The Witch's Christmas Wish (Miracle Express, #9)

by Rebecca Lovell

  “Tilly, can you show me how to put this damn thing—-” He stopped when he saw Gard and Terra. “Hey, Gard. What are you doing here?”

  “I need your help on something, Jake. About the case.” Gard gestured to Terra. “This is Dr. Rendon. She’s an engineer and she’s helping me with the investigation.” Jacob set aside the track and got up from the floor.

  “Nice to meet you, Dr. Rendon. I’m Jacob Pierce and this is our daughter Isabella.” The little girl was absorbed in the train set and didn’t so much as look up at them. “Are you a train engineer or a mechanical engineer?”

  “Mechanical. I evaluate the safety of trains and tracks at New York University.” She shook Jacob’s hand firmly.

  “Is that so? Isabella,” he said, and his daughter looked up. “This lady helps build trains.”

  “Wow!” Isabella dropped her train and scrambled to her feet. “Really?” She ran over to Terra and looked up at her, which sent a jolt of surprise through her body. Gard had been right; Isabella had the exact same eyes as hers.

  “Really,” Terra said. “I love trains. And my brother drives them.”

  “Will you play with me?”

  “I need to talk to Uncle Gard and Dr. Rendon for a few minutes first,” Jacob said. “Then you can play with her if she wants to.” Isabella looked disappointed but went back over to her train and sat down to rearrange the tracks. “Now, tell me about this case. I don’t really know any specifics.”

  They sat down at a small table in the kitchen and Gard went over the case while Terra looked around at the herbs on a drying rack, the wooden wardrobe at the back of the kitchen, and a glass door that looked as if it led to some sort of greenhouse. It smelled every bit as floral and herbaceous as she had expected, but it was a dizzying experience as she realized that she felt completely at home in Tilly and Jacob’s house. The front room had looked like a bit of a shop as well and Terra wanted to ask about it but Gard turned to her at that moment.

  “They’ll probably want Terra to come to present her evidence because I couldn’t begin to explain what she knows, but unless I get some sort of a recommendation they’ll probably want me to hand off the case and stay in Virginia,” he said. Jacob nodded.

  “Which is where I come in. You want me to try and set up some sort of consultancy.” He leaned back in his chair as he considered it. “I might be able to talk them into it if I get the chief on the phone. I’ve got to have a good reason to talk to him on a Sunday, though.”

  “Wouldn’t the progress we’ve made in such a short time be enough?” Terra looked between the two men. “I’ll be happy to let Gard present the evidence I found as his own.”

  “You would?” Gard’s eyes widened in surprise and Terra nodded.

  “I don’t think that’s necessary,” Jacob said, leaning forward so that his chair returned to the floor with a clack. “I should be able to frame this the right way if I get a little creative. Do you two want to come to the station with me?”

  “Me too?” Terra blinked at Jacob. This was the second man she’d met in Roanoke that was willing to treat her like she was knowledgeable and part of the team when they’d barely met.

  “Sure. You’re a part of this investigation, aren’t you?”

  “I think Terra would prefer to stay here with me,” Tilly said, putting a hand on Terra’s shoulder out of nowhere. “Of course you may go if you’d like, but I can feel that you want to talk to me.” Terra looked up at her, and her green eyes were kind.

  “I would rather talk to you, if that’s all right,” she said, then turned back to the two detectives. “That is all right, isn’t it?”

  “Of course,” Jacob replied with a grin as he stood up. “We’d better go now when there aren’t too many people at the station listening in. I wouldn’t want too many of them to know I’ve got the chief’s home number.”

  “You sure you don’t want to go?” Gard looked at Terra, who nodded. “Okay. We can head back to the hotel after we get an answer if you want.”

  “Absolutely not.” Tilly put her hands on her hips as best she could with her swollen belly. “You’ll be staying to eat, and I’m not taking no for an answer.” She smiled at Terra. “You’d be surprised what I can put together on short notice.”

  “I’m afraid I won’t be much help.” Terra bit her lip. “I’m not a very good cook.”

  “Don’t worry.” The detectives left the kitchen while Tilly went to the stove and turned the fire on beneath a kettle. “There’s plenty you can do that doesn’t involve cooking. Since he likes to come over here for dinner, I make Gard chop vegetables all the time. He’s actually getting quite good at it.”

  Now that they were alone, Terra’s nervousness was creeping back in. She wanted to just ask Tilly about her magic but didn’t want to be rude. She felt like they should have a real conversation before she brought it up and wasn’t sure where to start.

  “Gard gave me some of your tea.” It was the first thing that had popped into her head. “It was really quite good.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve got something a bit different for you today, but I think you’ll enjoy it.” She smiled gently at Terra. “You really want to ask me something else, don’t you? It’s all right, you don’t have to be shy.”

  “Oh.” Blushing brightly, Terra wiped her sweaty hands on her dress. “Gard said you, um, you have some sort of magic. I wanted to know if that was true.” Her voice trailed off until the last word was whispered, and Tilly sat a cup of tea in front of her.

  “Don’t be embarrassed. Gard’s always known, or at least suspected about my magic. In fact, he was the one who sent Jacob over here the first time.” Tilly sat down across from Terra with her own tea. “I can sense emotions, and I have visions of the past and future. Tell me about your magic.”

  “Mine?” Terra’s entire face turned bright red, and she could feel the blush creeping down her neck as well. She wanted to deny it, but knew instinctively that Tilly wouldn’t be fooled. “I have visions of the future, and recently I’ve started having ones of the past. But I’ve had the ones of the past since I was a little girl, even younger than your Isabella.”

  “Younger than me?” A small voice came from the doorway and Isabella looked in curiously at the new visitor.

  “You little troublemaker,” Tilly sighed. “Were you listening for your name?”

  “Maybe.” Isabella came fully into the kitchen with a crafty smile and stood next to Terra’s chair. “Can I sit with you?”

  “Isabella, don’t be rude.” Tilly pointed to the door. “Go back in there and play with your trains while we’re talking.”

  “It’s all right,” Terra said. “She can sit with me if she wants.” Isabella beamed at her, and Terra expected her to pull up a chair and sit down. Instead she crawled up and sat in Terra’s lap. “My goodness. Hello.”

  “She can be more than a little obnoxious.” Closing her eyes, Tilly shook her head. “I apologize for her. You can tell her to leave if you like.”

  “Oh, no, it’s fine,” Terra said. “I love children. I’d love to have some of my own one day.” She looked at the little girl. “Twins run in my family, so I’m likely to have quite a few.”

  “They do?” Tilly’s eyes widened. “How much do you know about your family? Apart from your mother and father, I mean.” This seemed like a strange question for Tilly to ask but Isabella leaned her head on Terra’s shoulder at that moment. “Isabella.”

  “She’s all right. Other than my parents, I really don’t know much. My father’s parents passed away before I was born and my mother didn’t speak to hers. I only have one brother named Tommy, and we’re twins ourselves.” Terra put her arms around Isabella. “Why do you ask?”

  “You have my grandmother’s eyes,” Tilly said, as if it explained everything. When Terra seemed confused, she continued. “My family stretches back hundreds of years, and though our bloodline has disappeared in some places, our magic is still strong. Twins run in our fa
mily, and so do your blue eyes. I think you might be distantly related to me.”

  “You do?” Terra’s breath caught in her throat. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. “My magic could come from my family and we don’t know it?”

  “Yes. In fact, I would be surprised if you weren’t. One of the powers that runs through our bloodlines is second sight, like you have. The fact that you’re a twin, and your eyes, and your power all make me believe that you might be a Dalais.” Tilly got up from her chair and went over to Terra, then put her arms around her as best as possible with her belly and her daughter in the way. “Welcome to our family.”

  Terra felt like she was about to cry. She’d come to Tilly to find someone to talk to about her magic and found that she was part of a family with a long and storied history. She wanted to know more, to hear everything possible about the Dalais family but she knew that there was only so much she could learn before she went back to New York. If I go back to New York, she thought, then gasped out loud. It was the first time she’d had that thought and Tilly smiled at her.

  “I don’t know what you just thought about but you certainly surprised yourself, didn’t you?” Tilly sat back down across from her. “I find that things like this may be confusing, but if you look into your heart you’ll find that your first instinct is the best answer.”

  “Thank you.” There was a tiny snort from her shoulder and Terra looked over to see that Isabella was asleep on her shoulder. With a smile, Terra rubbed her back gently. “This one’s a bit more complicated, I’m afraid. There’s a lot to think about.”

  “Because of Gard?” Once again Tilly had hit the nail on the head and Terra hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I see. Have you told him about your magic?” Terra shook her head. “Do you trust him?”

  “Yes, completely.”

  “Then you should tell him. You already know that he believes and accepts magic. If you care for him, be honest with him. He’s a very kind young man, he deserves that much, even if you decide you aren’t able to stay.” Tilly smiled at her knowingly. “I believe I already know your answer, though.”

  “Will you let me in on the secret?” Terra continued to rub Isabella’s back.

  “I think it’s best if you figure it out on your own.” Tilly stood up, this time with a little difficulty. “Would you be so kind as to help me put her in bed for her nap? I know she’s a bit heavy.”

  “It’s all right, I’m pretty strong.” It wasn’t easy, but Terra managed to get out of her chair. They walked up the stairs to Isabella’s room, Terra looking around as she did. She wanted to know everything about this wonderful house and about her new distant cousin. She also wanted to know how much Tilly knew about her future, but there would be plenty of time for that before the detectives came back. Terra hoped that the answer Gard got would be the one they wanted, and more than that, she wanted to be alone with him again so she could talk to him about her magic.

  Everything, it seemed, was so uncertain. Talking to Gard would make it better, she knew it.

  Chapter Nine

  “It’s nice of your friend to let us stay at her house,” Gard said as he carried Terra’s suitcase down the stairs from her hotel room. His suitcase was already in his car and as they emerged into the wind and snow. “Maybe the weather will be a little better in Maryland.”

  “I certainly hope so,” Terra said, holding her hand up so the snow wouldn’t blow into her eyes. “As for Violet, she’s said before that her house is always open to me so when I sent the telegram I already assumed she would agree.”

  “That’s nice of her.”

  “We’ve known each other quite a long time. She used to live in New York and decided to move to Baltimore after we left school. Violet taught me a lot about flowers and herbs, and she moved further south to study them more.” The car was within sight, and Gard hurried forward to open the door for her before she got there. “She also has two guest rooms, so there’s plenty of room for both of us.”

  “Even better. I’ll sleep on a couch if I have to, but I don’t really like it.” He closed the door, then put her suitcase in the back with his smaller one. His fingers were nearly stiff when he cranked the engine, and even though it was still cold in the car when he got in, it felt warmer without the wind. “All right, let’s get going.”

  Sunday’s phone call with the chief and Jacob had gone so well that when they talked with the Maryland police on Monday, it hadn’t taken them long to agree to have Gard come along. Terra’s expertise with trains had been the real tipping point. They wanted her to come to Baltimore to share her findings with the police and she’d insisted that he come along before she would agree. He had a feeling if he tried to present her evidence as his own they wouldn’t have bought it. The fact that she had even offered, however, was enough to make him like her even more. He glanced over at her.

  “Uh, Terra?”

  “Yes?” She was rummaging through her purse and frowning, clearly not expecting him to ask her anything too serious.

  “What did you and Tilly talk about?” He knew his face was red and hoped she’d think it was from the cold.

  “Mostly about her magic,” Terra said, taking out a piece of paper and closing her purse. “It was so interesting to talk to a real witch. Here’s Violet’s address. I assume we’ll be taking a taxi to her house unless you want to hire a car at the train station.”

  “That’s probably out of my budget.” Gard had never rented a car, so he wasn’t sure how much it cost. He assumed it was a lot and didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of Terra if he couldn’t pay. She opened her mouth and he shook his head firmly. “You’re not paying for it either. There’s nothing wrong with taking taxis.”

  “They’re easy to come by in New York,” Terra said. “I suppose we can have Violet take us to the police station tomorrow morning if you don’t mind. She has a car, but it’s a small one.”

  “A woman driver? We don’t have many of those in Garden City. I’m sure she’s competent, though.” He sighed. “I don’t know why there’s such a prejudice against it. I’d trust you to drive me anywhere.” Gard realized how it sounded right after he’d said it and cleared his throat.

  “Perhaps I should learn, then.” He could hear the grin in Terra’s voice and felt himself blushing again. “What does it take to become a detective?”

  “Why, do you want to be one?” Gard looked quickly at Terra for a moment before looking back at the road. They came to a stoplight and he was able to fully turn to her. “You’re thinking about giving up your job in New York?”

  “I’m beginning to realize that I don’t love it as much as I used to.” She looked directly at Gard, her blue eyes locking on his brown ones. “It’s because of you and Jacob.”

  “Really? Why?” The signal switched to ‘go’ and Gard had to look away.

  “Because you two don’t treat me like I’m a fool just because I’m a woman. You both listened to me and you made it so that other people want to listen to me. I’m so used to having to repeat myself over and over and work twice as hard as the most incompetent man in the university that I can’t even trust men like you and Jacob when you compliment me.” She leaned her head back and her hat slid upward dangerously. “I thought perhaps I could be a detective.”

  “You’d be a good one,” Gard said encouragingly. “Can I ask you a question, though?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Why did you decide you wanted to be an engineer?” The silence that followed his question made him even more curious to hear the answer, but he didn’t want to make Terra uncomfortable. “You really don’t have to answer if it’s too personal. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “You didn’t, it’s just—-” Before she could finish, Gard slammed on the brakes and she slid forward on the seat. She held on to the door handle and he cursed out loud.

  “Dammit,” he said, his heart hammering in his chest. The chestnut cart that had overturned in front of him w
as mercifully unharmed, but the scare it had given him had likely taken years off his life. “Sorry about the language. That scared the hell out of me.”

  “What happened? I didn’t see.”

  “There was a roasted chestnut cart going down the street and I think the wind pushed it over. I managed to stop just in time.” Making sure there was no one behind him, Gard backed up and drove around the cart as best he could without breaking more than a few chestnuts. “Normally I would stop to help them but we have a train to catch.”

  “You’re right,” Terra sighed. “I feel so bad for them though.”

  They made it to the train station without further incident and Gard checked his watch. He was surprised to find that they were there with plenty of time to get to the train. Terra straightened her hat while he went around to open the car for her, only to have it sent cockeyed by the wind again as soon as she stepped out.

  “Go get inside and get warm,” Gard said to her over the wind, which was even stronger than it had been when they left the hotel. “I’ll get our luggage.”

  “Yes, sir!” Terra didn’t hesitate, hurrying across the parking lot so fast that Gard laughed. Just her voice was enough to make him feel warm all over and he wondered what it would be like to take her in his arms intentionally and kiss her. No doubt her lips would be soft, and she wouldn’t hesitate there either. She was a strong woman, and he liked it. The thought of her staying in Roanoke was a beautiful possibility, and though he thought she would be better served at the university, he would do everything in his power to help her become a detective if it was what she really wanted.

  When he made it inside with their luggage, he found her on a bench in view of the door. As soon as she saw him, she stood up and joined him. She reached out for her suitcase and he set his bag down to give her the tickets instead.