A Witch's Journey

by Tena Stetler

  ****

  Standing in the family’s warm, cozy kitchen, Lathen said, “It’s time, Dad. You got the truck packed for your trip to the airport, right?”

  “Yes, son. We’re packed. Let’s get this show on the road.” He reached for Amy and snatched her to him. “Ready to be Mrs. Quartz?”

  “I am,” Amy cooed, smoothing her light pink dress with embroidered multi-colored rosebuds on it. She twirled on her white pearl pumps. “Lucy from the pack made it for me. Eli and I were okay with new jeans and matching maroon shirts. But the pack wasn’t having any of that. So we’ll wear those on our honeymoon.”

  “You two aren’t the least bit nervous?” Hayley asked.

  “Too old for that. Besides, what is there to be nervous about? We’ve been mated since our trip to Denali with Lathen and Pepper. This ceremony is merely a formality and a reason for the pack to have another party,” Eli said with a smirk. “I’d much rather get to the physical…”

  “Elijah Quartz, don’t you dare go there,” Amy scolded.

  “And to comply with the legal requirements in the State of Alaska,” Kolby added snickering.

  Lathen led the way out to the SUV. Kolby and Hayley piled in the back, and Pepper hopped in the passenger seat. Lathen checked the back of the vehicle, then got in and started the engine. “I see you got the tin cans. Dad’s gonna kill us when he discovers them tied to his bumper.”

  “Too bad,” Kolby snorted. “Jan’s sister’s kids are going to tie them to the bumper during the reception.” Lathen pulled out onto the road behind his father’s truck. The entire pack, less Sofie and Walter, were crowded into the Community Center when he pulled up and parked the SUV.

  The ceremony was short. Pepper took the wedding pictures promising to email them to everyone when she returned home. Lathen had two pieces of Jan’s cake, which was excellent, and not a crumb was left by the end of the reception. He and Kolby laughed their asses off when Amy and Eli got in the truck and started down the road, the tin cans rattling.

  Eli stopped the truck, got out, and yanked off the tin cans, threw them in the back of the truck, but didn’t bother with the “Just Married” lettering scrawled across the back window. Only shook his fist at the group gathered to see them off, then laughed and waved as he climbed back into the truck and peeled out, sending gravel and rocks in all directions.

  Lathen and Pepper spent the night in Anchorage with Hayley and Kolby. With Pepper’s help, Hayley fixed a big breakfast of ham and cheese omelets, hash browns, bacon, and orange juice. In between omelet bites, Pepper suggested they come to the Cove for Thanksgiving. Lathen nodded in agreement, chewing on a piece of bacon.

  Hayley squealed, and Kolby looked thoughtful for a few seconds, then said, “That’s three months away. I’ll see what arrangements can be made at work for time off. No promises, but we’ll do our best.”

  After breakfast, Lathen smiled, watching Hayley stuff blueberry muffins and cinnamon rolls in their carry-on luggage. Her way of making sure he and Pepper wouldn’t starve while winging their way to Lobster Cove. Yep, family was nice.

  Chapter Twenty

  Back to the Lower Forty-Eight

  —Surprises Abound

  Tired but excited to be nearly home, Pepper and Lathen departed a misty Bar Harbor airport shortly after one a.m. Knowing their return flight would be in the wee hours of the morning, he’d left his work truck in the airport’s long-term parking lot when they embarked on the Alaska trip.

  When Lathen turned into the driveway, he turned the headlights off and coasted around to the front of the house and cut the engine. Her parents’ car was parked in front. Pepper slipped out of the truck and quietly shut the door as he got two suitcases from the bed of the truck. Pepper lugged their two carry-ons and her backpack to the door and fished the keys out of her backpack. Quickly unlocking the door, she sat the bags on the floor and was nearly knocked over by a wiggling, barking, black ball of fur.

  “So much for a quiet entrance.” She giggled, holding the door for Lathen, who was trying to negotiate the entrance and avoid mowing over the dog.

  Pepper moved out of the way, bent down, and scratched Ember’s ears, while Lathen stowed the suitcases against the wall.

  “We’ll deal with them later,” Lathen whispered, his foot on the first stair to the loft.

  A soft whistling grew louder by the minute. “I’d better greet Kaylee before she wakes Mom and Dad. Go on up to bed. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Too late. We heard Ember bark and knew it was you.” Her mom’s sleepy voice carried down the hallway. “She’s been really restless for a couple days. Almost like she knew you were on your way home.” Klaren shuffled to the aviary door and hugged her daughter. “Did you have a good time?”

  “Yes. Lathen’s dad is a hoot, and his new wife is really nice. They welcomed Lathen and me with open arms. Tell you all about it in the morning.”

  “It is morning.” Her mother laughed. “Glad to hear it. You should know, Kaylee never relaxed, seemed on edge the whole time you were gone.” Klaren padded back to the guest room. “See you when you get up.”

  The door to the aviary creaked when Pepper pushed it open, and a sliver of light shone across the floor. Kaylee whistled a greeting, then promptly turned her back, holding her feathers tight against her. “Oh, I know you’re glad to see me. Just get over yourself.” She stroked the bird’s wing, crooning softly. “See you later this morning. We’ll go down to the beach.”

  Kaylee ruffled her feathers, shook them out, then blinked slowly and settled on her perch.

  This time when Pepper pulled the door closed, it made a long drawn-out crreeaak. Pepper grimaced. The sound shot up her spine like fingernails on a chalkboard. Lathen needs to look at that. She walked to the stairs, reached for the banister, and paused, glancing around. It was sure good to be home. She coaxed her tired legs up the stairs. Ember tilted her head, watching Pepper for a second, then trotted up the stairs and barked once inside the bedroom.

  ****

  A light rain pattered on the window as Pepper tried sleepily to roll over. She didn’t remember climbing into bed last night. Lathen’s muscular arm was wrapped around her like a velvet chain and had her trapped. Still snoring softly, he made a snuffling sound when she tried to crawl out from under his grasp and drew her closer. His eyes blinked open. “Good morn—Probably afternoon by now.” He glanced out the window at the gray sky. “Still raining, huh?”

  “Would seem so.” The curtain rippled as a cool breeze wafted through the room. Goose bumps ran up her one arm outside the covers, and she shivered. “Did you open the window last night and leave it open?”

  “I remember opening it to breathe in the salty air, but I distinctly remember closing it because it made a thud and Ember barked. But I was exhausted, so…” He shrugged. “Are you cold?” Lathen curled his body around her.

  The heat radiating from him warmed her arm when she yanked it inside the covers. “You know you could get up and close the window,” she suggested.

  “I could, but then we’d both be cold,” he grumbled but got up and closed the window. His nostrils flared and he inhaled deeply. “Freshly brewed coffee. Ready to get up or…do I need to heat you up more?” he said, a suggestive tone in his voice and a come-hither look in his eyes.

  Her stomach rumbled in response. “We better get up. I’m ravenous, and we need to see how things went while we were gone.”

  “Always the killjoy,” he said with a laugh and lunged for her.

  She neatly stepped out of his path, causing him to nearly fall on the floor. “Always the sex-starved male.”

  “Once again, thanks for noticing.” He scrounged inside the drawer designated for his stuff and pulled out the last pair of briefs. “This is it, or would you rather me go commando?” He caught her gaze and waggled his eyebrows.

  “There’s more in the bags downstairs. Just have to wash ’em.”

  He pulled on the briefs and walked to the clo
set. “Gee, don’t sound so enthused.” Inside the closet, he pulled out a worn pair of blue jeans and old rust-colored sweatshirt and yanked them on. “Seriously, we need to discuss a permanent plan of cohabitation, make it official.”

  “Oh, I thought it already was. You haven’t slept in your cottage for a while,” she said tying her hair back with a blue ribbon that matched the soft blue sweater she’d pulled from a drawer. Wearing only a black bra and matching panties, she sashayed into the closet.

  “You do realize, if you don’t get dressed quickly, you won’t be leaving this room anytime soon.”

  A laugh bubbled up from her throat as her stomach rumbled again. “I know,” she said airily. After slipping into her jeans, she pulled the sweater over her head and adjusted the ribbon tied around her ponytail.

  Lathen opened the door, and freshly brewed coffee aroma flooded into the room. “Guess everyone is up but us.”

  Pepper breathed deeply. “Yep, I smell mom’s famous bacon, egg, and cheese casserole. My favorite.” She licked her lips and sprinted down the stairs, Lathen right behind her.

  When they entered the kitchen, her dad was flipping blueberry pancakes on a griddle and her mom had just taken the steaming casserole out of the oven. Pepper kissed both her parents on the cheek. Klaren sat the dish on a hot-air-balloon-shaped trivet in the middle of the large oak table and stuck a serving spoon in it. She turned, picked up two mugs, handing a mug of coffee to Lathen and herbal tea to Pepper.

  “Figured the food aromas would bring you two down here. Pull up a chair and enjoy,” Klaren said cheerfully. “The tea I made from your garden herbs, quite tasty. Tell us all about your trip.”

  Lathen pulled out Pepper’s seat. “Thanks, but you didn’t need to do this. I’m sure you want to get back to your cabin and meet with friends around town.”

  “To be honest, we’ve had a really good time here. Duncan has been playing in your lab and down at the beach, taking water samples and heaven knows what else.” Klaren laughed and flung her arms in the air and let them drop. “Not to mention getting in the workers’ way out there.”

  “I have not,” Duncan protested. “Lathen gave me assignments, and I completed them all as requested.”

  “Oh, so you got the pipe situation taken care of?” Lathen asked.

  “I, or rather, we did. Funny thing, the supplier insisted that someone called and canceled the order, but the name and phone number of the calling party didn’t match anyone we have here. Chalked it up to a mix-up, and they sent the shipment rush, no charge. Said you’d done a lot of business with them, and they appreciated it.”

  “Huh, that is strange. Oh, well, as long as everything got here, we’re set.” Lathen locked his fingers behind his head, leaned his chair back on two legs, and blew out a breath. “Thanks for helping out.”

  “I enjoyed it. Retirement is great, don’t get me wrong, but I liked getting up and having something to do.” Duncan winked at Lathen. “Klaren has had a good time too. She loves the computer system here. Got a lot of research done after walking to the beach with Kaylee on her daily flights.”

  “Yep, had good talks with Ashling too. Ember and Kaylee were always on guard the whole time you were gone.” She paused. “Lathen, chairs are meant to have four legs on the floor.” Klaren joined the others at the table, poured orange juice into the glasses, and sat down.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Lathen brought the chair down on four legs, then buttered and poured blueberry syrup over half the pancake, took a bite. “Mmmm, this is great,” he mumbled around a mouthful of pancake, then reached for the maple syrup and poured that on the other half.

  Pepper popped a fork full of casserole in her mouth and rolled her eyes. “Wonderful. I’ve missed this. It’s been years.”

  “If you’d invited us up to Salem more than a couple times over the last several years—” Klaren started, but Duncan shook his head. “No matter, we’re glad you’ve found your place. Oh, we set off the alarm system a couple of times. Forgot it was on,” she said sheepishly.

  “I know, got an email from the alarm company. Knew it was you from your disarm code.” Pepper took a sip of tea, held the mug up. “This is really good. Dried the plants on the porch?”

  “Not exactly. Kinda used scrap lumber and some plexiglass your dad got to build a greenhouse,” Klaren said. “Connected it to the Kaylee’s aviary.”

  Pepper’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t see a greenhouse last night.” She put the last piece of bacon in her mouth and chewed. “Did you get the other project we discussed finished?”

  “Sure did. Easy as pie and turned out perfect,” her dad said. “We’ll take a tour after breakfast.” He sipped at his coffee. “Also brought an extra coffee bean grinder we had sitting around.” Duncan pointed to the counter next to the toaster.

  “No wonder this tasted different. What’d you use?”

  “Columbian and a little Hawaiian we brought with us. Gotta order it over the Internet unless you are on the islands,” Duncan said. “Left you a bag in the cupboard. Brought two with us, since we didn’t know how long we’d stay.”

  “Speaking of staying,” Pepper said shifting in her chair to glance at Lathen. “His brother and Hayley are going to try to make it out here for Thanksgiving. Lathen is going to bring it up to his dad and Amy when they get back from the honeymoon. If you two could stay through Thanksgiving, it would be fun for us to be together for the holiday. You’ll love his family.” She went on to describe Kolby and Hayley, Half Moon Valley, the people, their visit to Denali, and the wedding. She left out the problems Lathen feared when showing up at his father’s house and things of that nature.

  Her parents exchanged looks and her dad said, “Sounds like you two had a wonderful time. Denali is on our someday list. We don’t have any plans for Thanksgiving and the cottage is ours until December first, if we want it.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Pepper said enthusiastically. The holidays were just another day when she was in Salem. The rescues had to be fed, cleaned, and cared for. Seemed to be a busy season for their little center. But this year, she was excited at the prospect of family for the holidays. I wonder if Gwen could get someone to cover for her for a few days?

  “I’ll go ahead and email Dad. That way they won’t make other plans for Thanksgiving. Now let’s see this greenhouse.” Lathen pushed up from the table.

  Lathen and Duncan gathered up the dishes. Pepper and her mom rinsed and put them in the dishwasher, turning it on.

  “Right this way,” her mom said striding down the hallway. She opened the door to the aviary and walked through the room to a new door beside the big window looking toward the meadow. She pushed the door and held it open. Inside there were several drying lines extending the full length of the building, a low wooden bench stretched along one wall with a corner table, and a tough plastic plant center on wheels sat beside the table. Potting soil, pots, starter pots, and small hand tools had been moved from the storage shed into the greenhouse. The framework was two by fours, the walls and ceiling of quarter-inch plexiglass. A top vent in the roof finished it off. The outside door opened into the herb garden and had a security lock.

  “It’s kinda overkill for the security lock on the outside door since the greenhouse is plexi. But made sure the door from the greenhouse into the aviary is a security door and lock. I noticed all the security you have around here, and the foreman said it would be required for the interior door.”

  Lathen walked around and checked the framing, bench, and corner table. “Where’d you find the plant center?”

  “The hardware store had it out front for their sidewalk sale. It was the end of the day, and the mist was turning into rain. Your dad haggled with the owner and got an even better price,” Klaren said proudly.

  “I don’t think he wanted to drag the thing back inside and dry it off,” Duncan said, the corner of his mouth kicked up in a grin.

  Pepper tugged on the drying lines, ran her fingers over the plant center, and
smiled. “Nice. Thank you two very much.”

  Her dad led the way back through the house and into the empty exercise area. Half of it had been walled off, with a large window between the two rooms, next to a door.

  A smile spread across Lathen’s face as he stared in the window and saw a large hot tub, tendrils of steam rising in the air. Benches lined the back wall of the room, and hooks were installed on the short wall. Windows to the outside faced the ocean and had automatic insulated blinds installed. There were two skylights installed in the roof.

  Pepper opened the door and said, “Surprise.” She pointed to the ceiling. “The skylights and windows are set up with electronic openers. They are on a sensor system and can be programmed to open automatically in case it gets too moist in here.”

  “How did you get—was Desmond in on this?” Lathen wanted to know.

  Pepper made a motion of locking her lips and throwing away the key. “I’ll never tell. But the trip was timed perfectly. Mom and Dad executed the rest of the plan for me.”

  “I think we’ll put this to good use this evening,” Lathen said, waggling his eyebrows.

  “Well, we better gather our stuff and see what’s been happening at the cottage,” Duncan said, walking toward the living room. “But if you don’t mind, I’d like to continue to help out, if you need me.”

  “Before you leave, let’s go check with Desmond. I’m sure there are still lots of finishing touches you can help with.” Lathen and Duncan went outside to find the foreman.

  Pepper walked back into the kitchen and fixed two mugs of orange spice tea, took a sip from one mug, and handed the other to her mom. “Gotta go get groceries and supplies tomorrow. Want to come along?”

  “I’d like that. I’m sure your dad will want to be here early tomorrow morning to help out. After shopping, we could have lunch at Maggie’s. I love the food there.”

  Pepper frowned. “Well…” She considered a possible encounter with Kate. Pepper straightened and pushed the thought aside. “That would be fine.” She wasn’t about to let Kate control where she went. If a problem arose, she’d deal with it.