coat closet. In between mouthfuls of cereal, she vacuumed the room. As she put the vacuum away, the furniture truck pulled up in front of the cabin. Timing is everything. Pepper smiled and opened the door.
By the time the furniture was arranged and the TV set up and tested, the sky was blue, and the sun shone brightly. She donned a heavy sweater over her sweatshirt and padded into the aviary. With a stroke of her hand, the leather gauntlet covered her arm and hand. Kaylee ruffled her feathers, stretched her wings, and with several flaps of her wings lapped the enclosure three times before landing on Pepper’s arm.
“You ready to check out this place?” she asked strolling out the door. Kaylee lifted off and circled the area as Pepper walked the property. When Pepper disappeared inside the barn, the osprey whistled loudly and carefully negotiated the double barn door, following her inside. After documenting the size, condition, and location of all the buildings on the property, Pepper walked to the pond and settled on the bench. A few minutes later, Kaylee landed on the back of the bench, a fresh fish in her talons.
“Been to the beach, I see. You eat that on the ground. I don’t want fish guts on my bench.” Behind her, the breeze in the trees sounded like someone laughing quietly. She turned, but there was no one there.
The bird cocked her head and glided to the edge of the pond where she devoured her meal. A light touch on Pepper’s shoulder told her there was indeed someone there. She sat up straight, turned slightly, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ashling leaning against the nearest tree, the same smug smile on her face as the last time Pepper saw her. As she started to get up and open her mouth to speak, Ashling put a finger to her lips and disappeared.
“There you are.” Lathen walked up behind her, eased an arm around her shoulder, and leaned in brushing a kiss over her lips as tender and light as the spring breeze. “Had a break between jobs. Thought I’d come over and see if everything went as planned this morning.”
She shivered at the tenderness of his kiss. “Yes, the furniture was delivered and looks great. They even connected the TV to the satellite dish and made sure it worked before leaving.”
Lathen nodded. “I see Kaylee is enjoying her outing.”
“She is. I decided to bring her outside and start working on her stamina. In Salem, the big birds had to take turns flying in the outdoor enclosure. Free flight outside the enclosure wasn’t safe. Here, I think she will gain a lot of strength. And being my familiar, she never strays far from my side. But…” Pepper eyed the back of her bench and Kaylee munching on her catch. “It would be nice for Kaylee to have a sturdy tree branch perch next to the water’s edge to enjoy her meals here with me.
“I can do that—familiar?” He sat on the bench beside her, dropping a carrier with a sack and two drinks between them.
Pepper sniffed and peeked in the bag. “Something smells really good.”
He handed her a cup of hot chocolate and unwrapped two pieces of vanilla cake with raspberry filling on small plates. “Sweet tooth acting up.” Shrugging, he passed her a fork.
She took a sip of the steaming chocolaty liquid and continued. “According to Colleen, a familiar serves a witch, providing protection, as the witch comes into her powers, or in my case, learn to use powers I’ve kept hidden for years. Our relationship is unusual as I was her protector first, then as she reached adulthood I hid my talents, and she lived at the center. When I resigned and got ready to leave town, she raised hell at the center, until Gwen called and requested I take Kaylee with me. Almost as if she knew what was happening. So here we are.”
“Nice arrangement. That explains why she attacked Green the other night.” After finishing off his cake and drink, Lathen stood. “I gotta get back to work. It’ll be a late night. I have a job at the police station after the regular employees go home. Gotta route power to new computer stations. Are we still on for lunch tomorrow?”
“Sure. Give me a call when you’re ready. I plan to spend the day exploring Lobster Cove’s shops. Get a feeling for the place before the town council meeting next Friday.”
“It’s in the bag. But state and federal might be a different story.”
“We’ll know soon enough; Brandon will be by on Monday. If there were a snag, he’d call, and I haven’t heard from him, so no news is good news. Right?”
“Yep. See ya tomorrow.” He started toward the driveway.
“Hey, don’t you want to see the new stuff?”
“Of course. Looking forward to trying it out. Just not today…Well, maybe a quick peek.”
Pepper pushed up from the bench and called to Kaylee. When she caught up to Lathen, he reached for her hand, intertwined their fingers and swung their arms back and forth as they climbed the path to the house. The osprey soared overhead landing on the cabin roof above the door.
As they reached the corner of the cabin, Pepper caught sight of the black dog sneaking around the back of the house. This time the tail was curled over its back, rather than hanging down. Time for a closer approach.
After Lathen tried out the double reclining sofa and the glider rocker sofa, he picked up the remote and clicked on the TV. Letting out a low whistle, he flipped through a few channels. “Wow, that’s a nice picture.”
When he leaned up, the recliner returned to a sitting position, then he opened the chest coffee table and sifted through all the movies Pepper had acquired.
“That is quite a collection of movies for a woman with no TV until today.” Closing up the table and getting to his feet, he wrapped an arm around Pepper pulling her close, his lips feather light as they touched hers with tantalizing persuasion. “If I don’t leave now…I may not go at all,” he murmured against her lips.
Standing on tiptoe, she returned his kiss, shivers of desire zinged through her. When he lifted his head, she whispered, “Is that a bad thing?”
“From my point of view, absolutely not, but I don’t think my customers would be pleased. Being it’s the police department, I better get going. Wouldn’t want to be responsible for a crime spree because their new computer system wasn’t up and running.” He snorted, then burst out laughing. “As if.”
She walked him out to his truck, touched her lips to his once more, and watched him climb into the truck and drive out of sight. Walking up the path, she knelt beside the raised flower garden examining the plants next to the name stakes. Several of her favorites had buds, purple, white, and yellow violets, and red trillium. Tiger lilies lined the outside edge front and back. On the side orange ditch lilies were just coming up beside the lupine.
A grouping of her Aunt Ashling’s favorite, lily of the valley, spread next to the house in front of the porch. Pepper leaned over and caressed the tender leaves. She wrinkled her nose and glanced around catching the scent of lily of the valley on the breeze, a cologne her aunt always wore. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the black dog crouching on the side of the house. He was between the row of lupines that by midsummer would be tall spires of pink, white, and purple flowers and the meadow behind the house. Climbing the steps of the porch, she settled in a chair a couple of feet from the bowl filled with kibble. A fresh bowl of water sat next to the kibble. She watched as the dog crept closer, one paw on the first stair, nose in the air catching her scent.
Chapter Seven
If You Live In Lobster Cove,
the World May Be Your Oyster,
but Your Life Is an Open Shell
Ne
gotiating the rough road from her cabin into town on a bicycle was not as easy as Pepper assumed it would be. Loose gravel, tree branches, and boulders—okay, large rocks—strewn across the road, from God only know where, during the downpour last night made it difficult to stay upright on two wheels. And the potholes filled with water could swallow her and the bike whole, not to mention drench her in mud.
Still she pressed on. The sun felt warm on her back and the fresh air made it all worthwhile, not to mention the calories she had to be burning. Once on the main road, she made it to town in no time. At the gazebo in the town square, she chained her bike to a street lamp and strolled down Main Street, stopping to look in the shop windows, and hurrying by Maggie’s Diner. She wanted to avoid a chance encounter with Kate. At Julie’s Coffee and Sweet Shop, she stopped and grabbed a snack, then visited with Julie before heading to the bank. In Salem, she had a long banking relationship with State Bank, but her nonprofit would require a working relationship with Morgan Bank, which held several of the estate accounts.
Newly planted flowers lined the flower beds in front of the bank. Pepper yanked open the glass door and stepped inside. The blue and tan decor gave it a homey feel. A teller at the third window smiled at her, so Pepper walked up and introduced herself.
“We heard Colleen was leaving and a relative of Ashling McKay would be moving in. Nice to meet you. I’m Tammy, what can I help you with?” She flashed a bright smile from behind the counter.
Pepper returned the smile. “I need to transfer my accounts from State Bank in Salem, Massachusetts, to here. Can you do that, or do I need to initiate the transfer from Salem?” Pepper rifled through her backpack and came up with a piece of paper. “Before leaving, I requested the bank fill out a transfer form, but since I didn’t know the name of the financial institution I would be contacting, they didn’t complete the form. Mr. Fairbanks is my attorney, and he added me to the estate accounts here.”
Tammy thought for a moment. “A McKay from Salem, that’s interesting.”
“Not as interesting as you’d think.”