by V. A. Dold
“I understand and will do as you request. Thank you, again, Mother. Blessed be.”
“Blessed be, my daughter.”
The goddess and her energy slowly faded, leaving Emma alone with her thoughts. Clearing the ritual site, she repacked the saddlebags and headed back. She had a lot to think about before she spoke to Krystal.
*****
“Sure. Can we talk while I cook?” She was making her specialty shrimp and grits along with a platter of thick cut steaks waiting for the grill.
Emma took a deep breath. “You may not know this, but I know you can read people’s auras and speak to their spirit guides.”
The spatula Krystal held clattered into the pan. “You know? How is that possible?”
“Sweetheart, I’m the queen. I know much more than anyone realizes.”
Krystal turned off the burner and gave Emma her full attention. “Does anyone else know?” she asked in a tiny voice.
“No. I haven’t even told Isaac.”
Krystal huffed out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank Goddess.”
“Yes. I agree. If word got around about your ability your life would be… Well, I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Is that what you wanted me to know?”
“Yes, and no. The goddess told me you used your gift and learned who Lucas’s mate is. You’re supposed to help me bring them together.”
“Oh! Yes, I met her a few days ago. Her name is Kensie Brown. I invited her to dinner, but she wasn’t going to be here any longer. She lives in Minnesota and was headed back home. Her sister Jojo is coming though.”
“Excellent. When her sister comes, you need to convince her to have Kensie return and come here to the ranch. Then you and Jojo must find ways to force his mate to spend time with him. This is going to be a very difficult task. Can you do it?”
Krystal frowned and stared at the floor, thinking. “Maybe. I’ve already been trying to figure out a way to get her back to Texas. So far, I haven’t thought of anything that will work.”
“I’m sure once you talk with Jojo, she’ll help you come up with an excuse.”
Krystal looked less than optimistic. “I hope so.”
Emma smiled and patted her arm. “If you need advice, you can always call me.”
*****
The next morning, the family gathered in the kitchen for breakfast and to discuss the day. The men planned to play cowboy and help move the cattle being delivered.
Once the men left, Krystal leaned against the kitchen sink. “Julia, do you think you and Emma could unpack some of the boxes in the living room? I have several interviews this morning.”
“Anything you need. That’s why we’re here.”
Krystal smiled. “Thank you.” Then she considered the fact Julia, an experienced employer, and Emma, who knew everything about everything, were at her disposal. “If I want someone to do a second interview would either of you be willing to do that?”
“Absolutely,” Julia said, sipping her coffee.
“Anything you need, cher,” Emma agreed as she sipped her tea.
A few hours later, Krystal leaned back in her chair. The first interviews were done and two of them were coming back for second interviews. If they passed muster with Julia or Emma she would have a chef and prep cook by the end of the day.
Julia agreed to talk to the chef and Emma would take the prep cook. While they were busy, Krystal took the chance to unpack a few more boxes. At the rate they were going, the unpacking would be done in another day or two.
Julia walked into the living room, smiling from ear to ear. “Your chef will be here two days before your first guests arrive to review the kitchen and order any supplies you don’t have on hand.”
“That’s great news. Thank you for doing the interview.”
“No problem, I just wish I would be here when she starts, her cornbread sounds amazing.”
Emma walked in wearing a smile to match Julia’s. “You have a prep chef, cher.”
Krystal laughed. She couldn’t believe her luck; she got both of them. “Thanks, Aunt Emma.”
Emma grinned. “You’re welcome.”
The men returned, and after showers and dinner, they all sat around a bonfire, resting.
“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” Isaac asked sipping scotch.
Lucas took a swig of beer. “Thomas and I have some horses to look at. Would you like to come?”
“I’d love to. What about you, ladies? What do you have planned?”
Krystal smiled at Emma and Julia. “Well, I need to go shopping for furnishings. The cabins all need to be filled.”
Emma clapped happily. “If shopping is involved, I’m in.”
Julia raised her drink. “I’m in, too.”
*****
By nine a.m., breakfast was finished and cleared, and the men were prepared to head out. The ranch they were going to was forty miles away and once they got there they still needed to look over the herd and choose a few. Lucas didn’t doubt he would buy a few horses today; this breeder had an excellent reputation.
Isaac kissed Emma and turned to leave with the men when Cade’s voice sounded in his mind.
Dad? Can you hear me?
Cade?
Thank Goddess! I need your help.
What’s wrong?
Anna is in labor, and we're trapped on the island by a storm. I need Mom to coach me through this, and you're going to have to be our relay.
Isaac passed on what was happening to the rest of the group. Both he and Emma hurried to pack their bags. They needed to head back immediately.
Thomas looked at Lucas and then the girls. “What do we do?”
“I have no idea,” Lucas said helplessly.
Julia plopped into a chair. “If the weather is so bad they can’t leave the island, there’s nothing we can do.”
Thomas sank into the chair next to Julia and took her hand. “Should we go home, too? I hate to say it, but there’s nothing we can do to help. Maybe we should stay like we planned and we’ll see my baby sister when we get back?”
Lucas nodded. “You might as well stay. Mom is never going to let anyone else near the baby anyway.”
“Let’s ask Emma and Isaac when they finish packing,” Julia suggested.
They all agreed to hold tight. Krystal busied herself making a fresh pot of coffee. They were going to be here for a while.
Emma must have jammed her things into the suitcases without folding them. Krystal never knew anyone to pack as fast as she did. The coffee hadn’t even finished brewing and Isaac came out hauling all their cases.
Thomas jumped to his feet. “What should we do?”
Isaac dropped the bags and pulled him into a hug. “I know you’re worried, but everything is going to be fine. You all just stay the course here and get this place ready, Emma and I will take care of your mother and baby sister.”
Emma hustled out zipping her cosmetic bag. “Don’t fret, cher. I have a midwife heading over to the cabin as soon as the weather allows. She’ll help deliver the baby. We’ll call you as often as we can with updates.”
Minutes later Isaac and Emma drove out of sight. Lucas and Thomas stared at each other trying to digest what just happened.
Chapter 4
The week sped by and Thomas and Julia decided to head home early. The dude ranch was stocked with food, furniture, horses, and of course the all-important dudes. They weren’t needed anymore, and Thomas was dying to meet his baby sister.
Lucas and Krystal walked them to their car to say good-bye and waved until they were out of sight.
“What’s on the agenda today, cuz?” Lucas asked as he threw an arm around her shoulder and walked back into the house.
“I have to meet with the entire kitchen staff and then I need to get ready for our dinner guest.”
Lucas came to a halt. “Dinner guest?”
“A young lady I met a week ago in town. I invited her to dinner so we could get to know each othe
r.”
“Oh, okay. What time should I be cleaned up?”
“I think if you come in to shower around six you’ll be fine.”
“All right, I’ll see you later. I want to work a couple of the horses to see what they are capable of.”
Krystal grinned at him. “You go get ‘em, cowboy.”
*****
Jojo knocked on the door promptly at seven o’clock. She’d been excited to see the ranch since she met Krystal at the grocery store. She was finally here. The two cowboys she spied near the barn were really cute. Maybe Krystal would introduce her?
“Welcome to the ranch,” Krystal said, smiling as she opened the door.
“Thank you for having me. Wow, something smells really good.”
“Thanks, I made a few Cajun favorites for you to try. I thought you might enjoy them.” Krystal led the way to the kitchen.
Jojo took a seat on a stool at the island and watched as Krystal finished the meal. “I’m sure I will.”
“Lucas, my cousin will join us in a minute. He wanted to shower after a long day.”
“OOOO, a real cowboy?”
Krystal laughed. “I suppose you could say that. I really wanted Kensie to meet him. I get a sense about people, and the instant I met her I was sure she and Lucas would really hit it off. We just have to get them together.”
Jojo cocked her head. “You really think so?”
“Oh, I know so.” Krystal chuckled.
“I would give anything to have my sister move to Texas. I miss her something terrible.”
Krystal glanced from the pot she stirred. “I’d love to help you anyway I can. It’s just too bad the timing was off when I invited you both.”
Jojo frowned and sighed. “Yeah. She was supposed to spend the week having fun with me. It didn’t work out, as usual. She worked the entire time and we didn’t do a dang thing.”
Krystal shrugged. “Maybe we can get her to come back. If you booked a week at the ranch I could help you keep her so busy she wouldn’t think about work.”
Jojo played with her hair obviously deep in thought. Suddenly, she sat straighter and smiled brightly. “My birthday is in a couple weeks. I’ll tell her I want a week here at the ranch with her as my present, and no working is allowed.”
Krystal crossed her arms and grinned. “I think you hit on the perfect plan. Since it’s for your birthday, I’ll give you a cabin for the week, no charge.”
Jojo giggled and clasped her hands excitedly. “There’s no way she will be able to refuse.”
*****
Kensie didn’t care for airplanes and usually chose to drive. This trip was no different. She stepped from her gloriously air-conditioned, royal blue Lexus and cringed. Was she in Texas or had she died and gone to hell? One hundred and ten degrees of mind-altering heat blasted her as she opened her door.
It was hot in Minnesota, mind you, and a very humid hot at that, but this squeezed the breath right out of her overwhelmed lungs.
Even her Vera Wang tank top and shorts didn’t help. Normally, Vera didn’t design clothes for women her size, but ever since she’d healed a close friend of the famous designer, Vera continued to send boxes to her every season. She got to celebrate Christmas four times a year. In this harsh climate, even Vera was no match. She swore she melted like a pat of butter in a hot skillet the instant she stepped from her car.
Please God, let there be a swimming pool in this godforsaken oven.
Jojo promised they’d only spend one week in this inferno. She eyed her Lexus longingly. At this moment, she seriously doubted she would last a day.
Reluctantly, she dropped her keys in her handbag along with her cell phone. Thank goodness she organized an escape plan if this adventure proved to be too much. With one text of the secret word “dire,” Carol, her best friend from the hospital, would call with a sudden emergency only Kensie could handle. That cell phone was her lifeline and come hell or high water, no one would separate her from her escape route.
Kensie hoped, at the mature age of twenty-five, Jojo would be over her fascination with all things cowboy. Her insane fixation is what drove her little sister to move over twelve hundred miles from where she grew up in the Midwest. Breathing a sigh of resignation, she feared Jojo would never get over chasing cowboys.
Instead of growing out of her cowboy craze, Jojo decided it was her mission to set up her older sister with every available man she met. Which now was limited to said cowboys. So far, every man was beyond uninteresting. But her lack of success hadn’t dimmed Jojo’s determination. She insisted she could hear Kensie’s biological clock ticking and time was running out.
The thought made her snort. Quickly she glanced around to make sure no one witnessed her unladylike behavior. She rarely wanted, nor needed, a man. It was mystifying really. She wasn’t a lesbian, but she wasn’t attracted to men either, at least not like other women. Sure, she needed sex once in a while, but she wasn’t interested in the emotional entrapments. Maybe she was broken?
When she was little and their parents were still alive, she’d dreamt of getting married and having a few kids of her own. Her imagined prince was tall and strong with thick dark hair and stunning blue eyes. She wasn’t even going to think about the chiseled features, strong, manly jaw, or heart-melting, kissable lips she dreamt he would have. Her fantasy prince was exactly like all the prince’s in her fairy tales. Sadly, her little girl fantasy never panned out and she stopped dreaming of imaginary princes about two decades ago.
When her parents died in a pile-up on Interstate 94 during a blizzard, she was left to raise her eight-year-old sister. Not the eighteenth birthday present she’d expected. Needless to say, between raising a child when she was still one herself and having only occasional sexual interest in the opposite sex, she never did find her prince charming.
Besides, most men she’d met and worked with were interested in blondes, and she had bright red hair the color of expensive red wine. That and her size magically made her invisible to all men. In her experience, if a woman wasn’t a size seven or smaller, men looked right through her, at least the men she was exposed to did.
She kissed size seven goodbye in the sixth grade and never looked back. The combination of her fiery hair and plush body alone were the kiss of death where men were concerned. But she didn't stop there, oh no, she added a doozy of a third issue and drove a stake right through the heart of Cupid. She made the unforgivable error of becoming a renowned doctor at the Mayo Clinic. Patients came from all over the world to see her. It seemed men really didn’t care for women who were more successful than they were, and made a hell of a lot more money than they ever would.
It became abundantly obvious, she intimidated men. A combination of too smart, too successful, too rich, too fat, and way too outspoken were a bad thing. Kensie never saw a reason to mince words, so she said it like it was. Apparently, people, especially men, didn’t care for that. To flippin' bad. She was too old to change now.
A quick look around told her the barn was behind the incredible house she parked in front of. From where she stood, all she could see was a huge hipped roof. That must be where Jojo was. She estimated the shortest path was around the attached four-car garage. Straightening her sunglasses, she headed toward the corner with determined purpose. The sooner she located Jojo, the sooner she could get into air conditioning.
Distracted by the beautiful landscape, Kensie didn’t watch where she was going. She rounded the corner of the garage and ran smack dab into a solid wall. What the devil was that doing there? Wait, that wasn’t a wall – what the heck was that?
One second she turned a corner and the next she somehow slammed into what felt like a brick wall, which had no business there. No. Not a wall, a solid, very masculine, man. A gigantic Minnesota oak of a man, who was going down hard, and regrettably, taking her with him. As much as she wanted to change her fate, there was no way to stop what was about to happen. For a split second she considered yelling timber. She wa
s screwed, and unless her calculations were terribly off, she was doomed to land in a very awkward position.
After what felt like a lifetime, the manly oak hit the ground hard, with her splayed across him in a very unladylike, very sexual, way.
Good lord! I killed him! “Shiznit!”
A grunted “umph” and a gust of air from her victim’s lungs burst across her neck with such force her hair billowed like a curtain before falling back across her face.
She was no tiny, skinny woman. Kensie openly admitted that. And she just flattened what felt like a very remarkable male body with her considerable weight.
She was mortified. If she had the choice and the power to control time, she would make it so the event of a second ago never happened. Whoever this cowboy she’d just clobbered was, he was laid out flat. At least she assumed he was a cowboy; he wore the hat and boots after all.
Hastily, she tried to prop herself up a bit and not crush him completely. Adjusting her position only succeeded in grinding her rapidly dampening lower region into his crotch.
Holy cow! One glance and she swallowed her tongue.
Oh, yeah, she was guaranteed to be a wealth of conversation with this man’s gorgeous face inches from her own. Well, that and the fact her brain was completely blank for the first time in her life. For a renowned doctor, she currently had the IQ of an earthworm. She suddenly possessed a head so empty, she swore she heard his grunt echo in the now vacant space of her skull. The only thing able to break through the fog was his fabulous cologne. He smelled of the northern woods and pine trees. She secretly smiled as a memory of winter boots and a Christmas tree played through her mind. Her father took her to the forest to cut down their tree every year. When he died, she took over the tradition and Jojo came along to pick a tree and they cut it together. The rise of her victim’s chest ended her reverie.
She was in full body contact with this god of a man, from her jiggling 40Ds to her Prada sandals. Was that a branch sprouting against her hip?